Page 22 of Red Hunt

I offered her my hand, but she just looked down at it, then back up without moving her hands or her stance, her steely eyes focused solely on me. No fear there. No backing up in the slightest. I could respect that.

“Name’s Max. I recently moved here and stumbled upon Milli on my way home.”

She looked back over her shoulder at Milli, who nodded.

Then she focused back on me and grabbed my hand. “Nice to meet you and thank you.” She had a tight grip and held on until I forced my hand back to my side. Her power move made me almost smile. Almost.

I sidestepped her, walked over to the sofa, and handed Milli the ice pack. I couldn’t read the look in her eyes, but something told me there was a lot going on between those two.

“Max. Meet my incredibly rude twin sister Tara.”

Tara and Milli. Two sisters who couldn’t be more different.

“Tara, I’m fine. And I told Niki not to call you. I had an accident with my bike, and Max found me. My leg’s hurt, but I’ll live.”

Tara sank to the floor beside the sofa, and when the two of them started talking, I retreated to the kitchen. I could feel Milli watching me without looking as if we had some kind of connection.

And maybe we did. I’d come to the rescue of quite a few people in my time, but I’d never felt a similar compulsion to ensure their well-being or this strange magnetic pull. But maybe this was only the protector instincts in me rearing their head.

I found a can of soup which I heated, and when I served it to Milli, both women had a strange look in their eyes.

“I guess I’ll be going then. I left my number on the pad in the kitchen in case you need anything. Don’t hesitate to call!”

I squeezed Milli’s shoulder, and she stayed relaxed. Progress again. “Tara. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, as well, and thank you.”

I nodded once, then made my way downstairs. Once in my truck, my eyes fell on another truck, haphazardly parked right next to mine.Tara Patterson, Stone Valley Construction,it said on the door. So, my shy dove’s sister was the owner of a construction company.

Mind-blowing.

14

MILLI

He left, just like that. And I was strangely not okay with it. Somehow, his absence left a hollow feeling inside my body. The coldness of the ice pack pricked the skin on my knee, and the sofa beneath me suddenly turned abrasive and uncomfortable.

But why?

Of course, he had to leave. It wasn’t as if he was responsible for me or anything. Or as if we were friends.

He’d done more than I could ever thank him for. And he had absolutely no reason to stay.

“Earth to Milli. Do you need anything else?”

I shook my head to clear the cobwebs and stared at Tara. She looked bone tired, and I immediately felt guilty that she had to drag herself out here to take care of me.

“You look tired. Why don’t you stay here?”

She looked to the side as if she was uncomfortable with the question. And she sure was. I knew what was going on but hadn’t found out from her, so I didn’t cut her any slack. It hurt that she wouldn’t tell me she had a certain someone in her life. But what was she thinking? This was Moon Lake. Small-town folks were mostly coming to the grocery store to run their big mouths and get the newest rumors about anyone and everyone. Keeping a secret here would be a full-time endeavor. And Stone Valley was just a couple of miles away. Not enough distance to stop the rumor mill.

“I’d rather sleep in my own bed. If you don’t need anything else, I’ll take off, okay? I have an early meeting in the morning, but I can come by at lunchtime. Does that work for you?”

I sighed, and a tension I didn’t even know was there left my body. I wasn’t the confrontational type, and once more, I’d rather keep the peace than ask my sister why she wasn’t telling the truth.

“Of course. I’m okay. You don’t need to come by tomorrow. I can manage, and if something comes up, I’ll call you.”

“Promise?”

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