Chapter 7
Duke’s anger burned brighter than the fire devouring his mailbox. But he couldn’t dwell on that now. He had to act fast before anything else was set aflame, destroying more than just the old wooden box he hadn’t bothered to replace yet.
“Oh my God,” Suzy said, covering her mouth with a shaky hand.
“Call the sheriff’s department. I’ve got to put out the fire.”
He ran into the cold night. Light snowflakes fluttered from the moonless sky.
He bolted for the hose at the side of the house and twisted the knob attached to the wall.
The green rubber lay coiled like a snake in the dried-out mulch, and as he grabbed the head, he prayed it was long enough to reach the street.
Sprinting toward the fire, he pulled the lever on the spray nozzle, but nothing came out.
Shit.
Sparks shot up from the flames. Dancing in the wind and sending embers into the grass.
The front door banged open, and Suzy sprinted out with two large bowls. “What was left inside your hose is frozen,” she yelled. “We need to get water directly from the spigot.”
He dropped the sprayer and bolted her way. By the time he reached her, she had one bowl filled and thrust it toward him.
He took it and shot to the mailbox as fast as he could without spilling the precious liquid. The heat of the fire hit him in the face, and he sloshed the contents of his bowl on the flames. Turning to refill his container, he found Suzy right in front of him.
She threw more water on the mailbox, extinguishing the rest of the embers. Smoke sizzled into the air.
“Holy shit.” A whoosh of air escaped Duke’s lungs, and he rubbed the back of his neck. The muscles were tight, every nerve ending in his body on high alert for whatever threat still lingered.
“Deputies are on the way.” Suzy stared wide-eyed at the charred pile of wood. “What the heck happened?”
The anger was back in full force. He tightened his hands to fists at his side. “Someone wants to get my attention and I’m pretty sure I know who it is.”
She laid a palm on his shoulder. “You can’t know that for sure. I mean, what would be the point? If Chrissy came here to talk…to get closure…what would this achieve?”
His skin tingled from her touch. He wished he could forget all this nonsense, scoop her into his arms, and carry her right back in his house.
But not only would that ruin everything he’d built at Rough Ride Security, it wouldn’t do a damn thing to find the person responsible for vandalizing his property.
“She wants my attention. This is the type of crap she pulls when I don’t respond to her the way she wants. She showed up and I ignored her. Just walked away. This is her way of telling me she won’t be ignored.”
Suzy’s mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding me? She’d do something like this just as a way to get attention?” She flung her arm wide, her fingertips pointed at the smoldering remains of the mailbox. “That’s not just crazy, it’s psychotic.”
He scrubbed a hand down his face. “You’re right. It is, and I know it sounds far-fetched but she’s a master at messing with my head.” Memories of all the ways Chrissy had waged psychological warfare on him played on repeat in his brain.
“Has she ever been violent? Destroyed property like this?”
“Not that I’m aware of.” He shrugged. “But she’s mean when she doesn’t get her way. I’ve seen that side of her and it isn’t pretty.”
“I agree it’s a heck of a coincidence she shows up and this happens,” Suzy said, speaking slowly as if not wanting to upset him. “But we can’t discount the guy Heather told us about. I mean, he’s still unaccounted for and Heather is here, too. This could be a message for her.”
He worked his jaw back and forth. “That’d be even worse. At least with Chrissy, I know what I’m dealing with. I’ve handled her in the past, and I can do it again. If some guy is after Heather, he has a world of hurt coming his way.”
Sirens sounded in the distance and the faint glow of red and blue lights clashed against the dark sky.
Suzy tucked her hand in his and tugged him toward the house. “Let’s head inside. There’s no reason to stand outside and freeze. The deputies will be here any second.”
Squeezing her hand, he let her lead him back inside. The feel of her palm against his comforted him in a way he’d never experienced. Calmed his soul and told him no matter what, they’d figure everything out. That they’d find their way through the ick.
Heather ran down the hall, yanking a sweatshirt over her pajama top. “I heard you yelling and looked out the window. I saw the fire. What the hell happened? Are you two all right?”
The last thing he wanted was to sever the connection with Suzy, but Heather’s frantic breaths as she raced toward him didn’t give him a choice.
He slipped his hand from Suzy’s. A sharp pang of longing closed in to take the place of the earlier peace, but he ignored it and gathered his sister in his arms.
“No one’s hurt. Suzy and I put out the fire and the only damage was to a half-rotted mailbox I needed to replace anyway.”
She pulled back and tears streaked over her cheeks. Wisps of hair clung to the moisture, and red stained the tip of her nose. “It’s Mason. He followed me. He’s so mad. I’m so sorry I brought him here.”
Suzy stepped forward and looped an arm around Heather’s shoulders. “We’ll figure out who did this but the most important thing to remember is you have nothing to apologize for. You did nothing wrong, you hear me?”
“But if I hadn’t come here to escape what Mason did, he’d never have followed me and messed up your car and Duke’s mailbox.”
“Do you think either of us care about that?” Suzy asked. “They’re things. Nothing important. What’s important is you and knowing you’re safe. And as long as you’re here with us, you’re safe because we’ve got you, okay?”
Sniffing back tears, Heather nodded. “Okay.”
Duke’s heart shuddered and he fought every instinct to pull Suzy close and confess every single feeling he’d harbored for her.
She wasn’t just smart and beautiful beyond measure.
She was sweet and kind. Thoughtful and loyal.
She’d given his sister exactly what she needed, and he’d be forever grateful.
If only he could figure out a way to make her his, promise to be the man she needed, while holding onto everything he’d built.
