Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
E vie stepped out of her bedroom, freshly showered, dressed for success in one of the outfits Grace had managed to drop off the day before with a whole tray of treats from Emma. Their friends had well and truly rallied around her, and it was overwhelming, in the best way.
She was fully expecting to find Sam, who hadn’t left her side in days, in her living room or kitchen. Instead, she found the place completely empty. There was breakfast ready for her on the table like it had been for the last few days, but no handsome cowboy to keep her company.
She knew it was for the best. They’d actually gotten into quite a few arguments since the night he first stayed about his hovering and her desire to return to work. Sam had finally agreed that three days was enough time for her to rest.
And she was relieved. Because as much as she wanted to curl up in a ball and hide away from what happened, a rage was building behind her rib cage that someone thought they could come into her new home and threaten her.
Evie might not be the physically strongest woman in the world, but she was just about the most stubborn one out there. She was going to get to the bottom of the missing money. That was one thing she knew with absolute certainty. Just after she ate the waffles with syrup and bacon jam that Sam left her. And maybe a bite or two of the fruit salad. Life was all about balance, after all. Waffles with a side of fruit and justice sounded delightful.
Positively stuffed a few minutes later, Evie rinsed her dishes off, grabbed her keys, and opened her apartment door ready to put on her brave face and tackle the day.
Instead, a scream bubbled up in her throat at the sight of someone sitting outside her door.
“Oh, honey,” Sylvie laughed, setting down her book on her lap. “I’m so sorry I scared you.”
Evie placed her hand over her heart. “It’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting to see anyone out here.”
“Sam had to go down to the office early to put something together. Didn’t want you to be up here all alone, but I didn’t want to intrude. I told him, ‘just put a chair up there for me and I’ll be over with my book and my shotgun.’ Now I see he should have told you I’d be here.”
Evie’s eyes dropped to the side of Sylvie’s chair, where there indeed was a shotgun resting against the wall.
“What on earth are you doing with that?”
“Protecting you.”
“Sylvie! I thought for sure you were a pacifist.”
“Oh, I am. But not when it comes to my family. Someone came here and hurt you. No one messes with the people I love.”
Evie smiled, her throat feeling tight with emotion.
“When Abby was attacked, I stood vigil at our door too until the bastard was caught. It’s what a mother does for her children.”
“But I’m not your child, or your family.”
Sylvie stood, taking Evie’s hands in her own .
“I hope you know just how untrue of a statement that is. The day you stepped onto this ranch, you became family. And I saw the twinkle in my son’s eye that very same day. I knew it would just be a matter of time before I gained myself another daughter and grandbaby. I know you feel that because your parents are gone, you don’t have any family. But you do. You have us, Evie. We love you.”
Evie threw her arms around Sylvie, soaking in everything that she’d just said.
“I love you too, Sylvie. But no more surprising me with shotguns in the hallway. I’ll tell Sam he needs to let you into the apartment if he’s going to insist on you babysitting me.”
“What are you doing down here? I thought we agreed that you were going to ease into today.”
She huffed, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. Perhaps it was the way Sam looked at her, dressed in his tight Levi’s and shirt that stretched deliciously across his chest. She just couldn’t find the sassy part of her personality when his gaze sent her stomach into somersaults.
“No, we didn’t. And you know that. I don’t need more time to rest. I was ready to come back to work the day after, Sam. I need this.”
“Okay. If you’re ready, I’ll support you.”
Evie walked over to her desk, eyeing the new chair waiting for her.
“Did you get this for me?”
“Well, yeah,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “Your back’s been bothering you. I looked up one that has good lumbar support while you were napping the other day. It took forever to get here after I asked Abby to order it, but putting it together this morning wasn’t so bad. I also got a new pillow wedge for the bed. It’s supposed to help with your back pain and reflux at night.”
“Thank you.” She shook her head. “You didn’t have to do all that.”
“Yeah, I know. But I wanted to. I want you to feel cherished. And safe.”
“Is that why I found your mom sitting outside my apartment with a shotgun next to her?”
Sam just shrugged his shoulders. “I told you, I’m not leaving you alone again, Bluebell. If I have to go somewhere, I’ll make sure someone is with you.”
“You didn’t need to do all that.”
“I just want you to be comfortable.”
“I am. Thank you.” She pulled out the chair, sighing as she relaxed into the extra padding. Oh, lord, it was like sitting on a cloud. She should ask him to bring it up into the apartment at night. No. Although he was still groveling, that would be too much. “We should get together a list of vendors and see if any of them are matches for recent withdrawals. I haven’t even gotten to the records for last year. I’ll start there and see what I can find.”
A gentle knock at the office door had Evie swiveling in her chair. Sylvie walked in with a bright smile on her face.
“Mom? What is it?”
“I was just on my way back up to the house, but a courier dropped off this letter for you. I assumed it’s something about the insurance claim with the cattle, but that’s only because I saw the agent’s name on the top. Your father had such a good relationship with Anton. He still sends me a birthday card every year.”
