“True. Especially if he planned to disappear the moment you arrived.” He scratched his chin. “You’re right. Definitely a little odd.”

“Yeah, you’re telling me.”

Speaking of the hotel, there it was dead ahead.

Ryan broke from his theorizing to scan for a place to park. He found a spot just shy of the entrance. With a heave of the parking brake, he turned the key and switched off the engine.

“There we go. Door to door, almost.”

She turned and smiled but quickly found herself distracted by the commotion in the town square. The festival she had seen getting underway this morning was still going strong, the crowd even bigger than before.

“That’s some party your town is throwing,” she said, gazing up at the Ferris wheel. The ride looked even more impressive at night, like a giant neon parlor machine with its brightly lit steel arms swinging carriages high into the sky.

“Hey, you should know by now that if it’s got anything to do with that lighthouse, Seabrook takes it very seriously.”

Amy smiled. “Yeah, I’m starting to get the idea. Anyway, I should go. If Dad’s back, which he probably is, then he’ll definitely be wondering where I am.”

“Of course.”

She slipped off her seat belt and turned to face him. “I guess this is goodbye.”

He nodded slowly. “I guess it is.”

“Once again, thank you—for everything—for inviting me out riding, for driving me back, and, of course, for what you did last night. You were a lifesaver.”

He waved a hand through the air. “Think nothing of it.”

“I’m being serious. Today’s been fun, lots of fun. I can’t begin to explain to you how much I needed this, how much I needed . . . a distraction.” She looked straight at him, one hand on the door handle. “Truly, I mean it. Thank you.”

“It’s been my pleasure,” he said. “And believe me, I know what it’s like to need a distraction. If you ever need another one, then you know exactly where to find me. You’re welcome back to the ranch anytime you like.”

Amy stepped out onto the sidewalk, her dark hair dancing around her shoulders, caught by a swirling breeze.

“Hypothetically,” she started to say, holding the door open, “let’s say that I do. Let’s say I show up one day—does that mean you’ll take me riding again?”

A smile spread wide across Ryan’s face. “Of course.”

“Good, because I think I’m beginning to miss those trails already!”

“Hey, who knows, we might even find some new ones for you to explore. There are plenty of them.”

“Forty-seven miles, right?”

“You remembered.”