Chapter 9

Theo was pacing again.

As he sprawled in a chair in Jules’s kitchen, Otto watched his partner stride back and forth, crossing from the back door to the hallway entrance and then angrily retracing his steps again. It wasn’t as if Theo was doing anything especially interesting. Pacing was his usual response to a stressful situation, and Otto had seen him do it hundreds of times. Watching Theo, however, was keeping Otto’s eyes away from Sarah—no, Alice. If he let his gaze stray, it kept turning toward her.

“So, Alice, you were hiding from your brother?” Hugh asked. He was also sitting, but his chair was arranged right next to Grace’s, close enough that he could keep an arm around her. Grace didn’t seem to mind. Otto glanced at Sarah despite himself. They were seated on the same side of the table, although there was an empty chair between them. Even with that wooden chaperone, they were still close enough that sweat beaded on the back of Otto’s neck. He resisted the urge to wipe it away, knowing that eagle-eyed Hugh would notice his nervous tic. Sometimes, it was hard to work with people who knew him as well as Hugh and Theo did.

“Call me Sarah. I don’t want to be Alice anymore. And yes. My mom passed away when I was a baby. I don’t remember her. My father wasn’t a good man, and my brother’s even worse. They didn’t share details of the business with me, but I lived in the middle of it. It wasn’t too hard to figure out. Both my father and Aaron were very controlling and cruel. A…friend helped me escape.” Although she was sitting, Sarah wasn’t still. She shifted in her chair, leaning forward and back, occasionally chewing on her thumbnail before jerkily returning her hand to her lap. Otto fought the urge to reach across the chair and put a soothing hand on her arm or rub her back or… The back of his neck prickled, and he rubbed at it instead.

“What’s wrong with you?” Hugh asked.

Otto jerked his hand back down, but it was too late. Hugh was starting to smile. He looked from Sarah to Otto, his gaze a little bit knowing and a whole lot devilish.

“What?” Sarah asked faintly.

Hugh laughed. “Oh, I didn’t mean you. I was talking to the offspring of Paul Bunyan over there.”

“Hugh,” Theo said sharply, pausing in his pacing to give Hugh a glare. “Focus.” He looked at Sarah. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-three.” She sounded a little confused by the question, but Otto knew where Theo was going.

“Why did you have to run?” Theo asked, glancing out the window as he passed the sink. “You’re an adult. Why not just move out? Your brother doesn’t have any legal authority over you.”

“He doesn’t seem to care about that.” Although his words came out mildly, Otto was seething on the inside, remembering the pain on her face as her brother tried to yank her back into the basement.

Sarah shot him a grateful look that warmed Otto’s belly. “He doesn’t. If I’d told him I was moving out, he would’ve locked me in my room until I was eighty—no”—she corrected herself—“until my wedding day.”

Needing something to do with his hands, Otto picked up a spoon that was sitting on the table. Even as he did so, he marveled at his strange behavior. He wasn’t a fidgety person. Something about Sarah, though, made him as twitchy as Bean, the horse that was his newest rescue project.

“Your wedding day?” Grace repeated. “If you’re locked in your room, how are you going to find a groom?”

Sarah’s face tightened in a way that made Otto want to go to the police department, corner Aaron in his holding cell, and choke the life out of him. It was a good thing that Aaron wouldn’t be in Monroe for much longer. The FBI had been very excited to hear that the Monroe police had arrested Aaron Blanchett, and they were sending agents to pick him up as soon as they could arrange a transfer. The entire Monroe Police Department—what was left of it, at least, since three quarters of the officers left for the winter—had joined Theo in searching for Logan. There’d been no trace. The Texas authorities were notified, but Logan hadn’t been spotted yet. Otto wasn’t too hopeful that they’d find the fugitive. He had a feeling Logan would disappear.

“Aaron’s already found the groom,” Sarah said, and Otto’s whole body went stiff. “Logan Jovanovic.”

“Ugh!” Grace groaned. “I met him briefly at the police station where he tried to kill me.”

