Page 42 of Colton On Guard

Genna perked up at the mention of work. “I suppose I could do some—”

“No.” Parker cut her short. “You’re off today. No working. I’ll check Spence’s group in. Hetty will be here soon and she’ll cover the office when I take my people out.”

Smiling slightly, Genna nodded. “Parker, when is your expedition? I’m hoping maybe you can go with me into town at some point. As strange as it sounds, I’m a bit weirded out of going anywhere alone.”

Just as Parker opened his mouth to reply, three vehicles pulled into the parking lot in rapid succession.

“Looks like my bunch has started to arrive,” Spence said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. “Time to get this show on the road.”

As soon as they got inside, Genna went behind the counter and directly toward the break room. Revis lifted his head whenhe saw her, tail swishing. As she passed, he got up and followed her.

Positioning himself behind the computer, Parker began the process of logging their guests in. Spence watched from the lobby, eyeing his cousin and clearly bursting at the seams with questions, but unable to ask them. Which Parker considered a good thing.

Once he had everyone checked in, Parker turned the small group over to Spence. As his cousin walked everyone outside, Parker breathed a sigh of relief. Then he headed back to the break room to check on Genna.

When he entered, she looked up from her phone and smiled. The smile didn’t reach her green eyes. Her little dog sat in a chair right next to her, and Revis had curled up at her feet.

Relieved, Parker jammed his hands into his pockets so he wouldn’t hug her. “You look like you feel better now,” he commented, pulling out a chair and taking a seat.

“I do.” She put her phone down and regarded him gravely. “I’ve almost convinced myself that I was imagining everything.”

He wanted to tell her that he didn’t think so, but also didn’t want to get her worked up again. So, in the end, he simply nodded.

“As a matter of fact, I’m going to go ahead with my plan to head into town.” Getting to her feet, she picked up JB, who appeared to really enjoy being carried. Revis got up, too, tail wagging, clearly ready for an adventure.

Conflicted, Parker wavered. He couldn’t expect her to sit around and wait for him to take out his tour and return, especially on her day off. “The black SUV did go on past,” he said, thinking out loud. “So, hopefully, you should be safe.”

Something in his tone must have revealed his concern because her eyes widened.

“It’ll be fine,” she said. He wasn’t sure whether she was trying to convince herself or him. “I can’t let this person, whoever they are, make me stop living my life. As long as I stick to town and more populated areas, I should be fine.”

He knew then that she was thinking of the Two Bears River Trail, where the most recent victim had been found.

“I just won’t go hiking,” she said, confirming his suspicion. “It’s not like I hike anyway, so I should be safe.”

Though he wished he could cancel his next tour and go with her, he couldn’t. Nor could he realistically ask her to wait.

The front door opened. He jumped to his feet and looked out. “Hetty’s here,” he told Genna.

“You bet I am.” Hetty sauntered into the break room. “Hey, Genna. What are you doing here? I thought you were off today.”

“I am,” Genna replied. “I just stopped in to say hi.”

Hetty narrowed her eyes and glanced at Parker. He simply smiled, not wanting to say anything if Genna didn’t want to elaborate. He’d fill Hetty in later. Since they all looked after each other, he felt strongly everyone needed to be aware of anything weird going on.

“Are we still planning to have that get-together?” Hetty asked. “I know when it got canceled due to weather, you talked about rescheduling.”

“Maybe soon,” Genna replied. “Honestly, I’ve got so much going on right now. But even though I’ve met everybody by now, I definitely want to do it. I just don’t know when.”

Hetty frowned at first then shrugged. “I get it,” she said. “Have a nice rest of your day off.”

“I plan to,” Genna chirped.

If Hetty noticed her overly upbeat tone, she didn’t show it.

“Let me walk you out,” Parker said.

“No, that’s okay.” Waving him away, Genna headed for the door. “I’ll talk to you later.”