Twenty-One
Pat had intended to leave right after the car accident that had killed Sara. Instead, he’d lingered in Northstar with Aelissm for over two weeks to assist Aaron with the Montana-end of the case. Finally, yesterday morning, Bill had called to let Aelissm know the restraining order on Adam had been lifted, as per her request, and to ask Pat when he was planning on coming back to work. So, he’d spent all of yesterday packing. Now, it was just past eight in the morning, and he stood beneath a dismal sky as he tossed the last of his bags in the back of his truck. He didn’t want to leave. Aelissm didn’t want him to leave. But he needed to return to his job if only to see if he loved her enough to give up his dream. If he couldn’t get through a couple of weeks back in Washington or if
