Page 39
“Then I’m sorry to call you in on your day off, but I’m going to need you and Storm to meet us up at Pickleberry Ridge, where a hiker has gone missing.”
“How long have they been gone?”
“She told a friend that she was going on a hike this morning, and they were supposed to meet for dinner at five. When the friend didn’t hear from her and she couldn’t get ahold of her, she drove to her place, then drove up to the trailhead and found her car. She went out looking herself but couldn’t find any sign of her, so she called us.”
“Let me get my gear and get Storm set up. I’ll call when we’re on our way.”
“Sounds good.” He hangs up, and I focus on Genevieve, who has been watching me silently.
“Everything okay?”
“A hiker went missing up at Pickleberry Ridge; I’m going to take Storm out and see if we can track her down.”
“How long has she been missing?” she asks quietly, not hiding the worry in her tone.
“Her friend said she went out sometime this morning.”
“This morning.” The color drains from her face as she looks out the window above the sink, where it’s dark and currently raining out. “It’s almost eight, and that trail is known for bears.” She’s not wrong, and right now the bear population in the area is scavenging and getting ready to hibernate, so it’s even more dangerous than usual. “Do you need me to do anything so that you guys can leave?”
“No, but I’m going to change and get ready to take off. If you wanna pack up your food, I’ll drop you at your house on my way to the sheriff’s office since I don’t know how long we’ll be.”
“I can just walk home,” she says softly.
“Not happening.” I lean in and touch my mouth to hers. “Give me ten.”
“Sure.” She touches her fingers to her lips, and I’m tempted to kiss her again.
Leaving her in the kitchen, I head through the living room and down the hall to my room and change into my cargo pants and boots, adding a sweatshirt over my thermal and grabbing my jacket.
Once I’m dressed, I grab my bag from the floor of the closet and walk into the living room to find Genevieve on the couch talking to Storm, who is sitting in front of her.
“You have a big job to do tonight,” I hear her tell him, and he tips his head to the side. “And if you find the girl who is missing, I promise that I will buy you the biggest bone you’ve ever seen in your life.” Jesus, she is fucking cute.
“Are you bribing my dog?”
“No, just motivating him.” She gets up and rubs her hand down the front of her jeans as her gaze wanders over me. “Are you ready?”
“Just about.” I call Storm over and put on his harness and GPS collar. Once I finish putting on his vest, I grab my bag from the floor. Then Storm and I follow her out of the house to my truck in the driveway.
After holding open her door and waiting until she’s in and buckled, I walk to the bed of my truck and toss my bag over the side while Storm watches from the back. I rub the top of his head and then move around to the driver’s door and get in behind the wheel.
“Does this happen a lot?” she asks as I back out of my driveway, and I look over at her. “Being called into work on your day off, I mean?”
“Not a lot, but it does happen on occasion, especially with a department as small as ours,” I tell her truthfully while wondering how she’d deal with my job if she were part of my life. It’s not something many women can handle.
“Do you love it?”
“Being a deputy?”
“Yeah.”
“I do.”
“Then I guess that’s all that matters,” she tells me quietly, and I hear her unlatch her seat belt as I pull into her driveway. “You don’t need to get out.” Ignoring her, I put the engine in park and get out, hearing her sigh as I slam my door. “I would have been okay walking myself to the door.”
“I know.” I place my hand against her back and walk her up to her front porch with Storm circling us.
“Will you call me later to let me know what happens?”
