CHAPTER 6
Wyatt didn’t go homeafter leaving Graham’s.
Instead, he pointed the truck back toward town.
Snow thickened across the windshield in uneven bursts, the storm moving in faster than forecasted. By morning the forest would look untouched—beautiful and silent in the way fresh snow often left it.
But silence didn’t mean safety.
As he drove, he reached for his phone and hit Caleb’s number.
It rang twice before his brother answered.
“Let me guess—you’re out in this weather, aren’t you?” Caleb said without preamble.
“I’ve been out in worse.”
A huff of sound came through the speaker. “I’m sure you have.”
Wyatt tightened his grip on the wheel. “How’s it going at Refuge Cove?”
Refuge Cove was the shelter his brother and sister ran, located about twenty minutes outside town. To anyone passing the sign at the end of the gravel drive, it looked like a small animal rescue and boarding facility.
And it was.
But it was also a place women could disappear to when they were in trouble or danger.
“We’ve got three guests right now,” Caleb said. “Max and I are trying to get ahead of the snow before it decides to bury the driveway. Plow’s fueled. Generator’s full. Fridge is stocked. We should be good.”
Wyatt pictured the place—the long gravel drive, the house lights glowing against the trees, the kennels along the east side of the property.
He shifted his thoughts. “How’s Naomi doing with Grace?”
“Tired. Grace didn’t love naptime today. She’s got some lungs on her.”
Wyatt smiled.
Grace was the baby Naomi was fostering. Despite the circumstances that had brought the child there, the little girl had been a blessing. Wyatt’s family had always been close, but Grace had drawn them together even more.
Caleb paused before asking, “How’s the new job going?”
Wyatt watched the dark line of trees surrounding the road. “I’m doing a search and rescue operation tomorrow morning. Lost Hollow Trail.”
“Lost Hollow, huh? Seems like that trail is always giving you trouble.”
“Unfortunately, that’s correct.”
Wyatt knew his brother understood.
After the trail officially ended, people could keep walking. If they did, the terrain would eventually curve toward the old logging ridge behind Refuge Cove.
Most people didn’t know that.
His family did.
“If someone got turned around out there,” Caleb said, “they could end up near our property.”
“That’s correct.”
