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He took off, bounded over branches and tree roots scattered on the forest floor. Allie and Dakota jogged behind, weaving around thick trunks, skirting the rock outcroppings. There wasn’t breath for much conversation now that Scout had the boys’ scent. The downward slope made it an easier run but also harder to keep balance. Dakota was nimble enough, even with the heavy pack he carried.
She glanced at him. His red hair peeking out from his helmet stood out among all the green and brown surrounding them. His face was focused, taut. She could easily picture him in his SWAT tactical gear from a picture Will and Dani had displayed with all their family photos. He had probably made a good cop—one who cared about protecting innocents.
His admission about his actions when they met still echoed in her mind.
I’m trying to build a new life here.
I’m starting over. So maybe you could help me out. Let me start over with you too.
Funny how those simple words and his direct gaze bored straight through her defenses.
He wasn’t the only one who wanted to rebuild his life.
Who was she to judge? If he knew—if anyone knew…
Stop. Thankfully, they didn’t.
She shut down the mental vault inside. It had been too easy to hide because there had been no witnesses. Not when she’d gone to college so far away from home, not knowing anyone. And she hadn’t kept up with anyone from that time either. Now she had a job to do in the present. Like Dakota. They both had something to prove.
So maybe she would cut him some slack for the day they met. For the outburst she’d witnessed at the SAR Training Center. For the way he’d left without even saying goodbye.
He had been nothing but a gentleman to her on that drive. A wounded hero, according to Will. She’d only agreed to drive Dakota because she’d thought she’d never see him again. But here he was. Running down a mountain, helping her find two lost boys.
He couldn’t be all bad.
Truth was, she didn’t think he was bad in the first place. And that was the problem. She could all too easily see the good in him.
Dakota might be a good guy.
Butshewouldn’t be good for him.
Scout stopped. He sniffed again in a zigzag pattern until he found the scent cone swinging off to the right. He barked as they approached a cave hidden in the side of the slope.
“Scout, stay.” Allie called into the darkness, “Ethan? Nolan? It’s Allie.”
She walked into the pitch black until she could hear whispers. “Remember me from this morning?”
“Allie?” A trembling voice echoed off the rock wall.
The cave narrowed enough that Allie could touch both sides of it, but the farther she walked in, the more the shadows took over. She called for Scout to join her. Thankfully, this time he came immediately and stuck by her.
“Yeah, it’s me. I have Scout with me. And a friend. His name is Dakota. He’s a firefighter.” Little boys loved hero firemen, right?
She took a few steps before a swath of light cut through the black and lit her path. There, in the beam of Dakota’s flashlight, the brothers sat huddled together against a stone, the older one holding the younger. Their faces were covered in dirt, with streaks from tears or sweat—probably both. Scout trotted over and barked. He licked Nolan’s cheek.
“Good boy, Scout.” Seeing the boys safe and relatively unharmed loosened her tight lungs. She needed to reward Scout for his hard work. But first she needed to make sure the boys were okay with Dakota.
“You guys sure scared us. Are you all right?” She approached them one tiny step at a time.
Ethan nodded and wiped his cheeks. “You found us. I told Nolan you could. That you were a nice lady and Scout would remember us.”
“You were right. Scout found you.” She crouched, assessing the brothers. “But we need to get you back. Your mom and dad are worried.”
“He’s not my dad!”
Allie froze. The last vestiges of fear in Ethan’s eyes had seemed to morph to fury.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” She winced. “Your mom, though, is really scared. We should get you back?—”