“I love that,” Lily said.
“I want magic,” Suzy said, eyes wide.
Eve picked a couple flowers and handed them to Suzy. “Every time we’d come, Dad said we needed to take a little magic back for someone special. Usually that meant a bouquet for my mom. But today that means you, my girl.”
Suzy grinned then hugged Eve tight.
Lily placed a hand over her heart. “How sweet. I think I might have to take some magic home to Madden.”
“Magic for Mommy?” Suzy asked.
“Sure, sweetheart. But not too many.”
“What about you, Eve? Suzy already has her flowers. Who else is special enough to deserve such a meaningful gift?”
Reid’s shaggy brown hair and kind eyes came to mind, and she struggled not to smile. She should bring him some flowers as a thank-you for saving her life. Something small but meaningful—and the perfect excuse to see him again.
In the hour it’d taken for Reid and Madden to go over what the sheriff’s department had pieced together of Dana Fishel’s murder, as well was what was needed from them, visitors hadflooded the fairgrounds. The scent of fried dough mixed with grilled meat made Reid’s stomach growl.
“It’s not even lunchtime yet and people are already eating giant turkey legs. God bless this great country.” Reid gave a mock salute to the middle-aged couple who walked by while stuffing their faces with fair food.
Madden chuckled. “Anyone who eats much here, a heart attack can’t be far away.”
“Everything in moderation.” Reid studied the PDF file on his phone one more time before putting his device in the back pocket of his jeans. “So how do you want to handle this job?”
“It’s a logistical nightmare.” Madden scrubbed a palm over his face. “Too many people, not enough officers to keep them safe. And two of us can’t be effective. Not here. We need more guys.”
“Dax?”
Madden nodded. “I’ll ask him. He’s hemmed and hawed about working for his big brother, but he’d be good at it.”
Reid nodded but bit back his comments on Madden’s younger brother. Families were often complicated, and he didn’t need to put his nose in anyone else’s business. “And Ben?”
A beat of silence proceeded Madden’s sigh. “I’ll call him. I know he’s looking for work and needs to figure out where his life’s heading. But I need to know his head’s on straight if he’s going to work for Sunrise Security.”
“Not sure his head will ever be like it was before the accident, but he seems better.”
At least that’s what their fellow Marine had told him the last time they’d spoken. After leaving the military, they’d all had a hard time readjusting to civilian life. But the loss Ben had suffered outweighed the burdens he and Madden had brought home.
“You make the calls, and I’ll scout the area,” Reid suggested. “Deputy Sanders told us where the department has a fewdeputies stationed, but it’d be good to see locations that need surveillance. You might think back to your wilder years. Try to remember a few places that the presence of a couple bodyguards would have discouraged some bad behavior.”
Madden snorted out a laugh. “I have no clue what you’re talking about. I never got out of hand as kid. Never even thought about it. But good plan. Make a lap around the place, take some notes, and we’ll discuss after I speak with Dax and Ben.”
While Madden peeled off to find somewhere quiet, Reid shoved his hands in his pockets and walked back the way they’d first come earlier that morning. The once-deserted path was now filled with hyper kids and smiling couples. Vendors had opened their shops, hollering at passersby to try a sample of homemade soap or look at specialty pieces whittled from wood. He wished he could be like one of the couples, here to enjoy a beautiful day at the rodeo with an even more beautiful woman.
The thought slammed against his chest like an anvil. Eve was the only woman he’d want to laugh with about eating a giant turkey leg or delight in tasting fried candy bars. She’d cheer and holler over a glass of beer while watching bull riders then swoon over baby goats at the petting zoo.
He should check in on her. A quick call to make sure she was doing all right before he got to work. He wouldn’t be able to think straight until he heard her voice.
He reached for his phone, but commotion in the stable to his left caught his attention. Shrieks and calls for help had him putting his phone back in his pocket and sprinting toward the large, white barn that housed the bulls and horses.
People clogged the entrance, racing to escape the barn.
Reid shoved his way through the crowd, his hand on the butt of his weapon. He didn’t want to draw it and create more chaos but needed to be ready in case the killer was inside. Hunting for his next victim.
Making his way into the barn, he collided with a teenager with spiky hair and wild eyes.
“You don’t want to go in there, man,” the boy said as he bounced off Reid. “Someone let out one of the bulls. That thing is pissed and on a rampage.”
