At least, she hoped that’s what Chad had been able to do. After speaking with Mitch, she wasn’t so sure that was the case now.
“Good.” Gus rested an elbow on the arm of the chair, turning to watch Mitch’s taillights fade into the long line of pine trees. “It’s good to see you settling in, pipsqueak. I wish Mitch would take a page out of your book, but I understand that he has a lot on his plate right now. Would you look at that? He left his coffee cup out here for me to take care of.”
“He’s putting in sixteen to eighteen-hour days,” Gwen estimated, having heard Mitch talking with Jace about the man hours being put into this investigation. “Something is bound to break sooner or later.”
“I just hope that it doesn’t backfire on this town again.” Gus shook his head at all the tragedy the residents of Blyth Lake had undergone for over the past decade. He was right, and it had to stop. “Enough talk about that. Tell me about you and Chad. He turned out to be a pretty good man, Gwen.”
This was it. Did she confide in her father or did she continue to talk to air in hopes her mother was somewhere listening? Maybe it would help if Gwen stopped by the cemetery, but she wasn’t ready for that type of closure.
“I didn’t expect to start a relationship my first month back in town,” Gwen admitted, breathing out slowly when Gus didn’t comment one way or another. He just listened…the way her mom used to on these very same autumn nights. The only thing missing was the homemade hot chocolate, but coffee was a pretty good substitute. “Chad was a pleasant surprise.”
“Love usually has a way about it.”
“It’s only been a few weeks, Dad.” Gwen hadn’t said anything about love. Her heart fluttered in response, anyway. “Chad’s easy to talk to. He listens, he makes me laugh, and he doesn’t make fun of my never-ending to-do lists. Well, he does. But in a cute way. That’s a huge bonus in my book, Dad. He’s compassionate and loyal. He has a sense of honor about him that no one can diminish. I’m rambling on, I know, but he’s someone who I can admire. The point I’m trying to make is that I don’t know where this is going quite yet, but I am going to enjoy the journey.”
Gwen had basically quoted her mother. It brought a smile to her dad’s face, and it was as if Gwen had won a gold medal.
“You haven’t been by to see her.”
Damn it.
Busted.
Gwen looked into the coffee cup still in her hand, not wanting him to see how much his words affected her. She wasn’t ready for this conversation. She’d rather talk about the birds and the bees than this. Hell, any other topic was more preferable than her mother’s death.
“Gwen, this is what she wanted. More than anything, she wanted this family together.”
If it had been anyone other than her father sitting across from her, Gwen would have left. Literally, she would have gotten into her Jeep and driven away as if no words had been uttered, but she stayed.
She couldn’t just walk out on her father.
“We could have given this to her before she died, but we didn’t.” Gwen barely managed to get the words out before she had to cover her lips so that he didn’t see her struggling to talk. She gave herself a few seconds to regain what composure she could, clearing her throat and trying once more to convey what she’d agonized over the last three years. “I should have come home the moment my time was up in the Navy. I didn’t have to stay in the city to start my business. I could have set up shop right here while spending time with her. Instead, I chose—”
“To live your own life. And there isn’t a damn thing wrong with what or how you did it.” Gus took his toothpick and pointed it in her direction. “Nothing made your mother happier than watching her baby girl grow up to be a successful businesswoman. Did you know that Mary went around town boasting about all your accomplishments? And don’t even get me started about how she would gush about the important men you were dating—a doctor, a lawyer, and then some guy who wanted to take you to Paris for the holidays.”
“That was Rich,” Gwen said with a smile, though she couldn’t get rid of the tears that had collected on her lower lashes. “Mom couldn’t believe I’d told him no, but there was no way I could take two weeks off from work.”
Her smile faded when she realized she’d used the same excuse to get out of everything.
“I should have come home, Dad.”
“You did what you were supposed to do, young lady.” Gus leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, getting wound up for a lecture. She’d witnessed this scene from her childhood more times than she could count. Hadn’t Mitch been sitting in this same position earlier? Like father, like son. “You found your own path. Not your mother, me, nor your brothers. You. You found out what makes you tick, your likes and dislikes, and more importantly what makes you happy. And you brought it home with you so that you can raise the family your mother will be watching over from above, God willing.”
The tears that had been stuck to her lashes finally fell. It was like a leak she couldn’t turn off, no matter how hard she tried.
“Pipsqueak, don’t think for a second your mother didn’t want that for you. She was so proud of you, as am I.” Gus used the back of his hand to wipe away his own couple of tears, but he remained focused on the sermon he was giving as he once again pointed his toothpick her way. “You don’t judge a man by the actions of others, and you wouldn’t have learned that had you come home a moment too soon. You and Chad…if the two of you are meant to be, you’ll know. If your mother were here, she’d tell you that all roads lead to the same place—the place you’re meant to be.”
Gwen was in the place she was meant to be, and she didn’t doubt that she was also with the man she was meant to share her life with right now. It was up to her to embrace what was right in front of her, and she would enjoy every second of it.
