A rustle in the trees drew their attention away from the fireplace. Chase popped to his feet, protectively stepping in front of Laurel. The gun he rarely used was in the truck, too far away to protect them should they need it. Through the dusk, two eyes reflected the half moon.
“It’s a moose,” Laurel whispered.
The outline of the beast became clearer the longer Chase stared at it. “Probably Ed.”
“Thereismore than one moose in the world, you know,” Laurel argued, squinting at the animal hesitating at the tree line. Zeus let out a soft whine, and the moose scuffled backward, running away.
“That wasn’t Ed,” Chase said.
“See!” Laurel turned toward him. “Wait, what?”
“No antlers. That was a cow.”
“A girl moose.” Laurel let out a soft laugh that quickly grew heartier. “That’s what the local celebrity moose needs. A girlfriend.”
“Well, if she’s destined for that fate, it’ll be a few months. Rutting season isn’t until the fall.” Chase enjoyed the twinkle in Laurel’s eyes and stared long enough that she looked away. “Maybe she’s just staking her claim now before all the other girl moose descend on Sunset Ridge.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
Zeus barked, as if in agreement.
“Traitor.”
Laurel dug her phone out of her back pocket and flipped on the light to help cut through the dusky shadows. “What are we looking for?” she asked Chase. “I want to help.”
“You believe me.”
“Like I said, I know your gut feelings.”
“I’ve already studied the fire patterns and burn marks. They’re consistent with the fire originating in the fireplace and spilling out. The only thing we might find is something I missed hiding in the rubble. A clue.”
“Clues. Got it.”
For over an hour they searched through the ashes and charred pieces of boards. Most of them disintegrated with hardly a bump. Chase scoured the site with twice the determination he had yesterday, fueled by Laurel’s belief in him. The same belief that had convinced him to pursue the deputy fire chief position, despite his lack of experience. He beat out three other more qualified candidates because of it.
“I have to get home,” Laurel said to him, switching off the light on her phone. His had died ten minutes ago, when he’d been forced to use the faint moonlight instead. They should’ve left when his phone shut off in case there was an emergency and someone needed to get hold of him. But he’d been so determined to find arealclue. Anything to convince him to hold off on signing that investigation report tomorrow afternoon.
He dug his fingers into his neck. “Okay, let’s get you home.”
“I’m sorry we didn’t find anything.” Laurel sounded as though she meant it, and that tugged a sad smile across his lips.
After wiping Zeus’ paws with an old towel to get the soot off, they loaded up in the truck and headed back into town. The dog still preferred to ride in Laurel’s lap, curled into a ball and falling asleep as soon as they hit the highway.
“Thanks,” Laurel said when he pulled into her parents’ driveway. The massive log cabin was one of the largest homes in town, second only to the Sunset Ridge Lodge. Once upon a time he was a welcome guest inside those walls, especially for Sunday family dinners.
“For what?”
“You know what.” She hesitated long enough that he thought he might lean over the center console, draw her to him with his fingers hooked under her chin, and kiss her. Remind her why they were still meant to be together. If that missed signature wasn’t fate sending them a sign, he didn’t know what was.
But Laurel slid Zeus carefully out of her lap and slipped out of the truck before he could so much as reach a hand forward. “Don’t forget about those boxes,” he said to her.
“Good night.” With that, she closed the door and trekked up the rest of the vehicle-cluttered driveway. Last he knew three of the Evans siblings, plus Melly now, lived with Jerry and Beth. Only Marc had his own place. And then there was Sadie, only she was in Anchorage last he heard. There was less drama when Sadie wasn’t around, but at the moment it was a fairly full house.
He waited with headlights dimmed until Laurel waved to him at the door and slipped inside. “Zeus, if you have any bright ideas, now’s the time to share them.” The dog looked up at him with wide eyes, as if to say he was already doing his part.
Chapter Five
Laurel
