We'll Never Tell (Secrets of Ravenswood) (11 page)

He turned and stared.
“You think?”

“I can do a little
checking, and if the interest is there, get the ball rolling for you.”

He shook his head. “I
can’t ask you to do that, Sam. You’ve got better ways to spend your time than
playing personal assistant to me.”

She shrugged and kicked
a pinecone off the trail. Above them a raven circled in an air current. “What? Everyone
tells me I need to take a break from travel and the stress of disaster relief
work, but what am I supposed to do with myself? Take up knitting?”

Grinning, he bumped her
hip as they climbed a short hill. “I’m having a hard time picturing you ensconced
in a rocker, needles flashing.”

“Only if someone
performed a lobotomy on me first.”

He laughed. “When you
put it that way, it seems like I’d be the one doing you a favor.”

“What a guy.” Her green
eyes sparkled with amusement as she paused at the top of the incline. “Should I
go hide again, since my last attempt was such a spectacular failure?”

His lighthearted joy in
her company faded as reality hit, rocking him back on his boots heels. Maybe
Arnie hadn’t been an actual threat to Sam, but somewhere out there, a man
waited who was. “That might not be such a great idea, after all.”

“Come on, what are the
chances I’ll startle the nervous game warden again?” She met his gaze and
sobered. “Oh. You’re not worried about Arnie. You’re thinking about
him
.”
She raised her chin higher. “I’m not going to let that man’s threats scare me,
Ethan. If I imagine a psycho lurking behind every tree in the forest, I’ll go
crazy. I won’t give him that kind of power.”

Ethan studied the determined
glint in her eyes, the hard angle of her jaw, and knew she needed to take back
a measure of control. He nodded. “Don’t go too far. The dogs are still new to
tracking.”

Smiling, she gave them
each a pat on the head. “I’ll take it easy on them—this time.”

****

Ebony found her first
and planted both front paws on her chest, giving her a sloppy lick with her
tongue. The two shepherds ran up seconds later, sniffed her, and barked
sharply. When Ethan scrambled down the rocky hillside a few minutes behind
them, he was breathing hard and beaming.

“Impressive, only
fifteen minutes and two false starts. They performed better than I expected.”

“I back tracked a couple
of times.” She stroked the lab’s soft ears. “Ebony was the first to find me.”

His brows shot up.
“Seriously?”

“Yep, she’s smarter than
you think.”

“Apparently.” Stepping
forward, he ran his hand along the side of her face and leaned in for a
lingering kiss. “Thanks for helping me out today.”

Her toes curled in her
boots. “It was fun.”

“I suppose we should
keep hiking.” He nipped her bottom lip. “Find a place to have our picnic.”

“It’s too rocky to be
comfortable here.” Her voice was breathless.

He released her slowly.
“There’s a spot by a stream about a half mile away.”

Soon they came to a
place where the creek meandered through a bed that was only ankle deep with
water this late in the season.

“I brought turkey with
Swiss on French rolls.” She sat on the old blanket she’d packed and set out
their lunch. “Does that work for you?”

“Anything you make works
for me.”

His smile as he sat down
beside her sent a dart of anticipation through her. “You’re just saying that
because…” The words stuck in her throat. It was way too soon to bring up the
subject of caring.  “…I’m so good at playing hide-and-seek with your
dogs.”

“I don’t think that’s
it,” he answered, but didn’t elaborate.

Slices of watermelon and
brownies studded with walnuts completed the meal. The short, awkward silence
dissolved as they ate. Stretching out on the old blanket, Sam basked in the
warmth of the mid-afternoon sun. “I could stay here for the rest of the day and
do nothing.”

Ethan flopped next to
her, and the dogs sprawled in the shade of a nearby sugar pine. He picked up
her hand and squeezed it. “Too bad Ken and Lenore are expecting us for dinner.
I wouldn’t mind pitching a tent and staying here for a week or two.”

She threaded her fingers
through his. “But reality intrudes. I want to find out what Ken knows about the
body—if they’ve identified her yet.”

“I hope they have. I’m
tired of waiting for this freak to make his next move. I want to
do
something.”

Under the trees, the
dogs stirred and rose to their feet. One growled low in his throat. Rising on
an elbow for a better look, Ethan sat up and waved. Sam shaded her eyes and
followed his gaze. A tall, heavyset man wearing an old fishing hat stuck full
of lures ambled out of the woods.

“Hey Bob.”

The man nodded. “Ethan.”

“Out for a hike?”

“Just checking the
trails before the snow flies. There’re a couple of downed trees that need to be
cleared away. Probably fell in that storm we had a while back.” His gaze
shifted to Sam. “Looks like you’re having more fun than I am.”

Ethan smiled. “Sam, have
you met Bob Harris? He owns the cross country ski center. Bob, this is Samantha
Beaumont. She works at disaster sites with
Relief Around the World
.”

“Nice to meet you.”
Sam’s forehead furrowed as she studied the big, bear of a man. “You look
familiar.”

“You’ve probably seen me
at the ski lodge. I remember you coming in last winter with a short, dark
haired woman.” His wide mouth twitched. “The two of you turned the heads of a
few of my male customers.”

“That would be my
friend, Juliette. She’s stunning.”

He nodded. “Well, I’ll
leave you to enjoy your afternoon.” He backed up a step and paused. “Hey,
Ethan, any word on that body you found? Can’t be good for business, finding
bones in the woods.”

“News certainly spread
fast. I’ve had half a dozen people ask me the same question, but I’m afraid no
one’s keeping me in the loop.”

“Hopefully the talk will
die down before winter sets in. Lucky for us, she was discovered in the off
season.” With a raised hand, he headed back the way he’d come. The dogs lay
down, noses resting on their front paws, as he disappeared into the trees.

