A wooden flower like the one from the bar.
She snatched it up and stood. Her breath quickened, and she glanced around as if someone would charge forward any second.
Stop it. You’re being paranoid. You must have put it in your pocket, and it fell out.
Yes. That was it. With all the craziness of the night before, she’d forgotten to place it on the plate and took it home by accident. Or at least that’s what she told herself as she made the short drive to Becca’s cabin at the edge of town.
Lights blazed inside the two-story home, confirming her friend was awake. Eve secured the pan of banana bread and half jogged up the brick sidewalk to the front door. After she rang the bell, she tapped the toe of her tennis shoe on the wooden planks of the porch.
She hated this—hated feeling exposed. Hated how every snapping twig or rustling of the bushes around the house made her nerves jump.
“Well, this is a surprise,” Becca said, answering the door. “When you told me you’d make time, I didn’t expect it to be first thing in the morning before I head to work.”
The sound of her best friend’s voice crumbled the last wall of resistance keeping her from falling apart. She sniffed, but it did nothing to keep tears from streaming down her face.
“Oh my goodness, what’s wrong? Come in.” Becca looped an arm over Eve’s shoulders and led her into kitchen. “Set down whatever you brought that smells so dang good and tell me what happened.”
Eve slid the bread onto the island that dominated the center of the spacious kitchen and slumped onto the stool. She dropped her head in her hands as all her emotions leaked from her still-shocked system.
“Honey, please. Tell me what’s wrong.” Becca took the seat beside her and rubbed circles between her shoulder blades with her palm.
Letting her hands fall, Eve drew in a shuddering breath. “Last night, after you left, the man who was at the bar attacked me.”
Becca gasped and her hand stilled. “He what? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“I’m fine.” Eve winced, remembering her sleepless night. “At least, I’m mostly fine. Reid came by the bar and walked in on the attack. He scared the guy off before things took an even worse turn. I’m not hurt, but I can’t stop replaying everything in my mind. When I close my eyes, I see this guy’s face. I smell him. I swear, on my way here, I could feel him near me. Watching me.”
“That’s horrible. I can’t believe that happened.” Becca pulled her into a fierce hug. “Did the police catch him?”
“Not that I know of, which is terrifying. If the police can’t find him, hopefully he was a tourist in town for the rodeo and he went back to where he came from.” The thought that he could hurt someone else if he wasn’t detained turned her stomach, but she couldn’t handle the idea that he was still in Cloud Valley.
Becca released her then gripped her hands. “I shouldn’t have left you there alone. If I had stayed, this wouldn’t have happened. I’m so sor—”
Eve shook her head. “Nope. Stop that. I won’t let you take an ounce of blame. You did nothing wrong, and neither did I. Some creep attacked me because he’s an asshole. Plain and simple.” She couldn’t help but think back on Reid’s words.
“What’s that look?” Becca asked, eyes narrowed.
“I did the same thing last night. I placed blame on myself, and Reid put a stop to it right away. He told me almost the exact same thing when he walked me home.”
“He’s a good friend.” Becca bumped her shoulder to Eve’s. “Maybe more if you pursued him a little.”
“I don’t have time for more than a friend. Hell, I hardly have time for you and Suzy. My life revolves around Tilly’s. Besides, you should have seen him jump up, wanting to leave as soon as things got a little too personal. Everyone in town knows Reid isn’t the type of guy to want anything more than casual and short-lived with a woman. We’re the perfect combination of no chance in hell. Best to keep everything platonic.” She had to remind herself of that. Seeing him in her home had awakened a desire to have him there more. To see him outside of her job. To know him deeper than their surface-level banter.
But that was nonsense. A silly fantasy she used to entertain herself on long, lonely nights. Reid was a friend, and that’s all he’d ever be.
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Becca said, bringing her back to the conversation. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
Eve opened her mouth to tell Becca how ridiculous she was, when a pint-size toddler with messy blond curls and wearing adorable footie pajamas padded into the room.
“Ebe!” Suzy said, holding up her pudgy arms.
Needing one of the little girl’s hugs more than she needed her next breath, Eve rose and scooped Suzy into her arms. “Good morning, Suzy Q.”
Suzy planted slobbery kisses on Eve’s cheek.
“No one looks at me the way she does, and that’s good enough for me.” With the child squeezing her tight, most of her worries melted away. She savored the innocent and pure love heaped on her.
Or at least that’s the lie she told herself. Because if she didn’t have time for romance before, she definitely didn’t now. Not when a criminal who’d tried to hurt her was on the loose and she was barely holding herself together.
