Chapter 9
After a call to the vet, who confirmed the goats were doing well, and finishing the tour of her property, Vanessa was invigorated. Dax’s pep talk hadn’t hurt. He had a way of building up her confidence and making her feel she could do whatever she wanted.
And she was really starting to believe him.
Hopping out of Dax’s truck, she stared at the hardware store and secured her purse across her chest. The building looked more like a log cabin that would be found in the mountains than a store. Colorful flowers exploded from pots of all shapes and sizes, creating a homey atmosphere.
The attached nursery told her she could buy most of what she saw outside, down to the stone birdbaths and cute little benches. Excitement thumped along with her pulse.
Dax stood beside her, one brow hooked toward the black cowboy hat she’d returned before they’d left. “Ready?”
“You betcha.”
Once inside, she followed Dax from aisle to aisle. He pointed out food she’d need for the animals and other supplies she should have on hand for emergencies. By the time they’d gone down every row, her cart was full.
“Good thing we brought your truck,” she said. “I’m not sure this would fit in my car.”
“We’re not even done. Did you want to look in the nursery? They’ve got a lot of seeds for flowers and starters for gardens. There’s that nice patch of land you could till. You’d just need to clear out some weeds and work the soil a bit.”
She recalled the overgrown garden at the back of the house. When her mom was sick, she’d loved being surrounded by new life. Vanessa had packed as many plants as possible in their apartment, working diligently to keep them vibrant.
“I’d like that,” she said. “My mom loved plants. She even had a rooftop garden where she grew tomatoes and peppers. Sometimes she’d get strawberries to grow and get so excited.
She shared everything with our neighbors.
It became a kind of community garden. Neighbors took turns tending the plants when Mom got too sick to do it herself. ”
Dax leaned against the cart and smiled. “That’s really nice. Is the garden still there?”
“No,” she said, the simple word hitting her like a punch in the gut.
“I haven’t done anything like that since she passed.
Growing a garden here, in the place where she grew up, would be a beautiful way to honor her.
Maybe I could do the same thing as she did and give what I grow to the people in town. ”
“Looks like things are falling into place. Let’s see what they’ve got.” Dax pushed the cart into the attached greenhouse.
The scent of dirt and flowers brought with them memories of her mom, which threatened to overwhelm her. She embraced the memories, played them over in her mind as she picked out plants and seeds then filled a second cart with dirt and other tools she may need.
By the time she paid and followed Dax out to his truck, she was brimming with anticipation.
“You almost bought out the store.” Dax tossed the last bag of dirt into the bed of his truck. “You sure you don’t want to head inside and grab the rest off the shelves?”
“I think I’m good. I’ll return the carts.” She pushed her cart into Dax’s and maneuvered them to the front of the store. When she turned around, the sight of a familiar truck caught her attention and blocked her from where Dax stood waiting on the other side.
A man climbed out of the passenger side, and moments later, Chip rounded the hood and spied her. His frown deepened into a scowl. The other man’s expression remained blank as they crossed the parking lot.
She stood her ground, refusing to let her uncle’s gruffness intimidate her.
“What are you doing?” Chip barked the question.
“Same as you, I suspect. Buying supplies.” She tried not to let her own words match his bite. Her initial impression of her uncle was anything but positive, but that didn’t mean she had no hope for a better relationship with him in the future.
As long as he wasn’t the one working so hard to run her out of town.
“And what would you know about supplies?”
Dax stomped past the back of Chip’s extended cab until he reached her side. “Morning, Chip. Ethan.”
The other man—Ethan she presumed—tipped his hat but kept his mouth shut.
Chip aimed his scowl at Dax. “What are you doing here?”
“You’re awfully concerned with what everyone’s doing at the hardware store,” Dax said. He kept his voice even, but his clipped words made his irritation clear. “You’ve spent enough time at your pops’s place. You’d know more than anyone what all needs to be purchased to keep it running.”
Vanessa took note of the bulging vein at Chip’s temple. His clenched jaw broadcast his anger loud and clear, and she couldn’t help but wonder how tight of a leash he kept on his emotions. Would he let his outrage at not being given her grandfather’s property lead him to harm innocent animals?
