Chapter 9

9

Kate awoke with a groan, her muscles stiff and sore from the previous night's unexpected encounter. She gingerly touched her bruised hip, wincing at the tenderness. It wasn't the worst injury she'd ever sustained, but it certainly wasn't the most pleasant way to start the day.

Outside the wind still shrieked, but the sound was more muffled, as if the sharp edges had been filed off the storm. The latest weather report had said the front would abate today. So it would be unremitting dark, well below negative thirty for a high, but the windchill would rise from negative sixty-five or so to a downright comfy negative fortyish.

Things were maybe, possibly, slightly looking up.

Rolling over, she squinted at the clock on the nightstand. The glowing red numbers mocked. She missed the warmth of the sun, the way it would filter through her curtains and gently coax her awake.

Her thoughts drifted to Redemption Creek, to the team she'd sent off. She could picture them now, decorating the office with twinkling lights and garlands, planning the annual Christmas feast. Bridger would be with his new wife, Jane, and their energetic 9-year-old, Kellen. Tai would be making googly eyes at his latest flame, Tenaya. And even the usually stoic Mason had a new spring in his step, thanks to his reunion with his brother, Paul, and his budding romance with Avery, a stunning and uber-competent FBI agent.

A pang of loneliness struck her, and she quickly pushed it aside. It was just the unrelenting darkness getting to her, the isolation and the cold. And, of course, the fact that her past had finally caught up with her, threatening to bring her world crashing down.

But at least she had Fenn. For now.

When he'd first insisted on staying with her in Endurance, she'd been furious, seeing it as an intrusion on her carefully laid plans. Now, she realized his presence was a blessing, a gift from the Lord. Not only had he saved her from serious harm the night before, but his constant jokes and easy banter kept her from sinking too deep into her own dark thoughts.

Still, the past couple of days had also served as a stark reminder of why she could never let herself fall for a man like him. Fenn was a man of deep faith, but he took life way too lightly for her. His playboy antics and smooth-talking ways were all too familiar, echoing the disastrous marriages her mother had endured. Not a road she'd go down. If she ever did decide to open her heart to someone, it would be a man who was stable, sincere, and steadfast. Not a charming rogue who treated life like one big joke.

Better to keep her distance, to focus on the task at hand and ignore the way her heart seemed to skip a beat every time he flashed that crooked grin in her direction.

Besides, if he ever found out the whole truth behind her past, any thought of something more between them would snap like a rotten rope.

With a sigh, she hauled herself out of bed, knowing there was no point in delaying the inevitable. The de Havilland repairs were at a standstill until the replacement part arrived, which left her with plenty of time to track down whoever was threatening her.

Was the hit-and-run the first blow in the note writer's promised retribution, or an unrelated coincidence?

Either way, if she could keep Fenn focused on the tavern ruffians, it would give her a chance to do some digging of her own.

She made her way down to the lobby, the flickering fluorescent lights doing little to improve the drab, outdated decor. Fenn was already there, leaning against the front desk and chatting with the clerk, a scrawny man with a receding hairline and an overbite that would make a beaver jealous.

"Morning, Princess." Fenn raised his coffee mug in greeting. "Jimbo here was just telling me about our friends from the bar last night."

Kate rolled her eyes at the nickname, a flicker of annoyance sparking in her chest. She turned to the clerk, who was watching them with a gleam of excitement in his watery blue eyes.

"I believe you're talking about Lester Crowley and the Barnacle brothers," Jimbo said, his nasal voice grating on Kate's nerves. "That's not their real name. It's just what we call Wade and Billy Barnsdale around here. Once those two grab a seat, there's no moving them. So they're, you know––"

"Like barnacles," Fenn finished, his tone dry. "We follow. How about their friend?"

"He's generally okay. Gets a bit unpredictable if he downs too many beers during hockey playoff season, but other than that, he's a decent guy."

Fenn thanked Jimbo for the information and joined Kate at a table in the far corner of the room, as far away from the other guests as possible. She couldn't help but notice the way his gaze swept over her, lingering on the dark circles under her eyes and the stiffness in her movements.

"We should check these guys out," he said, his voice low and urgent. "If they're the ones who tried to run you down last night, they need to be dealt with."

Kate nodded, her mind already racing ahead. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew she couldn't keep Fenn out of the investigation entirely. He was too stubborn, too determined to watch her back. But maybe she could send him after the tavern thugs while she investigated.

She shifted in her seat, wincing as her bruised hip protested the movement.

Fenn's eyes narrowed, a flicker of anger sparking in their depths. "You okay?" he asked, his voice tight.

"I'm fine," she assured him, waving off his concern. "Just a little sore, that's all."

She poked at the rubbery eggs on her plate, her appetite suddenly nowhere to be found. What she wouldn't give for a plate of Mason's famous scrambled eggs right now, fluffy and golden and studded with fresh chives.

Another week or two in this frozen wasteland stretched out before her, bleak and uninviting. But if she could track down the person behind the note, the one who seemed hell-bent on making her pay for her past sins, it would be worth it.

Fenn leaned forward, his elbows on the table. "So, where do you want to start today?"

She hesitated, her gaze sliding to the other guests scattered throughout the room. Three were clearly Canadian military, their extreme cold weather gear giving them away. The other six looked like scientists or explorers, their mismatched civilian clothing standing out among the sea of camo.

Any one of them could be special ops. With Fenn out of the way, maybe she could pump Jimbo for information, see if any of them had raised any red flags.

She turned back to him, schooling her features into a mask of weariness. "Actually, I think I might take it easy today. Do some internet research on the operation back in Loaita. It might jog my memory. Give us a place to start looking."

Suspicion flickered in his eyes. "You sure? I don't mind watching your back."

She shook her head, forcing a smile. "No, it's fine. I'm just going to be staring at a computer screen all day. No need for both of us to be bored out of our minds."

She could tell he wasn't buying it.

A flicker of hurt crossed his face before it was replaced by a mask of indifference. "Alright. But promise me you'll be careful. And call me if anything seems off."

"I promise," she said, the lie tasting bitter on her tongue.

As Fenn headed out to track down the tavern idiots, Kate felt a pang of guilt. She knew she should confide in him.

But she couldn't bear the thought of seeing the disgust in his eyes, the revulsion that would surely follow if he knew the truth about what she'd done. Better to keep him in the dark, to protect him from the fallout of her mistakes.

Even if it meant facing the consequences alone.

With a sigh, she pushed away from the table, her mind already racing ahead to the task at hand. She had a mystery to solve. A past to confront.

No way she'd let anyone, or anything, stand in her way. Not even the charming, infuriating man who seemed determined to break down the walls she'd so carefully constructed around her heart.

Falling for Fenn was a risk she couldn't afford to take. Not now, not ever.