Chapter 34
I slip inside Glory Holes, stifling my groan as a cloud of sweet cinnamon and fresh dough hits my senses. I would still love being a medic for Evergreen Hospital and co-leading Bitterroot County’s Search and Rescue without donuts, but it’s a pretty incredible perk. Everett steps inside as soon as I shuffle to the back of the line.
“It always smells like heaven in here,” he says over the steady whir of the espresso machine blending with the hum of conversation.
“It’s part of why we all love it so much,” I reply, scanning the shelves of donut holes as the line shuffles forward.
“How’s the farm?” he asks, hooking his thumb on his toolbelt.
“Slowing down a little now,” I reply.
“Beth doing okay on her own?” he asks.
“Her flower crowns were a hit at the farmer’s market this summer.”
We’ve closed down the horse boarding, and last month, we sold four acres to our neighbor who wanted to expand his farm. Beth wanted to keep the house and the flower business, so Ava and I are building on the opposite end of the property. We love being close to her and the land Mom loved so much, and Ava is excited to help care for the horses.
“How’s Logan?” I ask him as the couple in front of us places their order with Miranda, the owner, while one of the helpers dances between the cases to fill it.
His face lights up. “He’s good. Middle school’s been an adjustment though. So much homework.” He shakes his head. “Thank goodness for my family’s help.”
“How are they doing?”
“You probably see Cam more than I do,” he says with a chuckle.
He’s likely right. When Cam and Wilder aren’t moving cattle for Crescent Bar Ranch, they orbit Beth like satellites.
“Linden’s finally back on shift after his shoulder injury. Edie’s still running the Finn River Ranch Daycare,” Everett continues, “I’d be lost without both of their help with Logan. And Mom finally went down to half time.”
“She’s still teaching?” I say, shaking my head. June Rumsey not only raised four foster sons alongside Edie but has been a kindergarten teacher at Huckleberry Elementary since before I moved to Finn River.
“She says she won’t retire until Dad does.”
I laugh. “Sounds like June.”
“Hey, Hutch!” Miranda says with a smile as we step up to the cashier. “I hear congratulations are in order!”
“Thank you,” I say, giving the underside of my wedding ring a stroke with my thumb, an unconscious habit I’ve developed when Ava’s not with me. It grounds me in the best way.
I place my order, a mix and match of Boston Cream, plain, and Fudge Heaven, and a large coffee. Everett adds his and we carry our coffees to a table facing the big windows.
“I think I have a good idea of how to fund the new training program you’re after,” Everett says, taking a sip of his coffee .
“I hope it’s better than that state grant.” I shake my head.
“Yeah, it’s?—”
The donut shop door swings open, and Vivian Walsh and her son, Mateo, step through, their hands clasped.
Everett’s lips are pursed like he’s about to sip from the cup of coffee halfway to his mouth, but lost track of his purpose.
A pink flush rises up Vivian’s neck as their eyes lock, but she quickly refocuses on Mateo, who looks like he’s trying to hug the display case.
“You were saying?” I prompt.
“Hmm?” he says.
I arch an eyebrow. Ava made me promise not to tease Everett who is clearly crushing on her nurse, but fuck am I tempted.
“Right.” He rattles off his findings, but when Vivian places her order, I swear his ears perk up.
“What do you need from me?” I whip out my phone so I can make a list.
“Hang on.” He rises from his chair so fast my skin prickles.
I jump up to follow Everett before I’m fully aware I’m doing so. Outside, Vivian is cradling Mateo, their bag of donuts and her paper cup of coffee scattered on the concrete.
Everett is already barking orders into his radio as he hurries into his SUV. As he slides in, he gives Vivian a glance. “Stay put. I’ll be back in a few.”
I approach Vivian carefully. “What happened?”
Vivian’s eyes blaze. “That idiot almost ran us over.”
Miranda steps outside. “What’s going on?” Her eyes fill with worry as she takes in Vivian and Mateo still standing in the middle of the parking lot.
“Looks like maybe someone was in a hurry,” I say, giving Vivian and Mateo a quick scan. “Are you hurt?”
Vivian shakes her head, then leans back to brush her son’s forehead. “You all right, Mateo?”
“Was it Daddy?” he asks, so quietly I barely hear it .
“No, honey,” Vivian says, her face tensing.
“Why don’t you come back inside?” Miranda says. “I’ll get you another coffee. And I’ll bring Matty one of those apple juice bottles he likes?”
Vivian gives Miranda a tense nod. “Thank you.”
I pick up the mess as Miranda ushers Vivian and Mateo back into the donut shop. Once inside, I drop off the trash and lead Vivian to the table Everett and I were sharing. Thankfully, the other patrons are kind enough not to stare.
Miranda brings over a to-go cup of coffee and the juice. “I’ll be right back with those donut holes.”
“Thank you,” Vivian says, settling into Everett’s chair with Mateo on her lap. Her hands are shaking and her face looks pale.
“Those were some quick reflexes,” I say.
Vivian unscrews the lid on the apple juice. “I might have overreacted.”
I want to ask more, but she’s just been through a pretty wicked scare, and Everett is likely going to cover the same ground.
Miranda brings over a bag of donut holes. “There’s hot birthday cake holes fresh outta the oven.” She smiles at Mateo.
“Thank you again,” Vivian says. “I’ll pay you?—”
Miranda waves her off. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Vivian nods. “We are. Thank you.”
“And I’m sorry.” Miranda touches Vivian’s arm.
The contact makes Vivian jump and her face tenses. “It’s okay,” she says, even though something is clearly very wrong.
