20. Ledger
Ledger
I almost stand at attention at her tone. Standing from my chair, I kiss her on the cheek.“Hi Mama,” I mutter.
“What’s this I hear about you dating Shiloh Sullivan, who’s wearing a wedding ring, might I add?” she asks.
The entire house goes quiet. I didn’t think it was possible.
My mouth opens to form words, but nothing comes out.
“Well?” she says, crossing her arms.
I glance at Cooper, hoping for help, and he’s grinning, leaned back in his chair, happy to watch the show.
Fletcher and Tatum peek their heads around the corner, staring at me with wide eyes. The only one I can still hear is Naomi.
“You had to know this was coming, brother,” June says and reaches for a cracker and some cheese.
I glance at Sterling, and he shrugs. “She’s not wrong man, we all saw you dancing with her.”
Great.
“Mama, it’s new, and I’ll tell you more when I know more.”
She purses her lips and narrows her eyes. That’s one thing about Dixie Hayes. She knows her children inside and out, and when we’re not telling her everything, she’s not afraid to call us out.
“So explain to me why you’re dating a woman who is married?” she says.
I puff a breath and rub the back of my neck, hoping a hole will open up beneath me. But I’m not that lucky.
Everyone, save Naomi, is still staring at me, waiting for an explanation that I don’t want to give, or have one valid enough to make them believe it.
“It’s not … we’re not cheating,” I mumble.
“And how is that? Because I was going to drop by my son’s home the other day and I saw a woman’s car, I distinctly remember seeing Shiloh Sullivan driving from the diner,” she says, hand on hip.
Fletcher hisses as if he was burned, and I throw a glare at him. They love that I’m in the spotlight when I make an effort not to be.
I know she knows everyone, but is she seriously that observant?“I was getting coffee with the girls and saw her drive past us,” Mama says.
“I’m helping a friend.”
“Ledger,” she says.
“We’re not cheating…” I trail off. “Because she’s my wife.”
I didn’t think the room could get any quieter, despite some of them already knowing this information, but it did.
Shocked faces, except for Sterling and Cooper’s, stare at me, and I don’t know what else to say.
“How? When?” June scrambles.
“It’s complicated,” I mumble.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Mama says with tears in her eyes.
“Mama, please don’t cry, it’s not like that. I … we’re figuring some things out. Please, I’m begging ya’ll to trust me.”
Mama hums and tilts her head, tears gone. “I expect her at the next family dinner.”
“What! He gets a pass? He’s married, and he didn’t tell any of us!” June yells.
“Oh, come on, June, you tell Mama everything anyway,” Fletcher says.
“This coming from the man whose mama had to tell him not to be an idiot and let the girl get away,” Cooper chimes in.
“Hey! That’s no fair! At least I didn’t spend hundreds of dollars on flowers just to talk to my woman!” Fletcher snaps back.
“He’s got you there, Coop,” I mumble.
“I’d spend it all again to get you,” Cooper says, pouting his lips at Mae, and she palms his face.
“Ledger, you’ve got a stick so far up your butt I think Mama Dixie is more amazed you even have a woman in your vicinity to tell her about,” Gracie says.
June snorts and shakes her head. “I second that,” June says.
“She has a point,” Sterling says.
I sigh, tilting my head back. I’ve proven my point to myself.
“At least he’s talking to a woman,” Tatum says quietly.
“I think it’s nice. I hope it all works out, Ledger,” Mae says in her quiet, gentle voice. I don’t know how she survives this family.
“Thanks, I think…” I mumble.
I glance at Mama again.
She’s staring at me. I can see the gears turning, and then she claps her hands. “Alright, stop interrogating your brother. We will trust him for now. Let’s eat!” she says.
We sit at the table and pass around the platters of food one at a time until everyone has something. Dad says grace, and we dig in. But the whole time I’m eating, I feel my mother’s eyes on me.
It’s not that she doesn’t trust that I’m capable of making my own decisions, but she wants to know about them, especially when it comes to love.
She wants to see all her kids happy, and I respect that.
And I’ll tell her, I’ll tell all of them when I’m — no, when we’re ready. My family can butt out for now.
After dinner, we get to work cleaning the kitchen, and the girls put food away while Mama plays with Naomi in the living room.
While I’m wiping a bowl off and putting it away, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I smile to myself expecting Shiloh to have sent me some kind of catty text, but she’s calling me.
“Hey, I’ll be home in a bit. I—”
“You need to come home now, please. I don’t know what to do, Ledger,” she says, and the waver in her voice has me running out of the house and jumping into my truck because I can hear the fear in it. Even when she accidentally shot Grey, her voice didn’t waver like that.
