Obsession Falls (The Haven Brothers #1)

I didn’t see him either. He’d been sniffing around her front yard a minute ago.

“Max, come!” Her forehead creased with worry. “Max!”

“He’s probably just around back.”

“Yeah, hopefully.” She went around the house at a jog, still calling for him.

I followed. No dog.

“Max, come!” She met my eyes. “Where could he have gone? He usually stays close.”

It was probably my paranoia, but my first thought was that someone must have taken him. But I didn’t remember a car driving by, let alone someone stopping. Plus, we would have seen a person getting out to grab her dog, or even just opening the door to let him in their car.

“Do you think he went across the road in front? Would you have noticed that?”

She paused for a second before answering. “I don’t think he did. I would have seen that out of the corner of my eye and called him back.”

“Then he probably went up there.” I gestured to the steep slope, dotted with pine trees, that rose behind the two houses.

“He must have. I bet he caught the scent of some animal and followed it.” She cupped her hands around her mouth. “Max! Max, come!”

We waited. No dog.

“I need to go find him.” She started up the hill. “He’s not the smartest. He’ll totally get lost.”

“I’ll check the remodel in case I left the door open, then I’ll catch up.”

“Okay,” she said over her shoulder.

I hesitated for a beat. She was in a skirt and heels. Not ideal for hiking. But she was charging up the hill like her shoes didn’t matter, so I let her go.

I jogged around to the front of the remodel, but the door was shut. Just in case he’d gone in and the wind had closed it behind him, I gave the place a quick once over, calling for him as I went from room to room. Definitely no dog.

Back outside, I checked the front yard and scanned the street in case he was on his way back. Didn’t see him. I called a few times, but still nothing.

Instead of going up the slope directly behind Audrey, I veered to the left so we could cover more ground. I powered up the hill, calling for Max, trying to keep an eye out in all directions.

Damn dog.

“Max!”

I had no idea if he’d come to anyone who called his name or just Audrey. She wasn’t far from where I was. I could hear her in the distance and used the sound of her voice to keep track of her while I headed steadily uphill.

“Max!”

Pine needles crunched under my feet and squirrels raced up tree trunks as I ran by. He’d probably chased one of them. Those things were smart. I wouldn’t put it past them to lead him into the woods just to be tiny assholes.

Sweat beaded on my forehead and I was breathing hard by the time I reached the top. Still no dog. I paused for a moment to catch my breath, listening for Audrey in the distance. Her voice carried between the pines, and even from here, I could hear her rising panic.

Where was that dog?

If he got himself truly lost, or hurt, or worse, it was going to break Audrey’s heart.

Growling in frustration, I kept going. I was not stopping until I found her stupid adorable dog.

The pines grew thicker, the spaces between them littered with debris. I had to duck beneath the branches and sharp twigs reached out to snag my shirt and scratch my skin. I pushed through, still calling for Max.

A rustling sound up ahead caught my attention. I crested the next rise and there he was.