Sarah had given him something he hadn’t thought he’d have again.
After their meal was done, their guests excused themselves to go back to their rooms.
Then it was just the Kings and their personal guests.
Max glanced at Hadley.
She smiled at something Millie said, asked Ruby about a recipe, and listened when Naomi spoke.
Seeing her so at home here transformed something in him. For a moment, he let himself believe his life here might not always feel this temporary. That maybe this—this table, this house, these people—could be permanent.
That maybe he could be part of it in a way that lasted.
He stopped the thought before it went too far. He knew better than to dream.
Dreams were only destined to be broken. He’d learned that lesson the hard way.
Hadley made him want to forget that.
He had to think about something else—for the sake of his heart.
He shifted his thoughts to Lyndee.
While he sat at a table surrounded by people who cared about him, Lyndee was still out there somewhere, hurt and alone.
The weight of that settled in his chest, pushing back everything else.
He shouldn’t be enjoying this. Not when?—
A beep sounded.
Caleb scowled and reached for his phone, his expression tightening as he glanced at the screen. “It’s the camera at the back of the property.”
“I thought that camera wasn’t working?” Ruby narrowed her eyes in surprise.
“We just got new ones installed last week,” Naomi explained. “They have motion sensors and alert us to any movement. After all the problems we’ve had with the Hendersons, we thought it was a smart investment.”
“It sounds like it,” Ruby said.
Max crossed to Caleb and peered at the image on the phone screen. Sheriff Sutherland joined them.
The backyard sat under a wash of pale light, the motion sensors triggering the security lights along the perimeter. Snow covered the ground in uneven patches, and shadows stretched between the trees.
At first glance, nothing moved.
Max leaned in, scanning the edges of the frame. “Wind?”
“I don’t think so . . .” Caleb muttered.
The camera adjusted, the system recalibrating after the motion trigger.
For a split second, something stirred near the tree line. But the shadows made it impossible to see what. It could have been a deer.
Or a person.
Max straightened, his jaw tightening as unease jostled inside him.
CHAPTER 21
