Chapter Seven
Audra didn’t want Copeland underfoot. She was convinced he’d be more hindrance than help.
She should have known better. Everything she told him to do—mostly grunt work that required little more than muscle and following directions—he did.
Easily. Efficiently. Without complaint. Quite the improvement on Rosalie, who helped when she had time, but didn’t enjoy ranch work and liked to be verbal about that.
Except when she was feeling guilty about how much Audra did. Then she’d try to keep her mouth shut, and that was always worse. Because Rosalie’s guilt made Audra feel guilty, and like she had to prove just how much more she could handle it all on her own.
She was too exhausted today to even convince herself this wasn’t easier. If she didn’t have Copeland helping, she would have spent weeks recovering from how far behind she’d be. She likely would have had to ask Norman for some help.
And then Duncan and Rosalie would have tried to convince her they should hire some help, because they had the money to spare, and it was a family ranch.
Except she was the only one who cared about the ranch. So why should she accept their pity money? She could do this on her own. She was doing this on her own. This was just a blip because…
Someone…wanted to scare her for some reason.
She just wished she had any inclination about who would want to scare her and make her life harder. The fact that she couldn’t think of anyone left her feeling…stupid. Was she that naive? Thinking most people she dealt with liked her or didn’t think of her at all?
She glanced at Copeland as they walked back to the house. It was early yet, but the sun was setting and he’d made some complaints about her wandering around after dark. Complaints she couldn’t quite argue with.
Especially since he hadn’t complained about working through lunch. Hadn’t asked for a break or said he had to go do his own work. He’d actually been…the perfect help today.
How annoying. “I guess you’re a natural,” she told him. “For a city boy.”
He grinned at her, and that wasn’t fair. The way that grin crinkled his eyes and softened the harshness of the sharp angles of his face. The way it seemed to dance inside of her, far too close to attraction for her to accept.
“Actually, I grew up in the suburbs,” he said. “Moved to Denver when I got a job with the PD.”
“You know, to us folks out here, city and suburbs is essentially all the same.”
He looked around, and she didn’t know what he felt when he took in the mountains, the pastures, the vast, never-ending landscape. “Guess that’s fair, all in all.”
He stopped abruptly, and when he did, she heard the faint putter of an engine coming up the drive.
Copeland put an arm in front of her to stop her forward movement, and she noted his other hand went to the weapon she hadn’t fully realized he’d kept on his hip, because it was hidden under her father’s coat.
When the car came into view though, Audra recognized it. “It’s just Thomas and Vi.” But Audra didn’t move forward as a terrible thought took hold. “You told them,” she accused.
He shook his head, expression grim. “No, I didn’t. But there was no keeping it on the down-low at Bent County, Audra. It might be a growing department, but everyone knows everyone. And people love to gossip. If Hart was in the office today, he heard about it.”
He started moving forward, and Audra followed. Should she feel guilty for accusing him? She didn’t have time to fret over it, because the minute Thomas put Magnolia down on the ground, she was squealing in delight.
“Aud-da!” Magnolia yelled and came running toward her. The enthusiastic greeting had Audra smiling, and she kneeled down so she could accept and return Magnolia’s happy, sticky hug.
For a moment, she closed her eyes, inhaled the scent of the toddler and let herself relax. She missed having this little bundle of enthusiastic energy under her roof, even if she was happy for the new life Vi and Magnolia were building.
She stood, hefting Magnolia with her. Vi and Thomas were both frowning at the boarded-up window as they approached Audra and Copeland in front of the porch. Audra didn’t dare look at Copeland.
Vi was smiling as she waddled up, hand on her belly. Thomas carried a couple boxes of what was clearly pizza.
“We brought some dinner. Thought we could all eat together.”
“Pizza pah-ty!” Magnolia shouted, wriggling happily in Audra’s arms.
“Well, you’re speaking my very hungry language. Come on inside.”
“We’ll be right in,” Thomas said, handing the pizzas off to Vi. He smiled at Audra, but she saw the tension in his expression. It made her nervous that he wanted to talk to Copeland alone, but Vi and Mags shouldn’t be out here in this cold.
So she led them inside. Settled Magnolia on a chair and then set about getting plates and cups together.
“I’m sorry we didn’t give you advanced warning, but… Audra.” Vi stopped Audra’s forward movement by stepping in front of her. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
Audra sighed. “Vi.” She placed a gentle hand on Vi’s giant belly. “You take care of you and yours. I’m just fine.”
