“Ready as I’ll ever be.” She smiled.
After making sure Molly was belted in safely, I drove off, headed toward Haven Bluff. If there was any place around Silver Creek where I could pull up and give her a picture-perfect view of a breathtaking Montana sunset, it was there.
I took the two-lane highway up the mountain, careful not to push the speed. I didn’t want Molly getting carsick. She sat quietly in the passenger seat, gazing out the window at the lush greenery as we ascended.
I took a sharp left onto a bumpy gravel road. After about a mile, it ended in what looked like a dead end. You wouldn’t know it from the road, but if you kept walking about half a football field beyond the tree line, a bluff opened up—one that overlooked Silver Creek and the Rocky Mountains beyond. I used to drive my car all the way to the end of the bluff, but it had been so long since Jace or I had been out here that the bushes and trees had overtaken the small one-lane path.
I put the car in park and hopped out. Molly glanced at me, waiting for instructions.
“We’ll walk just past that tree line,” I said, pointing ahead. “It opens up to a small bluff. X marks the spot.”
“Aye, aye, captain,” she replied, falling in step behind me.
As we followed the narrow, worn path, I pushed aside overgrown brush, snapping back low branches and clearing the way so nothing would catch her in the face.
We emerged on the other side of the tree line, the sunset washing everything in burnt orange. The sky looked like someone had melted crayons together with blues bleeding into oranges and oranges fading into soft pinks.
Beneath it, tall verdant trees stood shoulder to shoulder like soldiers, their tops swaying in the warm summer breeze. Even in the middle of July, the distant peaks of the Rockies along the edge of Silver Creek were still capped in white snow. Between the rolling hills, the river split the mountains in two, its surface glowing orange beneath the sinking sun.
“How have I lived in Silver Creek my entire life and never heard of this spot?” Molly asked, eyes fixed on the view before us.
“Jace and I found it on accident. We tried to keep it a secret from everyone else, because we didn’t want anyone to come up here and mess it up.”
“Does it have a name?”
“We call it Haven Bluff.”
“Why Haven Bluff?”
“It’s like our safe haven,” he said. “Somewhere we can come knowing no one will bother us, because only we know about it. It’s one of the first places I visited when I got back from the military.”
“Jace is going to kill you for bringing his little sister to your guys’ hangout spot.”
He shrugged. “He’s definitely brought Cassie out here before. If he can bring someone he cares about, so can I.”
“Is this you telling me I can’t put up a flyer down at Maggie’s about this spot?”
“If you do, I’ll make you spend the night in jail.”
“You wouldn’t put your baby momma in jail,” she said, giving me her best puppy-dog eyes.
“I would if I were the one in charge of the jail, which I am.”
She laughed. “At least you find me trustworthy. I guess that’s a good thing if we’re going to be co-parents.”
Co-parents.Yeah.
Chapter 19 – Liam
To:Liam Carson
Subject:DNA Analysis Report
Dear Mr. Carson,
In regard toCase #2026-0122, we have completed the DNA analysis of the blood sample you submitted. Our records indicate that no match was found in the current database.
If you have any further questions or would like additional testing, please contact our office directly.
