Page 8 of Shattered By the Currents

Zac: Smart man.

He shoved his cell into his pocket. When he looked up, Raven was carrying a chair to a table, a deep frown etched on her brow, as if she was in her head.

He crossed the room toward her. “Sure you don’t need help? I’m great at rearranging a room.”

She jumped and looked up, like she hadn’t heard or seen him coming. “Go. I’m sure you have stuff to do.”

“I don’t mind hanging around for a bit. I came over to say hi. Maybe chat, get to know each other?”

Her brows shot up. “You did?”

“Yeah.”

He could practically feel Lottie’s eyes drilling holes into his back. Nosy woman.

Hope lingered in Raven’s eyes. Then, just like in the office, she blinked and stepped back. “Maybe another time.”

It took a bit of restraint to keep the disappointment off his face.

He dipped his chin. “Another time.” One last smile and he headed outside.

The old firehouse was in the forest, near the river. It was one of the original buildings from when the town was founded. Back then, they’d filled tankers directly from the stream in preparation for fires.

When he reached base, four other trucks were already parked in the lot.

He stepped into the large common area. A table and couch sat in the middle of the space, with the tech table at the other end, near a hall on one side and a door leading out into the forest on the other. The kitchen was near the door that led to the parking lot.

Ethan spun from where he sat at the tech table. “Hey. You got here fast.”

“I was basically leaving when you messaged. Ryan and Zac outside?”

“We got a call about an elderly hiker who got lost. They’re just getting him back to his car.”

“They need help?”

Ethan shook his head. “Should be an easy one.”

“Okay.” He was about to step into the hall when he turned. “Do you know much about Raven?”

“Not really. She was a couple grades behind me and Mags at school. She dated some guy in her grade. Rumor is she moved to North Dakota with him.”

“They were engaged, right?”

“As far as I heard, but I don’t know much about it myself.”

Connor nodded. He shouldn’t be trying to get information on her through other people anyway. “Thanks.”

He headed down the hall. He’d do some trail checks. He needed to keep busy. Distract himself. Because Raven’s sad blue eyes were toying with him…and something told him they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

3

The warmth of the coffee mug seeped into Raven’s fingers as she leaned back on the couch. It was comfortable. Kind of. For a couch in an assisted-living apartment.

“You’ve really made this space your own,” she said softly to her parents as she scanned the apartment. The small but cozy kitchen, with its pale wood cabinets and white refrigerator. The narrow hallway that led to the half-open bedroom door, with her parents’ neatly made bed.

Gene Price smiled from her rocker. “I wasn’t sure when we first moved in, but the residence has really grown on me.”

“Your mother just likes the competition of weekly bridge,” her dad added, with a half eye-roll.