Capturing the Huntsman

by C. J. Miller

Francine opened her mouth, but the look Nathan gave her had her clamping it shut. He wanted to stoke her curiosity without making Autumn uncomfortable or causing her problems at the Trail’s Edge.

  “We’ll come over to the bar a little later to talk,” Nathan said, looking across the table at Autumn.

  Francine sighed. “I’ll be right back with your drinks.” She spun on her heel and strutted away from their table.

  Nathan moved his chair closer to the table. Autumn’s jaw was set and she glanced over in Francine’s direction a few times.

  “You two don’t get along?” he asked.

  Autumn shifted in her chair. “We went to high school together. She was the prom queen and I didn’t go to prom. She’s friendly when she wants to be.” Autumn heavily accented the word friendly. “She’s currently dating my ex.”

  Nathan caught something in her tone. Jealousy? Francine might be a good resource. Though she had come to their table and dug for information, she’d probably heard more rumors around town than he had. “Is your ex here?”

  Autumn glanced around and then shook her head. “No. He’s not.”

  Sensing she wasn’t in the mood to talk about her former relationship, he changed the subject. “We’ll give our waitress time to let the crowd know they might get a firsthand account of what happened at the Trail’s Edge. Best way to drum up rumors about the killer and conversation about the trail.”

  Autumn studied his face, and he could see she didn’t care for the idea of rumors flying. She blew out her breath. “I don’t want everyone talking about me.” Worry tinged the corners of her eyes.

  “They won’t be talking about you. They’ll be talking about the Huntsman.”

  Autumn brought her hand to her forehead. “I have a business to run. It’s bad enough what’s going on at the trail, but encouraging more rumors only fuels the fire.”

  “I don’t want to cause trouble. I need information.”

  “I don’t want the Trail’s Edge or my family caught up in this disaster,” Autumn said.

  Protective of her family. Nathan filed that away in understanding her family dynamic. “You and Blaine are pretty close?”

  Autumn shrugged. “We’re all we have. It’s been the two of us since my dad died a year ago.”

  Nathan had lived with his share of grief over the past year. The closeness of family was a concept that resonated well with him. “I’m sorry. That must make it doubly hard for you to be alone.”

  Autumn folded her hands in her lap and lowered her head. “I’m not totally alone. I have Thor.” She let out a quiet burst of laughter. “You know, that sounds a little pathetic. But the truth is, I don’t come into town much. I prefer being at the campground with Thor.”

  He heard something in her tone and he ran with it. “Why’s that?”

  Autumn looked away from him for a long moment. “I thought you were here to find out about the Huntsman, not about me.” She lowered her voice. Not that their conversation could carry far over the noise of the music blaring through the speakers.

  “I am. But before we get into that, I want to get to know you.” He regretted the words if only because of the flare of mistrust in her eyes. What had happened to make her this suspicious of him? Some people had a problem with authority. Was it that he worked for the FBI? Was it men in general who bothered her?

  She cleared her throat and glanced around. “You’re only around for a short time. You shouldn’t waste it getting to know me.”

  He shifted closer under the guise of hearing her better. He sensed being here was making her uncomfortable. “Do you want to leave? We can go somewhere else.” It was the first time he was putting the case behind other priorities. At the moment, that priority was Autumn’s well-being. He ignored the twinge of guilt. Nothing should come before justice for Colleen.

  He laid his hand on her arm and she looked from it to him. Something lit in her eyes. Heat? Desire? Mistrust? Their eyes locked and held and pressure built in his groin. Under other conditions, he would act on that heat. He’d grab her, kiss her how a woman was meant to be kissed and let it lead somewhere smoking hot.

  Autumn leaned away and, sensing her discomfort, he dropped his hand from her arm.

  Francine appeared, setting their iced teas on the table. “Ready to order?”

  Nathan hadn’t looked at the menu, but he scanned it. “I’ll have the cheesesteak with onions, mayo, tomatoes and fries on the side.”

