Chapter 6
The sound of the phone ringing on my desk pulled my focus from the file I was looking over, detailing a string of break-ins that occurred over the last few months. The break-ins were all minor and hadn’t amounted to much. My guess was a couple of bored teenagers were looking for an empty space to hang out unnoticed. Although there wasn’t any major damage I still didn’t want kids breaking into unused spaces around town. It had gone on for too long and I was annoyed I hadn’t figured out who these kids were yet.
”Sheriff Landon,” I answered, even though my mind was still wandering over the case notes.
”Brant?” That voice stopped me dead in my tracks. I hadn”t heard her voice since she told me she was leaving. What was she doing calling me all these years later? I had nothing good to say to her—or about her, for that matter.
”Why are you calling me?” My words sounded harsh even to me, but I honestly couldn”t care less.
”Is that any way to greet the woman you planned to marry, B?” The old nickname raised my hackles even more.
”One, don”t call me that. Two, you lost the right to a friendly greeting when you handed me that ring back and left with another man,” I growled.
I would not let her try to make me feel guilty about how we got to this point. That blame sat firmly on her shoulders. I’d spent too many years carrying the weight of that day unnecessarily.
”That is actually why I”m calling…” she blew out a long breath before continuing. ”I made a mistake, okay? I should never have left you for Dan. I am coming home for a visit, and I would love to catch up, maybe grab a coffee or something?” Olivia”s tone was sickeningly sweet. It made me want to vomit. At one point in my life, I loved how she always sounded so sweet and innocent. That was until she showed her true colors in the worst way possible.
”I”m not interested. Don”t call me again,” I slammed my phone on the receiver, causing the computer to rattle.
”Everything okay in here, boss?” Randle popped his head into my office with a wary look.
”Fine!” I barked, immediately feeling bad for snapping at him. I pulled in a deep breath, shaking my head. ”Sorry. I”m good,” I rephrased without looking up from my desk.
Randle got the hint and closed my office door with a soft thud behind him. What would cause Olivia to reach out after basically spitting in my face? Staying in a small town and living a simple life was never enough for her. I should have known. I should have seen it coming. She had always dreamed of fleeing this tiny town and all the weird quirks that came with it.
I”d been so blinded by my love for her that I missed all the signs. I had chosen to believe that she wanted me and a life with me more than she wanted to move away. She knew this town was my home, my future. I have worked all my life to be in the position I am in right now. I dreamed of the day I would take over the police force from my father, and I foolishly believed she supported that dream.
Lesson learned. This was exactly why I lived my life the way I did. I enjoyed the freedom. Craved it. I controlled the things I could control and didn’t worry about the things I couldn’t.
I returned my focus to the file before me when a name caught my eye. Up until a few weeks ago, seeing the storefront that used to be Heavenly Bites being used as an after-dark teenage hang-out wouldn”t have bothered me. I thought back to my last encounter with Karis in front of that empty storefront. She mentioned she was looking at that location to open her own bakery.
The last thing she needed to deal with was random people vandalizing her building as she tried to bring it back to life. I shuffled the papers around, trying to fit them back into the manila folder on my desk. I needed to do a drive-by and see if she”d made any progress purchasing the store.
The slow drive down Main Street proved unfruitful, which was a good sign. The doors looked secure from both the front entrance as well as the back. A tension I hadn”t realized was there eased through my body as I turned towards the Thompson”s house. For reasons I didn”t want to dwell on, I was relieved the building looked secure and unharmed. I tried to convince myself the concern was for the citizens of Ashwood Falls as a whole and not one citizen in particular. Still, we all knew I was lying to myself.
My tires crunched along the gravel drive leading to the large, white farmhouse at the end of the road. The Thompson”s house was nestled on a patch of land embraced by a sea of large red maple trees. Their branches stretch towards the heavens, causing rays of sunlight to dance across the landscape. The leaves are on full display, changing from their yellow-orange color to the vibrant, fiery red. These trees were always the most beautiful in the Fall.
As I pulled my truck to a stop in front of the house, my eye caught movement on the porch. Karis was gracefully perched on the front porch swing in a dark pair of sweats, her blonde hair flowing in the afternoon breeze. She was bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, a picture of timeless elegance. Our eyes met through the windshield, and I gave her a slight nod before exiting my vehicle. She shot me a polite smile as I approached the front porch.
”Afternoon,” I said, leaning my hip against the handrail and crossing my arms over my chest.
”Hi. What can I do for you, Brant?” She asked while adjusting herself on the swing.
“Have we finally moved past formalities?”
Her shoulders tensed, and I immediately chided myself for causing her to raise her defenses. I didn”t want to spar with her today. I just wanted to let her know about the break-ins. That way, she could be prepared. It had nothing to do with wanting to see her.
”I remembered you saying you were looking into buying the spot where Heavenly Bites used to be. I was wondering how that”s going?” I slid my hands in my pockets and crossed one foot over the other, hoping to give off a non-threatening look.
”Yeah, actually, I just found out today I’ve been approved for the business loan and should be able to get the keys next week. The family was eager to sell, so it”s all moving pretty quickly,” a twinkle of excitement sparked deep in those green eyes.
”That”s great,” I cleared my throat before continuing. ”I just wanted to let you know we”ve been experiencing a few break-ins over the last few months, and a recurring target is that storefront. I just wanted you to be aware. If you see anything suspicious, be sure to call. We don”t know exactly who”s behind them, but from past incidents, it doesn”t seem like they are trying to harm anyone.”
”Oh. Um, thanks. I’ll be sure to keep an eye out. I plan on changing the locks as soon as I get the keys… but if they break in, I guess that won”t help much,” her cheeks turned a beautiful shade of orangey-pink.
Something in me wanted to soothe her embarrassment. ”No, that”s a good idea. Maybe if they see new locks, they’ll know someone will be there regularly. They probably saw it empty for months and figured no one would be checking on it.”
”That makes sense,” she slowly nodded her head as if working through a problem. Her eyes met my gaze before her lips twitched. If I didn”t know better, I would think she was holding back a smile.
”Anyway, that”s all. Be sure to tell your parents hey for me,” the mention of her parents reminded me of the news about her mom. That’s probably the reason she moved home in the first place. ”Hey, how”s Barbra doing?”
I saw a look of surprise travel across her face before she quickly hid it. ”She”s doing good. I”ll be sure to let them know you said hi.”
She slowly stood from the swing, stretching her arms above her head before turning to grab the blanket and book from the cushion.
”See ya around,” I nodded before retreating to my truck and climbing behind the wheel. When I got inside, the front porch was empty, leaving only the swing swaying gently in the breeze.
I shook my head, pulling off my hat and dragging my hands through my messy, brown hair. I needed to get myself together before I found myself in a situation I”d worked too hard to avoid.