Savannah felt that heavy weight on her once again. It was the same feeling she’d gotten when she saw the broken arbor. “And what did Granger find?”
Ridge frowned. “Nothing. As of right now, it appears to be nothing but coincidence.”
It should have made her feel better, but it didn’t. Because deep down Savannah worried that it was anything but coincidence.
They’d spent dinner talking about Shadows Landing and Ridge’s family. Savannah didn’t bring up her family and she was glad that Ridge didn’t ask any questions about them either. Dinner was wonderful, but the more she ate, the more tired she became.
“I’ll take this downstairs,” Ridge said softly as her eyes began to close.
“Don’t leave me,” Savannah whispered as she pulled the fluffy chocolate comforter up to her chin. “I don’t believe in coincidences, Ridge.”
“I don’t either,” Ridge admitted. “I’ll clean up the kitchen and be right back up. Okay?”
“Okay,” Savannah said, feeling weak. She didn’t like that feeling, but she needed to know she was safe. And she felt safe with Ridge.
The question: why was she in danger to begin with? It didn’t make sense. The door opened quietly in the darkened room. Savannah noticed that Ridge had changed into a T-shirt and athletic shorts as he walked in. She felt the bed dip slightly as he got in and she rolled over to face him.
“Thank you,” she said quietly as she slid her hands under her pillow.
“You’re welcome.”
“I’m scared, Ridge.” Savannah admitted.
“You don’t need to be scared tonight. I’ve got you.”
His hand touched her waist and pulled her to him. Savannah curled up against him and, with the warmth of his arms around her, she fell asleep.
9
Ridge woke to the early morning light. He was spooning Savannah, and he’d love nothing more than to give in to the urges his body was experiencing. Only it wasn’t the right time. It especially wasn’t the right time when the doorbell rang. Savannah sat upright instantly. Her head turned to the right and then the left before she looked behind her and saw him in bed with her. Her whole body relaxed as soon as she saw him.
“I think we have company,” Ridge told her as he ran a hand down her back. “Are you up for it?”
“Depends. Who is it?”
The bell rang again and Ridge pulled out his phone and opened the app that allowed him to see his security camera. He pressed a button and spoke into his phone. “Morning, Gavin. I’ll be right down.”
“Your cousin is here?” Savannah asked, trying to remember if Gavin was the doctor or the cousin or both.
“Yes. He and his wife, Ellery, are here. He’ll want to make sure you’re recovering well. And Ellery is really nice. She runs an art gallery in Charleston.”
Ridge got up and used the tray to shield the excitement that waking up with Savannah curled into him caused. “I’ll go let them in. They can come up here if you don’t feel like doing the stairs.”
“I’ll come down. Just give me a minute. I remember him from the hospital. He was the reason they discharged me, right?”
Ridge nodded. “Take your time and just yell if you need any help,” he said before he hurried from the room. By the time he was downstairs he had himself under control. He set the tray down in the kitchen and then opened the door to find that the number of people at his door had multiplied.
“You brought the whole family,” Ridge said with a roll of his eyes to Gavin.
“It’s not our whole family,” Gavin said, before looking behind him and cringing. “Okay, it’s our whole family who are in town.”
“Come on in. Savannah is getting ready.”
Gavin and Ellery walked in and headed straight for the kitchen.
“Morning, sis,” Ridge said, leaning down and kissing Tinsley’s cheek.
“I brought fresh biscuits and apple honey butter,” his little sister said. Tins was “little” in age and build. She only came up to his shoulder, but for what she lacked in size, she made up for in talent. She was the best painter he knew.
“Well, you’re allowed in. You, I’m not so sure about,” he said, looking at his cousin Trent. Trent flipped him off as he walked in.
“Here I build most of the furniture in the house and I have to bring something. Ungrateful pup.”
Ridge laughed at Trent. Trent was all of three months older than Ridge, but he never let him forget it.
