Chapter 16
The sawing and hammering had stopped as Mia stepped outside.
The late afternoon quiet felt almost strange after the steady rhythm of power tools and men’s voices.
Her prep for an upcoming engagement party was finally done, and apparently the barn crew had called it a day too.
The guys had framed it and started sheathing the exterior.
The skeletal outline of the new barn stood tall against the sky, all promise and possibility.
She waved to Caleb, who was rolling up an extension cord near his truck. He lifted a hand in return. Even from a distance, she felt the tug of him.
Mia kept walking toward the farmhouse. A warm breeze carried the scent of pine, cut wood and whatever spices still clung to her from the kitchen.
Tonight, Emelia had invited her and several other friends to be part of the audience for the first episode of her new cooking series on YouTube.
Mia wasn’t sure what to expect but was excited to see what Emelia had planned and to cheer her on.
Plus, Emelia promised the girls a new cocktail and nibbles to enjoy.
It sounded perfect after a day of juggling knives, deadlines and barn-building.
And if she were being honest, it meant a little distraction from staring out her window at a fine specimen of a man.
Caleb had removed his shirt, and she couldn’t help ogling the rippling muscles and six-pack every time he carried something heavy.
She shook her head at herself, smiling. Get it together.
Her phone buzzed with Emelia’s reminder text that the doors opened at six and to wear something cute since they’d be on camera.
Mia laughed. “No pressure there.”
She pushed open the farmhouse door, already planning what she’d wear. Her father and Roy were in the kitchen talking and stopped mid-conversation. The pause lingered a fraction too long.
“You look happy,” her dad said.
“I am. I have a fun evening planned with friends,” she replied, then looked at Roy. “How’s everything going at the barn?”
He huffed. “Not the way I’d build it, but …” He shook his head. “It’s fine.”
Mia arched a brow. “Fine?”
Roy’s mouth flattened like he was holding back an opinion he couldn’t share. “It’ll hold.”
Her dad shot him a look. “It’s a good start. Those boys know what they’re doing.”
Roy shrugged and didn’t argue, but he didn’t agree either. His fingers tapped against the counter, restless.
Mia decided to let it go. Typical Roy. Bad-mouthing anything he didn’t do. “Well, it sounds like progress to me.”
He gave a half-hearted grunt. “Just keep an eye on things, that’s all.”
“Why?” She frowned. “Is something wrong?”
He didn’t meet her eyes. “Probably nothing. Just a feeling.”
Her dad waved it off. “Roy gets fussy every time something changes on the farm. Don’t overthink it.”
Mia tried to laugh it off, too, but something in Roy’s voice nagged at her. A tiny prickle she couldn’t name. Unease settled between her shoulder blades.
Her dad smiled. “Well, have fun, kiddo.”
“I plan to.” Mia squeezed his shoulder on her way out of the kitchen.
But as she headed upstairs, she couldn’t shake the unease sliding down her spine. Roy’s “feeling” lingered longer than she wanted it to. Like a warning without words.
It didn’t take Mia long to drive outside town to where Emelia and Titus’s house was.
Several cars were already parked in front of the sunny yellow farmhouse.
She followed the trail of laughter to the barn out back.
Emelia had mentioned that Titus and some of the guys had renovated it to her specifications.
Inside, the space looked like a cooking show sprung to life. Rows of gleaming pots and pans hung from the ceiling, potted herbs lined the windowsills, and a long butcher-block counter was set up for filming. The air hummed with anticipation.
Tessa was perched on a stool talking to Lainey; Joy was adjusting the ring light; Isabelle and Felicia were plating the first round of sample bites. There were a couple of women she didn’t know who wandered near the prep table soaking in the chaos.
Emelia pulled her into a hug. “Come meet the others.”
“Mia, this is Dani Ward and Naomi Fields,” she said. “They’re married to Ryker Barlow and Chase Maddox from the Brotherhood.”
She turned. “And this is Nicki Vanderdorf, she owns Petals to Go.
Mia remembered Nicki’s creative arrangements from a fundraiser and made a mental note to ask her to do some upcoming events. She also met Mallory Chapman from Spiritual Bliss, who immediately invited her in for a massage, and Jessie West, who owned Little Sprouts, a nursery school in town.
She spent a few minutes chatting before Emelia clapped her hands. “Ladies, it’s time for the unveiling of tonight’s program: One Cocktail, Three Nibbles. So grab a seat. Tessa, help me with the cocktails.”
Emelia and Tessa moved through the room, setting down the drinks. Each glass was topped with toasted coconut, the scent warm and slightly sweet, and finished with a fresh pineapple wedge perched on the edge.
