It was asking her…
Begging her to help.
Noelle swallowed and wiped her hands on her jeans, trying to dry them off.
The skull.
This woman.
Needed help.
Neededmyhelp.
“I’m going to try.”
“Miss Garcia?”
Startled, she stepped back and lifted her gaze to meet his.
“Ranger McCrae?”
He smiled. Not a full grin, but just a hint.
“It’s actually Ranger King. But you can just call me McCrae if you want.”
She nodded.
Slowly.
Noelle felt a little awkward. “McCrae. It’s… unusual.”
He shrugged. “You can blame my mother.”
“No need to blame her,” she explained, “it’s just different. I’m sure it made things easier when you were growing up. No one else answered when they called your name in class.”
He looked away and nodded his head. “True. Did that happen to you?”
“Not often, but I’ve seen it with others.”
He nodded.
And then a silence fell between them.
“Do you need some water? A chair?”
She took in another breath and nodded. “I’d like to sit down.”
He looked around and she turned her head.
She was being silly. This wasn’t a place where they’d just have chairs. It was just behind a barn. On someone’s property.
McCrae King’s property.
The man in question put out a hand toward the barn. “There’s a bench inside. Walk with me?”
The way he spoke, the lowered tone of voice, felt strangely personal to her.
The problem was… she liked it.
