A Treasure Worth Keeping by Kathryn Springer Page B

escape.
    In the end, he’d agreed to take Faith with him.
    He’d tried to talk to her about her dad but she’d refused. Somewhere along the way, Sam had become a member of the opposing team. An hour didn’t go by when he didn’t second-guess his decision to bring her along.
    “I think Rocky is a great name. Don’t you, Sam?”
    With a start, Evie’s voice and the touch of her hand on his arm pulled Sam out of the shadowy path his memories had lured him down. Faith hadn’t voluntarily talked about Dan since they’d arrived in Cooper’s Landing. She’d even rebuffed her grandfather whenever he’d tried to talk about her dad. Now, because of Evie’s gentle prompt, he realized Faith was watching him, waiting patiently for his response. She wasn’t just asking if he liked the name. There was another question in her eyes.
    Is Dad going to be like Rocky? Or is he going to give up?
    He couldn’t answer her. It wasn’t fair to give her false hope, yet he didn’t want to be the one to crush it, either.
    “I think you should take a picture of you and Rocky and send it to your dad.” Evie bravely stepped into the silence.
    “Really?” Faith glanced at him for affirmation. “The nurse told me the last time I called there was a bulletin board by his bed. She said Dad has my letter on it.”
    Sam had had no idea Faith had written to her father or called the rehab center. Guilt washed over him. He’d failed his brother and now he was failing his niece. He struggled to find his voice. “Evie’s right. I think he’d like that.”
    “Does that mean we can study Canis familiaris again tomorrow?” Faith’s tentative smile was like seeing a beam of sunlight peek through the clouds.
    “You’ll have to discuss that with your teacher.”
    Faith sprinted ahead of them and Sam held his breath, expecting Evie to hit him with a hundred questions now. And she’d be within her rights. He should have been honest with her the night he’d asked her to be Faith’s tutor. He’d convinced himself Evie didn’t need to know their family business but the truth was, he’d always kept a tight rein on his emotions and Dan’s accident had stirred them up. Brought them to the surface. Even saying his brother’s name had the potential to let those feelings loose, and he couldn’t risk breaking down in front of a complete stranger.
    Evie didn’t say a word but one look at the set of her shoulders told him everything. He should have told her there was more to Faith’s discontent than homework.
    “Dan was…is…a police officer, and he was injured in an…accident.” It wasn’t the whole truth, but Sam didn’t know how else to describe what had happened. His jaw tightened. Someone deliberately tried to kill my brother? Too harsh. And it would only raise more questions.
    “I’m sorry.”
    The simple words threw him off balance. He’d expected questions. Maybe even accusations. What he wasn’t prepared for was the compassion he heard in Evie’s voice. And it nearly undid him.
    Sam retreated behind the walls he’d put up to stave off the pain of the past few months. He felt a rush of relief when the cabin came into view.
    When Evie reached her car, she opened the passenger-side door and hoisted her gigantic bag inside. He caught a glimpse of a package of gum and a box of bandages.
    Bitterness welled up, catching him by surprise.
    So Evie McBride thought the contents of her duffel-size purse meant she was prepared for anything. It was too bad there wasn’t something in it that could fix messed-up lives.

Chapter Six

    I ’ve been praying for Sam. And Faith.
    The words scrolled through Evie’s mind every time she woke up during the night.
    In March, her father had asked her to pray for a friend and his family. He’d only shared a few details. The friend’s son was a Chicago police officer who’d been shot while responding to a call. After surgery to remove a bullet near his spine, the doctors were still uncertain whether