Chapter 10 #2
“I don’t mind,” Jordan said. “I like having you here.”
She glanced up at that, her gaze clashing with his. Her heart thudded in her chest, and it was suddenly difficult to breathe.
It took a moment for her to realize the awareness tingling down her spine wasn’t one-sided.
Jordan felt it, too.
Swallowing hard, she tried to think of something to say. But the opportunity was lost when Cutie pounced on Bear and her K-9 bolted under the table, nearly taking her down with him, to escape.
“Easy, boy.” She bent and stroked his fur. “Cutie only wants to play.”
Her K-9 stared up at her with big, imploring brown eyes as if begging her for peace and quiet. When Cutie tried to crawl under the table to join him, she scooped the puppy into her arms.
“Not now,” she chided. “Bear worked hard today and deserves some rest.”
Cutie licked her hand, then settled in her lap. Feeling Jordan’s gaze, she glanced up.
The room seemed to shrink and she realized staying here for another day made her long for something she hadn’t considered in a long time. Not since Steve had made it clear he wasn’t interested in settling down with a cop.
Being with Jordan had her wishing for something she’d long since pushed aside. A family of her own.
* * *
Keenly aware of Autumn’s presence, Jordan focused on making dinner. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel uncomfortable to the point she headed back into town to stay at a hotel.
As he thawed and browned the ground beef, he was secretly thrilled that he’d given her another piece of evidence to use to find this guy.
Between the dagger tattoo and the license plate digit, he was confident she’d find the person responsible, very soon.
A good thing, as he was getting angry at the way this guy had targeted her.
He wanted nothing more than for this attacker to be locked up.
Yet, that also meant an end to their time together. He tried not to think about that, since there was nothing more important than Autumn’s safety.
Would she be willing to see him again when this was over? It scared him to realize how much he wanted to see her again. She’d still be working with the task force to find Jenny’s killer and the missing baby. Obviously, Autumn would likely keep him informed.
For now, he told himself that would have to be good enough. He wasn’t sure he was ready to trust his heart again, anyway. After Shiloh left, he hadn’t wanted to risk opening himself up to rejection.
“Were you close enough to identify the make and model of the black car?” Autumn asked, pulling him from his thoughts.
“Not really.” He frowned, trying to remember. “I can tell you the sedan has four doors, but other than that I have no idea.” He sighed. “I wouldn’t make a very good cop.”
“Hey, I didn’t get a close enough look to see the make and model, either.
” She waved a hand. “Don’t worry. Turns out there are more than twenty cars in the Denver and Canyon Creek area that have the number eight as the last digit of the license plate.
But that’s okay, I’ll crossmatch with the names on my list. I’m sure we’ll find him. ”
He nodded, adding spaghetti sauce to the ground beef. Then he set about making noodles. He’d need to head outside to do more chores when they’d finished eating.
And he really wished he’d gotten to the grocery store prior to this so he had more to offer.
Autumn set Cutie on the floor, stood and stretched. “I need to get dog food for Bear from my car.”
“I’ll feed Cutie now, then, too.” He learned it was better to feed both dogs at the same time, otherwise Cutie tried to sneak some of Bear’s kibble.
When dinner was ready, he carried plates and silverware to the table.
“Smells awesome.” Autumn closed her laptop.
“It’s nothing special.” He couldn’t help wishing he could impress her with his culinary skills. “I pretty much learned the basics of cooking but haven’t tried anything fancy.”
“You’re doing a wonderful job, thanks.” She smiled then added, “I’d like to say grace.”
“Of course.” He should have expected that. He quickly clasped his hands in his lap and bowed his head.
“Dear Lord Jesus, we ask You to keep us safe in Your care. Please grant us the courage and wisdom to find the threat and to bring those who would harm others to justice. Amen.”
“Amen.” He thought about the brief prayer he’d tried last night. “Thanks, Autumn.”
“God’s watching over us, Jordan.” She lightly touched his hand, sending a tingle dancing up his arm. “Have faith. We’re going to get to the bottom of this, you’ll see.”
He believed her. And deep down, he was beginning to believe she was right about God watching over them.
That maybe his father had truly found God and forgiveness for his sins, prior to his death.
Autumn dug into her meal. “I can’t believe there are that many license plates that end with the number eight,” she said between bites.
“I can help you with crossmatching the names,” he offered. “It won’t take me that long to do the evening chores.”
“I can handle it.” She shrugged. “I need to call my boss, see if he’ll provide some additional backup here.”
