Before she lost her nerve, Rowan turned toward Wes. “Can I ask you something?”
“You can tell me anything, Ro.” He looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
Even now, after the gunshots and the chase through the woods, he appeared steady and controlled.
A moment of envy shot through her. She knew her emotions were what made her a good actress. But sometimes, she’d love nothing more than to be level-headed and nonemotional. Wes’s steadiness had always drawn her to him.
“Don’t tell my family all these details.” She swallowed. “They already have enough burdens to carry.”
Wes’s gaze shifted toward the house before returning to her. “They need to know, Rowan.”
“I know. But I’m not ready. Not yet. My family is juggling so much. I don’t want to add to it.”
“But—”
“Please don’t make me add to it.” Her voice came out just above a whisper.
He heard the emotion there. The struggle. The desire to protect the people she loved.
He could admire that.
He paused another moment before nodding. “Okay. For now. But I don’t know how long I can keep it quiet. I won’t lie to them.”
Rowan held his gaze before nodding. “I understand. I don’t expect you to.”
Wes reached for the handle. “Ready?”
No, not even close.
But Rowan opened the door anyway.
CHAPTER 24
Wes reachedthe side door a half step behind Rowan and held it open.
Caleb was already outside, and one look at Rowan’s torn shirt and dirt-streaked jeans hardened his expression. “What happened?”
“Let’s go inside first,” Wes said.
They filed into the kitchen, and the warmth of the space hit him.
Naomi stood near the counter. Her gaze went straight to Rowan’s face, and her expression shifted fast—surprise first, then alarm.
“Oh my goodness.” She crossed the room and pulled her sister into a hug.
Rowan went still for a second before she let herself lean into the embrace.
Naomi pulled back enough to look at her. “You’re bleeding.”
“It’s nothing.”
“It doesn’t look like nothing.”
“Someone fired on my truck up near the overlook.” Wes kept his voice even, giving them the facts without the weight behindthem—at least not yet. “He took out a tire. We couldn’t drive back, so we came out through the woods on foot.”
The room went still.
Then Caleb and Naomi both started at once—Are you okay? What happened? Who did this?Wes let the questions land without rushing to answer all of them.
