“Only if I ask him to.”
Something familiar in Wes’s tone tugged at her heart.
Rowan turned her attention back to the dog, reaching out slowly. He sniffed her hand then leaned into her touch.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Remington,” she murmured. “You’re so handsome. You know that?”
Her phone buzzed in her pocket.
The sound cut through the moment, sharp enough to draw her attention. She froze before slipping the phone from her pocket. She needed to simply cut the device off.
The screen lit in her hand with a new message. She didn’t need to read it. She had no doubt it was another message from Vince.
She locked the screen and slid the device back into her pocket.
“You don’t need to get that?” Naomi nodded to Rowan’s phone.
“It can wait.” Rowan straightened, pulling herself back into the moment and forcing her attention forward. She glanced at Caleb and Wes. “It sounds like you two have a lot to go over. Don’t let me stop you. Naomi and I have some catching up to do.”
Everyone nodded.
But based on the way they looked at her, it was clear they all knew there was more to the story about why she’d returned home.
Wes lingered near his truck as Naomi and Rowan headed inside.
He told himself to focus on why he was here and not on Rowan.
That was easier said than done.
Refuge Cove needed his help finding any vulnerabilities that might pop up during their construction project. That was where Wes came in.
He was a former Marine turned US Marshal turned security specialist. His expertise was in assessing, securing, and training. He often worked with large businesses and corporations. But when Caleb, an old friend from high school, had asked him to come out to see Refuge Cove, he hadn’t been able to resist.
The ask had seemed simple.
Except nothing about the past twenty minutes felt simple.
Seeing Rowan again had shifted something inside him he hadn’t expected. He’d managed his heartbreak fine with distance. He’d had years of it. The occasional glimpses he’d had of her life online had been easy enough to ignore.
That version of Rowan had felt separate from his world—untouchable, even.
This version didn’t.
This version had stood in the middle of a narrow road, shaken and trying to hide it, her voice steady in a way that didn’t match her gaze. Yes, the confrontation with the neighbor had left her rattled. But there was more.
She’d come to Refuge Cove for a reason—and Wes suspected it wasn’t simply to catch up with her family.
Something was wrong.
Caleb’s gaze flicked toward the house before returning to Wes. “We didn’t know Rowan was coming home when we set up this appointment.”
“Noted.”
Caleb paused before saying, “I take it the two of you haven’t been in touch?”
“Not really. Not much, at least. Not since she left.”
The words felt understated, but Wes left them that way. What had happened between him and Rowan was between him and Rowan. He wasn’t the type to spill those details to others.