Her mother had been a very wise woman.
“Thanks, Dad. I needed this.”
Gus was prevented from responding when headlights broke through the line of pine trees. She couldn’t stop her smile from forming that Chad had come for the large slice of apple pie she’d set aside for him. Unfortunately, her grin slowly faded when she spotted the tow truck that belonged to Irish’s garage.
Irish’s unexpected visit signified that Chad’s day hadn’t gone as planned.
“What’s wrong?” Grace asked, having made it off the porch in record time. She didn’t even remember setting her coffee cup down, but it was no longer in her hands. “Irish? What happened?”
“First off, everything is fine,” Irish assured her, leaving the truck door wide open. His words might say one thing, but his actions told her that he was needed elsewhere. “Chad and Miles were driving back to the Blyth Lake after they’d had dinner with Clayton and Wes, but they were run off the road by some drunken bastard who didn’t even stop to make sure they were okay. Chad’s truck ended up in a ravine with three flat tires, and it’s a freaking Dodge to boot. The tow truck service up that way is taking their time to get there.”
“Why didn’t Chad just—”
“They’re in that dead zone around an hour out,” Irish explained, tossing a thumb over his shoulder as if she’d know the exact location he was referring to. Hell, she hadn’t even owned a cell phone back in high school. She had no idea where the dead zones were located around here, but that point was moot. “Someone stopped at the scene, and Chad told him to reach out to my garage when the passerby reached the next town. I figured he wouldn’t want you to worry, so I stopped here on my way out of town. Everyone knows that the Kendalls all have Sunday dinner together.”
Gwen breathed an audible sigh of relief, patting her father’s hand that he’d set on her shoulder in reassurance.
“Let me grab my purse. I’ll go with you to meet them.”
Gwen didn’t even bother to turn away from Irish, because he was already shaking his head to the contrary.
“Gwen, I only have room for two people in the cab. Don’t worry. I’ll brin
g them back to town. I’ll just drop Chad off at your place after making sure Miles gets home, if that’s alright?”
“Yes, that’s fine,” Gwen replied, not really having a choice. It was a relief just knowing that Chad was okay. She could wait a bit longer to see him. “I appreciate you thinking of me, Irish. Thanks for driving out of your way to tell me.”
Irish gave her a half smile before nodding a greeting Gus’ way.
“No problem. See you in a bit.”
Gwen and her father remained standing as Irish got back into the tow truck and continued to maneuver the small circle that would once again take him through the line of pine trees.
“Don’t even think about it.”
Gwen patted her father’s hand once more before wrapping her arm around his waist and letting him guide her back up the porch steps.
“I could have followed behind, offering to drive Chad home while Irish did the same for Miles. After all, I’m sure Irish doesn’t want to waste any more time on a Sunday night than he has to. Tomorrow morning will roll around awfully quick,” Gwen protested, wincing when the lame excuse came off exactly as that. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll help you collect the coffee mugs off the porch. I’m the one who told Mitch to leave his there, by the way.”
“You wanting to head back inside the house has nothing to do with grabbing that large piece of apple pie I found hidden behind the toaster, would it?”
Gwen should have known that she couldn’t get anything around her father. Just as she was well aware that he could sense the concern she was still experiencing over Irish’s visit. He’d mentioned that the individual responsible for running Chad and Miles off the road was probably inebriated and didn’t even realize what had happened.
But what if that wasn’t the case?
What if it was something else altogether?
Gwen didn’t consider herself one of those people who overreacted at the slightest of things, but something was wrong with this picture.
It wasn’t like she could do anything about it right now, and Chad and Miles were patiently waiting for Irish to come and pick them up. The least she could do was to have a piece of warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream on the side waiting for Chad when he finally came home.
“Dad, do you have any of that homemade vanilla ice cream left from last Sunday?”
Chapter Twenty
“I appreciate this,” Chad said for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes. That’s how long it had taken Irish to pull the damaged truck out of the ravine after the first wrecker service had failed in two prolonged attempts. The different approach utilized by Irish was successful when he used the spare on the truck to replace the one rim that was damaged. He was able to inflate two of the other tires to make recovery much easier. “I know that was a long drive, but I don’t trust anyone else to handle my baby.”
“Your baby was at her father’s house,” Irish quipped, wiping his hands on the rag he usually kept in the back pocket of his worn jeans. He’d taken off the light jacket he had on when he’d arrived within minutes of viewing the scene before him. “And let me tell you something. I’m surprised her headlights weren’t attached to my bumper all the way out here.”
Chad had to smile, because it wouldn’t have surprised him one bit. He was grateful that she’d remained behind, though. It was getting quite late, and she had to get up for work in the morning. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t have Irish drop him off at her place as planned. He needed to be in her presence after such a potential threat to his life and that of his father’s, too.
“Drunk driver?”
“As far as we could tell,” Miles chipped in, walking around the front of the tow truck. It had been quite an emotional day for the man. Exhaustion was blatantly obvious in his features, and Chad wanted to see him safely home. “Either that or the individual was too busy on his damn cell phone to pay attention to the road. Idiot drivers are a dime a dozen out here.”
