The temperature dropped overnight, and Lani woke pressed to Buddy, shivering.
“Time to pull out the heavy blankets,” Lani said, rolling the dog to one side so she could climb out of her sleeping bag. Slipping her feet into boots and her arms into a sweater, she then climbed outside and looked around.
It was peaceful here. No one but Lani and Buddy around. She washed quickly, as it was cold, and dressed. Today she was having coffee at the Hoot again rather than boiling her own water. She wanted to be inside and warm when she drank it.
“Buddy!” Whistling for the dog got her nowhere, so she headed off in the direction he’d taken.
“Buddy!”
She heard a bark. Making for that direction, Lani stopped when she came to a large camouflage net suspended from the trees above. Buddy was there, sniffing around and making a wining noise.
“What have you found?” She patted his head but he didn’t calm.
Lani walked around the net, then lifted an edge. Under it was a huge greenhouse, but she couldn’t see inside.
“Why do I think this is not something we should stay around and inspect, Buddy?” Lani felt a trickle of unease as she looked at it. “Okay, this is not our business, let’s go.” The dog whined, but Lani got a firm grip on the collar she’d bought him and headed back to the Bronco. Maybe she should sleep somewhere else tonight.
But then maybe she was wrong and someone lived in there? She should just forget she’d seen it; no reason at all to tell anyone about it. Lani was big on minding her business; it kept her out of trouble. No way was she approaching the sheriff with this.
“Better to put it out of our heads, Buddy.”
Reaching her Bronco, she opened the door, and he jumped in and sat in the passenger seat. “This is not a permanent thing,” she told him as she had yesterday and the day before. “Let’s go, I need a coffee.”
Putting the greenhouse out of her head, Lani reminded herself about what she’d decided last night after returning home from Rose McBride’s birthday. No more personal contact and involvement in people’s lives here in Lake Howling. She didn’t need to make connections, even if the people here seemed determined she did.
One day, she’d stop running and live in a home again. “But not yet, Buddy. I need to plan for that.”
Pulling out of the narrow track, she had to brake as a car slowed and stopped in front of her. Noah got out.
Crap.
She thought about driving around him but then he’d simply follow her, and it was not like she had anywhere to hide. He knew where she worked. No, she’d just have to stay here and bluff her way out of this. Winding down the window, Lani watched him approach with long, easy strides. He wore jeans and a sweater, and his face looked like it was carved in granite. The man was angry. He braced his hands on the roof above her window and leaned in.
“Hi.” Lani eased back so her face wasn’t too close to his, especially as their eyes were now level.
“What are you doing here, Lani?”
“I got up early and took Buddy for a run.”Nice, she thought. That sounded plausible and came out smoothly.
He didn’t speak, just looked at her and then Buddy. The dog’s tail thumped on the seat.
“I need to go to work now, Noah. Mrs. C is expecting me.”
“I thought she said you started at nine. It’s only eight.” He made a show of looking at his watch. “You could leave in fifty-five minutes and still be on time.”
“Oh, right. I mean I’m going for coffee and then to work.” The words came out squeaky and high-pitched. “So, bye.”
“Where are you staying here in Howling?” He didn’t move when she revved the engine.
“In a cabin that way.” Lani waved right. She hated lying but had become good at it over the last few years. In fact, her entire existence was now a big fat lie.
“They didn’t have grass outside there, or tracks for you to walk him?”
“No.” She’d found that keeping her answers small was good; that way she didn’t get caught out.
“So who owns the cabin?”
“What?”
