Page 51 of Bridge to Safety

“Sorry.” He opened the door and stepped outside. “Mr. Owens, I’m Deputy Reynolds.” He offered his hand. “Thank you for coming.”

“It’s what I do.” He whistled and two mastiffs bounded from the truck. “This is Tank and Butcher. They don’t bark. They’re more like the silent types, but they’ll make sure no one sneaks up on you.”

“Will they scare Sasquatch?” Rachel stared up at the man.

“Sasquatch? Well, I reckon they will.” Mr. Owens grinned. “Not much scares these two.”

“What about my dog? Will they be nice to her?” Shiloh patted the large heads.

“Sure. Bring her out.”

She called for Peanut, who bounded outside, then stopped short at the sight of the two dogs. Her tail wagged slowly as she cut the other dogs a sideways glance. After much sniffing of behinds, they celebrated their new friendship by plopping in the dirt together.

“Good.” She glanced at Rowan; there were so many questions, but she didn’t want to say anything in front of the other man. Her questions would have to wait until Rachel was in bed. “Thank you, Mr. Owens. How long do we have these guys?”

“For as long as you need them. The sheriff’s department is footing the bill.” He tapped the brim of his hat, told the dogs to stay, then marched to his truck, whistling with every step.

Rowan sent Rachel into the house. With much pouting, she flounced inside declaring she wanted to stay outside and play with her new friends. When she’d closed the door, he turned to Shiloh. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. The pain meds made me fuzzyheaded. When we stopped at the sheriff’s office, he and I decided it might be a good idea to have these two here. It’s been effective in the past on other cases.”

She stared at his bruised face. “I trust your judgment. It took me by surprise is all. What do you think about Rachel seeing Sasquatch? She said it was watching you sleep.”

“Creepy.” He gave a lopsided grin. “It’s most likely Larson. No more naps on the deck for any of us until this is over.”

“If it’s ever over.” Her eyes traveled around the yard, then at the dogs. None of them seemed concerned.

“It will be. Trust me.” He cupped her cheek. “I promise.”

“Can you promise not to die on me?”

“I can promise to do my best not to.” He gave her a quick kiss, then put his arm around her waist. “Let’s go watch something silly on TV.”

After a comedy that helped her forget the danger that lurked outside, even if only for ninety minutes, She made up the sofa as a bed for Rowan. Rachel would have the guest room.

As the others settled in, she let Peanut inside, then set the alarm and checked all the doors and windows. Rowan had offered, but after seeing the exhaustion coating his features, she declined. Her nightly routine helped give her a feeling of security.

She peered through the blinds on the back door and studied the shadows of the tree line. Nothing moved. No dogs raced for the trees. A full moon shone overhead, giving little room for anyone to hide—even Sasquatch. She exhaled heavily and headed for her room.

Chapter Twenty

After a weekso uneventful even the dogs looked bored, Rowan announced he had a doctor’s appointment that day hopefully to remove his stitches. “I shouldn’t be gone more than a couple of hours.”

Shiloh smiled over her shoulder from where she washed the breakfast dishes. “Rachel and I will spend that time making sure all her schoolwork is finished so she can go back on Monday when I do.”

“Do I have to? I like doing my work here.” Rachel frowned.

“I have a job to do and students waiting on me.” She’d taken enough time off. Now that Rowan was pretty much healed, it was time to return to school.

Rowan gave her a kiss, snagged her keys from the table near the front door, and promised to bring back some burgers from the diner for lunch. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Shiloh walked with him to the door, then set the alarm when he got in the car. Before returning to Misty Hollow, if someone would’ve told her that she’d have settled into a routine with a man, she’d have told them they were nuts. But, she’d fallen hard for a handsome deputy and his daughter. Her past no longer defined a future that looked bright for the first time in fifteen years.

She gathered up the throw rugs from the dryer and stepped onto the deck to hang them up. Tank and Butcher sprinted for the woods. It wasn’t the first time, but the sight still left her uneasy.

“They’re going after Sasquatch.” Rachel appeared at her side as silent as a ghost.

“Have you seen him?”

She nodded.

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