CHAPTER 31
Micah turnedto Caleb as he got off the phone. “You should stay at the house. With the women. Just to be safe.”
Caleb’s jaw tightened. “You’re going after whoever fired those shots.”
“That’s the plan. I need to look for evidence, at least.”
Caleb glanced toward the house, then back at Micah. His expression shifted. “You’re right. Someone should be there with them.”
Wyatt stepped forward. “I’ll go with Micah. It’s only smart to have two sets of eyes out there.”
Micah nodded. Wyatt was trained, steady under pressure, and Thunder was one of the best tracking dogs he’d ever worked with. “Good. Let’s move.”
Caleb headed toward the house with Hamilton, his shoulders tight. Micah watched him go for a beat before turning back toward the woods.
He and Wyatt headed back into the wilderness.
Micah scanned the woods with every step, his senses sharp. He noticed every rustle of leaves. Every snap of a twig. Every shift in the light.
If someone was still out here, he needed to know.
They moved quietly as they picked their way through the underbrush, headed deeper into the woods.
“You really think the Hendersons are behind this?” Wyatt asked.
“That’s my best guess,” Micah said. “The shots came from the north. That’s where their house is.”
Wyatt’s gaze swept the tree line. “I don’t like how this is going. It’s not just harassment anymore.”
“No, it’s not.”
“The Hendersons will do anything to get that property back.” Frustration edged Wyatt’s voice. “But even if we gave up the land tomorrow, it’s not like they could afford to buy it back. They couldn’t even afford the taxes on it. That’s why they lost it in the first place.”
Micah nodded. He’d thought about that too. The Hendersons’ fixation didn’t make logical sense—not if the endgame was actually reclaiming the land. They didn’t have the money. Didn’t have the means.
But logic didn’t always drive people.
“They’ve got nothing better to do than nurse an old grudge,” Micah said.
That was the truth of it. None of the Henderson brothers worked—not that Micah had ever seen. Travis showed up around town. Kyle mostly kept to himself on the property. Jared liked the party scene and was often involved in bar fights.
Micah didn’t know the full story behind their situation, but if he had to guess, it was a mix of pride, stubbornness, and a general refusal to move forward.
It was easier to blame the Kings than to take responsibility for their own failures.
They walked another quarter mile in silence, the woods thickening around them. Thunder paused occasionally, nose lifting and testing the air before continuing forward.
The property line was still ahead—at least another half mile, maybe more. The terrain sloped gently downward, the ground soft and uneven beneath their boots.
Micah kept his focus sharp, his body ready.
If someone was waiting to strike again, he needed to see them first.
He had to assume this person still had a gun. That he’d shoot again.
Micah needed to be ready for anything.
As Caleb came through the back door, Hamilton at his heels, Naomi was on her feet before he’d even closed it behind him. She put Grace in her bassinet and rushed toward him.
