“Kensie,” he said, “Don’t go.”
Her heart pounded even faster. She had to leave now. Her family was waiting. She had so many decisions about her life to make back home. But she could come back. Soon.
Before she could voice any of that, he rushed on, “I think we were wrong. There’s still a chance your sister is here. I think we can find her.”
* * *
SHE WAS GOING to stay.
Thank goodness he’d pushed his leg so hard and gotten to the gate in time. If he’d been a minute or two later, Kensie would have already been gone. And even though he’d convinced himself he could let her go, the relief he felt right now was overwhelming.
“Final boarding for Flight 1850 to Seattle, with continuing service to Chicago,” boomed over the speakers. “Passenger Kensie Morgan, please proceed to Gate 17. Aircraft doors close in two minutes.”
Kensie blinked at him, then glanced over her shoulder at the aircraft entrance.
Colter dropped his cane and gripped her upper arms, wanting to shake off the incomprehension on her face. “Kensie. Did you hear me? I think we were wrong. We still have a shot at finding Alanna.”
She turned back to face him, creases forming between her eyebrows. Her lips turned up in what he’d come to recognize as her apologetic look. “Colter, I...”
“Kensie.” This time, he actually did shake her a little. “I talked to Jasper,” he said quickly as Kensie glanced again at the airplane, as if she was actually still considering leaving on it.
Colter talked even faster, wondering what had happened since he’d dropped her off. Yesterday, if he’d suggested the remote possibility of a lead, she would have jumped up immediately. She would have ignored all the dangers, optimistically insisting this time could be it.
Then again, someone had just tried to kill her. And while being in the military meant he’d gotten used to being a target, he’d never had violence get so up close and personal, either. People trying to shoot you in a war zone was one thing; breaking into your hotel in a quaint Alaskan town and trying to choke you to death was another.
Sliding his hands down her arms, he twined his fingers with hers, and she finally gave him some real eye contact. “I know there have been a lot of dead ends. And some scary threats, between Henry and Danny. But this is different. I can feel it.”
He wasn’t just saying it to get her to stay. Jasper had repeatedly said he couldn’t be sure of anything. But underneath his words, there’d been a restrained excitement, as if even he thought he was onto something.
“Jasper said a guy just came through his store asking about all the hubbub with the FBI and wanting to know if they’d given up already.” He squeezed her hands a little tighter. “Kensie, Jasper remembers this guy from the day the note was found. This guy could have been with the girl he saw, the one he thought looked like you. Jasper said seeing this guy brought it all back. He says that day he assumed it was the guy’s daughter with him.”
Kensie’s gaze darted to the gate and then back to him as they called her name once more over the speaker. “Did he say what this guy looked like?”
“No. But we can go and talk to him. He’s waiting for us right now. I told him I was coming to get you and we’d be over as fast as we could.”
She stared down at their locked hands a long moment, then shook her head. “Colter, I can’t spend my life chasing long shot leads.” She raised her head and there was something new in her eyes, something strong and bright. “I deserve to find my own life, to figure out what I want for me. You taught me that,” she added softly.
He had? Her words made him sway backward slightly. He wanted that for her, but... “There’s a time to move on, Kensie. But right now is the time for blind hope and optimism.”
She started to shake her head, to pull her hands free, and he held on tighter.
“You taught me that,” he told her. “You don’t give up on the people you love.”
Saying the words made him flinch a little, thinking about the day his brothers had died. Thinking about whether he was inadvertently leading her in the wrong direction, trying to force her attention back into her past when she had a real shot at a good future. But his gut was screaming at him that this was a true lead, and he wasn’t sure he could follow it on his own.
Her shoulders dropped and hurt passed across her face, but just as quickly, she lifted her chin. “How do you know this isn’t another dead end?”
“I don’t,” he said as the attendant at the gate announced, “Doors are closing for Flight 1850.”
His leg was starting to throb from putting weight on it for so long, but he ignored it and pulled her a little closer. “Kensie, please come with me. This isn’t over.”
She stared up into his face for a long moment, then pulled her hands free. “It’s not over,” she repeated softly.
Then, she launched herself into his arms.
Chapter Eighteen
Kensie sneaked another glance at Colter, heart pounding madly. She was in the passenger seat of his truck, flying away from the airport at speeds that couldn’t be legal. All of his attention was on the road ahead, his knuckles white against the steering wheel like he was on a mission.
She still couldn’t believe she’d walked away from her flight. There wasn’t another one to Chicago for three days.
Three more days with Colter. He was a dangerous temptation she needed to resist. Because whether it was three days from now on the very next flight, or three days after that, she’d eventually be leaving. And when it came to Colter, nothing had changed.
Falling halfway in love with him already meant heartache was waiting for her. Falling right into his arms would only make it worse.
“I’m glad you’re staying, Kensie,” Colter said, shooting her a sideways glance, as if he could feel her eyes on him.
When she’d thrown her arms around him at the airport, he’d actually lifted her off her feet and pressed his lips to hers for a long, tantalizing moment. People around them had cheered, clearly misunderstanding what was happening.
