Knowing Lane would hear about what happened eventually, Suzy had called him the night before and filled him in on what happened at Duke’s place. He’d wanted her to stay at his house, but she’d insisted on heading home. She enjoyed having her brother back in town, but she didn’t need a babysitter.
Hell, most of her life she’d had only herself to count on. She knew how to take care of herself.
“I don’t know,” she finally answered. “I haven’t heard from Spencer or anyone else from the sheriff’s department today. Lane told him about Chrissy and his suspicions of her when he came out to the house. Beyond that, I haven’t heard a peep.”
Lane aimed his concerned gaze at Heather. “What about your ex-boyfriend? Did he reach him yet?”
Frowning, Heather shook her head.
“I’ll make some calls today,” Lane said. “I know Spencer’s taking these threats seriously, but there’s only so much a smalldepartment can do. Especially with the Winter Rodeo setting up today. That always brings in large crowds and stretches the department even more. There’s never a good time for shit like this to happen, but right now is one of the worst.”
Heather slumped further down into her chair. “I really wanted to have a nice visit with Duke. Looks like I won’t get a chance to relax and enjoy my brother until we figure this out. By then, I’ll have to head home.”
Lane snorted. “I didn’t know Duke had an enjoyable side.”
Heather’s lips turned into a small smile. “Not all the time, but every once in a while he’s okay to hang out with.”
Suzy smiled along with their playful banter. Duke and Lane would always rib each other, no matter how close they’d gotten. But she couldn’t help but wonder if there was a side of Duke he’d hidden from them. That he’d kept in the shadows for fear of what they’d think if he exposed the entirety of his past and what had brought him to Hillmore.
As if her thoughts summoned him, the front door opened, and Duke appeared. His cowboy hat was tilted a little lower over his face than usual, creating an air of mystery that darkened her thoughts even more. His tight jaw and the rigid set of his broad shoulders broadcasted his irritation.
Heather straightened. “How’d it go?”
“I told her what she needed to hear,” Duke said. “But who the hell knows if she actually listened. She usually doesn’t.”
Suzy dropped her gaze to her clasped hands on her lap. She wanted to believe Duke—to stand by him no matter what. But she couldn’t stop replaying the earlier conversation in her head. To remember the pain in Chrissy’s eyes when she’d spoken about what she’d lost.
“Suzy?”
The rough timber of Duke’s voice lifted her attention to his face. Her eyes met his, and the pain reflected back at her made her heart shudder.
“I tried to get out of the ick.”
She couldn’t help but grin.
“The ick?” Lane asked, expression pinched. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Ignoring Lane, Duke kept his focus locked on her. “Can we talk? Alone?”
“I think that’d be a good idea.”
He held out a hand for her to hold.
She stared at it, her heart racing. She swallowed hard and battled against the multitude of emotions warring inside of her. Damn it, before this morning, she trusted Duke. Wanted nothing more than to lay all of her defenses on the ground and find a way to be with him. She couldn’t let one conversation with someone taint her entire view of him. She owed it to him to hear his side of things.
Slipping her palm into his, her toes curled and heat shot through her core. She fell into step beside him and ignored the irritated mutters of her brother behind her.
“I knowit’s kinda cold, but do you want to head outside?” Duke asked. “I could use some fresh air.”
“Sure.”
He plucked Suzy’s coat from the rack in the front hall and helped her into it before slipping into his own jacket. Opening the door, he waited for her to step through before following and closing it behind him.
“Where to?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder. “The barn?”
He grinned and shoved his hands in the pockets of his red and black plaid coat. Growing up around animals, he often found solace in the big red barn on Lane’s property. New critters showed up every month, Lane buying them because he wanted to make Celine happy.
Little did he know Duke kept planting seeds in Celine’s ear to grow their farm, claiming each new creature would be great for Parker. The fact that Suzy knew him well enough to understand where his comfort spot was shifted something inside him that had already started crumbling.
