He hadn’t lit the fire. He hadn’t even been there. And she wouldn’t have done this. No one crossed that line without being completely out of control.
Footsteps crunched behind him.
“She okay?” Roy asked without turning.
“She will be,” Caleb said.
Roy snorted. “That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the one I’m giving.”
Roy turned. “Her barn burned.”
“Yes.”
Silence stretched.
“You think this was intentional?” Roy asked.
Caleb’s gaze stayed on the barn. “Cameras are going up.”
Roy stiffened. Cameras weren’t a precaution. They were a message.
“Cameras?”
“Today.”
Roy looked back at the damage. “This is going to wreck her.”
“No,” Caleb said. “It’s going to keep her safe.”
They stood there for another moment, staring at the same damage, before Caleb turned and walked away.
Roy pulled his phone from his pocket.
He didn’t want a conversation. He wanted to make sure things didn’t get worse.
If she was unraveling, someone had to rein her in. Before she did something worse.
He told himself it was damage control.
He sent the message.
Because if he was right, his girlfriend didn’t think she’d gone too far yet.
The trucks showedup just after lunch.
Mia watched from the farmhouse porch as Caleb walked the property with Zach and Finn, pointing out sightlines and blind spots. The barn. The drive. The back fence. The tree line she’d never paid much attention to before.
She hadn’t realized just how exposed she felt until she wasn’t anymore.
By midafternoon, small black cameras were mounted and blinking softly. Easy to miss if you weren’t looking for them.
Caleb came back up the steps. “You’ll get access on your phone. So will my guys. Alerts go out to all of us if anything trips after hours.”
“So someone is always watching.”
“Yes. Both barns, inside and out. The farmhouse and drive, too.”
