“I can’t tell you how happy Byrdie and I are that you’re okay.” The sheriff came around his desk. He pulled Lane into his arms and hugged her. “I want you to know you saved Miguel’s life too. In more ways than one. Your kindness . . . your ability to see beyond what’s on the outside. I wish there were more of you in this town.”

Lane cleared her throat. “Thanks. Can I have a few minutes with Charlie?”

“Sure.” Sheriff Huggins kissed her forehead and stepped out of his office, closing the door behind him.

Lane’s cheeks turned pink. “I owe you an apology—”

“No you don’t.”

“I do. I owe an apology to a lot of people. I took my life for granted. I saw myself as someone living life without purpose. I felt like a burden to those around me and believed it was better if I wasn’t around.” She slipped her hand into his. “I’m not saying my life won’t be messy, but I’ve decided to live my life on purpose. And I’m hoping you will give me a chance to prove I’m worth the trouble.”

He rubbed his fingers over her hand and up her arm until he tilted her chin. She closed her eyes and he leaned in—

His cell phone rang. He groaned and opened his eyes to find Lane smiling. A quick look revealed the caller’s identity. His father. What was he calling for?

“I’ll wait in the hall.”

“Five minutes.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Then we go.” He watched her leave and then answered the call.

“Charlie, it’s Dad. Your mother told me they found the Walton killer.”

“Yes, sir.” He denied himself the satisfaction of revealing his role in closing the case.

A few beats of silence passed between them. Did his father hang up?

“Did I ever tell you what made me join the Marines?”

Charlie glanced at Lane waiting. He knew she was anxious to get to the hospital, but a trip down memory lane with his father was rare. “No, sir.”

“Your grandfather, my father, was an alcoholic. Moved from job to job, leaving your grandmother and me to fend for ourselves most days.” Charlie’s father let out a ragged sigh—an emotional sound that brought wetness to Charlie’s eyes, forcing him to turn away from Lane as he continued to listen to his father’s story. “I was so terrified I’d follow in his footsteps that I chose the only path I knew wouldn’t allow me to mess up. The Marines told me what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Signing up back then was a lifetime commitment, but it was the only way I knew how to not be like him.”

“Dad—”