Page 56 of Finding Forever

He must have read my mind.

Alex folded the map in half. “I’ve been working on some big projects. My latest contract’s more complex than the others I’ve done. I don’t have as many distractions out here.”

“Apart from us,” Riley said, a twinge of guilt in his voice. “I’m sorry we interrupted you.”

The smile on Alex’s face was instant and genuine. “Don’t worry about it. I’m enjoying having you here. Even for me, my house can be too remote at times.” He checked his watch. “We’d better get a move on if we want to be back by lunchtime.”

Riley picked up his backpack. “I’m looking forward to seeing the cave.”

“As long as it’s empty, so am I.” Alex looked over his shoulder at me. “Do you still have the bear spray?”

I patted my pocket. “In here.”

“Great. Let’s go.”

As we walked through the trees, I kept a careful eye on our surroundings. We didn’t leave Alex’s house for a simple hike. We needed to know what was around the property and where we could go if anything happened. After studying the map, we decided the safest location was the cave Alex had found four months ago. We’d leave basic supplies inside, hoping we’d never have to use them.

Riley held a branch out of my way.

“Thanks.”

A smile lit up his eyes. “You’re welcome.”

Riley must have thought I was crazy. For someone who spent a lot of time painting in Europe, this must have seemed surreal. He came to Colorado to find a new kind of normal. Instead, he inherited my problems and a stalker who wasn’t going away. For some reason, he was just as determined as I was to find Leith Chapman.

Each day we spent together, the more I appreciated Riley’s sense of humor, the way he handled stressful situations, even when he was worried. His stubbornness and tenacity only made me want him more. It didn’t take much to realize I was falling in love with him but, right now, I was the last person Riley needed in his life.

Sherlock trotted ahead, happy to walk beside Riley. Most mornings, I had to coax him away from the studio Alex created. For the first time since Mike’s death, Sherlock had attached himself to someone other than me. And only time would tell if that was a good thing.

“What’s that?” Riley stopped and pointed to a pile of branches under a pine tree.

I glanced at Alex. Someone had made a crude shelter out of fallen branches. From the look on Alex’s face, he was thinking the same thing I was. Finding the shelter this close to his house was too much of a coincidence.

I held a finger to my lips and looked at Riley. If someone was inside, I didn’t want them to know we’d seen their hideout.

Alex kept talking, making a big deal out of retying his bootlaces.

I took my gun out of its holster. Riley froze. His eyes widened, and he shook his head. He thought I was overreacting. I wished I was.

With one look, Sherlock changed from happy-go-lucky hiking buddy to police dog. With his ears pricked forward and his eyes firmly on me, he was ready for anything.

Alex pulled Riley farther along the track, making more noise than a herd of elephants.

From where I stood, I couldn’t see if anyone was inside the shelter. Stepping sideways, I slowly moved forward.

Sherlock stuck like glue to my side.

Taking position behind the trunk of a tree, I took a deep breath, raised my gun, and pivoted toward the opening. “It’s empty,” I yelled.

Sherlock’s sharp bark echoed through the trees.

I smiled at the goofy grin on my dog’s face. I knelt down and rubbed Sherlock’s back. “Good boy.” I didn’t know how much Sherlock remembered about his time in the K-9 unit, but something had triggered the joy on his face.

Unlike Sherlock, Riley didn’t seem happy. He stomped toward me with a frown plastered across his face. “You didn’t need to take out your gun,” he growled. “Someone could have been hurt.”

“Only if they were doing something they shouldn’t.” I used a stick to flick through the trash on the floor of the shelter. “They must have been here for at least a couple of days.”

Alex’s gaze skimmed over the mess. “Junk food. Could be hunters, but they usually take their trash with them. It’s too far from the road for teenagers.”

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