Chapter 29 Use ItLose It
Use It or Lose It
Two days later, Shane was trying his damnedest to cheer Amy up.
Her moods had shifted and changed, and today she was despondent about her store and the money she was losing while Mountain Coffee sat locked up and idle.
They had just come from her new apartment, where she still couldn’t get into the swing of settling in, which only added to her frustration.
“I don’t know why, but I just don’t feel like I belong here,” she’d said about the place.
“You’re probably associating it with bad stuff.” He couldn’t believe she preferred his tiny place to the bigger one above Winona’s store. She’d said his studio smelled like him, and that being surrounded by it helped her relax.
Knowing your scent had a calming effect on your woman? Yeah, sign him up.
His studio was crowded, and their cooking options were limited, but he wasn’t complaining. As long as he could fall asleep with her in his arms every night, he’d gladly live in a tent.
Right now she stood beside his couch, arranging girlie throw pillows she’d brought from her place. “So no one knows when the lab technicians are going to show up?” Turning toward him, she cocked an eyebrow.
God, she was beautiful! Today she wore pale pink yoga leggings and a black sweater with a hem that rested at her waist, affording him an unobstructed view of her shapely legs and the gorgeous ass he wanted his hands on.
Judging by the fit of the stretchy fabric, she either wore a thong or nothing at all.
His mouth practically watered as he imagined discovering for himself what was beneath the thin layer.
The sweater hung loose, and it kept slipping down her shoulder, exposing that beautiful golden skin he loved to lick and nibble.
He didn’t see a strap of any kind, and he hoped drool wasn’t leaking from his mouth as he pictured nibbling and licking what the top hid from his view.
“Shane? Did you hear what I said?”
Busted. “Huh?”
Smirking, she crossed her arms over her chest. His keen powers of observation told him she wasn’t wearing a bra. As he was considering investigating further, she jolted him from his pornographic daydream. “You’re looking at me like I’m your next meal.”
Because you are. “Yeah? Sorry.” Not sorry.
She rolled her eyes.
He recovered his sanity. “The techs are on loan from a different county, and they’re backed up.” They were always backed up. “How about I call Donna and see if she can give me an update? Meanwhile, look at the bright side.”
Her forehead wrinkled.
“Being away gives you time to catch up on sleep. And while I’m on leave, I can catch up mine with you.”
Her smirk pulled up a little higher on one side. “Why do I get the feeling your ‘bright side’ doesn’t involve a whole lot of sleeping?”
“Because you’re smart.”
“One-track, just like the train.” Her shoulders slackened.
“I’m missing all this business with the leaf peepers.
” Suddenly, her eyes lit, and she snapped her fingers.
“I have an idea!” She swiped her phone from the end table, tapped at the screen, and placed the phone against her ear.
“Hello? May I please speak to Leo Cantrell?”
Cantrell? Why the hell was she calling the owner of the Silver Summit Resort?
A knock came at the door, and he motioned for her to stay where she was. When he opened it, he was surprised to see Gunderson standing on the other side.
The park ranger grinned. His eyes darted to Amy, who had just ended her call, and his mouth formed an O. “I can come back.”
Shane opened the door for him. “Nah, it’s cool. She’s just … hanging out with me. Come on in.”
Gunderson gave Amy a small wave. “Hey, Councilwoman Caufield. How are you feeling?”
“Please, call me Amy. I’m better now that I’ve caught up on my sleep.
” She gave Shane a smoldering look he hoped Gunderson didn’t notice.
Shane’s ears might have heated with embarrassment, but inside, he swelled with self-satisfaction.
Action south of his belt swelled too—highly inappropriate as he faced the ranger.
He cleared his throat. “What can I get you? We’ve got water, milk, beer, coffee.” Shane paused as he closed the door, reflecting on how easily “we” had rolled off his tongue.
“I’m good, thanks. I just wanted to stop by and let you know about a discovery the investigators made while they were searching the area around the cabin. Off the record since you’re on leave, of course.”
“Of course.” Shane invited him to take a seat, but Gunderson shook his head. “What’d they find?” Amy stood nearby, her expression full of interest.
“Human remains.”
“What?” In Shane’s peripheral vision, Amy’s eyes went wide.