“I brought Bloody Marys,” Harper said, holding a cooler.
“You’re definitely allowed in.” Ridge looked behind him and saw Savannah walking toward them.
“I knew I liked you,” Harper said with a wink to Savannah as she walked inside.
Ridge looked back to the door and saw Ryker looking at him with one eyebrow slightly raised. “Last time I brought something y’all bitched nonstop.”
“It was caviar, and it was disgusting,” Ridge reminded him.
“It was a gift from the president of France,” Ryker said yet again. Ridge had heard the whole spiel at Wade’s bachelor party.
“It was still gross,” Ridge told his uptight cousin. Although, Ryker hadn’t always been uptight. Everything had changed one night in high school.
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t offend your palate with the world’s best food. I’m just on my way to Charleston and wanted to know if you needed anything. I might not bring food, but I can hire personal protection or a lawyer before you can blink.”
“Can I arrest myself just to have that smoking-hot Olivia Townsend represent me?”
“Kordell,” Ryker said formally to the deputy.
“Mr. Faulkner,” Kord said mockingly back. “Don’t tell me you’re still upset I spit out that caviar, are you?”
“You spit it out on me!” Ryker said, finally snapping over the caviar.
“It was really disgusting. The taste, the texture. Be happy I didn’t vomit on you,” Kord told him, slapping him on the back before walking past him and into the house. “Biscuits, yum!”
Ridge just shook his head at Ryker. “Come on in and meet Savannah.”
“I’m right here.” Ridge turned to see Savannah walking from the kitchen toward the front door. “Hi. I’m Savannah Ambrose.”
Ryker shook her outstretched hand. “I’m Ryker Faulkner.”
“Of Faulkner Shipping. My ex-husband tried to land your account. He was quite pissed off when he didn’t get it. For that alone, I thank you.”
Ryker’s lips quivered as if they thought about smiling. “Who was your husband?”
“Penn Benson.”
“You made the right decision leaving him. There was something shady about him that I didn’t trust. I certainly wasn’t going to turn five million dollars over to him for a venture I didn’t think he completely understood.”
Ridge blinked. That was the first time Ryker ever mentioned money. They all knew he’d made a killing at shipping but no one knew just how wealthy he’d become. Mainly because they just didn’t care. Ryker was family and that mattered more than how much money he had. Ridge was pretty sure no one had ever bothered to ask him.
“Well, you made the right choice in not investing with him. It was some tech startup, if I recall. I wonder what ever happened to it?” Savannah asked not really expecting an answer.
“I bought it.”
“Oh,” Savannah said with as much surprise as Ridge did.
“You own a tech company?” Ridge finally asked.
“I own a lot of companies,” Ryker said with a shrug.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Ridge asked his cousin.
“You never asked.”
Well, that answered that.
“I’m sorry we don’t ask about your business more.” Ridge felt bad now. He thought Ryker didn’t want to be bothered with business when he was finally home. The man lived and breathed work. When the cousins finally got him to relax, the last thing they thought he’d want to talk about was work.
“You too, Mr. Faulkner,” Savannah said with a little smile that made Ridge know she was teasing Ryker’s stiffness just a little. “I appreciate your offer. It’s very nice of you.”
“There’s nothing nice about me. That’s why I can get you anything you need.”
Ridge wanted to roll his eyes and defend Ryker to himself. Ryker had been a sweet child. Until that night. But even after that, he was always there for his family. Mean people didn’t care enough about their family to send a lawyer in the middle of the night to defend a girl he didn’t know simply because a cousin had asked for help. And Ryker always helped. He was always there, for not only the family, but for Shadows Landing.
“You, sir, are a liar. If you weren’t nice you wouldn’t be offering to help me. So take the compliment and say, ‘thank you, Savannah.’”
“Thank you, Savannah.” Ryker almost looked like he was going to smile.
