Chapter 8
Bella couldn’t believethat in the last twenty-four hours, she’d not only met but spent most of her day with one person. Fate continued to put each of them in each other’s path. It was as if fate itself had a sense of humor that she didn’t find funny at all.
She couldn’t tell what was more mortifying—that she’d been ditched at the restaurant by her date or that she’d been invited to dinner by a six-year-old. She kept her eyes trained on her plate. Thankfully, Nick talked enough for all of them.
Bella could sense Grant’s gaze on her. He was probably pitying her. Why hadn’t she just turned them down and left? That would have been a better plan.
When she looked up, she wasn’t surprised to find Grant watching her. His eyes locked with hers. If Nick wasn’t there, he might have said something. Thankfully, he was better at reading the room.
“Any insights into… what you’re investigating?” Grant asked.
She glanced toward Nick. “I think we should probably steer clear of a work discussion based on the current people in attendance.”
Grant nodded. “You’re probably right.”
The tension between them continued to mount. She didn’t know what she could do to fix it. Embarrassment mingled with the desire to escape. Bella nearly stood and told them she would take her food to go when Grant spoke again.
“So… did you grow up in Rocky Ridge?”
She snorted. “No.”
“Is that question funny?” His small smile eased the tension but only just.
Bella laughed. “Of course not. I… No, I wasn’t raised here. I was born in Denver and my mom and I moved around a little. Ended up in Billings.”
“Hmm. That”s interesting.” Grant nodded as he watched her.
“Why? Does that change your opinion of me?”
He shook his head. “No. What about your dad?”
She tried to control her expression. “He couldn’t bother to be around.” She tried to watch him for any hint of remorse, but there was none. If anything, he looked like he felt sorry for her—for her! Bella stood at that. “Look, I don’t need your pity. I’m not some helpless damsel.”
“I never said—” Grant started.
“Yes, my date bailed. And yes, my dad never showed up for me. That doesn’t mean anything.” By this point, Nick was watching her with wide eyes, but she didn’t care. “Looks like we have a few things in common, right?”
Grant blinked a few times. “I beg your pardon?”
She sliced a hand through the air. “Don’t worry about it.”
She’d risen by this point, and his voice lowered. “Bella, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to offend you. That must have been hard, is all. No kid should grow up without their father.”
Her eyes darted to Nick and she scoffed but didn’t comment. At least the kid had a father figure now. He didn’t have to wonder where the rest of his family was.
“Will you sit down? I thought we were having a nice dinner.”
“Is that what you call it?”
“Yes.” He stood and motioned toward her. “Please,” Grant said.
She hesitated. It would be easier to leave and eat her food alone in her living room in front of the television. But she’d been telling herself that she needed to get out more often.
With a sigh, she lowered into her seat. “Fine.”
Grant took his seat as well. “Thank you.”
It was strange to have someone in her life ask her to stay—most of the time, people seemed relieved when she prepared to leave. Bella had heard that relationships that were worth keeping went this way. She’d just never experienced it.
That realization hit her hard in the chest and she glanced toward Grant again with new eyes. He’d shown up for Nick. He might not have been there in the beginning, but he was here now. And right now, he was saving her from having to leave the restaurant with her tail between her legs. As much as she wanted to label him as the bad guy, her gut told her she was wrong.
Grant was different.
For the duration of their meal, they spoke about benign topics like the weather, Nick’s schoolwork in kindergarten, and how they both liked living in a small town after living in bigger cities.
“It’s purely out of a favor to my boss in Billings,” Bella explained. “I would have never come out here if it weren’t for him. He said the sheriff here needed extra help for a little while. After I pay my dues, I’ll be heading back to the city and working toward becoming a detective.”
“Wow, that’s quite ambitious. But I think it suits you.”
She warmed at his compliment. “I think so, too.” They’d long since finished their food and Nick had fallen asleep with his head in Grant’s lap. She motioned toward the boy. “You’re really good with him, you know.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “I thought you said?—”
“Your supervision leaves something to be desired,” she interrupted, “but it’s clear he adores you. And if I’ve learned anything, it’s that a kid’s intuition is never wrong.”
His expression relaxed and a small amount of pride shined from his eyes. “Is that a compliment? Because if it is, I’ll take it.”
“It is,” she said quietly, tearing her gaze from his. Tonight had turned out vastly different than she’d expected.
* * *
Bella feltlike hitting her head against the wall. Eli was adamantly against setting up cameras, which was the one thing she thought would help Grant’s case. But the head of the Reese family had put his foot down, claiming he was protecting the privacy of his men.
For the last twenty minutes, she’d argued with him on the phone and it was like they were backtracking. Hadn’t he asked her to come by? Yes, but he didn’t want the whole sheriff’s department crawling all over the property.
She slammed her phone down on her desk. If he couldn’t see the benefit of her help, then what was the point in asking her for it in the first place? Her head ached. There would be no arguing with Eli. As far as he was concerned, if she couldn’t figure it out on the down-low, then he didn’t want her to do anything at all.
Bella leaned back in her chair and stared at her computer. The only thing she had left to do was research the men who worked for Eli. Unfortunately, the database in Rocky Ridge hadn’t been updated in decades.
