Chapter 14
The muscles in Dax’s arm quivered. He held the window steady while Ben finished caulking the frame.
“Damn, these projects always take so much longer than I think they will,” he said, shaking out his noodled arms as soon as the window was steady.
Ben grunted and returned his tools to the rusted red box at his feet. “At least it’s done.”
Footsteps padding down the stairs turned Dax toward the front of the house.
Vanessa and Autumn appeared with Frankie behind them.
Autumn gave a little wave then opened the door, giving Vanessa a quick hug before hurrying outside.
Vanessa stood in the doorway. “This place is Grand Central Station this morning,” she said. “Someone else just pulled in.”
Dax crossed the living room to her side then swallowed a sigh. “Madden,” he said, seconds before his brother hopped out of the driver’s side and rounded the hood to open the passenger door for his fiancée. “And Lily.”
“Who’s Lily?”
“His bride-to-be. You’ll like her. She’s much more enjoyable than my brother.”
Ben stomped forward and snorted. “As much as I’d love to stay for this little family gathering, I’ve got to go.” He tapped the tip of his baseball cap and wedged himself past Dax to get outside.
“Thanks again,” Vanessa said.
Another grunt came from Ben as he continued to his vehicle.
Madden passed Ben, clapping a shoulder on his back, then continued to the house with Lily beside him. He carried two cloth tote bags while Lily held a casserole dish in her hands.
“Hello, there,” Lily said. “I hope you guys don’t mind my stopping by with Madden. I couldn’t wait to come and meet Vanessa.”
Vanessa flashed a bright smile. “Same to you. Please, come inside.”
Dax took a step back along with Vanessa to allow the visitors in.
Frankie pranced between them all.
“How cute is this little guy?” Lily said on a chuckle.
“Sorry to drop by like this,” Madden said. “But I wanted to sit and speak with you in more depth after everything that happened last night. Lily suggested we bring along some food to make our visit less intrusive.”
“I made chicken-and-noodle casserole.” Lily offered the glass dish to Vanessa. “We also brought along some other snacks for your pantry. I hope you don’t mind?”
“This is amazing. Thank you,” Vanessa said. “Everyone around here keeps feeding me.”
Lily shot a questioning look at Dax. “Oh really?”
Dax squeezed the back of his neck. “She watched baseball with me and Pops. He made his famous chili.”
“I talked to him this morning when I was at the house,” Madden said. “He had a hell of a good time.”
“I did, too,” Vanessa said, smiling. “How about we take this stuff into the kitchen before we discuss the break-in?”
Lily grabbed the tote bags from Madden and followed Vanessa into the kitchen, Frankie right behind them.
Dax stayed in the hallway, watching them go. He hated the weird tension lingering between him and Madden. Maybe if he ignored it, it’d go away. “Thanks for taking care of the horses this morning so I could give Ben a hand. Vanessa really appreciated the window.”
He led Madden into the living room. Ben had collected all the tools, but bits of debris sat on the floor. He made a mental note to clean it up once Madden and Lily left.
“No problem.” Madden inspected the new window. “You and Ben do good work.”
Dax snorted. “You sound surprised.”
Sighing, Madden rubbed a hand over his face. “You gonna keep taking everything I say as an insult? Because, honestly, it’s exhausting.”
“You’re right,” Dax said, holding up his palms. “I’m a little on edge.”
“I get it. It’s been an interesting couple of days. How’d things go after everyone left last night?”
Just the thought of the night before curled his toes, and damn it, he hadn’t even kissed her. “Quiet. We were both exhausted.”
“I spoke with Deputy Sanders, and they have no suspects. He talked to Chip Kemp, but he had an alibi.”
“And what was that?” Dax asked.
“Sanders wouldn’t tell me,” Madden said. “But he did say the sheriff’s department will keep asking questions. They’re as concerned about everything that’s happened since Vanessa got into town as we are. Sanders was curious if we plan to increase our security.”
Vanessa and Lily reappeared.
