Page 30 of Kian

“We need to head back,” Kian said. The snow fell heavier and harder, coating the surrounding landscape in a thick blanket of white. He could feel Gretchen shiver as she huddled closer to him, and she nodded in agreement.

After helping her onto the ATV, he settled in front of her, his body tense. He knew she could hear his breathing, heavy and labored.

“Are you alright?” she asked, concern laced in her voice.

He cleared his throat before responding, his voice husky. “Yeah, just processing everything.”

“I’m so glad you were able to talk to him. I’m sure he is too.” She chuckled. “You called him ‘little brother’.”

Kian let out a chuckle as well. “Well, I am three minutes older than him. And although we’re twins, we have different birthdays.”

“Really? How did that happen?”

“Our mom gave birth to me two minutes before midnight on November thirtieth and Killian was born a minute after midnight on December first.”

“That’s incredible. Do you celebrate on both days?”

“Absolutely,” Kian answered with a smirk.

“Tell me about your parents,” Gretchen prompted.

“Our parents immigrated here from Ireland. They were both born and raised there, but my father wanted to move here shortly after they got married. He had worked in lawenforcement in Ireland but became interested in becoming a livestock agent once he arrived in the States.”

“And do they still have Irish accents?”

Kian laughed. “Just a hint of an Irish brogue.”

“I’m surprised you don’t have one.”

“No, but I can speak with one if I want,” he said in a perfect accent.

Gretchen laughed. “What are their names?”

“Aileen and Connor.”

“Aileen and Connor Doyle. If that’s not Irish.” She shook her head. “I bet you’ll be happy to see them again,” Gretchen said.

Kian shook his head sadly. “I can’t imagine what they’ve been going through. We’re all very close. I hate that I made them worry.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Kian. It wasn’t your fault.”

He looked at her and nodded. “You’re right, but it still bothers me knowing they were probably thinking the worst and it was almost true. If you hadn’t found me or if those men had left me here...”

“But I did find you and they didn’t leave you here,” Gretchen interrupted.

Kian’s thoughts quickly shifted to the bullet that had caused all this chaos. “Speaking of which, since the cartridge went through my arm and out the other side, it should be somewhere around where I was standing. Maybe more than one of them. Like I told Killian, possibly in a nearby tree. If I can find it, we can run it through ballistics and maybe find out who it belonged to.”

Gretchen’s eyes widened. “I know what you mean. I’ve watched a lot of crime shows.” She grinned before shaking her head. “I’m just glad it didn’t stay in your arm. I don’t know what I would have done.”

Kian chuckled at her reaction. “Well, then you would havehad to dig it out yourself,” he joked.

She shuddered at the thought. “There’s a reason I didn’t become a nurse,” she said with a laugh, then frowned. “How did you get here?”

“What do you mean?”

“You said you were sent here because of a horse, but how did you arrive?”

Kian’s eyes widened. “I drove my truck.” He glanced around. “But it wasn’t really close to here. I parked it on the shoulder of the road and walked in to look for the horse. I wonder if it’s still there?”

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