24. Chapter 24
twenty-four
Six days to the wedding
Rowan pushed the brewing button on the coffeemaker and headed down to the basement to start a load of laundry. She carefully went down the stairs with her booted foot. Her ankle didn’t hurt anymore, but the doctor told her to wear it, at least until tonight. And nurse Chris monitored her like a hawk.
The man didn’t miss a thing. She’d tried to casually “forget” about putting it on yesterday morning, and he’d called her on it. Rowan guessed that was his nature—he paid attention to every detail. She’d especially learned more about that side of him in the most pleasurable way on Friday, when he’d taken her into his bedroom and thoroughly studied her body. She still got goosebumps when she thought about it now.
Rowan had felt so liberated as she’d put aside every worry about the inn, their deception, her sister, or his last name. There had only been her and him and their immediate need for each other’s bodies. And nothing else. It’d been something she’d never done before.
It was only sex. But it was absolutely the blow-your-socks-off type of sex, and I should be good for the year.
Rowan chuckled to herself as she loaded the washing machine. In the last three years of her relationship with Richard, their sex life had slowly turned from the obligated once a week to nonexistent. At some point, she wasn’t sure if she hadn’t cared for it anymore or if he’d just lost interest in her.
Chris was proof she was desirable. And she desired men. And boy, to rediscover that desire with a man like Chris Sullens was something else. Too bad they’d agreed on a one-day deal.
It’s for the best.
With everything going on between the wedding, the mysterious vandalisms, and Rae, it would be best if they kept the rest of his stay here— Professional? Friendly? She couldn’t find the right word.
Rowan was about to start the cycle when she heard scratches. She paused and listened. What the hell was that? She hoped she didn’t have a rodent invasion. She didn’t need another fucking problem.
The scratching became more persistent. Rowan looked for the source and ended up at the back door. She exhaled a breath of relief, realizing it was probably Felix wanting some pre-breakfast petting. She opened the door and was thrilled to find her little tiger. But to her surprise, Naomi and Charles weren’t too far behind.
Since she’d adopted them last April, she hardly saw the two bigger cats near the house. They preferred to wander outside at night, snoozed in some corner during the day, and sometimes came around when it was time to eat. Unlike Felix, those two liked their independence, which was fine by Rowan as long as they did their job.
“What’s up, fellas?” Rowan squatted down, giving Felix a scratch on his head, but after the first contact, he moved back. Rowan's eyebrows shot up at the odd behavior.
Naomi made a short, guttural sound. The cat had too much dignity to meow to please a human—even a human who fed her. Felix walked toward the other cats but stopped and stared back at Rowan. Actually, all three cats looked at her expectantly.
“It’s not seven yet, guys. I’ll get your food out soon, okay?” Rowan told the cats.
Felix usually would come first at feeding time. The other two knew that food was there, but they’d come in their own time. They preferred to hunt their own food at night. That was why they got so big—not fat, but huge. The shelter didn’t really know, but these three might be mostly Maine Coon mixed with other cats .
When Rowan just stood there watching them, Charles howled loudly. Alarmed, she quickly closed the door and followed the cats when they trotted away. It was so weird.
“What the hell?” Rowan muttered.
She tried to keep up with cats, even with the boot on. But she could guess where they were going. It looked like they were heading to the equipment barn, a little farther away from the house and the gray barn. They stored their lawn equipment, extra building materials, and other things there. She’d also allowed Chris to park his motorcycle there since he wasn’t using it.
Rowan stopped in her tracks when she got closer to the barn. The door was open. They always locked that door for the night. And nobody had needed anything from there since Wednesday when Chris had taken materials to fix the cottage steps.
Did he forget to lock up?
Rowan approached the opening and spotted the lock hanging off the door. After one closer look, she immediately pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed. Chris picked up on the first ring.
“Come to the equipment barn,” Rowan told him without a greeting.
“I haven’t had my coffee yet.”
“Someone broke in.”
His answer was swift. “Don’t touch anything. I’ll be right there.”
Rowan sighed and looked at the three cats. Was it her imagination, or did they all look pleased with themselves? She went to give each of them a quick rub, which the two large cats tolerated for only a few seconds before slipping away.
But Felix stayed and plopped down on his side so Rowan could give him a full body rub. The feline playfully caught her hand with his front paws. His claws were out, but he wasn’t hurting her. But something in his claws caught Rowan’s eyes: a miniscule swath of black fabric.
“You got him, did you?” she snickered. “Atta boy.”
Chris watched the police car drive off after an exhausting morning reporting the latest break-in. Kieran and Rowan had agreed to make a report this time. There was no doubt someone cut the lock to the barn, though nothing seemed disturbed. And the security cameras had caught nothing but shadows.
According to Rowan, her barn cats had clued her into the disturbance, and she’d noticed some fabric stuck in Felix's claws. She assumed the cat must've gone after the intruder. Chris’ respect for the cats had gone up a few notches.
However, Kieran and the officers had scoffed at the theory, saying even if it were true, the fabric was too small and common to be matched with anything. But Chris thought the idea was plausible. He’d definitely think twice about breaking and entering if confronted by three large cats.
Rowan always referred to Felix as her tiny tiger, but that was precisely what he was: a mini tiger. He wasn’t this teeny tiny cat. He just seemed small compared to the other two dinosaurs Rowan called cats.