“They don’t think they’re part of our narcotics boys’ club. It’s only a partial, and it’s been there for a while.” Gunderson held out his phone, where the screen showed a picture of scattered human bones among dirt and decaying leaves. It was hard to tell the bones from the natural debris.
Amy peered over Shane’s shoulder before he returned Gunderson’s phone. “You think they belong to someone who was working that claim back in the day?”
“No way to tell until they date the bones, but if the other stuff they found is any indication, the remains don’t date back that far.
” Gunderson scrolled his images and settled on one.
He zoomed in and handed the device to Shane.
“One of the hands is intact, and it’s holding the first clue. Check it out.”
Shane stared at skeletal fingers clutching a clear bottle.
Part of a sleeve, caked in mud and vegetation, was visible.
Peeking from beneath the fabric was a twisted copper bracelet.
Though it was blackened with age, something about its shape punched Shane in the gut.
His mind blanked. No, it couldn’t be. Gunderson yammered on about maybe some jokester arranging a pose, but there was nothing staged about the scene.
Shane stepped backward and sank onto the couch as though in slow motion.
Gunderson’s smile was quickly replaced by a look of concern. “Hey, man. You’re as white as a sheet. Are you all right?”
The cushion to the side dipped, and he was vaguely aware Amy sat beside him. “Shane?” She took the phone from his grip, glanced at it, and handed it back to the ranger. “What’s that a picture of?” she asked Gunderson.
“It’s a skeleton holding a whiskey bottle. Judging by the shape of the bottle and what’s left of the label, I’d guess it dates back about ten years.”
Gunderson left, and Shane sat staring into dead space. He was vaguely aware that Amy nestled his hand in her small ones and held it in her lap.
The images on Gunderson’s phone had sent his mind into a free fall. His brain was like a party popper that had just gone off, and his thoughts were millions of bits of confetti fluttering and floating without cohesion.
“Shane, what is it?” He turned his head slowly. Amy’s face was filled with worry. She searched his eyes, and she could probably see he was struggling inside. “You don’t have to tell me,” she said softly.
“Yes, I do.” He loved her with his whole being, and he wanted to make her a permanent fixture in his life. How could he do that if she didn’t know his entire past? If he was going to be the man she deserved, it was time to tear off the Band-aid.
She opened her mouth—probably to argue—and he cut her off. “I want to spend the rest of my life learning every little detail about you and having you know every detail about me. This detail is a damn big one.”
Uncoupling their hands, he sat back and pulled her into his lap so her side nestled against his chest and her legs draped over his thighs. He wrapped his arms around her and locked his fingers together. Her warm weight gave him the strength he needed to begin.
“You already know my dad was a state trooper who bent the rules to his advantage. Shit, that’s not true. He broke the rules.”
She covered his heart with her palm. “And because some of your ancestors did too, you have this crazy idea it’s in your DNA. That’s why you work so hard to uphold the law.” She drew back and smoothed his hair. “You have integrity, and I admire you for it.”
“God, you’re perfect,” he whispered.
She smiled and kissed his mouth. “I know this is hard, and I didn’t mean to make it harder by interrupting your train of thought.”
“You didn’t.” It was just fucking hard, period. But he had to move past it. For himself. For them.
She snuggled back against him. “Take your time. I’m not going anywhere. I’m ready to listen whenever you’re ready to tell me.”
“Yeah.” He swallowed hard, trying to muscle down the wad that had formed in his throat.
With her thumb, Amy stroked the base of his neck as if she knew words were stuck there. The motion was simple yet soothing, and it grounded him, helped him recover his voice and let the river of words flow out of him.
“My dad was an oak of a man. Big, strong, tough as nails. I used to look up to him with awe. Thought he was a superhero. Wanted to be just like him. Anytime he wanted to do stuff with me, I jumped at the chance.
“One thing he liked to do was take us boys hunting when we were younger. Those were great trips I’ll always remember.
When I was in my late teens, we went on one of those trips.
We didn’t know it at the time, but it would be the last one with all four of us together.
Dad didn’t seem like himself, but I didn’t think anything of it.
Looking back, the timing lined up with the start of the investigation against him. He was probably feeling the heat.