The Outlaw's Redemption. Renee Ryan

I’m not sure.” No, that was a lie. “Probably.” Definitely. “All I know for certain is that I’m going to do right by my daughter.”

      He was ready for a second chance at a new life. Nobody was going to stand in his way of providing a safe, stable home for his daughter, and himself, not even Sarah’s devoted aunt.

      “Noble, to be sure, but let me give you a piece of advice.”

      Hunter knew that look in his friend’s eyes. Trey was about to say something profound. Hunter silently prepared himself.

      “Think long and hard about what you want, both in the long term and the short, before you go charging over to Charity House and make your claim.”

      “Understood.”

      “I mean it, Hunter.” Trey leaned forward, hands on his knees, his gaze intent. “Make sure you have a solid idea of what the future looks like in your mind before you start formulating plans. Your actions will impact a lot of people at Charity House, some good some bad.”

      “I get it, Trey.”

      “Do you?”

      “Yeah, I do.” Awash with joy, with terror, with expectancy, he continued, “You’re telling me I need to be in this for the long haul. And whatever I do, make sure I don’t hurt Sarah, or Annabeth, or anyone else at Charity House. That about cover it?”

      “I’d say we’re on the same page.”

      “Good. And Trey...” Hunter carefully set the mug in his hand on the desk and let out a slow breath of air. “Thank you.”

      Trey shrugged. “Happy to help.”

      “I wasn’t referring to my current situation, though I certainly appreciate the advice.” Mostly. “I meant, thank you for what you did for me two years ago. You helped settle some things in my mind, including the matter of my salvation.”

      “You came to your own conclusions.”

      That might be true, but Trey had guided him toward those conclusions. He’d patiently explained the difference between godly justice and worldly justice. He’d explained the notion of giving mercy where it wasn’t deserved, as only a man who’d sought vengeance with his own hands could do. In that, they’d shared a common bond. Trey’s first wife had been brutally murdered by a man as evil as Cole Kincaid.

      Trey had moved past his anger at God. An example Hunter wanted to follow but still wasn’t sure how. Not completely.

      “I also came here today to return this.” He dipped his hand in one of the inner pockets of his coat and retrieved the small Bible Trey had lent him during the trial. The book was frayed at the spine, nearly falling apart in places.

      “I see you spent some time in there.”

      Hunter attempted an easy smile. “A bit.”

      Giving him a long look, Trey took the Bible, flipped through a few pages at random, then offered it back to Hunter. “Keep it.”

      Hunter didn’t overthink the suggestion. He simply accepted the offered gift with a single nod of his head.

      They spoke a while longer, both settling into the conversation as they had years ago. The fact that this man regularly chewed up outlaws and spit them out like a used-up wad of tobacco wasn’t something Hunter tended to forget. Not while sitting in the man’s jailhouse.

      But Trey was more than a tough, dedicated lawman. He was a family man, too, equally devoted to his wife and three children.

      “Our daughter is fifteen now.” He shuddered. Trey Scott actually shuddered. “She was always a handful, even as a child, often one step away from open rebellion, but now she’s downright...difficult.”

      Hunter remembered his own sisters at that age. Both had been...difficult, too. “I’m sure it’s just a phase.”

      “A phase?” With a visible effort, Trey unclenched his jaw. “A man can certainly hope so.”

      Hunter smiled at his friend’s obvious discomfort. Talk of Trey’s daughter brought his mind back to Sarah. Would she hit a phase, too? Would Hunter be ready for that eventuality? Would they navigate Sarah’s teenage years with ease, or awkwardness, or a combination of both?

      Something remarkable and completely unexpected moved through him as he pondered the questions running through his mind. Anticipation. Followed immediately by dread.

      Hunter’s heart nearly split open at the thought of parenting a female. What did he know about raising a girl? What did he know about parenting at all? His gut spun into a ball of sickening doom. He checked the clock above the door, noted the time and slowly rose to his feet.

      He had some serious thinking to do before he made the trek to Charity House. “I should go.”

      Trey followed him out of the building. “How long are you in town?”

      As long as it takes to win over my daughter. “I haven’t decided.”

      “Make it a point to stop back by. Coffee’s always on.”

      “I’ll do my best.” He turned to leave.

      Trey stopped him. “Hunter. God has given you a well-deserved second chance in life.” Trey clapped him on the back and smiled. “Pray for guidance in the coming days and the Lord will direct your path.”

      Translation: keep his head on straight, his eyes on God and his priorities properly aligned.

      With that in mind, he left for Charity House.