He nodded. Before Autumn could make the call, her phone rang. She arched a brow, showed him Peters’s name on the screen, then answered.
“Detective. Thanks for getting in touch.” He listened as she went through the recent attack in more detail. “I was planning to call Redding to ask if I could have a uniform posted here at the ranch for the night.” Another pause. She grimaced, indicating the news wasn’t good.
“That’s okay, I understand. Getting the crime scene techs to check the paint transfer on my SUV will help.
Thanks.” She set the phone aside. “Sounds like Peters already spoke to Redding about the danger, and the best they can offer is to have an officer drive by every two hours. Apparently, there’s been an uptick in crime, so he doesn’t want to risk having someone sitting out here when they’re needed in town. ”
He didn’t like it but understood. “At least we have the trail cameras.”
“We do.” She glanced down at where Bear had crawled to sit at her feet under the table. Cutie joined him but promptly fell asleep against Bear. The image of the two of them together made her smile. “I should have a suspect by then, too.”
When they finished eating, he stacked and carried the dirty dishes to the sink.
“It’s my turn to wash them,” Autumn said as he turned the water on.
“Your work is more important.” He nodded at the computer. “Find our guy already, would you?”
“Trust me, I’m trying.” She opened her laptop. “Thanks, Jordan. I owe you a couple of dinners when this is over.”
He glanced over, wondering if she was serious about the invite. But she didn’t notice, her attention riveted on the task at hand.
Jordan finished the dishes then took Cutie outside with him to do the evening chores. As he worked, he kept a wary eye out for any sign of the shooter. There was no doubt in his mind this guy would show up again.
He only hoped they’d be able to grab him this time.
Working with the animals was soothing. Jordan was a loner by nature, which was why it was strange how much he enjoyed having Autumn stay with him at the ranch. He’d have expected to be sick of her by now, and more than ready for some downtime.
But that hadn’t happened. Instead, he looked forward to seeing Autumn again when the chores were finished.
Cutie ran through the barn, strands of hay sticking to her fur. The high-energy puppy was a lot to handle, too. His life had been turned upside down by the recent events, but as much as he grieved over losing Jenny, he had to admit that meeting Autumn and Bear was a blessing.
After he’d finished with the livestock, he took a moment to pull the hay from Cutie before she romped away to do her thing.
“Good girl!” He bent to stroke her fur. “You’re really doing well, aren’t you?”
She jumped up and tried to lick his face.
He glanced up at the sky, thick with dark clouds. A storm was brewing, not unusual for this time of year. April showers and all of that. He arched a brow in surprise when Autumn came outside with Bear. Her solemn expression made his stomach tense. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She sighed heavily and turned toward Bear. “Go on, you too.”
“I’m sure you’ll find this guy soon.” He could tell she wasn’t happy.
She let out a harsh laugh. “I’ve been through the list of license plates. Not one of the cars matches a person on my suspect list. None of the people me or my mother have arrested matches any of the registered cars.” She shook her head. “I’ve hit a dead end.”
That surprised him, as he felt certain the license plate would have led them to the shooter. “Maybe the guy is driving a rental car.”
“I’ve considered that,” she admitted. “But he slammed into me on the road, trying to send me into the ditch, which makes me think the car is his.”
“Maybe he borrowed it from a friend or relative?” Even as he said the words, he realized they weren’t helpful. There would be no easy way to track down every family member, much less the friends of people on the suspect list.
“Could be.” She looked tired and pale in the darkness. “I was so hopeful…”
“Hey, we’ll figure it out.” He took the few steps necessary to slide his arm around her shoulders, giving her a reassuring hug. “Don’t give up.”
“I haven’t given up,” she murmured, leaning against him. “I’m just frustrated. I know police work can be tedious, but I really thought the license plate information would point me in the right direction.”
He could understand that. He held her close for a long moment, trying to think of something encouraging to say. “You’ve been praying for God to give you strength and courage, so I know He will do that for you. I’m sure you’ll figure this out.”
She lifted her head to gaze up at him. “You’re right. Thank you for being so supportive.”
He told himself to step back, to let her go. But his feet refused to move. He searched her gaze for a minute then leaned in, giving her plenty of time to stop him.
She didn’t.
Jordan carefully lowered his mouth to hers. She rose on her tippy-toes, meeting him more than halfway. Their kiss was tentative at first, then Autumn wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him in.
Heart soaring, he crushed her close, secretly wishing he never had to let her go.