Chapter Twenty-Three
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Brody was an early riser, and when he stirred he found Annie still sound asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he softly slipped from the bed and padded into the bathroom. After a quick shower he quietly dressed, signaled Bella to follow him, and crept into the hall. As he entered the kitchen he thought he might whip up a batch of pancakes for breakfast, but stopped short.
His favorite mug was sitting on the table.
It was his habit to wash it and leave it on the counter near the coffee pot for the morning.
“That’s weird,” he muttered, picking it up. “I guess I must have been distracted by the storm.”
While the coffee was brewing he washed it out, and decided to have a muffin to tide him over. Opening the pantry and pulling out the plastic tub, he lifted the lid—and frowned. His mother always made a dozen and gave him six. He and Annie had each had one the day before, leaving four, yet there were only two left.
“What the hell is goin’ on?” he muttered, but Bella barked, asking for her breakfast.
Picking up the box of kibble, he filled her dish, then lifted out a muffin, poured the coffee into his mug, and sat at the table.
“Morning…”
“Hey, beautiful,” he murmured, turning around and seeing Annie padding towards him bleary eyed and wearing a long sleeved T-shirt. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Not exactly. I rolled over to hug you and you were gone,” she replied with a yawn as she sank into a chair.
“I’ll get you some coffee, but I have to ask…how many muffins were left in the container?”
“Four, why?”
“There’s only two.”
“Two?”
“Yeah, two.”
“That’s weird.”
“And I found my cup on the table, but I know I washed it out and left it on the counter like I always do.”
“So…what’s going on? Oh no! Do you think…?”
“Geoff was here?” he muttered, finishing the unspoken end of her sentence. “I don’t know if it was him, but unless there’s a ghost in this house someone was. Hold on.” Abruptly standing up and striding to the back door, he stepped outside and stared down at the frog. “Yep. We had a visitor. The frog has been moved.”
“What frog?” she asked, hurrying across to join him.
“I keep the back door key under that concrete frog and it’s been moved,” he replied, pointing down at it. “See? I just tilt it back, but you can clearly see the outline of where it usually sits. It’s out almost two inches.”
“Oh, my gosh! What should we do?”
“We’re havin’ breakfast. Then I’m callin’ the sheriff.”
“Shouldn’t we call him first?”
“No sense tryin’ to think clearly on an empty stomach. We need to take this in stride and not panic. The sheriff will help us figure out where we go from here.”
* * *
When Geoff woke up he immediately reached for the bedside phone and called the restaurant. With nothing to eat the night before except the two muffins in Brody’s kitchen he was starving. Identifying himself as Gabe Wilson, he ordered a large breakfast.
“I’m expecting some calls. If I don’t answer the door please tell the delivery person to set everything up on the dining room table and add a twenty-percent tip,” he declared. “And I would appreciate putting a rush on the order. I may need to leave soon.”
“Of course, Mr. Wilson.”
“Let that be a lesson, Gabe,” he muttered as he hung up the receiver. “The reservations are in your name, and now you’ll be stuck with the bill.”
Still snickering, he stretched and yawned, then headed into the bathroom, but as he turned on the shower and stepped under the steaming water his thoughts turned to Annie. His contract with her was ironclad, and a new album was already in the works. Not only were millions of dollars at stake, his reputation was on the line. He absolutely had to return her to Nashville and get her back under his control.
A plan of action began to take shape.
First, he had to get her alone, then he’d show great remorse about how he’d treated her, apologize profusely, and promise not to be so controlling in the future. If she gave in, he’d ask her to call the local sheriff and tell him everything had been worked out, then beg her to return to Nashville and finish the album she’d already started.
But if she refused to listen he’d be forced to use more drastic measures.
Stepping from the shower and toweling off, one of his favorite sayings flashed through his head.
Expect the best and prepare for the worst.
He knew how to get onto the ranch without being seen, and where the key to the house was hidden. It was possible he’d have to take her by force.
Stepping into the bedroom and dressing, he opened the door to the lounge and saw his breakfast laid out and waiting. Ravenous, he strode across to the table, sat down and began to eat. He was enjoying hash browns with his cheese and tomato omelette when the cabin phone rang, but he wasn’t about to leave the delicious meal. After downing the last of the coffee, he ambled across to the desk and picked up the receiver to listen to the message.
“Uh…would you please call the office when you get this? It’s important. Thank you.”
A chill pricked his skin.
Fearing Gabe had called, he marched into the bedroom and hastily packed, throwing in all the complimentary toiletries. As he was looking around to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything he heard voices. Hurrying to a window and peeking through a crack in the curtains, he spied a deputy walking towards the cabin with one of the staff.
There was not a second to spare.
Grabbing his bag, he slipped out the French Doors that led from the bedroom to a deck, then hurried through the trees to his car.