“Terrific.”
“Are you game? We’re meeting at the fire station at six sharp. It’ll be light enough to see by then.”
Sam yawned. “Sure. I’ve been home for a grand total of twenty-four hours. Looks like my vacation’s over.”
“Vacations are overrated.”
The dial tone buzzed in her ear. Smiling, she dropped the receiver onto the cradle and headed for the shower. Twenty minutes later, with her gear packed, she let the kitchen door slam shut behind her.
Birds chirped in the tall pines that crowded around the little cabin tucked into the far corner of her parents’ estate. The sun crept above the surrounding mountains, casting the gray light of dawn across the valley. Wisps of pale blonde hair blew around her face, stirred by the morning breeze. Shaking it out of her eyes, she walked quickly down the long drive. The main street through Ravenswood was mostly deserted. The only signs of life were two cars parked in front of the café and half a dozen pickups left in the empty lot next to the fire station, her current destination.
The side door creaked when she opened it. Male voices rumbled overhead. Bounding up the stairs, Sam walked into an open room filled with tables and chairs, most of them occupied. Ken Reeves leaned against the south facing window, his arms crossed over his barrel chest. He stopped speaking, glanced up at the institutional clock on the wall opposite him, and raised one shaggy brow.
Six-oh-five.
Sam grinned. “Shoot me.”
His moustache quivered. “Welcome home.”
“Thanks.” She spread her arms wide. “A party, just for me? You shouldn’t have.”
Deep male laughter echoed around the room.
“Pull up a chair while I bring you up to speed—” He broke off, and both brows shot up this time. “Well, well, look who the dog dragged in.”
“Sorry I’m late. I had to feed the beasts before I left the house.”
Sam spun around. A man stood at the top of the stairs, tall and lean with longish dark hair and the bluest eyes… A yellow lab sat at his feet. She swayed, unexpected memories surging.
“Ethan,” she croaked and cleared her throat.
Ethan Thorne stared back at her, his lips quirked in a hint of a smile. “How’s it going, Sam? It’s been a few years.”
Five years and two months, but who’s counting.
“Yeah, it has.”
“Enough chit-chat you two. Glad you could join us, Ethan.” Ken pointed at a photo tacked to the bulletin board. “Our lost hiker has been out in the mountains overnight, and while it didn’t get anywhere near freezing, there’s the possibility of injuries. Unfortunately our search area is a broad one. He could be anywhere.”
“Then let’s go find him.” The husky boy who spoke didn’t look old enough to shave. His voice rang with enthusiasm.
The kid was new to the team. Sam rolled her eyes, feeling every one of her twenty-nine years. Had she ever been that naïve…
“Partner up and choose a grid. Our hiker’s name is Barry Rutledge. Grab a photo from the stack.” The fire chief pointed to the front table. “Someone out backpacking may have seen him. Everyone stay in close contact. You know the drill.”
Chairs scraped across the floor as men bent to pick up their packs. At a light touch on her arm, Sam turned. Ethan looked down at her, long-lashed blue eyes intent. She was five-nine in her socks, but he topped her by half a foot.
“You want to team up with me and Sadie?”
She glanced at the dog and let out a slow breath. “Sure.”
They picked up their gear, and she grabbed a picture of the hiker while Ethan chose a grid to canvas.
“Ready?” he asked.
She nodded. They left after the others, boots thumping down the stairs. Sam paused when they reached the street. “Where’re we headed?”
“The area below Prophet Point.” Turning north, Ethan fell in beside her as they headed into the woods. The yellow lab led the way.
“Sadie? You still had Max when we—”
She bit her lip. What could she say? Hooked up for a night of wild sex after too many margaritas at one of Ken’s famous barbecues? She didn’t have one night stands. Lately, she rarely had time for dates, period, let alone relationships that lasted beyond the getting to know each other stage. After that night, she’d made a point of avoiding Ethan when she was in town. Hadn’t she? Or was the reason she hadn’t seen him in five years and two months because he’d made a point of avoiding her?
