Chapter 8 #2
“For one, I already said no. I don’t think you get a second chance at something like that. For another, he knows about the panic attacks. What guy wants that in his life?”
“Did you know that I asked your grandmother on a date twelve times before she agreed to go out with me? And that was just to get ice cream.”
A towel was hanging off the handle of the stove. She pulled it free and buffed the plate. “I haven’t heard that story before.”
“I tell you now because when you really like someone, you’re willing to wait.” He handed her a serving bowl. “I don’t think that Aiden Colton was offended at all. I bet if you called him, telling him that you’d like to go out, he’d be pleased.”
“That’s a lot of betting and guesses,” she said, teasing him.
“I know he’d be happy to hear from you again.”
“Not after the panic attack, Grandpa.”
“He knew what to do and what to say. To me, it proves that he’s a good person.”
She finished drying the bowl and set it on the counter. “But I’m not calling him back. I’m not ready to date yet.”
“Yet?” He handed her several forks. “What are you waiting for?”
How could her grandfather not know? “Derek. What happened to him.”
“Oh, Luce. Your brother died ten years ago. I know it broke your heart, but Derek would want you to live and enjoy yourself.” Her grandfather set the serving spoons on the counter.
She shook her head, rubbing the silverware hard. “I just can’t.”
“The best testament to your brother’s life is to live a life of your own.”
She said nothing, just set the clean spoons with the rest of the dishes.
“I’ve lived a long time, Lucy. I’ve had good days and bad. I’ve loved and I’ve lost. But just because I’ve lost doesn’t mean I’ll ever stop loving.”
“Why is life so hard?” she asked.
“It gets easier once you find the right person.”
Lucy had no intention of calling Aiden Colton. Yet, she could almost feel his business card, tucked safely into her pocket.
Aiden walked back to his car. The sky had brightened to a robin’s-egg blue.
The air still held a hint of the night’s chill.
A soft wind blew, rustling the leaves in the trees.
It would have been a perfect late summer morning, but the light bore into his skull and his head felt as if it were being used as a bass drum.
Using the fob in his pocket, he unlocked the car’s doors and started the engine.
The fact that Lucy wanted to stay at the ranch left him unsettled. The Five Steers was miles from anywhere, and, like last night, it would take time for help to arrive. It meant that she and her grandfather were on their own.
He opened the door as sunlight reflected off the hood of an approaching vehicle. Aiden recognized Ted’s car as it crested the hill.
Leaning his forearms on the open door, he waited. Ted parked next to Aiden. He turned off the engine and opened the door.
“I’m surprised to see you up so early,” said Ted.
“Yeah, I’ve been hearing that a lot today.”
“Did you just get here or what?”
With a shake of his head, he said, “I’ve been here a while.”
“Have you looked around the fire already?” Ted asked, slamming the door closed. “Was it an accident?”
An accident? Hardly. “Looks like it was intentionally set.” He shouldn’t share important details about an investigation. Then again, Ted was the mayor of Red Grove. If he wanted the information, he could get it. “What’s worse, someone locked Lucy in the back room.”
Ted’s face paled. “That’s serious.”
“Cal and I agree. It looks like an attempted murder.”
“Can you figure out who did it? I mean, there were hundreds of people here with the fair.” He paused and looked at the house. “Do they have security cameras?”
“No cameras,” said Aiden. “But the state crime lab might be able to get prints off the lock. The metal was protected by how the door fell.”
“It sounds like you called Cal already.”
“Saw him, too,” he said. “He was on his way to Mom’s when I found the lock, so he stopped by to pick up the evidence. Someone from his office is going to Bismarck, and they’ll drop everything off at the lab.”
Ted gave a wry laugh. “I’d hate to be a criminal around here. Between you and Callum, everything is covered.”
“We try.” The sunlight made his eyes water. The pounding in his head was getting worse. “I better get going,” he began.
“Did you talk to Lucy or Rusty Harris yet?”
“Both of them. Obviously, they’re upset. But they aren’t leaving.”
“This land is perfect. I don’t blame them for wanting to stay.” Ted swiveled, taking in the view. “I’ll let you go. Try and rest, okay.”
Aiden stuck one foot into his car. Then he stopped as two thoughts came to him at once. “Why are you here?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It’s early on a Saturday morning. A holiday weekend, no less. But you drove all this way. Why?”
“Oh, that.” Ted smiled. “I wanted to talk to the people from the fair. I wasn’t sure what they were planning to do after the fire, but I was going to see if they wanted to use the municipal field in town. Looks like they left, though.”
To Aiden, Ted’s explanation made sense. But there was something else. “Last night, once the barn was on fire, you said that you saw Lucy.”
“Yeah, I did,” he said. “What’s your point?”
“I told you that she was in the barn and you told me that she wasn’t. You said you’d just seen her.”
“If I got my timing confused, I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to risk your life searching for someone who wasn’t there.” He let out a long breath and his shoulders slumped. “It doesn’t sit well with me that I screwed up.”
There was no sense in berating Ted when he already felt bad. “Well, I better go.”
“I am grateful that you were here,” said Ted. “Truly.”
Aiden got behind the steering wheel. He buckled his seat belt and put the gearshift into Drive. Ted still stood by his car as he maneuvered onto the dirt track that ran by the house.
Ahead was the paved road. To the left was Red Grove. To the right was his mother’s house. Aiden stopped on the berm and opened the center console. Inside, he found a pair of sunglasses. He slipped on the shades and lowered the visor. Without the glare, his headache lessened.
Using the controls on the steering wheel, he opened his contact list. He scrolled through the names on his console. With the push of his thumb, he placed the call.
“Aiden,” said Emily, answering the call after the second ring. “I didn’t think you’d be up so early.”
The dashboard clock read 7:35 a.m. “I’ve been at work for a few hours already.”
“You’re supposed to rest, you know. Your father said that’s the best way to treat a concussion.”
“When did you and Dad become so chummy?”
“Matti adopting Sammy made me realize a few things,” she said.
He was about to ask what she’d learned. But since she was home, he said, “I’m on my way to your house. I can take a look at the dishwasher.”
“I don’t want you coming all this way just for me,” she said. “The dishwasher will still be here, and the door will still be busted. Come by tomorrow or even Monday.”
“I’m at the Five Steers Ranch right now. It won’t take me long to get to you.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “It’s sweet of you to want to help. But right now, I want you to take care of yourself.”
Typically, Aiden would insist that he was fine. But really, he wasn’t. His over the counter pain meds were starting to wear off, and he could definitely use a nap. “I’ll call you tomorrow morning and find a time to come out.”
“I’ll see you then,” she said, before ending the call. He still had to call the fire chief and fill him in on what had been found. But he could do that during the drive.
Aiden leaned forward, looking both to the left and the right. The road was empty. He eased onto the pavement and headed for home.