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CHAPTER NINE

E mily was writing a teenager a warning for speeding through the park when a news van passed by. There was no question in her mind where they were going. Boulder Field. She finished her task and hopped into her SUV hoping to stop them before they disturbed anything. In her limited experience, reporters didn’t show enough respect for law-enforcement boundaries.

Part of her wondered if the media knew anything Wade hadn’t shared with her. It had been over a week since he’d had his friend install the alarm system at her house, and she hadn’t heard from him. An update would’ve been nice. If she were being honest, her reasons for wanting to hear from Wade had little to do with the case and a great deal to do with the way his voice turned her insides to jelly.

She leaned against her SUV and watched as the news crew set up their equipment. The reporter fluffed her hair and touched up her lipstick.

The prerecorded segment didn’t take long, and when the reporter wrapped up, she noticed Emily and approached with her entourage following behind at a respectful distance. “Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?”

“I guess not.”

“Great.” The reporter turned to face her cameraman. “Billy, start recording again.”

“This is Candi Callahan with NewsAlert 10. I’m here with…” She held the microphone out to Emily.

“Emily Davis.”

“Ranger Davis, you were the one who found the first body. Is that right?”

“I merely found the skull; the state police and their crime-scene investigators uncovered the rest of her remains.”

“What are your thoughts about the person who committed such heinous acts against these women?”

“He must be one sick, twisted individual, and I know the state police won’t rest until he is brought to justice.”

“Do you know for certain it’s a man butchering these women?”

“No, but statistically speaking most serial killers are men.”

“There is a rumor going around you’re involved with another park ranger who works with you. Is there any truth to that?”

“No. There isn’t.” She choked out a tight laugh. “Not that my love life has anything to do with the case.”

“You heard it here first. Ranger Emily Davis vows that law-enforcement will find justice for the victims of the Butcher of Boulder Field.”

As the man perused his Facebook timeline, he noticed a news story titled Butcher of Boulder Field. Clicking on it he watched as Emily Davis vowed to bring him to justice.

Torn between irritation and amusement, he watched the video again. If she wanted to play games, he’d be more than happy to oblige. Game on.

Wade was standing nearby when Emily pulled up at the country club. A valet opened her door and took her keys. Wade sauntered over to greet her.

She searched his eyes for any hint he’d seen the viral video from the local news station, but his expression gave nothing away.

“Hi.” His gaze ran up and down her length taking in the pink satin gown she wore. Self-consciously, she adjusted one of the rose quartz earrings dangling from her earlobes. Wade offered her his elbow, and she tucked her hand into it allowing him to escort her inside. His spicy male scent made her want to lean closer, but she controlled herself.

“Thanks for waiting for me.”

“Of course.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I knew you wouldn’t know many people, so I thought you might not mind my company.”

“I appreciate your thoughtfulness.”

He bent down to whisper in her ear. “Lose the formality, darling. I don’t intend to bring up the video now. Today is about Ty and Jamie, but after the reception we'll have a discussion.”

She couldn’t say for sure if the chills running down her spine were from his closeness or the nervous anticipation of knowing he wanted to talk about her misstep. As soon as she’d seen the news segment that evening, she’d recognized her mistake. He’d specifically asked her to keep a low profile and not do anything that might antagonize the killer, and she’d gone and publicly challenged him.

Emily believed it was the nickname the reporter had given the killer which had caught the national news media’s attention, but the sensationalized story was now front and center, and she’d made herself a target for the killer despite her promise to be cautious.

When they reached the third row of seats from the front, Wade gestured for her to be seated and then took the spot beside her.

“You look beautiful, Em.”

“Thank you.” She tucked a curl behind her ear. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

“Bought the suit for my sister’s wedding. It cost a fortune, so I’m glad to have another reason to wear it.”

She ran her hand down his bicep. “It looks great on you.”

“Thank you.” He turned to face front.

“This is weird,” she said.

“Why is that?”

“I feel like we’re on a date.”

“That was Jamie’s intention. Another one of her schemes to interfere in my life.”

“I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have come had I realized what she was doing.” Her hands trembled, so she folded them in her lap.

“If I didn’t want to be here with you, I wouldn’t be,” Wade covered her hands with one of his.

His words slowly sank in. He’d known Jamie was trying to pair them off, but he’d waited for her and accompanied her to her seat despite his friend’s meddling.

