Page 5

“Nice to meet you. I’m Sawyer.”

Soren cut his eyes to Travis while he removed a roll of barbed wire from the back of the UTV and placed it inside the barn door. There was a silent conversation with their eyes taking place that I wasn’t a part of.

Soren walked toward the driver's side of one of the UTVs. Setting his backpack on the seat, he withdrew a thick olive green hoodie and tossed it to me.

“Put this on.”

He must be accustomed to getting his way, but I didn’t argue because there was already a chill in the air. His communication skills could use some work. Perhaps I could suggest a YouTube video to him. I amused myself at the thought. The length of the hoodie almost reached my knees. The sleeves went beyond my wrists, so I rolled them up to where my hands could stick out. The hoodie smelled of fresh air and spearmint. It was a scent I decided I thoroughly enjoyed. Sometimes I had a sensitivity to scents, but this smelled fresh and clean like spring.

Soren glanced at me and for the first time, I could see amusement glittering in his eyes at how ridiculous I must look in suit pants and heels with a hoodie on top.

“You’re riding with me.”

His tone brooked no argument. Lucky me.

He wasn’t exactly rude now that he had realized I wasn’t a threat to his precious front porch, but he wasn’t exactly warm and fuzzy either. Travis quirked a brow, amusement clear on his face, before saying he needed to check on something quickly. He left and drove around the side of the barn. I climbed into the passenger’s side seat of the UTV. This was the first time I had ever been on a UTV, but it seemed as if it would be fun to drive if the situation wasn’t extremely serious.

Soren rounded the UTV until he was standing beside me. He extended the strap of my seatbelt and I stiffened. Before I even realized that I had moved, I splayed my hands wide open in front of my chest as if to prevent him from touching me. I wasn’t exactly sure what he was trying to do, but his nearness was unsettling and throwing me off balance. He paused, his eyes narrowed as they flicked between my hands, and he reached around me and clipped the seatbelt into place. As he leaned, his eyes found my widened ones and he never broke eye contact. His exhale was warm on my cheek and sent shivers down my spine. He smelled the same way the hoodie did. My personal bubble was invaded, but he never touched me. His eyes were beautiful but they bore into me as if he could see all my secrets plain as day. I was not a fan. I preferred for my secrets to stay in their deepest darkest places. I broke eye contact because of the unnerving intensity.

“Always wear a seat belt.” A muscle ticked in his jaw.

Did he have a thing about front porches and seatbelts? What a weird combo. This man was strange for sure, but I didn’t have time to contemplate his bizarre behavior. I was worried about Connor which was how I had ended up in this place to start with.

“I can take care of myself,” I clipped. My voice sounded cold even to my own ears. His nearness made me unsettled. Outside of Talia and her family, no one had ever invaded my bubble. It wasn’t that I disliked physical touch, it was more that I was unfamiliar with it. At least the gentle kind that made me want to sink into the warmth of it.

I always took care of myself. Always had, always would. He analyzed me as if he saw too much again. Ugh. What is it with this man?

My fingers curled into my palms as my hands fell into my lap.

I saw the muscles in his suntanned neck roll as he swallowed. Soren tugged on the shoulder strap to make sure it was secure across my hips. I squirmed at the tightness. I pulled my phone out to check it, desperate to focus on anything other than him. Soren turned the ignition and it hummed to life. He drove us back toward the house, stopping next to the new truck I’d seen earlier to gather a few things from the cab. He turned and held up a phone charging cord.

“This should work. We have the same phone.” Did he have some freaky ability to read my mind?

He handed me the charging cord that did indeed match my phone.

“Thanks.” I wrapped the extra cord around the phone, plugged it in and laid it inside the cutout area on the dash. While I was doing that, he finished collecting whatever he needed, buckled, and shifted the UTV into gear.

“You said it was north?” He nodded toward the direction I had indicated earlier.

“Yeah, I think it’s about two miles, but I’m not completely sure. I tied a ribbon on the fence to mark the place.”

As we were turning out of the driveway, a black Rhodes County police SUV turned in. An older man, who mirrored a dad from any 1990s sitcom with permanent dimples, stuck his head out.

“Hey, Soren. Where are ya headed?” the officer asked.

“Sawyer, this is Fulton. He’s a deputy with the Rhodes County Sheriff’s Department.” Turning toward the deputy that I now knew was Fulton, he stated, “She said it happened a little ways north. Travis will be right behind us. You can ride with him.”

We drove off when Fulton nodded. Travis pulled up behind us and waited for Fulton to load up. We rode in complete awkward silence, and I prayed that the entire search wouldn’t be this way. Soren shifted and stuck his hand inside the breast pocket of his coat and withdrew a chocolate chip protein bar. He cleared his throat and held it out to me.

“This might help with your headache.”

I glanced up at his face as he watched the road. Our fingers brushed as I accepted the offering.

“H-How did you know?” This was completely unexpected, and I was taken aback by his attentiveness.

He simply ran a calloused index finger between his eyebrows without his eyes leaving the road.

“You have lines here.” I likely had even more lines on my face now, furrowing in confusion as I studied the side of his face and cut-glass jawline.