Page 8 of Mystery at Rescue Ridge (Rescue Ridge #5)

O wen crouched low and listened. Crickets chirped. There was a slight breeze. Evie had seen the shadow of a man pass the window. There was no sign of the intruder yet.

Turning on his phone’s flashlight wasn’t an option unless Owen wanted to be caught off guard for the second time in a matter of a few weeks.

Being jumped when he hadn’t been ready had landed him in a barn, hands and feet bound.

He’d been mistaken for his twin brother, Archer, who was meant to be used as bait to bring Analee Copeland, a woman from Archer’s past, out of hiding.

Analee had evidence that could lock a criminal away for the rest of his life.

A stress knot formed in Owen’s chest just thinking about the events.

So, no, he wouldn’t risk a repeat. Besides, the element of surprise was on his side this time.

Had the intruder realized Owen was there? Had the man been spooked?

Owen’s vehicle sat parked next to Evie’s. His presence shouldn’t be a shock to the person. Was the intruder scoping the place out? Checking out Owen? The knot tightened. Was he trying to size Owen up? Or wait until he left to strike?

Three lightning bolts shot in different directions across the sky, lighting up ominous rolling gray clouds. A storm was brewing.

He dropped his gaze to the ground to check for those size eleven tracks. If the clouds were any indication of how bad the storm would get, and they always were the best predictors, this one was going to be a doozy.

On the corner of the house between the side and front yards, there were no tracks. At least he knew what to look for.

After circling the home twice and ensuring both vehicles were locked, Owen figured the shadow was gone. He made his way around the perimeter of the yard area as well, finding nothing.

Making his way back toward the farmhouse, he checked for those shoe tracks. Underneath the kitchen window, he saw them. It was time to call his brother-in-law, Travis, the acting sheriff, and get his take on the situation.

Out here, he heard the wails coming from inside. The kids were awake. Would Evie hear him knock?

He moved outside the kids’ bedroom window and tapped out the secret knock on the pane.

A few seconds later, Evie opened the blinds enough to acknowledge him. The helpless look on her face struck a chord. Evie had always known what she wanted. She’d been strong enough to go after it. Holding a crying child, unable to soothe the babe, cut him to the quick.

He met her at the front door. She twisted the lock, and then the door opened. Aware that the intruder could be out there watching from a distance, no matter how careful Owen had been, he slipped inside and immediately locked the door behind him.

The storm kicked up a few notches as thunder rolled, the noise so loud, it covered the sound of a crying kiddo. At least the electricity was on.

“I don’t know what to do,” she said, desperation in her gaze.

He had no idea how to handle a crying kid. “Do you want me to try?”

An exasperated Evie nodded. “Can you hold her while I make a bottle?”

“I’ll do my best.” The exchange was awkward. The red-faced little girl reached for her aunt as she practically vibrated while belting out another cry. “Change of plans. Tell me what to do to make a bottle.” He couldn’t hand the kiddo over fast enough.

The little girl buried her face in Evie’s shoulder, muffling some of the sounds. The boy stayed in his room and had quieted down.

“All you need to do is grab a bottle from the rack and fill it with warm milk.” She motioned toward the drying rack as she patted Olivia’s back. The child’s cries softened to a whimper with the occasional hiccup. Some of the tension in Evie’s face eased, muscles relaxed.

His heart went out to Olivia. The kid’s world had been turned upside-down with the loss of her mother.

By Evie’s admission, she hadn’t visited the kids often, which would essentially make her a stranger.

And now, Olivia was being cared for by a person she didn’t know.

He had no idea how smart little tykes were, and yet he figured they had to have instincts.

There was familiarity in Evie. Would a one-year-old know her aunt on instinct?

Would the sound of her voice be familiar?

He heated the milk in the microwave, using a glass measuring cup, and then poured it into the bottle and tested the temperature of the milk against the back of his hand. Not ten seconds after he finished and handed over the bottle, Olivia was quiet.

Evie released a long, slow breath like she’d been holding it the entire time.

“What kind of security precautions are there here?” he asked as they settled at the kitchen table.

“Other than this?” She raised the gun to show him. “None that I know of. In my Dallas apartment, I had one of those doorbell cameras. Here? I don’t think Simone expected to need actual security, and I’m sure the gun belongs to my brother-in-law.”

“No one did until recently,” he said.

“What does that mean?”

“It’s like Beaumont’s death conjured up criminal activity out of nowhere.” Where did he begin? “Kade’s new wife was targeted by a killer.”

Evie frowned as she set the weapon down. “Simone said there’s been trouble brewing in your family recently, but she didn’t elaborate.”

He probably shouldn’t take offense at the fact Evie hadn’t prodded her sister about his family, except he took it to mean she didn’t care what happened. Even though they didn’t talk anymore, he cared about Evie’s life.

“Then, the band manager for Chloe’s ex came after her for the ranch inheritance. The bastard hid his identity right up until he was caught.”

“Money can bring out the worst in folks,” Evie said.

He wouldn’t disagree there. “The family’s lawyer was murdered on our property, and it was made to look like Conrad was responsible.”

Evie’s jaw dropped. “You guys really have been through it, haven’t you?”

“You can say that again.” He retrieved his beer and then reclaimed his seat. “And then there was the situation with Archer.”

“What happened there?” she asked.

“I was mistaken for my brother by someone trying to draw Analee Copeland out of hiding.”

“Analee. That name is familiar. She went to school with us for a short time. I remember how awful the town was about her and her mother.”

He nodded. “One of those no-good boyfriends of her mother’s hatched a scheme to extort money from the family,” he said. “I got caught in the middle and banged up a little.”

“Owen, I’m so sorry.”

