She looks up slowly, eyes sparkling with wicked delight. “Oh my God. It’s yours.”
“It’s not.”
She’s full on smiling now, and the sight of her takes my breath away. “So you’re telling me you do not secretly read about emotionally unavailable men falling for sunshine women who force them to feel feelings?”
I step closer, lowering my voice. “Emma.”
She grins wider. “Rhett.”
I hate that she says my name like it’s a dare.
I point toward the hallway. “Bathroom. Extra toothbrushes in the drawer. There are clean clothes on the bed. You can sleep in the bedroom.”
Her brows shoot up. “And where are you sleeping?”
“Couch.”
“Wow,” she says. “So chivalry is alive and thriving in your murder cabin.”
“It’s not a murder cabin.”
“Sure.” She walks toward the bedroom, then pauses, turning back with her hand on the doorframe. Her face is softer now, less teasing.
“Thank you,” she says quietly. “For… not making me feel crazy.”
The words snag in my chest. I don’t move for a second, because if I move, I might step too close. Might touch her. Might do something I can’t take back.
“You’re not crazy,” I manage.
Her gaze holds mine. “You don’t even know me.”
I hear myself say, “I know you’re brave.”
Her throat bobs. She nods once, then disappears into the bedroom.
I stand alone in the living room, staring at the fire like it’s going to tell me what the hell is happening to me.
A week ago, my biggest concern was perimeter integrity and whether Chase had stolen my coffee again.
Now I’ve got a woman in my cabin who smells like vanilla and trouble, and a missing sister case with a dirty cop who vanished into thin air.
No leads on Mark Renshaw. Which means he’s either dead, hiding, or planning. And every instinct I’ve got says this isn’t over.
I glance toward the hallway where Emma just vanished, and my gut tightens.
Because if it’s not over…
Then she’s in danger.
And I already know the part that scares me most. It’s not that I’m protective of her. It’s that I don’t understandwhy.
My radio crackles once—low, sharp.
Silas’s voice. “Rhett. Heads up. We’ve got a possible vehicle sighting near the county line. Nothing confirmed. Stay alert.”
I stare at the radio, then toward the door, then toward the hallway again. And I realize something with a cold, sinking certainty… keeping Emma in my cabin tonight isn’t just a decision.
It’s a line I’ve drawn.