“Max lived to be fourteen.” He shot her a quick smile that lit up his incredible eyes. “He was a great dog once he got over the habit of knocking people down when he greeted them. Sadie’s young, only three years old, but she’s one of the best search and rescue dogs I’ve raised. She has superb focus.”
“How’s business?” Better to talk about work than anything more personal.
“Improving. It’s not just California ski areas getting their avalanche rescue dogs from me now, and I’m supplying several international outreach organizations with dogs. RAW had a lot to do with that, I think.”
Heat crept up Sam’s neck. “I may have put in a good word for you at Relief Around the World corporate offices. Your dogs are the best at what they do.”
He pushed a longish hank of hair off his forehead. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”
The man needed a haircut. Sam let her gaze drift across his pilling fleece jacket to faded jeans, ripped at both knees. “You know, if you made an effort to present yourself a little more professionally…” She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her windbreaker and kicked a pinecone out of the path. “No offense, but earthquake victims in third world countries dress better than you do.”
He laughed. “None taken.”
She stared straight ahead. “Don’t you have a girlfriend who could buy you some decent clothes?” Juliette would have mentioned it if he’d gotten married. She was the only one Sam had told about her—indiscretion.
When he didn’t answer right away, she dared a quick glance in his direction. A grin stretched across his face. She drew in a breath.
“Several have tried. All failed.”
“Sounds like a challenge.”
“Naw, I’m a hopeless case. I do buy new clothes now and then, but my old ones are more comfortable. Do you know how many years it takes to break in a pair of jeans?”
“Hmm?” She shook her head, but the image of soft, faded denim cupping hard thighs and… Don’t go there, Sam.
She focused on her surroundings—and drew in a breath. It didn’t matter that she’d been past this spot dozens of times over the years; seeing the clearing always sent a shiver through her. What ifs nagged at odd moments. What if she, Juliette, and Darby had marched out of hiding before he pushed the woman? What if they had told someone afterward? They’d been little girls, scared out of their minds.
We weren’t to blame.
“Isn’t this where Max knocked you on your butt when he was still a puppy?”
She tamped down the memories and glanced over at Ethan. His lips tilted upward, and a sparkle lit his eyes.
“You looked so indignant, and you didn’t hesitate to put me in my place. It made me notice you as someone other than Wyatt Beaumont’s little sister.”
“I was twelve and flat-chested. I doubt you gave me a second thought.”
He laughed, and she smiled in response.
“Maybe not immediately…” He broke off and frowned. “What’s wrong, Sadie?”
The dog had stopped fifty yards ahead and stared down into a shallow ravine.
“Do you suppose she’s found our hiker?”
“They would have located him last night if he was this close.” Ethan ran up the hill and paused beside the dog. “Barry Rutledge, are you down there?” he shouted.
The descent wasn’t steep, but the hillside was thick with white fir and ponderosa pine trees. Water flowed across the trail and trickled down the embankment to a stream below. Nothing stirred but a hint of breeze thr
ough the trees. Overhead, a raven circled and cawed.
Sam crossed her arms over her chest and shivered though it wasn’t really cold. “He could have fallen and knocked himself out.”
“We’ll check to make sure. Sadie doesn’t go on alert over a squirrel.”
Following Ethan, Sam carefully picked her way down the hill. Boulders and uprooted saplings littered the stream bed as they neared the bottom.
“Looks like a flash flood came through here recently,” she said.
He glanced back at her. “We had thunderstorms a couple nights ago.” Turning, he cupped his hands around his mouth. “Barry Rutledge,” he shouted. The words faded into the trees.
“If he’s down here, he must be unconscious.” She didn’t want to consider the alternative.
“Sadie’s found something.” Ethan maneuvered upstream, avoiding the worst of the debris. The dog stood still, ears perked, body quivering. He stopped. “Jesus.”
“Oh, no.” Sam hurried to reach him. “Is it the hiker?”
“Not the one we’re looking for.”
