by C. J. Miller
Nathan set his mug on the table. “You can show me where the locals hang out on the weekends. We might catch some rumors about the murder that could prove useful.”
Not a date and that was good, right? Why did she feel disappointed? In the space of a couple hours, her emotions had been slammed around inside her, leaving her off-kilter. Fear. Excitement. Lust. Confusion. “Going into town has nothing to do with the trail.”
“You can point out the people who have stayed here and I can talk to them about what they’ve heard about the Huntsman. With the number of investigation vehicles here, rumors will run wild. People will want to talk to you about the murder and I can ask them what they know.”
Autumn swallowed hard. She avoided going into town for a number of reasons. Among them was keeping away from gossip and crowds. Dealing with everyone knowing a body had been found at the Trail’s Edge was overwhelming. She hadn’t processed the events of the night and wasn’t ready to discuss them in public. “I don’t want to talk about the murder.”
Nathan inclined his head. “I’ll deflect the questions from you. You won’t have to say anything.”
But she’d have to hear it. The gossip. The slander. She was best staying at the Trail’s Edge. “I’ll take you to an available cabin and give you a list of places to eat in town. I’ll give you directions and you can go on your own.”
He shook his head. “I won’t know whom to talk to and insiders won’t talk to an outsider like me. I need you with me, Autumn. You’re honey to the bees.” His voice was low and smooth, rolling off his tongue, utterly persuasive. It wasn’t what he said; it was the smooth way he said it. He could have told her he wanted to go for a hike naked, and she’d strip out of her clothes and sprint toward the trail.
Perhaps she was making a big deal about nothing. She could go into town this once and get it over with, show the town she was fine after her broken engagement and a murder at the Trail’s Edge. She’d face the gossip head-on, set the record straight and not let it blow out of control. “We can have dinner in town. A quick dinner.” Of course, showing up in town with a handsome stranger would set off rounds of new gossip, but Autumn would hold her head high.
Nathan radiated an air of authority, and in combination with his good looks, he could talk his way into anything. Autumn didn’t care for that. Daniel had been that way, charming and sweet. But he wasn’t ready to settle down, a fact he’d hidden from her but not many others in town.
“I’ll show you to your cabin.” Autumn set her mug on the counter and grabbed the key to the cabin she’d rented him. The paperwork could wait. She’d put some distance between them before he talked her into doing something else.
She and Nathan trudged outside. The wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped. Many nights, Autumn had enjoyed sitting on her front porch rocker and drinking in the tranquility of her slice of heaven. But tonight, for the first time in years, she was afraid of the woods and of what she couldn’t see. The perfect, soothing darkness was now a hiding place for a killer.
Autumn ignored the people milling around, tried not to think about the body and pretended Nathan was another guest renting a cabin. “Have you ever been camping before?” Autumn asked. If she were alone, she would have cut through the woods, but she made it her policy to teach guests to stay to the marked trails. Staying to the trails meant she and Thor could find them if they were lost, versus attempting to locate someone in the vast forest that lined the trail for miles on either side.
“This case has required I spend a good number of nights under the stars. But I’m not really the camping type.”
Mother Nature was strong, swift and unforgiving. “I’ve marked the paths through camp. I recommend you stay on them whenever possible.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, sounding serious.
If he did as she asked, she wouldn’t spend the night wandering in the dark looking for him. Desire edged at the fear inside her. Finding Nathan Bradshaw in the dark could have some interesting possibilities.
“I plan to have my trusty trail guide with me if I venture onto the trail,” Nathan said.
She stopped and faced him, feeling uneasy about the idea of Nathan depending on her too strongly. “I said I would help you, but I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to do. Don’t get your hopes up.” Set the bar low and be pleasantly surprised if things went well.
Nathan touched her upper arm and heat waves shuddered down her body. “You’ve already helped more than you know, and I have confidence in your outdoor skills.”
She gave him a wry grin and stepped away from him. “Usually people assume when it comes to the trail, I’m incapable and incompetent.”
“Why’s that?” Nathan asked.
Was he digging into her psyche or did he really not know? “I’m a woman, which many people assume means I don’t know how to rough it or that I’ll complain if I can’t wash my hair. Also, I’m what my dad used to call ‘scrawny.’” All her life she’d been waiting for curves that hadn’t come. “I don’t pack a lot of muscle but I’ve got endurance, and on the trail that can be important.”
Autumn took the stairs to the front door of the cabin. She looked around and noticed that Roger Ford was watching them. Why was he opposed to Nathan working the case? Did he worry that Nathan would undercover something he couldn’t?
“I don’t think you’re incompetent or incapable, but I do want you to be cautious.” Nathan was standing close behind her, his breath hot on her neck. “I’ll be watching over you, and I take that job seriously. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
A warm shiver ran down her spine. She fumbled with the keys trying to make them work, her hands behaving as though disconnected from her brain. With Nathan standing behind her, she felt jittery and nervous in a very feminine, giddy way. “I will advise you to do the same.”
