Page 34

Harper

Four days left and—whoops—I’m officially obsessed with Eve

We were standing in the middle of the prairie land that surrounded the tiny town of Forks, New Mexico—fully exhausted and rapidly losing motivation.

Necks aching, we’d taken a quick break from using the metal detectors, sweeping them back and forth in painstaking increments.

So Eve had suggested a game, trying to perk us back up.

A game describing our childhood versions of watching the sunrise again .

The goal that I’d declared I’d now be working toward, inspired by the newfound looseness I’d discovered out here.

The only problem was how heavy it made my heart feel when we compared these tiny joys with the realities of our childhoods. All that I’d missed. All that Eve had missed.

The only difference being that Eve was out here making up for lost time.

“Seeing the first fireflies in your backyard and knowing that meant summer was coming,” she said, leaning back against a tree with headphones draped around her neck.

I used my wrist to brush back strands of sweaty hair. “That’s a good one. I’ll also include the first Popsicle of summer, the way it would melt down your hand if you didn’t eat it fast enough.”

“ Ooh , nice. How about…staying up past your bedtime to watch a movie you weren’t supposed to?”

I grinned. “Finding the book you wanted at the library and reading it on the grass.”

Eve crooked a finger, beckoning me closer. I came without hesitation, eliminating the distance between us so she could loop an arm around my waist and drag me close.

“I asked you to list the best parts of being a kid…and you say the library ?” she teased.

I raised my chin. “My reputation shall not be maligned, Eve Bardot. Finding the exact book you want at the library is like having your favorite song randomly come on the radio. It’s serendipity at its best.”

Her dark eyes sparkled in the dim light.

“I see your point, Hendrix. There was this old oak tree near our house growing up that I used to run to when hiding from my parents. This one patch of grass I used to sneak off to and read books. Not books for school or for studying but the ones I chose on my own .”

I dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Reading a book you love in a sunny patch of grass is one of the best parts of being a kid. A part I miss very, very much. It was also one of my mom’s favorite things to do with us when we were little.

We’d have spontaneous picnics, read books to each other.

It was…” My throat tightened. “Simple. Joyful. I…I took it all for granted.”

Eve smoothed the hair away from my face. “That’s something you can start doing more of if you want. Something of the appreciating what’s in front of me variety.”

“I’d like that very much,” I admitted—then swallowed the rest.

I’d like to do that with you .

A large snap cut through the air. We sprang apart, sending the yellow lights of our headlamps in search of whatever creature had followed us out here.

We were rapidly losing the light now. Which, given that I now feared cougars as deeply as I feared ghosts, had me painstakingly attuned to every crackling twig and rustle of leaves.

And with my ears covered by the headphones of the metal detector I was carrying, it was far too easy to lose sight of our immediate surroundings.

There was water nearby—a river or a stream. Some jagged red bluffs, a smattering of scrubby brush. Other than that, the land was flat as far as the eye could see.

The town of Forks didn’t have much in the way of infrastructure. A gas station with a sign that said Next services are fifty miles away . There was a motel called The Red Roadrunner, a few family homes scattered in the distance.

A single stoplight swayed like a squeaky dandelion in the breeze.

We’d arrived here in a cheerful mood and with our hopes dialed all the way up. That had potentially been a mistake, but we’d had a breakthrough . An honest-to-god real clue that put us ahead of Jensen’s crew and back on track.

Eve had driven us here along a long, empty road with the windows down and her music loud, singing along with a relaxed grin. Every so often she’d direct that crooked smile my way, bathing me in a different kind of hope.

But three hours of exhausting and mind-numbing metal detecting in the growing dark had considerably dampened our victorious mood.

“Okay, so, getting back to it. We’ve already covered most of the land in the immediate vicinity of the old train station,” Eve said, sliding the headphones back on. “With no luck, though we’ll go back over this same spot tomorrow in case we missed anything.”

With what my body had gone through in the past forty-eight hours, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to even stand , let alone traverse this area again. But I smiled weakly and nodded. Peered out past the trees toward the bluffs.

“We haven’t searched over there. Not sure if Priscilla and Adeline would bury the diamonds so close to the cliff’s edge, but it’s worth a shot,” I said. “My only worry is how dark it’s getting. And, you know…the probability that we’ll be eaten by a cougar again.”

“Statistically, it’s practically impossible that we’d see another one, let alone be attacked.”

I bunched my mouth up to the side. “Famous last words, Eve Bardot. Now we’re definitely going to get eaten.”

“Why would I be scared?” Eve propped the metal detector against her shoulder, looking all the world like that sexy lady lumberjack I’d claimed her to be. “I’ve got you to protect me, remember?”

I started to laugh. “Your confidence in me is charming, but I’m not sure I’ve got the requisite bravery needed to fight off another apex predator.”

She was silent, studying me. Then she said, “In all seriousness…you are brave, Harper.”

My eyes slid to the pool of lamplight at my feet. Eve stepped close, using a single finger beneath my chin to tip my face up.

“I don’t always feel that way,” I admitted.

“Back at the Boot + Saddle, you called me the same thing,” she said. “Told me I was brave and hopeful. Did you mean that?”

“Of course I meant it.” I waved my arm between us. “Look at you. Look at all that you’ve done .”

She didn’t respond at first. It was quiet for so long that heat flared across my cheeks, making me want to fidget beneath the intensity of her expression as she studied me.

Finally, in a hushed voice, she said, “Someone should have taken care of you after you lost your mom. Given you a soft place to rest, to be a teenager. To fuck around and make mistakes. To grieve. But even without all of that, you stayed and managed it all without any help. Built a life where you don’t have to rely on your dad.

