“She was trying to stir up shit between us the day before you left.”
He turns my face and wipes the tears drying on my cheeks. “I’m sorry, peach.”
Thinking back to the rodeo, I remember how angry Kira was. “Kira was at the rodeo too. She gave me the finger.”
Sheriff jots that down. “Kira was the blonde I escorted out of your condo earlier this month, correct?” After Mav nods, Reynolds turns to me. “What about your employees, Baylee? Do you have anyone who fixates on the baby or spends more time with him?”
“I mean, Vera helps me with him all the time, but she’d never do anything like this. Rory helps out too, but they’re both amazing.”
His brows disappear under the brim of his hat. “Sometimes it’s the quiet ones.”
No way would either of them snatch Leo. But before I can say anything, he taps his pen. “What about Leo’s father? I looked into him before when your salon was vandalized, but the kid has a clean record.”
“I don’t think Sean would do this. He and I are getting along better. I called and left him a message that Leo was missing. He hasn’t called me back, though.”
After I give the sheriff Sean’s information, he pulls out his walkie-talkie and talks into it. “This is Sheriff Reynolds. I need a cruiser to bring in Kira Stafford and Sean Cooper to the station.” Then he turns to me. “Where do things stand with custody of Leo?”
“Sean and I are figuring things out as we go, but things aren’tcontentious anymore. In fact, he offered to let me move in with him a few days ago, but I declined.”
The sheriff looks back and forth between me and Maverick and then writes more notes. “How did Leo’s father handle the rejection?”
“It wasn’t a rejection. He wasn’t inviting me to live with him like a girlfriend. He just wanted to be closer to Leo and thought this would be helpful.”
Maverick motions to the whiteboard. “Can we write a list of everything this asshole has done to you? I’m wondering if a timeline could help us narrow down who it might be.”
Paige wipes my board. “Maybe we can figure out what’s triggering this person.”
The sheriff flips over to a new page in his notepad. “That might be helpful.”
It’s better than sitting here feeling helpless. I get out the calendar app on my phone to remember. “My tires got slashed a few days after Maverick got drafted. Then my plate-glass window got smashed last summer.”
After she jots those two incidents on the whiteboard, Paige glances at Mav. “The window happened right after your going-away party.”
He frowns. “Do you think I’m triggering this person somehow?”
“I didn’t go to that party,” I note as I scroll through my calendar.
Paige grabs her phone and pulls up Maverick’s Instagram. “But two days after, he posted a photo of the two of you when you were kids.” She hands me her phone. On the screen are two filthy kids who were rolling around in the mud, but we’re smiling like fools. It’s one of my mom’s favorite pics. I’m pretty sure I was already in love with him then.
“It’s probably a coincidence. Nobody knew Maverick wasback when my house got vandalized.” I pause and think back. “Actually, Caroline Green recognized your order. Not that I think she pulled up her support hose and nabbed my baby, but she’s certainly a gossip.”
Paige nods. “What about when someone threw trash all over the salon? By then, people had seen the two of you out and about, right?”
I sigh. “It was the day after Mav had hisTop Gunmoment at the Saloon.”
Sheriff taps his notepad. “Certainly seems like your relationship with Maverick might be what’s bothering this person. Can we go back to when your tires were slashed? Wasn’t half the town at the ranch for the draft, Maverick?”
“Yes, sir. Tons of people. But I’m not sure why Baylee would catch anyone’s attention.”
Paige’s eyes widen. “She was sitting next to you when New York called your name. You hugged her first. It was televised.” She glances at me. “I bet this person is jealous.”
“But he kissed Kira a minute later. I agree she might be behind this, but why would she be jealous enough to slash my tires when she got the VIP treatment?” Mav winces, but I don’t care about his past anymore. I just want my baby back.
Paige jots down that Kira attended the draft party. “It still could’ve bothered her.”
I frown. “And the poop gift? Why bother? Maverick had already left that morning. We had… we had broken up.” Even now, I have trouble saying the words.
“Maybe this person didn’t know that.”
