Chapter 10
Exhausted, Vanessa dropped from her knees to her bottom in the middle of the half-weeded garden. Her muscles screamed for mercy, but she was almost finished with the current section. If she could get a little more done, then she’d head inside and clean up for dinner.
For her date.
Giddiness swam in her stomach. Dax had been such a bright spot since the second she’d showed up in Cloud Valley. A part of her was unsure if dating him was a great idea. She didn’t have any friends yet and would hate to lose him if things didn’t work out.
But then he looked at her and her entire body turned to mush.
Sighing, she attacked the ground with the spade. Nope, no way she couldn’t at least dip her toe in the dating pond and see what happened. She’d just make sure they both understood that no matter what, they’d maintain their friendship.
Frankie ambled her way and barked twice.
“I know,” she said, wiping sweat off her forehead with back of her forearm. “We’ll go inside soon. I’ll feed you then shower. Just let me get this last weed. It’s a big one.”
Her pile of weeds had tripled in size in the hours she’d worked, and a deep satisfaction settled in her bones.
She may have underestimated how much work would go into transforming the large plot, but that was okay.
She’d make sure the starters she’d purchased stayed alive until she could plant them in the ground.
If the rain could hold off another day or two, she could finish this part of the project and start on the next.
Whatever that would be.
Spearing the tip of her tool into the ground again, she connected with something hard below the surface. Moving an inch to the side, she dug into the dirt and hit something hard again.
She frowned at Frankie. “Must be one hell of a rock under there.”
Not wanting to waste time but needing to know what she’d hit, she used her gloved hands to break through the tough mud. She brushed away the clumps of dirt and revealed tarnished metal of some kind. “What the heck?”
Curiosity moved her faster until she’d uncovered an old, weathered hammer. The wooden handle was cracked and dirty, but it was the head of the hammer that puzzled her. The metal was a deep brown, bordering on red, with dark stains from the muddy earth.
Frankie growled.
“Why would someone bury a hammer in a garden?” She inspected the tool, hoping for some kind of sign or message that could clue her in to what had prompted the owner to do such a thing, when a spot of blue still in the ground caught her attention.
Eyebrows raised, she glanced at Frankie. “This keeps getting stranger.”
He pawed at the ground, as if to tell her to keep going.
She did, shoveling away the muck until she unveiled a T-shirt. She held it up to inspect it, and streaks of sun shone through the thin material. She studied the cartoon bull in the middle of the shirt and a hint of a memory flitted forward.
“Holy crap,” she mumbled and shot to her feet.
Grabbing the hammer and shirt, she darted for the house.
She yanked off her garden gloves and tossed them on the porch, along with her muddy boots.
She debated carrying the tool and shirt inside but cringed at the thought of tracking dirt into the house.
She set them beside her boots then ran inside.
Frankie stayed a step behind her.
She made a beeline for her mother’s room, wincing at the dirt crumbling off her dirty clothes, and found the photo she’d tucked against the mirror.
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the smiling face of her uncle, took a second to stare at her mother’s youthful face, and forced herself to not dwell on the boy with the scratched-out eyes.
It was her uncle’s shirt that sent her into a tailspin. A blue shirt with a cartoon bull, block lettering spelling out what she assumed was a local town or attraction.
Her mind raced as a hundred questions assaulted her.
Why would her uncle bury one of his shirts in the garden, and what the heck was a hammer doing beside it?
Maybe her cousin would have some answers.
Autumn might have spent a lot of time at their grandfather’s house and could be a wealth of knowledge.
She’d appeared enthusiastic to become friends.
Maybe Autumn could shed some light on a lot of different things she found odd since arriving.
Her mother would know some of those answers, but she’d been a vault with her secrets.
Vanessa had learned from a young age not to pester her, but now she regretted giving her mom that space.
She’d give anything to have her mother here.
To pepper her with questions and demand the truth of what had forced her from her home.
A wave of grief crashed against her. She backed into the bed and sat on the edge.
Questions regarding an old T-shirt and hammer were the least of the reasons she wanted her mom back.
She squeezed her eyes shut against the heart-crushing pain, let herself feel the loss for the millionth time, then blew out a long breath before standing.