Everett steps back into the donut shop just as Vivian gets to her feet, slinging Mateo to her hip. “I need to go,” she says, gathering the bag of donut holes and her coffee in her free hand.
“You sure about that?” Everett asks, concern filling his eyes.
“I made a mistake.”
Everett puts his hands on his hips. “So you don’t want to file a report?”
“No.” Vivian hurries past Everett and slips through the door. We both watch her help Mateo into the backseat of her Volvo, then get behind the wheel.
“Tell me I’m not the only one confused here?” he asks.
I remember Mateo’s quiet question. “Whatever she’s scared of, I hope it hasn’t found her.”
Vivian’s brake lights come on and she backs slowly out of the parking stall.
“But if it has,” Everett says, watching her drive off, then locking eyes with me, “why do I get the feeling I’ll be the last to know about it?”
We say goodbye and part ways. I drive to the sheriff’s department storage locker so I can pull gear for tomorrow’s technical rescue class at Tumwater Gorge, my thoughts shifting from worry for Vivian to excitement for my plans to take Ava dancing tonight.
I’m counting carabiners and stacking static lines when my phone rings. The ringtone isn’t Ava’s or either of my sisters, so I go to silence it, but the caller ID flashing on the screen makes that impossible.
“Hey, Luke!” I lean back on the tailgate of the truck and wipe my brow.
“Hutchins, got a sec?” I expect to hear the muffled conversations and keyboard strokes of his office in D.C. in the background, but instead there’s the rush of cars passing, and a distant but urgent beeping, like from a backhoe.
“Sure. Uh, where are you?”
A gust of wind buffets the speaker. “Big Pine.”
“Wyoming?” It’s in the northwest corner of the state, outside of Yellowstone National Park.
“You remember finding Michelle Swanson’s remains in that mine shaft?”
A chill walks down my spine. “Wish I didn’t.”
“Right.” The backhoe’s beeping fades, replaced by the sound of him walking over gravel. “Forget it. I can pull up the files later.”
“Luke, what’s going on? ”
“There’s something about this case…” A gust of wind fills the silence “…and I thought…but if you don’t wanna go back to that search, I completely understand. That was a rough time for you and Ava, and I forget?—”
“It’s okay, Luke,” I interrupt. “It just caught me off guard. How can I help?”
He releases a heavy sigh. “All right. Did you notice any jewelry on or near her remains?”
I close my eyes and revisit that rock shelf down in that mine. “It was pretty dark down there. The only thing I remember besides her bones was part of a shoe.”
“Okay,” Luke says with a huff. “What about Marin Lambert?”
This memory is definitely in my no-fly zone, but I try to work it from the edges. “Earrings. Little hoops.”
“Anything else?”
I coax another slow breath into my lungs. The image of Marin’s damp hair matted with… I shake my head to clear what comes into focus, but a detail fires. “Wait. Yeah. A gold necklace. With a key charm.”
“You’re sure?” he asks, his tone sharp.
I ground myself in the cold metal tailgate under my butt and the scent of dry sage and the warmth from the sun, then revisit that horrible scene one more time. “Yeah. I’m sure.”
Another gust blasts the silence. “Okay,” he finally says. “Thanks, Hutch.”
“Hope it helps.”
“It saves me some digging, and right now, that’s important.”
A part of me wants to know what he’s working and why details from a case we closed almost a year ago are somehow involved, but the other part is warning me not to ask.
“Jeremy’s still in jail, right?” I ask instead.
“Yeah.” The flat quality of his tone echoes through my mind. He’s not telling me everything, but he likely can’t. In fact, he’s probably already told me too much .
“When you wrap things up, can you make time to visit Finn River? I was thinking of climbing Liberty Spires, and I could use a partner.”
“I like that idea,” Luke says, the serious edge in his voice softening.
“All right, then.”
“Take care, Hutch. And thanks.”
“Welcome.”
We end the call and I set my phone face down on the tailgate, unease tickling the base of my core.
But I put it all out of my mind.
Life is too good to waste worrying.
With a gulp of the crisp fall air, I call my favorite person.
Ava picks up right away. “I was just thinking about you.” Her warm tone is like tasting something sweet, and I smile.
“Can I take you to lunch?” I ask.
She laughs. “What did you have in mind?”
“I was thinking of starting with dessert, then see where it takes us.”
“Hmm,” she says with another laugh. “Tempting.”
“I promise to make it worth your while.” Heat stirs in my core.
“I have zero doubt about that.”
I smile so big my face hurts. “I can’t wait to hold you.”
“See you at home,” she says on a sigh.
It takes all my focus to finish packing up the gear, and when I finally leave the lot, I have to set the cruise control to keep me from breaking the speed limit.
I get home first, giving me time to lower the shades in our bedroom and turn on one of our favorite playlists. When I hear the kick of gravel in the driveway, I race down the hallway and step outside just as Ava gets to the porch.
Her pretty eyes light up as I lunge for her and scoop her into my arms. Laughing, she caresses my face, drawing me close for a kiss. I slam the door shut with my heel, then carry her down the hall.
There was a time when I thought we might never find our way back to each other. That I might lose her for good. But that’s all behind us now.
She’s my best friend, the love of my life, my greatest joy. Today and for always. Mine to care for. To protect. To believe in. To love with my whole heart.
I lay her down on the be and press my lips to hers for a soft kiss. “I love you, Ava.”
Have you fallen in love with our other Finn River heroes yet? Read Zach and Sofie ’s story in Love Me Dangerous and Sawyer and Kirilee’s in Love Me Reckless . Keep reading for a preview of Vivian and Everett’s story in Love Me Fierce!