In Safe Hands (Search and Rescue #4)(2)
There was no use whining about it, though. It would have to do until spring finally came to the Rockies.
She peered through the curtain of snow at the house directly across the street. It looked like most of the Storvicks were in their family room, watching a movie. Only the oldest son, Corbin, was missing. Daisy spotted him through one of the upstairs windows, talking on a cell phone while pacing his bedroom. From the way he yanked on his hair with his free hand, there was more drama happening between him and the tall, redheaded girl who visited his house on an off-again/on-again basis.
As she watched the teenager end the call by throwing his phone against the wall, Daisy leaned closer to the window, making a mental note to tell Chris that Corbin and his girlfriend were fighting again. Last time they’d split, Corbin had spray-painted misspelled epithets on the girl’s garage door. Daisy wasn’t sure why his girlfriend had taken him back after that. Maybe Corbin was a good apologizer.
Since the teen had crammed in his earbuds and thrown himself on his bed, Daisy figured he’d be moping for at least a few hours. With the excitement at the Storvick house over for the night, she checked out Ian Walsh’s place. To her disappointment, the new shutters were closed, blocking her view.
The window coverings and the girlfriend had been installed around the same time. Although she was happy that Ian had found someone, those shutters had put a definite damper on any vicarious thrills. Firefighter Ian Walsh had been in the habit of walking around in nothing but boxer briefs, and Daisy missed her personal Chippendales show.
The house to the right of the Storvicks’, 304 Alpine Lane, was empty and had been for almost eight months. The for-sale sign was looking a little faded, especially with the frosting of new, bright-white snow lining the top. Daisy wished someone would move in soon and give her one more channel of neighbor TV. It looked like tonight’s entertainment would be a book or the Internet, neither of which excited her.
With a resigned sigh, she started to turn away from the window, but a movement in her peripheral vision brought Daisy’s focus back to the empty house. She squinted through the falling snow. There might have been a flicker of motion by the back corner of the house, but the darkness and the veil of snow made it hard to see. As her gaze traveled over the shadowed edges of the yard, she shivered and wrapped her arms around her middle. Without any moonlight, the forest on the far side of number 304 disappeared into absolute blackness. Anything or anyone could be lurking just past the tree line, and Daisy would never know.
Dragging her gaze away from the encompassing darkness, she forced herself to leave her window seat.
“No more horror movies for you,” she muttered under her breath. Ever since her friend, Chris, had told her about the headless body found in a nearby reservoir a few months ago, Daisy had been even more on edge than usual. As she scanned her bookcase for something light and funny to read, Daisy couldn’t help shooting a wary glance at the window. There were dangerous, terrifying things in the world beyond the safe walls and locked doors of her home. She knew this all too well. If she let herself dwell on those horrors, though, the nightmares would get even worse.
Picking one of her comfort reads, Daisy sat on her bed with her back toward the window. As she started on the first chapter, she was quickly lost in the book, and Daisy was almost able to shove away any worries about the unknown dangers creeping around outside her safe haven.
Almost.
*
Daisy recognized the knock, but she still pushed the intercom button. Messing with Chris was one of her few pleasures in life.
“May I help you?”
“Dais. Let me in.” He sounded crabby. That was unusual.
“Is that how you announce yourself? Shouldn’t you be shouting ‘Sheriff’s department’ or something?”
“I’m not serving a warrant.” Chris was definitely cranky. “If you don’t let me in right now, you’re not getting your very heavy present.”
“Present?” She hit the button to unlock the exterior door. “Why didn’t you say so? You know ‘present’ is the magic word.” Tipping her head close to the wood panel, she listened for the dull thud of the outer door closing and the click of the lock reengaging. Once it was secure, she opened the four dead-bolt locks and two chains as quickly as possible. Finally yanking open the interior door, she grinned when she saw the big box Chris was carrying.
“Out of the way,” he grunted, walking forward so she was forced to retreat a few steps. As soon as he was through the doorway, she closed the interior door, careful not to look at the outer one. Just the sight of that flimsy barrier between her and the outside world made her dizzy.
After refastening the locks, she turned toward her gift and its bearer. Chris had set the box on the kitchen floor and returned to the door to remove his boots. As Daisy hurried toward the mystery box, she stepped on a chunk of melting snow. With a yelp, she hopped over the remainder of what Chris had tracked in.
“I think the cows already escaped,” she said, watching through the arched doorway between the kitchen and the entry as he pulled off his boots.
He blinked up at her. “What?”
“Closing the barn door? Boots? Snow on the floor?”
With a snort, he unzipped his coat. “You’re a strange one, Daisy May.”
“You do know that’s not my middle name, right?”
“Sure.” He offered her a crooked grin. His bad mood seemed to have disappeared as soon as he was inside. “Daisy May is just more fun to say than Daisy Josephine.”