She looked up at the bell tower of the chapel in the distance, thinking of the rectory next door, where Daniel lived. “How could I not have seen the kind of man he is?”

“You are not the only one.” Lila glanced around, worried one of the men would catch them talking. “Go back to work. We can talk later.”

Wiping her sweaty palms on her long cotton skirt, Callie picked up the hoe and started hacking at the weeds with renewed fervor, seeing Daniel’s handsome face in her mind. Daniel. The man she had once believed she loved.

There was a time she would have done anything for him, a time she had ached to see him, to kiss him, feel his hands on her body.

Not anymore.

Now, like most of the women, she did everything she could to stay off Daniel Henson’s radar. But Callie had been one of his favorites, and there was always a chance he would send for her again.

She had to get out of this place she had once seen as a refuge, a sanctuary from the everyday problems of life. She refused to wait much longer.

* * *

After a quick breakfast at the Hungry Bear, Skye climbed into Edge’s black Nissan for the drive out to the Children of the Sun compound.

Determined to see Callie with or without Henson’s permission, she felt her adrenaline pumping, her heart beating a little too fast. She didn’t realize she was clutching her leather shoulder bag in a death grip until she heard Edge’s deep voice.

“Take it easy, okay? We’re going to talk to her today—one way or another. We won’t leave until we do. All right?”

She relaxed a little. Edge didn’t make promises he didn’t intend to keep. “All right. But Callie can be stubborn. She might not agree to see us.”

“I guess we’ll find out.” The trip seemed longer today, the dirt road bumpier. Still, Edge managed to navigate the uneven roadbed and arrive ten minutes early.

The same red-haired, bearded, broad-shouldered guard came out from behind the fence to talk to them.

Edge rolled down his window. “We’re here to see Callie Delaney—same as yesterday. You going to let us in?”

“I need to see some ID,” the guard said.

They pulled out their driver’s licenses instead of their PI badge wallets and showed them to the guard.

He read their information. “Denver, huh? You’re a long way from home.” He handed back the licenses.

“You gonna open the gate?” Edge pressed, irritation in his voice.

“You’ll find Reverend Henson in the church. You can see the steeple from here.” The guard sauntered back to the gatehouse. A motor groaned as the wrought-iron gate rolled slowly open. Edge drove through and continued down the dirt road toward the church. He parked in front, and they got out of the vehicle.

There were people around, both men and women, walking toward the church, the women in long printed dresses, the men in jeans and colored T-shirts. Skye could see a couple of pickup trucks moving around, hauling bales of hay and fence wire.