Page 103 of The Rescuer

Neither am I.“Can’t blame her. She likes having her boys close by.”

“Except she and Dadaren’tclose by. They’re busy seeing the world, not that I begrudge them that. They’ve earned it. It’s just that it feels a little insincere when she talks about wanting us all here and she’s not.”

“I think what she means is that she likes the notion of coming home to Fall River, knowing her boys are here, and she can see all of them at thesame time. You can get together and celebrate as a family for holidays and birthdays, occasions like today. Those are special times for your mom.”

“I guess.”

Movement in the dark woods beyond her window caught her attention and jarred the

memory of when she thought she’d detected someone in the shadows at the rec center.

“Reece, would you mind if we swing by the clinic on our way home?”

“No problem. Forget something?”

“No. I just have this … feeling, and I want to check the place out to be sure everything’s secure.”

Nodding his understanding, he settled his grip on the steering wheel as he guided the truck along the highway toward town.

He sent her a sidelong glance. “What do you want to do about the attorney?”

She’d been giving it some thought. “Your parents made a good point about hiring someone who’s a known quantity. If our littleproblemisn’t in your family attorney’s wheelhouse, she’ll probably have connections to experts who can help us work this out. I mean, if wearemarried, is there trouble with community property?”

His jaw went slack. “Are you saying you’re going to petition for—”

“Absolutely not! But we might have to put that in writing, or there might be other steps we have to go through to protect your assets … and mine, not that I have any.”

“You have some veryfineassets, Doc. And I’ll gladly protect them myself.”

She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. I’m talking about things like that bank account of yours that keeps siphoning off money and depositing it into the clinic’s.” She watched him closely for any sign that she’d struck pay dirt, but his gaze remained glued to the windshield, hands resting casually on the steering wheel.

“That’s a great fantasy you’ve got going there, Doc. Makes me sound like a big shot.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “Kinda like Leo Cantrell.”

She decided not to swallow his bait but instead put some of her own on a hook. “You know, I’m coming to the conclusion that I’ve been barking up the wrong tree. I bet you it reallyisLeo dumping all those fundsinto my account. I mean, with all his bucks, he wouldn’t miss a piddly amount like he’s been sending my way.”

Reece’s jaw firmed. Beyond that, though, he didn’t waver. “Why would he be interested in putting money into your clinic?”

“Because he’s a good guy. I really should give him another chance.”

“Are you forgetting you’re a married woman?”

“Not at all. But our plan is for me to become an unmarried woman, isn’t it?” She aimed a pointed look at his profile. The muscle in his jaw jumped.

Undeterred, she struck his soft underbelly in a different spot. “I thought your mom asked a fair question about how working in Vermont was going to benefit your hometown.”

He pushed out an irritated breath and took his hand off the wheel long enough to shove fingers through his hair. “Like I tried to tell her, Ineedto do something. I’m itching all over. I need to get out there and feel like I’m doing something worthwhile.”

“You’re an adrenaline junkie.”

One corner of his mouth twitched. “Thought I was a mountain goat.”

“Who loves adrenaline.”

He shrugged. “Maybe. But it’s who I am. You know that. I’m gonna go nuts if I sit around all the time. Noah’s got his bar, Hailey’s got her bookstore, Charlie’s got his restoration company, and Joy continues to slay the mighty financial dragons. And you’ve got your clinic. You’re all living your dreams. The lifeline to mine got hacked, and it’s adrift, floating around somewhere, and I need to chase it down and reel it back in. I save people. That’s what I do, and I can’t do that here anymore.”

The desperation in his words made her heart hurt for him. If not for Chelsea Selkirk, his life would be back on track in the town he loved. Neve’s brain zipped through a list of scenarios where she caused Chelsea to leave town, leave her position at San Juan Search and Rescue. Some of those scenarios were more violent than others. In the end, it was a futile exercise. Neve wasn’t about to threaten the woman, much less cause her bodily harm.

They pulled into the darkened town, and Reece inched the truck along Bowen Street a few more blocks until they reached the clinic. An out-of-place beam of light shone at the back of the building, where Neve normally parked.

---