The way her name rolled off his tongue shouldn’t comfort him as much as it did. He shouldn’t like it as much as he did, either.

“Are you okay?”

“I survived,” he said.

“But are you okay?” The emphasis on the last word struck a chord. Everything had happened so fast that he hadn’t had time to put the events in perspective.

“I will be.” There was no other choice but to be okay. If Beaumont’s punishments had taught him anything, it was that he could survive a lot of physical punishment.

“Simone must not have realized everything going on with your family, or she would have told me.”

Would she have? Had Evie asked about him once? He doubted it.

“Speaking of which, now that the little one is calm, I should give Travis a heads-up about what’s going on here.” He caught her gaze, checking to see if she could handle more bad news. Either way, he had to tell her. “There are tracks outside that likely match those found in the woods.”

Evie compressed her lips into a frown. She bit down on her bottom lip—a cherry lip he had no business staring at. He forced his gaze away as he grabbed the cell he’d set on the table a few moments ago. He pulled up the contact and then tapped the screen to make the call. It rolled into voicemail.

Rain pelted the windows as winds gusted.

The little boy Luca came running into the room, rubbing his eyes.

He bolted straight into Owen’s legs. Owen swooped him up and sat the boy on his knee in half a second.

His quick reflexes, honed through years of work and sports, came in handy every once in a while.

Tonight was one of those nights. Speaking of which, Evie still hadn’t eaten dinner, and neither had he.

Both kids were awake. Outside, it seemed Mother Nature was about to throw a temper tantrum. And he had no idea what to do next.

Owen fired off a text after scooping up a toy for Luca. He gave a what-the-hell-do-we-do-next look to Evie. An idea seemed to be forming in her mind as her eyes lit up for a few seconds.

Olivia had polished off the milk. Was she about to unleash a storm in the house?

“Who wants to watch Dino Doo Doo ?” she asked.

Luca couldn’t have scooted off Owen’s lap fast enough. The kid made a beeline for the couch, dropping the toy and letting it crash onto the floor along the way. Olivia’s serious expression was replaced by a half-smile.

Taking care of kids was akin to walking a tightrope. If the balance shifted, hell broke loose faster than a tightrope walker free-falling.

Olivia settled on the couch beside her brother as Evie pulled a blanket over them. She located the remote and then clicked on the magical quiet-making show.

He’d been right about Evie making an amazing parent. It was almost too bad she’d sworn never to have kids of her own.

Evie returned to the table more exhausted than she’d ever been. “I’m sorry about tonight. Are you sure you don’t have anywhere else to be?”

“I’m good right here,” came the response.

She rolled her shoulders and exhaled. “Good. Because I have no idea how I would’ve survived tonight without you.”

“I haven’t done a very good job of taking care of you, have I?” Before she could respond, he added, “You haven’t eaten dinner and have to be starving at this point.”

“Food. Right. I should’ve offered some of that to you by now,” she said. “My hosting skills could use some help.”

“Mind if I check the fridge?”

“Only if you promise to make me one of your famous omelets.” She’d missed those.

While she was thinking about Owen, she missed a whole lot of things, which was precisely why she’d taken off and cut contact years ago.

The minute she’d realized how deeply she’d fallen for him, she’d known there would never be a time when she could undo it.

Contrary to popular belief, time didn’t heal all wounds.

You learned to live with the pain. You learned to keep going.

But the wounds didn’t magically heal. And that’s the way it would have been if she hadn’t gone away.

“Done.”

He stood up, and she forced her gaze away from his muscled back as he walked into the kitchen and toward the fridge. She joined him a few seconds later.

“You were asking about security earlier,” she said as he pulled ingredients from the fridge.

Ms. Bart had her uses. One big one was how well she stocked the food supplies.

Of course, there were pre-made dinners inside.

Unlike in Dallas, no magic apps made food appear at your door out here in the country.

Someone should come up with the idea, though.

Even Saddle Junction needed a little convenience.

“That’s right. We should talk about security,” he said as he continued pulling out items from the cabinets. The man worked the kitchen like a pro. Then again, it wasn’t hard to impress someone who relied on takeout or ordering in. She had all her favorite foods at the tips of her fingers.

Evie exhaled again, slower this time. Every time she focused on what she was giving up, her chest squeezed.

The thought of uprooting the kids and changing everything they knew so soon after losing their mother didn’t sit right.

If and when Evie decided to move them, she would know without a doubt it was the right decision for all three of them, and not just her.

Besides, she had no resources in Dallas.

As much as Ms. Bart was a huge pain in the butt, she was also a godsend when it came to the kids.

Ms. Bart was organized. She ran a tight ship.

She’d taught Evie how to change Olivia’s diapers and help Luca use the kid potty.

“What are you thinking I should do?” she asked Owen, shifting her thoughts back to security.

“For starters, I’m spending the night.” He said those words in such a nonchalant manner they almost slipped right on by without notice.

“I was talking about security systems and how long it might take to get one installed.” She stammered over the words because spending the night under the same roof with a man who caused her body to wake up in ways she had never experienced felt like a mistake.

Then again, she didn’t feel safe without someone here. It was too late to disturb Ms. Bart.

“Tell me to go, and I’ll sleep in my vehicle right outside your door,” he said. “Kick me off the property, and I’ll sleep on the side of the road. This situation has to be taken seriously.”

“I know,” she said. “You’re right, and I’m not discounting how much safer I feel with you here.

” She wanted to point out that having him here wasn’t sustainable over time.

One night got them through the next twenty-four hours, but what about after that?

“It’s good for the kids to have someone else to keep watch, too. ”

“So, what’s the problem then?” He shot a curious glance in her direction. It was the raised eyebrow and serious frown he’d always given when he thought he was about to hear something he didn’t want to.

You.