That’s bravery, Harper. And I wanted you to know… I see bravery in you, too.”

I blinked, utterly stunned. “Thank you…thank you for saying that. It means a lot to me.” It was a paltry response, but all that I could manage in the moment.

Eve didn’t seem to notice, though, planting a soft kiss on my cheek before striding away into the growing dark to keep searching for the diamonds.

Meanwhile, I stood in the quiet with a hand above my heart, wondering if anyone—besides my sister—had ever seen me so clearly.

I spun on my heel to follow her, but then a surprised shriek pierced the air.

It was Eve, there one minute and gone the next.

My metal detector clattered to the ground as I sprinted after her, terrified at what I’d find.

I ran so fast that the cliff ledge where Eve had fallen appeared out of the blue.

It had me skidding to a stop at the very last second, so dramatically that my arms spun in circles over the open air.

“Harper…Harper, be careful ,” Eve called up. “Back up…back up from the ledge. That’s where it collapsed.”

She was clinging to a tree root, legs dangling. Below her was another fifty feet of sheer rock face, ending in a river.

“Eve, oh my god .” I dropped to my knees and extended a hand. “Can you reach me? I’ll pull you up.”

She grimaced. “I’ll pull myself up. You just get back from the ledge. If you fall down here, too, we’re both screwed.”

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed her metal detector and extended it forward. It was sturdy and just long enough. “Don’t be stubborn and ridiculous. We stick together, remember?”

“ Hendrix ,” she warned.

“ Eve ,” I shot back. “I won’t fall.”

“That’s what I thought, and now look at me.”

My lips twitched. “Don’t make me laugh in the middle of a rescue mission. Now grab on. I’ll haul you up.”

Her eyes flew to mine, and I could see the understandable fear there. Knew she was asking me to keep her safe despite her protests.

I angled out farther to get a better view but had to fight back the panic at just how high up we were. “If you keep one hand on the root, and use your feet for leverage, you can grab hold of the handle without falling, okay? Just be like that kitten in the poster everyone loves.”

Eve breathed out a nervous laugh. “The hang in there kitten?”

I brightened. “Yes, that one. Exactly.”

“A little grim considering my situation.”

“Or inspiring .” I wiggled the metal detector. “Come on, Eve. You can do it. Eyes on me, beautiful.”

After a few more seconds of contemplation, she finally grabbed hold and slowly began pulling herself up. Her muscles strained where her fingers gripped around the metal. My shoulders burned, locked in place, holding her steady.

But she was doing it.

“The faster you get up here, the faster I can take you out on a date,” I promised.

“You wanna…” Eve was panting. “Take me out on a date?”

“Yes, ma’am. How else can the knight in shining armor show her damsel in distress that she has a crush on her?”

Eve reached the top—finally—and pulled herself all the way out. I grabbed her by the shirt and yanked her forward with my last remaining strength. We fell backward into the dirt, laughing, breathless, and so very relieved, with Eve on top of me.

She cupped my face, her thumb stroking along my cheekbone. “So you’re the damsel and the knight now?”

I grinned up at her in the waning light. “I contain multitudes, Eve. And someone once told me—like, five minutes ago—that I was brave. Therefore, I’m both. Though I’m not quite sure what that makes you. A scoundrel, perhaps.”

“I have had scoundrel-like thoughts about you.” She nudged her nose against mine.

“Oh, yeah? Like what?”

“They’re not-safe-for-work, cowgirl. You’ll just have to be patient.” She slanted her lips over mine, finally giving in to our kiss. “It does make me lucky to be rescued by you. Very, very lucky.”

Our kiss deepened quickly, both of us desperate after yet another near-brush with danger.

I arched up into her. Gasped. Her hands roamed my body.

I dug my nails into her short curls. She swiped her tongue along mine and groaned.

My legs rose high around her waist as she tipped my head back so she could kiss along my throat, sucking the tender skin between her teeth.

Stars were starting to appear above us, already twinkling and dazzling in their brilliance. And the only coherent thought I could manage was, I could do this with Eve forever.

Except then I noticed the small, dark, furry creature right next to Eve’s foot. I went rigid so fast that she felt it.

“What is it?” she whispered. “And please, for the love of god, do not say the word cougar .”

“Um…tarantula?” I sputtered.

“Oh, cool, a spider. My absolute worst nightmare from childhood.”

I wrapped my arms tight around her as she started to tremble. “Let me think. It’s standing still now… Maybe it’s scared, too? Do they bite? Are they poison—”

The sound of a shotgun blast cracked through the air like a bolt of heat lightning. A pellet landed six inches from the spider, who didn’t hesitate to skitter away into the darkness.

Our headlamps were still rolling on the ground, so they cast strange shadows on the figure that stepped forward—tall, wearing boots, faded jeans, and a low-brim cowboy hat.

I gulped, frozen in shock, and stared at the spot where the tarantula had been. “Either you have horrible aim, or you just saved us from being bitten by a venomous spider.”

The person shrugged. “Nah, I’ve got perfect aim. That spider was minding her damn business until you two came along. Ain’t no reason to hurt a creature who’s just living their life.”

With a single finger, they raised the brim of their hat, revealing a tanned, weathered face and a lopsided grin.

Eve looked like she’d just seen a ghost.

“Hiya, kid,” the stranger said cheerfully. “Funny runnin’ into you out here, isn’t it?”

Eve’s jaw dropped. “Monty?”