Chapter 8
Living at the Five Steers Ranch, miles from anything, Lucy and her grandfather rarely had company. But it hadn’t always been like that. When she was younger, there was always an aunt or uncle in the kitchen. Cousins were always running around in the yard.
Then, one by one, they left. Some moved away. Others, like her brother, were gone for good. In her solitude, she’d forgotten how much she liked being in the kitchen with another person.
“You start the bacon,” she said, rising from her seat. She pulled an electric griddle from one of the cabinets and set it in front of Aiden. “I’ll make eggs and toast.”
“Sounds fair.”
Aiden placed several strips of bacon on the griddle while Lucy found the bread in a drawer.
Within seconds, the salty scent of bacon filled the kitchen.
She placed slices of bread into slots on the toaster.
As the bread was being toasted, she turned on the gas burner and heated the pan for the eggs.
“I meant to ask earlier,” he said. “What happened to the Bryant Bros.? I was surprised to see that they’re completely gone.”
“It was the fire,” she said, folding the eggs as they cooked. “They packed up and left.”
“Is that okay with you?” he asked.
It was a very simple question with a very complicated answer. “I didn’t like having all the people and noise and commotion. But I was also counting on the money.”
Lucy turned off the stove. The bacon was ready at the same time as the toast and eggs. She opened one of the cabinets and found a serving bowl for the eggs. In another cabinet, she got platters for everything else.
“What time will your grandfather be back?” Aiden asked.
Lucy looked at the clock on the back of the stove. 6:48 a.m.
He’d been gone longer that she expected. “I’m not sure,” she said. In the distance, she could hear the rumbling engine of the old truck. “Actually, sounds like he’s back now.”
She placed three plates on the table and got out another mug for Grandpa Rusty. Just as she was putting forks next to the plates, the front door opened.
“Who’s driving the fancy car that’s parked over by the barn?” Rusty asked, yelling into the kitchen.
“We have company, Grandpa,” Lucy yelled back. “Aiden Colton came out to look at the fire.”
Her grandfather, red-faced and sweating, appeared on the threshold. “Aiden, good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you as well,” he said.
“So, you got to look around the barn that burned down. Did you find anything?”
Lucy knew exactly what he had found—and none of it was good. Her pulse started to climb. She focused on the scent of bacon. The taste of coffee that clung to her lips. “Let’s eat first,” she said, as her heartbeat slowed. “Then we can talk about the fire.”
Her grandfather took a long slurp of coffee as he dropped into a chair.
“A few years back,” he said, speaking to Aiden, “the winter was awful. You probably remember. Snow was up to here.” He lifted his hand to eye level.
“I got pneumonia and was so sick I couldn’t get out of bed for days.
Then, I was weak as a kitten for a month later.
That’s when Lucy and I switched jobs. She started taking care of the animals in the morning and I made breakfast. Now, I don’t mind cooking, but this morning…
” He helped himself to a strip of bacon from the plate.
Shoving it whole into his mouth, he chewed and swallowed.
“This morning, I got my blood pumping. Worked up an appetite, too. I haven’t had this much fun in years.
” He picked up the bowl filled with scrambled eggs and handed them to Aiden.
“Help yourself. Lucy’s a heck of a cook. ”
Aiden scooped fluffy eggs onto his plate. He took two slices of toast and three slices of bacon. He placed all the eggs and bacon onto the toast and took a bite. After chewing and swallowing, he said, “The only thing better than Lucy’s scrambled eggs is her coffee.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Rusty put a serving of eggs and several slices of bacon on a plate. “She gets whole beans and puts them in a grinder. It’s a noisy gadget, but it sure is worth it.”
As her grandfather talked, she realized that he missed having family and friends around, too.
They talked about the university’s football team and their new season.
Aiden had been a tight end while in high school, no surprise there, and he was friends with the current varsity coach.
Grandpa Rusty asked about Aiden’s car. Her grandfather also told him about a mint green vintage car that he’d rebuilt.
“It took me years to find all the parts.”
“We used to go to auctions and junkyards, just hoping to find what we needed,” Lucy added. The meal and the conversation were good. But they weren’t enough for her to forget what happened. That someone had locked her in the barn and then set it on fire. That someone had tried to kill her.
“I’d love to see it,” said Aiden.
“We can go outside now,” said Rusty, pushing his plate away.
“Grandpa, Aiden needs to tell you what he found in the barn.” Lucy collected the dishes and rose from her seat. She’d heard it all before. As she scraped the plates and stacked them in the sink, Aiden explained that the fire had been deliberately set and that she had been locked in the back room.
