Page 38 of Valor

Emily had done a good job of parking off to the side of the store, close to a grassy area. He would have chosen the same location. That made him frown. He didn’t want Emily to think like him. To be concerned with bad guys following them.

He’d done this to her.

When Emily emerged from the store, he scooped Bear up and strode over to meet her. She had a six-pack of water bottles tucked under her arm and carried a bag of dog food in the other. A third bag hung from around her wrist, bumping against her as she walked.

“I can take those,” he began, but she shook her head.

“Just open the truck for me.”

He did so, feeling like an idiot for standing there while she set the items inside. She then removed the new dog dish she’d purchased, filled it with water, and set it down.

He lowered Bear to the ground, and the puppy eagerly lapped at the water.

“Good boy,” she praised.

Bear wagged his tail and jumped up on her. She scooped him into her arms and kissed his nose.

He set the dish back in the truck, then held out his hand. “Give me the keys. I’ll take over from here.”

She hesitated, shrugged, and then dug them from her pocket. Her navy calf-length pants and matching T-shirt were stained with mud and grass, likely from Bear’s paw prints.

And their mad dash through the woods back at the Elk Horn Lodge.

“We still need gas,” Emily said as he moved the driver’s seat back to accommodate his larger frame.

“I’ll take care of it.” He stepped back into the role of being in charge. He started the truck and headed toward the closest empty pump. He jumped out and strode around to the passenger side of the vehicle to fill the tank.

Once again, he carefully scanned the area. Emily had parked off to the side, which had limited his viewpoint. Now he could see the entire parking lot, at least the cars in the front part of the building. The gas station/convenience store was spread over a large footprint.

From the moment he’d arrived, he’d realized Wyoming was long on land and short on people. He didn’t see any black SUVs in the vicinity but couldn’t help feeling on edge.

He should have been the one to drive here. To make sure they weren’t followed. What was he thinking? There would be time to sleep when he was dead.

And that thought oddly made him glance up at the cloudless sky. Was heaven real? If so, he wasn’t likely to end up there.

“Hey.” Emily opened her car door a crack to eye him with concern. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Fine.” He tried to shake off the sense of doom. “You didn’t notice anyone tailing us to Sheridan?”

She shook her head. “The moment I noticed cars coming up behind me, I purposefully slowed down. It didn’t take long for them to whizz past. A few pickup trucks and a black SUV passed me.”

“Okay.” That was another smart move on her part. Nobody followed the speed limit on these open roads. Any driver staying behind her would raise suspicion.

“We need to find a place to call Doug,” Emily said, breaking into his thoughts. “I’m sure he’s in Ranchester and will be able to get here soon.”

He hesitated, then slowly nodded. “Okay.”

Her brown eyes widened in surprise. “Really? You’ll do that?”

“Yeah.” Maybe he was just too tired, or maybe it was their sizzling kiss, but he couldn’t keep running and putting Emily in danger. He wasn’t sure how this kept happening, but he was ready for it to be over. “We’ll drive through town until we find a good spot to stop and wait for him.”

“Thanks, Owen.” She looked so happy a wave of guilt hit hard. There was no reason he couldn’t have agreed to this earlier. “I’m so glad.”

He nodded and finished with the gas pump. He hurried inside, pulling cash from his pocket along the way.

As he paid for the fuel, he frowned. He didn’t have as much money as he remembered. Then he quickly realized Emily must have taken some cash from his pocket to use for Bear’s supplies.

That’s why she was bending over him while he’d slept. He winced, realizing he’d taken advantage of the situation, pulling her into his embrace because he’d thought she was going to kiss him.

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