Chapter 2 Lennon
TWO
LENNON
When I know he’s left me alone in his room again, I head into the bathroom and quickly find the toothbrush. I grab it and try not to notice how my hand shakes when I put the toothpaste on the brush. It’s been a long night. One where I didn’t think I’d actually make it through.
The nights have been like that recently.
Since helping the Nelson family uncover “Project Watershed” and Noah Sanchez getting arrested, things have been tense.
More tense than I’ve allowed anyone to realize, especially Atlee.
My phone sits on the counter, and I’m waiting for Shawn to call me.
I left him a message, but the service here is spotty, and I’m not sure whether he actually got my message or not.
In the middle of everything that just went down in Grizzly River, Shawn and I got a case that’s broken both of our hearts, and we’re working hard to keep the people involved safe.
I’m worried that we’ve been found out, and that’s why I got shot at last night.
But that’s something I can’t tell Carson.
Loud footsteps are outside the door before I hear a knock.
“Lennon? You fall in?”
Carson’s voice is a low rumble that vibrates through the heavy wood of the door, and despite the nervous adrenaline humming in my veins, a shiver of awareness runs down my spine.
He’s one of the hottest men I’ve ever seen, and although today isn’t the day to think about that, I do.
Anything to keep my mind off what happened last night.
I spit into the sink and rinse, staring at my reflection.
My hair is a bird’s nest, my mascara is smudged into a smoky haze that makes me look like I’ve been in a bar fight, and my shoulders and neck are stiffening up from where I slept on his pillow.
He really needs a new one, and I might tell him about it if we get out of this situation.
“I’m fine, Carson!” I call out, my voice sounding more breathless than I’d like.
“Hurry your cute ass up, darlin’. I’ve got a bacon biscuit with your name on it and a coffee that’s actually drinkable. Don’t make me come in there and drag you out.”
I huff, a small smile tugging at the corner of my mouth despite the weight of everything sitting in my gut. “Give me five more minutes.”
I splash cold water on my face, trying to wash away the memory of the crack of that gunshot as we were on the side of the road.
I can’t tell him. Not yet. If the Nelsons find out what Shawn and I are sitting on, this fragile peace in Grizzly River won’t just fracture—it’ll explode.
And Carson? He’s a Nelson through and through.
Protective, stubborn, and far too observant for my own good.
I pull on my jeans and throw on a fresh flannel I borrowed from his closet. It smells like him, a mixture of sandalwood, leather, and crisp outdoor air that seems to cling to every inch of men who work on a ranch.
When I finally step out, he’s leaning against the opposite wall, looking entirely too good for a man who spent half the night sleeping on his couch to protect me.
He’s already in his work gear, his hat tilted low over his eyes.
He pushes off the wall the second he sees me, his gaze doing a slow, appreciative sweep of my body before landing on my pale face.
“Eat,” he commands, handing me a foil-wrapped bundle and a steaming travel mug.
He’s brought it directly to me, so I can’t get away.
“I can eat on the way,” I say, taking the coffee. The heat of the cup feels good against my still-cold fingers. “You don’t have to drive me into town, Carson. I can see if Shawn can swing by.”
His jaw sets, that familiar stubborn line appearing between his brows. “You aren’t calling anyone. I’m driving you.”
“Carson, seriously. You have work to do. I’m a grown woman, and I have a car. Well, I have a car with a flat tire, but it still runs. Triple A is a thing.”
He steps into my personal space, his shadow looming over me. He doesn’t look angry. He looks determined, which is much more dangerous to me. “Lennon, someone took a shot at you last night. You’re not going anywhere by yourself until I know who it was and where they’re hiding’. End of story.”
I roll my eyes, trying to mask the flicker of warmth his protectiveness sparks in my chest. “I’m independent, in case you hadn’t noticed. I’ve been taking care of myself and my sister way before I was legally old enough to.”
Carson reaches out, his thumb catching my chin and tilting my head up so I’m forced to look into those dark, intense eyes. A slow, wolfish smirk spreads across his face.
“Darlin’, an independent woman has never scared me. Usually, they’re the only ones worth the trouble.”
He doesn’t give me a chance to argue. He steers me toward the door with a hand on the small of my back, his touch heavy and reassuring at the same time.
Together, we walk out to his truck, his eyes roaming the horizon.
A part of me wants to ask if he thinks someone followed us here.
The other part of me doesn’t want to get into it.
I spend the twenty-minute drive into town in the same state of not knowing what I really want.
Half of me wants to melt into the leather seat and let him handle the world, and the other half is screaming at me to jump out of the moving truck before I spill everything I know.
When we pull up in front of the office, the town of Grizzly River is just starting to wake up. A few people are walking out of the coffee shop, and there are a couple of vehicles in front of the pharmacy, waiting for it to open.
Carson puts the truck in park but keeps the engine idling. “I’m picking you up at five. Don’t wander off.”
“Yes, sir,” I mutter sarcastically, though my heart isn’t in it.
I’m actually more than okay not to be in this by myself, although I keep screaming about how independent I am.
I climb out, clutching my coffee like a lifeline, and watch as he waits until I’m safely inside the lobby before slowly driving away.
The office is quiet except for the sound of the heat kicking on and of Shawn talking on the phone. Quietly, I walk into this office, and when I take a deep breath, his head lifts anxiously.
“Easy, it’s just me,” I say, leaning against the doorframe.
Shawn exhales a long, shaky breath, resting his elbows against the desk before ending the call. He looks me up and down, noticing the shirt I’m wearing isn’t mine. “Why the hell did Carson Nelson just drop you off?”
I set my coffee down on his desk and sigh, the weight of the morning finally crashing down. “Because I got shot at last night, Shawn. Right after I left here and was heading to the Grizzly River Ranch.”
The color drains from Shawn’s face instantly. He just stares at me, his mouth slightly open. “Shit,” he whispers, the word sounding heavy in the small office. “Then he must know.”
I look at the disheveled mess on his desk, then back at my boss. The secret we’re holding feels like a physical weight in the room, a ticking clock that’s finally run out of time.
“Yeah,” I answer, my voice tight. “I don’t think we can keep it a secret much longer.”