As much as she tried to convince herself her feelings had faded, it was impossible to deny them any longer. Wade Brunner still held her heart in the palm of his hand, and she wasn’t sure how to protect herself from him. If he chose, he could crush her again. A tear slipped past her defenses, and she brushed it away before he could take notice.

The wedding was lovely, and the food was scrumptious. Her filet mignon was paired with butternut squash and fresh fruit. Wade ordered the chicken, and his meal looked equally appetizing. She hadn’t expected the affair to be so upscale, but she hadn’t known Jamie’s fiancé was a tech titan either.

Ty’s brother Jared was the best man and he gave an engaging toast filled with humor and the right touch of sap. The newly married couple shared their first dance and then they had the father-daughter and mother-son dances. Emily couldn’t help imagining her own wedding and what it would be like to share that special day with loved ones. Her father was so distant she couldn’t imagine dancing with him at her wedding, but she didn’t expect she would get married anyway. Every year that dream seemed further away than it had the year before.

Before she had time to digest her meal, Wade took her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor.

She smiled up at him when he swept her into his arms. “I hope you dance better now than you did at prom.”

“You’ll find out soon enough.” He leaned down closer. “But I don’t recall you complaining at prom.”

“My out-of-control teenage hormones allowed me to ignore the bruises on my feet and enjoy being in your arms despite your lack of coordination.”

“How am I doing now?”

“Your dancing has improved tenfold.”

“I meant, am I still affecting your hormones?”

She slapped his arm playfully. He certainly was, but she intended to keep that information to herself. “Thanks for keeping me company tonight. I was worried I’d made a mistake accepting Jamie’s invitation.”

“She said she opened the invitation to Austin or Sam.”

“She did, but I didn’t think either of them would be comfortable coming.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What?”

“That you and Austin aren’t an item.”

“How did you know that?”

“He isn’t here.” He pulled her the tiniest bit closer. “And you’re willingly dancing with me.”

“There is that.”

“Besides, the whole world knows. You told everyone on the six o’clock news.”

“I did, didn’t I?” She sighed.

“For what it’s worth, I’m relieved and glad I can stop feeling like I’m betraying Austin every time I glance in your direction. He seems like a great guy, but I was struggling to keep a professional distance from you.”

“Is that what you were doing?” She looked away. “It bothered me that I hadn’t heard from you. When you collected that note, you seemed so concerned. I’d convinced myself you still had feelings for me, but then you disappeared from my life again.”

“It was torture, but I couldn’t be around you without wanting more than was appropriate while you were dating another man.”

She rested her head on his shoulder. “I didn’t want to seem pathetic and single when I ran into you again after all these years, and then I didn’t know how to tell you the truth.”

“You deserve credit for inventiveness. Not many people would have broken the news on national television.” She felt him stiffen beneath her touch, but he didn’t pull away.

She raised her head to make eye contact. “It wasn’t intentional. Candi asked a direct question, and I knew Austin would be livid if I lied. He’d already demanded I tell you the truth. Twice.”

The music changed to something faster, so they moved off the dance floor. “Want to take a walk around the gardens?” Wade asked.

“I’d love to.”

The feel of Wade’s hand on the small of her back set the butterflies in her stomach to flight. If his words could be believed, his feelings for her were more than friendly ones. She wasn’t sure if the risk to her heart was worth the reward, but she wanted to find out. And did it matter? If he left now, she’d be crushed whether she gave in to her desires or not. There was no turning back. Her treacherous heart had already betrayed her.

Wade slowed his steps as they rounded a corner in the gardens that would take them out of sight. Bending down, he pulled her into his arms until his lips were close to her ear. “You lied to me.” He whispered the accusation.

She nodded against him. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re forgiven.” He pulled her closer, and she melted against him. In his arms she felt safe for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime. When he held her close, only the two of them existed. His heartbeat was steady beneath her ear. Her arms wound around his neck of their own volition. His gaze took in her lips before traveling back to her eyes to search for permission. She leaned closer in response.

“There you guys are!” Jamie’s eyes twinkled with understanding. Emily wasn’t sure if the emotion bubbling up from within was relief, disappointment, or a combination of both. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, but we’re going to be cutting the cake, and then I’ll toss the bouquet, so I didn’t want you to miss that, Emily.”

