Page 29 of Scent of Evil
She couldn’t regret tracking Ginny rather than staying on Decker’s trail. Her niece’s safety had to come first.
Would her boss Mike Rowe agree? Maybe. If not, too bad. Even Rowe had to understand an eleven-year-old’s life was more important than finding Decker.
Yet it bothered her to think about how many other possible innocent victims Decker would brutally murder before they caught up to him. Even one innocent life was too many.
“Hey, don’t stress.” Justin rested his hand on her shoulder. The warmth of his hand made her long to lean against him. “It’s going to work out. God has been watching over us, especially Ginny.”
She turned her head to look up at him. “You truly believe that.”
“I do.” He answered without hesitation. “I’m usually successful when I use my faith to guide me.”
“I’m not as well versed in the Bible, but you’ve made me want to learn more.” She managed a wry smile. “I admire you, Justin. I owe you more than I can ever repay.”
His cheeks flushed, and he shook his head. “You don’t owe me anything. We’re here to serve the community.”
The simple statement spoke to the depth of his character. And it also made her wonder just how the Sullivan ranch was funded. By donations? It was hard to imagine how nine siblings and nine dogs, along with the horses and everything else that went into running a ranch, could function on mere donations. Other than some of the wealthy people living in Jackson Hole, she couldn’t imagine the hardworking ranchers donating enough to make a difference.
“Although if you’d like, we do accept donations of dog food.” His voice was tinged with humor. “You have no idea how many bags of dog food we go through in a month. We have 9 full grown dogs and two puppies.”
“I honestly can’t even imagine.” A hundred pounds? A thousand? She nodded slowly. “Okay, bags of dog food it is.”
“One bag is the going rate and more than enough.” He fed more sticks into the fire, then stood. He reached over to snag the bridle from the ground near the saddles. “Stay here with Stone and Ginny. I’m going to check on the horses.”
She watched him head out toward the field, his flashlight bobbing in the night, and wished she was ten years younger.
* * *
Justin hadn’t necessarily neededto check on the horses, but if he’d stayed next to Raine for much longer, he’d have given in to the temptation to kiss her. And likely got himself smacked for the effort.
Raine was beautiful and smart and single. But that didn’t mean she was interested in him. Besides, he didn’t know where she lived. US marshals covered a wide territory. They’d jumped into action so quickly in their mission to rescue Ginny that he didn’t honestly know that much about Raine on a personal level. Other than she’d divorced her cheating ex.
He and his twin brother Joel had made a pact to stay single, but that hadn’t lasted long when Joel met Trina and her adopted son, Ben. His brother was a goner, just like his older siblings who’d gotten hitched this past year. Maybe seeing Joel so besotted with his fiancée and her son had made him keenly aware of his lonely life, but that didn’t mean he was looking to settle down.
Did it? No, of course not.
He preferred animals over people, but somehow he found it easy to talk to Raine. Why, he wasn’t sure. He turned the flashlight off when he realized dawn was just beginning to break over the horizon. He stood near a tree for a moment, watching as the horses grazed in the meadow. He was glad they’d gotten some rest.
Clucking his tongue, he headed toward Blaze. The horse lifted his head and let out a neigh as Justin approached. The horse crossed over to join him, nudging him as if searching for a carrot. Normally, Justin would have treats available.
“Sorry, big guy, you’ll have to wait until we get home.” He stroked the horse, then turned to see Timber was making his way toward them. He quickly slid the bridle over Blaze’s long nose and tightened the strap. Blaze shook his head for a moment, then settled down. “Good boy. Let’s get you guys to the creek for a drink of water, hmm?”
The trek didn’t take too long, and once the horses had their fill, he led them back toward the camp. Stone jumped up from the fire, looking happy to see him. Ginny and Raine were missing, the blankets folded neatly off to the side, but he heard the muffled sound of their voices in the woods as they no doubt made good use of their moments of privacy.
He had only taken one bridle with him, knowing Timber would follow Blaze without one. But now that he was back, he picked up the second bridle to slide it onto Timber. When that was done, he fished in the saddle bag for the last two protein bars. He and Raine would split one, giving Ginny the other. Good thing he had plenty of dog food for Stone.
They needed water, so he hauled the two empty bottles back to the creek. The water looked clear, likely melted snow coming down from the mountaintops, but he figured they’d boil it over what was left of the fire just to make sure. The last thing he wanted was for Ginny to suffer another upset stomach.
When he returned, Raine must have read his mind because she had the camping pot sitting in the fire. She smiled up at him. “I was hoping you’d bring water.”
“You read my mind.” He emptied the bottles into the pan. She added the last of their kindling to heat the water.
“Too bad we don’t have coffee.” She sighed wistfully.
“Sorry about that.” He produced the two protein bars. “At least we have breakfast.”
“Great.” She took one of the bars and handed it to Ginny.
“What about you?” Ginny protested.
