And stared and stared.
Finally, her eyes started to ache. She gave up on the idea she had seen something and glanced back to the porch. Jack was still banging on the door, although there didn’t appear to be as much as a moving curtain inside. The house almost looked abandoned.
Because she couldn’t stop herself, Ivy let her gaze drift back to the trees ... and her heart almost stopped when she saw a shadow detach from one of the trunks. Her heart pounded as she unfastened her seatbelt and leaned forward to get a better look. Rather than moving toward Jack, though, the shadow headed into the trees.
Ivy fumbled with the handle three times before she managed to open the door, and when she shoved and stood so her head was visible above the vehicle, she called out to Jack in a shaky voice.
“There’s someone over there. They just ran into the woods.”
Jack swiveled quickly, his eyes scanning the area in question, and then he extended a finger in Ivy’s direction. “You keep your head down and lock the doors of that truck. I’ll be right back.”
Ivy didn’t like this idea one little bit. “Jack ... .”
“I have to look. It will be fine. Trust me.”
She did, but her heart was too fragile where he was concerned. If she lost him, she knew she would never recover ... and that was what was going through her mind as he disappeared into the heavier woods on the east side of the property.
9
Nine
Ivy held her breath for what felt like forever, which meant she was gasping and red-faced by the time Jack returned. He tugged on the driver’s side door, but it wouldn’t open because Ivy had followed his wishes and locked herself in.
Jack was patient as she fumbled with the controls and immediately pulled her into his arms when she threw herself at him upon his entry to the vehicle.
“I didn’t like that one bit,” she announced, furiously brushing at the tears tracing her cheeks. She was angry, not sad, and it annoyed her that she was crying.
“I didn’t like it either,” he reassured her, running his hands over her back. “I’m sorry. I had to see.”
“Did you find anyone?”
“No.” Jack was thoughtful as he turned back to stare at the trees. “I didn’t want to go in too far in case ... well, just in case.”
Ivy didn’t want to dwell on that possibility so she briskly changed the subject. “Are you going to call Brian and search the woods?”
“No.”
“No?” She couldn’t contain her surprise. “How come?”
“Because we have no evidence.”
“We kind of have evidence.”
“Oh, it’s a good thing you’re cute because you would make a lousy cop.” He leaned in and gave her a swift kiss, enjoying the way she scowled. “We have zero evidence. What we have is a series of coincidences which might lead to evidence ... eventually.”
Ivy rolled her eyes. “I think we have evidence.”
“You’re still cute.”
She pinched his flank, causing his eyes to narrow. “We can’t just let this guy go, Jack.” She used her most reasonable voice, the one she only whipped out when she was trying to convince him that morels were delicious and didn’t taste like feet. “He could be dangerous.”
“He could be,” Jack agreed. “We still don’t have evidence. We’ll look at him hard — in fact, while you’re getting the cake out at home, I’ll call Brian and give him a quick heads-up — but there’s nothing else we can do tonight.”
“But ... .” Ivy shook her head, frustration shining through. “He could run, Jack. If he thinks you’re on to him, he could run.”
“He could. We still can’t do anything without evidence.”
“Ugh. You sound like a broken record.” She flopped back into her spot and tugged on the seatbelt. “If I were in charge of this investigation he would already be in custody. I just want you to know that.”
“Duly noted.” Jack grinned at her for a beat longer and then fastened his own seatbelt. “It’s gratifying to me to know that you were worried about me when I was out in the woods. I didn’t have that for a long time ... at least not like this. You changed my life, Ivy Morgan.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “In a good way, of course.”
“Oh, that goes without saying. I can’t imagine my life without you.”
She softened her stance, if only marginally. “Me either.”
“Even if you’re a criminal at heart.”
She pinched his side again, causing him to laugh and dodge because he was expecting the move. “I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to distract me so I won’t feel sorry for myself when I have to go back to picking up trash on the side of the highway tomorrow.”
His smile slipped. “Let’s not talk about that, huh? Let’s spend the rest of the night getting lost in each other. We’ll leave the real-world stuff until then.”
“I guess I can live with that.”
“Good. I just want a night of you and me. Actually, if I could spend the rest of my life with only one person, it would most definitely be you. Maybe we should see if we can make that happen.”
“I’m already on it.”
“That’s music to my ears.”
THEY SLEPT HARD. JACK WAS UP A FULL hour before Ivy, making sure to tuck the feet she always poked out from beneath the covers under the comforter before making his way to the kitchen. He had hot water on the stove when she joined him for breakfast and she immediately poured herself a cup of tea before acknowledging him.
“What are you doing?” Her voice was husky enough that it drew Jack’s full attention.
“Are you sick?” The question was laced with worry ... and maybe a bit
