“Trust me, I’m trying.” She opened her laptop. “Thanks, Jordan. I owe you a couple of dinners when this is over.”
He glanced over, wondering if she was serious about the invite. But she didn’t notice, her attention riveted on the task at hand.
Jordan finished the dishes then took Cutie outside with him to do the evening chores. As he worked, he kept a wary eye out for any sign of the shooter. There was no doubt in his mind this guy would show up again.
He only hoped they’d be able to grab him this time.
Working with the animals was soothing. Jordan was a loner by nature, which was why it was strange how much he enjoyed having Autumn stay with him at the ranch. He’d have expected to be sick of her by now, and more than ready for some downtime.
But that hadn’t happened. Instead, he looked forward to seeing Autumn again when the chores were finished.
Cutie ran through the barn, strands of hay sticking to her fur. The high-energy puppy was a lot to handle, too. His life had been turned upside down by the recent events, but as much as he grieved over losing Jenny, he had to admit that meeting Autumn and Bear was a blessing.
After he’d finished with the livestock, he took a moment to pull the hay from Cutie before she romped away to do her thing.
“Good girl!” He bent to stroke her fur. “You’re really doing well, aren’t you?”
She jumped up and tried to lick his face.
He glanced up at the sky, thick with dark clouds. A storm was brewing, not unusual for this time of year. April showers and all of that. He arched a brow in surprise when Autumn came outside with Bear. Her solemn expression made his stomach tense. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She sighed heavily and turned toward Bear. “Go on, you too.”
“I’m sure you’ll find this guy soon.” He could tell she wasn’t happy.
She let out a harsh laugh. “I’ve been through the list of license plates. Not one of the cars matches a person on my suspect list. None of the people me or my mother have arrested matches any of the registered cars.” She shook her head. “I’ve hit a dead end.”
That surprised him, as he felt certain the license plate would have led them to the shooter. “Maybe the guy is driving a rental car.”
“I’ve considered that,” she admitted. “But he slammed into me on the road, trying to send me into the ditch, which makes me think the car is his.”
“Maybe he borrowed it from a friend or relative?” Even as he said the words, he realized they weren’t helpful. There would be no easy way to track down every family member, much less the friends of people on the suspect list.
“Could be.” She looked tired and pale in the darkness. “I was so hopeful…”
“Hey, we’ll figure it out.” He took the few steps necessary to slide his arm around her shoulders, giving her a reassuring hug. “Don’t give up.”
“I haven’t given up,” she murmured, leaning against him. “I’m just frustrated. I know police work can be tedious, but I really thought the license plate information would point me in the right direction.”
He could understand that. He held her close for a long moment, trying to think of something encouraging to say. “You’ve been praying for God to give you strength and courage, so I know He will do that for you. I’m sure you’ll figure this out.”
She lifted her head to gaze up at him. “You’re right. Thank you for being so supportive.”
He told himself to step back, to let her go. But his feet refused to move. He searched her gaze for a minute then leaned in, giving her plenty of time to stop him.
She didn’t.
Jordan carefully lowered his mouth to hers. She rose on her tippy-toes, meeting him more than halfway. Their kiss was tentative at first, then Autumn wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him in.
Heart soaring, he crushed her close, secretly wishing he never had to let her go.
ELEVEN
Autumn felt the impact of Jordan’s kiss all the way down to her toes. She didn’t want their embrace to end, but Bear came over to nudge her, no doubt tired of Cutie’s constant playing.
She ended their kiss with regret, clearing her throat to give herself time to pull herself together. What had started as him offering a shoulder to lean on had morphed into something so much more. Fat raindrops began falling from the sky. She took that as a sign. “Ah, we should go inside.”
“Yeah.” Jordan’s low, husky voice made it even more difficult to walk toward the house.
