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H olden’s fingers were tight around the wheel of his truck.

A running club. She was joining a fucking running club. Why? She wasn’t a runner. Sure, she’d started jogging about a month ago, but that was different. That was her going at her own pace and her own distance.

He should mind his own business. But he couldn’t. Clara was his best friend’s little sister. He cared about her. And yeah, he saw it as his responsibility to make sure she was okay.

He pulled up in front of his first appointment of the day—quoting cabinetry for a new kitchen install. He needed to get his fucking head on straight.

Not that he was desperate for the job. Since moving to Amber Ridge, he’d had plenty of work. So much that he’d had to turn jobs down. He did everything from built-in cabinetry to wooden tray tables, and it seemed that stuff was in high demand in Amber Ridge.

Which was great for him. Because working with wood was what he was good at. And he fucking loved it.

He was about to get out when his phone rang, Jesse’s name flashing on the screen.

He answered on the second ring. “Hey, Jess.”

“Holden. I haven’t seen you in a few weeks. Just checking in.”

“Sorry about that. I just finished a big job for Jonny Miller on Fifth. New closets for his bedroom.”

“My best friend’s too busy for me?”

He chuckled. “Says the town sheriff.”

“Yeah, well, things have been quiet since the fire in the mountains, and I’m holding out for everything staying that way.”

Holden’s fingers tightened on the cell. Jesse’s brother Becket’s woman had almost died in that fire. And Becket had almost died trying to save her. Thank God, the person responsible was locked away now.

“It’s always quiet until it’s not. I’m sure you’re ready for anything to come though.” He tapped his fingers on the wheel, his mind going back to Clara. He shouldn’t say anything, but when did he do anything he was supposed to do? “Did you know your sister’s joining a running club?”

There was a short pause. “Since when?”

“Since her roommate asked her this morning.”

“Her roommate? They’re not friends. They don’t even talk.”

“Well, that changed this morning.” He paused, watching the trees outside the car without really focusing on them. “She’ll be okay, right?”

“Unfortunately, even if I thought she wouldn’t be, she wouldn’t listen to me.”

She wouldn’t listen to Holden either. The only people she seemed to listen to were her mother and cousin. All the men in her life had been labeled as overprotective…and yeah, that was usually accurate.

“Do you know when and where it is?” Jesse asked.

“No. I could ask.” But he was almost certain he knew what response he’d get…and it wasn’t what he wanted.

Jesse laughed, because yeah, he was thinking the same thing. “Let me know how that goes.”

He undid his seat belt. “I should get on to this quote. I’ll catch you later.”

“Have a good one, Holden.”

He climbed out of his truck, his fingers twitching to send the text. She wouldn’t like it, and he was ninety-nine percent certain she wouldn’t give him the information.

He sent the text anyway.

Holden: When and where is this running club?

The three dots popped up immediately.

Clara: No.

Holden: No what?

Clara: I am not telling you the details so you can show up and babysit me.

Holden: I wouldn’t be babysitting you. I’d be running with you.

Clara: No.

Goddammit. Why did she have to be so stubborn?

Most of the time she was sweet and calm and, hell, she even got nervous around him. But the second she thought he was being overprotective, she got her back up.

He grabbed his toolbox from the back of his truck and crossed to the front door of the modern home. It had clean lines and a minimalistic design in contrast to the rustic charm of the surrounding homes. An exterior of smooth concrete and dark steel accents with large panels of glass.

He knocked on the wood and a second later, a woman opened the door. She had big blonde curls and wore a tight pencil skirt.

A smile immediately crossed her face. “Hi. Holden?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m here to quote your kitchen cabinetry.”

“Just Briar. Ma’am makes me feel old. Come in. I’m sorry if I look surprised. I was expecting to see some old guy with a potbelly.”

He stepped into the house. There was a staircase with frameless glass railings in front of him and molding on the walls. “Nice place.”

“Thank you. I got it in my recent divorce.” She led him down the hall to a sleek kitchen. The counters were topped with cool concrete, and the cabinets were painted black.

“This is the kitchen you want to renovate?” He ran his fingers over the countertop. Who the hell would rip this out?

“Yep. New divorce, new me.”

It would be a crime to remove this.

