“You can’t rush perfection, Mags. Or guilt-trip me into them.” Still, I couldn’t help but imagine how adorable a little Lila might be or how much I’d love to have a family someday with her.
Maggie and I passed the time talking about the list of things that needed doing around the property. There was a whole host of items that seemed to constantly need tending: a fence down near the far pasture, the back garden gate needed a new hinge, her greenhouse had a small leak, and so on. Dutifully, I added things to my notes app so I wouldn’t forget. I was glad there wasn’t any stock on the property anymore. It would have been hard to keep up if we had a full-blown farm up here. We’d have had to hire help for sure.
While I’d been putting a rush on Lila’s cottage, I’d put off a few of my new projects, but I had the employees I’d hired, and then picked up another one that seemed to be a good fit. Penn Harding had been in the hardware store the other day when I’d been loading up supplies, and we’d gotten to talking. He was a transplant to the area and seemed more than knowledgeable. I had him work a few handyman jobs for me the last few weeks. Resetting adoor, fixing a step, and a roof leak. I’d gone back and rechecked the work, only to find it impeccable. Apparently, he talked about as much as a dead rattler, but he was good. Now I had him started on the kitchen remodel for the Willets with the other guys. Jett had teased me that I had replaced him here in Oregon with another team, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We were a long way from the Idaho operation.
I made a few business calls before I started setting the table, listening to the background noise at home—Kipp thumping in and kicking off his boots, Sage laughing from the living room as she told some story to Wade, the sound of dishes clattering. Lo Lo was helping Maggie was some of her bills on the computer. It was chaos, the good kind. The kind you don’t realize you miss until you have it again.
By the time the clock edged toward four, I found myself glancing out the window every few minutes. It was ridiculous. I’d already texted Lila about ten times today, and she had texted me before she left the shop. When her car finally pulled into the driveway, I finally relaxed.
Lila climbed out, bundled in her favorite green coat, her scarf trailing loose, and her curls catching the last of the light. I had been learning just how hard she actually worked. There was no doubt she adored her store, but she also put in a ton of hours. Lila told me she was thinking of hiring more help, possibly someone who could handle the morning baking chores, because she was burning the candle at both ends with the increased traffic at the shop. She also wanted to start some extra activities for kids. Thatwas another thing about Lila—she had so many ideas. My woman wassmart.
I went out to meet her halfway across the yard. She smiled when she saw me, that small real one that still hit me in the gut.
“Hey, sugar,” I said, reaching for the box she was carrying. “You didn’t need to bring anything.”
“I brought dessert,” she said, cheeks pink from the cold. “Just a quick apple buckle. Mia made the filling, but I’m stealing the credit. I may have snuck leftovers from today in there too.”
“Smart woman.” I brushed a kiss against her forehead, letting her cold fingers slip into mine. “You ready for the chaos?”
“Is Sage here?” She dug her fingers into one of my back pockets, something I secretly loved.
“She’s been here for a while, racing around watering all the plants.”
“Then yes,” she said, laughing softly. “I’m ready.”
Inside, the house was loud in the best way. She belonged here with my family. Being a Holt was part of her destiny. I could picture us now—a forever family. The idea had caught root now, and I was going to make it happen.
Later, after dinner, after Maggie declared that anyone who didn’t help with dishes was “dead to her,” I stood in the doorway watching Lila at the sink as I scraped plates. She was laughing at something Kipp had said, her sleeves rolled up, her curls coming loose. There was a momentwhere she turned, caught me looking, and the smile softened.
Wade’s phone buzzed on the counter. He frowned at the screen, his expression shifting in an instant from easy to alert. He met my gaze across the room.
“East,” he said quietly. “We need to talk. Now.” He gestured me to the side, trying to be covert, but Kipp was already watching and drying his hands.
My stomach pitched, and my heart sped up. Please let this be our break. “What is it?”
He held up his phone, the message glowing in the light. “Milton Merrick’s debit card just pinged. Gas station off Route 22, ten miles north of King Creek. Transaction time-stamped fifteen minutes ago.”
Holy shitballs. Fifteen minutes. That wasn’t just close — that was right here. That was catchable.
Kipp had already stepped away from the counter, grabbing his jacket. “You think he’s alone?”
“Don’t know yet,” Wade said. “I have an officer heading that way, but I’ve told them to hang back a little. If we go now, we might have a shot to intercept him if we take the back way. There’s been snow, but …” He looked uncertain. “It may be our only chance.” He glanced at Lila and then almost imperceptibly seemed to come to a decision.
Across the kitchen, Lila stood frozen with a dish towel in her hands. Her eyes found mine, wide, a little wild. “You think he’s coming here?”
“No,” I said immediately, because it didn’t seem like it. “If he’s that close, he’s just moving through. He’s notstupid enough to hit the same town twice when we’re watching.” I was torn between wanting to insist on going with Wade and wanting to stay with Lila.
Wade’s voice cut through. “East, you and Kipp roll with me. We’ll take two trucks. We don’t want him slipping through another damn county line. You guys shouldn’t be coming, but we can’t lose this guy. Kipp is OSP anyway, so I can rationalize him coming.” He glanced at me. “You wouldn’t stay back anyway.”
Damn right I wouldn’t. I wanted to catch those two guys. They were getting off the street so Lila could rest easy, and we could get to the bottom of this mess. There hadn’t been any more incidents, but it reeked to high heaven. Milton and Derek were the only ones with answers, and they were going to talk even if I had to beat the shit out of them to get the truth.
Lila took a step forward. “I want to?—”
“Listen to me. Stay here. Maggie, Sage, and Lo are here. It’ll be safe here.” Her hands were still damp from the sink and clenched around mine. Her nose wrinkled a little in mutiny, and her eyes sparked in anger. I cupped her face, forcing her to look at me. “Doors locked, security system armed. No exceptions.”
She finally nodded. “Fine.”
“We’ll be good here. I’ll get the shotgun.” Sage gave us a salute. “Come on, bestie.”
