Chapter 16
Micah was two blocks from the station when he spotted Naomi’s SUV parked on Main Street.
A frown flicked at the corner of his lips.
She hadn’t mentioned coming into town.
Not that she needed his permission. Naomi was capable, independent, and she’d made it clear she could hold her own. He’d offered to escort her when Grace was along, and she’d accepted that. But maybe she didn’t have the baby with her.
Still, after everything that had happened, Micah would have thought she’d at least give him a heads-up.
He pulled into a spot at the end of the street and cut the engine.
He sat there a moment, hands still on the wheel as he debated what to do.
Getting out and searching for Naomi would feel like hovering. It might give her the impression he didn’t trust her judgment.
But that dent on the back of her SUV was a reminder that Travis Henderson was dangerous and that Naomi had been his target.
Micah’s gaze swept the street—storefronts, a few parked cars, a woman with a stroller moving past the bookshop.
Then he saw him.
Micah’s breath caught.
Travis Henderson. He was here. In town.
He leaned against the brick wall outside The Grind House, his hands in his jacket pockets and his shoulders loose.
He just stood there. He didn’t go inside. Didn’t look at his phone.
Instead, his eyes drifted up and down the street with the easy, unhurried attention of a man who had nowhere to be and knew it made other people uncomfortable.
Micah got out of his SUV and crossed the street at an angle.
Travis looked over and saw him coming. The man didn’t straighten or even shift his weight.
He simply tilted his head, the faintest trace of a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.
“Sheriff.” Travis’s voice sounded easy, almost warm.
“Travis.” Micah stopped a few feet away. “Funny place for you to be standing.”
“Free country.” Travis shrugged one shoulder. “Man can’t get a little air?”
“You’re not getting air, are you?”
Travis’s smile widened a fraction. “Maybe I just like people watching.”
Micah didn’t bite. Travis wasn’t the type to merely watch people for entertainment. If he was watching someone, it was for a reason—most likely, a nefarious one.
“You know anything about some animal traps left on the Kings’ property?”
Light flickered in his gaze. “The Kings’ property? Not sure what you mean by that.”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Travis.”
“No, actually, I don’t. Besides, I’m not much into leaving traps. I prefer the thrill of the hunt, if you know what I mean.”
Micah held Travis’s gaze and let the silence do the work.
He’d learned years ago that most people filled quiet.
Travis, however, wasn’t most people. He sat in the silence like it was something he enjoyed.
A moment later, the door to The Grind House opened.
Naomi stepped out with a coffee in one hand.
Micah’s breath caught. He’d figured she was close.
But he really wished she wasn’t.
She saw them, and her posture tightened. She paused before walking toward them.
“Naomi.” Travis pushed off the wall, his hands still in his pockets. His tone shifted, and he sounded friendlier now, almost neighborly. “Haven’t seen you in a few days. Everything all right out your way?”
“Everything’s just fine.” She kept her words short and tight.
“Good.” Travis nodded slowly. “I hear you’ve been busy. Big changes up at the homestead.”
Micah’s jaw tightened. What exactly had he heard?
Naomi didn’t respond. Instead, she kept her eyes on Travis as if challenging him to finish that thought.
Travis’s gaze remained on Naomi with a casualness that didn’t sit right. “Hope you’re being extra careful on these mountains roads, especially now that you have a baby to take care of.”
Micah’s muscles felt ready to snap. He knew about the baby. How?
He could ask—but Travis probably wouldn’t tell him. Most likely, he’d been at the hospital when Naomi was there visiting Sissy. He’d probably gathered the information he needed then.
Micah narrowed his eyes. “Is that a threat, Travis?”
“A threat?” Travis held up both hands—a gesture of innocence that landed wrong. “No, sir. I’m just looking out for a neighbor. Isn’t that what being neighborly is all about?”
The silence stretched for a beat.
Then Travis’s expression shifted. “So . . . how’s the baby doing?”
Micah saw Naomi’s fingers tighten around her coffee cup. Noted the way her breath caught a second before she controlled it.
“How do you know about the baby?” She kept her tone level as she asked the question.
Travis shrugged. “It’s a small town. People talk. Word gets around.”
Micah stepped closer. “Just to be clear, I don’t want to see you anywhere near that baby. I don’t want to see you near their property. Do you understand me?”
Travis met his eyes, and his slow, unhurried smile returned. “Oh, I understand. Wouldn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable on my family’s old land.”
He held Micah’s gaze a beat too long. Then he nodded, pushed off from where he’d been half-leaning, and started walking with his hands still draped in his jacket pockets.
As Micah watched him go, tension pulled across his back.
Thirty minutes later, Naomi sat in Lawrence Crawford’s insurance office, waiting for him to finish a phone call.
The accident had only been a few days ago, but the claim was already in motion. Lawrence had a few details he needed to go over with her and some paperwork that required her signature before he could move things forward.
The details were all boring but necessary.
Naomi didn’t mind. The meeting gave her a reason to be in town, and it gave her something to focus on that wasn’t Grace or Travis.
As she waited for Lawrence, she pulled out her phone and texted Millie.
How’s Grace doing?
The reply came back in under a minute.
Perfect. Just woke up. Ruby’s got her. She’s not even crying. Take your time. We’ve got this.
Something in Naomi’s chest loosened just a little.
Thank you.
She set the phone down and leaned back in the chair. That baby had quickly found a place in her heart, and Naomi knew that was dangerous.
She needed to be attached but not too attached.
But how was that even possible?
She wasn’t sure. But she’d accept her own personal heartbreak if it meant Grace might have a better life.
Then her phone buzzed again. Micah this time.
You free after your appointment? Something just came up that I need to tell you about. Would rather talk in person.
She stared at the message, turning it over. Every possibility that surfaced was worse than the last. Was it something about Richard? Travis? The property?
She typed back.
Sure. When?
Lunch. Ember & Oak on Main. Noon work?
Ember & Oak was one of the newer restaurants in town. She’d never been there, but Caleb had told her it was small and quiet with tasty food.
She responded:
Noon works. See you there.
Lawrence appeared a few minutes later, folder in hand. “I’m ready for you, Naomi.”
But now she was curious about what Micah had to say.