Though watching Officer West document notes in her field notebook with such precision made those instincts sing. There was something about her…he couldn’t put his finger on it but whatever it was made everything inside him sit up and take notice.
It was a siren’s song that he felt powerless to resist. Mostly because he didn’t want to.
“Officer West, I’m not done with you,” he called. Not by a long shot.
“What else would you like to know?” She kept a professional distance, but her energy filled the space between them. Her straight-backed posture and clipped tone screamed military background.
Why was that sexy? He’d never have called that a preference before, but it suddenly felt extremely necessary to add to his list.
“Tell me more about the body and where it was the last time you saw it before it was buried. Then Dancer will work a grid pattern from your original vantage point.” He nodded toward his partner, who sat at his side in ready-to-go mode. “He’s certified in human remains detection. The rockslide actually works in our favor—might have trapped scent evidence we can use to pinpoint the location.”
“The victim was female, early twenties, blonde,” Officer West snapped out with clinical meticulousness, as if she’d been poised to spit out this information. “Wearing jeans and a light sweater—completely inappropriate for the conditions. No hiking gear. Body was partially concealed behind that outcropping.” She indicated a now buried section of rock. “I spotted a silver bracelet first, reflecting sunlight.”
He should really find out her first name. Though he could get on board with calling her Officer West for the foreseeable future.
Noah documented each detail in his search log while part of his mind spun theories. A young woman in regular clothes didn’t end up dead on a mountain by accident. The journalist in him itched to start digging, connecting dots.
It sucked to have to keep reminding himself that he had a specific role here, and it wasn’t that. The investigation would have to be left to others.
Even if it killed him a little.
That was the real issue—he’d been telling himself he was fine with leaving that life behind, but this incident had started spinning a completely different narrative.
One he didn’t want to ignore.
While the incident commander coordinated with the terrain engineers, Noah worked with Officer West to establish a precise grid pattern based on her original sighting. She moved with the efficiency he remembered from working with his best field contacts—anticipating needs, thinking three steps ahead.
His world had gotten smaller since coming home to care for his mom. More controlled. Not by choice but definitely by design. He was here for his family.
Officer West made him think about what it felt like to shed all of that, to strap in for a wild ride with an intriguing woman at his side. To seek for himself, instead of relying on Dancer to do the heavy lifting.
“Command, beginning grid search from Officer West’s initial position,” he reported, pushing the thoughts away. “Dancer, hunt.”
The lab moved out in a particular pattern, nose working methodically. Noah had trained him to indicate from a distance once he caught scent of human remains, preserving the scene for evidence collection. Four years of working together had honed their partnership to near telepathy.
He’d never worked with a partner before this one, but he liked it.
“Your dog’s impressive,” Officer West said, watching Dancer work. She’d positioned herself to document the search pattern without interfering. “That level of discipline takes serious training.”
“He’s a natural.” Noah kept his attention on his partner so he didn’t react to the way the very atmosphere hummed with her presence. “Found him at a shelter if you can believe it. Their loss. My gain. And the state of Utah’s, since he became one of the best SAR dogs around.”
That was how life worked sometimes. Like how his mother’s illness had cost him his previous life but given him another. Everything was a trade-off.
But sometimes, cases like this came along and it seemed cruel that he’d lost everything. Including his mother.
Dancer’s posture shifted subtly—a change only Noah would notice after countless hours working together. His nose worked faster as he quartered back across his pattern.
“He’s got something.” Noah clicked his radio. “Command, possible indication in grid seven. Standing by for confirmation.”
Officer West took an unconscious step forward before catching herself. The intensity in her eyes spoke to him at a bone-deep level. She wanted to be in the middle of things, not standing on the sidelines. He knew the feeling.
“Multiple spots,” Noah noted as Dancer’s pattern tightened. “The slide probably scattered evidence. We’ll need to map it carefully before we start excavation.”
Officer West was already documenting coordinates. “I can provide my exact position when I first spotted her. Help establish the original location.”
Noah had just opened his mouth to ask her to do that, and she’d read his mind again. Dang, he did like being on an identical wavelength with Officer West.
Dancer barked sharply—his trained alert that meant absolute certainty.
