Page 53 of Kian

“Hey,” he said when he entered the cabin and took his coat off.

“Hi. Were you able to get the bullet from the tree?”

Kian held up two plastic bags each containing a casing.

“I was. I almost missed the second one. I walked around and since some of the snow had melted, I saw a mark in the dirt. After digging a few minutes, I found the second one. There was no sign of the third one, but these will do. Uh, Killian will be here the day after tomorrow to pick me up.”

Gretchen turned to face him. “So soon?”

“Soon? Darlin’, I’ve been here almost three weeks now. I don’t want to wear out my welcome.”

“You could never do that.” She shook her head. “I know you have to go back. I’ll miss you.”

He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Gretchen, I’ll be back. It’s not like I’m leaving for good.”

“It feels like it.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be acting this way; I have no right to claim you.”

Kian buried his face in the nook of her neck. “Actually, you do, baby.” He looked into her eyes. “I can’t get enough of you, but I have to be honest. It might be a while before I can come back here. I’ll have a lot on my plate once I return. Dave will probably make me go to the hospital to make sure I’m healing properly.”

“Your boss?”

“Yes. He won’t put me on duty until he’s certain I’ve recovered. You did a great job cleaning my wounds and bandaging me up, but he’ll want me checked by a doctor.”

“I understand that.”

“And when I am cleared for work, I want to meet with the sheriff and look at mugshots. I know I would recognize those guys.”

“But what if they’re not in the system?”

“That’ll make it more challenging, but we’ll do our best to find them. Killian said the FWP is also on the lookout. And if these casings have fingerprints, we might find them that way.”

“Okay, I’ll try to be patient.” She smiled.

“I’m glad one of us will be. Please don’t think I’m ignoring you; I’ll just have a lot going on. But trust me, those bastards won’t get away with it.”

“I know they won’t. Do you want breakfast?”

“I’ll make it. Don’t worry about waiting on me; go paint.” He grinned, looking at her latest piece on the easel. “I love this. It’s amazing. You’re such a talented painter, Gretchen.”

“Thank you. For now, though, I’m done with painting.”

“Maybe after I buy a house, I’ll get one of your paintings.”

“Where are you looking to buy?”

“In Clifton, somewhere. Killian just got a new place; it’s beautiful.” He furrowed his brow. “I think he said it was on Rawlins Road.”

“Probably Rawlings Road. It’s a lovely area.”

“I might check it out then.”

“That’s where I grew up. My parents still live there.”

“You’ve never really talked about them. You mentioned your mom taught you how to cook and they lived in Clifton, but not much else. Are you close?”

“Very. My mom is my best friend, and my dad is an incredible man.”

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