Page 4 of Valor (Long Hot Summer: Christian Romantic Suspense #2)

CHAPTER FOUR

Owen felt hollow inside as he followed Emily down the two-track dirt road. Regardless of how the scene back there may have been staged, he knew full well that Doc and Dee had been brutally murdered.

By the same men who were gunning for him.

How had the bad guys known he’d recovered from his gunshot wound here? He hadn’t told anyone other than Emily.

And he’d been with Emily ever since. Unless...

Had she told her brother Doug when he wasn’t looking? Had he in turn handed that information off to someone else? Like Colin Granger?

There hadn’t been time for that, but he couldn’t come up with another scenario.

Emily slowed to a stop, breathing deep. She turned to look at him, her expression stricken with fear. “I don’t know where to go from here.”

He paused to glance back at the scene of the murder. Seeing the puppy in her arms was a reminder that they couldn’t leave without supplies. “Can you follow our path to return to the spot where we left the truck?” Stepping forward, he showed her the broken branches and leaves from where they’d come through earlier. “If you head southeast, you should be able to find it without too much trouble.”

Her eyes widened. “What about you?”

“I need to go back to pick up a few things. Mainly dog food.” He nodded at the chocolate lab in her arms. “We also need a way to alter our license plate.”

She swallowed hard but nodded. “I’ll do my best to find the truck. But please hurry.”

“I’ll do my best. But if I’m not back within thirty minutes, drive the truck to your brother at the Sullivan ranch.”

She paled. “I don’t want to leave you behind.”

“You may not have a choice. Especially if the bad guys are still in the area.” He didn’t like their tenuous situation any more than she did. “Thirty minutes,” he repeated. Then he turned and ran back up the two-track toward the grisly scene of the crime.

Leaving Emily wasn’t easy. The thought of deliberately staying away longer than thirty minutes passed through his mind. But as much as he wanted Emily to be safe, he knew he couldn’t linger. He didn’t want to die—at least, not like this.

Facing off with Domingo Hernandez? Yeah, maybe. But only if he took Hernandez down with him.

Pushing those grim thoughts aside, he focused on the task at hand. As he got closer to the house, he scanned the area, searching for signs that the bad guys were still there. There was no vehicle in the driveway, and he didn’t see anything else suspicious.

Well, aside from the dead couple. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest. His fault. This was all his fault!

He stood partially hidden behind a tree, watching the area for a long moment before darting forward. He knew the property well from his time there. Since Doc and Dee were lying outside the front door, he headed around to the back, not surprised to find the door was unlocked. Slipping inside, he paused and listened.

Hearing nothing, he moved through the living room to the kitchen. Seeing the dog dishes, he scooped them up, then found the half-full bag of puppy chow. Setting the dog supplies aside, he took a minute to rummage for black electrical tape. Then, even though it pained him to do so, he found and pocketed Dee’s stash of cash. It was only about five hundred dollars, but the Martins wouldn’t need it.

And he felt certain they would rather he put the money to good use rather than letting it go into the hands of strangers.

Wishful thinking on his part? Maybe. He knew they didn’t have kids, and their only other blood relative was a distant cousin who lived in Florida. Thrusting the guilt aside, he shoved the money and black electrical tape into his pocket and gathered the dog’s supplies.

Then he turned and made his way through the back door. He was only a few yards from the two-track when he heard the distant wail of a police siren.

A wave of apprehension hit hard. The bad guys must have called the police to report the crime. Had they expected him to show up here? If so, why not wait?

Maybe he’d read the scene wrong. They may not have set it up to look like a murder suicide. The intent may have been to frame him for a double homicide.

He ran down the two-track for as long as he dared before veering off into the woods. The wailing sirens grew louder, indicating the police response wasn’t far off.

Keeping to the thickest parts of the woods, he moved as slowly and silently as possible. It wasn’t easy considering he was carrying dog food and dishes, but he refused to leave the items behind. The puppy would need them.

After a full ten minutes, the sirens grew so loud he knew the police were on the two-track road driving up toward the house. Any minute they’d be on the scene, examining the Martins’ dead bodies.

He was running out of time! Either Emily would leave him behind, or the police would spread out, scouring the woods to search for the killer. He wasn’t that far from the house to avoid being caught and arrested.

Owen wasn’t a praying man. He’d been to church as a kid, but never as an adult. Yet he found himself hoping Emily would wait long enough for him to get there.