Sarah stared at Grace, but everyone else had heard the story, so she was the only one shocked. Otto did notice that Hugh scowled and tucked Grace closer to his side, though. “Logan Jovanovic tried to kill you, too?”

“What?” Jules stood in the entrance to the hallway, her face chalk white. Theo immediately strode over to wrap an arm around her. She leaned in to him but kept her gaze locked on Sarah. “What about Logan Jovanovic?” Her voice shook a little as she said the name.

“He tried to kill Grace,” Sarah said.

“I know that part.” Jules still looked too pale, although her voice was fairly even. “How do you know Logan Jovanovic?”

“He shot out Otto’s car window today, and I’m supposed to marry him.” Sarah was trying to sound brave, but her voice quavered. “Aaron thought that giving me to Logan would give him an opportunity to take over the Jovanovics’ business. Supposedly, the Jovanovic family is a mess right now, with Noah and Martin in jail.”

“What the hell did you just do to that spoon?” Hugh asked, looking at Otto’s hands.

Otto glanced down, staring blankly at the twisted metal clutched in his white-knuckled grip. He looked at Jules. “Sorry.”

“What?” She waved a hand. “It’s just a spoon. Don’t worry about it.” Still pale, Jules turned back to Sarah. “Your brother’s name is Aaron? Aaron what?”

“Blanchett.”

At the name, Jules leaned against Theo. He wrapped his arms around her. “Do you know him?”

“Yeah, I know him—well, of him. I wanted to work for him at one point.”

“Why?” Sarah said, sounding bewildered. “He’s not a good person to work for…at all.”

“I know.” Straightening and turning to face Theo, Jules said, “I tried to keep this a secret. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust you, but I didn’t want to put you in a bad spot. I mean, I broke the law. I’m still breaking the law, and not in a jaywalking, take-the-tag-off-the-mattress way. It’s serious, and I didn’t want you to have to decide between your duty as a cop and how you felt about me.”

“Jules.” Theo cupped her face in his hands, speaking directly to her, as if no one else was in the room. “No matter what you did, I’m on your side—yours and the kids. Are they here?” He glanced toward the hall, as if expecting Jules’s siblings to be listening in.

“They’re still at Steve’s. Dee and the twins are friends with his kids.”

“Good,” Theo said. “Tell us what happened. I’m pretty sure I’ve figured out most of it, anyway.”

Curling her fingers around Theo’s wrists, Jules leaned in to kiss him lightly. “I love you.”

“Okay, okay, okay.” Hugh broke into the tender moment. “You both love each other and complete each other and would climb every mountain for each other. We get it. Enough with the kissy-kissy. Tell us what happened.”

Jules looked a little startled, as if she’d also forgotten about the spectators to her and Theo’s tender scene. “Oh. Okay. Um…my stepmother is a horrible person, and my dad has early-onset Alzheimer’s. I’ve been trying to get custody of my siblings, but I lost my CPA license after being questioned by the FBI, so I had no way to pay for attorney fees. I went to Mr. Es—uh, a slightly shady contact of mine and asked for a reference so I could work as an accountant for the Jovanovics or Blanchetts—”

There was a collective, audible inhale from everyone in the kitchen, and Jules put up a hand. “I know, I know. It was stupid, but I was desperate, and no one legitimate would hire me after the FBI thing. The contact wouldn’t give me the reference, but he gave me money and the name of someone who would set up new identities for me and the kids. So…I kidnapped them and drove from Florida to Colorado.”

There was a pause before Hugh repeated, “Kidnapped them?”

“Sam, Tio, Ty, and Dee. They wanted to be kidnapped, though, so that made it less evil than it sounds.” Jules kept her gaze focused on an expressionless Theo. Otto recognized his partner’s “thinking” face, the one he got when he was processing information.

“Why wasn’t there a huge police response?” Hugh asked. “Four kids—including twins—are pretty distinctive, and I don’t remember an Amber Alert.”

