Page 14 of Mystery at Rescue Ridge

“You’re not the only one who decided not to go down the traditional route.”

Why did those words suddenly feel hollow?

Was it because Evie would have made an amazing mother?Or was the image of her holding their newborn now stuck in his brain?

Before Evie could formulate a comeback,thunder cracked and the lights flickered.“Shit.The last thing I need is for one of the kiddos to wake up or for us to lose electricity.”After setting her beer on a coaster on the coffee table, she moved to the pantry in the kitchen to locate a flashlight.

A rolling thunder was followed by the place going dark.Evie stepped on a toy—a tiny metal truck.She hopped on one foot, drawing the hurt one up and holding onto it while muttering a string of curses.What was it about the feet that was so sensitive?Heaven’s sake, her feet carried her weight all day, had been stuffed into pointed-toed heels, and those things hadn’t taken her down.But step on a toy, and she found every single nerve ending.

She hopped one step too far left and ran smack into the pantry door.The handle jabbed her in the kidney.Shit.Shit.Shit.

In the next second, Owen was by her side, steadying her as the lights flickered again.She turned to thank him and swore a shadow passed by the front window.

Heart racing, she suppressed a gasp and managed to say, “Someone’s outside.”

The wood on the front porch groaned underneath someone’s heavy foot.Was it a size eleven men’s?

“Stay low and lock the door behind me,” Owen whispered, his movements toward the kitchen door resembling the mountain lion’s easy grace.“You know our knock.”

Bump-ba-da-dump-bump.Dump-bump.

“Yes.”

“That’s what I’ll use when I want to come back inside.”With those words, he was gone.

Panic set in as she followed to lock the door behind him.Evie could get herself out of the house if anything happened, but what about the kids?When she’d heard an unsettling noise back in Dallas, all she had to worry about was getting herself to safety.She’d felt alone.With kids in the house, she felt trapped.

One on each hip,she thought.She’d run out the door with one on each hip.

The car was parked outside.This old farmhouse wasn’t built with an attached garage like her Dallas apartment.She used to keep her keys inside her car underneath the seat in case of an emergency exit.

Didn’t Simone once mention something about locking up a handgun in a box in her closet?Flashlight in hand, Evie crouched low and moved into her sister’s room.The closet door was ajar.Without turning on a light, she went inside the closet and closed the door before stuffing a shirt into the space at the bottom to block out the light when she turned on the flashlight.

If Size Eleven—and she knew she’d seen someone!—was outside trying to find her, he wouldn’t be able to locate her easily.

Evie could stretch out her arms and touch each side of the closet.It was three feet deep, and clothing covered her head and shoulders as she sat down.Shoes blanketed the carpeted flooring.It had been too soon to empty the closet.Evie couldn’t bring herself to box up her sister’s clothing.Maybe Olivia would want the remnants to remind her of her mother.The small room smelled of lilies and citrus, Simone’s favorite soaps and perfume.

A few hot tears pricked the backs of Evie’s eyes.She focused and sniffed them away.After blinking a couple of times, she felt around for the box.Found it.

Her thoughts shifted to Owen as she listened for sounds of gunfire or a struggle.

The key to the metal gun box was taped to the bottom.She ripped off the tape and, with shaky hands, managed to put the key in the hole.A click later, the box opened.It dawned on her that she had zero experience with a weapon like this other than watching cop shows, which she’d stopped doing years ago because they’d given her nightmares while living alone.

The thought of living in her childhood home with two young kids wasn’t exactly comforting.

Shifting focus back to the gun, she checked to see if there were bullets.The bottom was open, and the clip at the bottom of the box fit nicely.Satisfied she wasn’t completely incompetent, she turned off the flashlight and scrambled to her feet.Weapon in one hand, she opened the door, then managed to close it with her elbow.The flashlight was off so as not to draw unwanted attention as she moved through the home.

Owen wanted her to stay low and out of harm’s way.She understood his reasoning.However, his life might be in danger.There might be a real threat outside these walls.She wouldn’t be able to face herself in the mirror if anything happened to him while he was trying to help her.

The blinds were drawn on the glass doors leading to the patio in back.They were vertical and swayed every time the A/C came on.Lucky for her, it was a cool night.

Could she move to the front window instead?Owen had left out the back door so he could sneak around to the porch where the boards had creaked moments ago.Was he making his way around the house?He’d known this place like the back of his hand once.Did he still remember the layout?

The lack of movement or noise from outside was unsettling.Had Owen been jumped?Was he unconscious?Being dragged to a vehicle?Stabbed?

No.Nothing could happen to him.Evie couldn’t let herself worry that he couldn’t handle himself.If anything, he would be surprising the intruder, not the other way around.

Heart racing, pounding in her throat, she slipped next to the window and risked a peek outside.

---