Please? his mind whispered as he picked up his pace.

The sirens stopped, which only caused his heart to pound harder in his chest. He could imagine the officers kneeling beside the dead couple, then standing and spreading out to search the area.

He caught a glimpse of something dark through the trees. The gray pickup truck? Using his elbows to push branches out of his way, he stumbled forward.

Then Emily was there, reaching for the bag of dog food. “You made it.”

“Yeah.” He had to fight the insane urge to pull her into his arms for a kiss. Instead, he hurried over to set the dog dishes in the truck.

“Did you hear the police car?” Emily asked as he dug the black electrical tape from his jeans pocket.

“Yes. This will only take a minute.” The urge to jump behind the wheel to drive away was strong, but they needed to make sure their plate number didn’t match any police alert for the stolen truck. If the owner even knew it had been stolen. He’d hoped the guy wouldn’t notice until he finished his shift at the hardware store.

Kneeling on the ground, he eyeballed the license plate. The first two digits were 11 indicating the truck owner was a resident in Park County. The following four digits were 3142. He used the black electrical tape to make the 3 into the number 8 and the number 1 into a 7. It wasn’t perfect, but he hoped the ruse would work long enough to buy them time.

He hurried around to the driver’s seat. Emily was already sitting inside, cradling the puppy on her lap. “Do you really think that will work?” she asked as he shoved the roll of tape in the glove box.

“You’d better hope so.” He started the truck and backed out of the brush. Thirty seconds later, they were back out on the highway. He’d debated pushing farther east toward the small town of Shell or returning to Greybull. Going backward didn’t seem logical. They could get food, gas, and water in Shell prior to heading into the Bighorn Mountains.

Decision made, he headed east. It took all his willpower not to go more than five miles per hour above the speed limit to avoid drawing undue attention. If his doctoring the license plate worked, the police would have no reason to pull him over.

Or so he hoped.

“I’m not sure what to call him.” Emily frowned as she stroked the puppy who’d fallen asleep in her lap. “He doesn’t have a name tag or a collar.”

“The dog dish I grabbed from the house has the name Bear inscribed on it.” He shrugged. “See if that works.”

“Is your name Bear? Is it?” The minute Emily said his name, Bear’s head popped up and his tail thumped. “Hi, Bear. You’re such a good boy, aren’t you?” Emily dropped a kiss on the top of Bear’s soft head.

Owen almost smiled. He couldn’t have left the puppy behind, but while Bear was cute, bringing him along only complicated things. They’d have to make frequent stops and consider places to stay that would allow dogs. He’d already risked being caught by the police just to grab the dog dishes and puppy food.

Maybe pretending to be a young married couple traveling with their new dog would help them fly under the radar. Yet he also knew it could have the opposite effect. That they’d be more memorable if the authorities came through asking questions.

He had no idea when the Martins had gotten Bear. The pup hadn’t been there while he’d recuperated from his infected injury. He’d left them roughly two weeks ago.

A glance at Emily reinforced how she’d already bonded with the pup. There was no way she’d leave him with someone else.

Swallowing a sigh, he followed the signs for the small town of Shell, one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it types of places.

Hopefully, the police wouldn’t be there waiting for them.

* * *

Bear was adorable. The way he burrowed into her arms and fell asleep warmed her heart. Emily was glad the puppy felt safe with them.

While she’d waited for Owen, she’d set Bear on the ground, waiting patiently for him to do his thing. He’d sniffed with interest, then finally went to the bathroom. She praised him like crazy, hoping that this was an indication he’d already been housebroken.

Her smile had faded when she’d thought of Doc and Dee Martin. As promised, she’d waited thirty minutes for Owen to return, secretly hoping he’d make it in time.

When she’d heard the police sirens, she’d feared the worse. Especially when it became clear they were headed to the Martin ranch. Obviously, the bad guys had called to report the crime.

“Thanks for waiting.” Owen’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

She glanced at him, blushed, and shrugged. “I knew you’d have to take an alternate route back to the truck.”

“I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d left me behind.”

She stroked Bear’s soft fur, then glanced at him from beneath her lashes. “I couldn’t leave you, Owen. I know that makes me a fool, but I keep hoping I can convince you to work something out with my brother, Doug.”

He clenched his jaw and shook his head. “Not happening, so get that idiotic thought out of your mind. As soon as we can find a place to take a breath, we’ll discuss our next steps.”

