She wet her bottom lip and nodded. “I know. He was brazenly open about coming for Dreamy and not signing the divorce papers. Sneaky little messages just aren’t his style.”
“And trashing your underwear?”
“No.” She blinked rapidly and shook her head. “He hated how messy I was. You’ve seen my bathroom. It was his worst nightmare, so to leave a mess like that is just…not him.”
“He could have got someone to do it. Someone to scare you.”
“But why? What does it achieve? It scared me but if anything, it’s made us closer.”
She was right. It made me realize that I would do anything to protect her. For her.
“He ain’t getting you back that’s for sure.” Dropping a kiss to her forehead, I breathed her in. “I’m not letting you go, Brownie.”
She snuggled into me and let out a little moan that sounded like it might be happiness, or maybe relief.
“I don’t want to go anywhere.” She looked up at me, her huge green eyes soft and gentle. I was seeing that look more and more. I loved the feisty, fire that she showed but the softness was beautiful.
“Good, because one, the sheriff still has your phone and I don’t want you going anywhere without it,” I pointed a finger at her, “which means you’re definitely getting a new one now and two, I don’t want to have to come looking for you and bring you back here.”
She giggled and dropped her cheek to her shoulder, fluttering her eyelashes at me and making my chest go tight. She was so fucking beautiful. Full and deep pink lips, with a little freckle the top of her cupid’s bow and a cute little nose with a tiny bump on the bridge that I always itched to run my finger down. And her eyes, wow those eyes. They were the kind of green you only see deep in the woods after a storm, soft, rich, and wild all at once. And those lashes… damn. Long and dark like they'd been painted on just to mess with me. When she looked up through them, it hit me in the chest every damn time. Like she saw through the bravado, through the jokes and the swagger, and straight into the part of me I didn’t show anyone.
“Want to go for a ride?” I asked, brushing her hair from her eyes. “Maybe go out toward the mountains. I mean it’s pretty windy and cool outside, but it might just blow some cobwebs away.”
“Sounds good.”
Getting up from the table, I held my hand out to her, offering to lead her wherever she wanted to go. I was reaching for Tally’s coat when there was a sharp knock at the door. She flinched beside me, her eyes wide as she stared at the huge oak door.
“It’s okay, I’m with you.” Tucking her behind me I opened the door, taking a step back when I saw it was Sheriff Jackson.
“Hi Wilder, can I come in?”
I looked over his shoulder to see two of his deputies leaning against the squad car. Three of them couldn’t be here just to tell us that there was nothing on the CCTV footage.
“Sure, come on in.”
Tally took a step back with me, letting the sheriff join us inside.
“Miss. Brown, how are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m fine and please call me Tally.”
“Do you want to sit in the lounge?”
“It’s fine, Wild. I just need to ask you where Glenn Cameron is right now.”
Tally gripped my hand as she stumbled a little. “Glenn?”
“He’s on the maintenance crew so should be checking all the water butts on the north side of the property. He’s about a forty minute ride away. Why?”
“Is it okay if we go check his stuff in the bunkhouse?” The sheriff pulled a piece of paper from his back pocket and passed it to me.
It was a warrant. “Sure. No problem, but what is it you’ve found?”
“We don’t have a definite reason to believe he was the one who broke into Tally’s cabin. But, apart from you driving to and from the cabin, he’s the only person it picks up. He’s seen hanging around, watching it after you left. He walks toward it but then we don’t see him again.”
“How do you know it was Glenn?” Tally whispered, her voice barely audible as he turned to me. “How long has he been watching me?”
“I don’t know Brownie, but it stops today.” Sighing, I turned to the sheriff. “How did you identify him?”