“Mr.…the slightly shady contact has evidence of the worst of my stepmother’s abuse.” Jules’s mouth pulled tight, and her eyes were glossy as she wrapped her arms around her middle. “He told her that he’d release it to the police if she reported the kidnapping. I’m sure she has private investigators working on it, though.”

Theo reached out and gently tugged Jules toward him. As she rested her head against his chest, he wrapped his arms around her.

“Do you hate me?” she asked in a small voice.

Theo cupped the back of her head with his hand. “I could never hate you, especially not for this.”

“I’m a felon.”

“You’re a good sister.” Her body jerked with a single sob, and her hands clutched the sides of his shirt as Theo kissed the top of her head. “We’ll figure this out, Jules. Together.”

“I love you.” The words were clear, despite her tears.

“I love you, too.”

“Why not just turn in the evidence immediately?” Hugh asked, interrupting their sweet moment. “She’d be arrested, and you’d get custody. Problem solved.”

“Sam was her main victim.” Jules turned her head so that her voice wasn’t muffled against Theo’s chest. There were tears streaming down her cheeks. “He doesn’t want anyone to know. He’s so ashamed. I tell him over and over it wasn’t his fault, but he doesn’t believe that. If he had to testify…” She trailed off, her mouth drawing down at the corners. “He wouldn’t be able to do it. If he tried, for us, her lawyers would tear him to pieces. It would destroy him.”

Otto realized that he was torturing the twisted spoon again, and he set it carefully on the table. He’d known that Sam had been abused. The signs were all there—his stutter, his wariness, his whole demeanor. It was still hard to hear it confirmed.

“Now that we’re finally all sharing, how did you end up here?” Hugh asked Grace. Before she could answer, he spoke again. “I know that you were dating Jovanovic—”

“Barely dating,” Grace interrupted to clarify. “Noah and I had been on, like, three dates.”

“You were dating Noah Jovanovic?” Sarah asked in a hushed voice. “He completely freaks me out—his uncle Martin, too.”

“Until Grace met me,” Hugh said with pretend pompousness, “her taste in men was…well, a little sad.”

Grace pinched Hugh’s thigh, making him yelp. “I’ll have you know, I’m still questioning my judgment.” She gave him a teasing, sideways glance when he protested. “Yes, all the Jovanovics turned out to be scary. At least Noah and Martin and some of their other top guys are in jail now.”

“I wish Logan was,” Sarah said.

Theo looked at her with a frown. “Sorry we didn’t get him. Viggy tracked him through the trees, and then his trail ended. We’re assuming he ran to where he’d parked a car earlier. There’s a nationwide BOLO out for him. He’ll be picked up soon.”

“Why did you both come here, though?” Hugh repeated, returning to the earlier conversation. “Why were you—and then Sarah—sent to Jules?”

The three women exchanged a glance that told Otto he and the other cops were not going to get that information. “He asked for a favor,” Jules finally non-answered.

“He who?” Theo asked.

“The slightly shady guy I know.”

“Name?”

Widening her eyes, Jules gave Theo an innocent look. “I can’t remember. I’m sure it was a fake one anyway.”

With a disbelieving snort, Hugh nudged Grace. “You must’ve worked with this ‘shady guy,’ too. What’s his name?”

“No clue.” Grace spread her hands in such a dramatic way that Otto wanted to laugh. It was obvious that the women were protecting the person who helped them escape. He couldn’t blame them.

Theo and Hugh silently turned their gazes to Sarah. As she shrank back in her chair, Otto had the urge to stand in front of her to block the other men’s intimidating glares. “I forget?” Sarah said in a tiny voice. “I just hope Aaron didn’t find him.” Otto saw her widen her eyes at Jules, who gave the tiniest shake of her head as she pulled her phone out of her pocket, wiggling it meaningfully. By the way Sarah’s shoulders relaxed, Otto assumed that gesture meant that the mystery man had texted Jules and assured her that he was alive and well.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake!” Hugh sounded like he was trying not to laugh. “You all are the absolute worst at trying to be sneaky.”

