Chapter 39
chapter
thirty-nine
Caleb kicked the mud off his boots before stepping into the house, the smell of something savory—soup, maybe—drifting from the kitchen.
As he rounded the corner into the dining area, he stopped short.
Millie sat at the table, a steaming bowl in front of her. She looked up when he entered, and for half a second, their eyes met.
Then she looked away.
It was much of the same interaction the two of them had since their almost kiss the night before.
“Hey,” he said, the word coming out more awkward than he intended.
“Hi.” Her voice was quiet.
The air between them felt thick, heavy, and edged with unspoken conversations.
Caleb cleared his throat and moved toward the kitchen, where Naomi was ladling soup into bowls. “Smells good.”
“I splurged for lunch and made some vegetable barley,” Naomi said with a smile. “Help yourself.”
As much as he’d like to eat right now, his mind remained on Millie. The tension.
He hated the tension between them. But he didn’t know how to fix it without making things worse.
He was getting hungry, but the last thing he wanted to do was to stay here and eat awkwardly with her.
Instead, he kept his voice casual as he reached for a bowl and said, “I’ll grab a little for now and come back for more later. I need to head out to install some trail cams around the property. I should have them up before dark.”
A chair scraped against the floor behind him. “Can I come with you?”
Caleb turned to find Millie on her feet, her expression both hopeful and desperate.
Had he heard her correctly? He knew he had.
He shook his head. “No, that’s a terrible idea.”
Her jaw visibly tightened. “Why?”
“Because there’s still a killer out there, Millie. Someone was murdered on this property.”
“I know.” Her voice was sharper now. “But I’m going stir-crazy in here. I need to move. I need to breathe.”
“You can breathe inside.”
“No, I can’t.” She crossed her arms, her eyes flashing. “Being outside has always been my refuge. It helps me feel like I’m still alive. I can’t just sit here day after day staring at walls like my life has no meaning anymore.”
Caleb set his bowl on the counter. He understood where she was coming from, but it was still a terrible idea. “It’s not safe.”
“We’d be together. You’d have your gun. I’ll stay close. I just—” She stopped, her voice catching. “I just need to get out of this house. Please.”
He studied her face. The strain around her eyes. The tightness in her shoulders.
She wasn’t just restless, he realized.
She was unraveling.
He exhaled slowly, knowing he’d regret this. “Fine. But you stay within arm’s reach of me the entire time. No wandering off. No exceptions.”
Relief flooded her expression. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” He picked up his bowl again, his appetite suddenly gone. “I might have just made a very poor choice.”
“Understood.”
Naomi glanced between them, her expression unreadable, but she didn’t say anything.
Caleb took a bite of soup, barely tasting it.
He hoped to God he wasn’t making a mistake.
The moment Millie stepped outside, breath filled her lungs a little more easily.
The air felt crisp and cool. Leaves in shades of burnt orange, deep red, and golden yellow carpeted the trail ahead of them, crunching softly beneath her boots.
In other words, it was the perfect autumn day.
She’d worn a puffy jacket with a teal knit hat, and the clothing kept her just warm enough. She only wished she was coming out here for some real fun. However, she’d take whatever excuses she could get. At least she was outside.
As they walked, Hamilton trotted alongside Caleb, his tail wagging. Biscuit pulled on his leash, his ears perked and alert.
Everything felt perfect . . . except for the tension humming between her and Caleb like a taut wire.
They hadn’t spoken since their almost kiss—and there was clearly a lot to talk about. But neither of them were ready to discuss those things. Maybe because of their current roles.
She was here looking for shelter. He was here to provide that shelter.
The power dynamic was off.
Or maybe it was because their almost kiss had been a mistake. Maybe Caleb regretted the near miss and wanted to keep his distance.
Still, she needed to talk about something.
Millie kept her eyes on the trail as she hunted for a safe subject, her hands tucked into her jacket pockets.
