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.
I slipped the lasagna into the fridge and pulled out a pitcher of lemonade. Grabbing two glasses, I filled them and headed back out to the porch. I handed one to the woman who was staring out at the land around us. “Here you go, Mrs. Easton.”
“Thank you, hun. It’s Julia to my friends. Mrs. Easton was my mother-in-law.”
I nodded, unsure if that was an invitation. I certainly wasn’t her friend.
She took a sip of the lemonade. “This is delicious. Fresh-squeezed?”
“I think it always turns out better that way.”
“I agree. And it doesn’t hurt to drink it looking at this view.”
I raised my gaze to the expanse in front of us. Forest that dropped off so you could see the land go on forever. Ranches and farms. The lake and the rolling hills. I’d missed it, this view. When I moved to the city, I’d missed the peace it had given, the knowledge that I was so small in the grand scheme of the world. “I’m glad to see it again.”
Julia raised her glass towards the fields dotted with cattle and some horses and pointed at a cluster of buildings we could just make out. “That’s our ranch. Been in my husband’s family for generations.”
I’d always wondered about the people who lived there. What their lives were like. Did their dad wake them up at all hours for training, to prepare for an attack that he was sure was coming? Were the kids who lived there allowed to go to school? “I didn’t know that. I always wondered growing up.”
Julia looked in my direction. “How has it been, being back?”
Something about the warmth in her tone had me wanting to spill all my secrets and pain. To lay them at her feet and ask if she could heal them. “It’s been…what I expected. I know this town doesn’t want me here.”
“Oh, hogwash. I’m this town. I want you here.”
“You can’t. Not really. I know that what Hayes said is true. I bring up bad memories for all of you.”
Julia took my hand and squeezed hard. “Yes, bad memories are bound to pop up. But you’re also a reminder of my best memory. Being reunited with my girl, my family whole again. You gave me that.”
The back of my throat burned. “I’m so sorry for what he put you through. I’m sorry I wasn’t brave enough to come sooner.”
“Oh, Everly. No. That is not yours to take. You were a baby yourself. And so incredibly brave. I thank God for you every night.”
A single tear slid out of the corner of my eye. “How’s she doing?”
“Shiloh’s good. She’ll always be a little different. I won’t lie. That experience and everything that came after, marked her. She hates attention and marches to the beat of her own drum. But she’s happy. Loves helping Gabe and me run the ranch. Has a real gift with horses.”
“I’m glad she’s okay.”
Julia patted my hand and released it. “Me, too. She’ll probably come up here before long. I get the sense she’s curious about you.”
“She’s welcome anytime.” I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to see that little girl grown. But I needed to. There were things I needed to say. Words similar to what I’d given her mother, but different, too.
“Shy will be glad to know that. And I know Gabe would love to officially meet you, too. Hadley, as well.”
I couldn’t help but notice that she’d left off Hayes and his older brother. I guessed those two weren’t Team Everly. But, honestly, four out of six was way more than I thought to have.
Julia seemed to read my thoughts and gave me a sad smile. “Beckett’s in Venezuela right now, treating patients and likely driving his motorcycle on crazy mountain passes. And Hayes…it’s not you. He blames himself for Shy’s kidnapping. And he’s turned that into this need to protect us all.”
“He blames himself?” I couldn’t put that together. He’d barely been a teen at the time.