Page 13 of Home Town Knight

The reception desk was empty, though I heard the faint audio of a movie or TV show playing in the office beyond.

The automatic doors were turned off, so I used the door off to one side. It looked like they kept the hotel locked up tight during off hours. Keycard access only. I appreciated the safety feature. Yet it was a little jarring, given the otherwise peaceful atmosphere around here. That automatic lock was a reminder that bad guys lurked everywhere. Especially with highway access just beyond the parking lot.

Suddenly, the quiet seemed eerie.

But that unease vanished the moment I stepped outside into the cold. The frigid air braced me. Like it was knocking away the cobwebs in my mind.

The snow had stopped falling, and the trees were covered with a thick coating of white. It smelled like evergreens and cold and freedom. While I enjoyed living in the city, with its bright lights and noise, this change in scenery was a reprieve.

I closed my eyes, breathing in the icy air.

But in my memory, I imagined warmth mixing with the cold. Like the freshly baked cookie topped with ice cream we’d shared for dessert. Strong hands on my chilly bare skin, a hot mouth kissing me with commanding strokes of his minty-sweet tongue…

My eyes popped open. So much for clearing my head. My thoughts had gone straight back to Owen.

It wasn’t fair for a man like that to kiss so well. Part of me wished we could go back to before I’d discovered his real identity. What if I had ignored his open wallet on the floor? Until that moment, the night had been shaping up to be unforgettable.

Well, I supposed it was still going to be impossible to forget. Just not in the way I’d hoped.

I’d had plenty of fun in my past. Most of my previous boyfriends had been great. But was I naive to think I’d had a special spark with Owen?

Somehow, the verbal barbs we’d traded hadn’t diminished the thrill in my blood when I remembered his kiss. If anything, the thought of him now made my skin flush even hotter than it had before. Which was ridiculous. The man despised me. He’d called me aharpy, for heaven’s sake. I’d be crazy to ever consider kissing that mouth again. I was the last woman to stick around for a man who mistreated me.

But how was I supposed to face him in a few hours andnotthink of those lips all over me?

A creaking noise cut through the quiet, forcing my attention to the present. I welcomed it. Anything to get my mind off Owen Douglas’s mouth.

It took me half a second to place the sound, but then I heard the crunch of boots in snow. A cough. I realized someone had just emerged from a side door to the hotel. Aquick glance around the corner revealed a bright yellow knit cap and a camo jacket.

It was one of the brawlers from the bar who’d run into me.

This guy had been the more apologetic of the two. And if I remembered correctly, he’d given Dean a generous tip for not calling the cops. Funny when you considered the sheriff had already been right there. But the hunters clearly hadn’t known that, any more than I had.

What was this guy doing out here without his friends?

I had nothing better to do, and my curiosity knew no bounds, so I watched him from my spot as I peered around the corner. It should’ve been dark with so few lights out here, but the snow turned everything bright.

He crossed the parking lot to a truck, a duffel in one hand. Was he taking off? The road was still packed with snow. The plows hadn’t been through yet, so travel seemed like a bad idea.

Also, he’d been pretty drunk last night. Maybe he’d sobered up by now, but it still seemed ill advised.

When he reached the truck, he opened the tailgate. He set his duffel down and grabbed a larger bag from the covered bed’s interior. Pulled out something long and narrow.

It was a rifle.

I tensed, holding my breath as I backed further against the building. The hunter was rummaging in his bag again, and then he fiddled with the rifle.

He was loading it.

Staying as quiet as possible, I took out my phone and aimed it at the truck. I made sure to record the license plate as well as the hunter. I had no idea what he was planning. It could simply be an early start on another day of hunting. Yet far more dire scenarios were running through my head. This guy had been fighting with his friend in the bar. He’d seemedsorry for his actions last night, but maybe he’d been stewing since then. Was he going to go back inside and get the last word?

I could’ve been overreacting. But what if I wasn’t? I should go back inside and warn someone.

Then without warning, the hunter’s body jolted. A loudsnaprang out, like a whip rending the air. He keeled over in the snow. Blood spattered the white.

My God. He’d just been shot.

I still had my phone pointed at the man’s body. I almost took a step in his direction, but there was a flash of movement. A dark figure emerged from the woods just beyond the parking lot. This man wore a heavy coat with the hood pulled up. Thick gloves. He was geared up for winter conditions head-to-toe.

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