Harlequin Romantic Suspense: August 2022 Box Set by Deborah Fletcher Mello

Author:Deborah Fletcher Mello
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 2

By the time they reached the ravine south of the crash site, the sky had brightened to a deep azure and the early-March temperatures had warmed enough that their breath no longer fogged the air. Squinting against the glare, Hayden was nearly to the point of digging out his sunglasses when he followed Kate back beneath the trees into the heavily shaded—and cooler—search area she’d pointed out earlier on the map: the entrance to the long ravine.

“Ho, Jasper,” she said, prompting him to rein in his horse as well.

As the hoofbeats clattered to a stop, Hayden heard water trickling beyond the undergrowth closer to the rocky bluff that she’d initially called Heartbreak Ridge. Despite the way she’d tried to rename it, he couldn’t shake the initial feeling of dread that had settled over him when she’d first spoken the name, the painful premonition that some horror awaited them ahead.

But he knew not to operate on fear, and even if it turned out the family was beyond the reach of help, their loved ones still deserved a prompt, respectful recovery effort, along with answers that would help them begin to deal with their grief. So he locked down his own emotions and gestured toward the splashing noise, telling Kate, “Sounds like you guessed right about there being water down here.”

Nodding, she turned toward him, her expression thoughtful. “If we can hear it from this spot, the Kesslers might have, too. And by the time they hiked this far, they were probably pretty thirsty, so the banks up ahead might be a good place to check for signs of them.”

He grimaced. “Would’ve been better, I’m thinking, without last night’s rain to wash away their trail.”

“The going hasn’t been too muddy so far, so I can’t think it’s rained that hard. Maybe not all their tracks will’ve washed away. Before we head that way, though, I’d like to check in with my team leaders.”

“You do that,” he agreed. “But if you don’t mind, I’m going to tie up Banner and hike ahead on foot to have a closer look at that creek.”

“His lead rope’s in the saddle pack to clip on to his halter.”

“Thanks,” he said, knowing how unwise it was to tie a horse by its reins.

“And be careful over there,” she warned. “I don’t want to waste time having to fish you out of some creek.”

“I’m truly touched by your concern for my welfare,” he grumbled before urging Banner into an area of deeper shadow and dismounting where the undergrowth grew thicker and more tangled.

After securing the gelding to a tree, he patted the gray’s shoulder. “You’ve earned the breather, big boy.”

Leaving the horse to nibble at a nearby bush, Hayden stepped up onto a rock before pushing his way through tightly spaced, slender trunks, cacti and vines—some of them thorny enough to catch at skin and jacket alike. Once he’d extricated himself, he paused, squinting at a trio of pale strands blowing in the light breeze at about the level of his chin.

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