Sam’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Don’t you think you’re going a bit overboard worrying about your old man?”
Dale’s smile faded. “First off, you’re not old. Hell, you’ve got enough flowers in here to open a florist shop.” He waved at the bouquets that now spilled onto the windowsill. “We’ll circle back to that later. Second, I’m not just worried. Something’s off about your accident. Gabe and I were being watched while we were out in the field.”
His father’s expression grew serious. “You think it’s related to my fall?”
Dale nodded. “It’s possible. We’re not taking any chances.”
Sam frowned. “Then you better make sure Sadie doesn’t come over. I don’t want anything to happen to that girl.”
Neither did he.
Dale nodded. “I’m taking care of it. I promise. If anyone tries anything at the ranch, we’ll be ready.”
“I don’t doubt it,” his father said. “Hear from your brother?”
He shook his head. “I called the base earlier. They’re not back yet. I’ll keep trying.” He’d also tried the cell phone his brother had to leave on base too. Just in case. No answer, though.
“No, don’t worry about it. I don’t want you badgering him.”
Dale snorted. “Dad, I’m more worried about Cas’s reaction if Ididn’ttry to call him.”
Sam laughed. “True. He always was hot-headed.”
“Understatement of the year.” He smiled.
His father glanced at him, a twinkle in his eye. “So, I had an interesting visit from those bakery twins today. They brought me some amazing bear claws they know I like, and they told me you used to go to school with Sadie. They also told me she had a crush on you.”
Dale groaned but couldn’t help smiling. “One thing at a time, Dad. One thing at a time.”
It seemed as if all of Harland County was conspiring against him and his desire to keep the pretty woman at arm’s length.
He just hoped he had enough resolve to follow through.
Chapter Six
Mid-morning the next day, Sadie carefully positioned a thrifted glass vase on her makeshift worktable in the backyard, making sure the paint tent was securely in place. It was a beautiful, sunny day—perfect for a bit of outdoor crafting. She loved working on projects that transformed something plain into a piece of beauty. And today, she was filming it all for her online followers.
Setting up her camera on a tripod, she adjusted the angle to capture both her and the vase. She was in full crafting mode: hair up in a messy bun, old jeans, and a T-shirt that proudly proclaimed, “Messy bun, crafting fun.”
Smiling at the camera, she hit the record button.
“Hey, everyone! It’s Sadie here, back with another quick and easy upcycling project. Today, I’ve got this plain old glass vase I thrifted, and I’m going to give it a fresh new look with some textured spray paint. Perfect for making the glass vase appear to be made of stone.”
She held up the can of paint to show the brand and exact shade, then gave it a good shake. “Remember, always shake your spray paint can thoroughly before starting. We want that color to be uniform.”
As she started spraying the vase with smooth, even strokes, she continued talking to the camera, sharing tips about keeping the can at the right distance and making sure to apply thin layers. The paint began to transform the vase, the speckles in the paint prominent in the sunlight.
Sadie was in her element, chatting away to her viewers, when she suddenly noticed movement out of the corner of hereye. Glancing in that direction, she spotted Dale, along with a few of the ESI guys, across the yard at Sam’s house. They were busy installing what looked like a full security system—cameras, sensors, the works.
Leave it to a former SEAL to want his father’s place protected like Fort Knox.
Smiling, she watched them work. There was something about seeing Dale in action, even in a non-combat situation, that made her stomach do a little flip. He was focused, methodical, and incredibly good-looking.
The other guys weren’t too bad either.
“Who knew a security update could be so distracting?” she muttered to herself with a grin.
As if on cue, Dale glanced over and caught her eye. After a slight hesitation, he waved. She grinned and wiggled her fingers, deciding to have a bit of fun.
