Page 6 of Mystery at Rescue Ridge (Rescue Ridge #5)

J oann interrupted the conversation with a soft knock on the door.

Owen hadn’t even heard her SUV pull up. He had been about to tell Evie that he didn’t mind pitching in to help with the kids until she got her bearings.

Losing her sister and inheriting the family home, as well as Simone’s children, would be too much for any one person.

After giving his statement and hearing Evie’s, he was determined to find a way to help Evie.

Joann leaned forward, resting her elbows against the dining table where they’d settled after letting her in, and locked gazes with Evie. “I confirmed a set of footprints, large, size eleven, men’s.”

“Owen’s?” Evie asked.

Joann gave a small headshake. He could have told Evie the prints didn’t belong to him, considering he wore a size thirteen.

“I noticed Owen wearing cowboy boots when he showed up earlier, and the prints came from hiking boots.” Joann clasped her hands. As it turned out, size wasn’t needed as a determining factor.

“How did you determine they were hiking boots?” Evie asked.

“The lug pattern,” Joann responded. “It was deep, meaning someone looking for a good grip on uneven or loose terrain would use them.”

Evie’s nose wrinkled, and she compressed her lips. “Who would be hiking out here?”

Joann didn’t respond.

Folks ended up on ranch property sometimes without realizing they were trespassing. At least, that was normally the excuse. Hunters and fishermen drifted on forbidden land from time to time for the isolation and game.

“The animal encounter most likely prevented you from finding out.” Joann exhaled.

Owen didn’t like the sound of that statement. “How so?”

“Based on the tracks, the person wearing the hikers was most likely following Evie.”

Evie gasped. She brought a hand up to cover her mouth as her gaze unfocused, like she could somehow find answers inside her own head.

Well, damn. Owen certainly didn’t like this development.

“I’ve alerted the sheriff.” Joann reached across the table and patted Evie’s hands, no doubt a move to reassure her that everything was still under control. But was it?

Travis Barrett was Owen’s newly minted brother-in-law. He was also acting sheriff, and a damn fine one, too. Would the family be clued in to Owen’s activities? Because they would freak out after everything they’d been through. “Was I named as—”

“A witness? Yes.”

The confirmation meant his cell would be buzzing like crazy once word got out. He fished it out of his pocket and quickly realized he’d let the battery run down. A classic Owen move if ever there was one. “Did you let Travis know that I’m fine?”

“I did,” Joann confirmed. “Though the tracks appeared to be fresh, there’s no conclusive proof the hiker was following Evie.”

“But he was,” she said, lifting her gaze. “I knew it.”

“It’s possible the hiker saw the mountain lion and planned to help,” Joann offered.

Her point was valid, though Evie didn’t appear to be sold on the idea.

Owen studied Evie before asking, “Do you have a charger, by chance?” He saw a cord dangling from a wall outlet on the bar-height counter but didn’t want to make any assumptions or overstep any boundaries.

She nodded toward the cord.

“Thank you,” he said, standing up to walk over. Joann stood at the same time.

“Contact me if you remember anything else that might impact the investigation,” she said, first looking to Evie and then to Owen.

“Will do,” he said, noticing Evie sat almost trance-like at the table. Her movements were robotic as she nodded and then stood up.

Owen plugged in his cell and then walked Joann to the door. When he returned to the table, Evie still stood there.

“Tell me why you thought someone was following you,” he said.

“I heard him.” She picked up an empty plate and walked into the kitchen before placing it in the sink.

He followed, noticing the sink was full of dishes.

Mechanically, she turned on the faucet and started washing.

Most houses had updated kitchens with dishwashers, but the Ashworths had never seen fit to make the addition.

Apparently, Simone hadn’t minded working in the outdated space.

Or, more like, she hadn’t gotten around to renovating.

She’d had her hands full with two young kiddos.

“I can do this,” Evie said, urging him to step aside.

“Let me help.”

“It’s fine, Owen. Really. I can wash dishes on my own. I promise. Plus, I’m sure you have better things to do.” The edge to her voice sent a cold chill between them despite the near-constant electric impulse he felt.

Was he about to be asked to leave?

“Hear me out,” he started, searching for the words. “You’ve been handed a lot lately and—”

“Are you about to say that I can’t handle this?”

“No.” He would never put it in those words.

She was strong enough to handle anything and had a stubborn streak a mile long.

Being strong and stubborn could send a person down the wrong track in a hurry.

Strong and wrong could be a dangerous combination.

“I think you deserve a chance to grieve your sister and adjust to your new responsibilities.”

“That’s just another way of saying I’m incompetent,” she quipped. “Well, don’t worry about it. Ms. Bart has made it clear that I’m the last person who should be—”

“The old biddy needs to keep her opinions to herself as far as I’m concerned,” he ground out.

He probably shouldn’t let himself get worked up, despite how fast his protective instincts flared at someone criticizing the job she was doing.

Evie’s mind was made up. If there was one thing he’d learned from her years ago, it was how far she could dig her heels in when she made up her mind about something.

Owen threw his hands in the air. “You know what? Never mind. I give up.” It wasn’t like him to quit, but he knew when he’d lost. Fighting Evie wasn’t what he’d come here to do. So, he turned to leave.

She issued a sharp sigh. “I’m taking out my frustration on you when I should be saying thank you.”

Owen stopped.

“I’m so angry,” she continued. “This whole situation is so unfair to the children, my sister, and my brother-in-law. They should be the ones witnessing their kids’ milestones, not me.”

He had to pull on all his strength not to turn around, wrap her in his arms, and do his level best to offer reassurances he had no business making. The best thing he could do for Evie was listen.