“Dax brought me to get more food for the goats since I had to throw most of it out.” She studied his expression, but nothing chased away the irritation.
“Why the hell would you do that?” Chip asked.
“Because what I fed them this morning almost killed them,” she said.
Chip’s eyes widened for a beat, and he dragged a hand over his mouth.
“Geez, you’re in town less than twenty-four hours and already ruining everything.
I told you before—go home. This isn’t the place for you.
Leave now before you destroy everything my father built.
Hell, I’ll pay you double what the place is worth. ”
Indignation burned her cheeks. “I’m not selling the property. My grandfather wanted me to have it.”
“Crazy old man.” Chip rolled his eyes skyward. “He almost ran everything into the ground and now you’re here to finish the job.”
Dax took a step forward, his fists clenched at his sides. “Watch yourself.”
Ethan placed a hand on Chip’s shoulder, but he shrugged it off. “I’m not going to coddle some city slicker who doesn’t know the first thing about this place. She doesn’t belong here. At least her mother had good enough sense to know that.”
As much as she hated it, his words stung like a hundred angry bees. Tears threatened to fall, but she held them back. She refused to let this jerk see how much his disdain affected her.
“Enough,” Ethan said. “This won’t help a damn thing. Let’s get what we came here for and go on with our day.”
“Listen to your friend,” Dax all but growled. “And I suggest the next time you run into Vanessa—and trust me, there will be a next time—you treat her with a little more respect.”
Chip scoffed and shoved past Dax, making sure to avoid her as he stormed away and disappeared inside.
Ethan gave them both a tight-lipped smile and followed after his friend.
Vanessa wrapped her arms around her middle. “I don’t know why he hates me so much.”
Dax shook his head. “He doesn’t hate you. He hates what he thinks you took from him. He’s too stubborn and stupid to understand none of that’s your fault. Come on. Let’s get this stuff back to your place.”
With all the excitement from earlier gone, she stayed quiet and walked back to the truck.
Her uncle might have succeeded in dimming her shine, but he wouldn’t keep her down.
If nothing else, she was more determined than ever to prove herself.
This was her town now, and she’d make sure everyone knew it.
* * *
After leaving the hardware store, Dax took Vanessa to the market to nab a few necessities then grabbed something quick to eat from a drive-thru. She’d been eager to return home to attack the weeds strangling the overgrown garden.
He scraped a hoe against the rough ground, his momentum interrupted by vibrating in his pocket. He yanked off his glove and snagged his phone. Madden’s name flashed on the screen and a punch of annoyance broke through his contentment at working the land.
“I got to take this call,” he called to Vanessa.
Her head shot up from where she kneeled, pulling weeds. “Take your time. I mean… I feel this goes above and beyond your responsibilities.”
Grinning, he shrugged. “I like it. I’ll grab us some water while I take a break.”
“Thanks,” she said then returned to work.
Dax answered the call before it went to voicemail then made his way toward the front of the house. “Hey.”
Frankie trotted at his side, his labored breaths wheezing through his open mouth.
“Afternoon,” Madden said, the stiffness in his voice raising Dax’s hackles. “Where you at?”
“The Kemp place.” He bit the words out. “What do you need?”
“Did something happen this morning?” Madden asked. “I didn’t see any reports made that she had any more trouble.”
“Her goats were poisoned. I think someone tampered with the food, but nothing showed on the security feed. It could have been done before the camera was installed.” He jogged up the porch steps and walked inside, toeing off his boots before heading toward the kitchen.
Frankie scurried behind him, his nails clicking on the hardwood floors with each step.
Dax glanced at the floor and winced at the muddy paw prints Frankie left behind.
“Geez,” Madden muttered. “Did you call that in? I know you’re taking the lead on this, but we all need to be aware of what’s happening with our clients.”
“I haven’t had a chance,” Dax snapped. “I helped her pick up more food for the animals after tossing most of it.”
Silence stretched out on the other line.
Dax grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge then leaned against the counter. Frankie sat in front of him and panted. “Say it,” he said.
“Say what?”
