Ma nodded, her expression softening just a fraction. "It's nothing special. Just my mother's recipe."
Another silence fell, longer and more uncomfortable than the first. I stared down at my bowl, watching the steam rise in curling patterns, too aware of Deputy Dan sitting across from me and Ma watching us both.
"Harlow," Deputy Dan said suddenly, making me look up. "I've been meaning to ask you about your tracking work. Sheriff Hardesty mentioned you're the best tracker in the county. Said you found the Henderson girl last spring when she wandered off into the woods."
I felt my face grow warm at the praise. "Wasn't nothing special," I mumbled. "She took her dog with her, and that dog has a bad habit of rolling in skunk cabbage. Just followed my nose, mostly."
Deputy Dan laughed, a warm sound that made something inside me loosen up. "Still, that's impressive. I wouldn't know where to start looking for someone in those woods."
"It's just..." I struggled to find the right words, not used to explaining this part of myself. "Things leave signs, you know? Broken twigs, bent grass, disturbed earth. Everything that moves through the world changes it a little. You just gotta learn to see those changes."
I surprised myself by how many words came out all at once. Usually I got tongue-tied trying to explain things, especially to new people. But Deputy Dan was looking at me with genuine interest, not the polite patience or barely hidden boredom I often got from others.
"That's a gift, Harlow," he said seriously. "To be able to read the world that way. Must come in handy living out here."
I nodded, encouraged by his interest. "It does. I can tell when storms are coming three days early just from how the air smells and the way the animals act. Can track any animal through the woods, even in the dark. And I understand what animals need without them making a sound."
"Is that how you found me?" he asked softly. "Reading signs?"
I hesitated, unsure how to explain the twisty feeling in my gut or the invisible string that had pulled me toward his overturned car. "Sort of. The chickens were acting funny. They know things before people do. And I just... had a feeling."
Ma cleared her throat loudly, reminding me she was still there. When I glanced her way, she was watching me with anexpression I couldn't quite read. There was surprise there, and something that might have been worry.
"Harlow's always had a special connection to the land," she said, her voice clipped. "It's getting late, and I'm sure Deputy Latham needs his rest after such an ordeal."
After dinner, Ma bustled around preparing the guest room, making it clear through pointed looks and whispered instructions that I was to stay away from Deputy Dan. "He needs rest, not conversation," she told me firmly as she gathered fresh sheets from the linen closet. "And you need to be up early for chores, regardless of the weather."
I nodded obediently, but when I saw Deputy Dan struggling to navigate the stairs on his own, I couldn't just stand by. I moved to his side, offering my arm again without a word.
He accepted my help with a grateful smile that made my heart do somersaults. We climbed the stairs slowly, his hand warm on my arm. At the top landing, Deputy Dan paused, turning to face me.
"Harlow," he said quietly, "I need to tell you something important."
His face was serious, his eyes searching mine in the dim hallway light. My breath caught in my throat as I waited for whatever he was about to say.
Just then, the lights flickered once, twice, and then went out completely. The sudden darkness wrapped around us like a blanket, cutting us off from the rest of the world. A flash of lightning illuminated Deputy Dan's face for a split second, his expression frozen in surprise, before darkness swallowed us again.
In the blackness, I felt his hand find mine, fingers wrapping around mine with surprising strength. My pulse jumped at the contact, heart hammering so loud I was sure he could hear it.
Deputy Dan moved closer, his presence palpable even though I couldn't see him. His breath was warm against my ear as he said, "Well, looks like we've got a problem."
My face burned with a mixture of embarrassment and excitement, thankfully hidden by the darkness. We were standing so close I could smell that pine soap again, mixed with the clean scent of Knox's borrowed shirt. His hand was still holding mine, our fingers intertwined now as if they'd decided on their own to get more comfortable with each other.
For the first time in my life, I didn't want to run away or hide from these feelings. In the protective cover of darkness, with no one watching, it felt safe to want this closeness. Safe to admit, at least to myself, how right it felt to stand here with him.
"What was it you wanted to tell me?" I whispered, almost afraid to break the spell between us.
A loud crash of thunder shook the house, rattling the windows in their frames. Somewhere down the hall, a door slammed shut with a bang that made me jump.
Deputy Dan's grip on my hand tightened. I could feel the sudden tension in his body as he leaned even closer. "I think someone doesn't want me here," he said slowly, each word measured and careful. "And I don't mean your mother."
Chapter Five
~ Daniel ~
The darkness was immediate and absolute, wrapping around us like a tactical advantage I hadn't planned for but would gladly use. Harlow's hand tightened in mine, his skin warm and calloused from farm work. Lightning flashed, illuminating his face for just a moment—eyes wide, lips parted in surprise, impossibly innocent despite his imposing size.
Something fierce and protective surged through me, a feeling I'd never experienced before coming to this town, before meeting him.