“Enough of that,” she told Frankie, who sat near her feet. “I need to scrub off the mud then pour through a mountain of boxes to find something decent to wear for a first date at a man’s house with his father.”
Chuckling, she shook her head and padded down the hall to the primary bath. Her life had taken a lot of unexpected twists and turns over the last year, but this might be the strangest.
* * *
Nerves danced beneath the surface of Dax’s body as he stood on Vanessa’s porch and waited for her to answer the door.
The skies had darkened, promising another storm soon.
The rest of his day had moved at a snail’s pace.
Once done installing security cameras at Valley Goods, he’d seen to his evening chores and taken way too much care in getting ready to watch baseball.
With his dad.
He groaned. His first date with Vanessa should include a fancy dinner or romantic picnic at the foot of the mountains. Not eating a bowl of chili from a TV tray in his dad’s living room.
But there was no changing plans now.
Before he could mentally berate himself any more, the door swung open and Vanessa greeted him with a beaming smile.
Her long hair was curled into a flurry of dark waves.
Her jeans molded against lean legs and the fitted T-shirt hugged her curves, the color the same shade as her olive-green eyes. “Hey.”
His mouth went dry, and all his doubts fluttered away with the wind. He didn’t care what he did with Vanessa, as long as he got to spend more time with her. “Hey,” he echoed. “Ready?”
“Yep.” She glanced down at Frankie. “What about you?”
Frankie barked.
Dax scooped up the dog and extended an arm toward his truck. “Ladies first.”
She shot him a grin over her shoulder as she passed him on her way down the porch steps. Once she settled into the vehicle, he set Frankie on her lap and hurried to climb in behind the wheel.
“How was the rest of your day?” he asked as he motored down the country road.
“Good. I’m about halfway through the garden. I made an interesting discovery at the end.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah. Someone buried an old hammer and T-shirt.”
Dax scratched the bottom of his chin. “That’s weird.”
“I swear the shirt matches one my uncle was wearing in a picture with my mom. I’m probably grasping at straws, but something’s just off about the whole thing. I think I’ll call my cousin tomorrow. She seemed sweet, and she might have some insight.”
“I don’t know Autumn very well,” Dax said.
“She’s a few years younger than me. It’d be good for you to get to know her.
Make some more friends in town, especially if she can help you connect with your roots.
Not sure if she’ll know why random stuff was buried in the garden, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. ”
They filled the rest of the ride with small talk. When he drove under the rusty sign that announced McKay Ranch, his stomach muscles clenched. He hadn’t brought a girl home in years. He hadn’t given much thought to what Vanessa might think about his bringing her to meet his father.
Hell, he hadn’t thought beyond wanting to have dinner with her and not wanting to cancel plans with his dad.
But maybe he should have.
“Oh my goodness,” Vanessa said. “I love it here. You have actual horse stables, and how cute is that porch! Do you sit outside a lot? I think I’d be out there every single night.”
Her enthusiasm relaxed his muscles, and he parked in his usual spot before shutting off the engine. “Pops and I usually do.”
“That’s nice. I love that you two are so close. Reminds me of me and my mom. I hate that she’s not here.”
Her words were like a knife twisting in his gut. “Losing a parent isn’t easy. I was young when my mom died, but I remember it like it was yesterday. The pain is still there, even twenty years later.”
She rested a hand on his. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about that. I’ve lived my whole life only having one parent. Sometimes I forget people have both in their lives. Losing your mom so young had to be tough, but I’m glad you had your dad with you.”
“Me, too. He’s been my best friend for years.” A question sat at the tip of his tongue, but he wasn’t sure it was the right time to ask.
As if reading his mind, she said, “Go ahead. Say what’s on your mind.”
“Have you ever had contact with your father?”
She shook her head. “To be honest, I don’t even know who he is.
My mother never told me. It used to piss me off.
We’d fight about it, but she’d stand firm on the decision to keep his name from me.
I finally realized she had her reasons, and as much as I hated her for it when I was a teenager, I knew she was protecting me.
I figured I had plenty of time to get her to tell me about him one day.
I was wrong.” She shrugged as if it didn’t matter, but the quiver in her voice told another story.