"I'm not sick, and I'm not dying. No, that's now why I'm here. I get a little depressed sometimes, so that's probably what she means by tired. I just don't want to do anything when I get like that. But hopefully that's behind us now."
Londyn grabbed Tyson. "Come on. Let's get a snack. I need a nap."
After he left and Londyn fell asleep, Valerie once again took a stand in front of the windows to stare at the mountain. Her fingers grazed her lips as she remembered the kiss. It was as if her lips belonged with his.
And that was going to be a problem.
Chapter Eight: Chapter 8 Title
Tyson “Ty” Hale
After leaving Valerie's cabin, Tyson walked over to talk to Colton. As the older brother, Colton had filled a lot of shoes as far as being the paternal member of the family after their father's death.
They sat on the front porch of Colton and Ellie's cabin while she was inside baking bread. The air smelled fantastic, and Tyson found himself anxious for dinner.
"Why is Ellie baking the bread? I thought Sarah was back."
Their sister had suddenly started a habit of disappearing for days on end without telling anyone where she was going. While they trusted her to make good choices, especially in light of her being in her late twenties, something about the whole situation just didn't sit well with her brothers.
Colton sighed. "She is, but Ellie had already started the process just in case she didn't show back up."
"She say where she's been this time?"
"Nope," Colton answered. "Just like all the other times, even though she knows we're counting on her bakery for our guests."
"You know you're going to have to say something to her sooner or later, right?"
"I know."
"I know you don't like it, Cole, but this is ridiculous. I'm sure nothing illegal is going on, but what if something happens to her? We don't even know where to begin looking."
"I know."
Tyson stayed quiet. He knew not to push. Colton was in a precarious position being brother and paternal figure, and it was a thin line separating the two. Pushing Sarah too hard could just make her disappear altogether, but doing nothing just made her bolder to continue doing it.
"How are you doing with Valerie back?"
"It's weird," Tyson sighed. "Especially when I walked in on her daughter, had no idea who she was, and then got blindsided by her mother. I didn't even know she was here yet."
"You didn't see her rental sitting out front?"
"Nope. I came from the barn and checked the pump house we built. I went in the back door."
"She looks good."
Tyson stared across the lawn. "She does. Something isn't quite right though. It's like I can sense fear around her."
"I agree," Vinia responded as she walked up on the porch. "I saw you two sitting here and figured you were having a life discussion."
Colton grinned. "And you just couldn't resist not knowing what we were saying."
"It's my job, smart ass. And I've sensed the same thing about that girl. I can't tell if she's running again or hiding, but something brought her home, and I'd put money on the fact that it's nothing good."
"Londyn doesn't seem to have much good to say about her father."
Vinia snorted. "She talked to you about her father?"
Tyson shrugged. "I asked her. She said he never did anything with them, and they were always happier when he didn't."