Faint, squeaking protests came from the other room, and Otto stood, even as Sarah jumped to her feet, looking relieved. “The puppies!” She hurried toward the hallway. “They must be hungry.”

Otto followed her out as the others continued their discussion in the kitchen. Sarah glanced over her shoulder and slowed, allowing him to catch up. When they were walking side by side, alone, he immediately lost his ability to talk. Ideas for different topics of conversation bounced around in his head, but it didn’t matter. He couldn’t force any words out of his mouth.

“Thank you,” she said, jerking him out of his mental scramble.

“For what?” His voice sounded gritty, but at least he’d managed to speak.

Sarah smiled at him. “For saving me. If you hadn’t been there, Aaron would’ve pulled me right back into the basement, and who knows where I would be right now.”

Anger rushed through him at the thought of Aaron stealing Sarah away, of hurting her and forcing her to marry that asshole Jovanovic against her will. Otto’s rage was strong enough that he forgot his nervousness and wrapped an arm around Sarah’s shoulders. She stiffened at the contact but didn’t move away. Her bones felt fragile and prominent under his hand, reminding him of the orphaned baby hawk he’d once cared for.

Clearing her throat, Sarah spoke again. “So…um, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” They were standing in the living room, right next to the puppies’ crate, but Otto didn’t want to let go. “Sorry we didn’t get Jovanovic.”

“That’s not your fault, or Theo’s. I told him to help you first. I was so terrified that Aaron would hurt you. I shouldn’t have pulled you into my mess. You could’ve been killed.” She stared up at him, her brown eyes earnest and soft, and Otto couldn’t look away. He’d come so close to losing her, and he hadn’t even had a chance to really get to know her yet. It didn’t matter that they’d met just a couple of weeks earlier. She was already important to him.

Her lips parted slightly, and his gaze focused on her mouth. She was so beautiful and so sweet. Without thinking, he found himself leaning closer. Sarah didn’t move away, and he stopped breathing. Up close, she was even more perfect. It felt like she was drawing him in, pulling him closer without even having to touch him.

One of the puppies gave an especially loud, warbling cry, and Otto jerked back, startled.

“Sorry, puppies,” Sarah said, crouching down to open their crate. “You must be starving. I was so worried you’d wake up and Aaron would find you. I’m putting everyone in danger. The sooner I leave town, the better it will be for everyone.” She pulled out two wriggling, grunting bodies and offered them to Otto. Once he accepted them, she picked up the last two and stood. Sarah looked down at the puppies in her arms, a worried frown on her face. Otto wished his hands weren’t full so that he could give her a comforting hug.

“Don’t leave town. Come stay with me,” he blurted out, shocking himself—and Sarah, from her expression.

“With you?” she repeated faintly, and he could feel the back of his neck begin to itch again.

“Just till we find Logan Jovanovic and bring him in. It’s safer there.” Otto resisted the urge to rub his neck. “There’s a bunker with…ah, tunnels. And food.” He closed his eyes for a moment in self-annoyance. He’d just told Sarah that she should come stay with him because of tunnels and food. He was hopeless.

She made a noncommittal sound, but she didn’t agree—or disagree—with his plan. A tiny spark of hope glowed in his belly. If she stayed at his place, she wouldn’t leave town. In fact, she’d be around him all the time. Heat from that small fire began to spread, filling him with something a lot warmer than hope.

They returned to the kitchen in silence, although he couldn’t stop himself from shooting quick glances at her profile. She looked thoughtful and conflicted and so pretty that he found it hard to look away. One of the puppies he was holding made a disgruntled sound, wiggling in his hold, and he absently soothed it with his thumb.

As they entered the kitchen, both Otto and Sarah ducked when the spoon Otto had mangled flew through the air, hitting the stove with a clatter.