“You’re welcome. And I happen to love caviar, so anytime you want to indulge I have some caviar recipes that will make your mouth water. I’d be happy to make them for you.”
Ryker smiled at Savannah. She’d just won him over. “I’d like that. It’s nice to meet someone with a sophisticated palate. I’ll see you soon, Savannah. And Ridge, let me know when you’re done with the plans for my international office and I’ll secure the funding.”
“You’ll have it in a couple weeks. I made all the changes you asked for and now I’m waiting on the availability of some of the materials.”
“Good. Can’t wait to see some of them that you were telling me about. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Ridge watched Ryker walk to the car that cost more than Ridge probably realized.
“Your whole family is so nice.”
“Yes, they are.”
Ridge and Savannah walked into the kitchen where his family sat around the giant table eating and drinking together. As everyone talked about the fire and the accident, Gavin took Savannah aside for ten minutes. When they came back, he declared she was on the road to a full recovery.
“Excuse me,” Kord said after congratulating Savannah on feeling better.
Ridge watched Kord as he stepped away from the table to take a call. He began to pace while on the phone and a bad feeling came over Ridge. He knew he was right when Kord hung up and turned around. His face was no longer smiling and carefree. His lips were in a thin line and his face looked harsh. “Savannah, Ridge, a moment.”
“What is it?” Savannah asked as soon as they stepped into the living room.
“That was Granger. He just got off the phone with Chief Lambert. Your car accident wasn’t an accident. They found a device in your car. One they think caused the wreck.”
Someone had tried to kill Savannah. That meant the fire wasn’t an accident either.
“I want you to stay here,” Ridge said into the silence. “You’re not safe at home.”
“I’m beginning to think you’re right.” Savannah’s voice shook as he reached out to wrap his arm around her waist. He pulled her against his side to offer his silent support.
“Can you think of anyone who would want to kill you?” Kord asked.
“No, I can’t. The only person I could think of was Penn, but he was so surprised to see me hurt and didn’t know anything about the fire at the house. And he had an solid alibi for both incidents.”
“These started after you went out on your date,” Kord mentioned as gently as he could. “Ridge, could this have anything to do with you? Or Savannah, could you have a stalker?”
“Me?” Ridge asked in surprise. “I guess it could, but I don’t know who or why. But you are right about the timing.”
Ridge looked to Savannah to gauge what she was thinking.
“I had felt like someone was watching me in Atlanta. It was one of the reasons I was so happy to leave. Surely someone wasn’t stalking me, were they?”
“Those are just two possibilities. Unfortunately, we don’t know which one it is or if it’s one we haven’t thought of yet,” Kord told them.
“Now I don’t know where to go or what to do.” Savannah let out a little sigh and her shoulders slumped in defeat.
Ridge squeezed her hip, trying to let her know she wasn’t alone. “You’ll stay with me until we can get this figured out.”
Savannah nodded and they both thanked Kord, who grabbed another biscuit before leaving. She was noticeably quieter as his family talked. Harper invited them to her bar, Trent offered to help with any furniture Savannah might need, and Gavin promised to check back in with her tomorrow morning.
“If you feel up to it, you can come to my office. If not, just have Ridge call me and I’ll come to you.”
“Thank you, Gavin.” Savannah then hugged Ellery and promised they’d get together soon.
Ridge turned to the only one left, his sister. “Tinsley,” Ridge said, stopping his sister from cleaning up his kitchen. “I’ve got this. Would you mind staying for a little while? I need to run over to Savannah’s house to check on my crew.”
“I can stay by myself,” Savannah protested. Ridge was concerned about leaving Tinsley there too. It wasn’t that long ago she’d been viciously attacked for harboring their family friend, Edie Greene Wecker. But he knew there was safety in numbers.
“I’d be happy to,” Tinsley said brightly as she went back to loading his dishwasher. Tinsley was never happy sitting still. “And don’t worry. I have Tina with me.”
“Tina?” Savannah asked.
