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R en followed Stella through the house and watched her saunter up the stairs.

God, she was spectacular. He had been attracted to Sofria Kirk and aroused by Sabrina Kittridge, but Stella Keen?

There was something so alluring, so right about this unvarnished woman.

Ren came to the shocking conclusion that the Stella beneath the masks was who he truly craved.

He was about to chase after her when something in the dark woods pulled his attention—a subtle movement or shifting of light.

Newton noticed it too—his black and white head popped up from the armchair he had claimed.

Whatever it was, it was enough to have Ren step back into his trainers and grab the flashlight.

He tapped his thigh, and Newton came to his side.

Autumn was arriving on a cool breeze that smelled of leaves and ocean air.

Newton walked beside Ren as he swept the yard and bordering pines.

They stepped silently into the trees as Ren scanned the darkness.

Moonlight speckled the moss as he and Newton moved closer to the main road. Ren’s head shot to his right.

This time, it wasn’t movement that had caught his attention; it was a whimper.

Cautiously, Ren increased his pace. Then, with a soft woof , Newton took off.

“Dammit,” Ren muttered. Newton was a therapy dog, not a guard dog. God knows what the mutt would do if he encountered an enemy. Ren was almost to the road when he spotted another dog tied to a tree.

The husky was sitting there, staring out at the dark road, like he was waiting for a bus.

“Christ.” Ren jogged back to the house and took the stairs three at a time. He heard the shower, entered the bathroom, and knocked on the glass.

Stella must have sensed trouble because she stepped out of the spray and wrapped a towel around herself. “What?”

“It’s nothing to be worried about, but I need your help.”

Like the spy she was, Stella was dressed in yoga pants and a hoodie in under a minute.

“What’s going on?” she asked again.

“Come on, I’ll show you.”

Again, she complied as Ren led her across the yard and through the woods. When they got to the dog, Stella dropped to her knees, extended the back of her hand, and received a gentle lick. “Who would abandon a dog?”

Stella tugged on the rope. She turned back to Ren, and even in the darkness, he could see the concern etched on her face.

“People don’t deserve animals,” she bit out as she began uniting the rope.

Ren had never been much of a pet person, but even he couldn’t fathom doing something so cruel. As if to agree, Newton leaned his big body against Ren’s leg.

“I think she’s okay,” Stella said.

Ren knelt beside her. “Let’s take her inside.”

Newton perked his head to the right. Ren followed the dog’s gaze, but the woods were silent. Still, Newton remained frozen in place, staring into the trees.

Stella tried to read the tag on the Husky’s collar, but it was impossible in the darkness. “Shine the flashlight over here. Maybe there’s a phone number on the tag.” After straining to read, she said, “I don’t see a number. I’ll call down to the police station; they probably know his owner.”

Ren stayed where he was, peering into the woods.

Stella murmured to the dog, “What are you doing out here, buddy?”

“Creating a distraction.” Ren sprinted back to the house with Newton hot on his heels.

He burst through the door, searching the rooms. Not a creature was stirring.

After clearing the upstairs, Ren marched to the glassed-in porch and slid open the door.

Out on the deck, he leaned over the railing and aimed his flashlight along the bluff walk, again, seeing nothing.

Ren walked out the kitchen door and down the side steps facing Siren Ridge.

He paused as the taunting music of the rocks swirled around him.

Behind him, Newton quietly howled along.

Ren spotted the blue and red flashing lights as he approached the front of the house. When he got back to Stella, she was standing with Ellie Sellers.

“That was fast,” Ren said in greeting.

The deputy tipped her hat. “I was headed home when you called it in. Anyone back there besides you?”

Ren shook his head. “Not that I saw.”

Ellie peered into the darkness.

“You live on the bluff?”

Ellie pointed up the road. “Past Ginny’s place. Only other house up here before the nature preserve.” She tugged on the rope still attached to the husky’s collar. “This is Martha Anderson’s dog. Damn thing roams around off leash all day.”

“Why would someone tie her to a tree?” Stella asked.

Ellie shrugged. “She was probably in the road. A trucker musta been trying to keep her from getting hit.”

Stella patted the dog’s head as Ellie pulled her by the rope leash to the back of her cruiser. “I’ll get her back where she belongs.”

When the car drove away, Ren pulled Stella by the hand, and they walked through the trees. The Arcadian autumn night was almost enough to convince Ren that the encounter with the dog was what it appeared to be.