“Sorry!” Grace said, standing and crossing to where the spoon still spun on the floor. “That wasn’t aimed at you. I actually threw it at Hugh’s stupid head, but he plays really good defense, so it deflected off his hand and that’s when you two walked in.”

“Why were you throwing a spoon at Hugh?” Sarah asked. Obviously, she hadn’t been around Hugh and Grace very much. It seemed to Otto that something was always flying between them, whether it was words or pillows or random spoons. They made up as quickly as they started a fight, and that part was almost as awkward for everyone else involved.

“Apparently,” Grace said, stretching out the word with a long glare at Hugh, “I’m supposed to marry him and move into his house like a good little woman.”

“Oh.” Sarah blinked several times, and Otto had to hold back a laugh. He could’ve warned her that the answer would be something like that. He noticed that Theo and Jules were also eyeing each other in a way that meant they were in the middle of a disagreement.

Grace reached for one of the puppies in Otto’s hand, and he relinquished it. When Hugh held out his hands, though, Otto pivoted away, blocking him with his body. “Get your own puppy.”

Hugh turned to Sarah, but she held her hands up, showing that they were empty, before moving to the counter to mix the milk replacer. Theo and Jules, both cuddling a puppy, smirked at Hugh, who huffed. “Don’t you have to go back to work?”

Theo glanced at his watch and frowned. Giving Jules a kiss on the cheek, he handed his puppy off to Hugh. “How can you even feed it with a cast on?”

“Even with only one-and-a-quarter arms, I’m very…agile.” He gave Grace a wink, making her giggle.

Turning back to Jules, he said, “I’ll be back after five. Think about what I said.”

She made a face at him, but then smiled. “Be safe.”

Once he left the kitchen, Otto looked at Hugh, Grace, and Jules. All were focusing much too hard on their respective puppies. “What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Jules replied too quickly. “Just Theo and Hugh are being overprotective freaks again.”

At Hugh’s unhappy-sounding grunt, Sarah turned from where she was filling bottles. As she took in their various expressions, her face fell. “This is about me staying here, isn’t it?”

During the beat of silence before Grace spoke, Sarah looked even more miserable. “Don’t worry about that,” Grace said. “Having your brother and fake fiancé come after you is nothing. I mean, Hugh’s stalker blew up the diner—and shot at us.”

“So did mine,” Jules added quickly. “We’re all running from something.”

“No.” Sarah screwed the tops on the bottles, her gaze fixed on her task. Otto wanted to hug her again. “They’re right. What if Jules and the kids hadn’t been outside? What if they hadn’t gotten away? I need to leave.”

“He’s in jail,” Otto said, hating how sad she looked. “He can’t get to you anymore. Every cop in the country is watching for Jovanovic. If he shows his face, he’ll be arrested. You’re safe now.”

She offered him a towel, a bottle, and a bittersweet smile. “Thanks, Otto, but what if he gets out on bail or something? I don’t trust Aaron. He doesn’t care what or who he has to destroy to get what he wants. I shouldn’t drag any of you—and especially not the kids—into this mess with me.” She studied Otto’s face, her expression serious. “Does your offer still stand?”

“What offer?” Grace and Hugh chorused.

“Yes.” Otto’s heart rate quickened.

“Then I’d love to stay with you and your bunker and your tunnels.” She gave him a smile that didn’t quite work. “At least I can help with the puppies when you’re on duty.”

Despite the grave situation, excitement buzzed through Otto’s veins. She’d be staying with him, living in his house, sleeping just a room away. It was almost too good to be true.

* * *

What am I doing?

It was the hundredth time Sarah had asked herself that question. She eyed Otto’s broad back as he led her on a tour of his house. It was beautiful, an old farmhouse in much, much better condition than Jules’s place, and animals seemed to be everywhere. A one-eared gray tabby blinked at them from his spot on the top of the couch, and a fawn-and-black Belgian Malinois with a graying muzzle thumped his tail against the hardwood floor without getting up from his spot next to a heating vent. Outside, a lanky bay gelding shared a paddock with a goat, and a rainbow variety of chickens scratched in the expansive run attached to the coop.