  Autumn ordered a Reuben.

  Francine jotted down the order. “Coming right up,” she said, moving to another table and letting her hand brush over Nathan’s shoulder as she collected the menus.

  Autumn watched her leave. She straightened and pushed her hair over her shoulders. “She doesn’t even care that we might be together. She intends to make it clear she could have you if she wanted you.”

  “That won’t happen.”

  “She’s dating Daniel now,” Autumn said. She shrugged and drew her shoulders in as if making an attempt to take up less space.

  “Daniel? The town sheriff? He’s your ex?” Talk about adding another layer of complexity to the case.

  “Yes.”

  “He pointed suspicion at Blaine,” Nathan said, trying to get a sense of the subtleties.

  “Yes. He and Blaine had a falling out.”

  Over her? “Why?”

  She shrugged. “Nothing to do with the case.”

  She was making it clear personal questions were off-limits. He went another way. “I want to talk to anyone who loves to gossip.” Deciphering the bull from the truth wasn’t easy, but every now and then, he got lucky and caught a good lead.

  Autumn glanced around the bar. “Loves to gossip? That’s half the town. This is a small place. Not much exciting happens in Smithsburg and when it does, it’s all anyone talks about.”

  Then everyone should have plenty to say about the murders. Hang out long enough, and after the last of the dinner crowd left, the drinking crowd would linger. Once the beer and wine had been flowing for a couple of hours, turning the subject of the barroom conversation to the murders would be easy. Francine might even do it for him.

  A song he recognized with a slow, steady beat played from the speakers. “Why don’t we dance?”

  Autumn looked around. “What? Here?”

  “No.” Nathan pointed to the empty dance floor. “There.”

  She started to shake her head, but Nathan stood and took her hand, drawing her to her feet. “Come on, this will be fun.”

  “I don’t see how this will help the case.”

  “It won’t help the case. But you seem tense.”

  She pursed her lips. “Dancing will make me more tense.”

  “Give it a chance.” Surprised she didn’t refuse again, he led her to the dance floor, threading through the tables of people. He drew her into his arms, bonding her to him. She held herself rigidly against him.

  “Relax,” he whispered into her ear. “Everything is fine.”

  She relaxed, if only slightly, making it easier for him to move her around the small space. The wood floor was scuffed and worn. Autumn was the perfect height for dancing. If she laid her head down, it would rest in the crook of his neck. Her lips would be close to the part of his skin he loved to have kissed and her hair would be soft against him.

  An image of Autumn naked in his bed sprang to mind. He could picture how their bodies would fit together, her long leanness and soft curves molding to his body. As quickly as the image surfaced, guilt snuffed it out. He had to stay focused on finding the Huntsman. With every moment that passed, they were closer to another kill.

  She stepped on his toe and apologized. “Remember I mentioned I didn’t go to prom? Lots of reasons for that.”

  Her breasts brushed against him and heat arrowe
d to his groin. “Doesn’t mean we can’t dance now.”

  “We’re the only ones.” She spoke through gritted teeth.

  Didn’t bother him to go against the grain. “Don’t worry about what other people are doing. If it bothers you, close your eyes and I’ll make sure we don’t walk into anything.”

  She shut her eyes and he moved with her, holding her close. He inhaled, the scent of her hair like the outdoors, like pine, or juniper. Where that description came from, he couldn’t recall, but it fit her. Juniper, fresh, clean and invigorating.

  Nathan had thought he had a plan for tracking the Huntsman.

  Nowhere in his plan did he factor in becoming attracted to Autumn Reed.

  * * *

  Autumn hated gossip and yet here she was, in the arms of a stranger, starting rumors. Her engagement to Daniel had ended six months before and even though he was already dating Francine, they were keeping it somewhat quiet. Daniel had jumped into bed with Francine the day after he and Autumn broke off their engagement. Or maybe Francine had been one of the women Daniel was seeing all along. She didn’t want to know.

