Chapter 9 #2
“Here you go.” Ruth placed two glasses of ice water onto the table. Next to the glasses, she set two mugs of steaming coffee. “I’ll be back with your food.”
“Thanks,” said Aiden.
After the server left again, Cal asked, “Are you sure that you’re okay?”
“It’s my head,” he said, taking a sip of a water. But that wasn’t the entire truth. “After you left this morning, I talked to Lucy and her grandfather. It’d be best if they left the ranch, but they don’t want to go.” He took another drink. “Is there anything that can be done?”
“Not unless they ask for the help.”
“What about, I don’t know, a patrol or something?”
“Considering what happened, I can send out deputies a few times a day.”
It didn’t seem like enough. Still, he said, “Thanks.”
Ruth returned carrying two plates. She set Aiden’s sandwich and Callum’s burger on the table. “How’s that look?”
“Perfect as always,” said Aiden, reaching for a bottle of ketchup that was hidden behind the menus. He squeezed a puddle of ketchup on the edge of his plate and plunked in a fry. The tangy sauce mixed perfectly with the salty French fry. “Tastes perfect, too.”
For several minutes, they ate in silence. With every bite, Aiden felt better. After finishing half of his sandwich, he said, “Sorry for the attitude earlier.”
“I appreciate your apology, and I understand your frustration. Unless the Harrises ask for help, there’s not a lot anyone can do. But we are investigating. There will be patrols. That’s a lot more than nothing,” Cal said. After a beat, he asked, “How did Lucy take the news?”
“Not good.” He wasn’t going to share anything about the panic attack. Still, he said, “It freaked her out to know that she’d been locked in the room on purpose.”
“I imagine.”
“I think her grandfather would leave the ranch. But she was pretty set on staying.”
“Seems like you have a rapport with Lucy.”
Aiden shrugged and dipped a fry into his ketchup. He popped it into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “I guess.”
“What can you tell me about her?” asked Cal.
What did Aiden know about Lucy? She made the world’s best coffee.
Her eyes were bright, and her cheeks were rosy, even when she first got out of bed.
She didn’t need makeup to look pretty; she was naturally gorgeous.
But there was more to her than her looks.
She was a combination of independent and innocent.
He liked being with her in the kitchen, cooking bacon while she scrambled eggs.
There was also the fact that every time they touched his fingers warmed and his pulse took off like it’d been launched into space.
He couldn’t remember having that kind of reaction to another person.
Maybe nobody had ever affected him in the same way.
“Earth to Aiden.” Cal cupped his hand around his mouth and lowered his voice. “Come in, Aiden.”
He rolled his eyes at his older brother.
“For a minute, you looked like you were a million miles away.” And then, “Or is the concussion bothering you again?”
“After getting some lunch, my head feels pretty good.”
“Did you remember something from the fire? You looked pretty deep in thought.”
Aiden shook his head. “Nothing new comes to mind.”
“What, then?” Cal began. “Oh, I think I know. You were thinking of a pretty rancher.”
Adien wasn’t in the mood to get grief from his big brother. Still, there was no denying the truth. “I like her. When we touch, just accidentally brush hands, it’s…” How was he supposed to explain everything that happened? “I don’t know. There’s a reaction.”
“I know what you mean. That happened to me with Jules.”
Jules Bailey was Callum’s girlfriend. They’d met while his brother was investigating a murder.
Jules ran a gift shop for the Enchanted Highway—and that’s where the body had been found.
She and Cal had been living together for a few months.
Honestly, his brother seemed happy. Just one more of his siblings who’d found love.
“Really?”
“It’s kind of how I knew she was the one,” said Cal. Then, he suggested, “Why don’t you ask Lucy out?”
“Been there. Done that. Epic fail.” Pain slammed into his skull with the power of a locomotive.
“Ouch. That’s rough.”
Aiden popped the last bite of sandwich into his mouth. He didn’t want to talk about Lucy Harris anymore. In fact, he needed to shift his thinking. He needed to look at her as the victim of a fire and not someone with whom he had personal sparks.
“How’s work?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Aside from the two unsolved murders, all the overdose deaths, and that fact that we have meth laced with fentanyl being sold in town, everything is peachy.” Sarcasm filled his words.
“Any idea who’s responsible?”