They’d driven for miles of twisting mountain roads before arriving. Otto’s property was set in a valley surrounded by bluffs. It looked as though a giant had pressed his thumb into the mountain. Rock rose on all sides of the property, creating a huge hollow for Otto’s house to nestle in.

The moment Sarah had gotten out of Otto’s squad car, his property felt like home. She’d taken the first deep breath she’d had in weeks as she’d looked around, feeling the tension seeping out of her as the peace of the place settled deep inside. Otto’s home fit him. She felt an echo of the same security and reassurance that the man himself emanated.

It was beautiful and safe and already felt like home, but what was she doing there? Otto had barely spoken to her, and she’d seized on his offer like a desperate person…which she was. When the reality of her situation had struck her, along with the knowledge that Jules or Grace or Sam or Ty or Tio or Dee could be hurt the next time that someone from her past came for her, Sarah knew she couldn’t allow that to happen. Aaron was in jail. That was the only reason she wasn’t already on the road out of town. Logan barely knew her. Without Aaron to prod him, he would most likely leave her alone. Logically, she knew that no one else would be chasing after her, but it was still terrifying to stay. What if she was wrong?

Otto was looking at her expectantly, like he was waiting for an answer, and Sarah felt heat creep up her neck to her cheeks. “Sorry,” she said. “I was distracted. What did you ask?”

“Would you like to sleep upstairs or in the bunker?”

“Upstairs,” she answered immediately, without having to consider it. A bunker sounded too close to being locked in for her own safety. She’d move out of Jules’s house to keep them safe, but she wouldn’t lock herself away, not even to hide from her past. After all, her main reason for leaving had been to gain her freedom. If she remained in Otto’s basement bunker like some kind of human/mole hybrid, she might as well have stayed locked up in her childhood home.

“I’ll show you how to get to the bunker,” he said, crossing the living room to what looked like a closet. “Just in case.”

Curious, she followed him into the closet and watched as he pushed aside hanging coats and opened a hidden door at the back. Sarah peeked around him as he flicked a light switch.

“Wow,” she said, peering down the flight of stairs. “This is great.”

He gave her a small, pleased smile as he led the way down into the bunker. It was bigger than she’d expected, with what looked like years’ worth of food and water stacked on shelves that circled the room. There were several bunks along one side, and she was glad she’d chosen to sleep upstairs—the beds didn’t look that comfortable. The bunker was brighter and bigger and less prison-like than she’d expected, though.

She peered down a corridor on the opposite side as the stairs. “Where does this go?”

“If you go left, it’ll take you into the barn,” he said. “Stay straight, and it connects with the old mining tunnels. I like having a lot of possible exits.”

“I get it.” After the terrifying game of hide-and-seek she’d just played with Aaron, she understood all too well.

“There are packs here,” he said, nodding toward several camping backpacks hanging on the wall. “If you need to leave the house, even if you’re not planning on going far, always bring basic supplies. Water, food, matches, a folding knife, extra layers.” He pointed at each item as he named it.

“Water, food, knife, layers,” she repeated.

“Matches.”

“And matches. Got it.” It was sweet, how he was so intent on keeping her safe. She didn’t plan to wander into the wilderness without him, but it was still good information to have.

He frowned at her. “Are you warm enough?”

“Right now?” When he just continued to eye her, as if using X-ray vision to determine how many layers she was wearing, she answered, “I’m fine. Thank you.”

“There’s long underwear here if you need it.”

Long underwear, she’d found out recently, was not sexy. At all. For some reason, though, his offer made her blush. “Thank you.”

“There are coats, gloves, hats—if you need anything, just take it.”

“I will. Thank you.”

He held out a stocking hat, and she accepted it automatically. The knit was warm where his hand had been. “It’s important to keep your head warm.”

She smiled at him, holding the hat. His gaze dropped to her mouth and then he looked at the floor as he cleared his throat. “Want to see your bedroom?”

