Tears filled her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away. “It’s been lonely without you.”
I could only imagine. After everything that had happened with my father, Allen had tightened the reins on Addie even more. She’d been cut off from the world. “You had Ben, though, right?”
“He tries to stop by as often as he can. But he had his wife, and…” Her words trailed off.
I’d almost forgotten what Ian had said about Ben’s wife. “What happened?”
Addie straightened the silverware on the napkin. “I’m not sure, exactly. There was a lot of bleeding, and no one could stop it. By the time he got her to the hospital, it was too late for her and the baby.”
My chest constricted as the scene played out in my imagination. “He took her to the hospital?”
“They didn’t want him to, but Ben did it anyway.” Darkness flitted over her features. “Dad blames the doctors.”
Of course, he did. Allen and my father stirred each other up with their conspiracies. Allen knew that my dad was taking it too far, and he didn’t care. None of them had.
“How is Ben doing now?” Guilt for how I’d pushed Ben away when he’d first appeared at the cabin ate at me. He’d learned to stand up to his parents and Allen at too high a cost.
Addie adjusted her silverware yet again. “A little better, I think. But he blames himself for not taking her sooner.”
That kind of weight could drown a man. “He’ll have to find a way to release some of it.”
“Have you?”
I picked up my water glass and took a sip before setting it down. “I’m trying. That’s part of why I’m here. To finally make peace with it all. To try and let it go.”
“You’ve seen the Eastons?”
“They’re…amazing. It’s so different from how we grew up. The way they help and support each other.”
Addie’s gaze drifted out the window. “You and I helped and supported each other.”
I reached out and laid a hand over hers. Addie jolted, but I didn’t let her hand go. “We did. And I want that again. You’re another reason I came back. I missed you so damn much.”
“Pebble for the swear jar.”
Her words startled a laugh out of me. My mother had been appalled when Ian had picked up some foul language, and that had trickled down to me. The first time I’d said the word shit, she’d dropped a glass of lemonade, shattering it on the floor. Mom had instantly instituted a swear jar. Every time we messed up, we had to get a piece of gravel or small rock from outside and place it in the jar, along with doing an extra chore. When the jar filled to the top, Ian and I would have to do some monumental task that neither of us wanted to do. I was forever having to pick up a pebble.
“I’m afraid the jar never really did its job.”
Addie’s mouth curved. “I can tell.” She was quiet for a moment. “You work at the vet’s office?”
The curiosity in her tone only lit more anger at my uncle, but I kept my voice even. “Yeah. I went to college first, but then I did an accelerated vet tech program.”
“You always did want to work with animals. And now, you are.”
“I’m still going to build the sanctuary. I’m doing it on Mom’s land. You could help, Addie. Come live with me. We could do it together.”
Her eyes widened. “I-I can’t. You know that, Evie.”
“You’re twenty-four, Addie. You can leave. There’s nothing he can do to stop you.”
“It’s not that simple. I have nothing. No one.”
“You have me.”
A war of emotions played over Addie’s expression. “But who knows when you’ll leave again. Just like everyone else.” She pushed jerkily to her feet. “This was a bad idea. I need to go.”
“Addie, wait—”
“I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
20
Hayes
My feet hit the dirt with more force than necessary, but I welcomed the jar to my bones. That little bite of pain, along with the burn in my lungs, was my release. One I’d needed after the longest week in history.
Between the evenings I’d been pulling with my family at Everly’s and the hours I’d been logging on both Cammie’s case and the fire, I needed this outlet. The only thing I’d seen progress on was cleaning up the barn. The rubble was gone, and the ground leveled, ready for whatever structure Ev wanted to put in its place.
We’d hit a dead stop on Cammie’s case. No one had seen a man who fit the description we had. And I wouldn’t deny that a large part of me hoped it was someone passing through. That we wouldn’t have to deal with any other calls like hers.
We’d come to the same crossroads on Everly’s fire. Only this time, I had a real guess as to who was responsible. I’d asked Ev if I could put up a couple of game cameras on her drive to give her some additional security. She’d reluctantly agreed, and I’d made sure that word of cameras going up got around. In truth, they wouldn’t do much—there was simply too much land to cover. But I hoped that they would make someone who wanted to stir up trouble think twice.
Koda bounded across the trail we both knew by heart, and I couldn’t hold in my chuckle. It was the sheer joy on his face. Apparently, we’d both needed the run.
He took off into the trees, while I stayed on the path. These summer evenings that allowed for post-work runs were some of my favorite things about the season—that and time at the lake, which I’d had far too little of this year.
A howl split the air, and I almost tripped over my feet. It wasn’t the sound of one animal calling to another. It was one of pain, and it was coming from my dog.
I ran off the path towards the sound. “Koda! Where are you?”
He let out another pained cry, and I picked up my pace. I didn’t hear sounds from another creature, so I hoped it wasn’t anything bad. I called his name again and picked up the sound of a whine.
I caught sight of his crumpled form, my chest wheezing. “Koda. What is it, boy?”
He tried to move towards me and then cried out. I sank to my knees. “Stay still. You’re okay.”
I froze. He sure as hell wasn’t okay. My dog’s hind leg was caught firmly between the jaws of a trap. I let a slew of curses fly as I took in the blood oozing from his leg.
Koda whined and pressed his body against my leg. I sank my hands into his fur, scratching behind his ears to try and calm him. “We’ll get you out of this. It’s gonna hurt more before it gets better, though. Can you stick with me?”
Koda licked the side of my face. “Okay. I’m taking that as a yes.”
I did my best to examine the trap without jostling Koda. As I did, anger slid through my veins. No trap like this was humane, but this kind was the worst of the worst. I wouldn’t be surprised if the force had broken Koda’s leg.
“Here we go, buddy.” With one swift move, I pressed down on the levers on the sides of the trap. Koda howled in pain but pulled his leg free. Once he was clear, I released my hold, and the jaws clanged closed.