Chapter 97 Part 97
Asher
He woke up much later, the only light in the room coming from the television. Emerson was lying half on top of him, and he had no idea when they’d fallen asleep.
Her dark hair had fallen over her face, and Asher tucked the strands behind her ear. They’d stepped over the line, but he wasn’t sorry they had. He didn’t regret it.
He shifted and slowly moved her off him. He covered her with the blanket, got his clothes from the floor, and put them on. His watch told him it was 8 p.m., and he wandered into the kitchen.
He stood in front of the freezer, took out one of Eden’s frozen dinners she’d made; put it in the microwave to defrost, and switched the kettle on. He could smell her perfume, a faint scent that had faded a bit.
“Did I wake you?”
“No,” she said, from the doorway. Asher took another cup from the cupboard, and turned to look at her. She had wrapped the blanket around her, but hadn’t gotten dressed.
“You should get dressed,” he said, and swallowed.
“Why? Does seeing me in a blanket make you nervous?” she asked, and chuckled.
“No, but asking me to sit through a meal with you only in a blanket will be damn near impossible.”
She laughed, and disappeared from the doorway. Asher finished their coffee, and placed both cups on the kitchen table. He got plates and cutlery just as Emerson returned fully dressed.
“What are we having?”
“I think it’s lasagna,” Asher said.
Emerson sat down at the table, and sipped her coffee. “We missed two entire movies.”
Asher smiled, but didn’t say anything. He sat down at the table, opposite her, and took a sip of his coffee. His front door opened, and feet stomped on the porch before the door was closed again.
Emerson raised an eyebrow, and Asher grinned. “That sounds like Finn.”
“Asher?!”
“In the kitchen!”
“Oh, hey, Emma,” Finn said.
“Hi, Finn.”
“Just in time for dinner, it seems,” he said with a grin, and took his jacket off.
“Why are you here?”
Finn shook his head as he sat down, and looked at Asher. “You know, Asher, you might want to consider being a little friendlier to people.”
“I’m friendly enough,” he said, and stood up as the microwave beeped. He checked the food, and put it back to defrost some more.
“I just came over to tell you that the news said the bridge up on the county road is flooded. An SUV veered off the road and flipped. The parents got out but their little boy is missing.”
Asher’s expression changed, and Emerson gasped, a horrified look on her face, and she clamped her hand over her mouth. Finn was looking intently at Asher, and he nodded his head.
“Let’s go,” Asher said, and stood up. In the mudroom, he pulled his boots on, and grabbed his rain jacket.
“You’re going out in this?”
“Of course, that little boy is going to head straight for the woods on the other side, and nobody knows these woods better than me, except Bear Claw, and he only gets back next week.”
“Be careful,” she said.
“I’ll have my phone in a waterproof pouch. Call me if anything happens, okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” she said.
Finn had walked to the front door, and Asher pulled her closer, and kissed her. “Lock the doors, and leave me a piece of that chocolate.”
She smiled briefly, and nodded her head. Asher left her in the kitchen and got his rifle. Finn stood on the porch, and when Asher closed the front door behind him, they both ran to his truck.
Finn took the western road from the ranch, and headed to the bridge near the borders of the next town, Three Rivers. The truck slid in the mud a few times, but Finn didn’t slow down.
“Tell me what I need to know,” Asher said, as he checked his rifle.
“The boy’s 3 years old, and he’s wearing a yellow jacket with jeans and red sneakers. He has asthma, and his inhaler is in his mother’s purse.”
“What’s his name?”
“Sean,” Finn said. A flash of Sean’s face with the gun aimed at him appeared, but he blinked his eyes, and forced the image away.
“When we get there, get me the inhaler. I’ll find him,” Asher said.
Finn nodded his head, turned the corner, and parked the truck near the Sheriff’s cruiser. Asher taped his flashlight to the rifle’s muzzle, and got out of the truck.
“Oh, thank God, you’re here, Asher,” Sheriff Connely said.
“Show me the car,” Asher said. He followed the Sheriff and walked toward the bridge where Finn spoke to a woman. The water flowed freely over the bridge, and Asher peered down. The car hadn’t gone into the river, which was good. It lay on its roof a few feet from the riverbank, and the woods were on the other side.
“His mom says he’s afraid of water, so I’m guessing you’re right that he headed to the woods,” Finn said, and handed him the inhaler. He put it in his pocket and zipped it closed.
“Give me until morning. If I’m not back by then, you get Blair and Colt, and wait for daylight before coming to look for us,” Asher said.
“Do I tell them that you kissed Emma?” Finn yelled, as Asher walked away.
He grinned, as he turned around, and shook his head. “No!”
“You like her, don’t you?”
“Yeah!”
“I’m glad. She looks at you with hearts in her eyes!” Asher chuckled, and pulled the hood over his head, as he turned away from his brother.
He headed down the incline toward the car and checked the backseat. The door was wide open, telling him the kid wasn’t that hurt, probably dazed, and wandered off, not realizing where he was going.
He trudged through the slippery grass, muddy pools, and rocks, toward the woods and switched his flashlight on.