Page 10

FOUR

She’d killed Josh Whitlock.

Even if someone else had pulled the trigger, this was all her fault, and Dani knew it.

Fierce tears burned down her cheeks. She wiped her face on Grizz’s shirt and wiggled out of his arms. His body was warm and safe in a way she hadn’t expected.

Not when they’d just been talking about how she couldn’t rely on anyone—even God.

Would Grizz be any different? She couldn’t expect him to come to her rescue all the time.

Except the man stepped up every time she was in danger. Here he was, trying to shield her from Josh’s body.

She shivered and made sure to keep her back to Josh, but she’d already seen too much. The imprint of Josh’s twisted body and lifeless eyes were seared permanently in her brain.

“It’s all my fault. I was so determined to track down the story.

He didn’t want to come with me, but the station offered him overtime.

I ruined another life, just like with the senator.

I did this.” The memories still hung out of reach.

Why couldn’t she remember what had happened once they’d left the hotshot camp?

But it didn’t matter. “I was the reason he was in the woods. His death is on me.”

Grizz let go of her to move her away from the gruesome scene. “It’s not your fault. Evil exists in this world. What happened to your friend was a result of criminals hiding in the woods. You had no idea what you were walking into.”

He held her and let her cry.

“Please help me tell Josh’s story. We need to see these men brought to justice. I don’t want Josh’s death to be in vain. Something good has to come from it.”

Grizz’s arms tightened around her. “First we need to get to shelter. This storm is going to intensify, and we don’t want to get caught in another mudslide.

Let’s find the ATV and head to my cabin.

It’s too treacherous to get to the other roads leading off the mountain, and the main access is cut off with the mudslide.

We can try once the rain lets up, but I’m worried about more roads being washed away before the storm lets up.

It’s too risky. But we won’t let these men get away with this. ”

More tears fell, and she wiped them with the back of her mud-covered wrist.

He let her go but gripped her hand.

Dani walked with him, finding solace in his strong fingers wrapped around hers.

Finally, they came to the clearing with the ATV.

The ride to the cabin felt like an eternity, while in reality it was probably thirty minutes.

The roller coaster of emotions had her wanting to scream, hit something, do anything to release the pressure building inside of her.

She’d led Josh straight to his death. It should have been her, not him.

Grizz pulled up to the cabin just as a crack of thunder rumbled. Dani shivered, her wet clothes sticking to her. Grizz opened the front door.

“I—can I—” Words fell off her tongue.

He nodded. “Why don’t you use the bathroom and take a hot shower?”

She added mind reader to her mental list of Grizz’s talents, right next to bow hunter and marmot wrangler.

“I’ll make us something to eat. You can also take my bedroom again. I washed your clothes last night while you slept, and they’re on the dresser.”

Why had she stormed off earlier? Like she could survive a minute without this man. Now he was playing host to her, making sure she had everything she needed. “Thank you.”

She wanted to clean up, but the draw of Grizz and his steady strength had her hanging back. Watching him move around his house. His home.

He busied himself in the kitchenette, pulling out pots and ingredients from his sparse cabinets. “I just want to make sure you’re safe. I never should have sent you off on your own like that.”

“You didn’t know what would happen to Josh and me. But thanks for showing up and saving my life. More than once. And protecting me from…you know…marmots and everything else.”

Grizz glanced over his shoulder, a soft smile on his face.

Dani watched the man in the kitchen. His bulky frame seemed out of place in the tiny area. “You like to cook?”

He turned around. “I guess. I have a freezer, and I love to grill in the summertime.”

She never would have expected a man like Grizz knew his way around a kitchen. But his soup was fantastic.

Dani heeded his advice and showered. The hot water washed away the dirt and mud but did nothing to scrub away the images of finding Josh dead in the woods.

After the shower, she headed to the bedroom. Her original clothes were folded neatly on the dresser. For a rough-looking guy, he kept a neat house. Cooked. Did laundry.

She sank onto the bed, which had a cozy comforter for a bachelor’s reclusive cabin in the woods. Something she hadn’t noticed before—because she hadn’t been willing to see it. Smells from the kitchen called to her.

Grizz had a Bible on his nightstand. Why did he have this? She picked it up. The pages were worn, and she noted the name on the cover. Matthew Grizz .