Vanessa wrapped her arms around her middle and crossed the room to stand beside Dax. “What else can you do? I mean I installed the security system and cameras. Dax put up motion-censored lights on the barns.”
“We can have someone with you until whoever is causing trouble is stopped,” Madden said.
“Like a bodyguard?” Vanessa asked.
Madden nodded.
Dax rested a hand on the small of her back. “It wouldn’t be much different. I’d be here with you, just like I have been.”
“Well, one of us would be at least,” Madden said. “We can also look into the case. Help try to figure out what’s going on around here.”
Irritation started ticking through Dax. He struggled to rein it in, knowing Madden was right. He was so used to taking everything his brother said as a personal attack, even if it wasn’t meant that way. But did Madden think he was just sitting around, not helping Vanessa with her problems?
“Again,” he said, voice tight. “Pretty much the same thing as we’ve been doing.”
Lily cleared her throat, drawing all eyes her way. “What these two are trying to say is they can do whatever you’re comfortable with, in whatever way you want, to offer you peace of mind. They just have to annoy each other before they make their point. It’s been like this since we were kids.”
Dax struggled against a grin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “Don’t let them fool you. They really do love each other, and they want to help. No one in town is better.”
Vanessa glanced up at Dax then over to Madden. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. The thought of being in the house alone makes me nervous. I don’t know if the person who broke in got what they wanted, or if they plan to return to find something else I don’t even know is in here.”
“Then Sunrise Security will be here for you,” Madden said.
Dax kept his gaze fixed on her. “I’ll be here for you. I won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise.”
* * *
Vanessa yanked the sheets off the full-sized bed in her uncle’s old bedroom. Dax had left to grab some of his stuff, which gave her the perfect opportunity to see to her own chores. Starting with making a spot for him to stay the night.
Not like she wanted him across the hall. Sleeping beside him had made her feel more at home than she’d felt since her mother’s passing. The apartment they’d shared had turned cold and sterile the moment she died.
But lying in the comfort of Dax’s arms had felt like a missing puzzle piece clicking into place. As much as she wanted to repeat that tonight, she didn’t want him to feel obligated. Especially if he was sticking close in order to do a job.
Nothing sexy about that.
Lily pulled a pale blue fitted sheet from one of the boxes she’d helped carry up. “This the right one?”
“Perfect. You don’t have to help me make the bed.”
“Nonsense.” Lily whipped the end of the sheet in the air then let it settle over the mattress. “Madden’s walking around the property to make sure everything’s in order. Since I don’t have any intention of traipsing in this rain, I might as well make myself useful.”
Vanessa tucked the corners of the sheet in place on her side of the bed while Lily did the same on the other. “I appreciate it. I’m so overwhelmed with everything I need to do. Instead of diving in, all I want is to sit in a corner and do nothing.”
“That’s understandable.” Lily smoothed down the sheet then pointed at the discarded comforter on the ground. “Are we putting this back on?”
Vanessa peeked into the opened box where she’d found the sheets and sighed. “Yeah, for now anyway. I must have been drunk when I packed. I don’t see any other blankets in here. I’ll find everything eventually.”
“It will take time, but once you have everything where you want it, all the time and stress will be worth it.”
Once the comforter was situated, Vanessa plopped the pillows by the headboard and sat on the edge of the bed. “I know you’re right, but I have to admit, nothing has gone as I expected since stepping into town.”
Lily climbed on the mattress and tucked her feet beneath her. “What did you expect?”
Frankie leapt up and cuddled in Lily’s lap.
Vanessa couldn’t help but smile at the easiness at which she found talking with Lily. The blond-haired beauty was kind and sweet, with empathy shining through her blue eyes. “Well, for one, I didn’t expect someone to keep breaking into the house.”
“Fair point,” Vanessa said, scrunching her nose.
“I guess I thought I’d get here, work at making it my own while getting to know my grandfather a little more.
Maybe dig into my mom’s past and discover new things about her.
But now that I’m here, it’s as if I’m uncovering all these layers of people who are from a completely different planet—like I’m watching a foreign film play out but don’t speak the language. ”
“I get that. You’ve been thrown into a bit of a mess since day one. I went through my own storm and know how terrifying it can be when you feel like some unknown force is attacking you and you don’t know why or how to stop it.”
