Page 41 of Fifty First Times (Sharing You 0.40)
He nodded. Before I realized what he was doing, he slid his fingers through mine while we ran. His large hand encompassed mine, locking us together like the teeth of a key opening the door to home. And just as if I grasped his heart in my hand, I could feel his pulse beat against my palm in a silent offering. In that moment, in the mysterious way love has of revealing truths, I knew. Of all of the men in the world, the one running beside me was mine. He might not be perfect, but he was completely and utterly mine. I held the proof in my hand.
We arrived in a small clearing where we found Shawnee barking excitedly around a tree.
“I don’t get it.” Tanner’s hand slid from mine as he left me to examine the tree. I closed my fingers into a fist to distract myself from the sudden emptiness I felt at the loss of his touch. “Where is she?”
Uneasiness gnawed into my gut. Shawnee continued to dance around the tree and bark. There was no doubt he’d found something, but if he hadn’t found her alive . . . Bile burned the back of my throat and I quickly swallowed it back down. The girl had been missing for four hours. If she’d been abducted, four hours was plenty of time to dispose of a body. “Look for signs of a recently dug grave. Or even a piece . . .” I couldn’t bring myself to finish the sentence, let alone think about all the ways the poor girl could have met her end—at least not until we were absolutely sure.
Tanner nodded solemnly. With his foot, he carefully brushed aside the tall grass surrounding the tree with his foot. “Damn it. I felt so certain we’d find her.”
I kneeled down and peered under the nearby shrubs. Me too. But I couldn’t voice the words out loud—doing so felt like giving up. I wouldn’t do that, not until we were absolutely sure. Still, Shawnee rarely gave a false alert. Even if the girl wasn’t here, I was sure we’d find some ripped clothing, a toy, or . . . something to prove we were on the right track.
A thick wall of ivy twisted down the trunk of the tree. I pulled a handful to the side and that’s when I saw something that filled my stomach with lead. I pressed my hand to my lips and closed my eyes. “Oh, Tanner. Oh, shit.”
He was at my side in a heartbeat. “What is it?”
Unable to speak the words, I shook my head and I shook my head and pointed at the scuffed toe of pink tennis shoe protruding from the ivy.
“Fuck.” Tanner jammed his hands through his hair.
A wave of nausea rolled through me and I braced my hand against the tree to keep from toppling over. “Is she—?”
“I’ll check.” With his lips pressed into a grim line, he kneeled in front of the sneaker. Before he could investigate, Shawnee brushed passed him and jutted his nose into the ivy. His tail wagged wildly. A second later, someone yelped and the sneaker disappeared beneath the foliage.
“What the—?” Tanner jerked back we exchanged incredulous looks.
A little girl giggled and squealed before emerging from a rotted hole in the trunk. She shook her head back and forth, trying in vain to elude Shawnee’s kisses. Her clothes were torn and her skin dirt-streaked and red with scratches. Her red hair hung in tangles around her shoulders and tears had left her face blotchy and swollen. But none of that mattered. She was alive.
“Olivia?” Every muscle in my body screamed for me to run to her, to take her in my arms and carry her out of the woods. But the girl’s hands trembled and she clung to Shawnee’s collar. Her wide eyes seemed to protrude from dark circles lining them. The poor thing was terrified.
“It’s okay, honey.” I held my hands up. “My name is Avery Brown and that”—I nodded at my dog—“is Shawnee. We’re a search and rescue and we’ve been sent to find you. We want to take you home to your mommy and daddy.”
Olivia frowned, the uncertainty evident on her face. What the hell had happened to her to make her so afraid?
“And I’m Officer Wade.” Tanner smiled one of his famous knee wobbling smiles. “But you can call me Tanner.”
Olivia bit her lip as she looked between us. Finally, her gaze settled on the badge pinned to Tanner’s chest. “You’re a policeman?”
“Sure am.” He went down on one knee and waved her over. Still biting her lip and grasping Shawnee’s collar, she went. “I see you’ve spotted my badge,” Tanner said, unpinning the gold crest on his chest. “They only give them to the bravest of the brave—people who swear to protect other people no matter what. Would you like to wear it?”
Her lip quirked, but the smile wouldn’t take hold. Tanner carefully pinned his badge to the front of the girl’s dirty shirt. She tilted it up so she could look at it. “Wow.”
Yup, I was screwed. How was I supposed to not fall in love with him all over again after he soothed a frightened little girl like that?
Tanner winked at me before grabbing the radio on his shoulder. “Dispatch five-one-four copy information. We’ve located Olivia alive and well. We’re located approximately a hundred yards northeast from the stream. We’ll head your way, but go ahead and send in EMS.”
His radio hissed before a woman’s voice answered. “Copy that, five-one-four.”
Tanner climbed to his feet. “How about it, Olivia? Are you ready to go home?”
She nodded. “Can I walk t
he doggy?”
I laughed. “Sure you can.” I pulled a short leash out of my backpack and snapped it onto Shawnee’s collar before handing it to Olivia. Shawnee gave her a sloppy kiss and she squealed. Warmth radiated through my body. Even though I’d never drive a Lexus or belong to a country club, I didn’t regret my career choice for a second. Not only did we find a missing little girl alive, but she was laughing. A workday didn’t get any better than that.
“Let’s get you back.” Tanner held out his hand and Olivia curled her fingers around his index finger. He started to guide her back the way we came when she froze.
“Wait!” She whirled around and pointed to the tree. “I almost forgot Pinky! I can’t leave without her.”