“Is this some kind of joke?” Grandpa Rusty asked.
“I wish it was,” said Aiden. “But it’s not. I told Lucy already, but I’ll tell you now. We will find out who did this and stop them.”
“And if you don’t?” her grandfather asked.
“We will,” said Aiden with such confidence that she believed him.
“What are we supposed to do until then?” asked Grandpa Rusty. “We can’t stay here.”
“We aren’t leaving,” she said. “This is our home.”
“Luce.” Her grandfather rose from his seat and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Someone tried to kill you. That’s serious business.”
“I’m not leaving.” This house was the only place where she truly felt safe.
“I can talk to my brother, Cal. He’s the sheriff. He might be able to increase patrols.” Aiden paused as another thought came to him. “I’m guessing you don’t have any security cameras.”
“No cameras,” said Lucy.
“You might want to consider cameras and a security system if you plan to stay.”
“We’re not going anywhere. There have been members of the Harris family on this land for over a hundred years.” She folded her arms over her chest, in a show of resolve. At the same time, she knew that remaining in the house was a risk.
“Lucy.” Her grandfather used the same tone he did with a skittish horse. “Let’s think this through.”
“It looks like you two have a lot to discuss,” said Aiden, rising from the table. “I’ll be in touch once we hear something from the lab.”
“I can’t thank you enough for everything that you did this morning,” said Rusty. “And last night.”
Lucy still stood at the sink. She gave Aiden a tight smile but said nothing.
“If you think of anything…” Aiden removed a business card from his wallet. Holding it out to Rusty, he said, “Call me. My cell number is on there, too.”
Rusty flapped his hand at the card. “Give it to Luce. My eyesight’s shot for tiny print like that.”
Aiden held out the card to her. She reached for it, brushing the back of his thumb with her fingertips. Her hand warmed. “Thanks,” she said, her voice hoarse. “I’ll let you know if I remember anything.”
She tucked the card into the front pocket of her jeans and walked with him down the hallway.
“Thanks again,” she said, opening the door. Aiden stood next to her. “I will call you if I think of anything else.”
He smiled, and there was the dimple in his cheek. “I’ll be in touch.”
Lucy held on to the jamb and watched Aiden as he walked down the steps and across the grass. He rounded the side of the house and disappeared from view. She closed the door and walked down the hallway.
“He’s right,” said her grandfather as soon as she entered the kitchen. “We do have a lot to discuss.”
“Can we not talk about the fire, at least for right now?”
He watched her for a moment and narrowed his eyes. She could feel the argument rising off him like heat off the pavement on a summer’s day. “We can wait for now, so long as we talk about it soon.”
“Give me today,” she said, clearing the rest of the dishes from the table. “It’s a lot to think about.”
“Okay. Fine. But tomorrow, we talk.” Her grandfather let out a long breath. “It was nice that you made breakfast,” he said, changing the subject. “I was planning to cook when I got home, too.”
“Breakfast was Aiden’s idea.”
“Like I said last night, he’s a nice guy.”
This time she agreed. “He is.”
“You should go out with him sometime.”
“Grandpa, he’s not going to be interested in me.” Especially after she had a panic attack in front of him.
“Why would you say that? You’re smart. Kind. Funny. Pretty.”
“You are my grandfather. It’s a law that you have to say nice things about me.”
“Not all grandpas recognize how lucky they are,” he said. “You know that.”
“Just making a joke.” She placed the stopper in the drain and squeezed dishwashing liquid onto one of the serving plates. After turning on the water, she faced her grandfather. He wasn’t going to give up on her dating Aiden Colton until he knew the truth.
“I doubt he thinks I’m special at all, Grandpa. Besides, he already asked me out.”
“He did.” Rusty brightened. “When are you two going out?”
“We aren’t. I said no.”
“What? Why?”
“Grandpa, he wouldn’t want to go out with me now anyway. Not after what happened this morning.”
He turned off the spigot. The sink was filled with sudsy water. Picking up the sponge, he pulled a plate from the foam and began to scrub. “What happened this morning?”
“I had an episode,” she said. “A panic attack after he told me about the lock and the accelerant.”
“I wish I had been here,” said her grandfather, rinsing the plate. “I could have helped you through it.”
“Aiden was really good. He stayed calm. He knew what to say.” She could still feel the imprint of his palm on her wrist.
“Then why wouldn’t he want to go out with you?”