She stood beside him, and the breath squeezed out of her lungs. The rounded top of a skull was visible in the rubble below. Rib bones protruded from the earth. Spots danced in front of her eyes, and she forced herself to breathe before she spoke. “Not Barry Rutledge, but the remains look human.”
“Back, Sadie,” Ethan said, and the dog obediently retreated a few paces. He lowered himself the last few yards into the narrow crevice between the rocks, staying clear of the remains. “The flash flood must have uncovered her.”
Sam’s feet slipped in the loose soil, and she landed on her knees. “A woman?” Her gaze flew to the exposed bones. “What makes you say that?”
He squatted beside her and pointed. “See the bit of material showing through the loose rock. Looks like some kind of synthetic fabric, maybe from a jacket.”
Sam stared at the dirty piece of material. A hint of color was visible under the grime. “Pink,” she whispered.
“Most men don’t wear pink jackets.”
She barely heard his words through the roaring in her ears. The woman stood in front of a crackling fire, the light giving her hair a rosy glow, arms crossed over her bright pink jacket…Time and the elements had faded the cheerful color. Not the same jacket. It can’t be the same one.
She moaned, a tiny whimper of sound.
“Sam, are you okay?” Ethan put an arm around her waist. “You aren’t going to pass out on me, are you?”
She leaned against him. Closing her eyes tight, she forced the image away. “I’m fine.”
He didn’t release her. “You look pale. I would have thought you’d seen a lot worse than this in your line of work. Whoever the person was, she died some time ago. I’m sure the coroner will be able to narrow it down.”
Sam took a breath and stood. “I wasn’t expecting to find a body, just a hiker with a broken leg or some other repairable problem.”
“I know what you mean. Seeing those bones threw me, too. We’d better call it in.”
We can’t tell. She clamped her teeth together so hard her jaw ached. Of course they had to report the body. They didn’t have a choice. Nodding, she turned and climbed up the hillside. She couldn’t look any longer at that bit of pink fabric, at the bones, exposed and vulnerable.
Ethan followed with Sadie at his heels, not saying anything until they reached the top. He pointed to a fallen tree in a patch of sunlight. “Why don’t you have a seat while I make the call? It may take a while.”
She didn’t argue. Sitting on the half rotted log, Sam turned her face up, soaking in the sun’s warmth. Coldness settled around her heart. Maybe it isn’t the woman we saw so long ago. Maybe it’s some other missing hiker… A shudder wracked her body. She had to pull herself together. Ethan was already wondering what was wrong with her. People who spent their time as relief workers at disaster sites didn’t get squeamish over a few bones.
Sadie settled beside her and rested her head on Sam’s knee. She stroked the dog’s silky ears, willing her hands to stop shaking. By the time Ethan finished his conversation and pocketed the phone, her heart had stopped pounding.
“They’re sending people up. They want us to wait here until they arrive.” He dropped onto the log next to her. “Good news. Frank and Gene found the missing hiker. Sprained ankle and a few cuts and bruises sustained in a fall. He was lucky.”
His thigh pressed against hers, warming her. She swallowed. “That’s a relief.”
He leaned back on his hands. “Yep, one dead body is more than enough.”
Sam didn’t want to talk about the dead woman—if it was a woman—until she had a chance to speak to Juliette. They’d have to call Darby and tell her…
“Sam.”
She jerked around. “Sorry, I was thinking about something.”
Sharp blue eyes closely surveyed her. “I asked if you want to talk about the night we spent together or keep pretending it didn’t happen. You’ve done an impressive job of avoiding me for what, five years now?”
Her cheeks heated. “Something like that,” she mumbled.
Some of the coolness disappeared from his eyes, and amusement took its place. “Was I that bad in bed?”
She gasped. “No! It wasn’t the sex. Well, it was, but…” She stuttered to a stop. “I think I’ll shut up now.”
“Should I be flattered that I’ve reduced you to speechlessness?”
His teasing eased some of the tightness from her chest. She breathed deeply. The fecund odor of the rotting log made her nose twitch. Behind them, a squirrel chattered high in a tree.
