The door creaked open, and Riley’s scent, honey and something uniquely her, reached me before she spoke.
“You left before I woke up.” Her voice carried no accusation, just observation as she placed a steaming coffee mug on the coaster to my right.
“I needed to finish this.” I lifted my head, taking in the sight of her leaning against the doorframe. Her dark hair fell in waves around her shoulders, and she wore the blue flannel shirt I’d noticed was her favorite. “Did you sleep well?”
“Too well.” She shifted closer, her hip brushing my shoulder as she peered down at my work. “I think I’m getting used to your mattress.”
The casual comment made warmth bloom in my chest. Riley James, getting used to things in my home. My life. My heart.
“This is impressive.” Her finger hovered over the topographical map where I’d marked surveillance points with silver stars. “You’ve accounted for every possible approach.”
“Not yet.” I reached for the red marker, uncapping it. “There’s still this ridge line. If someone had advanced climbing equipment, they could potentially access the pens from the northwest face.”
Riley leaned closer, her warmth radiating against my side. “Add motion sensors here and here.” She pointed to two strategic junctures. “That would cover any approach from that direction.”
I made the adjustments, appreciating how her analytical mind complemented my methodical one. We worked differently, but toward the same goal. The thought made me smile.
“What?” she asked, catching my expression.
“We make a good team.”
She straightened, something vulnerable flickering across her face before she masked it. “For now.”
Those two words stung more than they should because they were a reminder that in her mind, everything about Lonesome Creek, including me, was temporary.
“My brothers will be here soon. I’ve assigned each of them security zones based on their skills.”
Riley tugged her chair over and settled into it, our knees touching as she studied the rotation schedule. “Smart. Putting Ruugar on tracking duty makes sense. His connection with the luminooks gives him an advantage.”
“And Hail on observation. He notices details others miss.” I tapped my pen against the paper three times. “Tark will handle the eastern perimeter. He knows every part of those trails. Becken and Sel will coordinate night watches.”
“What about Greel?”
“Communications hub. He’ll monitor radio traffic and coordinate responses from the saloon.”
Riley nodded. “And us?”
“Central coordination and investigation.” I hesitated. “If that works for you.”
Her eyes met mine. “It does.”
Something shifted between us, a deepening of connection that went beyond partnership or even attraction. Trust. The kind that formed between people who’dseen each other’s vulnerabilities and chosen to protect rather than exploit them.
She opened her laptop and did some work online while I finished. It was only when she gasped that I looked in her direction. Her finger hovered over the screen.
“Found them,” she shouted.
I leaned close, my eyes widening at the advertisement she’d found on FaceSpace.Glowing rabbits for sale. Three available.Four thousand dollars each.Followed by pictures of our luminooks and a number for a pet shop about forty minutes’ drive from here.
I was on the phone in seconds, calling my contact in that town. After ending the call, we waited in tense silence until my phone rang with an incoming call.
“Hello?” I said, putting it on speaker.
“Sheriff Trench here. Got ‘em.”
My lungs sagged as my breath whooshed out.
“I stopped by to view the glowing rabbits, and they matched the pictures you sent. When I revealed my identity, the owner caved and admitted she’d taken them. She thought she could since they were running around wild and that you had plenty of others. She denies going near the pens, however, stating she only approached those living in the wild.”
