Page 76 of Cowboy Heat

He could’ve cussed me, and I would’ve been less surprised. “Where would I go?” I repeat.

He nods. “If you didn’t have to worry about Guidry’s hold on you. If Micah was sure as safe. Where would you want to go?”

I open my mouth.

I close it.

I open again.

No one has asked me aboutwhat-ifsin a long time.

“I guess I don’t have any one place,” I decide. “Just the act ofgoingwould be enough for me. You know, seeing a lot of different, since here I just see a lot of the same. I bet that sounds silly in a way. The want to go but having no real place I want to travel to.”

Beau shrugs. The movement moves to me through our connected hands. “The destination isn’t the goal, the journey is.”

“That’s it,” I exclaim. “At least, I think. I haven’t thought it out too seriously yet.”

Especially since Micah is only twelve. What-ifs sometimes hurt a lot more than what is.

“What about you? Is Robin’s Tree your idea of space to grow?” I’ve been wanting to ask this since I learned he left Orlando behind. “Is this your destination or just part of your journey?”

It’s a heavy question, but he does his best to answer. “I guess that’s something I need to figure out.”

Beau’s hand drops out of mine; his gaze shifts past me and my heating cheeks.

I turn to follow it.

“Fresh dirt.” Two words are all he says before Beau’s strides a few yards away. He passes a tombstone that’s split in half and stops next to one of the most worn of the lot.

I follow, a flourish of adrenaline blooming in my chest. “What?”

Beau bends at the waist and studies the area. There are weeds twining around the base of the tombstone, but sure as he said it, fresh dirt resting an inch or so out from it. I move to get a better view. That fresh dirt isn’t a fluke. There’s a noticeable pile of it out in front of the tombstone.

“Something’s been digging around,” I say.

“Someone.” He traces the area in the air, making a rectangle. “It’s neat. Human-made, definitely not an animal. Someone was digging here. Recently.”

That adrenaline in me kicks in more.

Us coming out to Renard Cemetery was a shot-in-the-dark attempt to try to figure out why an older map of Robin’s Tree might mean something to Guidry. Beau wants to see why Guidry might be attached to this spot. The only other difference in the older maps and new ones—the second being an expanse of woods butting up to Winn 22 that had been cut down to build two neighborhoods—might give him a better feel for Guidry. Was he really sentimental? Did he have a connection to the cemetery? Or was he just into old maps? Plus, the Ethan guy Beau talked to said that’s where he’d go and look. He isn’t a local but apparently he’s good at finding people and things and we’d had nothing else to do.

So, why not? It was better than standing still.

I hadn’t actually thought we’d find anything.

“You think someone was trying to grave rob?” I ask, walking around opposite him. I’m trying to see a name on the stone, but it’s so worn I can only make out an S and an E. Not even the date has survived the passing of time and the weather.

Beau’s brow scrunches up. He crouches down and moves dirt beneath his palm. “I don’t know why else you would dig at a grave.” He stands and motions me to step back. His expression has jumped tracks again. It’s so abrupt, I don’t follow.

“What?”

“Unless you want to hide something pretty damn well.” He gives me a big look.

This time I don’t get lost. “Or you need to hide someone,” I spell out.

He nods. “Not many people go looking for a new body in a place that should already have one in it.” Beau pulls out his phone. I don’t know who he’s planning on calling. “And we only know of one person who’s gone missing in the last few days.”

I stare at the dirt.