Page 70 of Colton On Guard

JB watched all this, tilting her little head. Genna realized, to her little dog, Revis was family. The notion made her chest tight.

Something of her thoughts must have showed on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Parker asked, looking up from his dog.

“Nothing,” she answered quickly. “I just enjoy how much you love Revis.”

Getting to his feet, he shrugged. “About the same as you love your June Bug.”

She decided to tell him the truth. “Honestly, I’m having a hard time letting go of what happened earlier. Breaking into my house is one thing, but breaking into yours is another. And messing with our dogs…” Swallowing hard, she tried to tamp down her still-simmering rage.

“I’m going to level with you. I’ve had enough of this stalking nonsense,” she told Parker. “Whoever is trying to terrorize me has finally gone too far. I want them caught.”

Watching her, he slowly nodded. “I agree. What are you thinking?”

“Simple. We set a trap. Pretend to be gone but one of us—likely me—stays hidden in the house. If we can catch them in the act, it’ll all be over.”

“Maybe so, but that could be incredibly dangerous,” he cautioned. “I don’t think it’d be safe at all.”

“Maybe not, but the thought of losing our dogs made me physically ill. This has gone on far too long. I’m going forward with my plan, with or without your help.”

He studied her for a moment. “Then I insist that I be the one who stays behind. Not you.”

Instead of arguing, she shrugged.

“Tell me this first…” He asked, “What’s the plan once we catch them?”

“Turn them over to the authorities,” she answered promptly. “I will definitely be pressing charges.”

“Can we let this go for now? It bothers me, too, but the entire reason we came up here was to escape from all the stress of what was going on back in town.”

He had a point. “I’ll try,” she promised. “I actually feel better now that I’ve let you know how I feel.”

“Good.” Crossing over to her, he kissed her. Not on the mouth but on the cheek.

Bemused, she considered asking for more, but decided there’d be time enough for that later. After all, they were sharing a tent.

Now that her heartbeat had slowed, she once again looked around them. Surrounded by nature, the sheer beauty of this Alaskan wilderness would be enough to calm even the most stressed-out psyche.

“I’m letting it go,” she promised.

“I’ll hold you to that.” Moving away, he grabbed a battered, plastic tackle box, opened it and looked through it. Then, apparently satisfied with what he’d found, he closed it up and stood.

“This looks great,” she said, gesturing at their campsite. “Like something out of a camping magazine. One of the ones we keep in the waiting room at headquarters.”

Her comment made him beam. “Thanks. I really think you’re going to enjoy this experience.”

She almost told him she knew she would. She had everything that she could ever want and need right here.

“What’s on the agenda for the rest of today?” she asked, dropping into one of the chairs, still holding JB on her lap.

“There is no agenda,” he answered. “That’s the entire point in coming up here. Just relax and do whatever feels right.” He blinked then grinned at her. “It’s all very Zen.”

Startled into laughter, she leaned back and closed her eyes. “Maybe I’ll just sit here and rest,” she said, covering a yawn with one hand. “I also brought along a book I’ve been dying to read. I can do one or the other.”

“Enjoy,” Parker said. “Revis and I are going fishing. You’re welcome to come if you want.”

Shaking her head, she waved him away. “I’m good. I hope you catch something. I’m looking forward to that fish fry you promised earlier.”