by Jeff Shelby
Chuck hesitated, then obliged.
As Declan lowered his, his eyes met mine and he gave me the slightest, almost imperceptible nod.
I had no idea how I was going to use the collar clutched in my hands. I’d never used a whip or a lasso before, but I quickly realized that was my only option. I gritted my teeth and swung the long piece of leather over my head, then brought it crashing down with as much force as I could muster.
Gunnar and Declan both looked up as it came down, watching as it knocked the gun out of Chuck’s hand.
And then everything happened at once.
Gunnar dove at Chuck, tackling him to the floor, and Declan kicked the gun out of reach and made a beeline for me.
His arms closed around me, wrapping me in the warmest, most comforting hug I’d ever received. I melted against him and let the tears come.
Because I knew then that I was safe.
We all were.
THIRTY
“HOW DID YOU FIND ME?”
We were still sitting in the pole barn, waiting for Sheriff Lewis to show up. Gunnar had used the cow collar to tie Chuck to the front leg of the cow statue and was now standing guard over him, his arms folded across his chest, his eyes locked on Chuck. Chuck stared sullenly at the floor, refusing to meet Gunnar’s gaze.
Kenny had come to and we’d made him as comfortable as possible. Declan had checked him over and came to the same conclusion I had: he was probably suffering from a concussion. However, it didn’t look like there were any other injuries, especially not after the way he’d lunged at Chuck when he first produced the gun. I was still upset with him over his part in the whole scheme, but, to his credit, he had tried to come to my defense when Chuck initially threatened me with the gun. I wouldn’t forget that.
“Your message,” Declan said. He and I were standing next to the door, waiting for the sheriff to arrive.
“My message?”
“To Gunnar,” he clarified. “You told him you were heading out to Lance’s and he just got a weird vibe about it. Wanted to come and make sure everything was okay.”
“How did you get involved?”
Declan smiled. “I was pulling out of your driveway when he was leaving. He saw my car and we talked for a few minutes. I decided to come with him.”
My heart jumped. “You were at my house?”
He nodded.
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to see you.” His cheeks flushed. “Because I missed you.”
Now that the threat of imminent death was over, several things were beginning to sink in. I’d found the statue, and I’d found out who had been responsible for the theft, obviously. The restaurant would be able to open as planned, although it looked like Mikey would be needing a new business partner. I still wasn’t sure the full extent of the role Kenny had played in all of this, but I knew it would be sorted out soon enough.
And I knew that I was safe, as were the two men who had come to rescue me.
But other things hit me, things that I’d been able to put on the back burner, that I hadn’t had to deal with because I’d opted to focus on helping Mikey instead.
Declan was home.
He just said he’d missed me.
And the man I’d spent the last month with was standing over the man who had tried to kill me, his gaze shifting from him to me, an unreadable expression on his face as he watched me and Declan.
I took a deep breath. “I missed you too, Declan. What happened in Brazil?”
“It’s a long story,” he said with a smile. “Nothing bad. There was a local pastor who needed a home church. It made sense, at least to me, to relinquish my position so he could have it.”
“But you wanted to get out of Latney,” I said. “You were looking forward to that position, to spending time overseas.”
“I was,” he admitted. “But I realized pretty quickly how much I missed home. Parts of home, anyway.”
I braced myself. Because I had a feeling I knew what he was going to say next. And I wasn’t sure that I was prepared to hear it.
“It’s hard being thousands of miles away from the people who have become my family,” Declan continued. “The St. Simon’s community is pretty special, and I guess it took traveling to another continent to figure out just how important this little town is to me.”
I looked at him with wide eyes.
He hadn’t been talking about me. He’d missed the parish, his church community. Not me.
I mean, I was sure that he’d missed me, too. He’d just said as much a few minutes earlier. But he wasn’t looking at me longingly or with any kind of desire. His expression was one of openness, of caring...the expression of a friend sharing their thoughts with someone they trusted. Someone they loved. Just not in a romantic way.
“Of course,” he said with a rueful smile. “It’s not all good here. No place ever is. I could do without the gossip and some of the pettiness, and it would be great if we had law enforcement that actually took their job seriously.” He rolled his eyes. “But overall, Latney is a pretty good place to be. And I’m glad I’m back.”
His words and his expression took me aback. Declan Murphy had never been able to hide his feelings for me, despite his attempts to do so. There had been an attraction, between both of us, and we’d let that run its course one night several months ago.
But now, standing in Chuck Graham’s pole barn, reunited after a month apart, one thing suddenly became crystal clear. The feelings he’d once had for me were gone.
I looked at Gunnar. He was still watching me, and even from a distance, I could see his clouded expression.
I smiled at him.
I loved Declan. He was one of the best friends I’d ever had, and I was delighted to have him back in Latney.
But I loved someone else, too.
Someone who was more than just a friend.
Someone who I knew, in his own subtle, stoic way, would move heaven and earth to make me happy and keep me safe.
Because he’d just managed to do so.
THIRTY ONE
I ADJUSTED THE LITTLE girl sitting on my hip and squinted into the sunlight.