“Whatever it is you’re thinking.” Spying the dog’s empty bowl, he filled it with water then placed it in front of Frankie.
The dog leapt to his feet and plunged most of his head in the dish. Water sloshed on the floor.
Great, another mess to clean.
“Nothing. Just didn’t know taking clients on shopping trips was part of the job,” Madden said. “Is this serious enough that she needs more one-on-one protection?”
Dax rolled his eyes. “I’m helping her out, man. Didn’t know I needed your permission for that.”
“You don’t. Just making sure things are going okay and there’s not something else we should be doing. But it sounds like you have everything under control. Any idea who could have tampered with her supplies?”
“Only one person comes to mind.”
“Who?”
“Chip Kemp.” Unscrewing the cap from his bottle, he took a long swig before setting it back on the counter.
“Vanessa mentioned she’d never met him before coming to town, and they’d only communicated via email.
He showed up at her place this morning. She said he wasn’t very nice.
We ran into him at the hardwood store, and the guy was a jerk. ”
Madden snorted. “The guy’s always a jerk.”
“True, and there appears to be some bitterness about not inheriting the property. He even offered to buy the place, and Vanessa refused. He could try to scare off his niece. Then he can swoop in and take what he wants.”
“It’s a good theory,” Madden said. “I’ll run it past Reid and Ben. There’s not much we can do except keep an eye on the guy. Are you finished over there now?”
Dax debated how to answer. He didn’t want to leave Vanessa, but that had more to do with enjoying her company than working. And he could only imagine Madden’s reaction if he told his brother he was helping in the garden.
“Just about,” he said. It wasn’t a lie, and this way he could figure out why Madden even cared. He wasn’t one to micromanage, but if he wanted to continue their earlier conversation, Dax wasn’t about to head into the office for another lecture.
“I got a call from Valley Goods. They’ve had some issues with shoplifting and want some cameras installed. Can you take care of that this afternoon?”
Dax bit back a sigh. As much as he wanted to decline, he had no real reason. Vanessa wasn’t in danger at the moment, and she could pull weeds on her own. Not to mention working for Sunrise Security was his job. One he needed if he wanted to keep helping his dad pay the bills.
“Yeah, I can handle that,” he finally answered. “Let me finish a few things here then I’ll head into town. Stop by and see exactly what I need before I grab the equipment.”
After a few more words, he disconnected the call and watched Frankie lick the bowl clean. He filled it again, but apparently the little guy had had enough. He stood and stared at Dax.
“What is it?”
Frankie barked then turned in a circle before facing the front door.
“Outside it is.”
Dax grabbed the bottles of water and followed behind Frankie. Frankie found a patch of sunlight and curled into a ball before closing his eyes.
Dax kept moving until he reached the edge of the garden. He stopped and watched Vanessa work. She focused on her tasks with intensity, yanking at weeds and tossing them in a growing pile. Strands of hair slipped from her braid and stuck to her face. Dirt covered her clothes.
And, by God, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever laid eyes on.
As if sensing him, she glanced up and smiled. “Break time over?”
“Unfortunately, yes. That was my brother. I have another job in town. I gotta take off so I can get it done today.”
Her smile fell for a beat before she forced it back into place. “Totally get it. You can’t waste all your time here with me.”
“Trust me, time with you is never wasted. Here,” he said, tossing her the unopened bottle. “Call if anything else happens, okay? I’m just a phone call away.”
She snagged the bottle from the air. “Thank you.”
He hesitated, wishing for an excuse to stay—a reason to see her again. “Do you like baseball?”
She furrowed her brow. “Yeah, why?”
“I promised my pops I’d watch the game with him tonight. He’s usually good for a laugh or two, and almost always has a pot of chili on the stove. Care to join us? I could pick you up around seven.”
“Can I bring Frankie?”
He gave an exaggerated sigh but couldn’t hide his grin. “I suppose. I mean I’m getting used to having him around.”
“All right, then. Sounds lovely.”
He grinned and decided to lay his cards on the table. Their friendship was new, and he didn’t want to scare her or move too fast. But the last thing he wanted was to be put in the friend zone and never make it out. Better to set his intentions.
“Good, it’s a date.”