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They heard a vehicle coming up the road. They all pulled out their guns. Reed went to the barn door. “Relax. It’s the sheriff.”
He put away his gun. She heard the engine stop. “We’re over here in the barn, Jason,” Reed yelled.
The sheriff walked into the barn wearing the same kind of uniform he’d been wearing when she’d met him—a crisp, starched khaki shirt and pants. He tipped his hat to her. “Flowers.”
“Sheriff,” Nicole answered back. As much as she wanted to get to the bottom of the case and clear Henry’s name, she couldn’t help but feel heartbroken that her stay might be coming to an abrupt end. “Fill me in.”
Reed moved next to her, creating an anxious, sad brew inside her. The sooner she was out of his hair, out of this cabin, out of Destiny, Colorado, the better. But she knew that wasn’t completely true. Once she left for Chicago never to return, her heart wouldn’t recover.
Sawyer walked over and stood by Sheriff Wolfe. She couldn’t seem to be able to rein her mind in. Visions of her time with Sawyer and Reed swirled in her head. The trip up the mountain between the rugged cowboys had chipped away at her walls. When she’d spotted Connie, the graceful mountain lion in the middle of the dirt road, another chip fell away. Taking her bath on their porch snapped several more bits off her invisible barriers. The dream had demolished more. The moth, too, had been a part of the spell. And the most powerful elements of the magic had been Sawyer and Reed. Sexy. Charming. Funny. Kind. Too good to be true.
She’d fallen for them hard. Even after learning what kind of family they wanted, she’d let herself imagine what a life with them loving and sharing her would be like.
I’m a fool.
“I’ve got some troubling news, Nicole,” the sheriff said. The caution in his tone shocked her. “Your friend Henry is missing. I tried to call him at the station, but they said he hadn’t shown up for work.”
“Maybe he’s out sick.” But she knew Henry better than that. He prided himself in his perfect attendance record at the station. He’d never missed a day of work in his entire career.
“I checked with the desk sergeant. He told me Henry hadn’t bothered to call in. Does that sound like your friend, Flowers? I only talked with him a couple of times over the phone, but he didn’t seem to be a man who would no-show anything.”
Nicole immediately felt regret and dread sweep through her. She shouldn’t have left Chicago, shouldn’t have left Henry. “Any leads, Sheriff?”
“About Henry? No.”
“I’ve got to get back to Chicago immediately.”
“No way,” Sawyer snapped. “You’re staying here.”
She wondered if the edge in his tone was more about keeping her in Destiny or keeping her safe. Maybe it was a little of both. “Sawyer, Henry is like family. I have to go find him. He probably is in trouble because of me.”
“Trouble with a capital ‘T’ would be my guess, Chicago.” Reed put his hand on her arm. “More the reason you have to stay with us.”
“Just stop, cowboy.” Her heart clanged in her chest, rocking her entire body. One minute Reed was flirty. The next he was pushing her away. Now, he was acting like he wanted her by his side so he could play bodyguard. “I’m sick of your macho BS. I’m a cop. I carry a gun. I’ve been trained. I know more than a little about how to protect myself.” The words were coming out more sharp and angry than she wanted but still they came. Like water rushing through a broken dam, there was no stopping them. “I’ve been on my own a long time—long before I came to Destiny. Read my lips. I. Don’t. Need. You.”
Sawyer walked over and stood beside her, opposite Reed. “What the fuck happened while I was in town?” he asked Reed.
Reed didn’t answer or even turn to him. Instead, his steely blue eyes fixed on her, making her shiver. She wasn’t about to look away even though everything inside her was pushing her to do just that. He might’ve broken her heart, but he wouldn’t win this stare off, a poor consolation, but the only one she could have.
After a lengthy silence, he finally spoke. “Chicago, I need you to trust me.” Then he brushed the hair out of her eyes, and Nicole felt the sting of hopeful tears.
No. Don’t fall down that rabbi
t hole again, Nicole.
“I want to, Reed. I really do, but you of all people have to understand why I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?” he asked.
“A little of both. Henry is in trouble. I’m not like Sawyer with his sixth sense, but I know Henry. He isn’t someone who just falls off the map without so much as a word. If the Russians are involved, he’s in real danger. I have to go back to Chicago.”
“Not alone, you’re not.” Before she could refute him, he held up his hand. “Stop. I know you are a strong, powerful, capable cop. I get that. Good cops know when they’re outgunned. I don’t know much about the Russian syndicate but I’m certain you’re way outgunned. Great cops know when to bring in backup. Think of Sawyer and I as yours, okay?”
Sawyer nodded. “Listen to my brother. He’s right on this.”
“We can work out all the details on the trip to Chicago.” Reed sent her his signature wink.
“God, you’re too much.” She wanted to ask him about what in the hell was different now than their time on the porch when he’d given her the breathtaking good-bye kiss. Had he really changed his mind about her? This wasn’t the time to delve into that. Right now she needed to find Henry and fast. “If you both insist on going, you better be ready to leave right now.”
