Chapter 5
Filling her lungs with fresh air, Eve tilted her head toward the sun and relished the warm rays on her face. This was exactly what she needed. Time in the great outdoors, enjoying the simple pleasures she’d loved since childhood.
And now she could share her favorite spot in Cloud Valley with her favorite girl.
“Ebe! Out!” Suzy wiggled against the straps holding her in her seat.
“Sorry, girlie,” she said with a small laugh. “I needed a moment.”
Ducking down, she struggled with the multitude of straps and buttons to release Suzy from her car seat. She swept the little girl into her arms then set her on her feet. She reached for Suzy’s hand and found something wedged in her tight little fist.
“What do you have?”
Suzy scrunched her nose and hid her arm behind her back.
Eve thought back to buckling Suzy into the car seat. The toddler hadn’t carried any toys with her, and Eve had placed the backpack filled with extra clothes, snacks and water bottles in the front seat. “Can I please see?”
Heaving a dramatic sigh, Suzy held out her hand with her palm facing the sky.
A small wooden flower stared back at Eve, and her heart rate shot through the roof. Delicate lines carved into the wood created the illusion of intricate petals. She snatched the figure from Suzy and studied the carving.
A small cry escaped Suzy’s pouty lips. “Mine.”
“Where did you find this?” Eve struggled to keep her voice calm, but she had no control over the trembling that took over her body.
Suzy’s cries morphed into loud wails. “I found it. It’s mine.” She curled her fingers in a give-me motion.
Eve stared at the piece of wood. It had to be the same one from her driveway—the same one from last night.
She must have tossed it in the back seat and Suzy found it.
Simple as that. A desperate need to search her car to confirm her theory made her skin itch, but a hard yank on her arm brought her back to the quickly spiraling situation in front of her.
“Please, Ebe. Please.” Tears filled Suzy’s blue eyes and her face crumpled as if having the flower taken away from her caused her heart to shatter.
Crouching low, she brought herself eye to eye with Suzy. “Honey, you can’t have this. Okay?”
“No. I want it.” The tears vanished. Suzy crossed her arms over her chest like a tiny dictator, refusing to accept anything other than exactly what she wanted.
“You can’t have it, but we can pick flowers. Doesn’t that sound fun? This is my favorite trail. We’ll probably see lots of birds and maybe even a bunny.”
The cries quieted a little but didn’t stop.
The sound of tires crunching on gravel shifted Suzy’s attention toward the entrance of the parking lot. She frowned, as if irritated by the interruption of her tantrum.
Relieved, Eve stood and shoved the wooden flower into her pocket before Suzy turned back her way. “Look. Lily’s here. She wanted to see us.”
Although Eve had insisted on spending the morning with Suzy, she wasn’t ready to be alone. Or at least alone with only a toddler. She’d called her friend Lily Tremont and asked her to meet them at the state park.
An invitation Lily had quickly accepted.
Lily hopped down from her vehicle and waved an arm high over her head. Her long, blond hair was secured in a high ponytail. Black shorts showed off her lean legs, and her hiking boots were as dirty and worn as her old truck. “Morning!”
Suzy squealed and jumped up and down.
“Morning,” Eve said. “Great timing.”
Lily arched one perfectly sculpted brow and crossed the deserted lot. “Why’s that?”
“I’ll tell you later.” No need to redirect Suzy back to why she’d been so upset seconds before. “Thanks for coming.”
“Of course. I always love a chance to get outside and catch up with good friends. Besides, work’s been so busy lately I’ve hardly had a free second to myself.
I still can’t believe how many people are interested in using my ranch as a wedding venue.
” She held up her palms and winced. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy my business is growing, but it’s been a lot. ”
“Trust me, I understand that sentiment more than you know. But enough shoptalk—let’s hit the trails.” She grabbed her backpack from the passenger seat and shoved aside all thoughts of creepy wooden carvings and the men who made them.
“Yeah. Hit it!” Suzy beamed up at them then darted past the oversize board at the beginning of the trail that highlighted all the flora and fauna waiting to be explored.
“Slow down there, sister.” Eve jogged to reach the little spark plug before placing her hands on the girl’s shoulders and bringing her to a slower pace. “You have to stay close. We don’t want to lose you.”
Suzy giggled. “No lose me.”
Eve gave her goddaughter her best don’t-test-me look, and Suzy returned to skipping casually along the tree-lined path.
