Chapter Fifteen
Copeland was true to his word in that he didn’t let her leave his sight.
Sometimes it was nice—an extra hand with the feeding and a repair she had to do on the north fence line, especially with her ankle still a little tender.
Sometimes it was frustrating—when he told her she needed to stay off her ankle as if she wasn’t the one dealing with the pain.
She didn’t know how he did it, but he wrangled someone from Fairmont to bring out a full load of groceries. She winced a little at the sheer number of bags he carried in. How was she going to afford all this food at one time?
But she forced herself to smile at him. “Impressive. How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing.”
Her smile faded. “Groceries cost money, Copeland.”
“They do, and since I’m here, eating your groceries, that you cook, by the way, I buy.”
He said it in that way it was clear there was no arguing with him, which had anxiety creeping into her chest. She wasn’t going to owe him, rely on him.
She’d find a way to repay him. Maybe she didn’t know the total, but she’d estimate.
And somehow, some way, she’d find a way to give him that money back.
“But before we get started on lunch or cooking, you’ve got something you have to do.” He steered her into the living room, nudged her onto the couch, then set her laptop on the coffee table in front of her.
“What?” she asked, even though she knew. She knew and she didn’t want to. Why did she have any affection for this man who was constantly pushing her to do the things she didn’t want to?
“Call your sister, Audra. You don’t think I know what time it is in Italy? You wait any longer, you’ll be claiming you don’t want to wake her up. Call her now. Tell her what’s going on before she hears it from someone else.”
Another order, in that same steely voice that was impossible to argue with.
But she didn’t need to argue to get her way.
She’d learned how to get around the always-up-for-an-argument Rosalie.
She did need to tell Rosalie something, but it didn’t need to be everything.
Just pertinent pieces, so if something did get to her, she didn’t overreact.
Audra smiled placidly at Copeland. “I will call her—right now, in fact—if I can get some privacy.”
“Nope.”
Her smile withered into a scowl. “Copeland.”
He stood there, handsome and obnoxious, arms crossed over his chest. “I’ll stay out of the shot. You don’t have to tell her I’m here, unless you want to. But you have to tell her everything else. And if you recall the deal—”
“Twenty-four seven. Yeah, yeah, yeah.” How was she going to get around this now? She’d figure out something. She was quick on her feet, and surely Copeland understood the concept of leaving out a few details.
She pulled up the video-conferencing app and clicked Rosalie’s name. Rosalie answered after only a few rings, her face popping up on the screen. She was framed by a pretty window with a bunch of buildings in the background. On the other side of the world.
It was so weird. Their whole lives since Rosalie had been born, they’d lived in the same house, been in each other’s pockets, and then Rosalie had moved out last year and now she did things like jet off to Europe.
Audra knew some people probably thought she was jealous, but she wasn’t. She didn’t want to leave or go anywhere. But she was so glad Rosalie, with all her restless energy, was doing it. Especially with a husband who appreciated her just the way she was.
If there was jealousy, it was maybe there, in the doting partner, but Audra wasn’t about to think about that with Copeland staring at her from across the room.
“Well, look at you, Ms. Italy,” she greeted, forcing herself to smile.
Rosalie grinned. “It’s probably sacrilege to say while I’m here, but I think you’d hate it.”
Audra laughed in spite of herself. For all the different regrets she might have had about her life up to this point, staying put was never one of them. Even with danger swirling, this was the only place she wanted to be.
But Rosalie’s smile faded. “What’s wrong, Aud?” Rosalie asked, concern in her tone. “That’s your fake smile. Stiff and weird. Which is concerning since Natalie and Norman had very similar smiles when we talked to them the other day. Everything’s okay, right? With Vi and—”
“Vi’s perfect and so is Fox. This isn’t about them. Or Franny. Or anyone really. There’s just some…issues with the ranch. I asked Natalie and Norman not to worry you about it. I’m handling it.”
“You always do.” But Rosalie was frowning. “What kind of problems?”
“You don’t need to worry.”
“I didn’t ask if I needed to worry. And if you tell me what kind of problems, I won’t. Because I know you can handle it. If you won’t tell me, that makes me think it’s more than just the ranch.”
“It’s not. It’s just…a few odd things. The power went out. We had some fence damage. A little fire in the shed.”
Rosalie’s forehead scrunched up. “That’s a lot of odd things. How did a fire start in the shed?”
“Well, they’re still trying to figure that out,” Audra hedged.
