Chapter 40

ERIC

Alex opened a map and pointed to a ridge. "That's Lunar Peak. It's the highest point on this side of the lake. The trail we're on leads straight there."

I leaned across Riley's arm to get a better look. "How far away is it?"

"About an hour's walk to the top, but we aren't going that far. The cave we're looking for is about forty minutes away."

I studied the map, trying to focus. We'd left Alex's home ten minutes ago. Apart from the sounds of wildlife and the occasional bark from Sherlock, the forest was deathly silent. I didn't understand how Alex lived out here. Without the shopping trips into Sunrise Bay and his satellite phone, he was completely cut off from civilization.

Riley frowned. "Why did you decide to buy a house in the middle of the forest?"

He must have read my mind.

Alex folded the map in half. "I've been working on some big projects. My latest contract's more complex than the others I've done. I don't have as many distractions out here."

"Apart from us," Riley said, a twinge of guilt in his voice. "I'm sorry we interrupted you."

The smile on Alex's face was instant and genuine. "Don't worry about it. I'm enjoying having you here. Even for me, my house can be too remote at times." He checked his watch. "We'd better get a move on if we want to be back by lunchtime."

Riley picked up his backpack. "I'm looking forward to seeing the cave."

"As long as it's empty, so am I." Alex looked over his shoulder at me. "Do you still have the bear spray?"

I patted my pocket. "In here."

"Great. Let's go."

As we walked through the trees, I kept a careful eye on our surroundings. We didn't leave Alex's house for a simple hike. We needed to know what was around the property and where we could go if anything happened. After studying the map, we decided the safest location was the cave Alex had found four months ago. We'd leave basic supplies inside, hoping we'd never have to use them.

Riley held a branch out of my way.

"Thanks."

A smile lit up his eyes. "You're welcome."

Riley must have thought I was crazy. For someone who spent a lot of time painting in Europe, this must have seemed surreal. He came to Colorado to find a new kind of normal. Instead, he inherited my problems and a stalker who wasn't going away. For some reason, he was just as determined as I was to find Leith Chapman.

Each day we spent together, the more I appreciated Riley's sense of humor, the way he handled stressful situations, even when he was worried. His stubbornness and tenacity only made me want him more. It didn't take much to realize I was falling in love with him but, right now, I was the last person Riley needed in his life.

Sherlock trotted ahead, happy to walk beside Riley. Most mornings, I had to coax him away from the studio Alex created. For the first time since Mike's death, Sherlock had attached himself to someone other than me. And only time would tell if that was a good thing.

"What's that?" Riley stopped and pointed to a pile of branches under a pine tree.

I glanced at Alex. Someone had made a crude shelter out of fallen branches. From the look on Alex's face, he was thinking the same thing I was. Finding the shelter this close to his house was too much of a coincidence.

I held a finger to my lips and looked at Riley. If someone was inside, I didn't want them to know we'd seen their hideout.

Alex kept talking, making a big deal out of retying his bootlaces.

I took my gun out of its holster. Riley froze. His eyes widened, and he shook his head. He thought I was overreacting. I wished I was.

With one look, Sherlock changed from happy-go-lucky hiking buddy to police dog. With his ears pricked forward and his eyes firmly on me, he was ready for anything.

Alex pulled Riley farther along the track, making more noise than a herd of elephants.

From where I stood, I couldn't see if anyone was inside the shelter. Stepping sideways, I slowly moved forward.

Sherlock stuck like glue to my side.

Taking position behind the trunk of a tree, I took a deep breath, raised my gun, and pivoted toward the opening. "It's empty," I yelled.

Sherlock's sharp bark echoed through the trees.

I smiled at the goofy grin on my dog's face. I knelt down and rubbed Sherlock's back. "Good boy." I didn't know how much Sherlock remembered about his time in the K-9 unit, but something had triggered the joy on his face.

Unlike Sherlock, Riley didn't seem happy. He stomped toward me with a frown plastered across his face. "You didn't need to take out your gun," he growled. "Someone could have been hurt."

"Only if they were doing something they shouldn't." I used a stick to flick through the trash on the floor of the shelter. "They must have been here for at least a couple of days."

Alex's gaze skimmed over the mess. "Junk food. Could be hunters, but they usually take their trash with them. It's too far from the road for teenagers."

"Do you get many people living rough out here?" I asked.

"I'm sure there are, but I haven't seen them."

Riley didn't say anything. He studied the trees around us, scowling into the deep, dark shadows. "We should keep moving."

I backed out of the shelter. "You're right. We'll mark this on our map and find the cave."

Sherlock stood patiently beside Riley, watching what was happening with an intensity that I hadn't seen in a long time. As soon as we moved away from the shelter, Sherlock visibly relaxed.

Thirty minutes later, we were walking along a rocky ledge, searching for the cave.

Riley rested against the cliff face. "The view from here is incredible."

I looked across the rugged landscape. Below us, pine, spruce, and oak trees formed a blanket of green as far as the eye could see. A river wound its way through the forest, heading west toward Willow Lake.

Riley pulled out his phone and started taking photos. He turned to me and grinned. "Smile!"

As soon as Riley took the photo, I replaced my smile with a frown. "Watch where you're stepping. The ledge is narrow."

Riley looked down at his feet and moved closer to Sherlock. "What would I do without you?"

My frown deepened. "You'd be working in your cottage, not worried about a stalker."

Riley stepped toward me, raised his hands, and gently cupped my jaw. "But then I wouldn't have met you or Sherlock."

His closeness made my heart pound. There was so much I wanted to say, but the words caught in my throat. Since Mike died, I'd locked my heart away, too scared to let anyone close. Riley had changed me in ways that even I didn't understand.

I leaned into his touch, savoring the warmth of his palm against my skin. His eyes searched mine, filled with a mix of hope and uncertainty. Every part of me was drawn to him, the walls I'd built around my heart crumbling under the weight of his gaze.

His hand left my face, and I felt the loss immediately. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. We'd better see where Alex has gone."

"No, Riley, wait." I reached for his hand, my fingers wrapping around his. "It's not what you think. I'm?—"

Before I could finish, he looked at me with his intense blue eyes, and I couldn't hold back anymore. I closed the distance between us, my heart racing as I tilted my head and pressed my lips to his. The kiss was electric. A surge of emotions flooded through me—fear, longing, and a fierce protectiveness that I couldn't deny.

Riley's lips were soft, yielding, and I felt him respond, his free hand moving to the back of my neck, pulling me closer. The world around us faded away, leaving only the sensation of our kiss and the rapid beating of our hearts.

When we finally pulled apart, I was breathless. I rested my forehead against Riley's and enjoyed the feel of him pressed against my body. "I've wanted to do that for so long," I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper.

Riley's eyes sparkled with surprise and something deeper—something that made my heart swell with love. "Me too," he said softly. "I thought I was the only one."

"No," I shook my head, my thumb brushing over his cheek. "You make me feel like I'm?—"

Before I could say more, Alex's voice cut through the moment, shattering the bubble of intimacy. "Found it!"

We pulled back slightly, our hands still intertwined. Riley glanced in the direction of Alex's voice, then back at me, a shy smile playing on his lips. "We should find Alex."

I nodded, squeezing his hand gently before letting go. "Yeah, let's go."

As we walked toward Alex, the warmth of Riley's touch lingered on my skin and, for the first time in a long while, I felt a glimmer of something I thought I'd lost forever—hope.