The dog had picked up something.
Dancer led them to a particularly thick section of sagebrush, nosing around its base with increasing focus.
“We need to check this out,” Noah called to Sabrina, kneeling with care so he didn’t disturb anything.
She joined them, dropping into a crouch to peer into the brush where Dancer indicated.
“What is that?” She pointed to a dun-colored strip of fabric.
Noah found a stick and pushed aside the drooping branch of the sagebrush. “It’s a baseball cap.”
Her sharp intake of breath told him she’d picked up on the importance of the clue.
Caught in the closure were several strands of bleached blonde hair.
“Is that…hair?” she asked. “It’s the exact same shade as Jane Doe’s.”
Their eyes met, electricity arcing between them.
“She might have been wearing it, but whoever dumped her here didn’t realize they’d lost it.” Or a hundred other explanations that got his senses humming.
This was a huge find. A clue that told him his instincts had been right—there was a story here.
The fierce triumph in Sabrina’s expression made every freezing hour worth it. She already had her evidence camera out, documenting the find from multiple angles with precise, thorough movements.
Noah watched her work, emotions jockeying for position in his chest. Here was someone who understood how to embrace the thrill ride of life. Who matched him step for step, in every way that mattered. Especially in relation to uncovering the truth, investigating until every avenue had been explored regardless of the effort.
What were the odds he’d meet someone like her by chance? Zero. This was something else, something he intended to jump into very fast and very thoroughly.
CHAPTER 7
Sabrina had seen enough evidence collection teams in her career to know they operated like well-oiled machines. But she’d never watched one meticulously photograph and document a dusty baseball cap while standing next to a guy she couldn’t label.
Was this a date? Did she introduce Noah as her boyfriend? Sexy SAR Expert?
Thank God no one had asked her. Though as the morning sun climbed over Dark Canyon’s jagged peaks, it occurred to her that any given member of Dark Canyon’s police department staff might already know Noah. If they did, they’d assume he’d arrived on the scene in an official capacity, especially since Dancer sat right by his left leg.
Well, didn’t he have an official capacity? He certainly wasn’t here because she’d invited him—he’dbeen the one to issue the invitation. The fact that she knew exactly what he tasted like and wished she could kiss him again right now had nothing to do with baseball caps, Jane Does, homicide investigations or evidence.
That was on her. She’d mixed business with pleasure, no one else. It was screwing with her, thinking about how unprofessional it was. How she always had to think about people’s—men’s—perception of her.
Ugh.This uncertainty was not going to work.
Noah worked for her, though, every inch of his glorious hard body and messy hair. Their conversation during dinner had been off the charts. Never had she felt soseenbefore. He understood her, recognized her drive without it feeling like he wished she’d throttle back a little.
Maybe she could get over herself and just worry about the investigation and not that everyone here knew her mouth watered when Noah shot her secret smiles.
They’d found a legitimate piece of evidence. Probably. It was on the PD to prove that, unfortunately, but she had enough brain cells not dedicated to Noah to start thinking through how to get her hands on that part of the investigation too.
That’s what she needed to be focusing on. Work. This was her job, her identity, and Noah was…a fun addition. She knew these canyons, every twist and shadow, every game trail that wandered off the beaten path. Yet somehow Noah had shown her a new way to approach them, approach how she interacted, not just in the way he worked with Dancer but in how naturally they’d fallen into step together.
She’d never been much for teamwork. Not that the guys in her department gave her the impression they wanted to partner with her. Sure, she did her share of growling and barking when they approached her. It was easier that way. No one to disappoint or be disappointed by.
But Noah made her think about everything differently. The way he anticipated her movements, matched her pace without trying to outdo her—it was unbelievably sexy.
Even now, as they watched the evidence team work, she found herself hyperaware of his presence, the solidness of him at her shoulder making her feel oddly secure.
Which was ridiculous. She’d never needed anyone to make her feel any way before.