She was annoyed with being called idiotic; although deep down, she couldn’t help but agree with the sentiment. She was ridiculous for trying to see the best in Owen. On the other hand, didn’t the fact that he’d gone back to the ranch house to get Bear’s supplies indicate he was a decent man at heart?

She turned to stare out the passenger-side window. The town of Shell was only five miles away now, and she could make out a few buildings in the distance. One of which appeared to be a log-cabin type of hotel. She frowned. This wasn’t nearly as far away from the Double D Ranch as she’d have liked.

“We’re not staying here, are we?” She glanced at Owen’s stern profile.

He waited a beat before replying. “No, we’re only stopping long enough to get gas, food, and water.”

“Good.” She relaxed. “It’s better to get farther away from the scene of the crime.”

He sighed. “You could stay behind with Bear. Wait for an hour for me to get clear of the area, then call your brother to pick you up.”

That would be the smartest thing to do. She bit her lip, wondering why she wasn’t jumping on that option.

Owen pulled into the gas station convenience store. He pulled some cash from his pocket and thrust it into her hand. “Buy whatever you’d like to eat along with a six-pack of water. I’ll gas up the truck.”

“Okay.” She lifted Bear, the puppy was still sound asleep, and slid out of the car. She debated carrying him inside but decided to leave him in the truck where Owen could keep an eye on him.

She hurried inside. After using the restroom, she quickly purchased cold sandwiches, protein bars, and the bottles of water. When she was finished, she headed back outside to see Owen hunkered down on a grassy area with Bear. The grin on his face as he watched the puppy tumble around on the grass made her heart melt.

This was the Owen she’d known. Not the hardened criminal, but the decent man who cared about her and the puppy.

Maybe she was making a mistake, but she wasn’t about to separate herself from Owen. At least, not yet.

She opened the passenger door of the truck and stored her purchases in the back next to the dog supplies. Grabbing a water bottle, she poured a small amount into one of the dishes, then set it out for Bear. The puppy jumped over to lap at the water, then ran off, wagging his tail. He clearly loved being outside. Whatever the poor dog had gone through at the ranch, he seemed to have adjusted well to his new surroundings.

Owen stood and gestured to the dog. “Grab him and get him inside. We have a long way to go.”

She nodded, scooping the pup into her arms. Less than a minute later, Owen was back on the road, driving straight toward the Bighorn Mountains.

As the small town of Shell disappeared behind them, Emily breathed a sigh of relief. The police weren’t hot on their trail. Maybe, just maybe, they’d find a way out of this mess.

How exactly they’d accomplish that, she wasn’t sure.

Now that he was awake, Bear climbed over her, nipping at her clothes with his sharp teeth. The puppy was probably teething, so she passed the opened water bottle to Owen. “Drink it up. I need something for Bear to chew on.”

He arched a brow and guzzled half the water before passing it back. “You need to stay hydrated too.”

She nodded and finished it off. Then she crushed the bottle and gently pushed it into Bear’s mouth. The dog cheerfully gnawed on the bottle, his sharp teeth making tiny holes in the plastic.

They drove in silence for a while, before Owen asked, “Why didn’t you stay behind?”

She shrugged. “That town was too close to the ranch for my peace of mind. Besides, aren’t you the one who claimed the bad guys are claiming to be good guys? I figured it was possible the police who responded to the ranch could be involved.”

He nodded. “I still can’t believe Doc and Dee are gone. That they were killed because they helped me.”

Shifting Bear on her lap, as the pup had fallen asleep in the crook of her arm, she turned to face him. “You told me nobody knew you’d recovered there. So how could the bad guys have figured that out?”

“Did you tell your brother?” Owen’s comment felt like a slap.

“No!” Realizing her loud voice had startled the dog, she tried to dial it back. “I haven’t talked to Doug since you told me to turn off my phone.”

He shot her a quick glance but didn’t say anything.

“Owen, I have never lied to you. Not once.” She thought back to their brief time together in January. “Back when you kidnapped me, I told you that my brother worked for the DEA in Milwaukee. That if he knew I was missing, he’d do everything in his power to find me. And I was right about that. Doug found your hideout despite the blizzard.”

Owen gave a small nod of agreement.

“I’ve never lied to you,” she repeated. Then after a pause, she added, “But you can’t say the same to me, can you?”

His jaw hardened. She figured he’d continue ignoring her, when he finally said, “No, I can’t say the same. Because I have lied. Too many times to count.”

