Epilogue
AIDEN
One week later …
Apickup pulls up in front of Lexi’s property, and Sam jumps down from the passenger seat while Dean gets out of the driver’s side. He throws back the cover and pulls out a weed whacker, a chainsaw, and various other tools from the bed.
Lexi comes out of the house carrying a wooden chair in her gloved hands and dumps it in the large dumpster that’s out front.
Sam grins at her and holds out his hand. “You must be Lexi. I’m Sam, and this is Dean.”
I hurry over to them and slide my arm around Lexi’s waist as she shakes their hands, staking my claim to my buddies.
Dean raises an eyebrow at me and shakes his head before asking, “Where do you want us to start?”
Lexi’s eyes go wide, and she turns to me. “Did you organize this?”
“Sure did. There’s more help arriving, so tell the men what you need them to do.”
Lexi stares at me for a moment, then snaps into action. “I need this yard cleared, and I need help inside chucking out the furniture.”
They both don pairs of thick gloves, and Sam grabs the weed whacker while Dean follows her inside.
Lexi turned down Victor’s offer from his mystery client, but he came back the next day with a higher offer.
Still, she doesn’t want to sell to them. She wants to sell to Joel so he can extend Jake’s Retreat, only he needs time to get the funds together. So in the meantime, we’re clearing the land as much as we can and going through her father’s things. There’s not much to save, hence the dumpster.
Today I’ve organized a working bee. We’ll tackle the undergrowth, clear the forest paths, and try to find the original boundary markers.
Mark’s been sifting through old land registry notices for us to see if there’s any information there that might help determine why and who moved them, although I’ve got a pretty good idea.
Something doesn’t feel right about the interest from Victor’s client. He said his client is interested in other properties, but I haven’t heard of anyone else selling. Could Victor or Karl be the man Lexi’s father mentioned in his diaries?
I spent three days with Lexi in Jersey, tidying up her old life and getting her ready to move in with me. I used my savings to pay off her debts and put her mom in rehab. What’s mine is hers from now on.
Then, we piled her belongings into my SUV and drove back here to my cabin. We didn’t leave the bed for three days.
I watch her now, chatting with Dean as they move through the house and to the dining area. She laughs at something he says, and I frown, striding to catch up with them.
The ex-SEAL is a few years older than me, but that doesn’t mean he’s wiser.
Because if he keeps making Lexi laugh like that, I may just have to tell him to back off with my fists, which would be a stupid idea, considering he’s a specialist in close combat fighting and runs the training gym at Jake’s Retreat.
When I catch up to them in the living room, they both turn to me, smiling.
“What’s so funny?” My tone comes out harsher than I mean it to.
Dean glances at Lexi and raises his eyebrows. “Told you.”
“Told her what?”
Dean leans on the old dining room table, and with the weight of his muscles and the state of the wood, I’m not surprised when it gives a heavy creak.
“I told Lexi that you’re so wild about her that if we went into a room together, you would follow straight behind us.”
I stop short, and the jealousy drains from me. “Am I that obvious?”
“Transparent,” Dean says. “Don’t worry, man. She’s only got eyes for you.”
Lexi shakes her head at me and slides an arm around my waist. “I’m going to head upstairs to the bedroom and sort through Dad’s things.”
She kisses me on the cheek, and I turn at the last moment so my lips meet hers. It’s supposed to be a quick peck, but the heat between us sizzles. Her lips move against mine, and her mouth parts, and then I’m running my hands down her sides and capturing her hips.
“Get a room, you guys.”
We break apart, and Dean shakes his head in disgust, but I only have eyes for Lexi. We share a private smile, and it warms me straight to the heart.
“I’ll give you a hand upstairs.”
I start to follow Lexi up the stairs when the sound of an engine has me turning to the door. Owen pulls up in his sheriff’s car.
“I’ll be up in a sec.”
Lexi continues upstairs, and I step out into the yard to meet Owen, who nods to me and slides his hat off his head.
“You got a minute? I’ve got some info on those things you asked me to look into.”
I glance toward the house, but Lexi’s gone upstairs. Owen and I walk a little way into the field as we talk.
“I traced the plates, and they’re registered to Ridgeway and Thorn, a law firm that’s based in Charlotte.”
“So Victor is legit?”
“Seems like it. They specialize in property law. I haven’t been able to find out who their client might be.”
“I guess it doesn’t matter now that Lexi is selling to Joel instead.”
“Maybe.” Owen pauses. “I looked into Vaughan Reilly’s death. It was a vehicle accident, as you’re probably aware. He lost control of his pickup and went into the cliff face.”
I wince. We’d heard it was a car accident, but hearing the details is brutal. At least it isn’t suspicious. I can put that line of thinking to bed.
“Where did it happen?” Lexi might like to visit the site, lay a wreath, or put up a cross.
“That’s the thing.” Owen fixes me with a look, and my body tenses.
“It was the straight stretch of road at the base of the mountain where the valley opens up and before you get to Hope.”
I know the stretch of road well. Straight as an arrow.
“What happened? Were the conditions bad?”
Owen shakes his head. “A clear fine day.”
We stare at each other, both thinking the same thing. Who has an accident on a straight stretch of road on a fine day?
“Something feels wrong, Aiden. The buyers hanging around and an accident that shouldn’t have happened.”
“You think it might be foul play?”
Owen huffs out a breath and looks up at the mountain. It’s a pretty big claim in a small town.
“I’m not sure. But I intend to find out.”
* * *