Miles yanking on the handle of the passenger side door gave the signal to end the discussion. He wanted to get home, and he was done with idle chitchat.
“Guess this means you’re going to be my side kick.” Irish flashed a smile. “I know I’m good-looking, but don’t go getting any ideas. I have my eye on a certain redhead that might actually give me a run for my money.”
Chad would have taken time to think of who the hell had red hair in Blyth Lake, but he immediately came up blank and didn’t have time to waste on such trivial matters. He caught Irish by the arm before his friend would have opened the driver’s side door.
“Irish, Dad truly believes it was either someone drunk or not paying attention.” Chad had already made the decision to speak with Mitch, but no cell service out here in the sticks made it rather difficult. “I was watching the road, and I’m telling you that those headlights veered straight for us without any hesitation. There was no correction to their path until I’d already been forced off the road.”
Irish didn’t reply right away. His gaze was focused on something down the dark road as he mulled over what Chad was suggesting. Technically, he wasn’t suggesting anything. He’d laid it out there for his friend to take or leave.
“Who was aware that you would be headed back toward town on this road tonight?”
Chad had already gone over that list, and it would be easier to name who didn’t know that he and his father had followed Clayton and Wes back into the city for dinner after visiting the cemetery.
“I’ll swing by the station in the morning to speak with Mitch.” It wasn’t like Chad could do anything about what happened right this minute. “Don’t mention this to Dad. He’s had a hard enough time of it today as it is.”
“Dinner didn’t go well?”
“It was spent with Wes and Dad trying to convince Clayton to come home after they finish up the current workload of their construction business. It didn’t help that Agent Thorne had practically run Clay through the wringer earlier today. He’s convinced that the people of Blyth Lake will treat him the same.” Chad had purposefully stayed out of that discussion, not wanting to upset their father over his difference of opinion. Clayton shouldn’t come back to town. He had worn out his welcome with the townspeople. Too many neighbors would decide that Schaeffer’s Contracting & Flooring wasn’t trustworthy enough to do business with if he was back with the company. It would only have all of them suffering versus just the oldest sibling. Besides, Clayton already had something lined up in Cleveland. It was a fresh start for him away from Blyth Lake. It was best to leave well enough alone. “I guess Dad thought today of all days would be a good time to play on Clayton’s feelings.”
“Didn’t work out that way, I take it?”
“No, thank God.” Chad instinctively pulled out his cell phone to look at the time. There were still no bars lit up on the top left-hand side of his phone. “Could you—”
“Drop you off at Gwen’s house?” Irish finished the inquiry as he yanked on the door handle. “It was already in the plans, Schaeffer.”
“I know I smell pretty ripe,” Chad said, stepping into the tow truck and sliding across the seat until he was positioned squarely in the middle. “But don’t you go get any ideas there, Lawyer Man. I’m taken.”
“Would you two fools get a move on?” Miles grumbled, lifting the bill of his cap a little higher on his head. “I want to make it home in time for the eleven o’clock news. They got that new weather girl doing the forecast.”
*
Gwen turned the radio down in her Jeep as she slowly drove down her driveway. A mama bunny with a fluffle of her little kits were munching on new grass at the base of one of the oak trees. They’d all frozen in fear at the initial sound of the approaching engine, but Gwen made sure she’d given them a wide berth as she continued down the gravel drive.
She figured she had another hour before Chad arrived, but that would give her time to take a shower and lay out her clothes for tomorrow morning. She had a meeting with Harlan about his retiremen
t plan, which he didn’t realize wasn’t nearly as diversified as he should have been. His overall portfolio was carrying far too much risk for a mature plan so close to his intended retirement date.
Time had gotten away from her, and she hadn’t decorated for Halloween like she’d planned on when she’d first moved in. The holiday arrived on Wednesday, but she doubted any of the neighbor children would come out this way for candy anyway. Most would go into town where the houses were close together and the candy was plentiful. Mitch and Patty had set it up so that families could walk up and down Main Street, visiting the various shops to gather candy for their bags, as well. At least Beth Ann had seen to it that there were two cornstalks out front of the business with two carved pumpkins to go with them. They had a few cardboard decorations in the window, but that was about the extent of it.
“What the…”
Gwen came to a stop in front of her house. She purposefully didn’t turn the wheel to the left, which is what she normally would have done when parking the Jeep.
Something wasn’t right.
The porch light was out.
She prided herself on reading situations and adapting to the facts laid out in front of her. Had her return home been uneventful, this wouldn’t be anything unusual. She hadn’t had time to change the lightbulbs to those energy saver LED ones that last for an obscene amount of years. What she had done was directed the security company to install spotlights to detect movement, thus recording anything or anyone that came onto her property—and those bulbs were currently not activated.
The security lights should have turned on the moment her Jeep came within twenty feet of the house.
Unlocking Shadows (Keys to Love, Book Four) Page 16