“Please! There’s someone across the road, and I don’t know if he’s seen me, but I need to get away from him.”
So many questions ran through her mind. How had he found her? Why was he here?
But none of that really mattered, because the fact was, her fatherhadfound her, and he was right here in Misty Peak.
Cody worked mechanicallybehind the bar. The music was loud and the place busy as he served customers. Despite Harper assuring him she felt fine, something was wrong. She’d arrived a little late for her shift, pale and quiet.
Was she still sick? Or was it something else?
She’d been fine this morning. In fact, before Tilly had picked her up, she’d looked happy and relaxed, an easy smile on her face. She’d even kissed his cheek before leaving, which was huge for Harper. She never initiated contact.
He only dragged his gaze from her when Kayden dropped onto a stool and ran his fingers through his hair.
Cody raised a brow. “Rough day?”
“You could say that. First, I ran into Matilda. She was walking down the street with Harper and… I don’t know. You told me she was back, but knowing something and seeing it with your own eyes are two different things.”
Cody swung the bar towel over his shoulder. His brother had always taken what had happened to their father the hardest. Likely because he was the oldest and had tried to shoulder a lot of their father’s problems, even as their dad had tried to shield him from everything.
“For what it’s worth,” Cody started, “I don’t think she or her mom had anything to do with what Martin did to our family.”
“Why’d they run then? If they knew nothing, why’d they hightail it out of town after people realized what he’d done?”
Cody filled a glass with beer and pushed it across the bar. “Maybe they didn’t have the energy to plead their case again and again. Maybe they couldn’t look people in the eye who their husband and father had robbed.Or, maybe they didn’t want to be blamed for what Martin did…exactly what you’re doing to Tilly.”
A muscle in Kayden’s cheek clenched as he lifted his beer.
Trust…it didn’t come easy to Kayden. And that wasn’t something that always worked in his favor.
Cody leaned forward. “Hey. When you saw Harper today, did she seem okay?”
“As far as I could tell, she was fine.” Kayden frowned. “Why? Is she not fine now?”
“I don’t know. Something’s off with her.”
He watched as she filled a glass at the other end of the bar. Outwardly, she appeared fine. But he didn’t miss the way she scanned the crowd every few seconds, as if she was looking for someone.
He turned back to his brother. “What else turned your day to shit?”
“Linda told me she’s retiring.”
Cody’s brows shot up. Linda had been running the visitors center since they were kids. She’d made it the tourist attraction it was, setting up the café and the tours. Even initiating work for the skywalk. “Who’s taking her place?”
“She wouldn’t tell me.”
Cody laughed. “Why not?”
“She said she’s announcing it at her retirement party.”
Ah, that explained the dark mood. Kayden hated surprises, something Linda knew. “It’s like she’s trying to torture you.”
“And she’s enjoying the torture. I swear I saw a smile as she turned away from me.”
Cody chuckled. The woman had always thought Kayden was too serious. It was why she was so good for him.
The smile slipped from Cody’s face when the door to the bar opened and a group of men walked in, and at the back of that group was Miles. The men were his work colleagues, but Miles knew he wasn’t welcome here. Cody had made himself crystal fucking clear.
He stepped from behind the bar. Distantly, Kayden calling his name sounded from over his shoulder, but he ignored it. The second he reached his ex-friend, Cody grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back toward the door.