Leaning forward, she clicked on the icon in the lower left corner of her screen. She pulled up the program and typed in the first name on her list. One by one, she went through the people Eli had hired over the last ten years. Besides a few traffic violations, there was practically nothing. No red flags. No major criminals. Grant Shaw wasn’t in the state’s database, but that was to be expected seeing as he’d just moved here.
A groan escaped her lips. Normally, someone who was capable of repetitive crime would pop up on her system.
She closed out the program and pulled up her search engine. Her fingers clacked away, typing in Grant’s name and “Nashville.”
Her whole body went still. There were several articles and news reports for a Grant Shaw who lived in Nashville. He was a glorified billionaire who owned a tech company—one that had consistently grown over the last several years.
Bella scrambled for the mouse and clicked on the first entry. Lots of information about the company and Mr. Shaw, but no pictures. She clicked on another and another with the same results. The most recent update from the company was an announcement that the CEO was making changes in the leadership and giving more responsibilities to his VP, but that was it.
There was no way that this was the same Grant Shaw that she’d met. The cowboy with his adorable little boy didn’t reek of money or pompous entitlement. He was down to earth. If he had that kind of money, he wouldn’t be living in an RV on the Reese’s property. He could have bought a piece of land all on his own and built something if he was so worried about his son staying close to his grandmother.
She shook her head. No, this wasn’t the Grant she knew. It couldn’t be.
Bella leaned back in her seat and spun around to stare out the window. Her thoughts drifted to the dinner she’d had with Grant. He’d been so sweet—so unexpected. She’d been impressed by him, which wasn’t the weirdest thing that had happened to her.
First impressions didn’t always have to stick.
A silly smile touched her lips as she found herself looking forward to the next time she might see him.
She shook her head sharply. What was she thinking? She wasn’t planning on staying here. And who knew how long he’d be around. He hadn’t said he was going to raise Nick here, he was just making sure the kid had a connection with his grandmother.
Man, he was the sweetest. And now she was the one with the egg on her face.
There was a knock on her desk, and she spun around with surprise to find Megan holding two coffee cups.
Bella gasped and lunged out of her seat. “How did you know?”
Megan gave her a funny look. “You had a date.”
The blood drained from Bella’s face. Was that what Grant was calling it? He could have told Megan’s husband about their outing. While Daniel might not spread gossip with just anyone, pillow talk ran rampant around here. “Did Grant?—”
Her friend’s face scrunched up with confusion. “Grant? I’m talking about Todd.” Her brows shot up and she released a whistle. “You didn’t tell me you were planning on going out twice! Of course you were going to need a pick-me-up.” She plopped down on the chair that had been placed on the other side of the desk. “I’ve only got ten minutes, but you have to tell me everything. I don’t care if it’s the short version.”
“I didn’t go on two dates! Todd, right. That’s the date I was talking about.” Bella had completely forgotten about their little ritual. Coffee and spilling details about the dates Bella forced herself to go on. She shook her head. “You don’t even want to know.”
To her credit, Megan looked confused. “But what about Grant?”
“Grant? Oh, that wasn’t anything. We bumped into each other at the restaurant after Todd bailed and he invited me to finish my meal with him.”
Megan’s eyes widened so far Bella nearly thought they’d have to call a doctor to make sure everything was still okay. “No! Todd bailed? What a jerk! Why are you still seeing him?”
“I’m not,” Bella said before taking a sip of the scalding liquid. “Not anymore, at least.”
“And Grant? Is he a contender for a replacement?”
“What?” Bella laughed but it sounded more like she was choking. “No, of course not. He’s the guy Eli thinks might be causing all that trouble at the ranch.”
Megan leaned back in her seat with disappointment. “Oh. And do you think he’s the one?”
Her friend’s question could have been interpreted in several ways. Well, not only was Grant not the person of interest in this situation, but he also wasn’t “the one” for her. Bella shook her head. “I don’t think he’s causing any trouble. I don’t know who would want to, but I’m gonna find out.”
Megan smiled. “I know you will.” She tapped her fingers on the cup in her hands. “So, there’s no chance that Grant is?—”
Bella groaned. “None of that, okay? There’s nothing there.”
“Except…” Megan drawled, “the way you said his name when you were confused a little bit ago… it makes me wonder…”
Rolling her eyes, Bella hid her smile with her cup. If she allowed herself to give in to the idea of something more, it would be with Grant. But that wasn’t what she was here for. They’d probably bump into each other while she looked into this vandalism, but that was it.
“Besides, I don’t think he’s interested in starting anything… with anyone. He’s focusing on his relationship with his son.”
“Aww, a family guy? That’s sweet.”
“Okay, okay. I get it. You want me to find someone steady so I can go on double dates with you and Daniel. Well, as of now, you’re out of luck. If my date with Todd taught me anything, it’s that there’s just a shortage of good men out there.”
Megan frowned. “Don’t compare all the guys out here to your dad. Just because he couldn’t hack it doesn’t mean every guy is like that. Who knows? Maybe Grant is the man of your dreams.”
Bella rolled her eyes again, but deep down, she let herself toy with the idea. That wouldn’t hurt anyone.