Page 17 of Ranger Devotion

“Not at all.” Annie had reprogrammed the lock to accept only her and Tate’s credentials.

He stepped forward and pressed his index finger to the keypad. The locks clicked open, and the light turned green. He waited a second and then locked the fridge again.

It’d taken two hours to process the crime scene, but Annie was grateful for Tate’s thoroughness. And his presence. He was active-duty law enforcement, which meant the chain of custody would hold up in court.

Tate followed her out of the top-of-the-line kitchen into the dining area. He gestured around the room. “You did a great job with this.”

“Thanks. The kitchen in the main lodge comes in handy, but we outgrew it after our first summer camp session.” She rubbed her arms. It’d started raining while they were processing the crime scene, and her clothes were damp. Sleet now pounded against the roof of the mess hall. The weather would delay repairs on the bridge. Her stomach hollowed at the thought of spending the night trapped with a killer. “Do you think Preston murdered Kayla?”

“Caleb does.”

Annie winced, thinking about the earlier argument. “Caleb has been in love with Kayla since middle school. He and Preston never got along.”

“How did Kayla feel about Caleb?”

“She used Caleb. She knew about his feelings and strung him along to get things from him. He did ninety percent of her homework. I’m also pretty sure Kayla was responsible for talking Caleb into letting Preston cheat off him on the AP History final. That decision cost Caleb his college scholarship.” Annie unwound her messy bun and ran her hands through her hair, careful of the lump near her temple. A headache was brewing along the back of her skull. “You’d think he’d hate her after that, but nope.”

Tate frowned. “I remember hearing the rumor about Caleb losing his scholarship…Hold on, if Preston cheated off Caleb, why was Caleb the only one who got in trouble?”

“Preston’s dad was the mayor. He and Preston accused Caleb of being the one who cheated, and the school principal took their side.” Annie had always despised that part of living in a small town. It was one thing to look out for one another. It was quite another to allow politics and favoritism to interfere with doing the right thing. “The principal allowed Caleb to retake the exam, but his scholarship had an academic integrity clause. Any cheating violation and it was automatically revoked—no appeals, no second chances. Like me, Caleb came from a single-parent family. His mom worked as a janitor. She didn’t have the money to pay for college once the scholarship was gone. Instead, he went to trade school and became an electrician.”

“Sounds like Caleb has good reason to be furious with Kayla and Preston.”

“Except he never blamed Kayla.” She fiddled with the scrunchie from her hair. “He was blind when it came to her.”

“It’s been twenty years. Maybe he sees things differently now.”

Annie concede Tate had a point. Still, she had a hard time imagining Caleb attacking and killing Kayla. “And Preston? He was alone with her, and they had a screaming argument that ended with a bottle being thrown against the wall.”

Tate’s gaze settled on hers. “Are you under the impression that I’ve removed Preston from the suspect list?”

“You were pretty chummy with him back at the crime scene.”

“Because I needed to get information out of him, not because I believe he’s telling me the truth.”

“Right.” Conflicting emotions knotted inside her. She understood the technique, had used it herself on suspects. But understanding it didn’t make it any less painful to watch Tate slip back into that easy camaraderie with the same people who’d made her life miserable.

Annie started for the door. “We should talk to Caleb and then check Preston’s alibi.”

Tate caught up with her and stepped into her path. “Annie…wait.” He paused, working up to something. “You can trust me.”

She debated, then decided to be honest. “I’m trying. It’s hard to know what you’re thinking. I understand befriending Preston to learn the truth. But there’s a history here. You’ve been one way with me and then another when I wasn’t looking. You’re a chameleon, Tate, morphing into who you need to be in the moment. It makes it hard to know what’s real.”

The hurt in his eyes tugged at her heartstrings. But she didn’t take the words back. They were honest, and he should know where she stood if they were going to be working together.

He sighed. “You’re right. There is a history between us, but I’m not the same person I used to be. If you want to know what I’m thinking, just ask.” His dimple winked. “Preferably not in front of a suspect though.”

A laugh bubbled up. He joined in, his deep chuckle vibrating through her. Suddenly Annie became all too aware of how closely they were standing. Her gaze lifted to his of its own accord. The gold flecks in his brown eyes transfixed her. Her breath caught.

The smile eased from his face as he lifted a hand. Tate hesitated and then brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. The touch went through her like heat, and right behind it came every alarm she owned. Annie stepped back out of reach. “We should go.”

She zipped up her jacket and stepped out of the building onto the covered walkway. Sleet beat against the tin roof, and the damp air hit her heated cheeks like a wet cloth. Tate joined her, and Annie hated the way she seemed in tune with his movements. It had always been like this between them—the pull, the awareness, the impossibility of simple friendship. Even back in high school, tutoring sessions had crackled with something neither of them had been ready to name.

Evan had been right to warn her. She needed to be careful. Falling for Tate all over again…well, that would be disastrous. Especially given the current circumstances. Until the bridge was repaired and the killer caught, they needed to work together. Romantic feelings would only complicate an already fraught alliance.

And deep down, Annie wasn’t convinced she could trust him. He’d promised to be honest with her, but she wasn’t ready to rely on his word. She’d need proof.

The warmth of the main lodge enveloped her as she stepped inside. Her fingers and toes began to thaw. She stepped aside to let Tate in and then shucked her coat and gloves. The fire was going and the Christmas tree still twinkled in the corner — the same room she’d stood in just last night, complaining to Brooke about hosting a reunion. Nothing about it felt the same. Her former classmates gathered in small groups. Voices were hushed.