“I’m coming. Are you in the house?” I ask her.
Gravel pops off the metal as I gun it down the driveway and burn rubber turning onto the road.
“Yeah, I am now. I … I came in through the back door and—”
“Lock yourself in my room, grab my shotgun from the underside of the bed, and do not open that door until you hear my voice. Are we clear?”
“Yes,” she whispers.
“Baby, I have to call this in. I have to hang up,” I tell her.
“It’s okay, I’ll be okay,” she says quietly.
“I’ll be there in five.”
“Okay,” she says, and it’s like a stab in the heart, but I hang up and dial Ellen’s direct line. I know she’s at the desk tonight.
She answers, and I cut her off. “Ellen send two cars to my house now. I don’t know what I’m walking into. Tell them to stay outside until I get there, if I don’t beat them there.”
“Got it,” she says and hangs up.
I push my truck harder and flip on my lights, running through town until I turn onto my street and pull into the driveway.
Throwing the door open, I hop out and draw my gun.
At first glance, my house was vandalized. There’s spray paint, eggs, someone threw a rock through the window, and either red paint or blood on my front door.
I hurry through the garage and take a deep breath, pushing the door open. Shiloh said no one was in the house, but she could be wrong.
Stepping into the combination laundry and mudroom, shoes are strewn everywhere and my soap and fabric softener are all over the floor.
Carefully stepping over the puddles, I ease into my kitchen with all the cabinets thrown open.
Broken dishes are everywhere. My dinner table was thrown on its side.
In the living room, my couch was cut up, and my TV is on the floor with a rock on the cracked screen.
Moving further down the hall, I check her room first and see a stuffed animal with its head ripped off on the bed. There’s no one else here.
“Shiloh, it’s me,” I call to her, my back against the wall to my room.
She doesn’t answer, and her silence ices the blood in my veins.
“Shiloh?” I yell, grabbing the doorknob key from the top of the trim.
“I’m going to open the door, please don’t shoot,” I yell.
Before my hand touches the lever, the door flies open, and she leaps into my arms.
Throwing the safety on my gun, I holster it and hug her tightly.
“Boss!” Calder yells.
“It’s clear!” I yell, still holding Shiloh.
“Are you okay?” I murmur into her hair.
She tilts her head back and nods, with tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, this is all my fault,” she says, her lower lip trembling.
I drag my thumb over it and shake my head. “No, honey, it’s not. This is on me. I didn’t want to tell you why, but looks like it’s time.”
Her brows squish together, and I can see the questions flying through her eyes.
Unraveling us, I take her hand and pull her behind me.
Calder and Noah are inspecting the carnage as we come down the hall.
“Thanks for coming, guys.”
They nod, looking between me and Shiloh.
“I’m going to file the report. Can one of you do the outside and one the inside?” I ask them.
“No problem,” Noah says and goes out the door.
My phone keeps ringing and I know it’s my family because I ran out of the house like a bat out of hell.
Sure enough, it’s my mother.
“Ledger? Are you—”
“Mama, I’m okay. I’ll tell you about it later, but for now, can you please send one of the guys with a couple sheets of plywood, please?”
She’s silent for a moment. “Are you sure you’re alright?” she asks quickly.
I squeeze Shiloh’s hand, and my chest unknots a bit. “Yes, there was an incident at my house, but I need one of the guys.”
“Oh—okay. I’ll send one over,” she says.
“Thanks Mama, talk soon.”
“I love you, son,” she says.
“I love you too,” I tell her and hang up.
“I’m sorry you had to come home to this,” I say, looking down at Shiloh.
She shakes her head, l lips thinning. “I should be the one apologizing.”
I lean down and press my lips to her forehead. “No, I should.”
“After they get pictures and our statements, I’ll start cleaning up.”
“I can help.”
“No, Shy, I need you to take a second and relax. Your adrenaline is on high. I don’t need you collapsing on me.”
She huffs and crosses her arms. “I’ve been in scarier situations than this, Sheriff. I’ll be fine.”
The corner of my mouth turns up. “Suit yourself.”
“Alright, outside is done,” Noah calls.
“Great, can you get Shiloh’s statement, please?”
Noah looks between us, and I puff out a breath. “To be clear, Shiloh has been staying with me.”
He nods slowly. “And to be clear, you want that to be in the report?” he asks.
I shrug.
“Do you know any possible suspects?” Calder asks me.
I glance at Shiloh, and she nods. She might not want to press charges, but I do. Not that I could. There’s no telling what would come out of his mouth.
Calder lifts a brow and glances at Shiloh again. “It wouldn’t possibly have anything to do with—”