Vanessa hooked a brow. “You do?”
“It wasn’t that long ago a mess found me when I least expected it.
Someone else’s mistakes finally caught up with them and I was stuck in the crossfire.
I won’t go into details right now, but just know that as scary as things got, getting to the bottom of the problem offered a freedom—and happiness—I never imagined.
Freedom to create the life I wanted with the man I love. ”
“I don’t know how to get to the bottom of things. I don’t even know what’s the root of the issue.”
Lily shrugged. “Neither did I. I just kept asking questions.”
“I have plenty of those,” Vanessa said. “Dax is taking me to the library when he gets back. We’re going to search through old news articles. See if there are any reports about my family that could tell me something I don’t know.”
“That’s a good idea. You could also ask around town. Dax knows everyone, so he could help you there. And you met Walter. He has a group over once a week for poker. They’ve all lived in Cloud Valley their whole lives. They might have some answers or at least could point you in a certain direction.”
“You don’t think Dax would mind taking me to talk to his dad?”
Lily grinned. “Girl, I’ve known Dax a long time. He’s always worn his emotions on his sleeve, and from where I’m sitting, I think he’d do just about anything to help you.”
Talking with Autumn earlier about Dax had been fun, but her cousin was too young to really know Dax.
She’d giggled like a schoolgirl but hadn’t offered any real insight.
Lily was different. She had a friendship with Dax and apparently had known him for a long time.
Her opinion on the situation held merit.
Besides, Vanessa didn’t exactly know anyone else in town she could coax information from. She picked at a loose thread on the blanket, striving for casualness she didn’t feel where Dax was concerned. “So, uh, does he date a lot of women?”
Lily scratched behind Frankie’s ear and shook her head. “Not really. He’s pretty busy. He lives for training horses as well as helping with their dad.”
The way Lily dropped her gaze when she spoke told Vanessa there was more she wasn’t saying, but she didn’t want to pry.
She’d pick a different approach. “When I mentioned his name to my uncle, he made a comment about finding trouble as soon as I got into town. Don’t get me wrong, my uncle seems like a bully, but his comment struck me as odd.
Especially with how great Dax has been.”
“Dax and his family haven’t had the easiest time the last few years,” Lily said. “Walter sold part of their land to a developer, which brought in a ton of tourists. Something folks around here weren’t too happy about.”
“And because of that, Dax is looked at as trouble?”
Frowning, Lily nodded. “They all were. No one understood why they’d sell, an unforgiveable sin to most. People still don’t know the whole story. Things have turned around since Sunrise Security opened, but it’s hard to change some people’s minds once they’re set. Your uncle is one of those people.”
“Yeah, I got that impression of him.” She continued picking at the thread as she thought about what Lily had said. “Do you think my uncle looks at my getting the land where he grew up the same way he sees Dax’s family selling their property?”
The lines on Lily’s face softened. “Maybe, but if he does, he’s wrong.
People make decisions every day that others don’t understand.
But it’s not up to you or anyone else to make your uncle understand your grandfather’s choices.
I’m sure your grandfather did what he thought was best, just like Dax’s family did what was best for them. ”
She chewed that over for a beat. “I doubt my grandfather knew that leaving me his property would be like kicking a hornet’s nest.”
“You’re probably right,” Lily said. “Your grandfather was a good man who loved his family. Maybe he wanted to give you and your uncle a chance to reconnect.”
Vanessa couldn’t stop the derisive snort from coming out her nose. “I don’t think that will happen anytime soon.”
“Maybe not, but weirder things have happened.”
“Weirder than buried hammers, break-ins and poisoned farm animals?”
Lily cringed. “Okay, you’ve had a rough road. But one day I’ll tell you my whole story. We can commiserate about the effect of other people’s bad decisions.”
“Only if we do it over a glass of wine.”
Lily held out her hand, waiting for Vanessa to shake it before she said, “Deal.”