Was this Grizz’s first name? She flipped through a few more pages and determined that Matthew must be Grizz’s grandfather, since this used to be his family’s cabin.

Too bad. She really wanted to solve the mystery of Grizz’s first name. But she had learned that Grizz was surprisingly sentimental. After all, he’d saved his grandfather’s Bible.

She opened the old book with yellowing pages, and it fell open to a chapter called Philippians. She read the highlighted verse.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

She sighed. “Except keep my friend alive.”

She tossed the book onto the bed.

All things?

If life had taught her anything, it was that it was up to Dani to make things happen. That was what made her a successful reporter.

Win at all costs. Wasn’t that the mantra her dad had drilled into her head growing up?

Now she was out here alone, with no way to call her parents and tell them she was still alive. Fatigue weighed her down. When was the last time she’d called them, or even had lunch with her friends?

She had to get out of this funk. Talking to Grizz might lighten up her dark thoughts about God, death, and the dead body that haunted her mind. But it was hardly going to solve any of her problems.

Yet she found herself drawn to the big muscle man.

She headed out the front door to the porch. The rhythmic sound of the beating raindrops soothed her soul, even if the peace didn’t last. It never did. But being out in the woods, so remote, with no cell phone or internet, she found herself not missing those things.

She looked out beyond the railing. Trees rose up a hill in the distance, but the clouds hung low, creating a fog.

The sun still shone brightly for five in the afternoon.

She wore another one of Grizz’s sister’s hoodie sweatshirts that had the University of Alaska emblem across the front. Her own jacket hadn’t survived.

When was the last time she’d felt this alive? At home, it was go go go. She never stopped to take in the scenery. Alaska was bringing out a different side of her—one that she hadn’t known she possessed. Here, she didn’t have to be driven to perform.

She could just…rest.

Grizz stepped outside with plates and cups in hand. “I made us some lunch.” He motioned to another tree-stump end table, where he set two full mugs of coffee. “I poured you some coffee. Hope you like venison. I’ve got a ton of deer meat in my freezer.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever had venison.”

The rain had a sweet aroma, but it was another scent that sparked her interest. What was it? Aftershave?

“Thanks for everything, especially the coffee. I’ve got to maintain my perky disposition somehow.” She slid into the rocker next to Grizz and tried not to check him out in his tight T-shirt and jeans. How did he find clothes in his size?

“Yeah, it must be hard being on camera all the time. I’d never make it as a reporter.”

She took a bite of the delicious stew. The flavors melted in her mouth. “This stew is amazing.”

She snuck a glance at him. The man knew how to clean up, she realized. Another thing she was only just noticing. His beard was neatly trimmed, and she was growing more accustomed to his mountain-man vibe.

“What are we going to do about Josh?”

Grizz sat back in his chair.

She stared out over the landscape. “Are we safe here? Will those men find us?”

Grizz looked at her. “I have some security features that warn me if anyone gets too close to my property. So far, everything is quiet.”

She wrapped her palms around the warm mug, relishing the peace of the Alaskan mountains. “I saw your Bible on the shelf in your room. I thought you weren’t exactly the believing kind of man.”

He shrugged. “It was my grandfather’s. I kept it more for the memory of him, sitting in this chair every morning with a pen, marking up the pages. But I read it occasionally.”

He offered her a plaid fleece throw blanket, and she wrapped herself up in a cocoon.

“Do you actually believe that you can do anything with God’s help?”

Grizz looked at her, his dark-green eyes reflecting a depth of sorrow she hadn’t noticed before.

Then he looked away from her and rocked in his chair. “God and I aren’t on the best terms. I grew up going to church, but I’m not sure God is going to intervene when I need Him to. Or at least, He hasn’t yet.”

Hmm. Maybe she and the mountain man had more in common than she’d thought.

She sipped her coffee. “I grew up always having to make a way for myself. If I didn’t do it, no one else would.

My father was my gymnastics coach when I was twelve, and we were heading to the Olympics.

Second place wasn’t an option. I still hear his voice ringing through my ears.

‘Second place is last place. You still lost.’ So next time, I’d work twice as hard.

Until an injury took me out of the competition for good. ”