Page 34 of Montana Manhunt

Noah steered the conversation back to more pleasant ground. “On your first ride, what were the names of the mares?”

“Sadie and Lady. They were so sweet. Sadie loved apples. Lady was more interested in carrots.”

“Sounds like you and Camilla had a good time.”

Violet laughed. “We talked about that ride for months. You would have thought Mom and Dad had given us the most expensive present available instead of paying a little money to a friend for his cowboys to lead two horses around a well-worn ranch trail.”

While she talked about Camilla and the horses, Violet kept her gaze on her sister’s face.

Looking at both of them in such close proximity, Noah had to admit he would have had a hard time discerning at first glance which sister was Violet.

After telling him a story about another horse ride the sisters had enjoyed for their sixth birthday, Violet turned to Noah. “Thank you for bringing back wonderful memories of Cami.” She shifted to her tiptoes and kissed him.

The tender, sweet kiss made Noah’s heart turn over in his chest. Man, he was so gone over this woman. If Violet ever walked away from him, she would shatter his heart into a thousand shards.

When she stepped out of his hold, she turned back to the window one more time. After a moment, she said, “You can close the curtain now.”

He pressed the button. When the curtain closed, Noah activated the intercom. “Dr. Royce, we’re finished. Thank you for arranging this for us.”

“No problem. Is there a particular funeral home we should contact?”

“Morrison Funeral Home,” Violet said. “I’ll call them in a few minutes and have Cami transported there.”

“I don’t mind making that call for you,” Royce said. “Your sister’s boyfriend has been here twice to see her and ask about arrangements.”

Her brows furrowed. “Her boyfriend?”

A slight pause. “You don’t know?”

“It must have been a new relationship, and I’ve been out of the country most of this month. Cami and I were supposed to meet in Gatlinburg in two weeks. I think she would have told me about him then.”

“I see. I don’t know where Bradley Melton lives. If you’ll return to my office, my assistant will give you his number.”

“Thanks for your help, Dr. Royce.” Noah turned off the intercom. “Let’s get Melton’s phone number and have Zane run a background check on him.”

They retraced their steps to the ME’s office and spoke to Sandy. After obtaining Melton’s phone number, Noah walked with Violet to the elevator. As they waited for the car to reach their floor, he sent a text to Grant to let him know they would exit the hospital soon.

“Does your friend with the Westies have a website so we can look at the puppies?” Violet asked.

Noah slid his phone into his pocket. He rattled off the email address. Violet called up the Fortress web browser on her phone and typed in the address.

When the elevator car arrived, he guided Violet inside. “Find it?”

“Look, Noah.” She pointed to a litter of Westie puppies. “He has a new litter almost ready for adoption.” Violet scrolled down the pictures of the individual puppies. “Do you want a boy or a girl?”

“Your choice, babe.”

“A boy. There are several boys in the litter.” Violet tapped the screen and brought up the picture of one puppy. “This one. I’d love to see this puppy.”

Noah glanced at the picture. The black nose, pointed ears, and inquisitive eyes brought a smile. When the elevator chimed their arrival on the ground floor, he nudged Violet out of the car and to the side so they wouldn’t block people waiting to board. He pulled out his phone and sent a message to Joe Swanson, the Westie breeder, asking him to hold the puppy until they returned to Nashville to see him. “Done.”

She whirled toward him. “What do you mean, it’s done? What did you do?”

“Sent Joe a message and asked him to hold the puppy for us. Joe has a pristine reputation in the dog breeding business, so his litters sell fast. If we decide this little guy isn’t for us, Joe won’t have trouble finding a different family for him.” Noah slid his phone into his pocket. “Have you thought of a name?”

“Max.”

He nodded. “Short and easy works. I like it.”

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