“And I’ll make sure all sheep are out of this section and stay close by. I don’t want to leave Bonnie and Gunner here by themselves.”
“Sounds good.” Cabe slipped his glove back on. “I’ll let you know when I’m back. Barring anything unexpected, we can have this repaired before nightfall.”
With a plan in place, the men went their separate ways.
Jace checked on the rest of the sheep. It didn’t look like any were missing. A blessing considering that,had the fence been cut in a different pasture, things could’ve been much worse.
But why would someone cut the fencing if they hadn’t intended to steal some of the sheep?
He was still contemplating different scenarios when he got back to the house. He noted the door was unlocked like normal and frowned. For the first time since they’d moved to the ranch, he wondered whether that was the best thing to do.
“Bonnie?”
When there was no answer, he headed upstairs. He was halfway there when he heard Gunner’s happy squeal and Bonnie’s voice drifting toward him. It was only then that he realized how important it was that he needed to know they were safe—both of them.
He found them in Gunner’s room building a raceway out of blocks. Bonnie sat on the floor with him, a smile on her face as the boy steered a car haphazardly through the racecourse.
She lifted her eyes and her gaze met Jace’s. Her smile fell as she got to her feet. “Is everything okay?”
“Look, Daddy!” Gunner shoved a race car, causing it to crash into the railing of the track and careen out of control.
“Great job, buddy! You’ve got an awesome racetrack there.” He smiled at his son before turning his attention back to Bonnie. “Someone intentionally damaged a large section of fencing. It doesn’t look like we lost any sheep, but I don’t know why someone would do this otherwise.” He paused. “I’d prefer it if you’d lock the doors here when I’m gone. And I recommend you keep your apartment–-and the garage door–-locked as well.”
Bonnie ran her fingers through her hair, her lips pursed. “Well, that’s not creepy at all.” She folded her arms tightly in front of her. “Can you fix the fence?”
“Yes, Cabe and I will get Brady and Elvin to help. Hopefully, we can get it repaired before it’s too dark to work. But it’s going to take us well into the evening.” He told her the location of the fencing in case she needed to reach them. “Don’t hesitate to call if anything comes up.”
Gunner tried to run by. Jace scooped him up for a hug before setting him back down again.
“Jace? Should we be worried someone is still on the property?”
Her obvious trust in him didn’t go unnoticed. “There’s every reason to think this was something random and whoever did it is far away from here now. But I’d still like to be temporarily cautious anyway.”
The instinct to reach out and squeeze her hand took him by surprise. He’d originally balked at the idea of Bonnie living nearby for this reason, and his worry that he might not be able to keep his personal and private life separate seemed a valid one.
Right now, though, standing in the room with both Gunner and Bonnie, he was okay with the way things were. Because in this moment, he knew they were safe, and he was close enough to keep it that way.
“Noel should be here between five-thirty and six. But if you wouldn’t mind sticking around, I’ll make sure you get home okay tonight. I’ll pay you time and a half.”
A small smile graced her lips as she took a step closer. “No need. I’d enjoy the chance to visit with your sister. Honestly, sometimes the evenings drag out a bit.” She shrugged. “It will be a welcome change.”
“I’m glad.” He smiled at her. “Okay, I’d betterget back out there.”
Bonnie called Gunner over and reached for his hand. “Come on, big guy. Let’s walk your daddy downstairs and then lock the door behind him.”
She and Gunner went downstairs ahead of him. Jace grinned as Gunner tried to jump down two steps at a time while Bonnie gripped his hand to keep him from stumbling.
He gave Gunner a hug and kiss. “Be good for Miss Bonnie. I’m going to try real hard to be back before you go to bed.”
Gunner put his little arms around Jace’s neck and squeezed tight.
Jace set him down and gave Bonnie one last smile. “Thank you.”
With that, he waved and headed back out again.
The thought of coming home tonight to find Bonnie still in his house appealed to Jace way more than it should.
* * *
