Page 48 of Distress Signal

“You live here.”

He pointed at the big house across the field. “Technically, I live there.”

“Finn…”

“Reagan.”

Goddesses, I loved the way my name rolled off his tongue.

“I’ll go to the motel until I can find something else,” I said, turning away from him.

I’d barely made it a step before his broad palm circled my upper arm.

“Please, Reagan. Stay. I promise, you won’t even have to see me if you don’t want.”

Though my brain screamed at me to tuck tail and run, every cell in my body begged me to stay.

Guess which one won out?

“Okay.”

“Okay?” he repeated, surprised.

“Okay,” I agreed, hooking my thumb over my shoulder. “Help me with my stuff?”

He released my arm. “Lead the way.”

fourteen

. . .

REAGAN

Movinginto Finn’s guest house didn’t take long. All I had with me was my camera equipment, clothes and toiletries, and Lainey’s journals, which I planned to hand over to the police.

Of course, I’d stopped at a UPS store on the way here to make copies of all of them. I wasn’t ready to read them yet, but I knew I wanted to have them. Depending on how this whole thing shook out, I might never see them again, and I couldn’t risk not keepingsomepiece of my sister close to me.

My first order of business now that I was settled was to sit down with the sheriff and get an update on the case. I wasn’t above making myself a nuisance if it meant keeping the pressure on the department, reminding them that a woman had gone missing on their watch, and someone who loved her wanted her home.

After making breakfast on my third morning in town, I took my third cup of coffee—I’d been up for hours, and I needed it—out to the little back porch that looked over the fields and hills that rolled up into the distant mountain range behind the house and dialed Lane.

He answered on the second ring. “This is Sheriff Lawless.”

“Hey La—” I stopped, correcting myself. It didn’t feel right referring to him by his first name when this wasn’t a social call. “Sheriff. This is Reagan Lindsey.”

“Reagan,” he said warmly. “You get all settled?”

“I did. Sitting on the back porch as we speak. This place is beautiful.”

He hummed in agreement. “The ranch is my favorite place in the world, for sure.”

“I can see why. Thanks for helping set all this up, but you could’ve warned me this was Finn’s place.”

Lane chuckled. “I’m failing to see the problem.”

“Meddling siblings,” I muttered.

“A brother’s duty,” he agreed.