Now that they were back in his truck, she could read his nerves in the tense lines of his arms, the flexing of his jaw. He was worried he’d talked her into staying for just one more false lead.
Fear and hope blended, making her heart race even faster and her fingers tap a nervous beat against the armrest until Rebel pushed her nose between the seats and stilled her hand.
Kensie smiled at the dog, realizing how much she was going to miss Rebel, too, once she actually did leave. The thought added anxiety to the mix and Kensie took a deep breath.
This is just like every other lead on Alanna, she reminded herself. Approach it like you always try to, with low expectations but high hopes. It was a hard balance, but one she’d gotten fairly good at over the years.
But this time felt different. Maybe because she’d finally decided to let Alanna go and then gotten yanked right back into the search. It really felt like her last chance.
“I’m sorry.”
It took her a minute to comprehend Colter’s words and then she frowned over at him. Had she spoken out loud?
“I should have followed this lead on my own, instead of dragging you back into it. I was being selfish. I’m sorry.”
Selfish? He’d spent the past four days running down leads on someone law enforcement had already given up on. He’d rushed to her side whenever she needed him, twice saving her from dangerous men.
Kensie let out a snort of disbelief. “Nothing you’ve done since I’ve known you has been selfish.”
He was silent for a long time as they navigated the long drive back toward Desparre. Finally, as the roads beneath them changed from pavement to dirt, he spoke slowly, deliberately. “I didn’t want you to go.”
His words stunned her briefly into silence, but while her mouth refused to work, her mind and body
shot into overdrive. Her skin tingled with sudden awareness of how close he sat to her, her lips aching for another kiss. Her brain started cataloguing how far they were from his cabin and how soon they could get there.
She’d stayed for Alanna. Mostly. But part of the reason she hadn’t gotten on that plane was the man sitting next to her. Intellectually, she knew it was better to keep her distance, to focus on her sister for her remaining few days here. But her heart had other ideas. And the fact that she was still chasing after Alanna all these years later instead of moving on with her life proved that her heart almost always won.
Before she could figure out how to respond to his surprising admission, Colter spoke again. This time, his voice was all business. “Jasper says he tried to play it cool with this guy, act like all he knew was the FBI had decided it was a hoax. But he’s not sure the guy bought it. So whatever he tells us today, we need to act cautiously. I don’t want another situation like Henry.”
Kensie’s fingers instinctively grazed her still-bruised throat. It seemed to tighten at the touch. “Neither do I.”
He shot a pensive glance at her, then hit the gas even harder. Before she knew it, they were pulling into the lot in front of Jasper’s General Store.
Rebel ran circles around her and Colter as they made their way up to the door until finally Colter laughed and said, “Relax, girl.” He looked at Kensie. “She’s happy you’re back.”
“So am I.” The words came out without thought, but they were true. Even if this turned out to be one more in a series of disappointments, she couldn’t regret anything that gave her a little more time with Colter.
He held open the door for her and his gaze seemed to caress her face, as if he felt the same way.
It put a light, giddy feeling in her chest. But as she preceded him into the store and Jasper ran around the counter as soon as he spotted her, the feeling shifted into a different kind of nervous hope.
“Kensie.” Jasper reached for her hands, folding them between his lean, weathered palms.
The first time she’d met him, he’d been gruff to the point of rudeness. But now he was staring at her like they were long-lost friends, and she realized her story about the day she’d watched Alanna get ripped away had touched him.
Jasper glanced up as Colter and Rebel came in behind her, nodding at them and not saying a word about Rebel being in the store. “A guy came into the store today. I recognized him from that day. And I think he might have been with the girl.” His gaze went back to Kensie, his eyes wide as his words tumbled out. “I didn’t recognize the girl that day, so it didn’t stick, but I recognized the man.”
“What?” Colter stepped closer. “You didn’t mention that on the phone.”
“I know. I called you as soon as he walked out and I’ve been trying to place him ever since. He’s not a regular. Not even a semiregular. But that day wasn’t the first time he’s come in the store. I’ve seen him before. I think he could even live around here.”
Kensie’s heart picked up speed. If he lived around here, they had a real chance at finding him. At finding Alanna.
“I have to be honest, I probably wouldn’t have connected him to that day except he was asking questions. And they were just too casual. It all felt forced, like he was desperate for the answers but didn’t want me think he cared. And then I realized he’d been there. I think he walked out at the same time as the girl.” He gave Kensie an apologetic look. “I can’t be positive they left together that day, or even that it’s your sister, but it all seems suspicious, doesn’t it?”
She slid her fingers from between his palms, patting the top of one of his hands. “Yes, it does.” She glanced at Colter, wondering where they went from here.
“What can you tell us about how to find him?” Colter asked.
“I walked out after him today. Tried to act all casual, but honestly, I’m not sure he bought it any more than I bought his questions just being simple curiosity. So I waved at him and grabbed the shovel I’d left out there, like that was why I’d gone out. Anyway, I saw him get into a truck, but the way he peeled away, it was like he was trying to avoid me getting a plate number.”