“We’ll be there in a sec,” Wade said. Once Jamie disappeared from sight, he took Emily’s hand in his. A jolt of electricity shot from her fingers all the way to her heart. “Saved by the bride.”

She nodded and took a step back.

“You heard the lady, we can’t allow you to miss your chance to catch her bouquet,” he said.

Emily spent the ride home obsessing over every word she and Wade had spoken that evening. She wished she hadn’t made herself so vulnerable. Maybe she shouldn’t have told him she’d been hurt when he hadn’t called. If she hadn’t misled him, he might’ve been there for her.

But he hadn’t been her rock when Nora went missing. He was gone by the time the initial shock of losing her sister wore off. When she was at her lowest point, he was overseas fighting a war instead of by her side fighting the demons tearing her apart. It had made her even angrier that she couldn’t express her feelings about his departure without sounding like a selfish narcissist who cared more about herself than her country. Forgiving him had helped, but the pain never completely dissipated.

She’d believed she was over it. They were kids. Neither one of them handled things well. She’d closed herself off from him weeks before he’d enlisted, so she shouldn’t have expected him to stay. She still hadn’t forgiven herself for that.

Now Wade knew how strongly he affected her, and he could use it against her. She wanted to trust him. And wanted to trust herself. But she didn’t know how to do either of those things.

As she wound her way through her development, she pushed thoughts of Wade firmly from her mind. It was time to focus on something else. Anything else. Her neighbor was outside on his porch, so she parked and waved to him. He hurried across the lawn to meet her.

“Hi, Bob.”

“Hey, Emily. Where’ve you been?”

“A wedding.”

“You should’ve asked me. I would’ve been your plus one.”

“I was fine alone.” But she wasn’t alone, she’d been with Wade. It might not have been a date, but it sure felt like one.

“You know I want to take you out. I don’t know why you keep playing hard to get.”

“I’m not playing games.” She sighed. “It’s not a good time for me to get involved with someone new.” It was the truth. Not when her heart belonged to Wade.

“I won’t stop asking.”

“Goodnight, Bob.”

She hurried up the walkway and went inside, closing the door firmly behind her. She leaned against the inside of the door and thought about what it had felt like to be wrapped in Wade’s arms. The frantic beeping of the new alarm system reminded her to put her code in before they sent the cavalry.

It was after midnight when Emily’s doorbell rang. She looked through the peephole before disarming the alarm system and opening her front door.

“I didn’t expect to see you again tonight.”

“We have unfinished business.” Wade strolled into her kitchen and took a seat on one of the stools at the breakfast bar.

“We do?”

“I told you we’d talk after the reception.”

“I hadn’t realized you meant tonight.”

“Now you know.”

She settled onto the stool beside him. “Let’s talk.”

“Do you realize the danger you put yourself in by going on the news and provoking a serial killer?”

“It was a spur of the moment thing. That reporter, Candi Callahan, asked me to answer some questions, and I agreed. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“You weren’t. What were you even doing out by Boulder Field? The killer warned you to stay away from there.”

“I’m a park ranger. I can’t stay away from our biggest tourist attraction because some sicko tells me to.”

“How about doing so because I asked? Not as the detective on the case, but as someone who cares for you.”

“I’m sorry.” She felt her chin tremble. “But I have to do my job.”

He released a bark of laughter. “At least I know where we stand.” He ran his hands over the wrinkles in his slacks. “I should’ve known expecting you to put your life ahead of your job was too much to ask, but I had this crazy notion that you might consider playing it safe since you know what it’s like to lose someone you love.”

“That’s not fair.” She couldn’t believe he would bring Nora into their conversation.

“Isn’t it?” He strode to the front door. “Set the alarm when I leave.”

“Don’t leave angry.”

“What choice do I have, Em? Your mind is made up, and I’m not going to change mine.” He walked out and closed the door firmly behind him.

She pulled the door open and followed him outside. He didn’t turn around. Instead, he climbed into his truck and drove off.

She couldn’t stop the flow of tears, so she curled up on the couch and let them overtake her. If she’d listened to her mind instead of her heart, she wouldn’t be in such a state. Wade’s words came back to her. He’d said, ‘You know what it’s like to lose someone you love.’ Was it possible Wade still loved her? Was that his way of telling her how he felt without coming right out and saying the words?