Page 14 of Sunkissed Colorado

Guess what, Ian? Tuna was an affordable source of lean protein and healthy fats. Though it did have a tendency to smell up a room. Maybe he’d had a point about that particular complaint.

“Be right back, okay?” I told Chloe as I gathered up our trash to take it to the dumpster.

Outside, an old streetlight cast a weak urine-colored glow on the concrete. Ah, small-town charm.

I walked to the dumpster and tossed my small bag of trash inside. The lid clattered as I dropped it, and a few scraps of paper blew past, picked up by the breeze.

It wasn’t just the Pine Cone parking lot dampening my mood. My heart felt…desolate. Haunted by old memories that I couldn’t let rise to the surface.

Basically, life sucked for me at the moment.

Then I heard a scuff, like boots against concrete. My pulse accelerated.

“Hello?” I asked. No response.

I peered around the corner of the building. Nobody was there. Shit, I was imagining things.

Beyond the wan glow from the streetlight, the darkness was absolute in a way I’d forgotten, having spent so many years in the city. Out here, when the sun went down, itreallywent down.

A thick, suffocating blackness seemed to press against me. A creeping feeling scraped along my spine. Like someone was watching me from the shadows.

My entire body went cold, then hot.

“Nothing to see here,” I called out to the darkness. “Just a single lady well on her way into spinsterhood whose only friend is a cat.”

The joke fell flat in the oppressive quiet. The feeling of being watched intensified, and suddenly I wasn’t in the mood for self-deprecating humor anymore.

I thought of the creek on the night Jessa died. Moonlight glinting over rushing water.

My pulse thrummed against my throat as a thick lump gathered there.

“Hey!” I yelled into the dark. “Whoever’s out there can fuck off!”

My voice echoed back at me, but there was no other response. Still, every instinct I had was screaming at me to get back inside.

I rushed back to my room, slamming the door and turning every lock the cheap hardware offered. My hands were shaking as I checked the windows, making sure they were secure.

Then I sank to the carpet, my back to the door. Chloe dashed over and crawled into my lap, bumping her head against my stomach. My fingers smoothed over her soft fur, taking the comfort she knew I needed.

“We have to figure something out, Chloe,” I said, scooping her up and holding her close. “Because this is really not working for me.”

I didn’t know if I just meant the Pine Cone Motor Lodge, or Silver Ridge altogether.

FOUR

Zandra

“Baby Z!”Rosie opened her arms. “Get in here! I need some sugar from my favorite niece.”

“Your only niece,” I reminded her as she smothered me with a tight hug. My eyes closed as I soaked in the love. A welcome contrast to the otherwise sterile hospital corridor where we were standing.

“Doesn’t matter. You’re still the best.” Rosie patted my cheek. “And gorgeous and smart and a fantastic dresser. This blazer. So chic.”

“Thank you, Auntie.” I’d worn dark jeans, boots, a silk blouse, and my favorite jacket. I might not have a job, but I had the wardrobe, so I might as well make the most of it.

Rosie studied me. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Uh, yeah. No complaints.”