“Their loss,” he said, pulling it from a place deep inside where there was only truth. “I’ll make you a deal. When we get married, you can carry me over the threshold.”
She laughed like he was kidding. “Maybe we’ll just walk through together. That feels more like our speed.”
If she could make wedding jokes without flinching, things were going way better than he’d dared hope. It was going to be impossible to wipe the smile off his face tomorrow.
“Yeah.” He paused, choosing his next words carefully. “This is the first time I’ve felt like staying in Dark Canyon isn’t a sacrifice. Like maybe I’m still here for another reason.”
“Careful, Colton.” But her voice held a smile. “You’re getting dangerously close to fate territory.”
“Is that a terrible thing? To think of forces bigger than ourselves being at work?”
Her soft laugh warmed him. “I’m not one to cede control to the whims of fate. But I’ll allow that it feels like we were meant to meet.”
He’d take it. Noah glanced at his bedside clock and blinked. “How is it already two in the morning?”
“What?” She must have checked her own time because she groaned. “I have to be at work in four hours.”
“Me too.” But he made no move to end the call. “Though I’m tempted to suggest we just stay up.”
She yawned. “Some of us need actual sleep instead of running on pure adrenaline and hope.”
He laughed, remembering their earlier conversation. “One day you’ll appreciate that about me.”
“I appreciate it now.” Another yawn. “We should probably be responsible adults.”
“Probably.” He couldn’t stop smiling. “Though for the record, I’d much rather keep talking to you.”
“Same.” The simple admission carried more weight than a thousand pretty words.
“I can’t wait to see you again. When’s your next day off?”
“Saturday.”
Four days from now. Ugh. “That’s way too long.”
“Call me tonight, then,” she told him. “I’ll answer.”
They said goodbye and hung up reluctantly. At least on his side.
Noah lay awake, his mind spinning. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this kind of connection with someone. The kind that made him want to share every thought, every dream, every piece of himself.
He’d never felt it. That was the thing. This was uncharted territory, and he could barely stand to wait for the next stage.
CHAPTER 9
The National Park Service Investigative Services Branch took over any potential homicides that occurred on federal land—standard procedure. Noah had been waiting for Dark Canyon PD to transfer Jane Doe’s case for a week now, but they’d taken their sweet time getting around to it, waffling about whether they had enough evidence to call it a potential homicide.
Like there was some remote chance she’d ended up dead in Peavine Canyon by accident.
Fortunately, the fine folks in blue got their act together and did Noah a huge favor by handing the case over to NPS at 8:00 a.m. the next morning, which meant he hit the door of his brother’s satellite IBS office at 8:15 a.m. on the dot.
But only because it took him an extra four minutes to feed Dancer, or he would have been even earlier.
The scent of industrial cleaner and public service coffee hit his nose as he strode through the building. Smelled like old times, when he lived in places like this, begging for someone with a hot tip to give him five minutes.
This time, he had the best leg up possible.
His brother’s office door stood open. The man himself sat at his desk, tapping at his keyboard as he stared at the screen.