“You can set it over here.” Evie stood and held out her hand for the envelope. She swayed forward as her center of gravity shifted, bumping against the desk .
“You okay?” Sam asked, concern etched between his brows.
“The baby is throwing off my center of gravity, I swear. I’ve been bumping into things more often.”
Sylvie walked around the desk and her hands found their way to Evie’s belly, where she gave it a little pat. “The true sign of carrying a girl. I was so clumsy when I was pregnant with Abby. Their father caught me a time or two before I took a real hard tumble. She came out and was all grace. Walked like a champ before she was even a year old. She took every ounce of balance I had and kept it all for herself. Anyway, do you two want to come up to the house for dinner tonight?”
“You up for it?” Sam asked.
“Of course.” Evie thought back to the first time she went to dinner with his family. Things had changed so completely since then. “Sylvie’s cooking is my favorite,” she teased.
Sam’s growl had both women laughing.
“You two play nice together. I’ll see you both around five. Come on, Shep. Goddess needs your help in the garden, yes I do!” Sylvie smiled as she walked out of the office.
“Stop fussing. You look really nice.”
“Ugh, I don’t know. I thought this dress from Daisy fit okay, but now it feels too tight around my waist.”
“You’re nervous, that’s all.” His fingers slid into hers.
“I don’t want to rehash everything again. I just want to move forward. And I’m ticked off that the insurance company denied the claim.”
“I am too. But we’ll figure it out. Let’s get through this and we can slip away from dinner so you can rest.”
“Your mom invited us and cooked a whole meal. We can’t just slip away. ”
Sam pointed to a familiar truck in the driveway. “We aren’t the only ones she invited.”
Abby, John, and Katy greeted Sam and Evie as they walked into the farmhouse.
“What happened to your lip?” Katy asked as she patted Evie’s belly. Although the bruises on her face had faded enough that makeup completely hid them, the same couldn’t be said for her lip. The split reopened a few days before and was slowly healing.
“Katy!” Abby’s face turned bright red. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. I had an accident, Katy. But I ate all the vegetables your Uncle Sam made for me today, so my body should finish healing really fast.”
“You ate ALL the vegetables? He must not have made you broccoli. I don’t know anyone who can eat all their broccoli.”
The tension in the room broke as laughter filled the air. “So true. Thank goodness it wasn’t broccoli! I had lots and lots of pickles!”
“Pickles?! Pickles aren’t vegetables!”
“They totally are to me and the baby!” Evie tickled Katy’s side and the little spitfire ran away into her father’s arms.
“Alright, kiddo. Why don’t you go find Goddess Sylvie.” John handed Evie a bottle of water and Sam a beer.
“GODDESS!!” Katy giggled as she marched off towards the kitchen.
Abby pulled Evie into a hug. “How have you been doing?”
“I’m okay,” she answered. “Honestly, I was more angry at the guy’s bold assumption that I could be frightened away from finding the truth.”
“Your girl’s fierce, just like your sister.” John joked with Sam as they walked to the dining room. Sam pulled out the chair for Evie and her heart did a little swoop at the gesture.
“Yeah she is. Sometimes I just need to remind her that she’s got people to lean on now. ”
His hand squeezed her thigh before the pressure lifted and landed on her belly. It was quite possibly her favorite thing that Sam did, and somehow it felt wildly more intimate than sharing her bed with him over the last few nights.
Since the attack, he’d been in protector mode. But not only of her. Jellybean got an equal amount of his attention. In fact, the more tense Sam was about something, the longer his hand would linger, waiting for a kick or a roll that would put a smile on his face and ease the worry line above his eyes.
It was so hot. Evie placed her hand over Sam’s and shifted in her seat. Damn pregnancy hormones.
“You okay?” he whispered. The warmth from his words washed over her neck. Lord. No, no she was not.
She managed a small nod before reaching for her water. Thankfully it was icy cold, and she felt every bit of the chill as the water moved down into her belly. Jellybean must have too, because she gave a forceful kick.
Sam laughed, moving his hand over where her foot just poked out.
“She’s getting so strong.”
“Yeah, she is.”
“Evie, I heard about mom and her shotgun this morning. But don’t worry, it won’t always be her. We’re all going to be looking after you on days when Sam has to be out on the ranch.”
“What? That’s too much. I don’t want to be an inconvenience?—”
“It’s not.” Abby wrapped her arms around her chest and shivered.
“What’s wrong?” John asked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“Just thinking about what happened…”
“We’re not going to let anything happen to Evie,” John reassured her .
“Jake mentioned you all were very protective of each other.”
“We are,” Sam agreed.
“This group has been through a lot over the last few years. We could have lost so much, but together, we survived. And like it or not, Evie, you’re one of us. Even if Sam hadn’t, the girls claimed you. So that’s it. You’re stuck with us.”
“I’m happy to be stuck.”