Page 109 of Long Road Home

She studied his face, and the dark-blond hair. His blue eyes. It was ridiculous, really.

He blushed. “What?”

Kenna shook her head and headed for the door. In the front seat of the car, she texted Maizie while Jax drove across town. She wanted a full rundown on Dr. Rayland as soon as Maizie could gather it together. They might find the woman safe and sound at home, and they might not.

“That coffee she had smelled good,” Jax said, his eyes on the road.

Kenna finished the message. “We can get some after.”

Dr. Jennifer Rayland lived in a modest house set back from the street. Single level, not unlike Forrest’s house. Built probably in the ’80s, but the windows had been replaced at some point in the past few years.

Kenna’s phone buzzed. She looked at the screen while she followed Jax to the front door. “Maizie says our GPS location is the same residence where Jennifer Rayland grew up.”

His brows rose. “She’s lived in one house her whole life?”

Kenna shrugged, pocketing her phone. “We can ask her about it after we explain what happened.” Though, likely she would be too grief-stricken to want to answer questions on her living situation. “Let’s find her first.”

Jax knocked on the door.

And knocked.

And knocked some more.

Kenna wandered to the front window and peered in—because she wasn’t a cop and the blinds were open. “I don’tsee anything.” She went back to the front door. “Turn away or something.”

Jax didn’t move.

“I’m so glad you’ve decided to be an accessory. That’s just great.” She didn’t reach for the door handle, or her lockpick, but she was about to.

“We’re either in this with each other, or we’re not.”

“No.” Kenna spun around. “Not if it’s going to destroy your career, or get you put in jail.”

“You worry too much.”

“Maybe you don’t worry enough!”

Jax’s expression softened. “You freaking out is kind of adorable.”

“This isn’t the time.” She wanted to put her hands on her hips, but her jacket was too bulky for that. It wouldn’t have the same effect. “Nowturn aroundso I can break and enter solo. Who knows, maybe you’ll see Stan Tilley in the bushes taking photos of me and those will prove you had no idea I was behind you picking the lock.”

Jax chuckled. “I’m only looking for Tilley. I can’t say I had no idea what you were doing because you just told me.”

“You’re very irritating.”

“It’s called integrity.”

Kenna heard the lock click and continued turning the two pics, rotating them around. She shoved the door handle down and put everything away before it fully swung open. “Hello! Anyone in here? Dr. Rayland, can you hear me?”

Jax closed the front door.

They walked through the whole house but didn’t find her. Just a master bedroom, a second bedroom that seemed like an updated one that would’ve belonged to the deputy, though he didn’t live here anymore, a sparsely decorated living room,and a dining room converted into an office on one side and a home gym on the other.

“This place seems normal,” Kenna said. “She’s just not here.”

“Car, either. So we can put out a BOLO on that.”

Kenna looked around. “She’s probably just at the store.”

---