by Arianna Hart
“That’s the spirit.”
A few minutes later, the waitress set down a flaming drink between Mary Ellen and Faith. The glass was the size of a mixing bowl and had fruit floating in a red punch. Mary Ellen blew out the flames on the shot glass in the middle and downed the contents before Faith could do more than wrestle the overlong straw near her mouth.
“There, I saved you from accidentally drinking the rum. It was a sacrifice, but I’m a giver. Now drink up. Cheers.”
The rest of them raised their various glasses in a toast and laughed as Faith made a face at her first sip of the scorpion bowl.
Nadya sipped at her ginger ale as the conversation turned to pregnancies and babies.
“How about you, Faith? You’ve never really talked much about Piper’s dad. How hard was it for you to get pregnant?”
The drink must have gone straight to her head, because she blurted out, “Not hard at all. In fact, I got pregnant while I was on the pill. Of course, I didn’t know I was on the pill at the time.”
All conversation stopped. Faith felt the anger she’d buried creep in, so she took another long gulp of the drink. Once she got over the first slap of alcohol, it wasn’t really that bad.
“Come again?” Mary Ellen said, breaking the shocked silence. “How did you not know you were on the pill?”
“Now that’s a long, convoluted story.”
“Those are the best kind,” Peter said. “You have to tell us now. I’ll perish from curiosity if you don’t.”
“Don’t push. if Faith doesn’t want to share, it’s okay,” Ellie said.
“No, it’s fine. I haven’t told anyone the story, ever.” Faith took another swig for courage. “Matthew, Piper’s father, and I got married when I was really young. He told me we’d have plenty of time to start a family. He needed to get established at his firm, and we needed to go to all the social events and network. We couldn’t do that if I was pregnant or we had a newborn, so we waited. After a few more years, I pushed and pushed until he agreed we could try to start a family.”
Faith took another drink. A mixture of anger and shame warred within her. She’d been so stupid and naive. “I thought he was on board with the plan. Hell, we had sex like rabbits and he even started making me smoothies every morning, saying they were filled with vitamins and nutrients that would help me get pregnant. God, I was such an idiot.”
“I take it that wasn’t what he was giving you?” Ellie asked.
“After he died, I found a package of birth control pills in his briefcase. They were prescribed to one of the partners in his law firm. She must have gotten the prescription and given them to him to give to me.”
“But why? Who would do something like that?” Mary Ellen asked this time.
“He was screwing her behind my back. I found that out when I was watching videos on his phone.” Even with the copious amounts of liquid courage she’d drunk, she still couldn’t bring herself to go into detail about what was on that freaking video.
“Holy shit. I’d have dug up his grave, set his dead body on fire, and pissed on the ashes,” Mary Ellen said, slamming her fist on the table. “What a dick, and she’s no better. What did you do?”
“Do? I didn’t do anything. I was twenty-four and a widow. I was crushed and angry and overwhelmed, and then I found out I was pregnant.”
“But how?” Peter asked.
“I don’t know if they weren’t strong enough because they were mixed in with the smoothie or if it was because I was on antibiotics for bronchitis, but I got Piper, and she’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“And me. If she wasn’t around to keep Emily company, that child would have driven me over the edge years ago.”
“You said you wanted a girl this time,” Nadya teased.
“Yeah, I wanted a pink-dress-wearing, tea-party-playing, doll-carrying girl. Not one who gives her brothers a run for their money.”
“Just wait until she’s a teenager,” Peter said.
“I think I need another drink.”
Chapter Nine
Sam looked up from the sheet music he was working on when Sadie let out a warning bark. He’d been so involved with the song, he’d lost all track of time. What had alerted Sadie? A glance at the clock showed it was only ten o’clock. There was no way Faith could be back so soon.
Except, Sadie didn’t give that type of bark for no reason. That was her someone’s-coming bark. The fact that he’d learned to differentiate the massive dog’s barks was still surprising to him. Maybe when he got back to Malibu, he’d get himself a dog. Not one of those designer things Bridgette was always talking about, but a rescue dog or something.