Lily fell into a comfortable step beside her. Silence lingered between them, only the rustle of leaves and morning birdsongs combining with Suzy’s giggles to keep them company.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Lily finally asked.
The question tensed all the muscles in Eve’s body. “Did Madden tell you?”
Lily winced. “I overhead him on the phone. Reid called to fill him in. Once I realized what they were discussing, I left the room. But not before I understood what had happened. I’m so sorry.”
Eve blew out a long, shaky breath. She wasn’t upset that Lily had found out about the attack, but it cemented something she’d been dreading: Everyone in town would soon know.
It was the nature of life in a small community.
And Lily was only offering her support, not much different than what Eve had done for Lily not that long ago.
“I’ve gone over things a thousand times in my head.
I can’t stop picturing it—picturing him.
” A chill slid down her spine. “I don’t know how to stop replaying it.
That’s why I wanted to spend time with Suzy and bring her here.
She always makes me forget my problems.” She smiled as she watched the little girl study a black-and-orange butterfly resting on a purple flower petal.
“Trust me, I understand. This kind of trauma grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go. Threatens to suffocate you. Everyone has their own way of dealing. You’ll figure out what works for you. Just know I’m here.”
Gratitude trickled through her like a calming stream. She and Lily had always been casual friends, but their bond had grown deeper in the last few months. Something she’d be forever grateful for.
“What made you want to come here?” Lily asked, picking up the threads of their conversation.
Eve couldn’t help but smile. “My dad brought me to this park, to this trail. I loved the evergreens that caged me in like I was walking through a magical tunnel. One that led somewhere special.” She nodded toward the opening ahead.
Lily gave her a curious look then lengthened her strides to keep up with a jogging Suzy.
Eve lingered behind, enjoying the gentle breeze on her skin and the moist smell of dirt and trees.
Jagged peaks of the mountaintop loomed tall.
As much as she loved the tougher trails, those weren’t an option with Suzy.
Besides, she needed the magic her father had shared with her now more than ever.
Shrill laughter lifted her lips, and she hurried to catch up with Lily and Suzy. An awning of leaves gave way to the giant, blue sky. The wide stream gurgled in the distance, and a field of wildflowers erupted like fireworks as far as the eye could see.
Suzy gasped. “Pretty!”
She took Suzy’s hand and led her to a cluster of red flowers that lined the trail. “Do you know what this is?”
Suzy shook her head, and her pigtails bounced with the exaggerated motion.
“This flower is called Indian paintbrush. It’s the state flower. And you see the fuzz on the petals?”
Squinting, Suzy pushed her face as close to the flowers as she could. “Uh-huh.”
“Do you know what that fuzz is good for?”
“What?” the girl asked, not taking her attention off the flowers.
Eve grabbed the stem and wiggled the petal against Suzy’s cheek. “Tickling!”
Suzy giggled. “Again!”
Eve obliged, and pure joy filled her.
“It’s beautiful. I can’t believe I’ve never been here,” Lily said. “But then, the ranch has enough space and land to explore. There was never much need to venture far. Your dad brought you?”
“Yeah. He spent hours telling me the names of all the flowers. He owned a bar, but the man was born to be a gardener. He passed that passion to me, and whenever I want to feel closer to him and my mom, I come here. This spot is different than most others because the town owns this patch of land within the park. People are continuously planting seeds so we can actually pick the flowers without destroying what makes it so special. It always calms my nerves and reminds me of the magic of nature.”
“I love that,” Lily said.
“I want magic,” Suzy said, eyes wide.
Eve picked a couple flowers and handed them to Suzy. “Every time we’d come, Dad said we needed to take a little magic back for someone special. Usually that meant a bouquet for my mom. But today that means you, my girl.”
Suzy grinned then hugged Eve tight.
Lily placed a hand over her heart. “How sweet. I think I might have to take some magic home to Madden.”
“Magic for Mommy?” Suzy asked.
“Sure, sweetheart. But not too many.”
“What about you, Eve? Suzy already has her flowers. Who else is special enough to deserve such a meaningful gift?”
Reid’s shaggy brown hair and kind eyes came to mind, and she struggled not to smile. She should bring him some flowers as a thank-you for saving her life. Something small but meaningful—and the perfect excuse to see him again.
In the hour it’d taken for Reid and Madden to go over what the sheriff’s department had pieced together of Dana Fishel’s murder, as well was what was needed from them, visitors had flooded the fairgrounds. The scent of fried dough mixed with grilled meat made Reid’s stomach growl.