So, he took a couple of steps away and then turned and leaned his hip against the counter. It was enough space to guarantee he wouldn’t shatter his willpower—willpower that was necessary to keep him from touching her. Besides, she needed to vent.

“It’s all so unfair to the kids. They have to grow up without knowing either of their parents.

” She didn’t mention anything about missing out on knowing their grandparents, certain she would see their strict rules as bad for the children.

He agreed. Beaumont had said the whippings made Owen and his siblings stronger.

However, they’d only served to make each Sturgess child count down the days until they were free of him, and not one had looked back.

Beau, Owen’s half-brother, was the only one who wished for a relationship with the absentee father.

Beaumont had surprised all six of them with a seventh child, proving that he’d not only been a horrific father but a cheater, as well.

“And, seriously, Owen, who am I to bring up these kids?”

The question was rhetorical.

She continued, scrubbing a plate while she talked, “I’m not qualified at all.

Plus, I don’t know how I’ll make enough money to cover all the expenses.

The kids get a small amount from their dad’s military service, and then there’s the tiny bit they get from Social Security.

Combined, it’ll be enough to keep us afloat by the hair of our chinny chin chins.

But I have no idea how I’m going to be able to afford things like a new car when we need it.

Don’t even get me started on being able to help them with trade schools or college. ”

Those things were a long way down the road, but this wasn’t the time to point out the fact.

Besides, he couldn’t think of a better way to spend Beaumont’s money, aka Owen’s portion of the inheritance, than to use it to help others.

He would look into setting up anonymously funded college scholarships.

Though Evie’s stubbornness meant she would demand to know who’d set them up.

Maybe he could bring up the subject down the road.

Right now, all he could think about was how nice it was to be in the same room again.

It was as though all the time that had passed had been reduced to minutes, not years, and they were two young adults hanging out and discussing life, though they had a few wrinkles now and a lot more life experience.

“I have no idea how to raise humans, Owen.” Evie stopped mid-rinse and set the plate in the sink.

“In fact, I made up my mind a long time ago that I would never have kids.” She added, “Don’t get me wrong, I love my niece and nephew, but I planned to be the cool aunt who lived in the city and took them to movie theaters and water parks—not the person who scrubbed behind their ears or took them to endless doctor appointments.

” She caught his gaze. “Do you have any idea how many appointments these kids have to go to? I have no idea how I’m supposed to fit in my job, which, by the way, I’ve taken a short leave of absence from because I don’t have enough money saved to take any real time off work.

” She picked up the same plate and started scrubbing it again.

Owen decided against pointing out her mistake.

“I have another week of vacation before I take a pay cut to be out of the office,” she continued. The more she talked, the more tension seemed to ease out of her body. Her muscles had been balled up tight until now, looking like they might snap.

She exhaled slowly before rinsing the dish and setting it in the sink instead of the drying rack. If this continued, he was going to have to let her know.

Not the time, Sturgess.

“Plus, I have an apartment in Dallas and, let me tell you, the rent is not cheap.” This was something else he could help her with once he was able to access his inheritance. Would she let him?

She whirled around on him. “I’ve kept you here too long, Owen.” She took a step toward him. “I’m sure you have better places to be than here.”

The determined look in her eye said he was about to be kicked out.

“You’ve washed the same plate three times,” Owen said with an amused look in his eyes and a smirk that made her want to wipe it off his face. Or kiss him. Neither option would end well.

Taking another step toward him resulted in her tripping over the ripple in the old carpet that needed replacing. Owen reacted, catching her a half-second before her face plowed into his chest. The man still had the reflexes of an athlete.

She managed an awkward as hell apology before gripping the counter to steady herself. Taking a step back guaranteed a little more space between them.

“I don’t want to keep you, Owen. I’ve taken up enough of your time.”

“What if I told you that I don’t have anywhere else to be?” he asked before adding, “Remember, I was headed to a fishing trip.”

“By yourself?”

He nodded. She shouldn’t be surprised. Owen didn’t mind being alone.

It was one of his better traits. Other teenagers needed to travel in packs.

Not Owen. He’d walked down the hallways looking like he didn’t have a care in the world, didn’t care who talked about him behind his back, and didn’t have to go home to a tyrant.

Her brain said Owen leaving would be for the best. It reminded her that she’d lived on her own in Dallas, and she could be by herself here in this town.

Maybe losing her sister in such an unexpected way had caused Evie’s nerves to be on edge.

It had been a reminder that no one was guaranteed to wake up tomorrow or the next day, and so on.

Maybe it was how quickly her own life had turned upside down that had her wanting— needing? —company.

Returning to this place had activated an ache in her chest that had been long-since dormant. It probably should remind her that being around Owen was dangerous. Instead, she wanted to spend an evening with someone who knew and understood her.

“What are your plans?” Owen asked, cutting into her thoughts.

“I have no idea.” Her five-year plan to climb the corporate ladder was shattered now that she was responsible for two young children. “I did. Once. Not that long ago.” She issued a grunt. “Life has a way of redirecting your course.”

His grunt said he knew all about it.

“And just when you think you have a direction and have everything figured out. That’s when life laughs at you and decides to throw a curveball. No, a curveball is way too calm a term for whatever this is.”

“A raging storm,” he said.

“Yes. Exactly. You end up in the middle of a war between elements you have no control over and are just trying not to let them rip you to shreds.” She exhaled, but her pulse raced as she worked herself up.

“And no matter how hard you try to stay ahead of the damn thing or out of its path, you can’t. When you move, it moves.”

“Just like driving on ice, it’s probably in all our best interests to aim straight for the guard rail or another obstacle we’re trying to avoid because you never end up where you thought you would.” His words struck a deep chord.

“That’s right.” She reminded herself to breathe. And then she caught Owen’s gaze. “Can I get you a beer?”