But then he wasn’t in his house more than a handful of times a year, and he’d never see the dog, so what was the point?
Sadie barked again, more insistently this time, and started pawing at the door.
“Hold on, I’m coming.” He unstrapped his guitar and got up from the couch. He opened the door, and Sadie bolted out like a shot. He grabbed a flashlight and followed more slowly. If there was someone there, they were probably looking to rent a room or something. When they saw no one was home, they’d go away. So there really was no reason for him to go out there.
Then why was he still walking down the path to the main house? For all he knew, it could be a bear or mountain lion, or worse, some reporter who’d gotten wind of where he was and was looking for a scoop.
Sadie’s bark grew more menacing, and Sam picked up his pace. There was no car in the driveway, but there was a tiny flash of light, like a pen light, bobbing around in the living room. The dog was throwing herself at the back door and barking like crazy. Some bastard was in Faith’s house.
Breaking into a run, he burst through the back door and let Sadie inside. “Get him,” he shouted.
There was a crash as something fell to the floor, and he heard the pounding of footsteps. The front door slammed; seconds later, gravel pinged against the house as a car peeled out. Sadie was still barking and growling at the front door, her fur standing on end.
“It’s okay, girl. He’s gone now. Settle down.” Sam stepped back and flipped on the hall light. This wasn’t the same dog who’d lain at his feet while he played guitar and thumped her tail in time to his beat. The snarling, pacing creature in front of him was a protector, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit he’d think twice about bothering Faith if this hellhound came after him.
“Shh, girl, it’s okay. You did a good job, everyone’s safe.” He decided to leave Sadie alone and see what had crashed when they’d come into the house. Flicking on lights as he went, the house was as bright as daytime by the time he got to the living room.
He and Sadie had gotten to the house pretty quickly, so whoever had been in here hadn’t had time to do much of a search, but they’d tried. Faith’s desk drawers were yanked open and papers were on the floor. The throw rug was rumpled and a picture frame was in pieces on the floor. He bent down and picked the picture out of the broken glass. It was a much younger Piper and Sadie as a puppy. There was a tiny tear in the corner, but it was otherwise intact.
Shit, he should call the police and stop touching stuff. He was contaminating the crime scene. He watched CSI enough to know he wasn’t supposed to be tramping through the evidence.
Carefully backing up, he went into the kitchen and reached for the phone, then stopped. He didn’t know Faith’s cell number. It was programmed into his phone, which was sitting in a bowl of rice on the counter. Fuck. If he called 911, he’d have to give his name. Those calls were recorded. Someone could find out where he was and his peace would be shattered.
But damn it, someone had broken into Faith’s house. He wanted to go after the guy and rip his throat out. The least he could do was call the damn police. Sadie padded into the kitchen. She’d stopped growling, but her fur was still slightly bristled. It looked like he wasn’t the only one who wanted to go for someone’s throat.
He picked up the phone a
nd dialed 9-1-1before he could talk himself out of it.
“Hi, I’d like to report a break-in at Adam’s Hunting Lodge.”
…
“Did you get a look at the guy?” the officer asked Sam. He’d come through the woods on foot, so he suspected it was the lawyer’s husband who lived nearby. He’d introduced himself as J.T. McBride when he’d identified himself at the door.
“No. I only saw a little light through the window. By the time I let Sadie into the house, the guy knew I was coming. He bolted out the front door, and I never got a look at him.”
“Why were you out by the main house? Aren’t you staying in one of the cottages?”
“Yeah. I was in the cottage when Sadie started going nuts. I let her out and she ran straight to the house. She must have heard someone coming up the driveway or heard him in the house.”
“Good thing, or whoever it was would have found whatever they were looking for.”
“But what the fuck were they looking for?” Sam asked.
“Beats the hell out of me. I suppose he could have been looking for cash, but Faith’s laptop and tablet weren’t touched.”
