Page 40 of Bridge to Safety

Rowan dove into a bush. When he popped up to return fire, the man had hidden. The rattle of something behind the house alerted him to the fact the man hadn’t fled.

His palm sweated around the butt of his weapon. He took a deep breath and slowly emerged from his hiding place.God, don’t let me get shot. He couldn’t leave Rachel without a father. Strange how times like this made him question his career choice. Leaving his daughter an orphan was a real possibility.

Another shot dug into the ground near his feet. He skirted the house, the rough siding pulling at the sleeves of his tee-shirt. He glanced toward Shiloh’s house.

She stood on the porch, the red of her shirt a direct contrast to the white of the house. Shaking his head and ushering another prayer that she wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire, he continued his pursuit. The other house couldn’t be hit without a sniper rifle, and he doubted the man he sought had one, or he’d have been dead the moment he stepped from Shiloh’s front door.

Still, he didn’t like her out in the open.

Back against the wall, he peered around the corner. Nobody…wait. He caught sight of the man fleeing into the woods behind the house. Rowan had been correct in assuming he’d parked on a back road.

Now that the man fled, he darted after him, not as worried about catching a bullet. Hard to run and hit a target behind.

Whoever he chased seemed to be in better shape than he was. Rowan’s breaths came in gasps, his thighs burned. He’d been slack in going to the gym and regretted it big time. He burst from the trees onto a logging road almost completely overgrown with weeds. A rusty truck kicked up rocks as the driver stepped on the gas.

Rowan aimed for the tires and fired his gun. Bam, bam, bam. One bullet hit its target, but the truck kept going.

So close. He’d been a hair from proving Larson behind it all. If only he’d been able to see the man’s face.

Why was he snooping around the Nelson home? A cleaning team had already been in the house after CSI finished.

He turned back and did a slow walk around the perimeter of the house. Other than the print of a work boot which most men in the town wore, he didn’t see anything of interest.

Something glinted in the grass, half hidden under fallen leaves.

Rowan moved the leaves with his foot.

A bloody knife.

He’d bet anything that he’d found the knife used on the Nelsons. The culprit had dropped it. Why? Had his work been interrupted? Was that why the Nelsons still lived? Who would have come?

He glanced up and down the road. Shiloh hadn’t been home. Something had made the man drop the knife. That’s what he’d come back to find. If not for the leaves, Rowan wouldn’t have found the weapon. He smiled and called the sheriff’s office, then texted Shiloh and asked if she knew of anyone who might have come to her house on that date.

“I received a package. New clothes.”

His smile widened. A simple delivery van had interrupted that day. He moved to the front porch and glanced around to see whether the Nelsons had a package. Wedged between the wall and a heavy planter was a white padded envelope.

Rowan had someone else to question.

Chapter Sixteen

Another peacefulweek with no trouble from Duke. The iciness of her coworkers had subsided to a chill.

To end the week, she had a date with Rowan. A real date. The first date she’d had in longer than she cared to admit. A miracle, really, that she’d let Rowan slip through a crevice in the wall she’d erected around her. Since leaving Misty Hollow, she’d mostly kept men at an arm’s length. Her father hadn’t been a good man to model anyone by. Neither was Duke.

But Rowan…he was different. Kind, strong, and a good father. She could see herself wanting to know him better. Tonight, with no Rachel chattering nonstop, she had that chance.

Hair in an updo, a dress that made her blue eyes pop, a touch of makeup, and she stood at the front door waiting. She had finished early, not that Rowan was late.

A shadow moved in the trees behind the garage. Shiloh narrowed her eyes and focused on the spot. She thought she saw movement again, but whatever it was didn’t show once Rowan pulled in front of her house. If not for “Sasquatch,” she’d have thought nothing of it.

“Wow.” Rowan’s face lit up with appreciation. “You always look nice, but tonight you’re spectacular.”

Her face warmed. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” In fact, the form-fitting, button-down shirt and dark pants made him good enough to eat.

“My mother always said I cleaned up nice.” The corner of his mouth quirked. “Ready?”

“Yes.” She set the alarm, patted Peanut, then pulled the door closed behind her.

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