The Great Easter Bunny Heist--part Five by Terri Reed

Richard placed his hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. “Are you sure it was Mrs. Candy?”
Ellie felt branded by his touch. Every nerve ending tingled. She grew dizzy staring into his unfathomable gray eyes. How could he still have this effect on her even after all this time? It just wasn’t right. She was over him. Her heart had healed and she’d built a life without him. She was doing just fine. Wasn’t she?
She swallowed and shook her head, not sure of anything. “It was her car. But I didn’t actually see her.”
“Come on, she may have been kidnapped!” Richard grabbed Ellie by the hand and pulled her toward the front door.
Stumbling behind him, she asked, “Where are we going?”
“We’ve got to follow that car! Keys?”
She tossed him the keys to her car and she slid into the passenger seat. Tires squealed as Mrs. Candy’s bright red Cadillac fishtailed around the corner at the end of the block and disappeared.
Richard gunned the engine and stomped on the gas. Ellie grabbed the dashboard and held on for dear life. She sent up a prayer of protection as Richard drove her little yellow VW bug like a professional street racer, whizzing through the normally quiet neighborhoods of Hopper’s Cove, eliciting startled glances from her friends and neighbors. She'd have some pretty explaining to do come Sunday morning at the Hopper's Cove Community Church.
“There!” Ellie pointed just as Mrs. Candy’s big caddy roared through the town square, barely missing Mr. Ambrose crossing the street, and headed toward the docks at the edge of town.
A horn blared. Richard slammed on the brakes. Ellie pitched forward as the car screeched to a halt inches from the smiling face of a cow painted on the side of a local dairy milk truck.
Richard slammed his palm on the steer wheeling. “We’ve lost them!”
The truck ambled out of the way.
“Go, go!” Ellie urged once the path was clear. “To the docks.”
Richard threw her a grin and hit the gas. “That’s my Ellie!”
She sucked in a breath. His? No, not his. Not now, not ever. So why did her heart leap just a little at the thought? Was there more to his returning to Hopper’s Cove than just a stolen egg?