“I found some promising grants today.” She finally broke the silence between.
“There’s one from a woman named Charlie Soldier.
Her dad was a professional football player—Benjamin Soldier, I think?
Anyway, she’s a philanthropist now. Lives in Arizona.
She gives to causes like Refuge Cove all the time. ”
Caleb adjusted the strap of the bag slung over his shoulder, filled with trail cameras and mounting equipment. “That’s great. Sounds like it would be a good fit.”
“I think so too. It’s really admirable what she’s doing.”
“Naomi will be thrilled.”
“Yeah. I think we have a good shot at it.”
They walked in silence, the only sounds the crunch of leaves and the dogs snuffling through the underbrush.
Millie tilted her head back, letting the sunlight filter onto her face through the canopy above. The trees were stunning this time of year. She’d forgotten how much she missed this—the simplicity of being outside, surrounded by beauty.
She and Caleb used to hike together all the time when they were dating. Short hikes at local parks. Day hikes along the Blue Ridge Parkway. They’d pack sandwiches and water bottles, and Caleb would always carry the heavier pack without complaint.
Those had been good days.
Her heart twisted with a moment of grief over what had been lost. She’d envisioned the two of them going to Yosemite together. Or hiking Angel’s Landing at Zion. Rim-to-Rim at the Grand Canyon. They’d talked about all of those things.
They made plans together.
Plans that had shattered along with her heart.
“This tree should work.” Caleb stopped beside a large oak and set down his bag.
Millie pushed the memories aside and leaned against a nearby tree, watching him as he pulled out a trail camera. Hamilton flopped down in a patch of sunlight, panting happily, while Biscuit sat at attention, scanning the woods.
“You still want to hike the Dolomites?” Caleb asked suddenly, not looking at her as he secured the camera to the tree trunk.
Millie blinked, caught off guard. “I—yeah. Actually, I do.”
“You used to talk about it all the time.” He glanced at her, something soft in his expression. “I hope you get to go one day.”
Warmth spread through her chest, unexpected and bittersweet.
He remembered. She wasn’t sure why that touched her so much, but it did.
“Thanks,” she murmured.
Garrick had hated hiking. He preferred gym workouts and dinners at fancy restaurants and intellectual conversations where his opinion was the only one that mattered.
Caleb finished mounting the camera and tested the angle. Then he pulled out his phone to check the feed. “This one looks good. Let’s move to the next spot.”
They continued deeper into the woods, the trail narrowing as they walked. They crossed a small stream. As they followed it a while, a small waterfall trickled down the rocks.
“This property really is gorgeous,” Millie murmured.
“Isn’t it? I always thought you’d like it.” His cheeks reddened after he said the words.
Clearly, he hadn’t meant to admit that.
But his words brought Millie a certain measure of delight.
She didn’t bring it up, however.
When Caleb paused again to set up another camera, Millie’s gaze drifted over the forest floor. The leaves had formed a colorful canopy both above and below. The whole area felt magical and like the perfect escape.
The sun caught something on the ground, and it glinted.
She narrowed her gaze.
What was that?
A small rectangular box was half-buried beneath a pile of leaves near the base of a fallen log.
“Caleb,” she said, her voice sharp.
He turned immediately. “What is it?”
“There’s something here.”
He crossed to her in two strides, his hand instinctively moving to the gun at his hip.
Millie crouched and brushed away the leaves, revealing a small weatherproof box—the kind someone might use to protect valuables.
Caleb knelt beside her, his jaw tight. “Don’t touch it.”
He pulled on a work glove and carefully lifted the lid.
She held her breath as she waited to see what was inside.
She blanched when she saw a wad of cash. A cell phone.
And a driver’s license.
Millie leaned closer, her heart pounding as she waited for the person in the photo to come into view.
Slowly, a familiar face emerged.
Valentina’s face.
But the name on the license wasn’t Valentina Reyes.
It was someone else entirely.