“She nearly ran into me on State Route 50,” Wes said instead. “She came off a side road without slowing. If I hadn’t swerved, we would’ve hit.”
Caleb’s focus sharpened. “Where was she coming from?”
“Some place a little farther down the road. Gravel drive off to the right.”
Caleb’s expression tightened. “That sounds like the Hendersons.”
Wes crossed his arms, not liking the change in Caleb’s tone. “What’s the situation with them?”
“They think this land should be theirs. They lost it years ago. Couldn’t pay the taxes.” Caleb’s tone stayed even, but an edge crept underneath it. “Sarah and Richard bought it fair and square. Sarah made sure the Hendersons kept a few acres—theirland with the house, plus a little extra. She didn’t want them completely pushed out. Said that wouldn’t be right.”
Wes raised an eyebrow. “And let me guess—that wasn’t enough?”
“No.” Caleb’s jaw tightened. “It hasn’t been from the start.”
“What kind of things have they done?”
“At first, it was just little things.” He lifted a shoulder. “Complaints. Accusations. Saying we crossed lines we didn’t.”
“And then?”
“And then . . . then there were the fences that were tampered with along the back property line. Equipment that disappeared without a trace. Travis showing up in town when we’re there, too often to be coincidence. We also found a wire snare near the fence line and shots have been fired from the woods more than once.”
“I don’t like the sound of that . . .”
“To the Hendersons, none of this is harassment,” Caleb said. “It’s payback.”
Wes nodded as he stored away those details. This was all good to know—both personally and professionally speaking. That threat assessment was easy.
The Hendersons were trouble. And he didn’t like the fact that Rowan had already had a confrontation.
“Travis is the worst of everyone in the family,” Caleb added. “He doesn’t let things go. He thinks we took something from him, and he’s been looking for ways to get it back ever since.”
Wes’s gaze flicked toward the road. “From what I understand, he didn’t try to hurt your sister when she took that wrong turn. But he blocked her from leaving and kept her there longer than she wanted.”
Caleb’s jaw tightened. “That’s not okay.”
The words came out quiet, but there was no mistaking the weight behind them.
“I’d like to walk the property,” Wes said. “Check access points. See how things are set up now before construction begins.”
“Whatever you need. We want this place secure and for all our guests to be safe.”
Wes glanced at the house again.
Rowan was inside.
The timing of this didn’t feel random.
He didn’t look for meaning in every coincidence or try to force significance onto ordinary events. But he’d learned to pay attention when something didn’t sit right.
If this was coincidence, it was a strange one.
But if it wasn’t . . . if God had a hand in it, then there was a reason they were both here at the same time. A reason she’d come back now, not weeks from now or not at all. A reason Wes had taken this job when he’d passed on others.
Wes didn’t know what that reason was or what was coming next.
But he intended to pay attention.
