by Barb Han
* * *
CHELSEA WOKE WITH a start, her lungs clawing for oxygen. A strong, masculine presence was by her side a second after she opened her eyes. It was dark in the room and she couldn’t see anything.
“You’re okay.” Nate’s voice soothed.
The mattress dipped beside her.
“What time is it?” She had no idea. She tried to sit up but her head hurt. She’d refused medication at the ER, wanting to have a clear mind.
“It’s quarter to three in the morning.” Nate used a flashlight app on his phone and set it beside her on the bed.
“What? I’ve been asleep that long?” Chelsea rubbed her eyes and glanced at the clock on the nightstand.
“Afraid so. Your mother has been taking care of Skylar.”
“Have you been awake this whole time?” Didn’t he sleep?
“I don’t need a lot of sleep. Every once in a while, I stay in bed for a weekend and catch up,” he said. “I didn’t turn on the light just now because I don’t want to wake your mother or Skylar. They’ve been through enough without causing more worry.”
She gasped. “Did my daughter know you were in here?”
Skylar had rarely ever seen a man in the house unless something was in need of repair let alone witness one in her mother’s bedroom. She would be traumatized.
“Yes,” he said apologetically. “I told her that you had an accident while you were working the other night and I was making sure you were okay. She seemed fine with it, comforted.”
When Travis had left, Chelsea had sworn her daughter wouldn’t have men paraded in and out of her life. Once, Chelsea and her mother had stayed with a cousin of her mother’s who’d had little kids and a different “uncle” sleeping over every few weeks. It had been confusing to Chelsea as a child and, as an adult, she saw it as inappropriate.
There was nothing wrong with a single mother having a sex life. Chelsea was beginning to want one of those herself. Especially with the feelings she was developing for Nate. But a parade of men through the house had always been out of the question. If her own mother had done one thing right, it was that.
“What is it? Did I do something wrong?” Concern had Nate’s dark brows arching.
Chelsea needed to exhale and try to relax. “I’m sure one time won’t damage Skylar’s psyche. I hope.”
“She saw that I was fully dressed,” he said with a smile that was a little too sexy. “And she asked if I could sleep over all the time.”
Chelsea wasn’t sure if that was better or worse.
“What about Mother?” she asked.
“Linda had pretty much the same response,” he informed her. “She asked what I’d like to eat for breakfast.”
Had everything she’d built up in her mind about being single and bringing a man home been paranoia?.
Given the circumstances, she decided not to put too much thought into it. There were so many other things to worry about instead, like the fact that someone at the very least had assaulted her and possibly wanted her dead.
“My head feels like an ex-thrower used it for target practice,” she admitted.
Nate picked up a bottle of OTC pain medication along with a glass of water from her nightstand.
“I thought you might ask for these,” he said. That smile from a few seconds ago played with the corners of his mouth.
She opened her hand and he dropped a pain reliever on it.
“More?” he asked.
“I’ll start with one. I don’t want to be completely out of it in case Skylar needs me,” she said.
“Zach texted earlier and a waitress from the Last Bite Diner said Reggie’s becoming quite the regular customer. He’s showing up at odd hours, though,” Nate reported.
“In that case, is he Zach’s primary suspect?” she asked.
“He was until your old boss sent those flowers.” She still hadn’t showed him the texts. She reached for her purse and thought her head might split in two.
“What are you trying to get? Let me.” He glanced around the room and must’ve realized before she could get the words out because he made a move for the dresser.
“My purse is over there. My cell should be inside.” She pointed to her handbag.
Nate retrieved it and set it down on the bed. The mattress dipped underneath his weight.
She located her cell, which was out of battery. The charger was on her nightstand. She plugged in her phone and it came to life a few seconds later.
According to the icon on the bottom left-hand side of her phone, there were thirty-seven new texts. She pressed the icon and scanned through the few names. Several were from vendors. And then there was Renaldo’s name. She’d almost deleted his contact info from her list but figured she didn’t want to be caught off guard if he called. She wanted to know it was him, so she wouldn’t accidentally answer.