“Which way did he go?” Colter asked.
“Now that I can tell you. As soon as he peeled out, I booked it upstairs. Most people don’t know it, but this store has roof access. Gave me a good view of him for a while.”
Jasper walked behind the counter and pulled out a map, drawing a line away from his store and out toward what looked like nothing but forest to Kensie.
But as soon as he drew it, Colter’s gaze darted up to hers, tension in the line of his jaw. “That’s the same area where Henry lived. There’s not much out there. It was true for Henry and it’s true for whoever this guy is. It’s a great place to hide.”
Kensie nodded, her nerves shifting to determination. “Let’s go do a little tracking.”
Rebel barked her agreement.
* * *
THIS MIGHT BE HOPELESS.
Colter didn’t speak the words out loud, but Kensie glanced at him as if she’d heard him anyway and shook her head.
“We need to keep going,” she told him, voice tight as she leaned toward the windshield like she could lead them there by pure force of will.
It had started to snow. Big, fluffy flakes that plopped onto the windshield and slowly slid down. They were sticking, making the forest surrounding them look picturesque.
Right now, it wasn’t accumulating much. But Colter knew how fast that could change out here. Although his truck was in good condition, with a nearly full tank of gas, he didn’t want to take any chances. Even locals could misjudge Alaska’s weather, which could turn brutal fast.
“Ten more minutes,” he told Kensie, “and if the snow hasn’t stopped, we’d better turn back. We can make another trek out here tomorrow.”
“But—”
“Kensie, we’re three hours deep into this forest. We don’t want to get trapped out here if the weather turns.”
“I’ll check the radar.”
He glanced at her briefly, most of his attention on navigating the dirt road winding between huge fir trees. “You’re probably not going to get any service. No towers out this way.”
She held her phone up, testing it in different directions, then sighed. “You’re right. No service.”
They drove in silence for a few more minutes, but Colter could feel Kensie’s tension ratcheting up. The snow remained steady, not letting up, but not getting worse, either. And still no sign of any homes.
“Do you think we missed it?” Kensie asked.
“It’s possible. Usually people who live out this way don’t want to be too far off of a main trail, because even these can get buried when the snow gets deep. But the road did split ten miles back. If we’d taken the other way, we would have ended up near where Henry lives. I went this route because I figured if Henry had seen your sister—if she really looks like you, the way Jasper said—Henry might have spoken up.”
“Why would he? He seemed too busy trying to kill me.”
He reached for her hand, squeezed it briefly. “I mean afterward. When the police were there and we were talking about your sister. If he lived near someone who looked like you, he might have put it together and said something, tried to get a little leverage.”
She leaned back against her seat, twisting to face him. “Maybe we should pay him a visit and ask.”
“Maybe,” Colter replied, less enthusiastic about that idea. If they asked, Henry was likely to lie if he thought he could get anywhere—or just to torture Kensie, because he was a sick SOB. If he knew anything, he probably would have already volunteered it.
“Hey, what’s that?” Colter slowed the truck until it was barely creeping forward as he peered through the thick trees.
“Where?”
Colter pointed. “Up a
head, at the one o’clock position, about a hundred feet ahead of us.”
Kensie leaned forward again, squinting through the snow, which was beginning to fall a little faster. “I don’t see anything.”
He gave the truck a little more gas until Kensie exclaimed, “Oh!”
“It is a cabin,” Colter muttered. And it was about as well hidden as you could get. If they hadn’t been looking, they might have driven right past it. Positioned close enough to the road to get in and out, but far enough back to remain unseen unless you were looking. And on the other side was a mountain, so no one would notice it from that direction.
The wood cabin looked like it might have been hand constructed, but as they continued to drive forward, he realized it was a lot bigger than he’d originally thought. “You could fit a whole family in there.”
His shoulders slumped as he said it. How likely was it that the person who’d grabbed Alanna lived in a cabin this big, just the two of them?
He swore as he spotted a sign at the entrance of the long unpaved drive leading up to the cabin. Two slabs of wood, one underneath the other, were staked into the ground at the entryway. The bottom one read Trespassers will be shot. The top one read The Altier Family.
“Isn’t that the name of the couple Yura mentioned when we stopped by his check-cashing place?”
“What?” Kensie was still staring intently at the cabin.
“The Altiers. I’m pretty sure that’s the couple who paid Henry with checks sometimes for odd jobs. It’s not the guy, Kensie. Yura said this is a couple, with a bunch of kids.”
Her disappointment was all over her face as she turned toward him. “Well, maybe they know who else lives around here. Let’s go talk to them.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” He pointed at the Trespassers will be shot sign.
As he did, he spotted a station wagon in the distance, up beside the cabin, and his heart rate doubled. Most people who lived around here drove huge trucks. The last time he’d seen a station wagon was the one that had nearly run Kensie down on the main road in Desparre.
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