Chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
K atrina
“Harbor!” I ran down the steps of the porch toward him, my winter coat flapping around me. My only thought was how this would hurt him, and it was all my fault. It was there, etched across his face. He was sexy gorgeous, even with a deep furrow of sorrow between his brows. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and kiss it all better.
The other bounty hunter sat back into the snow, his dark blue parka soaked with sweat, blood, and water. He shook his head and laughed.
Harbor stepped away from me, hiding his bloodied hands behind his back. “Katrina, I—”
I didn’t let him finish. I launched myself into his arms, and as they tightened around me, I knew I’d made the right decision. He was home. He was worth it. I loved him more than I had ever thought it possible to love someone.
Blue and red lights flashed along the driveway, and a police SUV crunched through the thick layer of snow. Halfway down the drive, the truck stopped.
Harbor tensed, and at that moment I realized my error in calling them without warning him.
I kissed his cheek. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you,” I said softly. “I should have spoken to you first. I called them. I’m turning myself in.”
“Fuck,” Parka Guy muttered then spat a knot of blood, marring the soft white snow.
Harbor looked at me, dumbfounded. “Why would you turn yourself in?”
I pulled him toward me and kissed his mouth, relishing the soft sweetness of him, then picked up each hand and kissed those, too. “Because it’s the right thing to do. I don’t want to run any more. I never did. That’s probably why I chose to come back here, to St. Olaf, where it felt safe and my parents were nearby, even though I knew someone would come looking for me. I didn’t do anything wrong. You helped me prove that. I don’t want to start something with you if I’m not being honest with myself.”
“Spare me,” Parka Guy muttered, stumbling to his feet. “This is fucking ridiculous.”
A deputy in uniform got out of the driver side of the police car, dark brown hair under his hat. “Hello,” he called out to us. “Deputy Rory Marshall. We got a call about a disturbance, and a fugitive. What’s going on here?”
I stepped forward, but Harbor’s gentle touch on my arm held me back. “Do you want that?” he said softly. “Something with me?”
“More than anything. I love you, Harbor. I don’t know when it happened or why, but I’m so glad I jumped into your car. I think it was fate all along.”
He kissed me on the top of my head, and laced his fingers through mine. “Then let’s go do this. Together.”