Sadie let out a warning woof, and Sam heard the crunching of the driveway.
“That’s Grant, he’s on duty tonight and had to come from town. He’ll have the crime-scene kit. We’ll gather evidence and dust for fingerprints, but it’s a long shot.”
“Because he probably wore gloves?”
“If he was smart, yes, but because this is a bed and breakfast there’ll be dozens of fingerprints, which will all have to be evaluated. And that will only happen when the powers that be can find time to get around to a minor burglary here in Dale.”
“So the bastard is just going to get away with it. That pisses me off.”
“Welcome to my world. Don’t give up hope, though. He might have dropped something or left a clue while he was running away from Sadie here.”
“She was awesome. I’d have bolted, too. She was like something out of a King novel.”
“Good. I can’t say I haven’t worried a time or two about Faith and Piper being all alone out here. It’s good to know Sadie can and will protect them. I can get here pretty damn quickly if I need to, but having an attack dog on the spot is better.”
“If you believe Faith, Dale is a bastion of peace and tranquility. She doesn’t even lock her doors half the time.”
“No one does. It makes me nuts,” said the massive cop walking into the house. He was six and half feet tall, at least, and had shoulders like a linebacker. “I’m Grant Anderson. If you show me where to go, I’ll start processing the scene.” Sam could tell right off the bat he was ex-military just by the way he moved.
“Sam Castleton. It’s in the living room, right through here.”
“Got it.”
“Grant, have you heard from the ladies yet? I texted Nadya when I was on my way over here, but she didn’t respond.”
“Ellie called. Nadya’s driving Faith back. I imagine they’ll be here in an hour or so.”
“I’m gonna make a pot of coffee. Do you want some?” Sam asked.
“Thanks, we’ll be here a while processing the scene.”
“Once you’re done in there, I want to clean it up before Faith comes back. Seeing her living room all torn up would upset her.” The thought of Faith upset caused a terrible anger to stir in his gut. He wanted to protect her from every possible hurt.
“That may have to wait. We’re going to need her to identify if anything is missing,” J.T. answered.
“Shit. The first time she goes out in ages, and she has to come home to this.”
J.T. followed Sam into the kitchen and sat at the counter. It infuriated him that someone would break into the house. What if Piper had been here? She’d have been scared to death. Sadie nudged his leg as he reached for the coffee can. Without thinking, he grabbed a treat out of the canister on the counter and gave it to her. “Good girl, you deserve a treat.”
“You seem to know your way around Faith’s kitchen pretty well for a renter,” J.T. said, eyeing him from his seat.
“You got a problem with that?” He felt his shoulders tense defensively and forced himself to relax.
“That depends. Nadya told me who you are. As long as you don’t do anything to hurt Faith, I don’t have a problem with you making yourself at home.”
“I’d never do anything to hurt Faith.”
“Maybe not on purpose, but she’s not as tough as she looks.”
“Like hell she’s not. She works harder than ten men. She cooks, cleans, does home repair, and still has time to take care of her daughter. She’s tough as nails.”
“Only because she has to be. It hasn’t been easy for her getting this business up and making a profit. Until a few years ago, Dale wasn’t exactly thriving. We’re doing all right now, but Faith has had to work for everything.”
“And you think I’m going to fuck that up?”
“Not necessarily, but it hasn’t escaped my notice that she’s a good-looking woman. A guy out here all alone for a couple months might get a little lonely and see Faith as an easy target. I’m just letting you know she has her protectors.”
“And we carry guns,” Grant said from the doorway.
“I’m no threat.”
“Good, ’cause I was at the USO concert you did in Fenty, Afghanistan, and it fucking rocked. I’d hate to have to kick your ass after you made a really shitty time bearable.”
“Thank you for your service,” he said. What the hell else could he say when the guy thanked him and threatened him in the same breath? “How did you recognize me?”
“It didn’t click for me right off, but I never forget a face. Your hair is different, but you move the same way.”
