Run to Ground(76)

“It’s probably only Viggy,” Jules told her galloping heart as she eased open the back door. Her heart ignored her, beating even faster. She didn’t blame it. It was the “probably” part that scared her.

Sticking her head outside, with most of her body still in the kitchen in case she had to duck inside to safety before slamming and locking the door as quickly as possible, she quietly called, “Viggy? Viggy, you out there?”

Everything went silent. There was no crashing of a large dog through the underbrush, no answering bark, nothing. It was almost like the forest was holding its breath. Even the aspen leaves, which almost never stopped shifting and moving, were still. It was eerie and threatening and Jules didn’t like it.

Retreating into the kitchen, she stared at her cell phone screen immediately after turning the ancient dead bolt and hearing it thunk into place. It felt strange calling him, even though it was for a legitimate reason. Still, her fingers shook slightly when she pulled up his number and hit send, and she was pretty sure it wasn’t from residual jumpiness about moving shadows.

“Jules.” As soon as she heard his gruff voice, she calmed, to the point that she started feeling silly for overreacting. If it wasn’t Viggy, whatever she’d seen moving in the trees must’ve been, if not her imagination, something natural and normal and no reason to get hysterical. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” Even though she felt a little silly about calling him for no reason, it was still nice to hear his voice. Closing her eyes, she pictured his face, pictured him here with her, his reassuring hand squeezing her arm. The last of her anxiety trickled away. “I just thought I saw Viggy in the trees behind my house, and I was wondering if he’d made a break for it again.”

“No,” he answered immediately. “Vig’s here with me. We’re on duty.”

“Oh!” She’d gotten so used to him being off during his two-week leave after the shooting that she hadn’t even considered he might be working. “I thought you were on days, normally.”

“I am, but there was some shift shuffling happening. Hugh’s out, of course, and three others are down with the flu. Guess it’s going around. Try not to breathe other people’s air for a while.”

She laughed softly as she stepped outside, not wanting to wake any of the house’s still-sleeping residents. With Theo on the line, all the scariness of the dark shadows and the waiting silence of the trees dissipated. “I’ll try. Has it been a busy night, then?”

“Yeah.” He gave a huff of impatience, and she smiled, imagining his cranky expression. “Just a lot of bullshit calls that kept us running. It’s been quiet for the last hour, so Vig and I are parked behind the Suds ‘n’ Go, and I’m trying to get some reports finished up.”

“You’re hiding?” she teased.

“Trying to. Can’t hide from dispatch, though. If they send me a call, I’m stuck.”

“Poor baby.” She smiled again. It was surprisingly easy to talk to Theo on the phone. For some reason, she figured he’d bark a few words at her and then hang up without saying good-bye. “When does your shift end?”

“Six.”

“Are you coming to breakfast?” Her heartbeat sped up as she waited for his answer, and Jules knew she was too eager to hear him say “yes.” Her resolve not to get involved with this cop tended to dissolve as soon as she saw him or spoke to him or touched him or, to be completely honest, thought about him.

His voice roughened, not with irritation, but with a certain husky tenderness she’d just started noticing when he talked with her. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Good,” she whispered, flushing, her face hot even in the cool mountain night air. “I should let you finish your reports.”

His groan made her laugh again. “I’d rather talk to you.”

Her face flamed even hotter, and she used her free hand to fan herself—not that it helped. “Um…okay.”

This time, it was Theo who laughed, a low chuckle that raised goose bumps along her spine, up her neck, and under her hair. “Good night, Jules.”

“Good night, Theo. Be safe.”

Long after the call ended, she sat smiling at her phone screen.

A shiver brought her back to reality, and she slipped back into the kitchen. It was hours before she had to leave for work, but there was no way she was going to get back to sleep. Jules figured she might as well do something productive, rather than lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying the phone conversation in her head, and smiling like a maniac. There was no reason she couldn’t clean the kitchen while replaying the call and grinning. She was an excellent multitasker.