Twenty-three of the messages were from Renaldo. She hadn’t read many of them since she’d moved to Jacobstown, figuring his attempts to contact her would peter out eventually. There was no use fanning that flame by responding.
They’d been stacking up. The oldest ones sounded the most venomous. She tilted the phone so Nate could read them.
I’ll ruin you.
You’ll never work again.
You’re a spoiled bitch.
Answer me!
You won’t get away so easy.
You better watch out.
I could be anywhere.
“This guy was your boss?” he asked.
“Yeah, for the better part of the last three years,” she stated.
“Were there no other kitchens that would hire you?” He read each text and the intensity of his gaze increased with each one.
“I’m afraid not. He’s influential. I thought the chance to work with him was straight from heaven at first. My food truck was gone in the blink of an eye. The truck repossessed. I had debt. There weren’t many jobs available where I lived at the time and I had to be close to home. Travis took the only car we had with him. My mom had her sedan and that’s how I got Skylar home from the hospital. Mom had to run out and buy a new car seat because he took off with the only one I had. Money was tight. Then I heard about this job with a famous chef. Nice restaurant. I didn’t have a lot of options even though I’d heard he had a reputation. I expected to get hit on, but everyone said he was so much worse with me. Like he developed a fixation because I wouldn’t flirt back. It got worse from there. I was done with men and had zero interest.”
“You couldn’t quit?” He quirked a brow.
“My reputation wasn’t the best after losing my truck. People thought I mismanaged the business. No one has the patience to listen to what really happened. I was good at what I did, but I didn’t have real restaurant experience. Renaldo had a lot of influence in the Houston area and I didn’t have the money to relocate. Not until now,” she admitted.
Nate flexed and released his fist. “I can think of a few things I’d do to a man who takes advantage of someone in a weaker position.”
“It didn’t help that my self-esteem was pretty shot. I was so tired from caring for Skylar as a baby. Then there was my mom. I couldn’t just walk out, and Renaldo seemed ready to make my life miserable as long as I stayed. I threatened to quit and he said he’d ruin me.” Thinking about it now sent anger shooting through her. “He had influence and I didn’t. If I went somewhere else, I’d need a reference. He made it clear that he wouldn’t give me one.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I felt pretty damn trapped until I heard from Aunt Maddie’s lawyer. I had hope for the first time in four years. This restaurant had to open. It had to work. Now, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Hearing the words brought her to the brink of a breakdown.
“It’ll be okay—”
“How? The restaurant is gone now.�
�� Panic welled inside her.
“We’ll figure it out. I’m not going to let that be taken away from you, Chelsea. I have a feeling you’re going to be very successful and I want to offer seed money,” Nate said.
Odd that his words were so reassuring when there was no real reason to feel that way. There’d been a fire. She could’ve easily lost her life.
“You would do that?” Could she allow him to?
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re a decent person who needs a break. I have enough money to help you get back on your feet as long as you’re not too stubborn to accept it.” His offer was tempting.
She had her daughter to think about and medical bills for her mother. “I can’t afford to be stubborn, Nate. But you have to let me pay you back.”
“We can handle the finances however you want to.” His words came out final-sounding.
“I need to figure a few things out first on the financial end.”
“Agreed.”
A burst of hope swelled inside her chest.
“We need to show these texts to Zach.” Nate motioned toward her phone and she figured he was changing the subject before she had a chance to rethink his offer. “He’ll want to see this. He’ll also want to drive to Houston and speak to Renaldo personally.”
“Look at the more recent texts,” she said.
I’ve been a jerk.
Forgive me.
Chelsea?
Answer please.
I’m sorry.
“That last one could cover several scenarios.” Nate pointed out the fact that it had come in two hours after the fire.
