Chapter 14
Everything today at the hospital seemed pretty normal for the rest of Chelsea’s shift. When it was time to leave after her regular eight-hour shift, she walked over to security and winced. “I know that I’m parked out front, but it’s time to leave, and I guess I’m a little hesitant.”
Immediately one of the security guards hopped up and motioned her to come with him. “And so you should be,” he replied. “Come on. I can walk you out.”
She smiled at him gratefully. “Thank you. I don’t want to think of this impacting my world so much, and I certainly don’t want it impacting your staff—”
“I get that,” he interrupted, with a laugh, “but let’s not be stupid about it.”
“No, let’s not,” she murmured.
Once they were outside, he walked her to her vehicle, looking around to see if anything suspicious was here.
“Do you have a vehicle description or anything?” she asked the guard.
“Yeah, an old beat-up pickup truck,” he shared. “It had no plates, but I know the cops have a copy of the security camera footage that caught the truck in other areas with a cam, so presumably they’re tracking down that vehicle.”
“Right,” she muttered, “something else to keep in mind.”
“Always,” he stated, with a smile. “Just stay safe while they figure it out. That’s what’s important in all of this.”
She wasn’t sure what else she was supposed to do, but she was trying.
As soon as she got into her vehicle, she turned on the engine, waved a thank-you to him, and slowly drove home.
As she got closer, she realized a vehicle was coming up behind her.
She frowned, and, just out of paranoia, she kept on going, not pulling into the farm.
A couple shops were up ahead, so she headed into them and then drove around to the back.
The vehicle pulled into the front, and she wasn’t sure where it was going, but she just wanted to stay out of everybody’s way.
As soon as she was clear or thought it was safe, she headed back outside and turned around and drove home.
She still called it home, yet really it was Sterling’s home now.
And that was okay with her too. She felt such a mix of emotions every time she drove in.
As soon as she pulled in, she pulled around to the back where her vehicle wasn’t easily visible from the front.
As she stepped out and walked closer, Sterling stared at her.
He asked, “Bad?”
She shrugged. “I just can’t seem to shake the feeling.”
“And you shouldn’t,” he declared. “Our instincts are there for a reason.”
“Well, when a vehicle came up behind me, I drove right on by and into the little mall area,” she explained, “and then later came back around.”
“Good, did the vehicle follow you?”
“No. … Whoever it was, they didn’t seem to follow me here.”
They stepped inside, and she kept a look out for any vehicles passing by, but the farm was nicely hidden from everything, loving the fact that she was as safe as she was here.
Then she saw another vehicle. She couldn’t tell if it was the same one or not, just that it was a truck.
“And there is a truck going very slowly past.”
He stepped up, took a look at it, and nodded. “Not a truck I know.”
“But that’s not necessarily a problem, right?” she asked, not at all sure of what she was asking or telling him at the same time.
*
“No, it isn’t, but it’s also not a good thing.” He immediately reached for his phone, but, as he did, Timber called him. “Hey,” he answered.
“Problems?” Timber asked, his voice harsh.
“I don’t know so much about new problems, but we’re just still not clear of the one.”
“Well, we’ve got another,” he declared. “Joel is on his way over to you right now. Both of you sit tight and stay sharp. We’re not sure exactly how bad this is yet. I called Richard, and he’s heading your way as well.”
“Okay, so does that mean something has finally broken?”
“Oh, something has broken all right,” he quipped, with a dry laugh. “We’re just not sure how bad it’ll be at the end of the day.”
“Great,” he muttered. “You want to give me a hint?”
“Is she there?”
“Yes, she’s here with me.”
“In hearing distance?”
He hesitated and then confirmed, “Yeah.”
“Think sniper.” Then he gave him a few short details from what Joel had found.
*
She watched as Sterling disconnected the phone and just stared off in the distance for a moment. She frowned. “I don’t understand. What does a sniper have to do with anything?”
He turned to her and grimaced. “Well, let’s just say that both Richard and Joel are on their way.” When she stared at him, he nodded. “You’ve managed to pick up quite a fan club.”
“If you’re talking about Joel, that’s perfectly all right with me,” she stated, with a smile. “I was kind of hoping we were done with all this nonsense, so we could explore the relationship.”
“Good,” he said, staring at her with a big smile. “I’m glad he’s showing that level of interest.”