“What a great way to start a Sunday morning,” Kieran deadpanned.
“At least whoever it was didn’t take anything,” Alex said. “And we have the incidents on record now.”
“I doubt that’ll help. I got the sense that Tom and Cole won’t put too much effort into investigating it,” Rowan said, referring to the two officers who took their report.
“Unfortunately, theft is a common enough crime, and when nothing is really missing, the police don’t have enough resources to put on our case,” Kieran added.
It sounded outrageous to Chris. A crime was a crime and should be investigated. But that was the reality. Even in big cities like New York and Boston, there weren’t enough resources to enforce laws or prevent crimes.
“Anyway, let’s get some breakfast,” Alex said. “Oliver has a quiche in the oven waiting for us.”
At the offer of food, Kieran happily followed Alex. Rowan wasn’t as enthusiastic as Kieran, though she had had nothing since she’d called him to meet her at the barn. She looked exhausted.
Chris felt a tug at his heart.
“Come here.” He gathered her into his arms.
Rowan went into his embrace and laid her head on his shoulder. “Who the fuck is messing with us?”
Chris heard her frustration in every syllable and felt it in the tenseness of her muscles as he rubbed her back. He could think of one person trying to mess with the Kellys, but would he break the law to do it?
“I don’t know,” Chris replied, kissing the top of her head. “But we’ll show them it won’t stop us. Okay?”
Chris felt a prick at the back of his neck and looked up. He found Kieran studying them with an unreadable look. After a couple of seconds of staring Chris down, Kieran walked inside.
Great.
It felt natural for Chris to offer Rowan some comfort when she obviously needed it, and he hadn’t thought about how it might look to her brother. Now Kieran probably believed Chris was taking advantage of his fake engagement to Rowan, which Chris couldn’t technically deny. Rowan and he had taken advantage of each other for release and comfort. They were two consenting adults. There was nothing wrong with that.
But why do I feel like I’ll soon be at the wrong end of a shotgun?
Rowan felt terrible she had little appetite to enjoy the meal Oliver had prepared. But dealing with a break-in and police first thing in the morning would do that to you. It also killed the conversation around the dining table. Nobody was talking except for Alex, trying to fill in the silence.
“We should do something fun today,” Alex suggested. “It’s Sunday. I think we all could use a break.”
“You guys go ahead. I have some paperwork or Frankie will have my head tomorrow morning. Thanks for breakfast.” Kieran got up and added, “Rowan, a word.”
Without waiting for her response, Kieran headed out. Rowan frowned at Kieran’s brusqueness, but it wasn’t out of character. She met him on the porch, looking out at the view of the cove. When she closed the door behind her, he spoke.
“What’s going on between you and Chris?”
Surprised by the question, Rowan didn’t know how to answer except, “Nothing.”
“A man doesn’t hold a woman that way if there’s nothing between them,” Kieran said.
“What do you know about holding a woman, Kieran?” Rowan crossed her arms at her chest. “I believe he was expressing empathy. When was the last time you showed a woman that?”
Kieran turned to her, but he didn’t rise to her bait. “You’re a grown, capable woman, Rowan. I won’t tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. I’d just advise you to take care. Remember why he’s here.”
Rowan wasn’t in the mood for a lecture, but she didn’t have a quip to throw back at her brother. He hadn’t said anything she hadn’t told herself about sleeping with Chris. She was aware of the limitation. Heck, she’d been the one drawing the boundaries.
“Don’t worry about me. I can—” Rowan answered simply.
“Take care of yourself,” Kieran finished her sentence. “I know. But when it comes to an unexpected complication like Chris Sullens, I worry. He isn’t one of us. He’s only here for another week. And you may start thinking he’s here for you, but he isn’t. He’s still here for Rae.”
Rowan swallowed. “I know why he’s here.”
Kieran studied her face to assure himself. He nodded, then turned to leave. Rowan blew a breath and felt the heaviness on her shoulders return after the temporary unburdening with Chris on Friday. She felt the craving for that release again but knew Kieran was right.
I gotta find another way to relax .
Then an idea occurred to her. She went inside and announced to her friends, “Alex is right. We should do something fun today.”
“What do you have in mind?” Alex asked excitedly.
“I need a change of scenery. Let’s pack a picnic and go to Booth’s Quarry.”
“What do you do there?” Oliver asked.
“It’s a freshwater swimming hole,” Alex replied. “A tad warmer than the seawater. We used to love jumping off the rocks. Remember, Ro? ”
Rowan loved to see the glow on Alex’s face. “I remember.”
“I’m game,” Chris said with one of his irresistible smiles.
“You’re sure it’s warmer?” Oliver asked.
“I thought you’d be used to cold water, seeing you’re from Chicago and all,” Rowan said. “Isn’t Lake Michigan cold?”
“Not in the summer,” Oliver retorted.
Rowan laughed. “Why don’t you see if it’s too cold for you? Children love it. I’m sure you can handle it.”
“And you can always warm up on the granite. It’s a great sunbathing spot,” Alex said. “Come on, let’s get packing.”
Seeing Alex and Oliver packing food and drinks into a cooler, Rowan couldn’t help but pat herself on the back. She felt better already.