“My gun,” Tinsley said cheerfully as she pulled out a gun that looked as if it had been covered in paint splatter. “I decorated it myself.”
“Do you even know how to use that?” Ridge asked, suddenly worried about his sister. He knew she’s taken self-defense classes in Charleston and a class here in Shadows Landing after the attack, but a gun? His sister wasn’t exactly the shoot ‘em up type.
“Aunt Paige, Cousin Greer, and Aunt Annie taught me. I’m a very good shot. And Cousin Sophie had the gun made just for me. It was my Christmas present,” Tinsley said as if showing off a new bracelet.
“It’s very you,” Savannah said with a real smile. Well, if she was comfortable with Tinsley packing a paint splattered gun, he would make himself be as well.
“I’m going to check on the demo and then come back. It might take a couple of hours, though,” Ridge told them.
“Can you pack me some things?” Savannah suddenly looked embarrassed. “I can get a hotel or even move back to my place if it’s too much trouble having me here.”
“No. I want you here and safe until we figure out what’s going on.” Ridge stepped forward and placed a quick kiss on her cheek. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
As Ridge drove off, he looked back and saw his sister and Savannah waving to him. It wasn’t a bad feeling, knowing he had someone waiting for him when he got home. In fact, he found that he quite liked it.
10
Savannah was sure Tinsley must be her long-lost sister. They laughed, they giggled, and they painted while drinking iced tea and lemonade mix-ups, affectionately known as Arnold Palmers. Tinsley never pushed her to talk about her life, and in return, Savannah never pushed about the attack Tinsley had survived. Instead, they talked about books, art, movies, and, of course, Ridge.
“That magnolia bloom is beautiful,” Tinsley told her as she helped touch up the paint on some of the greenery around it. “There.”
“It’s going to look so pretty in my kitchen. Do you have any stencils to use?” Savannah asked as she cleaned off the brushes.
“Of course, but I always free-hand it. What do you want it to say?”
Savannah looked at the giant magnolia flower surrounded by green leaves. �
�In pink I want it to read Savannah’s Kitchen.”
“No problem. I’ll come back tomorrow after it’s dry and put that on for you.”
Savannah spontaneously hugged Tinsley. The woman was even shorter than she was. She was probably no more than five foot two. “This has been so much fun. Thank you for teaching me.”
Tinsley laughed sweetly. “I think you already knew a lot more than you thought. It’s been a lot of fun.”
“You should host a wine and painting party. So many people are doing that in Charleston and Atlanta. You’re a way better teacher than they were.”
“That would be a lot of fun. I have a large art show in Paris next month. Maybe when I get back from that, I’ll do one,” Tinsley said as she began to clean up the paints.
“Paris! That’s wonderful, Tinsley.”
Tinsley looked slightly embarrassed as she turned away and carried some brushes to the sink. “Thanks. I don’t expect much from it. I’m not a famous painter or anything.”
“You are in the South. I know everyone in Charleston has heard of you, and your work was all over Atlanta when I left,” Savannah said, hoping she conveyed the respect she and others had for Tinsley’s artwork.
Tinsley turned around and gave her a little smile. “It is exciting to hear that people besides my family actually put up my work,” she laughed. “What about you? What do you enjoy doing?”
“I’ve always wanted to go into interior design. But for right now, I’m hoping to run the Delmar-Faulkner Museum. I love history, and goodness knows I’ve raised millions for charity. It seems like the perfect job for starting over in Shadows Landing.”
“I’m sure by the time my cousin Wade and Darcy get back from their honeymoon, he’ll have messages from all of us to hire you,” Tinsley teased. Savannah laughed and Tinsley shook her head. “No, really. I’m sure he will.”
Then the two of them broke out laughing again.
“Has it been hard moving from Atlanta to Shadows Landing?” Tinsley asked after they cleaned up.
Lasting Shadows: Shadows Landing #3 Page 6