When he put his hand on hers, he didn’t know who moved first, but somehow, she ended up pressed against him, his arms wrapped around her. He rested his cheek on her hair and breathed in the scent of lavender, closing his eyes to savor this moment. He wanted more than anything to kiss her, but something held him back. So he simply relished the feel of her against him, his arms around her.

He didn’t know how long they stood there, but eventually, he relaxed his arms and stepped back. “Can I walk you to your car?” he asked.

She cleared her throat and gestured over her shoulder. “I’ll go in and hang out with my uncle for a bit, then stay for evening services. My parents are supposed to come.”

They said their goodbyes, and he slowly walked through the gate and toward his lone car sitting in the empty parking lot. After he got in, he closed his eyes. “God, I need Your help. What to do? What to do?”

He encountered heavier-than-expected traffic for a late Sunday afternoon, then remembered the Cherry Blossom Festival had started yesterday. It had taken some pretty heavy lifting to get their hotel rooms in the midst of the influx of tourists, and he couldn’t extend his stay.

In the lobby, he found McBride and Swanson. “Hey,” he said as he approached, “where’s everyone else?”

“On their way.” Swanson looked at his phone. “Trout’s in Ozzy’s room trying to get him to come with us. No luck, though.”

Rick nodded, thinking about what Cynthia had said yesterday. “Tell him to leave but ask if Ozzy wants us to bring him back a steak.”

“Roger,” Swanson said, typing into the phone.

Eventually, everyone else joined them, including Sergeant Waller and his wife, Leanne. Rick had met her before the ceremony yesterday but hadn’t spent a lot of time speaking to her. She’d attended his high school several years after he graduated, and now she worked in search and rescue.

“I imagine going back to Kentucky won’t hold the same adventure as Colorado did,” he said.

Leanne shrugged and smiled. “I didn’t suffer from a lack of adventure in Kentucky.”

“Oh, right, you worked there too.”

“I did, and your mom was my teacher. When Tim told me about you being from Charula, your name resonated with me. How serendipitous, eh?”

Peña snorted. “You Kentuckians with your big words.” He lifted his chin toward the restaurant. “I made reservations. Food’s really good and we don’t have to figure out transportation.”

“Perfect.”