Page 88 of Love Me Fearless

“Where are you?”

“The cemetery. To visit Marin.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Okay.” My breaths are still shallow and shaky, but knowing Hutch is coming gives me something else to think about.

“Walk me backwards through your day while I drive,” Hutch says over his quick footfalls on the path.

The hum of an engine fills the background, followed by the kick of gravel under his tires. I imagine Hutch’s long driveway lined with cottonwoods and the potholes that seem to multiply faster than they get filled. I think of Louisa’s endless rows of flowers, blooming just in time for a bride’s perfect day.

“Starting when you left from work,” he adds like he knows I need encouragement.

Focusing on the details of my day in reverse takes all my concentration, and once I get going, the buzzing in my chest starts to soften and my breaths get easier. I let the steady, confident tone of his voice wash through me as he keeps me talking. By the time I get to my mid-morning consult with Dr. Boone, the hum of Hutch’s truck draws my eyes to the cemetery entrance. He turns the corner, driving fast. I start walking but it’s like wading through sludge. My legs are heavy and the air feels too big for my lungs.

He pulls to a stop and jumps down, leaving the door wide open as he races for me, his eyes wild. I crash into him and he wraps his arms around me. Clutching at his shirt, I bury my face in his chest.

“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” he says into my hair, his arms squeezing me tight. “I’m here.”

A sob thickens in my throat and my eyes burn. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“I hate being scared.”

“I know,” he says in that caring tone that fills up the deepest corners of my heart. “It’s okay.” He strokes down my hair and kisses the top of my head.

The low rumble of another vehicle approaching sends a shiver of dread through me.

“It’s only Zach,” Hutch says, like he can read my mind. “I didn’t know what we were dealing with. You said someone…” He leans back so our eyes connect. “…Baby, can you tell me what happened? Did someone hurt you?”

I swipe my cheeks, annoyed at myself. “There’s a rose on my windshield. Someone must have put it there when I was visiting Marin.”

Frowning, Hutch gives the grounds a quick scan. “Did you see anyone?”

I slump against him. “No. But he was here.”

“Who?”

I close my eyes and inhale his woodsy, earthy scent. “The man who broke into my apartment. He left a rose too.” A sob catches in my throat. “A white one. Just like this.”

“Shit,” Hutch says, and pulls me to him again. “I’m so sorry.”

Zach’s cruiser comes to a stop behind Hutch’s truck and he makes a quick radio check-in before walking over to us, his steely blue eyes tense. His expression fills with concern as he focuses on me. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Hutch keeps me against his chest, and I’m so grateful that I start to cry again.

“Someone put a rose on her car,” Hutch says. “Apparently the same kind that the jerk who broke into her place in San Francisco left behind.”

“What?” Zach puts his hands on his hips. “Ava, you went to the gravesite, and the rose was there when you walked back? How long were you gone?”

“Maybe fifteen minutes?”

With a nod, Zach walks past us to the front of my car, then talks into his radio, his back to us.

“Do you think he could be here, in Finn River?” I ask Hutch.

He caresses my back. “No.”

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