Page 24 of Valor

Owen sighed, then lowered his voice to a whisper. “Yes, but we can discuss this in more detail later. Voices carry through the woods, and I don’t know if there are other bad guys nearby. We need to reach the truck without being heard, okay?”

She grimaced, nodded in agreement, and followed his path without saying anything more. She personally thought their movements were far from stealthy, despite her attempt to move quietly. If someone was out there, she had a hard time believing they wouldn’t be heard going back to the truck.

As they walked, she considered the possibility that her phone had led the gunman to her cabin. It seemed unlikely that a drug dealer could do something that high tech. She may have given up her phone for no good reason. Even so, it was too late to go back for the device now.

All she could do was hope and pray Doug would understand that she was still with Owen and not kidnapped again by other bad guys.

Granted, in Doug’s mind, Owen was a bad guy. Her brother’s furious text and phone messages had made that perfectly clear. Their conversation had been brief and tense. She’d promised to explain everything, yet her brother had made it clear that Owen was lower than scum.

Doug was wrong about that. She knew the truth. That Owen might have done bad things in his life, not least of which killing two men to keep her safe, but deep down, he was a good man. One who cared enough about her to come back to watch over the cabin while she’d slept.

Something she’d never imagined he’d do. When he’d driven away, she was convinced she’d never see him again.

Maybe this was God’s way of giving her more time to convince Owen it wasn’t too late to change his mind about going straight. Maybe it was wishful thinking on her part, but she felt as if he were close. That deep down, Owen wanted to do the right thing. For her part, she’d try everything possible to convince Doug not to throw the book at Owen. That he should cut Owen a break for the fact that he’d saved her life. Not just once, but three times now.

Or was it four? Sadly, she was having trouble keeping track.

Either way, she felt as if Owen’s actions in keeping her safe had to count for something.

Owen kept a steady pace through the woods. She carried the puppy close as she followed his lead. She was glad Bear stopped struggling in her arms. The pup always found a way to let her know when he needed to go out. For however long the Martins had cared for Bear, they’d done a good job of training him. She’d only cared for the dog for a few short hours, but she already loved the little guy.

Almost as much as she loved Owen.

Wait, that wasn’t right. She couldn’t possibly love a criminal. No way, no how. Care about him, sure. He had saved her life. But love? No. She would not be that foolish.

Falling for Owen was a path to heartbreak. She didn’t even know his last name!

Yet even as she continued following Owen through the thick brush, she knew she was on the brink of letting her emotions get the better of her. She lifted her gaze to the starry sky, asking for God’s strength and guidance that she would do the right thing.

That she would not lose her heart to an outlaw who had made it clear he fully intended to go back to his old ways.

They walked for another twenty minutes before Owen lifted his hand, indicating they could take a break. For some reason, she felt more exhausted now than she had earlier. The nurse side of her knew the adrenaline rush that had flooded her bloodstream was fading away, leaving a mixture of her lack of sleep and physical exertion to drag her down.

She dropped to the base of a tree, letting Bear go beside her. The puppy immediately grabbed a stick and ran around with a proud look on his face.

To her surprise, Owen lowered himself beside her. “We have roughly one mile to go.”

She winced and did her best not to groan. Whining about her fatigue and lack of sleep wouldn’t get them to the truck any faster. Besides, Owen had already made the trip from the truck to her cabin once already. If he could do it twice, she could manage it once.

Their rest break was over far too soon. She pushed herself upright, determined to keep up with Owen. Bear enjoyed running around playing with his stick, but thankfully, he didn’t seem to mind when she picked him up again. Except for the sound of gunfire, the little guy didn’t bark much, which she thought was odd. Maybe it was because puppies didn’t recognize threats the same way older dogs did. Or maybe it was a training thing. Maya’s dog, Zion, hardly barked at all. But Chase’s dog, Rocky, brayed like a hound. She’d learned over the past few months that Chase’s dog had a mind of his own.

It would be nice if she could train Bear to only bark at threats rather than at every squirrel or bunny that passed by. People or large animal threats. Could a dog understand the difference? She had no clue.

It was something she’d have to ask Maya about once this was over.

Owen slowed and lifted his hand again. She frowned, knowing it was too soon to be taking another break. She stopped beside him, listening intently. She didn’t hear or see anything alarming.

After a long moment, Owen started forward again. She quickly followed, hoping they’d reach the truck very soon.

Owen glanced back at her and gestured to his right. She looked that way but didn’t see anything. Just trees and more trees.

Then she abruptly realized he must be telling her that’s where the road was located. Which made sense, as he’d have left the truck parked somewhere near the highway.

With a renewed burst of energy, she followed Owen as he angled toward the road. She strained to listen but didn’t hear any traffic noise. Not surprising considering they were in the middle of the mountains in the middle of the night.

Owen picked up the pace for several minutes, before slowing down again. She was impressed by how he was able to find his way through the woods in the darkness. How he’d kept track of their path was a mystery.

After another five minutes, he lifted his hand and gestured to a fallen log. Understanding he wanted her to wait there, she dropped down onto the branch, keeping Bear in her lap. The puppy turned in her lap, then settled back down without making a sound.

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