Two men approached them.,
“Did Emily get you some ice?”The man’s dark eyebrows drew together, his green gaze laser sharp.
“Not yet,” Henry said.“She’s busy with customers.”
“I’ll grab some,” the other man said and disappeared behind the counter.
“Maia, this is Saber Mitchell.Emily, his wife, owns this cafe,” Henry said.
“Pleased to meet you, Maia,” Saber said, assessing her and her injuries.“Are you all right?”
“Mainly embarrassed that Samuel created a gossip-worthy scene,” Maia said.
“Don’t worry about it,” the man who’d retrieved the ice said.He handed it over, wrapped in a tea towel, ready for her to hold to her face.“I’m Felix, Saber’s brother.Tomasine, my wife, is working out the back.She prepared the ice pack.”He grinned.“My attempts wouldn’t look so pretty.”
“I hear you had trouble at your house,” Saber said.“Was it him?”
The thought had crossed her mind, but despite his short temper, Samuel wasn’t sneaky or the type to skulk.Samuel preferred the direct approach.Instant gratification.She couldn’t see him gaining pleasure from scaring and taunting her.
“It’s possible.But he is direct.Samuel is more likely to confront than use clandestine methods.I could be wrong.He might’ve changed or could’ve paid someone to harass me.”
Henry’s phone rang.“Yeah?”His gaze settled on Maia.“Yeah, we’ll be there soon.What?Yeah, that’ll work.”He hung up.“Laura asked if you could give her an official statement.She suggested a restraining order.”
“Sure, we can go now,” Maia said, removing the ice from her cheek.
“Laura recommended we let him stew in custody for a few hours.We’ll get another coffee and one of Emily’s famous cheese scones.”
“Join us,” Saber said.“I’d like to show we’re decent people in this town.”
Maia laughed and was pleased to note it sounded more her.“I’ve met Emily.I know the residents are welcoming.”
“Well, then,” Saber said.“You’ll have no problem having coffee with us.Joe and Sly should be back soon, so you can meet more of my brothers.”
“How many of you are there?”Maia asked.
“Five,” Saber said, his eyes twinkling.“We all have children, so there’s a lot of Mitchells in Middlemarch.”
“If you hang out with Henry long enough, you’re bound to meet my daughter Sylvie,” Felix said.His features were more rugged than Saber’s, but their black hair and green eyes made their relationship obvious.“She works with Henry, training his dogs.She’s off to university in Auckland next year.I still don’t know how she got old enough.”
Henry urged Maia toward the larger table where the men had sat.“I didn’t ask about your coffee preference earlier.What would you like?”
“An Americano with a dash of milk,” she said.“Are the cheese scones that good?”
“They are,” Henry said.“Laura ordered me to get scones for her and Charlie.She had to leave before the first batch was out of the oven.”
Henry waited until she’d seated herself before he strode to the counter to place their order.Saber and Felix joined her, and not long after, the doorbell jingled.The two men who’d helped Laura entered the cafe and beelined for them.
“Joe, Sly, this is Maia Jacobs,” Saber said.“She plays rugby.”
Maia shot him a look, and Saber laughed.“Emily told me she’d met you and everything she learned.It’s a small-town thing.”
Maia smiled at the two arrivals, tall with black hair and green eyes like their brother’s.If they moved seats, she’d get confused since they were identical.“Pleased to meet you.I moved here to take up a contract with the Dunedin women’s rugby team.”
“I heard you suffered a concussion during the attack,” Saber said.
“Yes, not the best timing.I can’t play until the team doctor clears me.I know it’s for my health, but it’s frustrating when I’m eager to start.”
“Understandable,” Felix said.“To change the subject, what are your plans for the land attached to your property?”
