Page 27 of Deadly Target (Rocky Mountain Courage 2)

TEN

Lord, guide me. Help me get us to safety.

He was pretty sure it was nothing less than a miracle that had allowed him to grab Erin and carry her to safety, then revive her. Considering that, he had to believe they would be okay on the other side of this harrowing night.

Lightning flashed in the distance, rippling through a massive thunderhead. Thunder clapped a few seconds after the flashes. Still, the storm remained far from them.

He hoped he would find some sort of outbuilding at the dam or someone who’d come to check on it. Or see the searchlights of a SAR team. He had no flashlight to guide the way and was relying solely on his excellent night vision and the fact that the sky wasn’t completely overcast.

Erin shifted on his back.

“You okay? You need to get down?”

“No, I’m fine. I wouldn’t want to mess with the pace you’re keeping. But I do have a few questions. Can we talk? Or do you need to focus?”

“We can talk.”

“Before the dam failed, you were sharing what your father had told you. You said he was about to tell you more when he was shot.”

This was as good a time as any to have this conversation. “Yeah.”

“It sounds like you have a lot of questions with no answers. Are you sure that you should look into your father’s shooting? Into that cold case he mentioned?”

“Given what little I know and since I’ve been charged with keeping it to myself, I don’t see how I can’t look into at least the cold case.” The pressure built on his shoulders again and had nothing at all to do with carrying Erin. “I’ll circle around the edges of things and offer help. See what’s what. I’m hoping Dad will wake up and talk and clear things up.”

“As I mentioned before, you need to know more before you can know what to do.” Erin blew out a soft breath, and it warmed his ear. “I don’t want you doing anything without me.”

Nathan cringed inside, wishing he hadn’t asked her. What had he been thinking?

The image of her body floating on the river like a dead log knifed through him again, and he almost stumbled.

He really wanted to kick himself. Again. “I know I asked you before, but now ... after what’s happened today, I don’t think I could take it if something happened to you because you were helping me.”

“Stop,” she said.

“I just can’t, Erin. I can’t risk it.” Nathan kept moving.

“No, I mean stop hiking.”

Oh. He stopped walking. Erin released her hold on him and hopped down. He knew what was coming next and turned to face her. How much could she actually see of him in the dark, with only the stars and the sporadic lightning flashes to light his face?

Her eyes were fire. At least he could see that much.

“You think it was easy for me to come to this decision?” She fisted her hands on her hips. “To decide to help you? You think I want to work with you? I mean, it’s hard enough just being here with you, Nathan.”

Oh, shoot. He wasn’t entirely sure how to take her words. He thought they’d been getting along fine, under the circumstances.

He caught the faint shimmer of moisture in her eyes and pursed his lips. What did he say in response?

“I didn’t want to hike through those woods to find you at the river, but I did. And I...”

“Why did you?” They were going to do this now? Be honest about everything?

“Because my mother tried to kill herself. Because I wasn’t there for her. I kept putting her off, and I could have lost her. Jack and Terra thought you were in a bad place, and I couldn’t ... I had to check on you. To see you. And then you told me about your father.” She pressed a hand over her eyes. One hand on her hip. “Why did you tell me any of something you weren’t supposed to share with anyone? I can’t unhear it.”

She dropped her hand to pierce him with her shadowed gaze. He couldn’t quite see the fire in her eyes now, but he could certainly feel it.

“Now you can’t stop me,” she said. “I’ll look into it anyway. I’m all about cold cases, remember?”

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