“This,” Emelia announced, “is a Pineapple Coconut Rum Cooler. I’ll be serving the nibbles as I demonstrate and turning the camera toward you for your reactions.” She paused and gave them all a pointed look. “And no funny business. You will love them. Right?”
Mia smiled as every woman dutifully echoed, “Right.”
Then the lights brightened, the camera clicked on, and it was showtime.
The show was only half an hour, but Emelia was in her element—confident, charming, and a little sassy.
Mia cheered along with the others as they sampled the three “foolproof” nibbles—coconut shrimp, sweet-chili chicken skewers and pineapple-avocado salsa cups.
Each met with oohs and aahs. Food that did exactly what it was supposed to do.
Finally, Emelia flipped off the lights and let out a breath. “Well, what do you think? Food good? Drink good? Me?”
“You were fabulous,” said Joy.
“And the drink and nibbles? Delish,” Tessa added.
Emelia sighed, poured herself a drink and joined them at the table as the conversation drifted straight into gossip.
Tessa nudged Emelia. “I don’t understand why you won’t cater. Your food is wonderful and creative.”
“Oh, I had enough of customers from my LilyPad days,” Emelia replied, then looked at Mia. “I don’t know how you do it. People can be so judgmental. And then you have some of the other caterers that are so … catty.”
Mia remembered that Emelia used to own the bakery before she sold it.
“You mean like Sabrina and Dana,” Lainey said. “They’ve got the skills, but they both love drama. Sabrina is the worst though.”
“And spreading rumors,” muttered Mia before she could stop herself. The words tasted bitter even as she said them.
“Don’t listen to them,” said Joy. “They’re just jealous because a new person is in town who’s better.”
“There’s always competition,” Mia said, not wanting to add fuel to anything. Not that she thought anyone here would run off and repeat it, but she knew how fast stories took on a life of their own once they left the room. And honestly, she didn’t need any fresh drama on her plate.
“Well, I’m all for changing the subject,” said Lainey, launching into details about the new projects she was working on. Mallory followed with talk about someone she was dating that several of the women knew and found sexy.
Mia couldn’t stop thinking about Caleb working on the barn earlier, all sweaty, T-shirt off and his muscles flexing with every lift. Not that she was about to bring that up. It wasn’t as if they were dating. Not officially. Not yet.
The group laughed, snacked and sipped coffee as the night wound down.
By the time Mia said goodbye and stepped into the cooler night air, she felt lighter.
There was something about being with friends that unclenched the tight spots inside her and let her breathe again.
For the first time all day, she felt like herself.
Her happiness lasted until she turned into her driveway.
The porch light glowed as it always did—warm, welcoming—but something felt off. A subtle feeling she couldn’t name. Mia slowed as her headlights swept across the property. Farmhouse—fine. New barn—fine.
Then, her beams hit the old barn. Her pulse faltered.
Something small and crumpled lay in front of the door.
At first, she thought it was debris blown in from the road. But then she saw fur. The limp limbs. And a dark smear she didn’t want to get close enough to identify that made her stomach churn.
“No,” she whispered.
She parked fast and got out, her throat tight. The night suddenly became too quiet. She approached the door cautiously, her steps crunching loudly on the gravel, breaking the silence.
Nothing jumped out at her. And whatever was lying there sure wasn’t jumping ever again.
But if someone wanted to rattle her, they couldn’t have picked a more deliberate spot. The house was one thing. But the barn? That was hers. Her kitchen. Her work. Her life.
The closer she approached, the shape sharpened.
A dead rabbit. Its neck twisted. Laid neatly in front of the door posed like some kind of awful offering.
Her stomach clenched. Wild animals dragged prey everywhere out here. Sometimes the remains ended up in the most random places. Driveways, ditches, front steps. But this felt too … placed. No way this poor thing simply “landed” here by accident.
None of this made perfect sense either. Hawks dropped things mid-flight. Coyotes stole kills and abandoned them wherever it suited them. Dogs wandered up with half-chewed treasures from the woods. Odd surprises turned up in yards out here all the time.
Except this one was right at her barn door. Her kitchen. It appeared too centered, too precise. Exactly where she couldn’t miss it and it would hurt.
A coincidence? Maybe. But it didn’t feel like one.
She scanned the yard. The new barn stood quiet. Nothing looked disturbed. Nothing moved. Just stillness. But her skin prickled anyway.
Someone had been here.
A shiver slid down her spine. Mia backed toward her car and the safety of her home. She’d look at it again in the morning. When she wasn’t alone out here. In the sunlight, it might look different. More explainable. Less like a message.
But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t just being cautious.
She felt watched.
Not certain. Not provable.
Just … watched.