Page 69 of Scent of Death

“Whoa.” Cam shook his head. “That’s crazy.”

Griff silently agreed. Going through the woods to reach the cabin took longer than Griff liked, but there was nothing he could do. This was how things went out here in the middle of nowhere. Enforcing the law in the wilderness wasn’t easy.

Thankfully, the ambulance was waiting, and the paramedics jumped into action to get Paul transferred from the four-wheeler to the gurney. Soon it was driving away from the cabin, red lights flashing as it headed toward town.

“Where’s Maureen?” Griff glanced at Cam as he and Alexis washed Paul’s blood from their hands at the cabin sink. Denali followed them inside and stretched out on the floor, watching with her dark eyes. Alexis noticed and filled a dish with water.

“We called her parents,” Cameron said. “They were ecstatic to hear from us. And once the girl was cleared by the paramedics, one of our deputies drove her back to Greybull.” He turned to Alexis. “She wanted me to let you know how grateful she is that you helped save her life.”

“I’m just glad we found her in time.” Alexis looked sad. “Too bad we weren’t able to save the others.”

“I know.” Griff reached over to gently pull her close. “I’m sorry you were hurt. Let’s get you to the hospital too.”

“I’m fine.” She leaned against him. “Nothing some sleep won’t cure.”

He didn’t dare tighten his hold, lest he hurt her worse. “Please, Alexis. It’s better we know what we’re dealing with.”

She sighed. “Okay. But I’m telling you, there’s no treatment for cracked ribs. And my head doesn’t hurt as badly as it did before.” She glanced at Denali. “I’m not saying overnight unless Denali can stay too.”

He doubted they’d allow that, but he didn’t argue. Smoothing his hand down her back, he bit back the need to confess his love. There would be time for that later. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Gladly,” she murmured. “Come, Denali.”

“I’ll stay until the crime scene techs arrive,” Cameron offered.

“Thanks.” Griff patted the deputy’s shoulder. “I appreciate everything you’ve done.”

“Like letting him get away?” Cam asked bitterly. “What if Paul dies because of this?”

“Paul will be okay. And I don’t blame you for his escape. We should have remembered he had the ATV and disabled it.” Griff shook his head. “I take full responsibility. I was too worried about Alexis to think clearly.”

“I’m glad you came in when you did,” Alexis said. “If you hadn’t, he’d have shot me.”

“See, everything happened for a reason.” Griff held Cam’s gaze. “We saved Alexis and Maureen. That’s what matters.”

Cam slowly nodded. “Okay, thanks.”

Griff drove Alexis to the hospital, with Denali in the back crate. Once there, he was miffed to realize Alexis had been right. The doc diagnosed her with three cracked ribs and a mild concussion. He discharged her from care, instructing them to return if her symptoms worsened.

“Told you,” Alexis said when they were back in the SUV.

“Yeah, yeah.” He glanced at her. “Do you want me to drive you to the ranch?”

She sighed and rested her head against the window. “No, let’s go to the hotel for now. I need to give Denali a bath. And I’d rather get some sleep before I face the family.”

He nodded and made the short drive to the hotel. It was strange to head inside as if nothing had happened.

Once they were in the room, Alexis lowered herself onto the sofa. Denali trotted over to stretch out at her feet. The K9 let out a sigh, lowered her head to the floor, and promptly fell asleep.

Alexis looked up at him. “Griff, can we talk?”

“Of course.” He sat beside her, a stab of dread piercing his gut. “You can tell me anything, Alexis. Ah—did Jenkins hurt you?”

“No, nothing like that.” She looked down at her hands, then back up at him. “I want you to know I’ve fallen in love with you.”

He stared, wondering if he’d imagined hearing the words he’d wanted to say to her. “Alexis, you’ve been through a lot. You’re injured and need some sleep.”

“True, but that doesn’t change the fact that I love you.” She reached for his hand. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way. Up on that mountain, when I thought you’d been shot, I promised myself that I would tell you how I felt.”

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