CHAPTER 14
HE CLIMBED OUT of his Land Rover and stood at the bottom of the driveway, staring up at his mountain. Three weeks had passed since he’d been home, and he took in the changes. A fallen tree branch. The buds forming on the scrubby bushes. A faint smell of skunk. The mailbox stood at his side like a sentry, and he flipped the lid open. Empty.
Emmy was here, he knew it. He melted into the scrubby undergrowth at the side of the track, then wound his way upwards like a wraith until he stood in the shadows next to the cabin. A dim glow came from inside. Not one of the overhead lights, but maybe the table lamp next to the couch—the sort of light a person left on in case they woke at night in unfamiliar surroundings.
Well, Emmy would be waking up tonight, that was for sure.
He ran ac