“Sure.” As they left the bunker, she gave a last, quick glance at the mysterious tunnels. She’d love to explore them, but that could wait. After all, she’d be living here now. An excited shiver coursed through her, and Otto frowned at her again.

“You’re cold,” he said. “You should put on your hat.”

Rather than explain her true reason for shivering, she pulled on the hat and followed Otto up to the main level. As they crossed the living room and started up the second set of stairs, she couldn’t help but admire the way his muscles moved under the material of his uniform pants.

Pervert, she scolded herself, pulling her gaze away. For as big of a guy as he was, she was amazed that he didn’t seem to have any fat on him. It was all muscle. She remembered how his corded wrists had felt under her grip while he pulled her through the basement window, and she shivered again. He was sweet and strong, and she needed to stop this crush immediately.

Even as she cut off her Otto-related thoughts abruptly, though, she wondered why she had to. Maybe it wasn’t a one-sided silly crush. He’d told her that she was pretty—well, that her mouth was pretty—and he’d put his arm around her, and he’d invited her to live with him. Plus, at Jules’s, she’d been almost positive that he was about to kiss her before they’d been interrupted. As isolated as she’d been in Texas, Sarah was still pretty certain that a guy wouldn’t do all those things if he didn’t like her—or if he wasn’t at least attracted to her a little.

“Is this okay?” Otto asked, and Sarah had to yank herself out of her obsessive thoughts yet again.

She looked around the bedroom. “Oh yes. It’s beautiful.”

“Bathroom’s across the hall.” Clearing his throat, he glanced away. “We’ll have to share. Hope that’s okay.”

At the word share, the image of sharing the shower with him popped into Sarah’s head, making her blush. Other less lustful ideas followed—of brushing their teeth together and dodging around each other as they hurried to get ready in the morning. Those thoughts, where they were happy and settled and together, were even more seductive than the first ones. She’d never had anything like that. She’d never really thought she’d get to. “That’s fine,” she hurried to say when she realized he was waiting for a response.

“Are you tired?” he asked after a short silence.

“No.” Sarah wondered if she should’ve said she was, just to be polite. They’d been together since he’d saved her from her brother. He might need a break from her.

“Want me to show you around outside?”

“Yes,” she answered, too quickly. Even if he needed some time away from her, she wasn’t ready to let him go.

He looked pleased, though, rather than annoyed or harassed, as he led the way back down the stairs and through the kitchen. The old dog pushed to his feet with a low groan as they passed and followed them to the door.

“Is it okay if he goes with us?” she asked, petting the dog’s head.

“Sure.” Otto held the door for both of them to pass through. “That’s Mort. He was my partner, but he’s retired now.”

Sarah watched the dog trot down the steps. “You haven’t replaced him yet?”

“Not yet.” He put his hand at the small of her back, steady but barely touching, as they walked toward the paddock holding the horse and goat. Sarah could feel the heat of him through her shirt and hoodie. “It’s expensive and time-consuming to buy and train a new dog. We’ve been…busy lately.”

Shooting him a sideways glance, Sarah remembered the conversation they’d all had in the kitchen earlier that morning. “All the explosions?”

He scowled, as if remembering. “Yes, and the shootings. Hugh kept getting hurt. Hopefully, that’s over, and we can have our usual quiet winter.”

“Things do seem really quiet in town,” she said, trying to distract herself from the fact that even Otto’s cranky face fascinated her. Clouds slipped across the sun, blocking it for a few moments, just as the breeze kicked up. Sarah shivered, and Otto’s hand moved from her back to her hip, tucking her closer against him as if sheltering her against the wind. She decided she liked that even more than the hand on her back.

“Most people leave Monroe in the winter,” he said, keeping her close as they walked. Sarah basked in his heat and nearness, as well as his unusual chattiness. It was nice not to have the stilted silences. “About three-quarters of the people, in fact.”

“Why?” she asked. To her, Monroe seemed like a paradise. She couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to leave.

