Page 11 of Colton First Responder (Coltons of Mustang Valley)

He would have to be careful, though. He was buying into her story, but was it true? Was she innocent?

He would assume so...for now. But he would also stay alert for anything that told him otherwise.

“Let’s take a look at the damaged part of the cabin, though,” he said, waving toward the far side where the wooden walls were somewhat smashed.

They both stood and walked in that direction. Grayson had an urge to take Savannah’s hand and hold it encouragingly, but he decided that would be a bad idea.

They stopped beside each other and looked at the damaged wall from this angle. Some panels had even fallen down and left gaps, and the windows at that part of the room no longer existed.

But fortunately, most of the broken glass and wooden boards, insulation, shelves and other building materials must have landed outside, and somehow the remaining walls had fallen into a sideways slant so there wasn’t even much in the way of an opening.

The rest of the place certainly looked habitable.

“It’s not so bad,” Savannah, at his side, whispered.

“I agree,” Grayson said more loudly. “I’ve got a couple of phone calls to make now to ensure that my team doesn’t head this way looking for me or for any injured people, then I’ll

head downtown. I’ll bring you some supplies tomorrow, okay?”

“Definitely okay,” she said, smiling at him. He couldn’t help smiling back. “And—”

She stopped, so he prodded, “And what?”

“Well, I no longer have my phone, as you can imagine. Is there some way you could get one for me? I’ll be glad to repay you for all this whenever...whenever it’s all over and I get my life and my money back.”

He laughed. “Sure thing,” he said. “I know where I can get you a burner phone with internet access, so you’ll be able to stay in touch with what’s going on.”

“Thanks.”

He moved away then and called Norah Fellini, the EMT on his team.

“Hi, Grayson,” she said immediately. “Where are you? Is everything okay? Do you need help with any other victims?” Of course she knew about his finding the van driver who didn’t make it, since he kept his team apprised.

“No, I don’t need any help now, thanks. That deceased driver was picked up by an ambulance, and then I headed toward some of the fishing cabins just to make sure no one was hurt or trapped inside. So far, I’ve checked the cabin on Rural Route 2 and haven’t found anything I need to deal with, so I’m going to the next one that’s about five miles away before driving back to town. I’d appreciate it if you’d let the rest of our team know, okay?”

“Sure,” she said. She filled him in on what she and the other two team members had been up to. They’d had to find a couple of missing kids and give medical attention to them and a few other people, but they hadn’t dealt with any major emergencies. “We did report in to our local PD and other contacts and all, so we should get paid—although that’s not the main thing, of course.”

“Of course. Just glad no one appeared badly hurt. See you tomorrow.” He said good-night and hung up.

He walked to the table once more since Savannah sat there, looking exhausted. Well, he was, too, but he’d do as he had told Norah, then head back to town. At least he should be able to drive there, although it would take a while since he had left his vehicle near the crushed van.

“I’ll be back tomorrow with some supplies,” he told Savannah as he got ready to go.

“That’s so nice of you.” She stood up again. “Oh—and, well, maybe I shouldn’t mention it, but I wanted to let you know I’d heard that someone shot your dad. I’m so sorry. How is he?”

Grayson’s father was Payne Colton, chairman of the board of Colton Oil and owner of Rattlesnake Ridge Ranch—where Grayson lived with his siblings.

He felt himself cringe at Savannah’s question. His dad wasn’t doing well at all. Recently shot by an unknown person, Payne had gone into a coma—and hadn’t come out of it yet.

There were more family things going on, too. They had just recently learned, thanks to a strange email, that his oldest brother, Ace, might have been switched at birth with another baby.

But to Savannah he simply said, “We think he’s improving. Thanks for asking.” He reached out to take Savannah’s hand, but she pulled him closer, giving him a brief hug.

A hug that somehow made him want to get even closer, though he didn’t. “Glad to hear that. So—see you tomorrow?”

“Yes,” he said. “See you tomorrow.”

He hoped. Oh, yes, he would return. But would she still be here? Would she be okay?

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