“We’ll handle that,” Kellan told her.
“No, it’s my problem to solve.”
“That’s what you need to realize,” Eli said. “Your problems are our problems now. We’ll take care of it.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she said.
“Just say yes, Kellan or yes, Eli,” Kellan told her. “You should memorize those words. You’ll be saying them a lot.”
What was she going to do with them?
They grew closer to the bakery and she stilled.
“You don’t have to go in there, baby,” Eli said, misinterpreting the reason for her hesitation.
“No, I do. I want to check on Iona. I hope she’s not upset by what happened.”
“Maybe she should be.” Kellan glared at the shop as though it was its fault that she’d had an allergic reaction.
“She shouldn’t. It was entirely my fault for not checking on the ingredients. I got . . . distracted.”
Kellan grunted as though he didn’t quite agree.
But they both went inside with her. Eli entered first while Kellan held her back. Then he let her go in once Eli glanced back with a nod.
“You guys are acting like my bodyguards.”
“Your home was broken into and trashed. Just yours. No one else. Stuff wasn’t taken, it was destroyed. That feels personal not random,” Kellan told her seriously. “So, yes, we are.”
“Should I . . . should we go home?” she asked fearfully. Was it Lee? Or someone else? But who else would do that? Were they watching her now?
“We’re not going to let anything happen to you. All you have to do is what we say,” Eli said.
“Yes, Eli? Yes, Kellan?” she said sarcastically.
“Exactly,” Kellan replied. “Glad to see you’re getting it.”
Uh-huh.
As they moved through the shop, people called out greetings to Kellan and Eli. Mostly they replied with chin lifts and nods.
Which was actually sexy as hell.
But what surprised her was how many people asked if she was all right. And if she needed anything.
She hadn’t expected that. She knew that small towns could be different from the big city. That was part of the reason she was here.
But she hadn’t known that people would learn her name so quickly. Or be so caring. Sure, a few just seemed nosy or curious. But there was genuine care on some people’s faces.
And that really struck her hard.
“Thanks, I’m really fine now,” she said to an older lady who was leaning heavily on her walking stick.
“Good, dear, good. And I heard about the break-in. That’s terrible. Things like that shouldn’t happen here. I hope the sheriff is working hard to find who did it. Valerie will be horrified once she hears.”
Wow gossip spread quick in a small town.
“Mrs. Taylor? Do you know her well?”
