Unless he’d killed Mary Mae and Liam.Which meant he might be getting away with other things, too.They needed to know if the man continued to obsess over Mary and if that obsession extended to her daughter.
There were hints of gang-related activity in Adam’s background, but the parole officer said it appeared Parsons had cut those ties by moving to Queens and taking on the new jobs.
There was no reason to think Charlie was in any danger while working over with Sylvia, but Nash couldn’t let him go on his own.He’d just have to tell him his reasoning.
Nash was cooking up some breakfast burritos, a tradition he and Charlie had enjoyed on Saturdays for years.Oggie snoozing in the corner added to the comfortable vibe of the room.The dog had slid easily into their routines and enjoyed mingling with the other dogs as well.He especially loved time with Charlie and Ella.
Ford and Jolie entered the kitchen from the mudroom with Hemsworth, their Australian shepherd on their heels.Nash smiled at them as Oggie perked up when Hemsworth went over to do the sniffing meet and greet.“Want some burritos?I’m making tons.”
Ford’s grin widened.“Awesome.I’ll chop up some apples and we’ve got berries here, too.”
Nash smiled at Jolie.“How were the ducks this morning?”
She laughed.“They’re having fun in the fresh snow for now.”
Charlie, Olivia, and Ella walked in from the other door, chatting about dragons.Dogs, ducks, and dragons.A typical morning at the apple farm.
Ford elbowed Charlie as they set the table.“You okay with me and Jolie joining you at Sylvia’s today?We want to help Sylvia get Squirrel used to other dogs.If you bring Oggie and we bring Hemsworth, it’ll be fun to see how they get along.”
And just like that, Nash didn’t have to worry about Charlie being alone for the day.He’d bet his breakfast that Jolie and Ford had come up with the plan solely to help Nash relax about his son being away from him.
Charlie nodded.“That’ll be awesome.Oggie’s good at following commands so far, but it’ll be good for him, too.Is it okay if I bring him, Dad?”
Nash nodded as he set the tray of burritos in the middle of the table.“Of course.Just make sure you help Sylvia and keep an eye on the dogs so they don’t bother her customers.”
Charlie rolled his eyes.“Of course.I promised her I’d help, and I will.”
Because a promise was important.
After breakfast, Nash followed them outside.Charlie climbed in the truck’s back seat, with a huge smile on his face.The dogs sat on either side of them, clipped into harnesses.His kid was officially in heaven.“You have your phone and it’s charged?”
Charlie nodded and Ford patted Nash on the back.“Relax.We’ll be fine.Why don’t you and Olivia work on some new cider flavors?We’ll be back before supper.It’s Gray’s turn to cook so you know we won’t be late.”
Nash waved them off and turned to find Olivia walking toward him without Ella.She was grinning so he didn’t have time to worry.“Where’s Ella Mae?”
Olivia grinned.“With Amber and Gray.They’ve offered to take her for a few hours.”
Need roared through Nash.He reached out and cupped Olivia’s jaw.“Hours?”
Her eyes flared with heat, and she nodded.“Right until supper time.I think our friends are conspiring to give us some alone time.”
“I like our friends.I like that idea.”
“Me too.”
Knox appeared and headed toward the orchard.He called Nash’s name before tossing him some keys.“Why don’t you take the ATV to the cider cabin?It’ll give you more time to…experiment.”
Olivia’s intake of breath and her deep flush might have had Nash pissed at Knox, but her eyes sparkled with humor.Instead of responding to his friend, he grabbed her hand and tugged her to the barn to grab the ATV.
The machine had a plow attached to the front, but Nash kept it in the raised position.Ford and Jolie had used it to clear the path to the ducks this morning.The path that would make an excellent skating path.He’d have to work on that after Christmas when they all had skates.
He kept his thoughts on skating as he followed the path to the cider cabin.That path had been plowed as well, proving his friends had indeed been conspiring to give him and Olivia some time for themselves.
Nash pulled up in front of the cabin and parked.Olivia bounced off the seat and he followed.They set the helmets on the ATV and Nash reached out to cup her cheek.“We can work on cider flavors if you want.We don’t have?—”
Olivia cut him off with a smile as she moved closer.“Oh, we most certainly do have to do something other than make cider.”
Good news.He dropped his lips to hers and kissed her with all the lust that had been building for days.“You’re sure?”