“I don’t do one night stands. When I woke up the morning after and found you still asleep…” She shrugged. “It seemed easier to leave than make awkward conversation. I was headed to Africa that night, so there didn’t seem to be much point in sticking around.”
“Why did it have to be awkward?”
She opened her mouth, but words failed her. After a moment, she tried again. “We didn’t really know each other—still don’t.”
His hands clenched, and he jammed them in his pockets. “Did it ever occur to you that I was looking forward to getting to know you better?”
She turned to study his profile, the straight nose and hard angle of his jaw. “Were you angry I left? I thought you’d be relieved.”
“You thought wrong. I don’t make a habit of one night stands, either. I wouldn’t have slept with you if I hadn’t thought we had a connection.” His voice deepened. “My mistake.”
She drew in a breath and touched his arm. The muscle tightened beneath his sleeve. “You weren’t wrong. I felt it, too. But building a relationship has its own demands, and I was pouring all my time and energy into RAW.”
His eyes narrowed as he squinted into the sun. “Seems like you still do that. How long were you gone this last time, three or four months?”
“Five.” Her shoulders slumped. “I’ve been pushing myself too hard, I admit. I need to take a break.” She picked at a spot of sap on the knee of her jeans. “Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate my priorities.”
“It’s not like you can’t afford a vacation.”
“Nope, though my trust fund isn’t as fat as it used to be. I dumped millions into RAW.”
He turned sideways to study her, his eyes warm. “I like that about you, Sam. You don’t pretend like your family isn’t stinking rich.”
She laughed. “There wouldn’t be much point. Everyone in Ravenswood knows everybody else’s business. My parents never made their jet setting lifestyle a secret, even though my grandpa was the one who made all the money.”
He hummed a few bars from Beaumont Brewery’s latest TV commercial and shook his head. “How you and Wyatt turned out so normal will always remain a mystery.”
“He’s a Wall Street guru, and I spend my days sifting through earthquake rubble. Normal might be a stretch.”
His grin made her stomach jump.
“You co
uld be right.” He stood when Sadie barked once. “I think the recovery team’s here.”
Sam strained her ears. The faint sound of voices filtered through the trees. Slowly she rose to her feet. “Let’s get this over with. I’ve got some old business to attend to.”
Chapter Three
Sam hadn’t changed. Stubborn. Defensive. Vulnerable. Ethan shoved his hands in his pockets as they headed back toward town, neither saying much of anything. Short blonde hair cupped her chin, and long bangs swept across her cheekbones, framing green eyes that reflected a wealth of experience. She wasn’t as drop dead gorgeous as her friend, Juliette, but you’d never notice. Not with the way she walked, full of confidence and energy, those long, long legs… He tugged at his jeans to ease the sudden tightness.
The woman was an enigma, spending her days searching for disaster survivors when she could have been lounging on a tropical beach with nothing more to worry about than a chipped fingernail. When it came to time and money, Sam was a giver. But she guarded her emotions closer than Sadie watched her food bowl at dinner time. Five years ago she’s run away from the possibility of a relationship. He had no reason to think she’d changed.
Which sucked because his attraction to her certainly hadn’t faded.
The woman he couldn’t stop thinking about paused in front of the firehouse and turned to face him, her eyes clouded. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. “I won’t say it’s been a pleasure, considering the circumstances, but it was good to see you again, Ethan.”
“Sure about that? You don’t look too happy at the moment.”
A hint of a smile curved her lips. “Positive. I imagine we’ll bump into each other again, since I’ll be in town for a while this time.”
“Maybe we should make actual plans instead of leaving it up to chance. Have dinner with me tomorrow night.”
Way to put her on the spot, moron. She’ll probably tell you to drop dead. He held his breath—and nearly passed out before she answered.
“I have some things to take care of, but I think I can manage dinner.” Her smile didn’t quite make it to her eyes. “Thanks for asking.”
We'll Never Tell (Secrets of Ravenswood) Page 2