His fingers reached and covered her hand, taking the keys from her. “Let me try.”
The brushing of his hand against hers sent electric currents moving from the point of contact all the way to her toes. She released the keys and he unlocked the door quickly, pushing it open and stepping inside.
She could feel the heat radiating from his body, and she fought the impulse to lean close. Entirely inappropriate. Uncalled for. She had more control than this. Nathan would think she came on to every man who stayed here. She shoved her loneliness into a deep, dark place and slammed the door on it.
“Nice place,” he said, no hint of sarcasm in his voice. “I’ve stayed in motels less inviting.”
It had been Autumn’s idea to remodel the cabins and outfit them with modern-day luxuries—coffeemakers, microwaves and quality linens and curtains to create a sense of home away from home. She did the cleaning and maintenance herself. Though the cabins were small, she’d arranged the furniture into a small eating area and a sitting area and placed a queen-size bed in the alcove opposite the fireplace. Two additional single beds folded out from furniture in the sitting area for children. The pellet stove in the middle of the room generated enough heat to keep the cabin toasty in the winter, and the shade from the trees kept it cool in the summer.
Autumn walked to the far end of the room where a double bay window gave an amazing daytime view of the forest. “This cabin is one of my favorites. It was the first one we remodeled.” Autumn pulled closed the hunter green curtains that covered the windows. Not being able to see into the woods made her feel as if someone was watching them. “In the morning, you’ll probably catch a few deer wandering past. I’ve seen a few foxes at night, too. I think they have a den nearby. I’ll bring you some fire starters and some logs.” She turned, feeling the heat of Nathan’s gaze at her back. He was watching her with those perceptive eyes, eyes she knew were taking in every detail.
She started the pellet stove. Though it was weak when first ignited, an hour from now, it would b
e throwing off a lot of heat.
“Don’t put yourself out. I can gather wood if I need it.” His voice had taken on a husky baritone, lower than it had been before. She felt the shift in the atmosphere, heat that crackled in the air.
Her skin felt achy and hungry to be touched. It had been six months, almost seven, since she’d had a date, too long since she’d gone out with a man. Her last date had been with Daniel, and by then their relationship had been circling the drain. She had found out he was cheating, and they’d been pretending they could move past it. That denial lasted about a week. “If you’re running short on time and can’t find dry wood, I have a woodshed twenty feet behind my cabin. You’re welcome to take whatever you need. The pellet stove is pretty warm, but it can get cold in the morning. The bucket on the hearth has more fuel.” She was rambling, a nervous habit, trying to deflect some of her feelings away from Nathan and fixate instead on the cabin.
He stopped a foot from her, sliding his hands into his trouser pockets, setting his attention on her. His gaze smoldered and a shower of sparks burst from her chest. Was she imagining the fire between them, or was this a reflection of her feelings for him?
He shifted and she caught a glimpse of the gun strapped to his side. His eyes blazed with passion, never leaving her face. This man was dangerous in more than one way.
She was hyperaware of the bed eight feet away, knowing the sheets would be cool and clean, and the feel of his body on top of hers heavenly. She drew in a deep breath, feeling as if there wasn’t enough oxygen in it. She wouldn’t let herself be stupid over a man again.
Nathan had warning signs she couldn’t ignore. He had lost his sister, he was desperate for her help to find a killer and he was around for only a short time. They could keep their relationship firmly on professional ground for a week. When the killer moved on, so would Nathan.
Autumn needed to go outside and get some fresh air before she became light-headed. “Let me know if I can get you anything.” She said it casually, but replaying the words in her mind, she wondered if he heard the unintended double entendre. Anything. Her in bed?
He caught her arm and heat sizzled in his touch. “Tomorrow evening, drinks and dinner at seven?”
She made the mistake of meeting his gaze. It was impossible to say no to him when his face filled with intensity and expectation. “Seven is fine, but I can’t stay out late.” She needed some boundaries between them and she wanted an excuse to end the night early.
He dropped her arm and stepped back. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With a final nod, Autumn fled outside.
* * *
The FBI and park rangers finished at the scene at 10:00 a.m. the morning after Autumn and her dog had found the body. The last vehicle to leave was the county coroner’s van.
Nathan had slept restlessly. It wasn’t just the noise. It wasn’t just the gorgeous brunette sleeping in the cabin next door. He was closer than he’d ever been to catching the Huntsman. Excitement and determination sizzled in his veins. Nothing could get in his way. Not Roger Ford and not Nathan’s attraction to Autumn Reed.
Nathan dragged a hand through his hair, rereading the page of case notes he’d written. Too little sleep and too much coffee had his nerves on edge, his concentration frayed. The words on the page were interrupted by thoughts of Autumn Reed. Of course the only witness on the case would be strikingly beautiful. Nathan enjoyed the company of a pretty woman, but in this situation, he would have preferred a bridge troll whom he found unbelievably unattractive and who wouldn’t create any unnecessary distractions. He needed to focus on the case. He had enough factors playing against him.
