“I know.”
“Here.” I pulled out my phone and bent to take a picture. “We can print this out and put a photo in your book.”
Addie nodded. “That’s a wonderful idea.”
“Can we do that for everything we find?” Sage asked.
I ruffled her hair. “We sure can. We can stop on the way home and print them out at the copy shop.”
“Thanks, Hads.”
“Think we could stop for ice cream, too?” Birdie chimed in.
I chuckled as I stood, pulling her into a hug. “I think we can make that happen.”
“Ice cream always tastes extra good after a hike,” she said.
Addie pushed to her feet. “I agree.”
Footsteps sounded on the trail behind us, and a figure rounded the bend.
“Calla. Hey. What are you doing out here?”
Her gaze jumped around our group, and her jaw tightened. “Thought it was a pretty day for a hike.”
I cringed at the lack of warmth in her greeting. It might take us longer than I’d hoped to get back to even ground. “You’re welcome to join us. We’re moving a little slow because we’re looking for wildflowers.”
“When are you ever okay with moving slow? You usually mow over everyone in your path.”
Addie shifted behind me, wrapping an arm around Birdie’s shoulders. Sage climbed to her feet, eyeing Calla. Even the girls could feel the tension pouring off her.
“Calla, I don’t think now is the time for this. Maybe you and I could get breakfast tomorrow and talk?”
Her eyes heated as if lit from the inside. “It always has to be on your schedule, doesn’t it? Everything has to go Princess Hadley’s way. Whatever she wants has to be hers.”
I turned back to Addie. “Why don’t you go on ahead with the girls? I need to talk to Calla for a bit.”
Addie shifted her weight from foot to foot. “I think we should stay with you.”
“No, really. I’ll be fine. Go ahead.” I didn’t want Birdie and Sage to hear whatever ugliness was about to come out of Calla’s mouth.
“I don’t think so.” Calla grabbed onto Sage’s t-shirt, tugging Sage back towards her.
“What the hell, Calla?” I stepped forward but froze as metal glinted in the afternoon light. A gun. Pointed directly at Sage’s tiny form.
“Tell me, Hadley. How does it feel? To know you might lose someone you love so much?”
I fought to keep my tone calm, even. “Calla, put the gun down. You don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“Don’t I?” Calla jabbed the gun into Sage’s back.
Sage whimpered, a few tears tracking down her cheeks.
“It’s okay, Goose. Everything’s going to be okay.” My heart hammered against my ribs, those tears breaking something deep inside me. My gaze moved to Calla. There was so much hatred pouring off her, I wondered how I’d never seen it before. “What do you want?”
“What do Iwant?!” Calla’s voice grew more and more shrill. “I want you to know what it’s like to lose everything. Just like you took everything from me.”
I needed to keep Calla talking, to buy time to get Sage away from her. But everything I said only seemed to deepen the woman’s rage. I swallowed, taking a small step forward. “Take me instead.”