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“Amanda, you’re a bleeding heart. Sometimes, to your own detriment,” he added, as he brushed the back of his fingers over her cheek. “Anyone else’s needs always come first, but I’m here to make sure you won’t forget yours.”
Amanda’s green gaze met his, and she smiled. “It takes one to know one, Dr. Rowland.”
There was a charge in the small confine of the car. Gene could feel it crackling when her hand covered his before he could pull it away.
“Thank you.” Her eyes sparkled with her smile. “This means a lot to me.”
Though he knew the wagging tongues would have a field day with them, when Amanda looked at him like he was her hero, Gene really didn’t care.
seven
Amanda wiped her hand across her forehead and winced when sweat stung her cut. It hadn’t bothered her all morning, but now it wouldn’t stop throbbing. She gritted her teeth and sucked it up. If Gene saw her in pain, he’d call off the search.
She followed Gene through the trees as they hiked the woods along Browns Bridge Road. The woods weren’t too dense there, but there wasn’t a trail they could easily walk on. They had to watch where they were stepping because they couldn’t see the undergrowth covered in a thick layer of decaying leaves. They could always trip on roots and hurt themselves. In fact, she slipped twice already.
“If it’s this difficult for us to walk, how did a teenage girl run through this in the dark?” Amanda thought out loud.
Gene glanced back at her. “Good question.”
He stopped and looked around them. They could see the road from where they were standing.
“I don’t see any sign anyone had gone through here,” he said.
“Someone definitely did. Didn’t you see all the broken twigs near the crash site?” Amanda asked.
“Yeah, but the police walked the area last night. They most likely left those tracks.”
Amanda looked back to where her car had been. The tow truck had come before they’d started their trek. She was glad Gene was around to help her deal with that. She would’ve handled it if he wasn’t there. But it was nice not having to deal with such an enormous task for once, especially when she wasn’t exactly a hundred percent. The short walk had actually drained her energy. But she wasn’t ready to give up yet.
“Maybe I was wrong. She might not run into the woods. It would’ve been scary, all dark and slippery,” she said. “What if she ran past me on that side and kept going? There’s a turnoff up ahead, going into a development. Maybe she ran into that neighborhood?”
“She could live in that neighborhood.” Gene looked thoughtful. “If that’s the case, then maybe she was just out for a walk, went too far, and had to walk home in the dark.”
“It’s possible.”
Amanda hated to admit his theory made sense.
But why doesn’t it feel right to me?
“Here, have some water.” Gene handed her a bottle. “You’re looking pale.”
“Thanks.”
Amanda drank half of the bottle, not realizing she was parched.
“We should walk back.”
“No. We haven’t—”
“Look, if your theory is right, that girl probably belongs to one of the families who live around this road.”
“Why would any parent let their teenage girl walk out here alone?”
“Teenagers are complicated.” Gene shrugged. “Maybe she had a fight with her parents and ran out?”
Amanda knew all about teenage girls. She’d been one, and she had teenagers working for her. They were an emotional bunch and impulsive. Her sister Becca had often clashed with their mom due to their similar personalities, and she’d run off a few times. But never once had Amanda seen fear—no, terror—in Becca’s eyes after their fights.
That’s it! There was terror in her eyes.
