reminder that his last meal had been somewhere around six this morning at Lizbetâs Diner. Granny Crisp would have a hot meal in the microwave if he ever made it home.
âAmyâs place was broken into,â he said without fanfare.
Rachelâs hand flew to her mouth. âOh, no! Is she okay?â
âFine.â His answer was curt. âFor now.â
Gage Parker, one of the best search-and-rescue guides in the business, unwound himself from a chair where heâd been jotting notes on a yellow tablet. Next to him was his new wife, Karenna, and baby Matthew, Gageâs nephew. The baby was trying to walk, holding on to the leather sofa as he toddled around.
Cy, whoâd been waiting patiently next to Reed, ambled over and sniffed the little guy with interest. Matthew gurgled happily and patted the dogâs head with an awkward baby pat. Gage and Karenna looked at each other with besotted smiles, as if no baby had ever done anything quite this adorable. The trio looked so right for each other, Reed got that heartburn feeling in his belly again. Love did weird things to people.
âWhat do you mean, for now?â Karenna asked, pulling Matthew into her arms.
âYou know Amy. Too trusting for her own safety.â
Gage snorted softly. âTypical.â
The two men exchanged glances. Here, at least, was someone who understood Amyâs propensity for being just a little too independent. He still didnât understand why she got all huffy when heâd asked her to move in with him and Granny.The idea made perfect sense. Staying in that rickety old house of hers made exactly none.
By now, Rachel was out from behind the desk and passing the cubicles as she headed toward the back of the office where another door led into the meeting room. There, guides and Amy met to plan tours, hash out problems and otherwise run the business of taking tourists into the Alaskan wilderness. As Reed followed the blonde receptionist, the smell of coffee increased. Maybe he could snag a cup. Amy always offered. And if he was real lucky, there might be a donut or two back here with his name on them.
Rachel opened the door and hollered, âHey, everyone, Amyâs house was broken into.â
The announcement was met with a sudden, stunned silence before chaos broke out. A chorus of concerned voices began asking questions Reed couldnât answer and expressing their general outrage that anyone would do such a thingâto Amy James, of all people. Amy, who was using everything she had to solve the townâs financial crisis. Amy, who planned to donate her great-great-grandfatherâs treasureâworth an unknown fortuneâto the townâs coffers without a thought to herself. Amy, who was too stubborn to let him take care of her.
Reed took the final thought captive. He was still smarting from Amyâs blunt, annoyed refusal. The truth hurt, but he got the point. Amy didnât want to be that close to him. But there was more than one way to keep his promise to protect Miss Independence. He knew Amyâs employees, considered them friends. They had come to her assistance after Benâs death, and theyâd stand by her now.
After a minute of noise, Reed raised one hand. âSheâll need help cleaning up.â
A tiny smile pulled at his lips. Heâd feel a lot better knowing she had an army of friends on the lookout.
Before he left Amyâs house, heâd found boot prints in the snow beneath her bedroom window, a fact heâd shared with Amy. Even that hadnât convinced her to move to his place. Instead, sheâd flounced upstairs, come back down with a baseball bat and declared the puny thing an adequate weapon. By that point heâd given up.
Heâd snapped some photos of the imprints, dusted the windowsill and other likely areas for fingerprints, but he didnât hold out a lot of hope of discovering who the perpetrator was anytime soon.
Rebecca Hamilton, Conner Kressley