To Max’s surprise, it lit. A message appeared on the screen.
Come outside now, or I’ll burn the whole place down.
His breath caught. “He threatened her.”
“He threatened all of you,” Sheriff Sutherland muttered with the shake of his head. “We’ll see if we can get anything else off it. Incoming and outgoing calls, texts, location timeline—anything that helps.”
Max dragged a hand over the back of his neck, the weight of everything pulling taut in his muscles.
He knew he wasn’t personally responsible for Lyndee leaving, but he liked to think of himself as the guardian of this place. Max liked to keep an eye on things. He’d promised Stephen he’d help his sister.
And last night he’d failed.
Hadley tightened her grip on the steering wheel as she turned onto Main Street.
Max’s face flickered through her mind.
Again, she wondered what had happened between him and Kendra. Whatever history they carried, it wasn’t something she needed to untangle, she reminded herself.
Besides, finding Lyndee was the most important thing.
There was a lot going on, and the day had only started.
Please, Lord . . . be with Lyndee. Keep her safe. Keep everyone safe.
She swung by The Grind House to get some coffee and a muffin. After chatting for a few minutes with Jess, her favorite barista, Hadley headed to her clinic.
Blue Ridge Hollow Animal Care Clinic was farther down Main Street, tucked between a small bookstore and an art gallery. The building’s brick exterior was worn just enough to give it character, and the picture windows at the front looked inviting. If you looked close enough, you could still see “Main Street Antiques” etched onto the glass behind the clinic’s name.
Inside, the space had been updated, but the bones of it remained—high ceilings, dark wood trim, and floors that creaked no matter how carefully you stepped.
Then there were the personal touches she’d added. The quirky pictures of dogs and cats. The funny gifts she’d been given over the years were displayed on the shelves, including her favorite: a coffee mug that read The Dogtor Is In.
Hadley paused and smiled. This was hers. Her own practice.
She’d opened a month ago, but the exhilarating feeling hadn’t faded. Every time she stepped inside, something in her chest lifted. She still couldn’t quite believe this place was hers.
Down in Georgia, she’d worked in a busy practice with eight other vets. Their schedule was always crammed with appointments. She’d learned a lot there, but she’d also gotten used to being one voice among many. Here, things were quieter. Slower. The decisions were hers—and the responsibility too.
For the first time in a long while, that felt right.
“Morning!” Susie Smith—her receptionist and vet tech—called from the front desk before Hadley had fully closed the door behind her.
Hadley smiled as she set her coffee on the counter—and the second cup beside it. “Morning. I come bearing caffeine.”
Susie sat behind the desk, a stack of files already neatly arranged to one side. “You’ve got your first appointment waiting. Exam room one.”
Hadley glanced toward the hallway, a small flicker of anticipation settling in. First appointments were usually straightforward—routine checkups, vaccinations, nothing complicated.
“Thanks,” she said, sliding one of the cups toward Susie before grabbing the chart.
The name at the top made her pause.
Travis Henderson.
She’d heard her cousins mention the man before—and never in a good way.
She paused a second longer before she pushed the thought aside and headed down the hall.