She shrugged. “I think he’ll show a hell of a lot more interest, but not now with all the shit we’re going through.”
“And taking it slowly isn’t a bad idea either,” he pointed out. “There’s been an awful lot of upset in your life, and you don’t need more.”
“Not only do I not need more,” she replied, with a smirk, “but I could do with a whole lot less of the mess we seem to be in right now.”
“You’re right, and it’s been quite a shit storm already, hasn’t it?”
“It sure has,” she agreed. “I just want some semblance of calm and quiet.”
“Oh, I don’t have a problem with that,” he muttered. “It’s just that whole get past this stage thing. But why in the hell would anybody have driven that vehicle and parked it down on Timber’s land in the first place?”
“I don’t know,” she muttered, “and that’s really been bugging me. I wonder if the old man knew Timber.”
“Timber didn’t recognize Peacock.”
“No, but that doesn’t mean a whole lot, does it? Plus, I have a hard time with coincidence,” she pointed out.
He laughed. “You and me both. And considering we’re about to get company, let me go put on some coffee.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind some tea,” she admitted, as she walked in behind him. “It’s been a day.”
“A rough day?”
“Just a day,” she clarified, with a snort. “Busy at the hospital, training, all that good stuff. Still so much to be done, so much to learn.” She rolled her eyes. “Sometimes it just feels a little overwhelming.”
“Of course it does, but you can do it,” he encouraged her.
“And you’re such a good cheering squad,” she noted, with a laugh.
He grinned at her. “Hey, I’m just glad you’ve got a job offer here, and you’re not going to leave any time soon.”
“No, I’m not planning on it as long as you’re okay with it.”
“Of course I’m okay with it. Stay here until you get those damn student loans paid off. I wish I had the money to help you with that.”
“No, I want to do that on my own anyway,” she shared. “I had somebody at the hospital make that old comment about it being just as easy to fall in love with a rich man as a poor man and how she had no intention of hooking up with anybody who wasn’t … whole.”
He turned and gave her a shocked expression.
“Yeah, I was telling them about Joel,” she added, “and I was shocked when she said that.”
“And yet her viewpoint is fairly common,” he muttered. “Maybe you aren’t used to people like that.”
“Well, the money part was my mother to a T, but I don’t know about the whole part,” she clarified.
“I don’t remember Penny ever having issues with physical disabilities, but she sure was definitely all about the bank accounts.
And that’s what this woman was saying too.
It was weird because she was young and pretty and yet … ”
“And yet,” he interrupted, “the prettiness was only skin deep.”
“Exactly,” she agreed, “and I feel like I want to warn the world that she’s out there, you know? Like warn the men who she is. Yet I can’t do that. I just wish people like that came with warning signs.”
He laughed. “Many men would see her coming, but sadly a lot wouldn’t care,” he told her.
“Some people are totally okay to have that superficial beauty on their arm, and, if they have the money she seeks, then all the best to them. That doesn’t necessarily mean that because they have the money she ends up with it though. ”
He sighed, then frowned. “I knew a woman who did something similar and married for money, but he was such a tightwad she couldn’t spend any of it.
He had this big fear of losing it all, and he gave her an allowance which she would call a pittance.
She struggled the whole marriage, and, when she finally divorced him, she still didn’t get anything because he had it all tied up in a family trust that she couldn’t touch.
There had been a prenup that seemed generous to her at the time, until she realized that it really wasn’t. ”
Chelsea snorted. “Well, I hope she learned a lesson from that at least.”
“I don’t know whether she did or not, and it’s not my problem,” he declared. “At the time it was hard to have any sympathy for her.”
She smiled. “I’m right there with you.”
The coffee was dripping nicely, so he turned, looked outside, and muttered, “Odd that neither of them are here yet.”
She frowned. “Is that something to be worried about?”
“No, not at all. For all we know they may have stopped to do things on the way.”
“Right,” she whispered, turning to open the front door.
“You don’t get to do that anymore.” He grabbed her arm and gently pulled her back.
“What?” she asked.
“Stand near windows or doors.”
She stared at him, looked back at the doorway. “I didn’t even open it yet. … So, you mean, the sniper? What else aren’t you telling me?”
“That’s what we’re waiting for Joel and Richard to come tell us,” he reminded her. “Until then we’ll take every precaution necessary.”
Just then the sound of a vehicle sounded from the driveway.