A thunder bolt of realization struck him square in the chest. To be that man, he first needed to face his past. No matter how terrifying Chrissy was, a future without Suzy was even scarier.
A steady beat of hammers dug into Suzy’s dream, keeping rhythm with the red and blue parrot flying around the hotel room in the jungle in some bizarre world her mind had conjured during sleep.
The hammering combined with the blasting squawks as the bird stopped mid-flight to slam its head against a wall as if pounding an invisible nail.
Her eyes shot open. She grabbed the extra pillow beside her and covered her face, wishing she could block out the offending noise bleeding into her bedroom. She loved her little apartment, but the walls were thin and any commotion outside never stayed outside.
She groaned and rolled out of her bed. A quick glance out her window erased her irritation.
Set up had started for the Winter Rodeo.
As much as she hated the abrasive—and dream turned nightmare—wake up, this was one of her favorite times of the year.
Later tonight, the town would be a winter wonderland of splendor.
Something she needed after the horrors of the day before.
An image of the blazing fire tearing through Duke’s mailbox took centerstage in her mind, and a chill shook her shoulders. The threat on her car was scary enough, but for someone to come to Duke’s home and destroy his property was another level.
Blinking away the memory, she jumped in the shower and hurried to get ready for work.
No matter the disasters of yesterday, she still had things to do today.
Once she got to Lane’s, she’d reach out to Duke and Heather.
She wasn’t sure if he planned to work today.
At least not until the sheriff’s department had a better grasp on who was terrorizing them.
But she wanted to touch base with them to see how they were feeling this morning.
With a fresh face of makeup and wearing her favorite red sweater, she shrugged into a coat and fetched her purse before heading outside. The scent of fresh baked bread made her stomach growl. She glanced at her watch. She was running early enough that she could justify a quick stop in the bakery.
Not like time was an issue. Lane would never give her hell no matter the hour she showed up. But she’d buy some extra goodies to share with everyone just to help ease any high tensions waiting for her.
Stepping into The Cozy Crumb, she inhaled a deep breath of warmth and cinnamon.
Round tables scattered over the wide-planked pine floors.
Mismatched mugs and old pie tins lined shelves on one buttercream colored wall with a long, oak counter stretching along the back of the space—a glass display case beneath it showing off homemade baked goods.
This was one of her favorite spots in all of Hillmore. A fire blazed in the brick lined fireplace, tempting her to grab a book from next store and curl onto the worn armchair beside it with a cup of coffee and a croissant.
Lane might looked the other way if she showed up thirty minutes late with a box of pastries. Turning up hours late and empty handed would be another story.
She stepped into line, studying the goodies perched on cake stands and tucked under decorative domes. By the time it was her turn in line, she’d made up her mind.
Millie Staples stood behind the counter. Her daisy-printed apron covered her usual outfit of black pants and a white shirt. Her curly dark hair was pulled into a high ponytail, her usual smile pasted on her pretty face. “Morning Suzy. You want your usual?”
“Yes, and I’ll take a box of glazed doughnuts as well. And add a black coffee to go, please.”
Ducking under the counter, Millie found a bright pink box and plucked the shiny circles of heaven from the case and placed them inside. “Hungry today or being a nice sister?”
“I’m always nice,” Suzy said.
The bell above the door chimed, announcing a new customer.
Millie straightened and aimed a grin at the newcomer then chuckled. “Lane might not agree, but he’s always been a fool. Everything going good at that new security business of his?”
“Pretty much.” She stepped down along the counter as Millie found her croissant and placed it in a white bag.
“I was a little nervous about working with Lane. I love him, but honestly, we haven’t spent much time together over the last few years.
But it’s been nice catching up, and I actually really enjoy the work. ”
“And that business partner of his isn’t bad to look at either,” Millie said, handing over Suzy’s order.
Heat climbed up the back of Suzy’s neck. She wanted to agree but also hated the idea of anyone sensing she had more than just friendly feelings for Duke. Gossip spread like wildfire in this town, and there was little she hated more than being at the center of it.
“Duke’s a nice guy. He and Lane make a good team.” She balanced the bag on top of the box, freeing her hand for the coffee Millie passed her way. She’d add a touch of cream at the little station Millie set out for customers before heading out.
She handed over her credit card. “Thanks, have a good day.”
“Same to you,” Millie said.
With her hands full, she turned to find a stunning, unfamiliar blond woman standing right behind her.
A hesitant smile spread on the woman’s full, pouty lips. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but did you say Duke?”
“Yes,” Suzy said.
“Duke Pierson?”
Suzy nodded. “Yeah, do you know him?”
“He’s my ex-boyfriend. I’m Chrissy Philipps. Do you have a minute to chat?”
It took all of Suzy’s self-control not to let the food in her hands drop along with her stomach. This was the woman who’d hurt Duke, who’d done horrible things that made him run away and never look back.
Who he was convinced drove from Texas to Wyoming and vandalized his property.
And here she stood in all of her beautiful glory, wanting to talk to Suzy. Words escaped her as she struggled to figure out the right move.
Tears blurred Chrissy’s blue eyes, and she sniffed them back. “I’m sorry. It’s just…I don’t know anyone here and Duke won’t speak to me. I don’t want any trouble. I promise. Please, if I could have a few minutes of your time, I’d really appreciate it.”
A sliver of sympathy snaked through her suspicion.
Besides, what harm could come from sitting down and having a conversation?
Maybe she could get some answers from the other woman and find out for certain if she was responsible for the destruction from yesterday, or if they’d set their sights on the wrong person.
And someone else was out to get Duke and his sister.