“It gets cold, and it snows—a lot.” He opened the paddock gate and held it for her as she moved through. Mort stayed out, sniffing around a tree ten feet away. “There’s no ski resort here, and the highway gets closed down often, especially over the passes.”

“And that’s the only way through town.” It finally clicked how isolated Monroe was. The only way in or out was east or west on the highway, and there was a mountain pass on either side. If they were closed down frequently, like Otto was explaining, then the people in Monroe were stuck—possibly for weeks on end. Sarah wasn’t sure if she found the idea reassuring or terrifying.

The goat trotted up to greet them, and Otto pulled something out of his pocket—a treat, judging by the goat’s enthusiastic chewing.

“This is Hortense,” Otto said, scratching the goat on her neck as she leaned into the caress. “The horse is Bean. He’s still not sure about people, but he’s more timid than aggressive.”

Sarah studied the horse, who was staring back at them, his ears flicking back and forth with uncertain interest. He was tall and lean, with long legs and a veiny, sensitive face. His ribs showed, but not overly much, and he gave the impression of nerves and speed with a mane and tail tacked on. “Where’d he come from?”

“The racetrack outside Denver, originally.” Otto gave Hortense another treat. “Bean wasn’t very fast, so he was sold a couple of years ago. He went through a few more homes before he ended up with a rancher southwest of here, in a stall right next to a couple of wild boars the rancher was raising. Poor Bean was scared out of his mind. He tried to climb right out of there a couple of times, and the rancher had no idea what to do with a spooky, timid Thoroughbred. I traded a few bales of alfalfa hay for him.”

As Otto talked, Bean had been slowly making his way closer until he was just a few feet away. Sarah kept her attention on Otto, not wanting to startle the horse away. “He’s right behind you,” she said quietly.

“I know.” Otto stood, calm and relaxed, as Bean stretched out, blowing out a puff of air against the back of Otto’s neck. Sarah held her breath, waiting to see what the horse would do. After another exhale, Bean snorted and shied, dodging away from them. Once he was a safe distance away, he turned to watch them again.

Sarah smiled. “He almost seems like he’s playing.”

With a shrug, Otto gave Hortense a final pat before moving toward the gate. “Part of him is scared, and part of him is curious. Every time I don’t give him anything to be scared about, that part gets smaller. He’ll come around.”

As she walked through the gate, Sarah gave Bean one last glance. “I like horses. The person who took care of my father’s horses let me help with them.”

“Did you have any pets?”

“No.” She paused before admitting, “When I was small, I had a kitten, Laila, but only for a few weeks.”

“What happened?”

“My father was angry with me, so he took her away. After that, I didn’t want any more pets.” She studied the rocky ground in front of her. “It hurt too much to lose her.” Sarah didn’t want to meet Otto’s gaze. She was too afraid there’d be pity in his eyes, and she didn’t want to be pitiful, especially to Otto. “Now that I’m free, though, I’m going to have a lot of pets—well, once I move out of Jules’s place.” The reality of her situation hit her once again. “If I ever go back to Jules’s. If I ever really can stop running.”

“You will.” His huge, warm hand was back, this time resting over her shoulder blade. “Your brother will be locked up for a long time, and Jovanovic won’t return, not with everyone looking for him.” The firm, commanding way he spoke—as if every word was the complete and total truth—almost made Sarah believe that it could be so simple.

She knew her brother, though. He didn’t play by the rules, and he wouldn’t consider the skeleton staff of a small-town police force to be any deterrent to getting what he wanted. Sarah was the key to infiltrating the Jovanovics’ business, and Aaron would get out and snatch her back—or kill a lot of people trying.

She glanced at Otto. He was so good, and all of his animals depended on him. Was she being selfish to stay? As much as she hated to leave her new town, it might be the smartest thing to do. The only thing was that Sarah didn’t know if she could do it. Leaving Otto, even if she knew it was the right thing to do, would hurt more than anything Aaron had ever done to her.