Page 4 of Tracked
Whoever it was, it wasn’t a friend; I’d determined that much. My friendships came in quality, not quantity, and also came at a distance. Most of those I would have considered close had been from college or my law-intern days, and all of them lived out of state.
I stepped over the threshold, scanning the bookcase-covered walls that had always made this my favorite room of the house, until my eyes landed on her.
Her.
Small frame. Slim jeans. Short boots. Loose blazer. Red hair. She turned, and I felt the unmistakable, unrepentant slam of my heart as it detonated in my chest.
Green eyes and full lips greeted me, along with a familiar smattering of freckles over her nose, more numerous now in the summer. But it was the hair ... I would know that copper-drenched hair anywhere. Even after ... Damn.Even after twelve years.
“Lara.” I broke the silence and took a step forward, noting the instant flicker of distrust that hardened her face and the slight downturn of her invitingly pink lips.
I couldn’t remember exactly the last time I’d seen Lara Crane, but whenever it had been, my body had responded in the same exact way. That had never changed. The undercurrent of heat. The hum of attraction in my veins. The ache for someone so wholly inappropriate, especially then but even now.
“Calder.”
All the pieces clicked into place. The rental car. A visitor who was from here but didn’t live here any longer. How she knew where to find me.
There was one time—one single time—in college when I’d brought my ex-girlfriend to the ranch. It wasn’t to see my home or meet my family, but to help her. Unfortunately, my attempt to help had only ended in disaster.
That ex-girlfriend was Rachel Crane.Lara’s older sister.
Judging from the sharp edge in Lara’s emerald gaze and the way she held it like a knife to mine, she didn’t want to be here.Didn’t want to see me.And I didn’t blame her.
“What happened?” I asked, cutting to the chase as I folded my arms over my chest.
She wouldn’t be here if she had any other choice, which meant she didn’t.
Pain seared her expression. “Rachel’s missing.”
Chapter 2
Lara
Calder Stone was wildly, ruggedly handsome.Still.
My heart thundered against my ribs as I stared at the proverbial cardboard cutout of my memory of my sister’s college boyfriend. Everything from his clipped dark-brown hair and murky hazel eyes to the trimmed stubble of his beard was all familiar. Even his style—dark pants and plain gray tee—hadn’t changed in all these years.
But had Calder always been this tall? This broad? My chest tightened as I met his stare.And had his eyes always had those gold flecks?
Maybe there was some kind ofTuck Everlastingfountain of youth hidden in this wilderness, because the silver-haired man who’d greeted me at the front door, with a slight frown eerily similar to the one his son wore now, was also age-defyingly handsome.
Calder’s jaw clenched, and my breath snagged, watching the flex of hismasseterhighlight the hard edge of his jawline and the pulse of histemporalisecho his frustration.
God.Even after a dozen years, it was hard not to lose myself in the mental anatomy lessons that would run through my premed head every time Rachel had brought him around.
Human musculature as taught by a bare-chested Calder Stone was far more captivating than any textbook illustration or lab examination of dissected cadavers from class.
Though I’d tried to frame my fascination as educational, there was no denying my attraction to my sister’s boyfriend. Not even now. But attraction was biology, not rationality. If physical chemistry were logical, I wouldn’t feel warmth in the presence of the man who’d broken my sister’s heart.
“What do you mean, Rachel’s missing?” His calm voice rippled through the room.
Calder was always calm. No.Calmwasn’t the right word. Calder was a mutation of confidence, composure, and just a hint of coldness topped with a charming smile. It was that slight aloofness that had made him attractive to Rachel ... and destroyed her when they broke up.
I shook off the surge of anger. It wouldn’t get me anywhere, especially since Calder was my best chance at finding my sister.
“I mean she’s missing. I haven’t heard from her in weeks. She’s not answering her phone. She’s not at her apartment. And I think her new boyfriend might have something to do with it.”
His stance widened and his dark brows furrowed.
