Chapter 9 #2
‘Either that or he’s just happy to see you,’ Brianna replied with a faint smile. ‘Careful though, because once you’ve been approved by Sherlock, you’re in for life.’
‘Good to know,’ Hayden chuckled, straightening. ‘Means I’ll get an invite back, then?’
‘That depends,’ she said, arching a brow as she moved towards the kitchen bench, ‘on how you behave tonight.’
He grinned. ‘Guess I’d better be on my best behaviour, then.’ After a brief pause, his tone softened. ‘How’s Molly?’
Brianna glanced towards the hallway. ‘Tired. Quiet. But she’s hanging in there.’
He gave a short nod, something unreadable flickering in his eyes just as footsteps sounded behind them.
Molly emerged from the hallway a moment later, moving slower than usual but composed. She wore a light knit jumper and jeans, and her hair was brushed and pinned half up.
‘Hello, Hayden,’ she greeted him warmly.
‘Evening, Molly,’ he said, the friendliness in his voice unmistakable. ‘Are you holding up okay?’
She nodded. ‘Better than I was. Thanks to the both of you, and Sherlock.’
Hayden smiled faintly. ‘I reckon Sherlock’s the real hero here.’
Molly reached down to scratch behind the dog’s ears. ‘He hasn’t left my side all day. I think he takes his security detail very seriously.’
‘Smart bloke,’ Hayden said, giving Sherlock an approving nod. ‘He knows when someone’s worth looking out for.’
Brianna caught Molly’s eye and offered a small, encouraging smile. ‘And so do the rest of us.’
The faintest colour touched Molly’s cheeks, but she didn’t look away. ‘I really do appreciate it. Both of you. I’m not sure I could do this on my own right now.’
‘You don’t have to,’ Hayden said simply, the sincerity in his tone filling the space between them, solid and dependable.
Dinner was casual but comforting, a reassuring get-together where the clink of cutlery on plates was offset by genuine conversation.
They spoke of everything but the incident at first. The pleasant weather, Brianna’s patients that day, Sherlock’s overreaction to a butterfly, and laughter crept in, easing the tension they all carried.
And the lightness continued as the three of them worked in quiet synchronicity for the next half hour, packing away leftovers, tidying the kitchen, and setting things right with the same determination that had carried them through the worst of the clean-up the day before.
It was domestic and comforting, a balm over wounds that were still raw and tender.
Once they were settled in the living room, the wine breathing in their glasses, Brianna broke the pause. ‘We should probably talk about …’ Her voice trailed off.
Molly’s fingers tightened slightly around the stem of her glass. ‘The break-in,’ she said, then let out a slow breath. ‘And the blackmail.’
Hayden leant back in his chair, one ankle resting on his knee. ‘I’ve been over the scene in my head hundreds of times today, driving myself mad trying to figure out who could be involved.’
Molly nodded. ‘Me too.’
Brianna set her glass down, leaning forwards slightly. ‘Whoever it is, they’re confident. Cutting the alarm, knowing where your laptop was, those aren’t guesses. They’ve either been in there before, or they’ve watched you long enough to know your routine.’
Molly’s mouth pulled tight. ‘That’s what scares me. The idea that I might’ve smiled at them, served them tea, chatted about the weather, all while they were planning this.’
Hayden’s gaze flicked between them, steady and assessing. ‘It’s someone local. Outsiders don’t get that kind of access without being noticed. Sweetwater sees every new face within a day.’
‘Which narrows it down,’ Brianna said, ‘but not nearly enough.’
Molly gave a small, humourless laugh. ‘Yes, true.’
‘Still,’ Hayden said, his tone thoughtful, ‘people talk. Whoever’s doing this will have slipped somewhere. A word to the wrong person, a story that doesn’t match. It’s just a matter of listening.’
Brianna caught his eye. ‘I heard the Jenkins twins in the bakery yesterday morning. They were implying …’ She hesitated, glancing at Molly. ‘They were implying your shop was a front for something sinister.’
Molly groaned. ‘Of course they were. Those two could turn a bake sale into a conspiracy.’
‘I’ve kind of gathered that,’ Brianna admitted, ‘but the fact they’re already spinning a story means rumours are moving fast. And rumours can be used to cover the truth.’
Hayden leant forwards now, with his forearms braced on his knees.
‘So, we cut through it. Start small. Think about the timing, Molly, when the first threats came in, who you dealt with around then. Who was suddenly more interested in your business, if anyone, or did anything catch your attention, even if it was a small detail, that you thought was odd, or weird?’
