Page 121 of Wish You Were Mine

“Let’s circle around the building and see if there’s any sign someone is inside,” Asher said. “If they are, don’t engage.”

“Okay.” I pulled my hands inside my jacket sleeves, wishing I’d thought to wear gloves when we’d left my cottage this morning. The air was bitterly cold, and my fingers stung because of the temperature change from the warm car to the frigid outdoors.

I picked my way around the house, testing the ground before putting my foot down for each step. I didn’t want to accidentally step over a ledge and fall, or trip over a stair.

Thanks to the massive windows, it was easy to see the house’s interior, and it looked uninhabited. The furniture was in place, but it was too bare for anyone to be staying there. Asher must have moved faster than me because I’d only got a third of the way around the building when he met me coming the other way.

He pulled his hood more tightly around his face. “Nothing?”

“No.”

He jerked his head toward the Ute. “Next one then.”

As I drove to our second stop, the rental studio, Asher recorded our visit in the app. I scanned our surroundings, keeping an eye out for anything that wasn’t where it ought to be.

The rental studio was down a narrow road that came off the highway. I drove slowly, worried we might encounter someone coming toward us. If so, I’d have to reverse all the way out. Fortunately, we reached the unit without issue.

It was a small, black building, dark inside with snow piled around. We checked it the same way we had the holiday home and, not finding anything, we left.

The hunting cabin was the most difficult building on our list to get to. It belonged to a national hunting and fishing organization, and maintenance was undertaken as needed by local members. It stood empty for weeks at a time during winter months.

We carried on down the same sideroad the rental studio was on, then turned onto a gravel road, which ended before we reached the cabin. We’d have to walk the last few hundred meters.

I parked, being careful not to slide into a ditch on the side of the clearing. Asher took the radio Connor had given us and shut the passenger door. I jumped down and locked the car out of habit more than anything else. I doubted anyone would be out here to break into it.

A narrow gap between the trees showed where the trail must be. If not for that, it would be impossible to know for sure. The wind buffeted me, and I hunkered down, doing my best to withstand it. I lifted my feet with each step, hating the way icy liquid seeped through my shoes and socks. I’d need to change my socks soon. I should have brought a pair of waterproof boots but as with the gloves, it hadn’t crossed my mind.

A sudden, sharp crack stopped me in my tracks.“What was that?”

I hadn’t felt anything break under my foot. Asher stopped too, and all around was silent.

Eerily so.

“I don’t think we’re alone,” I whispered.

56

ASHER

“It was probably just an animal.” Despite the snow, there must still be some roaming around. Deer, perhaps. Although, surely, most would be safe in their den.

“It sounded like a twig breaking under someone’s foot.” Summer sounded nervous, and I didn’t blame her. We were so isolated out here that our imaginations could easily run wild.

“It would be difficult for anyone to hide out here,” I pointed out. Perhaps in warmer months, but for now, it would be almost impossible for someone to sneak up on us. The trees were bare, and any shrubs had already been covered with snow. A person moving between them would stand out against the barren landscape.

She cocked her head, listening for something. “But not impossible.”

I jammed my hands into my pockets and wrapped one around the radio. “Whoever took Marcy is surely too busy to be running around out here with us.”

Unless they left her alone somewhere. We couldn’t rule that out. Anyone willing to kidnap a baby clearly didn’t care much about their wellbeing.

“The sooner we get to the cabin, the faster we can go back to the car,” I reminded her, taking a few more steps along the trail, grateful when she followed my lead.

We rounded a corner, and the cabin appeared before us. My immediate thought was that it looked abandoned, but some of the snow had been disturbed. I held out my hand to stop Summer.

“Remember what Connor said about not approaching if anything looks out of place. No one should have been here, but it looks like a snowmobile or an ATV was parked out front until recently. Let’s radio it in.”

She nodded.

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