I turned off the main gravel road and onto the steep incline of a lane I wasn’t sure even had a name. I knew for certain the post office didn’t deliver out here. Everly would have to come into town to get all of her mail. I was shocked she even had power.
The cabin appeared as I crested the last bit of the hill, the dilapidated house and barn, and past it, the shed. That familiar desire to tear it all down flared to life. I swallowed it down, just like every other emotion I didn’t want to look at too closely.
Everly straightened from where she was bent over the railing of the porch steps, sanding block in hand. I just had to hope she wouldn’t throw the thing at me. Bringing my truck to a stop, I turned off the engine. Koda let out a whine. “You can come. But only if you’re on your best behavior.”
My dog seemed to almost nod. Climbing out of the truck, I opened the door to the cab. “Heel, Koda.” But my damn dog didn’t listen for a second. He took off, tearing around the vehicle and making a beeline straight for Everly. I muttered a slew of curses. “He’s friendly, I swear.”
Koda was massive, and if you weren’t used to dogs, he could be intimidating as hell. But Everly didn’t miss a beat. She crouched, setting her sanding block on a step, and met my beast of a dog with open arms. Koda let out a happy yip as her hands sank into his fur. His tongue lashed across Everly’s cheek, and her head tipped back as she laughed.
The sound, the image, they stopped me in my tracks. Blond hair cascading down her back, blue eyes shining. And that laugh. So uninhibited and carefree. Gone was the guardedness that had engulfed Everly the last two times I’d seen her. She was an entirely different person as my dog fell head over heels in love with her.
I cleared my throat, and Everly looked up, that blank mask slipping over her expression again. I wanted the other woman back. The one who was free and unchecked. “I take it you like dogs.”
She didn’t say a thing, just stared at me as if I were a bug. I toed a piece of gravel with my boot. “Have any more trouble since you left the hardware store?”
“What are you doing here, Hayes?”
It was the first time she’d said my name, and it sounded good on her tongue. Different, somehow. I gave my head a small shake as if I could dislodge the sound from my ear. “The district attorney wants to know if you’ll press charges against your uncle.”
“No.”
“You protecting him?”
She looked up, meeting my gaze without an ounce of hesitation. “I’m trying to find a way to live in the same town as them. I’m not afraid anymore. I’m prepared.”
I wished there was even a hint of fear in Everly’s eyes. Because fear made you careful. “The D.A. won’t move forward with the case unless you’re on board.” She shrugged a shoulder as she kept scratching behind Koda’s ears. Her casualness about it all only ratcheted the tension running through me. “You should at least file a restraining order. With my testimony, you’ll get one.”
“Why do you care so much?”
My back molars ground together. “I told you. It’s my job.”
“You’re dedicated. I’ll give you that,” she muttered.
“Look. I don’t want it on my conscience that Allen came up here and killed you in a rage. All I’m asking is that you take reasonable precautions. File charges so it’s on the record.”
Everly stood from her crouch. “I absolve you of any guilt if I get dead. Now, you can go on with your life in peace. It was never my goal to mess that up for you.”
She strode up the steps and through the entrance, the screen door slamming in her wake. Koda turned accusing eyes on me. I let out a growl of frustration. “That didn’t come out right.”
I started back to my truck, motioning for Koda to follow. He paused for a moment, letting out a little whine. “Koda, come.” He trotted over to me and jumped into the cab, but he wouldn’t meet my gaze.
Great, everyone was pissed at me.
7
Everly
I held out my hand with a couple of almonds. Chip grabbed them and skittered across the floor in his odd gait, taking the bounty into his new home. I’d cut a small hole in the cabinet door so he could easily get in and out. My only friend in Wolf Gap was warming to my presence. Taking nuts straight from my hand and sometimes coming out to watch me work.
I turned back to the kitchen. All of the cabinets had been painted and new hardware affixed. The oven would likely need to go in the next few months, but it was functional for now. The refrigerator was in surprisingly good shape, and after my thorough cleaning, I was no longer scared to put food inside.
My gaze traveled around the space. My couch, armchair, and coffee table fit surprisingly well. But I desperately needed chairs and a table for the back deck. I had managed to find two rocking chairs for the front porch for a steal, though.
The sound of tires on gravel had my spine stiffening. If it was Hayes again, I was going to give him a restraining order, all right—against him. I moved to the window, slipping behind the curtains I’d just hung earlier that day. One hand went to my shotgun in the safe, and the other pulled back the linen fabric just enough that I could look through.
An unfamiliar truck crested the hill and came to a stop in front of my cabin. The glare of the sun meant I couldn’t see who was behind the wheel. I lifted my shotgun so the butt rested in the crook of my shoulder, but the barrel pointed down.
A woman climbed out of the cab, petite and middle-aged with just a hint of gray weaving through her blond hair. She reached into the cab for something, and I stiffened but relaxed a fraction when I saw the covered dish.
Placing my shotgun back in the corner, I crossed to the door. As I opened it, the memories hit me with a force that nearly knocked the air out of me. The grief and panic. The sobs of relief. Her pain had been the most visceral that night, all those years ago. It had clogged the air and nearly choked me.
She must’ve read the panic on my face because Mrs. Easton upped her smile. “Hello, Everly. It’s so nice to see you.” A small chuckle escaped her. “That sounded ridiculous. I’ll just say I’m really glad to see you.”
“Hi.” It was the only word I could seem to get out.
Mrs. Easton climbed the steps and handed me the casserole dish. “I hope you eat cheese. This is my famous spinach lasagna. Even my meat-loving family can’t get enough of this recipe.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Easton.” I paused for a moment. “Hayes didn’t tell you to poison me, did he?”
She barked out a laugh. “Even if he had, I wouldn’t have listened.” She sobered. “He hasn’t given you the warmest welcome, has he?”
“He’s not offering to hold a parade.”
Her lips pursed. “I’m sorry about that. He’s…well, we’ll talk. Get that in the fridge, and let’s have a seat in those pretty rockers you have out front.”
I nodded, moving into the cabin, but Mrs. Easton didn’t follow. I caught sight of her glancing past the cabin to the house and the shed that lay beyond, pain flashing through her eyes. God, maybe everything on this property did need to be burned down. It caused hurt to so many and healing to none. I closed my eyes for the briefest of moments. I was going to change that. To make this place a haven. Then, maybe it could have a whole different effect on the people of this community.