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We’ve talked with Grizz, Mrs. Jenkins, and Sloane and Benson today. Time flew by as Titan and I tried to piece together more information about the cold case. Thankfully, Benson—who runs The Grizzly Grove bar with his sister Sloane—offered us a delicious meal of burgers and fries when he saw how ravished we were after a day of walking and talking. I think he felt bad for not being able to give us any useful information. So far, Mrs. Jenkins was the only one who was able to identify the man with the red cowboy hat. The anonymous tip the police got a while ago also spoke about a man with a red hat, albeit a baseball cap.

I shrug and grab a fry. “I’m not sure. Maybe the police were right. These could all be dead-ends.”

“But you told me this might not be a murder case, right? You believe Isabella could still be alive?”

I nod as I absentmindedly munch on a fry.

“Then we shouldn’t give up,” Titan says.

“You really think so? I’d hate to take up all of your time for nothing.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t mind. In fact, I’m calling my brother Blaze right now.”

“Will he be able to help us?”

Titan gives me a wide grin. “Probably not, but we’re supposed to guide a canopy zipline tour together tomorrow. He’ll have to ask one of our brothers to replace me.”

“No, wait.” I put my hand on his, and he disconnects the call. “I don’t want to get you in trouble. It’s unfair of me to ask you to ditch work tomorrow.”

“You do realize I co-own RidgeRoam Adventure Tours with my brothers, right? Hell, when Falcon met his wife, he ghosted us for two whole weeks. He owes me.”

I lean back in my chair. “Seriously? He disappeared an entire fortnight?” To do what?”

The corner of his mouth twitches as he tries and fails to suppress a smile. “What do you think? They spent two weeks having sex. They only ventured out of the bedroom to eat and to shower.”

My eyes grow wide. “He told you all that?”

“Couldn’t stop talking about it, actually. Still can’t. It’s fine. The guy’s head over heels for his wife. I can’t blame him for wanting to shout from the rooftops how much he loves her. I could’ve done without the details, though,” he says, pulling a face.

I laugh. “It must be nice to have someone you want to disappear in a bedroom with for weeks on end.”

Titan drops his fry right in his ketchup and locks eyes with me. Suddenly, I can’t eat any more either. There’s no room in my belly left, thanks to the butterflies swirling around in there. Any second now, I might explode and do something crazy, like jump on his lap.

“Yeah, must be,” he says in a low voice.

His hand is flat on the table. I inch mine forward, and the tips of our fingers meet. A shocking jolt races through me. This must be what it feels like to be hit by lightning.

Titan moves his hand so that our fingers are intertwined. I’m sure he’s about to get up, take me in his arms, and kiss me, but when his phone rings, the magic moment is gone.

“Hey, brother, I’ve got a favor to ask,” he starts.

He frowns, then says: “Come on, Blaze. Don’t be a dick.”

I train my gaze on the food in front of me so that Titan doesn’t think I’m trying to eavesdrop.

“Not just any woman,” he whispers, but still loud enough for me to hear.

My heart soars. He’s talking about me, right?

“Great. Thanks, Blaze.”

He puts his phone down and gives me a smile. “We’re good to go. My brothers will cover for me for as long as we need.”

“Wow, that’s great. Thank you. And them.”

“So what’s our next move?” he asks as if he didn’t tell his brother he thinks I’m not just any woman.

“Hike up to the place where she lost her backpack? Or is that a bad idea?”

I’m not an experienced hiker, so I don’t have a clue about safety or feasibility.

“We can do that, but we’ll have to wait until morning. It’s too late to venture out there now. If we don’t get back down before dark, we’ll be stuck on the mountain overnight,” Titan explains.

“That doesn’t sound like a fun experience,” I admit. “Where do you want to meet up tomorrow morning?”

“I’ll pick you up at seven,” he says.

“Great, thanks,” I say.

Sloane appears at our table, offering us both a big smile. “Was everything okay?”

Her gaze goes from me to Titan and back, and I’m pretty sure she thinks something’s going on between us.

Titan nods. “Great, as always. Thanks again to you and your brother. Are you sure we don’t have to pay?”

Sloane shakes her head. “Of course not. It’s not every day we get to welcome a podcasting celebrity.”

I snort. “Thank you, but I’m hardly a celebrity.”

“According to Julie, you are. When I ran into her at the supermarket earlier, she couldn’t stop talking about you.”

“Well, I’m flattered,” I say.

She clears our plates and gives us a wink. “Have fun, you two. Something says I’ll be seeing a lot more of you both. Together.”

Titan scrapes his chair back. I know it’s time for us to leave, but I don’t want this perfect day to end. Thankfully, I’ve got a whole new day with him planned for tomorrow.

Outside, I shove my hands in my coat pockets. Despite the beautiful weather during the day, it does get cold here at night. “So… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Titan’s jaw clenches. “No way.”

“You changed your mind?”

“No. I haven’t. I won’t. But I’m not letting you walk home alone in the dark. I’m joining you.”

“But you live on the other side of town,” I say, even though I want nothing more than for Titan to walk me home.

“I’ll manage. Your safety is important to me. Besides, I don’t mind getting a few extra steps in.”

We walk in the direction of my parents’ place, and I grin. If my teenage self could see me now, she’d faint. I take a deep breath in. “It’s nice to be back here.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t imagine ever leaving Bearclaw Ridge,” Titan admits. “How’s the big city treating you, anyway?”

I shrug. “It’s okay, but it’s different than I expected. The traffic, the noise, the crowds, the way you have to fight for a decent freelance job… I don’t know. Sometimes I wonder if it’s what I want anymore, you know? That’s why I want this podcast thing to grow to the next level. I love doing it and my work sometimes cracks open cases that have been unresolved for years, so I kind of help people. It’s the job I want to devote all my time to. I’m burned out working for a boss who always has demands and never has anything positive to offer.”

Titan nods. “I’ll help you in any way I can if it means making your dreams come true. Ever since starting RidgeRoam Adventure Tours, I haven’t had a single day when I didn’t wake up happy and excited to go to work.”

It feels so good to talk to someone who gets me. Usually, people’s reactions aren’t as positive. They all claim I should just suck it up and make sure I earn money, no matter how hard I’m suffering. I long for more, and Titan gets that.

We stop in front of my place, and my nerves reach an all-time high. Is he going to wave me goodbye, or is he going to kiss me?

“We’re here,” I say.

We both stare at each other without speaking. He isn’t going to kiss me, is he? If he were planning on doing that, he would’ve done it already.

“Well, goodnight,” I say and turn around, but Titan grabs my hand.

“Not so fast, Harper.”

He pulls me against his broad chest and captures my lips with a long, hot kiss. My body feels weak and liquid under his touch, but his strong arms keep me steady. He pushes his tongue deeper into my mouth, and I welcome him with a moan.

Inside, a light flicks on. I quickly let go, as if I’m a teenager who gets busted for secretly kissing a guy.

Titan gives my hand a small squeeze. His eyes are full of lust and love when he says: “Goodnight, Harper. See you tomorrow.”