Chapter 18 #3
I sat in the front seat of Brooks’ truck as he drove us to the sheriff's office on Main Street. The bounce of Carolina’s foot reverberated through my seat the entire drive.
No one spoke the entire drive, all of us lost in our thoughts.
I wanted to be in the backseat with my hand in hers to give her some of my strength, but I gave her space instead.
The way she glared at me as she climbed in Brooks’ truck told me she needed it.
Brooks parked in front of the sheriff’s office and turned off the truck. I turned in my seat and looked back at Carolina who stared out the window lost in thought.
“We’re here,” I whispered, not wanting to scare her.
She jumped at the sound of my voice and turned her head in my direction. She grabbed her bag from the floorboard and opened the door to the truck, not looking at me.
I turned around and looked over at Brooks with a worried expression.
“She’s goin’ to get through this,” Brooks said, trying to reassure me. Nothing would reassure me until her stalker was caught.
I got out of the truck, and Brooks did the same. Carolina stood on the sidewalk facing the doorway unmoving. I walked up beside her and stopped.
“You can do this,” I said to her.
She nodded and walked up to the door and pulled it open. A bell sounded as we entered. Sheriff McGee sat behind the desk speaking to the receptionist. My brothers and I called him Sheriff Henry, his first name, since we’d known him since we were kids.
“Good afternoon, folks,” Sheriff McGee said as he stood and walked around the desk with his hand outstretched.
“Thanks for seein’ us on short notice,” I said as I gave his hand a firm shake.
Brooks shook his hand, and Carolina looked up at him and did the same.
“I’ll be in my office, Suzanne. No interruptions please,” he said as he walked past her and turned to the left. We walked down the long hallway and into his office. He closed the door behind us and walked around his desk and took a seat.
“Y’all take a seat and let me know how I can help,” he said as he held out his hand to the two chairs in front of his desk. Carolina’s hand gripped the straps of her purse as she walked over to the chair farthest from the door and sat down.
Brooks leaned against the wall behind her, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. I took the chair beside Carolina and reached for her hand. She laced her fingers through mine, her hand clammy with nerves. I gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
“Someone is stalking me,” Carolina whispered as she stared at her lap.
Sheriff Henry sat up and put his elbows on his desk, his attention solely on the shaken woman sitting to my left.
“Do you happen to know the person?” he asked with concern.
“No, I don’t. We couldn’t figure it out before I left South Carolina,” she told him. I turned my head to face her, and she lifted her head to look the sheriff in the eyes.
“This happened before you returned?” he asked for clarification.
“Yes, but it’s happening now,” Carolina said.
“Let’s start at the beginning. Don’t leave anything out,” he said as he picked up the ballpoint pen from his desk and flipped the page of his notebook.
Carolina told him all the details she’d told me last night, and I had to keep myself from tensing so she wouldn’t sense my unease. I didn’t need to project that onto her. She had enough to deal with without me worrying her further.
Once she finished giving him the details, I gave her hand another squeeze. She turned and gave me a sad smile before she turned her attention back to the sheriff.
“I’m goin’ to contact the detective and get any details he has on the case that he may have found. I’ll let my deputies know to keep a lookout for anyone who seems out of place. Do you have an alarm system?”
“No, I don’t,” she admitted in a soft voice, and her hand tensed in mine. I rubbed my thumb across her fingers in comfort.
“I recommend gettin’ one. If you can, also put sensors on your lights outside. They will usually deter someone when they come on your property,” he said as he wrote something on his notepad and sat the pen down; he linked his fingers together as he stared in Carolina’s direction.
A thought entered my mind, but I didn’t know if Carolina would go for it.
“We’ll figure it out. She lives next door to us, so we can keep a close eye on her,” Brooks said from behind me. I loved how protective my brothers were of her even though she’d hurt me.
“Let me know if anythin’ else happens. Can you also send me screenshots of those messages so I can put them on file?” he asked Carolina as he stood.
“Sure,” she said as she let out a heavy breath and stood as well, her hand still linked with mine.
“I’ll keep you posted,” he promised, and I stood as well. He walked around his desk and shook each of our hands.
I let go of Carolina’s hand and put my hand on the small of her back as I guided her down the hallway. I didn’t miss the shiver that passed through her at my touch. The sheriff followed us out of his office and to the receptionist’s desk.