The truth sat like an insurmountable boulder between them. Suspecting that he’d lied to her wasn’t the same as hearing the blunt statement out loud.

She turned to stare out the passenger-side window, telling herself she was a fool for feeling hurt. The beautifully majestic mountains loomed before them. Owen had to slow down to safely navigate the winding road. It occurred to her that Owen could easily drive to the middle of nowhere, kill her, dump her body, and keep going.

Yet despite everything that had just transpired between them, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. Oh, he was capable of killing a man, she’d witnessed that firsthand when he’d shot the guy choking her.

But even back in January, he’d never hurt her.

Not physically anyway. Emotionally? She pressed a hand to her bruised heart.

But even as the thought entered her mind, she knew she couldn’t lay the blame for that at his feet. She controlled her emotions.

She had to make better choices. So what if the guys she’d dated recently were boring and produced no spark? That didn’t mean she was going to throw all her principles out the window. She needed to believe God had a plan for her.

Feeling slightly better, she told herself that the next town they reached would be the end to her association with Owen. She’d call Doug to ask him to pick her up. Depending on how far away the next town was located, Doug may even charter a plane from his sister-in-law’s fiancé, Logan, to get to her faster.

She’d feel more guilty about that except that she knew Jessica and Logan were newly engaged to be married and that the Sullivan family stuck together no matter what.

Did Owen have family? If so, he’d never mentioned them.

“Where are those sandwiches?” Owen asked.

“Hang on.” Twisting in her seat, she reached for the bag. Bear woke up and nosed the food as she handed a sandwich to Owen. Then she pulled out the other one for herself, realizing she was hungry too.

“Thanks.” He took a bite, and they ate in silence for a few minutes.

“There’s more water too.” The silence that stretched between them felt awkward. As if they were both battling regrets at how they’d ended up there.

“Maybe later.” He didn’t look at her; he just stayed focused on the road.

When she’d finished her sandwich, Bear began climbing over her again. He seemed to be trying to get down, even batting at the window. “Owen, I think Bear needs to go to the bathroom.”

Now he did look at her, his gaze softening when he eyed the pup. “Okay, there’s an overlook spot up ahead. We’ll stop and take a break.”

“Thanks. I don’t know that much about dogs, only the little bit I’ve learned from the Sullivan K9s. They feed their dogs twice a day. As it’s going on six thirty at night, we should probably feed Bear soon.”

“Yeah, that should be fine,” he agreed. “I don’t know that much about dogs either.”

“You didn’t grow up having pets?” She tried not to sound nosy.

“No.” He finished his sandwich. “There’s the lookout.”

She took the wrapper from him and balled their garbage together in the bag. Bear was still fidgeting in her lap, so the minute Owen pulled into one of the diagonal parking slots, she pushed her door open and quickly set the puppy down.

Bear rushed over to the grass and immediately squatted to do his business. She couldn’t help but smile. “Good boy! You’re such a good boy!”

Pleased by her response, his little body wiggled with excitement. She wished she had treats to use as a reward, but giving him dinner would have to suffice. She turned back to the truck to find Owen watching them with a wistful look in his eyes.

Then in a flash, it was gone. “Let him play for a while. I’ll grab his things.” Owen ducked to pull the dishes and the half-full bag of dog food from the back.

Owen placed two scoops of food in the bowl with the name Bear printed on the front. He frowned as he put some water in the other dish. “I can’t figure out when the Martins got the puppy. It must be within the past two weeks that I’ve been gone. And I’m a little surprised they went to the trouble of special ordering a doggy dish for him.”

“That is a tight time frame.” She raised her voice. “Bear, here boy.”

Bear lifted his head from the grass and bounded toward her. When he saw the food and water dishes set off to the side, he pounced on them like he hadn’t eaten in weeks. She leaned down to scratch his ears, remembering something Maya had once said about making sure dogs were touched and played with while eating so they didn’t get overly territorial about their food. “You mentioned Doc was a retired vet. Maybe the puppy’s owners knew they couldn’t keep him, so they brought Bear to the ranch and left him there.”

“Could be. Either way, I’m glad we were able to find him.” Owen leaned against the truck, closed his eyes, and lifted his face to the sun. He almost looked as if he didn’t have a care in the world the way he was enjoying the reprieve.

Then abruptly she realized he was living minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. Knowing that his life could end at any moment.

Propelled by her wayward emotions, she closed the gap between them, went up on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.