26. Kat

TWENTY-SIX

Kat

I was warm…safe.

Held in the embrace of the man I loved.

Snow was still falling when I woke in the early hours of the morning, the sky bright with that post-blizzard glow. The fire had died to embers, but even naked I was still so warm, Gabe's steady breathing disturbing the hair at the nape of my neck.

I couldn't believe I loved him.

It had come on suddenly…like the first autumn snow. Gabriel Mitchell , of all people.

I thought we might have something.

Something real…something good.

I didn't wake again until dawn, to the sound of my phone ringing from the coffee table. Gabe's arm was a vice around me, his breath steady against my hair. I fumbled to reach for it as Gabe groaned in annoyance, holding me closer.

"Hello?"

"Kat?" Sheriff Callahan's voice cut through the fog of sleep. "Sorry if I woke you…"

The sheriff's voice had shaken off any remaining tiredness. "Don't be sorry," I rushed out. "Is it Livy?"

"No, no…" Callahan said. "Didn't mean to worry you. I was just calling to tell you we caught the guys who broke into your house."

Gabe saw the change on my face, my eyes going wide. "What is it?" he whispered.

I put my hand over the receiver. "They caught the home invaders," I said. Then, to Sheriff Callahan, "Where?"

"A few counties over, close to the Idaho border, heading west," he said. "They're still there, but we got mugshots. I'd like you to come down to the station if you can get through the snow."

"Sure," I said, sitting up straighter. "I'll be there as soon as I can," and I hung up.

Gabe rubbed his eyes and sat up too, his gaze fixed on me. "You want me to go with you? I told my dad I'd swing by and help him out with some stuff around the house, but…I want to be there for you."

"Go," I assured him, though part of me screamed for him to stay. "Your dad needs you. I'll handle this."

"Okay," Gabe said, but he hesitated, his eyes searching mine. He leaned in, kissed my forehead. "Be careful, okay? Call me if you need anything."

"Will do," I said, squeezing his hand. The warmth from the fire had faded, and a new kind of chill took hold.

I was about to find out who'd broken into my house…and maybe who'd killed my brother.

After we got dressed, I grabbed my coat, and we headed outside. A thick blanket of white greeted us, the snow giving way under our boots. It was light enough that it was already melting under the blue sky; at least it would be easy to get out.

"More snow tonight," Gabe grunted, squinting against the light. I looked at the snow clouds over the mountains. Good to get everything done today then, and I needed to grab Livy anyway while I was in town.

"Looks like it," I replied.

We got to work, shoveling a path from the front porch to where our trucks sat, buried under inches of fresh powder. My breath came out in sharp clouds as I lifted and tossed shovelfuls of snow to the side. Gabe worked beside me, silent except for the occasional grunt.

"Remember when we'd race doing this as little kids?" I said, breaking the silence between us. "Before everything went to shit."

He chuckled. "You cheated every time."

"Did not," I shot back with a smirk, tossing a playful scoop of snow his way. "You're just mad because I was so strong."

"Yeah, and you knew where the lightest drifts were," he said.

The cold air nipped at my cheeks, and my muscles began to protest, but the sight of the clear path we'd created spurred me on.

"Looks good," Gabe said, leaning on his shovel and surveying our handiwork.

"Thanks to my superior shoveling skills," I quipped, earning an eye roll from him.

"Sure, Kat," he said. "Keep telling yourself that."

I wiped my brow, gloves leaving a damp streak across my forehead. Snow shimmered like crushed diamonds all around us; the world was quiet, save for the mooing of the cattle in the near pasture. Somehow, we'd managed to get them all…

…thanks to Gabe.

"Time to go," I said, reluctant. The real world was calling—loudly.

"Kat…" Gabe hesitated, then closed the distance between us. He took my face in his hands, rough from work but gentle as ever. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I said. My heart hammered, my own words echoing back to me, warm and solid. We hadn't talked about it since last night, and that whole thing had felt like a fever dream.

But now, in the light of day, it was real.

We shared a long look, then he kissed me—one of those soft, slow kisses that said everything. It was a promise, a goodbye, a plea for safety—all rolled into one.

"Be safe," he murmured against my lips.

"Of course," I replied, though my bravado faltered just a bit.

We climbed into our cars, Gabe into his truck and me into my SUV, engines rumbling to life. As I pulled away, I glanced in the rearview mirror. Gabe was watching me, and I raised a hand in farewell. Then I faced forward, my grip tight on the steering wheel.

Something about it felt startlingly final.

I didn't know why…but I was about to find out.

The police station was cold, sterile, and quiet. Livy stood next to me, her face drawn tight with tension. She'd seen too much for her young years, and I cursed the need to drag her here.

"Ready?" Sheriff Callahan's voice snapped me from my thoughts.

"As we'll ever be," I said.

Callahan sat us down in a private room and then he pulled out a file. He put two mugshots in front of us—two big guys with murder in their eyes. I studied the faces before us. Rough, grizzled, but…I couldn't tell if it was them. With the masks they'd worn, I had no way of knowing.

"Anything?" Callahan's brow creased in hope or maybe impatience.

"Sorry, Sheriff," I said. "They wore masks. I can't tell."

Callahan nodded, disappointment etched into the lines of his face. "Figured as much. But I got something else. Interrogation turned up a lead. They were paid. Someone wanted your house hit."

Ice flooded my veins.

"By who?" Livy's voice was a thread, barely holding together.

"We're digging into it." Callahan reassured her, but the hard set of his jaw told me he was worried too. I instantly knew who it was…Everett Jones. Or Nia George. It had to be one of them, right?

"I appreciate it, Sheriff," I finally said. "Please keep looking, and call right away if anything else comes up, okay?"

We left the police station with terror lodged in our throats. Someone had it out for us…and our enemy list just kept getting longer.

"Check the house cameras," Livy suggested when we climbed into the car. "I just want to make sure Bandit is okay."

"Yeah." My fingers flew over my phone, pulling up the live feed from our security system. If someone was targeting us, paranoia wasn't just warranted—it was necessary.

The screen flickered to life, showing the front room. There was Bandit, sitting by the door. I checked the barn feeds as well, just to be safe, and all seemed well.

"Looks clear," I said, some tension easing out of my shoulders.

"Good," Livy replied, but her eyes stayed on the road ahead.

For now, home was still safe.

But for how long?