Chapter 4
An old-school country song crooned on the radio as Duke drove back into town.
He whistled along with the familiar tune.
He’d picked a fairly easy security system to install for the Gurlys.
Shouldn’t take too long then he could meet up with Heather and spend some time with her before she had to head back home.
She hadn’t mentioned how long she’d be in Hillmore, but he assumed he had a few days with her. At least he hoped so. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed her until he set eyes on her.
His phone trilled, and he pressed the answer button in his steering wheel. “Hey.”
“I need you to meet me at the sheriff’s department,” Lane said, voice calm and steady.
“They figure out who broke the window at the candy store and need our input?” He snorted out a laugh.
“When the small-town deputies need input from two newbies in the security business, it’s no wonder we don’t need a license to handle private investigator work in this state.
We’re pretty damn good, but in this case, I don’t think we can be of much help. ”
“There’s still no leads in the Gurlys’ vandalism. Something else happened with Suzy and Heather. They’re not hurt, but I need you to come to the station.”
Duke’s throat tightened and he pressed his foot harder on the gas pedal. The scenery outside his window flew by in a blur, clouded by fear and concern. “What happened?”
“Someone keyed a threat onto Suzy’s car. They’re both pretty shaken. How far away are you?”
“I’ll be there in a couple minutes.”
He disconnected and fought to keep his hands steady on the steering wheel.
Time slowed down the faster he drove, making the five-minute drive feel like it took ten times as long.
When the sheriff’s department loomed ahead, a bit of the tension bunching the muscles in his neck loosened.
He parked in the lot attached to the standalone building a block away from the town square then catapulted from his truck.
He ran for the door, impatience fisting his hands, to find a few people in front of him speaking to the deputy behind the bullet-proof glass.
He tapped his toe against the linoleum floor. Anxiety ricocheted off his ribs like a small rubber ball. Lane said both women weren’t harmed, but that didn’t lessen his need to see them with his own eyes. Verify they were okay before figuring out who the hell had vandalized Suzy’s car and why.
The buzz sounded seconds before the big beige door opened and the person in front of him stepped through. He found himself staring into the big brown eyes of Deputy Wells.
“Morning, Duke,” she said, her light hair pulled back in a low bun. “Your sister’s in the conference room with Lane and Suzy. Head on back.”
He swept his hat off his head and dipped his chin. “Thanks. Appreciate it.”
Once the buzz sounded again, he hurried to the main hub of the sheriff’s station. He marched past the clutter of messy desks—some manned with deputies, most not—and headed straight for the conference room at the back of the station.
He rounded the corner and Heather shot to her feet, hurling herself into his arms. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Came as soon as I could. You okay?” He pulled back to get a good look at her.
“Yeah, just scared.”
He glanced over her head to where Suzy sat behind a long rectangular table with Lane at her side. “And you?”
Suzy’s hands circled a tall glass of water. She let out a long sigh, the side of her mouth dipping down. “Pissed. Thought I was taking my car in today to get my oil changed. Didn’t know I’d need to get a new paint job.”
She put up a good front, but he could hear the hint of fear in her voice.
Deputy Spencer Goodwin stalked into the room and cleared his throat. “Sorry about the wait, and thanks for coming in so I could grab your statements. I know you talked to Deputy Timken at the scene, but I understand Ms. Pierson wanted to explain a situation that may be connected.”
Duke frowned down at his sister. “What’s he talking about? I thought the threat was left on Suzy’s car. What does that have to do with you?”
Tears filled her eyes. “The message was left on her vehicle, but I think it was meant for me.”
“Why don’t we all sit down and I’ll close the door,” Deputy Goodwin said, waiting for Duke and Heather to sit before securing the door and dropping into a chair at the head of the table.
“Heather, first let me say I’m sorry to meet you under such circumstances, but I can assure you if you think the threat was aimed at you, this department will do everything within our power to find the person responsible.
But I have to ask why you think this message wasn’t aimed at Suzy since it was her vehicle? ”
Heather swallowed, her gaze flitting to Suzy to Duke then back to the young deputy. “I showed up in town this morning to see my brother, but that’s not the only reason I left my hometown.”
Duke leaned forward to hear every word, his stomach at his feet. Heather was his brave, boisterous, fearless sister. He’d never seen this shaken version of her. Never seen her so scared and timid, as though a shadow of herself.
