That second was all Wes needed.
He opened the passenger door and guided Rowan inside before the situation could spread any further.
By the time he rounded the hood and slid behind the wheel, two more people on the sidewalk were already looking toward the car.
Rowan stared straight ahead. Her pulse still hammered.
Wes started the engine.
They remained silent for half a block.
Then Rowan looked down at her hands and murmured, “It’s just as I feared. Trouble followed me here.”
Wes tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
Neither of them pretended anymore that hiding at Refuge Cove was going to solve this.
CHAPTER 31
Rowan couldn’t getthe encounter out of her head. Her heart was still racing.
When they were far enough away, she pointed to an empty parking spot on the side of the road. “Can you pull over for a minute?”
Wes slowed and glanced at her. “Are you okay?”
“I just need some air.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
She glanced around and saw no one. “I’ll just be a minute.”
He pulled over, and she opened the door. Fresh air immediately filled her lungs.
She hadn’t felt this panicky in a long time. But too much had happened, and it was all catching up with her. Her chest felt tight, and her head was spinning.
Wes climbed out and stood near her on the sidewalk. They were on the edge of town, away from the shops and closer to the county offices.
She hoped no one saw her here. She just needed to catch her breath.
“Rowan?”
She froze before turning.
Dale Harding strode closer, walking away from a dark pickup parked half a dozen spaces down the street. He wore an expensive jacket, designer jeans, and an easy smile.
Like they’d run into each other by accident on an ordinary morning.
Her stomach instantly tightened.
He crossed the sidewalk toward them at an unhurried pace.
Wes shifted beside her, the change in his stance subtle but protective.
Dale paused in front of them. “Heard you were in town.”
The warmth in his voice sounded practiced and deliberate.
Rowan remembered seeing that same smile in courtroom photos while Sarah’s murder trial unfolded. She hadn’t made it home for the trial, but she’d followed it carefully.
