Chapter 20
Hadley pushed open the clinic door and stepped outside with Max. She pulled her coat tighter around her as the cold air met her.
She stopped just short of the steps.
Travis Henderson walked away down the sidewalk, with his hands in his pockets and his posture loose like he didn’t have a care in the world. Her stomach churned at the sight of him.
The man just gave her bad vibes.
Could he have been the person following her earlier?
She pushed her chill away.
When she glanced at Max, she saw him scowling. “Everything okay?”
Max’s gaze followed Travis a moment longer before he turned back to her. “It’s fine. I just don’t like that guy.”
“Naomi’s mentioned him. Sounds like he’s caused a lot of trouble for Refuge Cove.”
Max nodded as they started toward his truck. “He thinks Sarah and Richard stole the land from his family when they bought the place.”
Hadley frowned. “Stole it?”
“That’s what he tells people.” Max opened the passenger door for her. “Truth is that the property was foreclosed on. Sarah and Richard bought it, but they made sure the Hendersons got to keep part of the land—the part where their family home was. She didn’t have to do that.”
Hadley smiled as she climbed in. “That sounds like Sarah.”
“It does,” Max said as he shut her door and walked to the driver’s side. “She was a good person—unlike her no-good husband.”
A moment later, he slid behind the wheel and started the engine. Warm air slowly began to push through the vents as he pulled away from the curb.
He glanced over at her. “Were you and Sarah close?”
Hadley rested her hands in her lap. “We were . . . but she was six years older than me, so growing up that made a difference. She was already off doing her own thing while I was still figuring out which lip gloss was my favorite.”
Max nodded, listening.
“I loved hanging out with all my cousins. Sarah was the responsible one. Naomi always came across as serious, but the two of us used to have the best giggling fits together. Then there was Rowan. She was the fun one who always had ideas for crazy adventures.”
“I’ve heard a lot about Rowan. I saw her at the funeral, but we didn’t really speak. I know Sarah was really proud of her.”
A small smile touched Hadley’s lips. “She’s been in a few TV movies, and she’s had some guest appearances on some TV shows. I’m glad she was able to follow her dreams. All she ever wanted to be is an actress. She had the lead role in every school play.”
“Sounds like she’s done well for herself.”
“She has.” Hadley’s gaze drifted out the window as they passed the edge of town. “I haven’t seen her in a few years. I keep hoping she’ll come home for a visit.”
“Hopefully she’ll be able to do that soon.”
Hadley looked back at him. “What about you? I don’t know much about you other than the fact you worked for Sarah. How did that even come about?”
Max’s hands appeared to tighten on the wheel. “I met her in town at the hardware store. Travis Henderson’s dad was there.”
Hadley’s brows drew together. “I don’t like where this is going. What happened?”
“He was worked up about his old property and was still convinced Sarah had taken something from him. He got in her face, loud and angry and accusatory.”
Her lungs tightened as she pictured it playing out. “What did you do?”
“I stepped in and told him to back off.”
“And he did?”
“Not right away.” Max’s jaw shifted. “But I wasn’t going to let him touch her. He realized that and backed down.”
Hadley studied him and saw the conviction in his gaze. She admired that. “That could’ve gone badly.”
He didn’t argue. “Yes, it could have.”
“What made you step in?”
Max’s gaze stayed on the road ahead. “Someone needed to. Afterward, Sarah thanked me and introduced herself. She asked what I was doing in town.” He gave a small shrug. “I told her I was looking for a job.”
“And she hired you on the spot?”
“She did.” His grip eased on the steering wheel. “Said she needed help out at Refuge Cove. Maintenance, repairs, grounds . . . things like that.”
“Hiring someone based on gut instinct sounds like something she would do.”
“It does.” His expression softened. “She gave me a chance.”
There was more to the story. Hadley could feel it. But she didn’t push. Whatever it was, Max would tell her when he was ready.
A few minutes later, the road curved, and Refuge Cove came into view.