Nathan turned to a fresh sheet of paper and jotted down a few notes about Autumn, her brother, Blaine, and the Trail’s Edge. It was easier to record his observations of her while she was on his mind. Maybe if he wrote it down, he’d stop thinking about her.
He was sucked into his work, one detail leading to another, and when he looked at the clock, it was nearly six-thirty. He’d been reviewing the case since six in the morning, and after more than eleven hours of graphic descriptions, photos and notes, he needed a break.
Nathan showered and changed into clean clothes, figuring he’d treat his evening out with Autumn like a date to make it easier to blend with the residents of Smithsburg. Waltzing into a local hangout and announcing he was investigating a murder had a way of sealing lips and making people nervous. But taking a woman out for dinner had a way of inviting gossip, and if anyone had learned what had happened at the Trail’s Edge, they’d be eager to talk about the case.
Which suited his motives perfectly.
At precisely 7:00 p.m., he knocked on Autumn’s door. She opened it almost immediately, making him wonder if she’d been waiting for him, and if she had, why it sent a pulse of excitement through his body. He was doing this to find justice for his sister, not have an affair with a pretty outdoorswoman.
He let his eyes wander over Autumn. Her hair was loose around her shoulders and she wore a pair of black trousers and a green fitted top. It was a casual outfit, but it would catch the attention of every man in the restaurant.
A possessive streak tore through him and Nathan found himself disliking the idea of her flirting with someone else. He had suggested this outing as a means to gather information, purely professional. Yet seeing her now, his interest roved south of professional, straight into the full burn of sexual interest.
He focused on their professional relationship. Autumn could point out people most likely to have heard rumors about the killer, or better, have useful information about the case. It didn’t matter how she looked. His attraction shouldn’t factor in to their relationship.
Realizing he was staring, he strove for indifference. “You look great,” he said.
She touched the ends of her hair with her left hand. “Thank you. You look nice, too. Maybe a little too dressed up for the Wild Berry.”
“I’m more comfortable in a suit than I am in hiking gear.”
She shrugged and stepped onto the porch, pulling the door closed behind her. He tamped down the disappointment that she hadn’t invited him inside. His primary intention was to find Colleen’s killer. As Autumn moved past him, her shoulder brushed his chest and he caught the scent of pine and spice, a unique and yet distinctly feminine scent.
The drive down the mountain took twenty minutes and it was another five to the Wild Berry. Nathan parked next to a pickup truck with a rusted-out bumper and a red sedan with a plush monkey pressed to the back window. He took the keys from the ignition and turned to Autumn. “I’d prefer it if we pretended to be a couple.”
Autumn fiddled with the strap of her handbag. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
He set his hand on her upper arm and smiled at her. If anyone saw them, he didn’t want to blow his manufactured story. “I’m an outsider. If they think I’m with you, people will open up.”
Autumn reached for the door handle. “If you think it will help. But I think you’ll find most people are pretty blunt regardless of your relationship to me.”
Nathan liked the idea of having an excuse to keep Autumn close. “It will help.”
They climbed out of the truck and he circled it to stand next to her. He set his hand on her lower back and she jumped. She glanced over her shoulder at him, questions in her eyes. In response, he lowered his mouth close to her ear. “Just playing the part.”
He guided her toward the entrance to the restaurant, and the sound of country music seeped through the door and covered windows into the parking lot. As he opened the door, the music grew five times louder, nearly deafening. Nathan scanned the restaurant and the patrons, a few who looked from their beers to Autumn and him, most who ignored them. After entering the bar, they found an open table near the window. He held Autumn’s chair, waiting for her to sit.
The formality was intentional. Everyone in the room would recognize this was a date. Once Autumn took her seat, Nathan did the same.
A waitress with blond hair nearly to her waist tossed two menus on the table, and then set her hand on her hip, jutting it toward Nathan. “Hey, Autumn, who’s your friend?”
Nathan caught a fleeting look of annoyance on Autumn’s face.
“This is Nathan Bradshaw. Nathan, this is Francine.”
Francine turned her attention to Nathan, letting her gaze linger on his face. “Nice to meet you. Can I get you a drink?”
“I’ll have an iced tea,” Autumn said, folding her hands on her lap, an edge in her voice.
What was the dynamic between Autumn and Francine? The waitress seemed friendly enough.
Francine looked at Autumn as if forgetting she was there. “Okay, sure thing. And for you?” Francine faced Nathan, giving him a smile he’d bet had earned her a good number of dinner dates.
“Same for me. Thanks.”
Francine jammed her pad into the apron tied around her waist. “I hear you had some trouble up at the campground.”
Autumn’s eyes flashed with momentary panic.
“Not at the campground,” Nathan said, keeping his voice low and calm.
Francine leaned in. “I heard you found a body in one of the cabins.”
Autumn looked horrified, but Nathan chuckled, dismissing the lie. “Rumors can grow out of control quickly.” He’d promised to run interference on rumors, and he would do just that.
