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I followed. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m the reason we’re even out here in the fir?—”

“Christ, Halley.” His brows were furrowed with frustration, hair drenched. “She’s my damn dog, and I’m going to find her. It’s not safe for you out here.”

“She’s my dog, too,” I shot back. “She’s my friend.”

His eyes swept over me for a charged moment. “Where’s your hat? Your gloves?”

“Where are yours?”

“You’re being irresponsible.”

“You’re being a jerk. Stop talking to me like I’m a little kid.”

We walked in tandem, the air fraught with friction and a slew of unsaid words teasing our tongues. He ran a hand over his face, shoving his hair back as the tips beaded with icy water droplets and we neared the edge of the embankment.

“How’s it going with Scotty?” he asked me, his tone as disinterested as a rock observing a river.

I stared straight ahead, my reply more frozen than my fingers. “Fantastic.”

“Really,” he bit out.

“Yep. He’s sweet, kind, and attentive. Treats me like an equal.” I clenched my jaw. “How about you? Any lady friends lately?”

“A few.”

“Good for you.” Hot pressure burned behind my eyes, but I held back the flimsy dam of tears.

He stared straight ahead, his profile rigid, arms hardly swinging at his sides. We didn’t say another word as we made the final trek over to the dropoff and I held my breath, my stomach weaving into knotty ropes when I moved to peer over the edge.

An arm flew out in front of me, holding me back.

Reed looked at me, right in the eyes, his expression softening unlike the storm. “I’ll look.”

I blinked at him, nodding gently. Lips quivering.

Then he spun around and leaned over while I burrowed my boots in the snow, fisted my hands, and squeezed my eyes shut. Time moved in slow motion, my heartbeats a reckless soundtrack. I heard my pulse in my ears as I waited; waited for him to break my heart or give me hope.

It was a feeling I was used to when it came to Reed.

“She’s not here,” he finally said, his words a whisper but loud enough to penetrate my thick wall of fear. “Let’s head back. It’s too dark, too dangerous.”

I sucked in a sharp breath as he moved around me and stormed back toward the truck. “What…? No. Reed…no, we have to keep looking.”

“There’s no point, Halley. She probably got picked up by a neighbor or animal control. There’s nothing more we can do right now.”

Giving chase, I croaked out a tiny sob that was carried away with the wind. I didn’t know what to say as I stared at his retreating back, the white snowfall shading the black leather of his jacket.

When we reached the darkened street, I stomped around the front of the truck, my eyes blurred by angry tears and an angrier sky. “You know, I really?—”

My words cut off when a firm hand tore me backward, and my feet nearly skidded out from under me. Whiplashed, I steadied myself and glanced up, just as the hazy headlights of an incoming car zigzagged by, struggling to stay in a straight line through the snow.

A horn blared.

I choked on a breath.

Blinking rapidly, my chin tipped up, and I met with Reed’s blazing eyes as I idled for a beat in the safety of his arms.

“Fucking hell,” he said on a low growl, his eyes glinting against the streetlight. He held me closer, fingers curling around my upper arms. “I told you to stay in the goddamn truck.”

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