Page 76 of Present Danger (Rocky Mountain Courage 1)

THIRTY-FIVE

Terra contemplated what the text could mean.

“Well, what is it?” Jack sounded impatient.

She didn’t blame him. “One word. Janus.”

“Who’s Janice?”

“No. J-a-n-u-s.”

“What difference does the spelling make. Who is this person?”

“Janus is an ancient Roman god. It’s said he has two faces, and he looks into the future and the past.”

“What does it mean?” he asked.

“It means Joey sent me a cryptic message, and I’m not sure what he’s telling me.”

She climbed all the way into her vehicle to sit and started the engine. She wasn’t sure she was up for driving after today’s events. Her legs were still shaking.

Jack was watching her much too closely. She didn’t want his scrutiny.

“Meeting with Joey didn’t help us to find out why two people are dead,” she said. “At least not yet. I need to dig deeper to understand the significance behind Joey’s cryptic text. In the meantime, I have a fragmented piece that could shed some light. If Jim was killed for it, that is. I need to get that into, um ... my friend’s hands.”

“A friend? An expert? Come on, Terra. I need more information than that. Potentially both the victim and the suspect touched this. It’s evidence.”

“It needs to be analyzed, and I’ll maintain all the proper documentation. Don’t worry. His name is Dr. Jeremy Brand. He’s currently an archaeology professor at the University of Wyoming. I think he’s still in Jackson Hole leading a dig.”

“He’s someone you keep up with then?”

“I met him during an earlier investigation with the NPS.”

Jack searched her eyes, like he often did, trying to get a read on her. “I’m going with you.”

“Fine. But I’m not going anywhere until I wash the grime away. I’ll call first. Maybe I can Skype with him or send him a picture.”

“You don’t think he’ll need to get his hands on it to make an assessment?”

“One step at a time. I’m heading to the ranch to get cleaned up. I’ll see you later. Don’t forget Owen’s party.”

Jack looked beat. But at the same time, he looked good. How did he do that?

“I’ll be there,” he said. “You’ll see me tonight too. I’m following you to your grandfather’s to make sure you get there okay.”

“I can take care of myself.” With those words, she remembered that desperate moment when she thought she had to choose between the river and the fire, and then Jack showed up in the Huey to pull her out of death’s reach. She had so much more she wanted to say to him, to confide, and she sensed he was holding back as well. “Listen, Jack ... I...”

He angled his head. “Yeah?”

She couldn’t hide the emotion that surged inside. And she also couldn’t tear her gaze from his. Instead, she soaked in his forest-green eyes. “How ... how did you know?”

His brows crinkled, and he edged a little closer. “Know what?”

Her heart rate inched up at his nearness.

Standing inside the door, Jack looked at her with such longing, Terra had the strongest urge to get out of her vehicle and get closer to him again. She struggled to remain seated and, for the first time, to remember why she shouldn’t be in his arms.

Terra hoped her voice sounded steady. “My text said I was locked inside that burning cabin. How did you know I had survived? How did you know to even search for me? I ... don’t even know how to thank you.” Thank you should have been the first words out of her mouth, but her thoughts had been on getting the man behind the fire.