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Walking around Bearclaw Ridge with Titan makes me feel like a teenager again, except for the small detail that a lot has changed since high school.

First, Titan himself has changed. He has always been a hottie, but now that he’s pushing thirty, he’s grown into a real man, which makes him even hotter. His shoulders are broad and muscled, he’s got a big beard, and I can only imagine the six-pack he sports underneath his shirt. The twinkle in his eye and his tendency to protect me haven’t changed, though.

When we first met, I tried to get him out of my mind immediately, but it was useless. I fell for him faster than a lightning strike hits the ground when it storms. He never made a move, so I knew my feelings for him were unrequited. It hurt like hell, but he was way out of my league, anyway. Still, I wanted nothing more than to be with him.

Now that we’re chasing scoops again together, all those feelings I had buried deep inside of me come rushing back to the surface. It’s going to be hard to concentrate with him around. I’ll have to find a way to focus because I need this scoop. I’m so close to being a full-time podcaster.

“Want to tell me more about the case while we walk?” Titan asks.

“Isabella was hiking the Mystic Mountain Traverse Trail,” I explain. “She started her journey with the goal of hiking the entire long-distance trail of one-thousand two-hundred miles.”

“That’s an ambitious goal. Was she a seasoned hiker?”

“Not really. That’s why I believe the theory about her miscalculating how much food she had to take for the seven-day stretch from Highcliff Hollow to Mountview Meadows. She could’ve left the trail for a resupply in Bearclaw Ridge. Something must’ve happened to her in that stretch of wilderness.”

He mulls over my theory. “Could be, although the ones hiking the Mystic Mountains Traverse Trail rarely take the twenty-mile detour into town.”

“But it does happen?”

He shrugs. “Occasionally, yes.”

“See? There are tons of possibilities that can explain what happened to her.”

“I know, but why doesn’t the police keep looking for her?”

I smile. “I’m glad you asked. In some cases, there comes a point where law enforcement’s hands are tied. They're limited in what they can do with no evidence of foul play or a clear indication that a crime has occurred. And then there’s the issue of limited staffing and funding. In small towns like ours, the police are forced to prioritize cases based on urgency and available leads.”

He’s still not convinced. “But what about that sighting of Isabella you talked about earlier?”

“Like I said, they claimed it’s a dead-end. There’s no surveillance footage with her on it, nor is there an accurate description of the man she was supposedly seen with.”

Titan stops walking and crosses his arms over his chest. “Let me get this straight. So you’re telling me the police have done everything they could already?”

“But you are going to crack the case? How?”

“We can explore leads and angles that might have been overlooked or underplayed by the police. And as independent podcasters, we don’t need to follow protocols.”

He laughs. “You mean we’re going to break the law?”

“More like being creative with the rules,” I say with a grin.

A big smile spreads over his face, and I’m afraid cartoon hearts will pop out of my eyes any second now. Fuck, he’s dreamy. My gaze zooms in on the dimples in his cheeks, barely visible because of his beard.

“So, what’s our first move?” he asks, snapping me out of my daydream.

“I thought we could interview a few people who were seen at the spot of the supposed sighting. After that, maybe we can hike up to where they found her backpack?”

“Okay.” He knits his eyebrows together. “And who are we interviewing exactly?”

I put my backpack on the ground and rummage around until I find a scrambled piece of paper. It wasn’t easy getting hold of the list of names the police compiled, but I did it anyway, something I’m very proud of.

“Let’s see,” I say, scanning the paper. “There’s Grizz, who works at The Ridge Wildlife and Rehabilitation Center, an old lady called Mrs. Jenkins, and Sloane and Benson, the siblings who own The Grizzly Grove Bar.”

“Mrs. Jenkins? Are you serious? You want me to go nag an old lady about something that happened years ago? I mean, Grizz, Sloane, and Benson, sure, but Mrs. Jenkins… I don’t know.”

I offer him my best pouting face. “Oh, come on, Titan. Please? You know all these people way better than me. I’m not up to speed with life in Bearclaw Ridge anymore. I moved away a long time ago, remember?”

His jaw ticks when I talk about moving away. For a moment, I think it’s because he missed me and wanted to be with me after all, but then I realize how ridiculous that sounds. If that was true, he could’ve just tracked me down online and begged me to return. I would’ve been on the first plane back home, ready to throw myself in his arms and—

“Earth to Harper,” he says with a smile. “Everything okay?”

“Um, yeah, I was lost in thought. About the case,” I lie.

More like the case of me falling back in love with Titan. Or rather, still in love because I never fell out of love with him. I let out a choked gasp when that epiphany sinks in.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks with a concerned look.

I give him a big thumbs up. Great. If he didn’t think something was wrong with me before, he definitely thinks it now.

We stop at my parents’ place, and I head inside to grab my recorder and some extra files from my room. The folder containing my notes is on my desk, with a chubby cat sleeping on top of it.

I pet the animal, hoping she’ll jump off, but my loving gesture only makes her purr. She stretches her paws and rolls on her back, demanding I pet her stomach.

“I’m sorry, that’ll have to wait. A hot, sweet guy is waiting for me outside,” I tell the cat.

I pick her up and put her on the floor so I can grab my notes. The cat stares at me while I head into the ensuite bathroom. Titan is waiting for me outside, so I shouldn’t dawdle, but I want to put on some mascara and run a brush through my hair first.

“See you later, kitty cat,” I say before running down the stairs again.

I’m lucky my parents are out because the last thing I want right now is for them to see how excited I am about spending the day with Titan. My mother would see right through me and push me to make a move, claiming that no man in his right mind would turn me down.

If only she knew. I’ve been turned down by a lot of men. It’s the reason I kind of gave up on dating. That, and… well, my feelings for Titan that I tried to ignore but kept flickering like the flame of a pilot light, nonetheless.

I open the front door and wait a few seconds before walking any further. Titan is leaning against my parents’ car, his gaze turned toward the north side of one of Bearclaw Ridge’s mountains. The sun is moving up in the sky, illuminating his face exactly the right way. The wind plays with his thick hair, and his stance is so confident that heat travels to the place between my legs. Then he turns his head and breaks out a huge smile when he sees me. Thanks to that gesture, my legs suddenly feel shaky. I grab the banister of the stairs leading to the porch so I don’t fall.