“Who’s they? Did they put the fire inspector on it? That means someone set it. Did someone set a fire in the shed? Who would do that? What’s going on?” Rapid-fire demands. Exactly what Audra had wanted to avoid.
But she didn’t scowl. She didn’t let her frustration shine through. She smiled placidly and spoke calmly in return.
“Rosalie. It’s fine. I’m sure they’ll come back with some reasonable explanation.” She was so deep in her lie she forgot Copeland was there. Until he said her name.
She glared at Copeland, but he looked wholly unrepentant.
“Who’s that?” Rosalie demanded, bringing Audra’s focus back to the screen.
“Uh.” Audra looked to Copeland, feeling helpless and stupid. If Rosalie knew Copeland was staying here…
“Tell her or I do,” he said with absolutely no softness or give.
“Alright. I’m getting freaked out, Audra. Who the hell is that guy and—”
“It’s Copeland,” Audra said flatly, trying to keep her sheer fury at him out of her tone. “The fire was set by someone. Hawk Steele is looking into it. All the other problems we’ve had here are small and petty, but someone is doing them, and Copeland is investigating.”
Rosalie’s expression was all worry now. “You’ve got a detective and a fire inspector investigating these so-called odd things. That’s not odd, Audra. It’s threatening and dangerous. How long has this been going on?”
She was going to lie. It would have been so easy to lie, but Copeland was glaring at her and he was going to undercut the lie if she told it, which would make things worse. Damn him.
“Just…a few weeks.”
“So the whole time we’ve been gone? Oh my God. We’re coming home.”
“Rosalie, no.”
“I’m ready to come home. I miss everybody, and I want a whiff of Fox before he doesn’t smell like newborn anymore. This is a better reason than me just being whiny and homesick. We’re coming home.”
Audra blinked back tears. What a failure this was. “I wish you wouldn’t.”
Rosalie fixed her with a stern expression through the computer. “I’ve had a three-week tour of Europe with my exceptionally hot husband. Who can certainly afford to change our plans. Feeling guilty I didn’t get the last week is stupid and insulting. Where’s Franny? I want to talk to her too.”
“I… She’s in Washington.”
Rosalie’s expression went to furious. “Damn it, Audra. Tell Franny about this. You shouldn’t be alone when someone is… I don’t know what this is. Petty pranks? Except it’s causing damages. You cannot be alone. Go stay with Norman and Natalie.”
“No.”
“Audra.”
“Rosalie, I’m not here alone. I have everything handled, like I always do. I have involved any authority who needs to be involved, and nothing bad has happened to me. I’m not in any danger. It’s just…something. The right people are looking in to it, and I am fine.”
“If you’re not alone, who’s staying with you?”
When Audra didn’t answer right away, Rosalie’s eyebrows went up and she leaned forward. “This is serious enough that you’ve got the police staked out at the ranch?”
She couldn’t let Rosalie think that, not that she wanted Rosalie to think other things. She just… Oh, she hated Copeland for putting her in this situation. “That’s not exactly it.”
“What exactly could it…” Rosalie trailed off, her eyebrows still drawn together in a confused kind of expression. Then she leaned even closer to the screen, lowered her voice to a whisper.
“You and Copeland?”
Audra flicked a glance at him over the screen. He was in the same exact position. And she felt…a million conflicting things.
“No. Yes. Sort of.” She shook her head, irritated she was so mixed-up. “I can’t have this conversation with you while he’s glaring at me from across the room.”
“Copeland Beckett, if you hurt my sister, I’ll gut you like a fish,” Rosalie shouted, as if he couldn’t hear everything that was going on anyway.
Copeland sighed, walked over and took a seat next to Audra so he was in the frame. “Don’t worry, she’s bound and determined to hurt herself before anyone else gets a chance.”
Rosalie scowled. “Sounds about right. We’re on our way home. You both better be in one piece when we get back.”
“It’s a promise,” Copeland said, all cop seriousness. But the hand he put over hers on the couch wasn’t cop at all.
Audra didn’t know how she could be so bone-deep angry at him…and still want to lean into that touch and him and believe his promise held weight.
When she knew exactly what believing did.
COPELAND SAT ON the couch, waiting for Audra to yell at him once she’d carefully closed the laptop after saying goodbye to Rosalie.
But she only sighed. “Well, I hope you’re happy,” she muttered, pushing to her feet.
Copeland’s gaze followed her, but he didn’t get off the couch. He didn’t know what part of the conversation she was referring to, but it didn’t matter. “I am.”