“I thought I heard you,” Elias said, coming down the stairs. “Good morning, Leslie. Did you know Dad kept every one of our rooms exactly how we left them? I wondered where he put Conner. He made up Mom’s old sewing room for him.”
Elias glanced from Owen to Leslie when neither of them spoke.
“What did I miss?”
“Leslie thinks Dad didn’t die of natural causes,” Owen announced. “It seems we’ll be visiting the coroner.”
“I’d best get going,” Leslie said, searching for a reason to escape. “Thanks for the coffee.”
“Wait,” Owen said desperately as he swiped at his chin.
“I put everything on your Dad’s bed,” she said, heading for the door.
“What the hell did you say to her?” she heard Elias hiss to Owen as she walked down the hall.
A hand closed over her arm as she opened the door.
“Please,” Owen murmured. “Leslie…I believe you. As you said, we haven’t visited in years. You know all my father’s habits and what might seem off. Can you possibly come with us today? I appreciate you picking out the suit and the picture suggestions. I want you to accompany us and tell me if anything seems off to you.”
“The boys…”
“I’ll have you back before they return,” he promised. “I mean it. I owe you an apology but it’s not the right time for this discussion. We’ll need to decide about Conner, and you know him best. Can we put our differences aside long enough to find out what happened. You say you love my brother as your own. Don’t you think he deserves some justice if your guess ends up correct?”
Elias walked into the hall.
“Please say you’ll come, Leslie. Maybe we should’ve made amends with Dad. The longer we stayed away, the harder it became to return. Will you please help?” Elias asked.
Owen waited with baited breath as she considered the request.
“I can’t stay any later than two-thirty. I have to pick up my son, and then Conner,” she said, peering at Elias.
“We promise to have you back in time,” Elias vowed. “Won’t we Owen?”
“Yeah,” he said, waiting for her to glance in his direction.
“I’ll get my purse from the truck,” she said softly, pushing open the screen door.
His stomach churned as he watched her retrieve her things. The truck she drove had seen better days. Recalling her house, he saw the chipped paint, the shutter missing on one side and hanging crooked on the other. Someone must’ve repaired the rotted wood on the porch with new ones. What happened to Leslie’s son’s dad? He didn’t like thinking of her with someone else, but he didn’t blame her when he saw the pain etched in her eyes because of his actions.
As soon as they got the business taken care of, he decided to man up and give her the apology she deserved. It might help them to become friends for Conner’s sake, he told himself.
“Let’s go to the coroner’s office to see when we can expect Dad’s body, then we’ll speak with Sheriff Dalton. From there, we’ll see to the funeral plans,” Owen said as he grabbed his hat, keys and wallet.
She climbed into the backseat and Elias gave his brother an angry glance.
First, he needed to find out what happened to Dad, then he’d fix things with Leslie.
CHAPTER 8
She feltthe heat of Owen’s gaze, but she refused to let him sway her. If he knew she kept a secret from him, Leslie doubted he’d feel as confident in her ability to tell him the truth. In fact, she didn’t tell him about Tucker because he never returned. Most importantly, if he walked away so easily from her, what made her think he wouldn’t hurt Tucker the same way? She refused to allow it to happen.
“When will we meet Tucker?” Elias asked. “Conner seems fond of him.”
Leslie froze.
“He’s somewhat shy. He doesn’t like meeting new people,” she replied lamely.
“I’m sure Conner will talk him into meeting us. After all, Owen bought him the biggest steak around,” Elias teased. “You got him good, Leslie. It reminded me of old times.”
