Found by Karen Kingsbury Read Free Book Online Page A

hillside below and the distinct sound of rapid camera clicks.
    Dayne didn’t hesitate. He took hold of her arm and pulled her away from the railing.
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    “What are you-?”
    “Paparazzi.” Dayne grabbed her baseball cap, handed it to her, and led her into the house. When he’d shut the sliding door behind them, he fell against the wall and groaned. “Why tonight?”
    “It’s too dark to see anything.”
    “I hope so.” He didn’t want to talk about photographers or being found out. Katy was about to run out of his life. He glanced over his shoulder at the deck. “You can’t go out that way.”
    His house was warmer than outside, but still she was shaking. “I need to leave.”
    He hated that she was so cold. His sweatshirt would be big on her, but it was better than watching her shiver. He pulled it off, turned the sleeves right side out, and handed it to her. “Wear this.”
    She started to shake her head, but she changed her mind. She slipped it over her head and hugged herself. “Thanks.”
    They needed a plan if she was going to get out without the tabs capturing every detail. “Come on.” He grabbed his keys from the counter and headed for his garage. “I’ll drive you to your car. If we get a jump on them, you can be gone before they figure out what happened.”
    She looked afraid again, but she followed him to his SUV.
    Dayne watched in his rearview mirror, and as soon as he pulled onto Pacific Coast Highway he relaxed. “Must’ve been just one guy. No one’s following us.”
    Katy was silent, her eyes straight ahead. They reached the parking lot in half a minute, and she pointed to her rental car. “There.”
    Dayne pulled up on the far side of it and killed the engine. Suddenly the paparazzi were forgotten. Because this was goodbye. Given the circumstances, they might not be alone like this ever again. Not even at the upcoming trial.
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    “Keep looking for Jesus, Dayne.” She crossed her arms tight against her middle.
    She looked like a child, his sweatshirt bulky on her. “Especially now.”
    The air inside his Escalade felt as if it were being sucked out. She couldn’t do this, couldn’t just walk out of his life. “We can still talk … it’s not like we can’t be-“
    She held up her hand. “Please. It’s too late.” She smiled, but her eyes glistened. “Wherever you are, know this.” She massaged her throat for a moment.
    “I’ll be praying for you.” With that she climbed out and shut the door behind her.
    “No.” The word was for his benefit alone. She was already hurrying to her car.
    Dayne grabbed his door handle. He couldn’t let Katy leave until he told her how he felt. Sure, they’d see each other at the trial in May, but by then he’d be weeks away from being a father. He might even be married to Kelly. He bounded out of his SUV and caught up with her just as she reached the driver’s side of her car.
    Katy stopped when she saw him, her expression willing him to keep his distance, to not make this any harder than it already was. “I need to go, Dayne.”
    He slowed his steps. She looked breathtaking in the moonlight, even in his baggy sweatshirt. He came closer so they were only inches apart. “I have to tell you something.”
    She pressed her back against her car and searched his face.
    “It was a mistake, Katy.” He reached for her hands. When she didn’t pull away, he silently rejoiced. They couldn’t go their separate ways without this moment.
    “I never should’ve been with Kelly.”
    “Why?” Katy angled her head. The shine in tier eyes became tears, and her chin quivered. “She’s part of your world. She was always better for you than I was.”
    “No.” He tightened his grip on her fingers and did the thing he’d been dying to do since she walked through his gate. He pulled her into his arms and held her.
    It wasn’t the embrace of
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    two lovers, but it was a hug that he hoped told her how much he cared, how much he would always