“You are part of that yours,” Vi said fiercely, putting her hand over Audra’s. “Someone shot at you.”
“No, they shot at the house.” Audra took her hand back and gestured for Vi to sit down. “Broke some windows, which is all they were trying to do. They didn’t try to break in. They didn’t try to shoot me.”
“Oh, well, I feel so much better,” Vi muttered, taking a seat as Audra put a piece of pizza on a plate for Magnolia and began to cut it into toddler-size pieces.
“Who would want to scare you like that?” Vi demanded.
Audra thought of the urn, the gravestone, all the other issues. “I really don’t know.”
“Come stay with us, Audra. I know you’ve got chores, but it’s so much easier to keep someone safe in town, in a smaller house.”
Audra didn’t point out that Vi had been kidnapped from the very house she now lived in, even though she wanted to. But she didn’t want to remind anyone of how scared they’d all been.
“Vi, you’re going to be induced tomorrow if you don’t pop today.” She filled a sippy cup—something she kept on hand just for Mags—with some of the chocolate milk Vi had brought, then went to fix Vi a plate. “So what are you going to do from a hospital bed?”
“Thomas will—”
“Be by your side and take his paternity leave. Copeland is handling this. You’re always telling me he’s a good detective and not as unfriendly as he seems.”
Vi sighed and looked into the living room, where Copeland and Thomas were coming in the door, talking in very low tones. “He is a good detective, and a good guy, under all that gruff. But… Come stay in town. I don’t like you out here so isolated.”
“I have too much to do on the ranch.” She put Vi’s plate in front of her, plus a glass of milk. “Besides, Copeland has got it in his head to play personal bodyguard until they have a suspect.” She filled her own plate, then sat next to Magnolia.
Vi leaned forward, something sparkling in her eyes that left Audra feeling…uneasy. “How personal?” she asked, with some excitement.
Audra felt her cheeks heat and she wrinkled her nose. “It’s not like that.”
Vi leaned back and sighed. “Too bad.”
“Too bad?” Audra looked out at where Thomas and Copeland were talking in front of the boarded-up window. No doubt about the shooting. “He is so not my type.”
“You’re too busy to have a type. Besides, what’s not to like?”
“He’s bossy, overbearing, never compromises?”
“Sounds like literally everyone in your life that you love.”
Since she desperately wanted to change the subject, and it brought up a new one, it was Audra’s turn to lean forward. “Don’t tell Rosalie if you talk to her.”
“Audra.”
“She shouldn’t cut her honeymoon short for this, and she would. And for what? So she can storm around shooting right back and making things more complicated?”
Vi pulled a face, rubbed the side of her belly. “I’ll think about it, but I’m not making any promises.”
THEY ATE DINNER and didn’t discuss the shooting or the threats. Hart didn’t come out and say it, but Copeland got the impression that he hadn’t shared all the details with his wife.
So they talked about baby names and paternity leave and so much family stuff Copeland wanted to jump out of his own skin.
He didn’t do family stuff. He could go for a beer with Hart and hear about the kid, or even listen to Laurel and Hart yammer on about family life at work, but doing it at a family kitchen table just made everything…awful.
There’d been a time he thought this would be his future. The wife. The kid. The dinners at a kitchen table, just like he’d grown up with. It was long ago enough that it shouldn’t still cut like a rusty blade, but it damn well did.
When Magnolia gleefully knocked over her cup of milk, Copeland faked a phone call and stepped out of the room. Into the cold night. Until he could breathe.
But before he could go back in, the front porch light flicked on and the whole crew spilled out of the front door in noisy, cheerful exuberance.
Audra was carrying Magnolia, and Vi was laughing about something she’d said. But Hart jerked his chin toward Copeland’s cruiser, and started walking that way, so Copeland followed him.
“You’re sure you’re good with staying? At least until Vi’s out of the hospital. Our parents are coming, so I’ve got help. I can take a turn or two out here. I can—”
“Take care of your family, Hart,” Copeland said, irritated at how sharp his voice sounded. “I’ve got this handled.” He glanced at the two women standing in the dim glow of the porch light.
They made quite the pair. Vi’s hair was reddish brown, just like Audra’s. Even with the big baby bump, she had a…fragile air about her. Copeland knew Vi’s story—abusive ex she’d escaped, twice—so he knew she was tough, but she didn’t have the look of toughness about her. Not like Audra did.