Sam laughed a little ruefully. “I pegged you as military when you walked in, just from the way you move.”
“You serve?” J.T. asked.
“No fucking way, but my dad was a drill sergeant, and I grew up on military bases. I know the signs.”
“Damn, and I thought I had it tough being a preacher’s kid. Please tell me your dad didn’t march you around and make you do push-ups.”
“No can do.”
“No wonder you have so many songs about fighting against authority,” Grant said, accepting a mug of coffee.
“So what are you doing in Dale? Nadya said you were trying to get away, but Dale?”
“It’s the last place anyone would look for me,” Sam said with a shrug.
“You got that right,” Grant said. “So I gotta ask, were you really dating Bridgette?”
“Unfortunately.”
“What are you talking about? She’s fucking gorgeous.”
“And bat-shit crazy. I think all the hair products seeped into her brain and made her nuts.”
“It just goes to show, no matter how hot a woman is—”
“Some guy, somewhere is sick of her shit,” J.T. finished Grant’s sentence.
“I’m glad I finally listened to my mom and got my head out of my ass soon enough to marry Ellie.”
“Before she came to her senses?” J.T. jabbed.
“Yup.”
Sam leaned back onto the counter and listened while the two cops busted on each other. This had to be the weirdest night he could remember. He’d gone from writing a song, to stopping a burglary, to getting threatened by cops, to sitting around shooting the shit with them. Hopefully, Faith had had a better time before her night got interrupted.
…
Faith barely waited for Nadya to stop the car before she burst out and ran to the back door. Her high heel caught in the gravel, and she twisted her ankle. Limping onward, she hobbled up the steps and into the house. Her heart raced a thousand miles a minute and her breath pumped in and out like a freight train.
What if she’d been home? What if Piper had been home? What on earth could someone have wanted in her house?
“Sam?” she called out as soon as she cleared the back do
or.
“Right here, babe.”
He strode out from the kitchen, all tall and strong with a concerned expression on his face, and the tears she’d been holding back the entire ride home from Canton let loose.
“Shh, it’s okay. Piper wasn’t here, and nothing was taken. Your attack bear made sure of that.”
His arms wrapped around her and pulled her into his chest. How had he known exactly what worried her most? Things could be replaced. Her daughter’s safety was more important than anything she had in the house.
Vaguely, she realized Nadya had come inside and was talking to J.T. and Grant, but she didn’t care. Being held by Sam, feeling his arms around her and his hand stroking her hair, was what she needed, and everyone else could go hang.
The storm of weeping eventually wore itself out, and she lifted her head from Sam’s chest. “Oh dear, I left a huge spot on your shirt.”
“It’ll dry. Besides, I know how to wash it if I have to. Come on into the kitchen, I made some coffee.”
“Thanks.” She took a step and wobbled as pain shot up her leg.
“What’s wrong?” Sam clutched her arms, steading her.
“I twisted my ankle running up the drive like an idiot. I should know better than to run in heels when I can barely walk in them.”
“You need to get off your feet. I’ll get some ice.”
“It’s just twisted, it’ll be fine. I need to talk to J.T. and see if anything is missing.”
“He can talk to you in the kitchen, and tomorrow will be soon enough to inventory everything.”
“But”
“But nothing. You can go into the kitchen under your own steam, or I can carry you. Take your pick.”
He’d do it, too. That would be so embarrassing. Like getting caught bawling all over him wasn’t embarrassing enough. “I need to wash up. I probably look a fright with all my makeup running.”
“You look beautiful. Come on, off that foot.”
Faith kicked off her shoes and gingerly put weight on her foot. It wasn’t that bad. She could make it into the kitchen. Some ice and ibuprofen, and she’d be right as rain in no time.
But her house wouldn’t be. She only caught a glimpse of the living room before Sam blocked her view, but it looked like a hurricane had gone through it. Black dust coated every surface, and papers were scattered everywhere.
