“Thanks.” Max hurried toward the curb.
Something wasn’t right.
And Hadley was caught in the middle of it.
Hadley stepped out into the cold and walked toward the kennel. As she passed the deputy, she waved. It was dark outside, so she couldn’t see him inside. She assumed he was there.
She needed a minute. Needed something normal. Something she understood.
The house suddenly felt too close, too full of questions she didn’t have answers for. The devices, the email, everything about Max—it all pressed in on her at once.
But out here . . . out here with the animals, things made sense.
She pushed open the kennel door and stepped inside. The familiar sounds of the place greeted her. But the dogs for some reason seemed agitated. She could hear them pacing. Hear Petey, a basset hound, barking at the far end of the kennel. Hear another dog panting.
When she reached Juno’s pen, the dog lifted her head, and her gaze locked onto Hadley.
“Hey, girl.” Hadley stepped closer and rubbed her hand over Juno’s fur. “You know, I’m starting to think you and I might be stuck with each other. We’ve been through a lot together.”
The thought didn’t feel as strange as it should have. If anything, it felt . . . right. Maybe God had sent Juno to her. Maybe Juno was Hadley’s answer to prayer . . . and Hadley was Juno’s answer as well.
Juno shifted and lifted her head higher. Her big, amber eyes were fixed on Hadley with an intensity that made her pause.
There it was again. That look.
Hadley tilted her head, studying the dog. “What is it with you? You keep looking at me like you’re trying to tell me something. Those puppy dog eyes are impossible to ignore.”
Juno nudged her hand.
Hadley gave a small, almost breathless laugh. “What are you trying to do, some kind of mind meld with me? Are you silently begging for a treat? You definitely deserve one.”
The dog’s gaze didn’t waver.
A chill captured Hadley.
She shook it off, pushing herself back to her feet. “Okay, that’s enough of that. Maybe I’m losing it. Because it seems like you’re trying to tell me something, and?—”
A faint sound broke the quiet behind her.
A footstep.
She turned—and froze.
Hadley’s breath caught as her pulse spiked, every instinct suddenly on high alert.
She wasn’t alone in the kennel, was she?
Max pushed the truck faster than he should have, the road blurring beneath him as Refuge Cove drew closer with every mile. His grip tightened on the wheel, his thoughts racing ahead of him.
He’d gotten his own truck before rushing toward Refuge Cove.
Using his Bluetooth, he called Caleb again.
Finally, Caleb answered.
“I know I asked you this earlier, but have you seen Hadley?” Max didn’t bother to soften the urgency in his voice.
“She’s here.”
