Page 45 of Everything We Found

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve missed you too.” She waved behind her, effectively dismissing Thomas as she gave her full attention, and her hand, to Nadia. “Hello, dear, I’m Camilla.”

“Nadia Jacobs.”

Her eyes flared with recognition. “We aren’t formal around here. I should have started by telling you to just call me Cam like Mr. McDreamy over there.” She thrust a thumb in Thomas’s direction. “I answer to Cammy too. So, what’s got you two visiting an old gal like me? Ah, who am I kidding? I’ve watched the news.” She turned back to Thomas. “Got yourself into a pickle, kiddo, haven’t you?”

“We need your help.”

“Figured. Let’s go inside. We can talk over tea and biscuits.”

15

NADIA

Turns out Camilla “Cammy” Navarro was a sixty-eight-year-old retired U.S. Marshal. A petite woman with silver-streaked dark hair worn in a ponytail tied at her nape, Cammy worked on many high-profile cases throughout her career. She tracked dangerous fugitives and relocated a long list of witnesses. Thomas was quick to give Nadia a rundown as Cammy led them across the yard, adding that she was one of the most competent people he knew. Someone extremely dedicated to her career, he emphasized when she downplayed her credentials, claiming Thomas was buttering her up in hopes of a home-cooked meal.

Cammy stomped dirt and dust off her boots upon entering the house, removing her hat to hang on a nearby hook. “Don’t think you can talk me into any trips down memory lane today, Tommy.”

There it was again. Tommy. Nadia’s brows arched high, rolling her lips over her teeth as she shot Thomas with a look of giddy surprise. He glared at her, softening the warning with an eyeroll. Cammy was probably the only person he’d let get away with calling him that.

“Next visit, then. I’d probably fall asleep on you today,” he teased, but his tone had an underlying truth. She and Cammy only had to look at him to realize how exhausted he was.

“Are you telling me my stories bore you?”

“I wouldn’t dare.” He shot Nadia a grin twisted to one side and she frowned. He looked and acted like a different person around this woman.

“How do you take your tea, Nadia? Cream or sugar?” Cammy asked, walking them through a family room filled with earthy scents of herbs and spices that mingled with the faint aroma of leather. Wind chimes tinkled gentle melodies, carried inside by a dusty breeze through open windows.

“Cream, thank you.”

Nadia’s interest roamed the living room, taking in the plush, lived-in couch and armchair, both draped in crochet blankets. A dog-eared novel sat atop a rustic coffee table, reading glasses perched on the well-worn cover. Framed photos covered every surface, faces filled with love and laughter. But the most striking photo was the large black and white portrait of a twenty-something Cammy astride a horse, its compact build all dense muscle. A handsome man stood beside the horse, holding the rein, a massive ribbon pinned to the bridle.

Cammy noticed what snagged Nadia’s attention. “That’s Salvaje, my first prize-winning quarter horse. He was explosive. Took me all the way to nationals.”

“Cammy was a champion barrel racer,” Thomas told her.

“Wow. Who’s the man?”

Cammy’s smile filled with sweet sadness. “My late husband, Javier. He was also my coach.”

“Oh. I’m sorry for your loss.”

Cammy dismissed her sympathy with a swipe of her weathered hand. “It was some time ago.”

They entered the kitchen, its open shelving packed with stacked dishes and mugs. An assortment of mismatched glasses snared the early morning sunlight. Cammy gestured for Nadia and Thomas to take a seat at the worn farm table while she gathered mismatched mugs and a box of shortbread cookies. She unceremoniously dumped them in the center of the table along with a basket of assorted tea bags.

“Have at it,” Cammy invited without flourish, turning to the sink to fill a kettle.

The corner of Thomas’s mouth quirked. He opened the cookies, holding the box out for Nadia to help herself. Nothing like cookies for breakfast. Her mouth curved, matching Thomas’s smirk as she selected three biscuits. Thomas grabbed a handful for himself. The kettle whistled, clicking off, and Cammy filled their mugs with steaming water. Nadia picked through the teabags, settling on Earl Grey. The kick of caffeine would give her a boost at least through noon.

“I saw what happened to your house, Tom.” Cammy joined them at the table. “Good to see you got out alive.”

“Thanks to your training.”

Nadia’s brows lifted as she slowly chewed a biscuit.

“Sorry I didn’t call you back,” Thomas said.

“No apologies needed. You’re here now. But you sure know how to make an old woman worry.”