Reid plunged his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and walked beside her. His pinched expression broadcast his anger and irritation, a handsome mirror to a lot of what she was feeling.
They walked through a break in the trees and the morning chaos of the rodeo greeted her. The smells of frying oil and tempting sweets made her mouth water, reminding her she hadn’t eaten. Although she still wasn’t sure her stomach could handle food.
“How you holdin’ up?” Reid asked, sidestepping a man hurrying through the growing crowd with a hay-filled wheelbarrow.
“My heart is broken for what Dana went through. How scared she must have felt and how lonely it must have been to feel like there was no one to help her. And I hate that I’m disappointed not to find out more. Sarah warned us she didn’t have much to say, but I hoped for at least a name. Something to pinpoint who this guy is.”
“We found out the first time he approached Dana was in Denver,” Reid said. “That could be his hometown.”
“Denver’s a huge city. Odds of us finding a guy based on his appearance and first known location are pretty low.”
“True, but I’m sure Dana spoke with more people than just her barrel-racing buddy about what was going on. Family, close friends, even other people working the rodeo. The more we uncover about Dana, the closer we might get to the truth.”
His logic made sense and loosened some of the knots in her stomach. “Where do we start?”
“First, we’ll talk to the sheriff’s department. They’ve already begun an investigation and have probably spoken to plenty of people. No need to do the same job twice if we can help it.”
“Do you think they’ll tell us what they’ve learned?” She didn’t know much about how police investigations worked, but loose lips were probably frowned upon.
Reid shrugged. “They might. Keeping you informed should be a priority. Not to mention Madden and I’ve been working closely with the sheriff’s department lately. I’m not saying they’d divulge confidential information to a buddy, but I’ve established relationships that may help grease the wheels a bit.”
The mention of grease brought her attention to a white-and-red-striped food cart straight ahead. A woman with gray hair braided down her back placed little balls of dough in a vat of boiling oil. As soon as she plopped a couple in, she fished others out with a slotted spoon, tossed them on a plate and dusted them with powdered sugar.
Eve couldn’t stop the small groan from pouring out of her mouth.
Reid stilled and stared down at her.
Wrinkling her nose, she glanced up at him. Heat scorched her cheeks. “Sorry.”
He widened his eyes. “Everything okay?”
She extended a finger toward the truck, where a small line had formed. “Fresh doughnut holes.”
A slow grin spread across his mouth. “Would you like some?”
She nodded. “More than anything.”
“Whatever you want,” he said, sweeping his arm in a go-ahead gesture.
Jumping into line, she grabbed his hand and yanked him along beside her.
Instead of letting go, Reid laced their fingers together and squeezed. “How about this, I’ll place a call with Madden and see if he knows anything. He’s been in constant contact with the deputies, heading up security here while this guy is at large. He might already have some information. If not, he might make the call so we can focus on other things.”
“Like what?”
He pulled her forward as the teenagers in front of them moved ahead. “Fried fair food. Now that everything’s opening up, I want more than measly doughnuts.”
Her jaw dropped. “Measly?”
“They’re so small. I need something with a little more substance. I saw giant turkey legs when I was here yesterday, and I’ve been craving one ever since.”
A wave of nostalgia hit like a sucker punch. “My dad always ate those things. He’d bring me and my mom to the rodeo every year as a way to say goodbye to summer. We’d stuff ourselves with food until we almost burst, and he’d let me pet every animal I could find. Except the bulls. Those always scared the bejesus out of me.”
He winced and slid his hand from hers to rest on his side where the stiches lay beneath his shirt. “Good call. I don’t think I’ll ever look at one of those the same after yesterday.”
Before she could comment, the woman at the counter called them forward.
Eve placed her order, her mouth watering as she watched the fresh dough bobbing in the oil. She focused on the sweet-smelling vanilla and hints of cinnamon instead of the fear that had swallowed her whole when she’d heard Reid had beeninjured. He wasn’t the only one who’d never view a bull the same way.
