He let her go, and she sat on the stool again. He left her to think in silence and watched the emotions play across her face as that big brain of hers tried to work a way out of what she had discovered.
Not this time, Rosebud. We’re in this together from this moment on.
Chapter13
The house was a mess, and he wanted to shield her from it and the obscene words some asshole had sprayed on the walls, but she wouldn’t let him. Her mother’s picture had a big red X painted on it, which just pissed her off instead of making her cry. The sofas had been slashed, and it would all take some sorting, but she was unhurt, and that, to Jake’s mind, was all that mattered. He’d thought he had his anger under control, but it was back with a vengeance.
He watched her walk around the room, shoulders straight, chin raised, as she took in the mess that they’d made of her home.
“I’m not a violent person, Jake, but if whoever did this was standing before me right now—”
“You’d be administering a bit of ass kicking?” he added.
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through this.” He gave her a hard hug before going to inspect the kitchen. “It’s really only this room,” he said, returning minutes later. “There are a few things spilled and overturned, but this is the room worst hit.”
“Because they knew this is the one I would see first.”
Jake had thought of that too and wasn’t surprised she’d arrived at the same conclusion.
“It was to scare me. All this”—she swept a hand around the room—“it was meant to frighten me off, Jake, and that surely means it is tied into my garden being destroyed.”
“It’s the logical conclusion, Rosebud, but we need to let Cubby do his work before we know for definite.”
A car pulled up the drive minutes later. Cubby and his mother, Maureen, walked in through the door. She was carrying a dish, which she thrust at Jake before grabbing Branna and hugging her hard.
“Well now, my dear, this is a nasty business. I heard Cubby’s cruiser leaving this morning and knew there’d been trouble, so I woke him early to find out what.”
Maureen Hawker was a smaller, slenderer version of her son, although now her red hair was streaked with gray.
“Th-thank you for coming, Mrs. Hawker.”
Branna looked at Jake, who smiled but said nothing, as he knew others would be arriving soon, and she’d be really unsettled by the end of the day. She didn’t collect people, or lean on them, but that didn’t wash here in Howling.
“My name’s Maureen, dear. Now I’ll just get to the kitchen and start the coffee brewing before the others arrive.”
Branna followed Maureen with her eyes, then looked from Cubby to Jake.
“Others?”
The second car pulled in then. Buster strolled in with a box under one arm. He grunted something to Cubby, who replied in the same language, then nodded to Jake before making for Branna. Wrapping an arm around her neck, he pulled her in for a hug, rubbing his chin over her head. “You doing okay, sweet cheeks?”
“I-I, yes, thank you, Buster.”
“Good girl.” He then handed her the box before turning to Cubby, where he proceeded to question him in detail about who could have done this.
Jake’s parents arrived with Mikey’s bike in the trunk. Jake was in sight of the door, scrubbing the walls, so he saw the boy start running. His legs and arms pumped as he flew onto the porch and into the house.
“Brace yourself, Rosebud.”
Mikey ran through the doorway as she straightened, and she just had time to drop the glass in her hands onto the chair before he lunged at her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Mikey held her tight.
“Hey, I’m okay, Mikey, promise.”
Jake’s parents appeared as she lowered her head to Mikey’s and held the little boy close. Jake wondered why she thought she was unlovable when all around her people were telling her differently.
Dr. McBride went to comfort the boy, and Branna and his father came to stand beside him. The look in his dad’s eyes as he saw the mess mirroring Jake’s.
