Page 37 of Ranger Belief
Her panic was palpable, and Laney took off at a fast clip down the hiking trail. Jonah hurried to catch up with her, hislong strides eating up the distance between them, until he could lightly grab her arm and pull her to a stop. “Laney, just…” He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “Look at me, Laney.”
She shook her head, but he placed a finger under her chin and ever so gently lifted her face until her eyes met his. “Nothing has to change if you don’t want it to. Do you understand? We can go back to being friends, and we’ll never talk about this again.”
Tears filled her eyes. “We can’t go back.”
“No, we just can’t be dishonest anymore. You’re my best friend. I have feelings for you and I was too terrified to tell you.” He swiped the wetness away from her cheek with his thumb. “If you don’t feel the same way, then say so. I’ll get over it. Move on. But…” He cupped her face. “You kissed me back, Laney. That has to mean something.”
The fear in her gorgeous brown eyes broke him. Jonah pulled her into his arms. “I know you’re scared. I won’t pretend to understand all the reasons why, but it doesn’t have to be this way. We can work through it. Just like we do everything else.”
She held onto him with a desperation that was surprising, and then suddenly, Laney pushed away, swiping at the tears tumbling down her cheeks. “This is different.”
There were only a few feet separating them, but it felt like an entire valley. His heart sank as her expression hardened before she turned away. Scout nudged Laney’s hand, as if sensing her owner’s turmoil and distress.
He'd spent years observing Laney's pattern with romantic relationships. Watched as she pulled back whenever someone got too close, ended things before they had a chance to develop. Over and over again. He'd never pushed her on it before, but this time was different. This time it was about them.
“I’m not your dad, Laney.”
Her shoulders stiffened. “I know that.”
“Do you?”
The question hung in the air between them, and the searing hurt that followed caught Jonah off-guard with its intensity. He was nothing like Antonio Torres. Nothing. How could she not see that? Her denial had been quick and automatic, but they both knew it was a lie. Her dad—and the heartache he’d caused—stood between them as surely as if the man himself had been there.
And once again, as he had so many times in his life before, Jonah realized he wasn’t good enough.
Laney sniffed. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore right now. Can we just…table it until after the case is over?”
He wanted to say no. Wanted to tell her that they couldn't just shove this back in a box and pretend the lid was still sealed. But Laney was right. The murder case had to take priority. People's lives were at stake. His feelings, valid as they were, couldn't come before that.
Besides, pushing harder now would only drive her further away. “We’ll table it. For now.”
Relief flooded her features. “Thank you.” Laney turned and continued down the path. The silence stretched between them, less awkward than before, but no less potent. Jonah had a sinking feeling that whatever had just taken place would change their friendship forever. Maybe Laney was right, and there was no going back. He’d been a fool to think otherwise.
“Wait.” Laney slid to a stop on the path.
She touched a broken branch and then eased off the trail into the trees. The tension in her shoulders sent a wave of concern running through him. Jonah placed his hand over the holster of his weapon. The ground was muddy, and the rain picked up from a drizzle to a persistent shower, drumming against the leaves overhead and running in rivulets off the back of Jonah’s cowboy hat.
They entered a small clearing. A crude fire pit ringed with blackened stones sat in the center. Flattened grass and holes in the ground indicated a tent had been pitched nearby. Scout sniffed the ground, her ears pricked forward. Laney placed her hands on her hips. “Someone was camping here illegally.”
He didn’t like this. “Can you tell how recently?”
She bent over the fire pit, stirring the soaked ashes with a stick. “Until early this morning.” She gestured to the holes in the ground. “Those were for his tent. The rain hasn’t caused the dirt to fill in yet. We had thunderstorms last night, so they shouldn’t be as visible as they are if he left before it rained.”
Goosebumps rose on Jonah’s arms. Suddenly he realized just how vulnerable they were, standing there in the middle of the woods in the far reaches of the state park. He berated himself for being so stupid. If he hadn’t been distracted by the kiss, and Laney’s reaction, he might’ve thought twice about trekking around out here with a killer on the loose.
A branch snapped. Jonah whirled around, taking a protective stance in front of Laney, while pulling his weapon. His gaze scanned the thick foliage.
Behind him, Laney chuckled. “It’s a deer, Foster. Relax.”
He caught a flash of brown through the foliage and lowered his handgun. “We should get back to the car.”
Laney had already pulled out her phone. “Let me get some pictures first. Keep an eye on Scout. She’ll let us know if we have reason to be concerned.” Laney winked, a teasing smile on her lips. “She ignores the deer.”
“Yeah, yeah.” His neck heated, but he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling plaguing him. He kept his handgun lowered, but didn’t bother holstering it. Once Laney was done documenting the illegal campsite, they traipsed back to the vehicle. The sight of the SUV untangled the nerves jittering his insides. Jonah finally holstered his weapon.
His phone rang with an incoming call. Tate. Jonah answered as he climbed into the passenger seat. “What’s up?”
“I found something you need to see. I may know who our killer is.”