Olivia and I were standing in the parking lot of the Cow & Vine, awaiting the ribbon cutting and the grand opening celebration. The cow statue was back in its original spot, its collar reattached, and the lot was filled with nearly every resident of Winslow and Latney, along with a fairly large contingent of world’s largest fans and a small smattering of press.
The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. The sun was shining, the sky dotted with popcorn clouds. A light breeze blew and there wasn’t a hint of humidity in the air. These were the days I loved best in Virginia, sunny and warm, when the sky was bright and my mood even brighter.
I scanned the crowd, looking for Mikey. I found him to the side of the front entrance, talking to Walter Rey. He was dressed in a pair of pressed dress slacks and a polo with the restaurant’s logo, and he was grinning from ear to ear. Charlotte stood next to him, wearing a matching uniform. When he heard what had happened, that his sister had applied for a serving position and Chuck had turned her down, he’d immediately offered her a position. Within hours, she’d marched into the Wicked Wich, handed over the t-shirt she’d been issued, and quit on the spot.
I thought back to everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.
After the sheriff arrived and hauled Chuck away, and the ambulance had come for Kenny, Gunnar and Declan and I had gotten right to work. I’d stepped out of the pole barn so I could get reception and made two calls. The first was to Mikey so I could tell him what had happened. The second was to Dawn. After letting her know I found the statue and asking her to let Charlotte know that I wouldn’t be able to pick up Olivia right away, I asked her for a favor. Surprisingly, she agreed, and fifteen minutes later we heard the sound of Martin’s semi pulling onto the property.
“Heard you have someone who needs a lift,” he said cheerfully as he stepped do
wn from his truck. “Good thing my run got canceled for today.”
We’d somehow managed to load the statue into his truck and then I’d gotten into my car and followed the semi and Gunnar as we caravanned to the Cow & Vine.
As soon as the statue was safely back in its place, I’d stopped at the Wicked Wich to pick up Olivia and bring her to my house. I was physically exhausted and emotionally spent, but having the preschooler for the remainder of the day managed to do something I knew nothing else could: take my mind off what had happened and just how close to death I had been.
Sophia appeared next to me, looking radiant in a loose-fitting burgundy shirt and black leggings, and bringing me back firmly to the present. “I can’t believe you found the statue,” she gushed.
“That makes two of us,” I murmured.
She eyed the little girl I was holding. “Hello, Olivia,” she said coolly.
The little girl stared at her, a solemn expression on her face. She turned and looked at me. “I don’t have to go back to her, do I?”
I tightened my grip. “Not a chance.”
Sophia’s eyes narrowed and she stuck her nose in the air, clearly offended by the question. I bit back a smile. If a three-year-old had just hurt her feelings, she was going to need to learn how to toughed up. She had a lifetime of motherhood ahead of her.
Sam Walz, the reporter who’d visited the restaurant earlier in the week looking for a scoop, ambled over to me. He was wearing skinny black jeans and a white t-shirt, and a black beanie hid his hair.
He offered a nod in greeting to me, and a smile for Olivia. She promptly buried her face in my shirt. “Looks like the statue was found.” He looked at the crowd of people gathered in the parking lot. “And looks like people are excited to see it.”
I followed his gaze. An inordinate number of people were, in fact, gathered for the grand opening. There were dozens of cars with out-of-town license plates, and I was pretty sure the number of strangers outnumbered the residents who’d come out for the big day. Chuck had been right about people coming from far and wide to see it.
What a shame that he was missing it.
“I guess the world’s largest followers are a big crowd,” I said.
Sam nodded. “I’m thinking there’s a story there.”
He held a hand up to his forehead to shade his eyes and examined the statue. It had made it through its ordeal relatively unscathed. We’d found a couple of scratches on the legs from when it had fallen over, and the collar had needed to be reattached, but other than that, it was in good shape and ready for its big debut.
“So, I know you’re not the owner or anything,” Sam said, eyeing me. “But it seems like you have a pretty good handle on what’s been going on around here. You have any details you’d be willing to share? Any gossip about what happened? I know the official story but I’d bet a hundred bucks there’s more there.”
I tried not to laugh. He had no idea.
“More” I feigned innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Is this woman causing trouble?” a voice boomed from behind me.
I didn’t need to turn around to know who was talking.
Sam’s gaze shifted. “Sheriff,” he said by way of greeting.
Sheriff Lewis grunted in response.
“It’s great to see the statue back in its proper place,” Sam said.
The sheriff nodded. “Yes it is.”
“It’s a good thing you were able to figure out what happened and get it back in time for the grand opening. There could have been a lot of disappointed folks, and a pretty unhappy restaurant owner.”
Sheriff Lewis cleared his throat. “Just doing my job,” he said.
I stared at him. “You figured it out?”
He looped his thumbs in his belt loops. “Well, I am the sheriff, aren’t I? It’s my job to solve crimes.”
I opened my mouth to argue. The only thing Sheriff Lewis had done was respond to our call to come and arrest Chuck. He’d done no investigating, no questioning, no nothing. Which was par for the course where he was concerned.
His eyes were on me, his bushy eyebrows puckered into a frown.
