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“I’m going to look for Viv,” Red said.
The sheriff shook his head. “I don’t need two of you lost in the woods. I’ll get a search party together. Follow me to the station.”
There was no way Red was waiting another minute to find her. He jumped in his truck and looked like he was following the sheriff, but when the sheriff turned toward town, Red headed toward the mountains. Sarah said she left Viv in the woods.
He knew that he had to stop panicking and start thinking like Viv if he wanted to find her. Viv had always said that fear could cloud your judgment—the worst thing you can do is panic when in danger. He took a moment and examined the facts: she was in the woods, she had a phone, but it stopped working, or perhaps the connection got lost. His mind was doing calisthenics, imagining a thousand scenarios, from animal encounters to Viv getting hurt because of her fancy clothes and impractical shoes. Was Lucky still with her? Had Sarah hurt either of them?
The moment the thought of the dog entered his mind, he knew Viv was right. It was time to look at the facts and devise a plan. Lucky was wearing his collar—the one with the Apple AirTag. He had bought it on a whim, and Viv had made fun of him for it. Now, this silly purchase might be the only thing to save her and Lucky. He pulled out his phone and opened the Find My app. Lucky’s location showed up as soon as he clicked on the tag. It was moving. That had to be a good sign—unless he and Viv had been separated and he was now lost in the woods on his own. Red had to go with what he had—a signal. A signal that was a lifeline to the woman he loved and the pet who had also stolen his heart and made them a family of sorts. He was fighting for his family, the family he was building now. Hitting the gas pedal to its max capacity, he raced up the highway and onto a logging trail. Part of his suspension and transmission were probably left behind in that mad dash. The truck rocked over the makeshift road, nearly tipping at least once over the twenty miles or so he forged into the forest, leaving clouds of dust in his wake. Out of the shadows he could almost make out a figure in the distance and swung sideways, so his headlights illuminated the area, the dust creating another large cloud behind him. There in front of him stood Viv, hugging Lucky close to her chest.
When she realized through the dust cloud and bright headlights that it was him, she smiled, and tears streamed across her face. She ran to him and collapsed in his arms, burying her face in his chest.
“Oh, thank God you’re okay,” she said. “I’m so sorry I failed you. How did I miss how psychotic and dangerous Sarah was? When she didn’t come around, I thought she’d given up. I let my guard, and you, down. I’m a terrible bodyguard.”
He took off his jacket and covered her bare shoulders, placing his arms back around her.
“Viv, it’s not your fault. You only took Lucky out and couldn’t have known what would happen. I thought she was gone too.” He pressed his lips to the top of her head. “You didn’t fail me. In fact, because of your quick thinking and calling the sheriff, I’m safe now. And the only reason I found you was because your voice was in my head. I didn’t let fear rule me.” He held on to her so tightly he was afraid he’d crush her. “Well, I did at first. I thought you left me.”
“Left you? Why would I leave you?”
“Because you thought I was asking you to give it all up.”
She sighed and pressed herself closer to him. “Everything worth having is worth fighting for, especially you.”
“I’d never ask you to give up what you love for me. Let’s not invent ways to break up when all we both want is to be together. There is no problem we can’t work through if we do it together, Viv. We deserve the love we can build. We deserve this life together and we can make it whatever we want.” He rubbed her arms, trying to get some heat back into them. “Look at you, you have to be freezing still. Let’s get you some more heat.” He walked them to the parked truck and helped her inside before dashing around the front to his side.
Before climbing inside, he messaged the sheriff to tell him Viv was safe. When he closed the door, she said, “You thought I left you and took your dog?”
“Our dog.” He hung his head. “I’ve never had someone I wanted stay.”
She scooted over until she was seated next to him. “I’m not going anywhere. How crazy would that be? You make me eggs in the morning and prime rib for dinner. I’d comment on your bedroom skills, but I haven’t experienced those yet.”
He put the truck in gear. “I feel with the right inspiration, I can really cook in the bedroom, too.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
All Viv wanted when they got home was to climb into Red’s bed and experience the carnal closeness they had been building up to for weeks, not to mention the hours of pleasantly torturous anticipation baked into their first date. Instead, she got a living room full of people—Val, Doc, and several others from town who had heard about her being spirited away by a psycho fan of Red’s. She was grateful for their concern, but right now, all she wanted was some privacy and time alone with Red. She had never imagined herself a damsel in distress, but she had to admit there was something pretty darn sexy about Red showing up on his steel horse. She had taught him well after all.
As soon as they walked through the door, Doc approached her, concern written all over his face. “Viv, let me look at that head of yours.”
Viv sighed but allowed Doc to examine her nasty bump. She winced as he gently prodded the area where Sarah had hit her with the rock. “It doesn’t look too bad, but you should take it easy for a few days,” he advised as he continued his examination. “I don’t see any signs of concussion, but head injuries can evolve. You call me at the first sign of new pain, nausea, blurred vision. Tell Red he needs to call an ambulance if there is any loss of consciousness.” Red reappeared. She hadn’t seen him for a few minutes.
“Yes, Doc. Really, I’m fine, but we will pay attention.” She wasn’t thinking of the lump on her head but rather how quickly she could get Red out of his jeans.Geez, when will everyone leave us alone?
Meanwhile, Val approached Red, his expression serious. “Thanks for coming to my sister’s rescue. I can’t tell you how much it means to me, even if it was your crazy-ass fan who wanted to hurt her.”
Red, holding Lucky, offered a nod. “I’m just glad we found her. She’s tough, though; she handled the situation well, but I guess you would have expected that already.”
Viv rolled her eyes, but secretly, she was pleased by Red’s praise. She wished she could bask in the warmth of his words, but the room was still full of concerned faces.
Eventually, everyone filtered out of the house, leaving Viv, Red, and Lucky alone. She moved closer to Red, wrapping her arms around him. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He hugged her tightly, resting his chin on her head. “You don’t have to thank me, Viv. I would have walked across fire for you. That’s what you do when you love someone.”
She knew the words weren’t easy for him. They came with so much risk. To love someone meant you had to open up the most vulnerable part of your being and let them in. She didn’t take his words lightly.
Viv looked up at him, her eyes shimmering with tears she could hold back no more. “I love you too.” She swiped the tears from her cheeks and smiled. “I didn’t want to wear one of those AirTags, but maybe we should rethink that. You know, just in case.”
Red chuckled, kissing her forehead. “I can’t lose you if I never let you out of my sight.”