Silence stretched on, leaving him a tangled mess of nerves. He covered her small hand with his and squeezed. “It’s okay, Heather. You can tell us. We’re all here for you.”
She gave a subtle nod, as if convincing herself that what he said was true. “I was dating this guy.”
“Mason?” Duke asked.
Again, a subtle nod. “We were together for years but haven’t been getting along lately. I wanted space, and he wasn’t thrilled about that. He made it clear that wasn’t an option.”
Anger so hot and raw flared to life inside Duke, sweat dotted his forehead. “What’s that mean? What’d he do?”
She met Duke’s eye and tears hovered above her dark lashes. “He hit me.”
Duke exploded out of his chair. “I’ll kill him.”
“Dude, not smart to say in front of a sheriff’s deputy,” Lane said. “But if we need to discuss how to handle this outside, I’m right there with ya.”
“How ’bout you both keep quiet and let her talk or I’ll have to ask you to leave,” Deputy Goodwin said, voice firm. “Please, Heather. Take your time.”
She drew in a large breath. “He did it once and I left. Told him we were finished. He came by my place—I was an idiot and forgot he had a key—and we fought some more. He raised his hand and I grabbed a kitchen knife. Told him if he ever hit me again, I’d castrate him.”
Duke didn’t know if he should grin or cringe. “Thatta girl.”
A tiny whisper of a smile poked through her misery. “I insisted he leave. I knew right then I wanted to get out of town. Get some space and see you. But before Mason left, he told me I’d pay for wasting his time.”
“What’s Mason’s last name?” Deputy Goodwin asked.
“Pike.”
“And the name of your hometown?”
Just hearing the name of the place Duke ran from so long ago turned his veins ice cold.
Deputy Goodwin scribbled down the information. “I’ll make a call to the local authorities and see if this guy has an alibi. Suzy, is there anyone who’s been giving you a hard time lately?”
Suzy shook her head. “No, I can’t think of anyone. Heck, the only person I usually fight with is Lane and he’s been way less grumpy than usual now that he’s back with Celine.”
Lane grumbled something incoherent and rolled his eyes.
“Okay,” the deputy said. “Both of you should be aware of your surroundings, and call if you think of anything else that could be useful.”
“That’s it?” Heather squeaked out the question. “Just wait around and hope Mason isn’t hiding in the shadows somewhere?”
“You leave Mason to me,” Duke said. “You’re in my town now, and I won’t let anyone hurt one hair on your head.”
He glanced over Heather’s shoulder and locked eyes on Suzy. The same was true for her as well, but he couldn’t say it out loud. Couldn’t loosen the reins on his emotions where she was concerned.
But if he found the asshole who’d done this, he’d make it known that he’d protect both of these women with his life and anyone who tried to hurt them would regret ever crossing his path.
Suzy sat at the kitchen table in Lane’s house and sipped her piping hot coffee.
The sweet cream coated her tongue, and she closed her eyes to savor the hints of vanilla.
Sighing, she opened her eyes and hugged her hands around the warm mug.
“This is delicious, but I might need an Irish coffee right now.”
Across from her, Heather flashed a tight smile and sipped her tea. “I don’t think my stomach could stand anything stronger than this at the moment.”
Lane and Duke stood like twin guards—arms crossed over their chests, feet hip-width apart, matching frowns on their scruffy faces. Lane stationed himself by the doorway while Duke stood by the end of the large farmhouse table.
“Would you two take it down a couple notches?” Suzy asked. “You’re making me nervous.”
Duke scoffed. “Not gonna happen. At least until we hear back from Goodwin. I can’t believe you didn’t mention what happened with Mason. I could have helped.”
“You’re helping now,” Heather said.
“Not the way I want to. I want drive to Texas and beat the crap out of this guy.”
Heather squeezed the bridge of her nose and hung her head.
“Okay, enough of this.” Suzy stood and grabbed her mug by the handle.
“You tried calling this guy and he didn’t answer.
There’s nothing more we can do right now, and I refuse to sit in here and wait with you two buffoons standing over us.
I’m taking Heather outside and showing her the grounds. We both need some fresh air.”
Heather started to rise, but Duke took a step forward. “Is that a smart idea?”