Briar crossed her arms over her chest. “I really hope you’re not going to tell me you can’t do it. I’ve already had a dreadful morning at Sassy Stems. God, even the name of the store annoys me.”

It seemed everyone had been to the florist that morning. “It’s your kitchen, so you can do what you want with it.”

“Good. Floor plan can stay the same. I just want white shaker cabinetry with rose gold hardware and the marble countertops.”

“I can do the cabinetry, the demolition, and installation. You’ll need to be the one to order in countertops though. I don’t deal in marble or quartz.”

Annoyance flickered on her face. “Fine.”

Holden got out his tape measure and phone to start taking measurements.

Briar watched him move around her kitchen. “So…you’re new in town?”

“Kind of. Moved here less than a year ago.”

“Why’d you move here?”

“Jesse, the town sheriff, is my best friend. We served together. And his family’s like my family.” He sure as hell had no one else.

“Friends in high places. I like it. I’ve seen your friend a bit at the hospital when he comes in for sheriff stuff.”

“You work at the hospital?”

“I do. I’m a nurse.”

He nodded as he measured. “That would be a busy job.”

“It is. Stressful too. Exactly why I wanted those irises for my work desk. Damn Mildred.”

Holden frowned. “Irises?”

“Yeah. The woman ordered me the wrong color, then had the gall to tell me they were deep blue when they clearly weren’t.”

Okay, that couldn’t be a coincidence. “So you left them.”

“Of course I did. I told Mildred what I thought too.”

And then Clara had bought them. Of course she had. She was the most empathetic person he knew, and she’d probably felt bad for Mildred, not just because Briar hadn’t bought the flowers, but because of the way the woman had no doubt spoken to the older shop owner.

Briar’s phone rang and she huffed before answering it. “Yes?”

Jesus, this woman wasn’t exactly sunshine and roses.

“No,” she said firmly. “The run starts at six sharp. If he’s late, he misses it.”

Holden’s ears perked up.

She hung up and shook her head. “It’s wild to me that one person thinks they can inconvenience an entire group of people. Consideration is well and truly dead.”

She couldn’t be talking about the same running club Clara had just told him about? Of course she could. That’s how small Amber Ridge was.

“Was that about a running club?”

Her frown shifted into a smile. “Yes. We’re called Pulse Pounders. My idea. A few of us from the hospital started the initiative. Mostly me.”

“Are there other running clubs in Amber Ridge?”

“Nope. Exactly why we—I—started the club. I like to help. It’s just who I am.”

Surprising. This woman didn’t have a do-gooder vibe, but then, he didn’t really know her. “Can anyone join?”

“Of course. It’s for the community.” Her brows lifted. “Wait, you want to join?”

“When and where is it?”

“Thursday and Sunday mornings at six a.m. sharp. We meet in the center of town on the grassy area.”

Clara would hate it if he showed up. But it would put his mind at ease. And if she needed to rest, he could rest with her. Hell, he could carry her back to her car if needed.

Chronic fatigue was something she’d suffered from since the chemo. When she pushed herself too hard, she was susceptible to passing out. Just a few weeks ago, she’d just about passed out at Jesse’s house.

“Yeah, I think I’ll join,” he finally said.

Briar’s smile widened. “Great. Well, I guess I’ll see you there.”

“I guess you will.”

Over the next twenty minutes, he took the last of the measurements and finished his sketch.

He also took some photos and asked Briar a couple more questions about what she wanted.

He still wasn’t sure about this whole ripping-out-a-perfectly-good-kitchen thing, but if there was anything he’d learned about woodworking, it was that people often requested jobs that weren’t to his taste, and that was okay, because it wasn’t for him.

He lifted his tools. “All right. I’ve got everything I need. I’ll go home, draw up some plans, and send you a quote within the next week.”

She nodded. “Sounds good.”

He’d just gotten into his truck when his phone dinged with a text.

Jesse: My sister will hate me for this, but I think you’re right. One of us should join this running club…just to be safe.

Holden: I’m a step ahead of you, brother. I’ve got the details. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Jesse: This is why I like you.

He put his phone in the middle console and started the truck.

He was probably overthinking this entire thing. But maybe Briar having the information about the run was a sign. Like the universe was agreeing that he should go…even if it was the last thing Clara wanted.