I swallowed a couple of times, trying to stem the irritation I was feeling.
“Are you okay?” Olivia asked, her breath hot against my neck. I wondered if she could sense my frustration.
I took a deep breath. “I’m fine,” I murmured to the little girl I was holding.
“Yes, Sheriff,” I finally said, returning my attention to him. “You figured it all out.”
Mikey approached us, the smile still on his face.
“Everything okay here?” he asked.
“Actually, I was wondering—” Sam began.
I cut him off. “Everything is just fine,” I said to Mikey. I positioned myself between him and the reporter, turning my back on the sheriff in the process. “Are you just about ready for the ceremony?
Mikey nodded. “Yep.” He scooped Olivia out of my arms and gave her a big hug. “You gonna help me cut the ribbon?”
Olivia’s forehead puckered. “Mommy doesn’t let me use scissors.”
He chuckled. “Hmm. I think just this once will be okay.” He set her down and pointed to Charlotte, who was standing nearby. “Why don’t you go ask her?”
Olivia glanced at me, looking for confirmation that this was okay, and I nodded. She scampered off, her flowered sundress billowing behind her, her sandals slapping loudly against the pavement.
Once she was safely with Charlotte, Mikey turned his attention to me. He held out his hand. “Excuse us for a minute,” he said to the sheriff and the reporter.
He tugged me to a less crowded corner of the parking lot.
“I heard what the sheriff was saying,” he said. He shook his head. “We all know what you did, Rainy.”
“It’s fine,” I told him. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does,” he insisted. “The people who matter know that you were the one who found the statue. You were the one who made sure the restaurant could have a successful opening.” He paused. “And...well, I don’t know how I can repay you for everything you’ve done.”
I shook my head. “I found the statue. That’s pretty much all I did.”
“No,” he countered. “You found it and brought it back. You figured out who was responsible. You watched my niece for my sister so she could work. And you offered to take over Chuck’s ownership in the restaurant.” He paused. “So it’s a little more than just finding the statue.”
I tried not to blush. Watching Olivia had been a no-brainer, as had helping find the statue. Mikey was my friend, and if there was something I could do to help him, I’d do it.
Buying into the restaurant took a little more thought, but I’d ultimately decided to offer and, somewhat to my surprise, he’d accepted. It would take a while before we could actually finalize the sale, of course. Chuck was out on bond and would most likely stand trial for his crimes, if he wasn’t offered or didn’t agree to a plea bargain, and his lawyers and the bank would have to figure out how to divest his money from the restaurant. But when Chuck did, I wanted Mikey to know that he wouldn’t be stuck financially. I had money that I could invest, and while it would eat into a large part of my nest egg, I wasn’t hesitant about doing so. If anyone could make this restaurant work, it was Mikey.
“You’re my friend,” I said simply. “And friends help each other out.”
“I’m just glad it wasn’t Kenny.” He shuddered.
Kenny had immediately jumped at the chance to buy into the restaurant, but quickly realized he didn’t have enough money to cover the cost of doing so. I didn’t think he was a bad person, especially since it turned out he’d had nothing to do with the theft or kidnapping, but I also didn’t think he was a good fit for the restaurant. It was clear that he harbored some resentment toward Mikey over how things had initially shaken out with the transfer of ownership, and I think Mikey had seen this, too, and didn’
t want to have that as the foundation to his business.
“Friends help each other out,” I repeated.
He grinned and nodded. “Well, I’m gonna help you out,” he said, lowering his voice. He gave a slight nod. “You have two more friends approaching. Guy friends.”
I smiled. “Thanks.”
He slipped away, heading back to where the ribbon was stretched across the front door, and I turned to greet the two men approaching.
Gunnar and Declan both smiled as they flanked either side of me. They were both dressed in jeans and t-shirts, but they couldn’t have looked any different. Gunnar with his more athletic built and the baseball cap perched on top of his head, hiding most of his sandy brown hair; his hazel eyes and dimpled smile that deepened when he focused on me. And Declan, his coppery hair brushed off his forehead, a boyish grin on his face as he leaned close to me.
“You recovered from your near-death experience?” he asked, planting a chaste kiss on my cheek.
I shot a quick look at Gunnar. He was unfazed.
“I think it’s too soon to know,” I told Declan.
He chuckled. “It’s never a good idea to wrestle with a cow. I’m glad you won.”
“Me, too.”
Gunnar wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. “You look recovered.” He kissed my other cheek.
“I’m on my way, I think.”
He smiled, tightening his grip on me.
I settled against him and tried not to sigh. But it wasn’t a sigh of frustration or a sigh of remorse. It was a sigh of contentment.
I was on my way. The last year had been a journey. An unexpected one, filled with ups and downs and everything in between.
I’d uprooted my life. Quit my job and sold my house and moved a hundred miles from home.
And I’d made a new home for myself in this tiny little town. A house that was constantly in need of repair, and a property that required chores that constantly tested my abilities.
I’d found new friends. Some enemies, too, but mostly friends. Good friends that had made my transition to living in Latney a little easier. Friends who had taught me what it meant to be one, especially when we needed it most.