  Autumn knew tongues would be wagging about her and the sexy stranger, yet she couldn’t find the strength to pull away from Nathan. His sexual magnetism was a powerful lure, and she found herself agreeing to every word his silver tongue spoke. Though she didn’t remember saying yes, she was out with him and she was dancing with him. Autumn didn’t dance. She chopped wood. She cleared trails. She walked her dog.

  The band of Nathan’s arms around her back was strong as he held her, and it was too easy to sink against him. After what she’d been through in the past twenty-four hours, she needed this. He radiated confidence and it was easy to let him lead. With her head on his shoulder, she heard the sound of his heartbeat thundering in his chest, almost as loud as her own.

  He brushed her hair behind her ear. “Our food’s on the table.”

  The heat of his breath tickled her ear. She lifted her head. “What?”

  “Francine brought our food.”

  Did he want to stop dancing? Had the song changed? She couldn’t remember the song that was playing when they’d started. Nathan holding her was all that was on her mind. “We should eat.”

  She stepped away from him, her body instantly feeling colder. Refusing to let an awkward moment pass, she turned and walked to their table, feeling the burn of his eyes at her back.

  “Autumn, what brings you to town?” A friendly, familiar voice. Hilde Sinclair lived close to the trail and maintained one of the trail shelters close to the Trail’s Edge. She had been friendly with her parents when Autumn was young and she had been kind to Autumn after her father passed away, sending over dinner a couple of times.

  “Having dinner with a friend,” Autumn said, nodding over her shoulder at Nathan.

  Hilde smiled and waved. “I’ll come by this week for a visit, okay?”

  Autumn nodded and smiled. “Sure, that sounds good.”

  Moving to their table, she slid into her chair and examined her food. Nathan sat to her left and scooted his chair close to her. Why did he keep doing that? When they’d come into the restaurant, the chairs had been on opposite sides of the table and now they were inches apart.

  The door to the lounge opened and Roger Ford stepped through. He scanned the crowd and sauntered to where she and Nathan were sitting.

  “Looks like you two have gotten close.”

  His tone left no doubt that he didn’t like what he was seeing. Why did he care so much? What was his grudge against Nathan?

  “What do you want, Ford?” Nathan asked.

  “I want you to leave town,” Ford said.

  “Not going to happen.”

  Ford slipped his thumbs through his belt. “You may have convinced Ms. Reed to help you, but does she realize who you are and what you’ve done?” The threat in his voice was strong, but Autumn wasn’t following.

  She glanced at Nathan. He looked unaffected. “She knows everything she needs to.”

  “About what?” Autumn asked, not liking the idea of being in the dark.

  Ford grabbed a chair from an empty table and swung it around, joining their table. “Bradshaw and I go way back. You want to tell the story, or should I?”

  Nathan gestured for Ford to continue. “You tell the story however you’d like.”

  “Bradshaw met my sister at a fund-raiser for our unit. Two years later, they’re married and then he left her.”

  Nathan’s face was unmoving, but his eyes conveyed his anger. “Are you done airing my dirty laundry?”

  “Sure am.” Ford stood. “Enjoy your meal.” He walked away from the table and toward the bar, leaving a wake of curious stares in his path.

  “You can ask me about it if you want to know,” Nathan said.

  Autumn didn’t think it was her business. Nathan’s ex-wife didn’t factor into the investigation and opening the door to their personal lives wasn’t something she wanted to do. For now, she was happy with that door staying firmly closed.

  * * *

  Autumn and Nathan drove past Lookout Point, a cliff drop-off with an amazing view of the Appalachian Mountains. High white peaks dived to lush valleys filled with evergreens and streams. Clouds dotted the sky, translucent puffs that turned dark before it rained. The Point was one of the reasons her grandfather had decided to build the Trail’s Edge in this location. It looked different every time the seasons and weather changed, sometimes overcast, sometimes deep green and alive, sometimes white and icy with snow. Every scene was as beautiful as the one before.