Cal shook his head and pushed his plate to the middle of the table. “But speaking of my job, I better get back.” He threw two twenty-dollar bills on the table. It was more than enough to cover the food and a generous tip.
“You don’t need to pay for me, you know,” he said. “I’m an adult. I have a job.”
“Just let me be the big brother and take you out to lunch.”
“So long as you let me pay next time.”
“Deal,” said Callum.
They walked toward the door. Ruth stood behind the cash register. “Take care, you two.”
“See you soon,” Aiden called out, pushing the door open.
They stepped outside. Somehow, the sun was brighter. He slipped on his shades and looked up the street. Ted Barrett was walking toward them.
“Aiden, you keep turning up like a bad penny,” Ted joked as he approached
“I could say the same about you,” he said.
“What are you two doing? Is there any information about the fire at the Five Steers Ranch?”
“We were just having lunch.” Cal hooked his thumb toward the restaurant. “And there’s nothing new on my end. The evidence is on its way to Bismarck. We should have answers within the week, maybe a bit longer.”
Aiden added, “Cal’s going to send a patrol by the Five Steers Ranch regularly.”
A white car, the muffler coughing, drove down the street.
A cloud of exhaust followed. The stench of burning motor oil and used gasoline wafted toward Aiden.
His headache got worse. The driver pulled the car into a spot near the corner, and the engine stilled.
The door opened and the driver stepped onto the street.
Callum nodded. “Isn’t that Stuart Whittier?”
Aiden shaded his eyes. The man was tall and lanky, with dark hair. He wore a stained concert T-shirt and cargo shorts. But Cal was right. It was Stu.
“You two were friends in high school, weren’t you?” said Ted.
“He was my lab partner in chemistry. That was sophomore year.” He brought up memories from more than a decade past. It was like mentally wading through sludge. “I think he dropped out when we were seniors. I lost track of him after that.”
“I didn’t,” said Cal. “He’s been in and out of jail. Mostly drug-related charges. Last I heard, he’d gone to rehab.”
“I guess he’s back,” said Aiden. “Hopefully rehab worked.”
Stu looked up and down the street before his gaze landed on Aiden, Callum, and Ted. Stu lifted a hand in greeting.
“How’s it going?” Ted called out, waving back.
Stu waited as a car passed. Then, he jogged across the road. “Hey,” he said. “It’s good to see you all.”
“Good to see you, too,” said Aiden. “What have you been up to?”
“Not much. Just working for a contractor. Home improvement stuff.” Stu shrugged his narrow shoulders. “How’ve you been?”
“About the same,” said Aiden. “I work for the Red Grove Fire Department now.”
“Don’t let him be humble. He pulled a woman from a fire last night,” said Ted. “Saved her life.”
“That’s great, man.” Stu’s hands shook and he shoved them into the pockets of his jeans. “Good for you.”
The compliment landed wrong. Aiden mumbled, “Just doing my job.”
“Yeah, it was actually attempted murder,” said Ted. Then he added, “Callum’s going to ask to have deputies patrol the area regularly.”
A sheen of sweat covered Stu’s brow. His hands continued to tremble, and the change in his pocket jingled. Maybe rehab hadn’t worked as well as hoped. “Sounds like a bad situation.”
Everything Ted said was true. But why was he shooting off his mouth in front of Stu Whittier?
Before he could question his foster brother, Aiden’s phone started to ring. He pulled the cell from his pants. The number wasn’t in his contacts, but it had a local area code. To Cal, Ted, and Stu, he said, “I’m going to take this and head home. Good seeing you all.”
He started walking toward his apartment. After the third ring, he swiped the call open. “Hello?”
“Is this Aiden?”
He recognized Lucy’s voice at once.
“Yeah, it’s me. Hi.”
“This is Lucy. Lucy Harris.”
“Hi, Lucy,” he said. “What can I do for you?”
“Well, I was just wondering if that offer to go out to dinner was still good.”
Aiden smiled. “Yeah, of course it is.”
“Good,” said Lucy. “I’d really like to go out with you. I mean, whenever you’re free.”
“Tonight,” Aiden said, knowing full well that he was too eager. Then again, he didn’t care. “We can get together tonight, if you’re free.”
“I don’t have plans,” said Lucy.
“Good.” Miraculously, Aiden’s headache disappeared. “Then, it’s a date.”