Suzy tilted her chin and raised her brows. “One of my best actually. You and Lane have this place on lockdown. No one will come onto this property without either of you knowing. We’re perfectly safe, so come on Heather. Let’s go see some cute animals.”
Ignoring the concern pouring off Duke in waves, she rounded the table and looped her arm through Heather’s before leading her toward the front door.
Once outside, she tilted her face and let the rush of cool air skim her cheeks.
The last hour had brought fear, sadness, and anger.
A tornado of emotions that left her hot and a little dizzy.
From the moment she’d seen the words scratched onto her car, she hadn’t had a moment to wrap her mind around everything.
And now the punch of guilt that came along with finding out she wasn’t at the receiving end of that threat had her almost doubling over.
She shoved aside the useless emotions. After Heather’s confession about what had brought her to Hillmore, the poor thing hadn’t had a moment to discuss what she’d been through.
To process her experience or even let her guard down enough to vent about her ex without worrying she might upset her brother.
That’s why she wanted to get the other woman outside. Yes, to get space from their brooding brothers. But also to allow Heather the opportunity to open up.
“Do you want to hang out on the porch? Or rather venture into the barns? Celine keeps talking Lane into buying all sorts of animals. She insists it’s for Parker, but I think she’s the one who wants all these critters around.”
Heather dragged a hand through her hair, one arm wrapped around her waist, and glanced at the rocking chairs on the side of the porch. “Do you mind if we sit? I’m exhausted.”
“Sounds great. Take a seat, and I’ll be right out.” She dipped back in the house and secured two red fleece blankets kept in a basket by the door. She handed one to Heather. “Here, this will keep us warm. If those two don’t calm down, we might be outside for a while.”
The side of Heather’s mouth inched up. “Duke’s never been good at keeping his cool where his sisters are concerned.”
Suzy sank onto the white Adirondack-style rocking chair and draped the blanket around her shoulders. “I’ve never seen that side of him. He’s always so….” She tapped her finger against the arm rest trying to come up with the right word.
“Cocky? Arrogant? Smothering?”
“Yes, yes, and yes. But it doesn’t surprise me that he’d be protective his family. He might try to hide his big heart, but he does a poor job of it.”
Heather snorted out a laugh, eyebrows raised high on her head.
“But I don’t want to talk about him,” she said to quickly maneuver the conversation in a different direction. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’ve settled from the shock of the threat.” Heather stared ahead, her voice low and sad.
Suzy waited a beat before treading carefully forward. “I didn’t mean about what happened earlier today.”
Heather pinched the fabric draped on her lap. “I’m still in shock from the way my relationship ended. I’ve known Mason most of my life, dated him for years. I thought I knew him better than I knew myself. I can’t believe how wrong I was.”
“Were there any signs of violence or a bad temper?” Suzy wasn’t exactly sure what to ask, but she wanted Heather to know she was there for whatever she needed.
Heather shrugged. “He’d gotten a new job recently. Said it was more stressful, longer hours. Made him crabby. Especially when he complained I wasn’t pulling my weight.”
Suzy cringed. The guy sounded like a grade-A asshat, but she kept that to herself.
“At first I thought the reason things shifted between us was because of the stress of the new position, but when it became clear it was more than that, I knew it was time to end things. When he hit me…” she touched the tip of her fingers to the edge of her jawline. Tears dripped down her cheeks.
Leaning over, Suzy took hold of Heather’s free hand and squeezed. “Threatening to castrate the guy was genius. If I ever see him, I’ll make sure to follow through on that threat. We won’t let him hurt you again.”
Heather drew in a shuddering breath and stared out over the yard, the red barns dotting the landscape before the meadow beyond gave way to the mountains. “I understand why Duke loves it here so much.” She turned and stared at Suzy, a glint of something sparking in her eyes.
Suzy swallowed hard, hating the punch of excitement Heather’s words elicited.
Duke’s sister was talking about the sense of community, the helpful neighbors, hell, even the beautiful view from her brother’s porch.
Duke staying in Hillmore had nothing to do with Suzy, and however much she enjoyed getting to know Heather and finding out about Duke’s past, she had to keep that at the forefront of her mind.
Duke was off limits. No matter how much she wished he wasn’t.