I shook my head. “I’m good, really. I can stay with Nora and Lolli if I get spooked.”
Duncan’s mouth pressed into a hard line. “I’m not trying to be some sexist pig but staying with two women of retirement age doesn’t really make me feel any better.”
“Don’t let Lolli hear you say that. She’ll whoop your butt.”
“I’m serious, Rho.”
I sighed. “Fine. If I get spooked, I’ll stay with Shep or Trace.”
“That’s a little better,” Duncan grumbled. “Now, you gonna tell me what critter you have in that box that you want to keep in my office while you’re working?”
I pasted on my brightest smile, but before I could utter a word, a mewl sounded from the box.
Duncan groaned. “Kitten season?”
I winced. “Kitten season. They’re super sweet. But I can’t leave them home alone just yet.”
“First the dog, then the cats. Before long, this will turn into an animal shelter.”
“We have gotten some cuties adopted out of here. That has to count toward your angel points,” I said, giving him my best hopeful look.
Duncan pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. “Fine. Tell me what you need.”
After I got the kittens all set up in Dunc’s office and gave them each a bottle, I headed out to find Thea so I could help with the watering. I waved at Heather behind the counter as I passed. “Thanks for watching Biscuit!”
“He’s the best male company I’ve had in months,” she called back, bending to give his head a rub.
I chuckled as I headed out the door and into the sunshine. I couldn’t help but sweep my surroundings, looking for anything out ofplace. I hated that this was my instinct. And what did I think I would see? Some ominous figure holding a lighter? Someone in a hoodie making a throat-slitting motion across their neck?
Letting out a sound of frustration, I headed toward the far greenhouse. I forced myself to take in the good things. The scent of ponderosa pine in the air. The way the light caught on the blooms all around me. The feel of lavender between my fingers as I passed.
There was so much beauty. So much to be grateful for. I just had to pause to let it all in.
My phone dinged just as I reached the greenhouse. Pulling it out of my back pocket, I glanced down at the screen, and my good mood fled.
Davis
I told you messing around with that old house was a mistake.
My stomach twisted like the grasses to my left spiraling in the wind. The moment I’d told Davis about my plan to rehab my old home, he’d been against it. Having grown up here, too, I’d thought he would be supportive, but he was dead set against it from the beginning.
All he had was a laundry list of reasons why it was a horrible idea. He’d wanted me to sell instead, to invest the money in stocks and buy something new. Something he’d hinted at us living in together. He’d never understood why I wanted to do this as part of my healing.
And when I’d used the Victorian as another reason for why I didn’t have time for dating, he’d hated it even more. But did he hate it enough to try to scare me this way? And if he did, what else was he capable of?
22
ANSON
I staredat the guest cottage’s front door like it was some sort of video game nemesis I had to defeat. And maybe it was. To pass or not to pass.
Shep had taken off hours ago, called to another jobsite when someone hit a pipe that wasn’t where it should’ve been. So, he’d left me here to wrap up the install. He’d handled the actual security system, but I’d finished up the cameras. That piece of things wasn’t difficult; it was just the sheer number of devices Shep had wanted put in.
The door to Rho’s house mocked me. I should’ve taken the burst pipe, even though I knew next to nothing about plumbing. I flipped my cell phone between two fingers, swinging it in circles.
The door opened, and Rho filled the entryway. I spat out a curse. Her brown hair was tamed into pigtail braids, but a few wisps flew free, needing to remind the rest of her hair of its wildness. She wore a tank top that hugged her curves in a way that told me she had no bra underneath. And those damned shorts. They looked like ones shemaybe slept in—soft, worn, and way too fucking short for someone battling temptation like me.
Rho arched a brow. “You gonna come in, or you just gonna stand there glaring at my door all night?”