They were here. But Hadley hoped she and Max might talk more about this later.
Max stepped inside Refuge Cove behind Hadley and took in the familiar scene.
Caleb stood near the table with Millie, the two of them mid-conversation and grinning at each other.
Sheriff Sutherland leaned against the counter beside Naomi, listening as she and her mom talked. He tried to snitch slices of the cucumber Ruby sliced until Ruby playfully smacked his hand with a wooden spoon.
Near the back door, Wyatt and Kori stood close together, Baby Grace in Kori’s arms. Thunder stretched out at their feet like he had no intention of moving anytime soon.
Two of their newest guests gathered in another corner chatting quietly to each other.
Then there were the dogs. Hamilton, a husky, lay near the fireplace. Biscuit, a cocker spaniel, lay nearby, with Tinkerbell cuddled close. Good Boy lingered near Baby Grace. There were two other dogs—belonging to their guests—but they remained close to their owners.
Naomi dried her hands on a towel as she glanced up with a grin. “Hey—you made it. I just checked on Juno. She’s doing really well. All the puppies are nursing, and she finally settled down.”
Hadley’s shoulders eased. “That’s a relief.”
“How’s my favorite niece doing?” Ruby asked.
“Better now that I’m here.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Ruby paced between the stove and the table, setting out dishes. The woman was a force to be reckoned with and had a way of making people feel like everything would turn out all right as long as she was nearby to help fix it.
The smell of dinner filled the room, rich and comforting. Pork roast seasoned with sage and red pepper flakes, stewed potatoes, collards, and pickled cucumbers.
“Now, you two go on and sit before everything gets cold,” Ruby said.
They didn’t argue.
Max pulled out a chair for Hadley before taking his own seat beside her.
As Naomi and Ruby put the food on the table, everyone else joined them.
After they prayed, conversation picked up around them. Voices overlapped as dishes were passed and small moments were shared.
There had been a time when Max didn’t have this. A time when he’d felt all alone.
Refuge Cove had changed that.
Sarah had given him something he hadn’t thought he’d have again.
After their meal was done, their guests excused themselves to go back to their rooms.
Then it was just the Kings and their personal guests.
Max glanced at Hadley.
She smiled at something Millie said, asked Ruby about a recipe, and listened when Naomi spoke.
Seeing her so at home here transformed something in him. For a moment, he let himself believe his life here might not always feel this temporary. That maybe this—this table, this house, these people—could be permanent.
That maybe he could be part of it in a way that lasted.
He stopped the thought before it went too far. He knew better than to dream.
Dreams were only destined to be broken. He’d learned that lesson the hard way.
Hadley made him want to forget that.
He had to think about something else—for the sake of his heart.
He shifted his thoughts to Lyndee.
While he sat at a table surrounded by people who cared about him, Lyndee was still out there somewhere, hurt and alone.
The weight of that settled in his chest, pushing back everything else.
He shouldn’t be enjoying this. Not when—
A beep sounded.
Caleb scowled and reached for his phone, his expression tightening as he glanced at the screen. “It’s the camera at the back of the property.”
“I thought that camera wasn’t working?” Ruby narrowed her eyes in surprise.
“We just got new ones installed last week,” Naomi explained. “They have motion sensors and alert us to any movement. After all the problems we’ve had with the Hendersons, we thought it was a smart investment.”
“It sounds like it,” Ruby said.
Max crossed to Caleb and peered at the image on the phone screen. Sheriff Sutherland joined them.
The backyard sat under a wash of pale light, the motion sensors triggering the security lights along the perimeter. Snow covered the ground in uneven patches, and shadows stretched between the trees.
At first glance, nothing moved.
Max leaned in, scanning the edges of the frame. “Wind?”
“I don’t think so . . .” Caleb muttered.
The camera adjusted, the system recalibrating after the motion trigger.
For a split second, something stirred near the tree line. But the shadows made it impossible to see what. It could have been a deer.
Or a person.
Max straightened, his jaw tightening as unease jostled inside him.