Molly’s brow furrowed. ‘No, not really, I can’t think of anyone, or anything, that was out of sorts.’ She shook her head slowly, frustration etched in every line of her face. ‘It’s like they’ve gone out of their way to be invisible.’
Brianna reached over and gave her hand a quick squeeze. ‘Or they’ve been hiding in plain sight.’
Hayden’s gaze lingered on Molly. ‘That’s the part that bothers me most. This isn’t random, Moll. Whoever it is, they bloody well know when you’re alone, what you value, and how to hurt you without touching you.’ His voice dropped a note lower. ‘That’s not a stranger’s work.’
Molly glanced between them, and her lips pressed into a thin line. ‘So, what do I do? Sit here and wait for them to take another swing?’
‘Not if we can help it,’ Brianna said firmly. ‘But if anything, anything at all, feels off, you tell us. No matter how small it seems.’
Hayden gave a single nod. ‘We’ll find out who’s behind this. One way or another.’
‘Thank you,’ Molly said, her lips trembling. ‘I appreciate everything you’re both doing to help me.’
When Hayden finally gathered his keys, slipped on his jacket and said goodbye to Molly, Brianna followed him out the front door and onto the verandah. The air outside was crisp now, and the stars were glittering above like salt flung across black velvet.
‘Thanks so much for coming tonight,’ she said, gently.
His gaze found hers, steady and quiet. ‘Anytime, Bri. I mean it when I say I’ll do anything for you and Molly.’
Brianna’s fingers curled lightly around her arms, the cool air licking at her skin. ‘I know you’ve got your own world to run out there, Hayden. You didn’t have to spend your night here, listening to all of this.’
He shook his head. ‘Doesn’t work like that. When people matter, you show up. No matter how much is on your plate.’ His voice was low, unhurried, but each word landed with quiet conviction.
Her chest tightened in that way it always seemed to when he spoke like that – plain, but unshakable. ‘You’ve got a knack for making people feel safer just by turning up,’ she said before she could stop herself.
A flicker of something – surprise, maybe – passed through his eyes.
‘I’m glad it comes across that way. Because honestly, half the time I’m just,’ he shrugged, his broad shoulders lifting, ‘figuring it out as I go.’ He gave a faint, self-deprecating smile.
‘But for what it’s worth, you’re doing that for Molly too.
She trusts you, Bri, and that matters, one hell of a lot. ’
Brianna held his gaze, feeling the unspoken things stretching between them like a taut wire. ‘I just want her to feel like she’s not alone in this.’
‘She’s not,’ he said simply. ‘And neither are you.’
For a beat, neither moved. Then Hayden glanced towards his LandCruiser, the spell loosening. ‘I should let you get some rest.’
‘Drive safe,’ she murmured.
He gave a small nod, lingering just a second longer before stepping away, his boots thudding softly against the boards as he crossed the verandah.
From the safety of the cottage, Brianna closed and locked the door, then drifted to the front window, where she stood just behind the curtain, watching as he climbed into the driver’s seat.
The low rumble of the LandCruiser’s engine rolled across the quiet night, headlights spilling in a soft wash of gold over the gravel drive.
He paused for a moment before reversing, his gaze flicking once towards the cottage, and then he was gone, his taillights fading into the dark until the road swallowed him completely.
Molly had already retreated to her room, and Sherlock had resumed his sentry post near the hall. Brianna lingered in the dim kitchen, hands braced on the bench, the weight of the last two days pressing down until it felt like her shoulders might bow beneath it.
It was time for her to try and get some sleep – she had another big day of work tomorrow.
Just as she was slipping into bed, her phone buzzed, and so did her heart, when she spotted who the message was from. Hayden.
Be safe tonight. I meant what I said. I’m here if you need anything. You or Molly. Doesn’t matter the time.
Brianna’s throat tightened. She tapped out a reply, simple and true.
I know. Thank you, Hayden. It means the world to know you’re close by if we need you.
Then, placing the phone face down on the bedside table, she turned off the light and lay still, letting the hush of the night wrap around her.
Outside, the stars glittered sharp and clear over Sweetwater, but beneath her skin, one quiet, undeniable thought pulsed steady and warm – he meant every single word he said.
And she liked that.
No, actually, she loved it.
* * *
Hayden sat on the edge of his back verandah, one boot hooked over the step, the other stretched long before him.
The enamel mug in his hands had gone lukewarm, but he held it anyway, fingers curled tight around the handle as if it grounded him.
Sweetwater Acres was quiet tonight. The kind of hush that only settled when the wind died down and the crickets paused between their songs.
Diesel gave a distant nicker from the lower paddock, the sound blending with the soft rustle of the trees along the fence line.