“Who would believe the
forest is such a hub of activity in September.” Sam leaned forward, arms
wrapped around her knees, her earlier relaxed mood broken.

“It is a little strange.
Normally in the fall, I can hike out here for a week without seeing anyone.
It’s been a good test for the dogs, but Bob shot the post lunch stupor we had
going.”

“It’s probably time to
head back, anyway. I need to shower before going over to Ken and Lenore’s.”

Ethan rose in one fluid
movement and offered her a hand. His grip was firm. Her fingers tingled. When
he smiled at her, the feeling spread.

“Yep, definitely time to
go before I forget we’re in a public area and kiss you. We both know I won’t be
able to stop at just one kiss.”

After shrugging on their
packs, they set out at a leisurely pace. Even the dogs seemed disinclined to
bolt after squirrels as they wandered down the path. As the silence lengthened,
Sam glanced over at Ethan. The classic line of his profile—the hard angle of
his jaw and chiseled lips—made her stomach flutter, but his expression was completely
unreadable. It was disturbing how little she actually knew about the man she
was falling for. He wasn’t exactly Chatty Cathy when it came to talking about
himself.

“I heard your dad sold
the hardware store after he retired. Did he and your mom move? I haven’t seen
them around town in a few years.”

He glanced over and
studied her for a moment before speaking. “My sister and her husband live in
Arizona. When Emma had a baby, my parents decided grandchildren were a bigger
draw than puppies. They’ve been in Phoenix for three years now.”

“Do they like it?”

“They travel during the
hottest months, and my dad is happy not to shovel snow anymore.” He gave her
another assessing look. “How often do you see your family?”

“We make a point of
getting together once a year.” She shrugged. “I gave up being angry over my
parents’ lifestyle a long time ago when I finally realized people don’t change.
It’s easier to accept them the way they are and have no expectations. That way
I’m not disappointed.”

He threaded his fingers
through hers and squeezed. “That sucks.”

Swinging their clasped
hands, she smiled. “It isn’t all bad. No awkward family gatherings at holidays.
And I know I’m always welcome at either Juliette’s or Darby’s home if I want
company.”

“You three have a tight
bond.”

“We do. We support each
other through the rough times and celebrate the good ones. I don’t feel
deprived because isn’t that what family is all about?”

“You bet. Now I know who
I need to impress.”

Sam smiled. “Juliette’s
already a fan, and Darby gets along with everyone.” She scowled. “How did we
end up talking about me? I wanted to know more about you.”

“I’m not that
complicated—average upbringing in a fairly normal family, friends to hang out
with when I’m in the mood, though I’ve been told I’m solitary by nature.”

“Who told you that?”

“A couple of women I
used to date.”

“Hmm.”

He squeezed her hand.
“Believe it or not, I generally prefer the company of dogs to most people.”

“Should I get an ID tag
and collar?”

A slow grin spread
across his face. “Pink with rhinestones or black leather with spikes?”

Her laughter rang
through the trees. “Seasonal appeals to me. How about a nice leaf print for the
fall?”

“I didn’t know you were
such a funny guy, Ethan.”

Sam spun around, her
giggles evaporating. A black haired man, strikingly handsome and wearing a
short sleeved shirt with a Fish and Game insignia on the sleeve smiled at her.
His gaze dropped before slowly rising to meet hers.

Ethan hushed the
growling dogs. “Hello, Foster.”

“Who’s the pretty lady?”

Samantha Beaumont meet
Foster Carmichael. You ran into his partner, Arnie, earlier.”

“Arnie is definitely not
my better half,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s good to meet you, Samantha.
Maybe we could have a drink sometime and get to know each other better.”

“Maybe,” she answered.

Ethan’s brows drew
together, and his lips tightened. The fact that he didn’t punch the guy in his
perfect teeth was commendable.

“I’d better go. Arnie’s
probably waiting for me in the parking lot.” With another up and down glance at
Sam, he hurried past.

The urge to tease Ethan
was irresistible. “Good looking guy.”

“Foster’s pushing forty,
but he acts like a randy teenager. The guy’s a player with an ex-wife and a
live-in girlfriend who both make him miserable. Of course he gives as good as
he gets.”

“Hmm.”

He stopped walking and
shook his head. “You know you make me crazy when you do that
hmm
thing
because I’ve absolutely no idea what you’re thinking.”

She smiled. “That’s the
whole point. It’s smart to keep you guessing.”

“You’ve perfected the
technique.” They left the trail and emerged onto the grass covered hillside
above the parking lot. Ethan stiffened. “What the hell!”

“Oh my God!”

Two words were painted
in bold red letters across the windshield of his pickup.
Be Careful.

“Hey, Sam.”

“What?” Her voice shook.

“Looks like I’m in
rarified company. Our man must consider me one of your friends.”

“Perfect.”

“Rumor has it someone is
worried about your safety.”

Ethan choked on a
swallow of beer and cast Ken a wide eyed look. “How can you possibly have heard
about the incident at the cross country center already? It only happened a
couple of hours ago.”

Ken wiggled his
eyebrows. “I have my ways.”

“The man’s omniscient,”
Sam said with a sly smile. “He’d probably prefer to be called God.”

“It has a nice ring to
it.” Brown eyes never wavered. “So, why is someone painting warnings across
your windshield?”

“I don’t have a clue,
but Foster Carmichael had a good laugh. He made a couple of tasteless comments
about contraception.”

“Sounds like Foster.
What was he doing at the ski center?”

“He and Arnie were
hunting for a poacher. As they didn’t have anyone with them in the parking lot,
I don’t think they found the guy. Frankly, I was too distracted to ask.”

“Good heavens.” Lenore
stepped through the open sliding glass door and handed Sam a glass of white
wine. “First a body turns up, and now there’s a poacher loose in the woods.
What next?”