At the mention of show, Harper kind of felt bad, since both projects would’ve made great content for her cousin’s video channel, content that Sadie had been encouraging her to consider.
That gave new meaning to “putting herself out there”. It definitely wasn’t something she was comfortable with at the moment, if ever. But her cousin had been so helpful, and letting her stay rent-free in the garage apartment was amazing, so she was seriously considering allowing Sadie to record her working on Sam’s wall.
Right now, though, she was happy to enjoy her secluded time on Cas’ ranch.
Unable to help herself, she carefully brushed her fingers over the rough surface of the door. She loved working with wood. “So, what’s the plan with this headboard? Are we going for a natural look, or do you want to retain some of the color?”
Cas thought for a moment, tilting his head as he examined the door. “Since the wall is a combination of lighter and darker wood, let’s retain some of the color.”
“The contrast with the wall will look amazing.” She smiled, appreciating his eye for detail.
They set to work, side by side, sanding the door just enough to rid the wood of any loose paint. As they worked, Harper found herself stealing glances at Cas—at the way his muscles flexed with each stroke, at the concentration etched on his face. It was hard not to admire the easy confidence he brought to everything he did, and more than once, she found herself lost in thought, imagining what it would be like if this were a more permanent arrangement.
It was a scary thought, but one she’d entertained more often than not over the past few days. Being with him made her happy, and happy had been missing from her life for a long, long time.
“Penny for your thoughts?” he asked, dipping down to catch her gaze.
Harper shrugged, and a playful smirk tugged at her lips. “Just thinking about how much I love being here. It’s been a busy few days, but I don’t think I’ve felt this relaxed in, well…in years.”
Cas’s smile widened and his gaze softened. “It’s been nice having you around.”
Warmth spread through her chest and remained there as they worked in comfortable silence for a while, the sound of sandpaper against wood filling the air, punctuated by the occasional laugh or shared glance. It felt so natural, like they were in sync without even trying.
As the morning wore on, they took a break, sitting on the porch steps with glasses of cold lemonade. Harper leaned against Cas, her shoulder brushing his, and he slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her a little closer. They sat like that for a while, enjoying the view of the horses grazing in the rolling pastures and the soft breeze that rustled the nearby trees.
“I could get used to this,” Harper murmured, her head resting on Cas’s shoulder.
“Yeah,” he agreed, his voice low and content. “Me too.”
The unmistakable sound of an engine, along with the sound of tires on dirt, ended their quiet moment. Harper sat straight and watched Dale’s truck coming down the driveway toward them. A second later, he and Cooper climbed out of the truck.
“Hey, lovebirds,” Dale said, a teasing grin on his face as he approached with a familiar pink box in his hands. “We won’t stay long. We’ve got some updates for you but didn’t call becausethe Champion twins insisted you two needed some apple-cider muffins in your life.”
She smiled. “They’re not wrong.”
Cas grasped her hand and brought them both to their feet before the guys reached them. “Smart women.”
Cooper nodded. “Except for choosing Dean and RJ, that is.”
They all laughed.
She tugged her hand free to take the offered box of goodies from Dale. “Would you guys like some?”
Both men shook their heads, so she set the box on the porch near the two half empty glasses of lemonade before turning back to face them.
“What have you discovered?” Caspian asked the men, while reaching for her hand again.
A mix of anticipation and nerves swirled in Harper’s chest, wondering what the latest news might bring.
“We went through the envelope again, and unfortunately, there’s not much more to go on,” Dale began, his expression serious but not overly concerned. “Cameras didn’t pick up anything useful. Whoever left it knew exactly where to stand to avoid detection.”
Frustration bubbled up inside her. “So, we’re back to square one?”
“Not entirely,” Cooper chimed in, holding up a folder. “We did some digging into the prominent families you mentioned. Turns out, they all had stakes in the land around the old church, but their involvement seemed more about property disputes than anything directly tied to the fire.”
Cas nodded thoughtfully, taking the folder from Cooper. “So, no obvious connections to Mary or any ongoing motive?”
Cooper shook his head. “Not that we’ve found. But we’ll keep looking.”
