She splashed cold water on her face, but it didn’t wash away the hollows under her eyes or the ache in her chest.
Fine. Maybe it was time to admit defeat. Go back to Juneau where things made sense. Where she didn’t have to deal with dead bodies or drug runners or men who looked at her like she was still seventeen and breaking their heart.
The coffee maker gurgled, the rich scent pulling her from the bathroom. She’d inherited her dad’s inability to function without caffeine. One of many things she’d inherited, along with his stubborn determination to chase down the truth no matter the cost.
Look where that had gotten him.
Because in her gut she knew—justknew—that Gabe was right. The Sorros family had done something to sabotage the plane. Had killed her parents ... and Jericho’s.
Which meant that Jericho’s dad hadn’t been to blame for the accident. So there might be an apology there—not that she’d truly held it against him, but it was there, wasn’t it?
She was pouring her first cup when someone pounded on the front door. The sound echoed through the quiet house, making her jump. Coffee splashed across the counter.
“Harley Tatum, open up!” Echo’s voice carried through the door. “I know you’re in there. Your Jeep’s outside.”
Maybe she should pretend ... Aw, Echo would just keep knocking. And if she knew Echo, she probably had Winter with her as backup.
Sure enough, when Harley opened the door, both women stood on the porch, their breath fogging in the morning air.
“You’re not answering your phone.” Echo came in and shucked off her coat, her pregnancy-rounded belly preceding her. “I heard about Pete Barrow from Dodge, who heard it on his scanner yesterday.” She pulled off her boots. “So he called Deke, who told him how you found the body. At my OB appointment this morning, I saw Kennedy, and I asked about you and Jericho, because Dodge also mentioned you two worked together to find the Bowmans—and Kennedy said that you never came back to the resort yesterday. I didn’t realize you were even staying there, so I’m going to need details, but I called Winter—is that coffee? Do you have decaf?” She slid onto a stool. “Oh, I amnotgoing to make it three more months.”
“Don’t give her coffee. She’s already too hard to handle.” Winter had come in behind Echo and shut the door behind them. She pulled Harley into a hug.
“Does everyone in this town know everything?” Harley lether go, then grabbed paper towels to clean up the spilled coffee. “And yes, I think there’s some instant decaf in here.”
“Of course everyone knows,” Echo said, as Winter grabbed a mug from the cabinet. “You finding a dead body rates as big talk.”
Winter poured herself a mug.
Harley filled the copper kettle with water.
“Especially when it’s followed by a showdown with Jericho.” Winter settled onto a stool beside Echo. “You okay?”
Harley turned on the flame under the kettle. “Yeah. Of course. It was...” She sighed, faced them. “It’s the same old fight as before. I’m trouble. He can’t watch.”
“Aw, Harls,” Echo started, “you’re not...”
“Yes, she is,” Winter said. “But that doesn’t mean he has to run away. Sheesh. She can take care of herself.” Spoken like a bush pilot.
Harley lifted a shoulder. “He made his position clear.”
“Did he?” Echo said softly. “Because from what I heard, he was pretty shaken when he came home.”
Harley frowned at Echo.
She shrugged. “Kennedy. He said he was being a jerk.”
Huh.“Maybe we both were. It’s just that ... Idon’tneed him to protect me.”
“Right,” Winter said. “Because you’re doing such a great job on your own, Miss I Got Shot Less Than a Week Ago.”
Right. Her ribs still ached, so ... still. “I don’t know. He makes me crazy.”
“My guess is that he’d say the same about you,” Echo said softly. “But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you. Take it from a girl who drove the man she loved away for a decade. You two can figure this out.”
“I don’t know. I built a life in Juneau. I’m needed there. AndMars is in the wind.” She took a deep breath. “Maybe I let Deke handle it.”
“So you’re running away?” Echo’s eyes narrowed.