“I’m goin’ to walk them out. I’ll be right back,” he said and Suzanne gave him an understanding smile.
“Y’all have a great day,” she said to us with a wave.
“You too,” we said in unison before we walked out the front door.
“Thanks again for your help,” I said as we stopped just outside the door and turned to face Sheriff Henry.
“That’s what I’m here for,” he said as he tipped his hat.
He turned and walked back into his office. Once he was gone, Carolina tensed beside me and looked up and down the sidewalk on this side of the street then to the other side.
“Can we go to Café Latte and get a coffee?” she shyly asked.
“Yeah. That sounds good,” I agreed.
Our fingers brushed as we stepped off the sidewalk to cross the street.
Without thinking, I grabbed her hand and linked our fingers together. Her hand tensed for barely a second, before she tightened her hold on my hand.
I looked over at Brooks, and he had a smirk on his face as he looked down at our hands then back up at me.
“Don’t,” I mouthed in warning, and we walked past him and looked both ways before we ran across the street with Brooks trailing behind.
We got back to the ranch in the early afternoon to find Luke at the island with my mom mixing something in a bowl.
I needed to find a way to broach the thought that came to my mind while we were at the sheriff’s office.
Carolina would likely disagree, and I had to find the right words to say and the right manner to suggest it.
“Are you making cookies?” Carolina asked as she walked around the island and kissed Luke on the side of the head. The kitchen smelled of cookie dough, and my mouth watered.
She peeked down in the bowl and smiled, but it didn’t quite meet her eyes. Worry still etched behind them that she’d tried to hide.
“Hey, Mom. Would you mind keepin’ an eye on Luke a little longer while Carolina and I go for a walk?” I asked. Carolina’s eyes snapped to mine. She gave me a questioning stare, but remained quiet.
“Not at all. We’ve got cookies to bake,” she said with a smile as she helped Luke stir the dough.
I nodded toward the door. Carolina sat her purse down on the island and walked to the back door, and I followed her out onto the back deck. She turned toward me, her arms crossed over her chest.
“What’s up, Leo? I’m exhausted and just wanted to get Luke and go home,” she replied with a deep sigh.
“About that,” I said as I held out my hand to motion her to go down the porch steps. She let out a wary sigh as she slowly made her way down the stairs.
“What about it?” she asked as she stepped off the last step to the ground below and turned to face me.
“Let’s take a walk, and I’ll tell you what I’m thinkin’,” I suggested as I waited for her to move before I stepped off the step.
She looked at me, her eyes full of questions as she turned and started walking. When we were far enough away from the house, she turned around to face me.
“What did you want to talk about?” she asked as she wrapped her arms around her middle.
“I had an idea while we were at the sheriff's office.” I was nervous to even suggest this. I didn’t want her to think she couldn’t keep Luke safe, but I had to try and see if she’d see things my way.
She gave me a pointed stare as she waited impatiently for me to continue.
“I don’t know how to say this without you takin’ it the wrong way, so I’m goin’ to say it, and I’d like you to let me explain before you say anythin’.”
“Oookay,” she said, as she swallowed hard.
“I think it’d be a good idea if you and Luke stayed at the ranch,” I started. Her mouth opened and closed, but she refrained from speaking.
“I just think that if you’re here, you’ll feel safe. I’ll feel better knowing you and Luke are safe.” My breath held in my chest as she processed my request.
“That’s not necessary, Leo. You’re right next door. If I feel threatened, then I’ll come and get you or call you and you can come over,” she replied as she backed away from me a bit.
“Anythin’ can happen in the blink of an eye. I’m not sayin’ that to scare you. I’m sayin’ that as the truth of the matter,” I explained, hoping she’d see things my way. I’d feel so much better if she did.
“I don’t want to impose on your family. They’ve been gracious enough since I returned. We just got settled into a routine.”
“I know that, but hopefully it won’t be for long. And my parents won’t mind one bit once I explain the situation to them,” I tried to reassure her.
She took a deep breath at the mention of informing my parents of the situation.
“They need to know, firefly.” The old nickname slipped off my lips with an ease I didn’t think was possible, making Carolina gasp. “That’s the only way they can make sure you’re both safe while you’re here.”
I walked over and stood directly in front of her. Her head barely hit underneath my chin. She looked up at me with defeat in her eyes.