  Nathan turned into the Trail’s Edge campground, their headlights the only illumination. She’d meant to leave an outside light on at her cabin. She had locked Thor inside. Usually, she preferred to let him wander outside, but she couldn’t risk it with a killer loose.

  He parked in front of her cabin and faced her. His dark eyes glimmered in the dim lighting. “Thanks for coming with me tonight. I didn’t mean to keep you out so late.” He glanced at the clock on the dash as he rolled down the sleeves of his shirt. He reached for his jacket on the backseat. The actions struck her as distinctly masculine. She couldn’t recall either her father or her brother wearing a suit to more than a funeral. Nathan wore his suit as if it was made for him. How could something as simple as a man in a suit send a rush of steamy sensation down her body? Usually, suits and ties weren’t her thing. She liked men how she liked to live her life: outdoors, simple and one with nature.

  Sitting in the truck with him, she was unsure what to do. Bolt for the front door, waving good-night over her shoulder? Hug him and then flee? “I have some chores to do around the campground. I need to feed Thor and take him for a walk. He’s been cooped up all evening.” Why was she rambling?

  “Let me come with you,” Nathan said.

  Autumn unbuckled her seat belt and they climbed out of the car. The fresh air felt good against her neck. The lounge had been too stuffy and hot. “You don’t have to do that. I can handle it.” At the same time, walking alone at dark on the campground post-incident didn’t feel safe.

  Nathan followed her up the steps to her front door. “I want to.”

  She was hyperaware of him behind her, the heat of his body a contrast to the cold night air. Thor was waiting and bounded to her when she opened the door. He went to his dog bowl, waiting expectantly for her to fill it. “I’m not looking forward to taking another walk. Thor might find something, or someone, else.”

  “I promise I will keep you and Thor safe.”

  Why did his words feel so good? No man could promise to keep her safe. The best he could offer is that he’d try.

  Autumn patted Thor’s head. “Sorry dinner is late tonight.” She retrieved the dog food from the pantry and Thor barely waited for the bowl to be full before he dug in.r />
  “He was hungry,” Nathan said.

  “He’s always hungry,” she said. “I buy more pounds of dog food in a week than I do human food.”

  Nathan settled at her kitchen table. “While we wait for him to finish, do you have any maps lying around? I want a bird’s-eye view of the area.”

  “I have the ones I give to campers,” Autumn said, walking to her desk drawer and grabbing one. She handed it to Nathan and he opened it, spreading it out on the kitchen table.

  He traced his finger along the trails around the Trail’s Edge. What was he thinking about? The murders? “Tell me about places in this area where locals go that aren’t well-known.”

  Autumn sat kitty-corner to him and peered over the map. She had it memorized, having given out so many in her lifetime and having walked the paths many times. From the time she was a child, she and Blaine had explored the forest surrounding the trail and had found a number of places well off the beaten path with great views or great hiking. “We have plenty of places like that. Unmarked trails and places for private picnics or parties.”

  “What about places more difficult to get to? Places where it takes more than a brisk walk to access?”

  Autumn let her eyes wander over the map, picturing the places in the area that matched his description. “I can think of a few places. I can mark the general area on the map if you would like, maybe write down a few landmarks that might help you find them.”

  She took a pencil and put a star over those locations. Nathan leaned in closer. Her heartbeat escalated and she focused her attention on the map. If she turned her head, her lips would be close to his. Kissing distance.

  “Some of these places aren’t near any trails,” Nathan said.

  Autumn nodded. “I’m an experienced hiker and I know my way around. Most hikers don’t see these places.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing I have you to guide me.”

  Being in a position where she was alone with Nathan for hours, possibly days, made her equal parts anxious and excited. She was already thinking about how it would feel to kiss him and have his strong arms around her. That was dangerous. She wasn’t ready to jump into an affair, regardless of how brief.