After I’ve made sure the windows are all locked, I head out, locking the door and double-checking the cameras.
Rhett waves at me from his seat in the small garden. “Mornin’, Ryder!” he hollers.
“Morning, Rhett,” I say, tossing the burrito at our new biker friend. I’d thought what they’d offered to do for us was nothing more than an empty, drunken promise, but Sunday morning, we woke up to a call from Ezekiel. Zeke was absolutely miffed about not knowing about Lola’s new security detail, demanding to run background checks on men he’s known for two years now.
“I’ll keep an eye on things ‘round here,” he assures me, unwrapping the burrito and taking a bite, returning to reading the book of the month.
“Thanks, Rhett. What y’all have been doin’ for us means more than I could express. Truly, let me know if you need anything,” I tell him, tipping my hat and climbing inside my truck.
I do my best to keep my mind clear, finishing the backend admin duties as quickly as possible before spending a few hours at the greenhouse.
If this takes off, I’ll need to start creating much larger batches, but I already have a plan for that. My hope was always to be able to sustain my community single-handedly if needed, which has come with a lot of preparation on my part. That doesn’t make it any less overwhelming though.
In between getting things done, I spend a hell of a lot of time answering calls from people in the community reporting suspicious activity from Lemmon. Most of it seems to be false alarms, with everyone being abundantly cautious on our behalf. Still, more than a few people mentioned seeing her driving out of town in a vehicle they didn’t recognize, driven by a man wearing a black hoodie over his face. Then, Betsy mentioned his side profile reminded her of Zeke, and my mind ran wild.
Chapter Sixty
TURNING THE PAGE
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25
Ryder’s been gonethe better part of the morning, and with Mayte working on an event, I figure I can keep Rhett some company.
I slip a pair of flip-flops on and crack the door open, peering outside and spotting Rhett seated on the wrought iron bench in the small garden. It’s overflowing with vibrant wildflowers in various shades of purples, pinks, and blues. There’s a blue jay perched on the fencepost nearest to the garden, chirping, clucking, and whirring its liquid notes in a whisper-song that fills the crisp air.
Rhett peers up over his book as I step out onto the wraparound porch, dressed in another one of Ryder’s t-shirts, this one a worn-out band tee that feels thin and soft against my freshly waxed skin. My leggings protect me from the bite in the air from the unseasonably cool weather in early June in Oklahoma. I find myself wrapping my arms around my upper body.
“Hey, Rhett. Mind if I join you for a bit?”
“Not at all, Miss Lola. Come on over and grab a seat,” he tells me, patting the space beside him as he leans back, anklescrossed. His feet rest on a small ceramic table Ryder, Mayte, Ezekiel, and I helped Harlan glue colorful pieces of glass to as an anniversary gift for Bee. Gifts we helped make litter the entire property, much of itMami’sfault, given her affinity for arts and crafts.
I plop down beside him, stretching my sore limbs after another night spent worrying someone is trying to kill me by any means necessary. If you’d have asked me a month ago, I’d have said Lemmon was behind it all. She's like a small dog: all bark and no bite. But now? I’m not fully convinced of anything other than the fact that whoever's behind it is out for blood, and the thought sends a tendril of fear skirting down my back.
“Now, I know you said you weren’t sure if you’d be able to commit to our monthly book club or not, but I’m prepared to convince you,” he says with a wide grin that crinkles the sun-tanned, freckled skin at the edges of his eyes.
Rhett is a sweet man in his late thirties who opened up to me about his friendship with the other guys. On Monday, when he took his first shift here, he’d kept me company while I worried about what the insurance appraiser would find at the barn. The electric needs to be stripped, a new roof has to be installed, and everything is covered in soot and soggy from the water used to contain the fire, but it could be worse.
Rhett made sure I had my mind on anything but that fire, telling me all about his friendship with the guys in the Ryde or Dye book club.
Levi lost his wife to cancer a couple of years ago. Teddy had been struggling with addiction, which ended his marriage and took his right to see his children. Wyatt has been healing from a long history of depression, and his brother, Callaway, quit his job to support his brother on his self-growth journey. And Rhett, well… He’s never been able to move on after “the one who got away” left a few years ago. All the men are open about their experiences, and he assured me they wouldn’t mind me knowing what led them all to Hidden Valley. Rhett said Ryder and I have brought him and his friends a lot of hope for the future, and that makes me more gleeful than it has any right to.
To think, our complicated, messy, and sometimes downright terrifying love story could give way to so much hope. It’s like a little miracle.
“Well, I am ready to be convinced,” I say, placing my hands in my lap and turning my full attention to the gentle giant before me. His blue eyes twinkle, and he spends the next hour relaying the highlights of his favorite books from book club before giving me a synopsis of the current book of the month.
“So the FMC has ADHD, but she won’t medicate because she’s nursing?”
“Yeah, basically. I mean, it’s a lot more complex than that, but I don’t want to ruin it for you. She also does this thing I find hysterical, where she avoids having deep conversations with the MMC…”
“And the MMC used to work on the ranch but left after a one-night stand with the FMC where she wound up pregnant with his baby?”
“Yes! Can you imagine?” Rhett asks, tugging on the ends of his red beard.
Actually, I can imagine, considering that’s precisely what happened with Mayte. Maybe she should skip this month's book club.
“Uh, sounds wild,” I say instead, because unlike Rhett and his friends, we haven’t spoken about whether or not it’s okay to air my best friend’s dirty laundry to these men, even if Rhett seems totally harmless and is doing me and Ryder a huge favor by being here.
Speaking of the handsome devil, Ryder pulls up in his truck, the exhaust burning my nose as he cuts the engine. “Hey, y’all. Reading anything good?” He chuckles, but the sound doesn’t curl around me with warmth it usually would, and thefeeling has me worried.