“Right. He’s a hothead and lost his temper daily. I’m wondering if he’d be so stupid as to text me threats and then set my restaurant on fire.” She couldn’t fathom it, but then his actions had left her scratching her head. Why fixate on her in the first place? Why would anyone want to be with someone who didn’t want them back?
Chelsea had had plenty of time to ponder that question as a child. Even as young as twelve she knew her mother had stopped living, like she was waiting for her husband to show up and make everything okay again.
Life didn’t always hand “okay” to people, not even to good people. In fact, pretty bad things happened to good people far too often.
“I’ve learned that people sometimes are that obvious with their words and actions. Only the most calculating ones don’t get caught right away.” Nate palmed her phone. “I’d still like a few minutes alone with him in a locked room. We’d see how tough he was then.”
Nate was already taking screen shots of the texts. “I’m sending these to Zach so he’ll have them first thing in the morning. He’ll want to talk to this guy. The timing is weird, but Vinchesa doesn’t sound like a career criminal who’s used to covering his tracks. You’d be surprised at how many criminals give themselves away easily.”
“What about the ones who don’t?”
Chapter Fourteen
“Those can be scary as hell.” Nate didn’t want to think about the level to which someone might go to cover up deviant behavior. A smart person didn’t get caught and that’s exactly the type they were dealing with when it came to the heifers. Even with advanced security measures in place like installing cameras near Rushing Creek and adding security personnel and patrols, the responsible person hadn’t been caught. All anyone knew so far was that the killer was male based on his shoe print. He was good at making certain that none of his DNA was ever found at a crime scene.
“Do you think Reggie’s that smart?” It was a fair question.
“He’s a known criminal. Someone with a long history of committing petty crimes could wise up with experience. Someone like him learns the system from the inside. Gets smarter every time he gets away with something.” It was the closest anyone had been to so much as making an educated guess about who might be responsible for the heifers. But would the same man be stupid enough to try to hurt Chelsea? Would he draw attention to himself now? And why would the two crimes be connected?
The probability was low.
“Reggie seems guilty of something. He’s been coming in and out of town undetected for the most part,” she surmised.
“True. We have no idea how long this has been going on and the last time Zach had him in custody, the man wasn’t speaking. He has a Louisiana license plate but Zach discovered the address on his vehicle registration didn’t match his driver’s license.”
“There are no witnesses to the fire. Right?” Chelsea asked.
“No one besides you. We’re still waiting on unofficial word from the fire marshal.” Nate figured he could lean on the captain for an answer. The conversation would go over better in person, which was why he hadn’t called yet.
Chelsea took another sip of water.
“I don’t want to wake the house, but is there any chance I can slip downstairs and make coffee?” Nate hadn’t had a cup in hours and he could use the caffeine boost to help him think more clearly.
“Depends on how quiet you are,” she replied. “My mother sleeps like a rock once she falls asleep. But that can take a minute. Skylar fights sleep until it pulls her under. Once she’s out, she’s out. Rofert knows you, so I doubt he’ll bark.”
That was all the confirmation he needed. “You want a cup?”
“Is that a serious question?” She smiled and he liked the way it softened the worry lines on her face. The break in tension was a nice change. It was easy to talk to Chelsea.
“In that case, I’ll be right back.” He stopped at the door. “Are you hungry?”
“I think there’s yogurt in the fridge. Do you mind bringing it up?”
“Not at all.” He disappeared down the hallway without so much as a floorboard creak.
He flipped the light on in the kitchen and went about making the fresh brew. As he stood there with his palms on the counter, waiting for the machine to spit out the brown liquid, a thought occurred to him. Had the attacker chosen to strike at the restaurant because Rofert was at Chelsea’s home?
Wouldn’t that make more sense than someone trying to destroy her business for no reason? And he was damn sure there’d been an attack. He believed that she’d heard a male voice before she’d blacked out.
If it hadn’t been for the winds, she might’ve succumbed to smoke inhalation. She’d gotten lucky. And what about the person who’d called in the blaze? Nate needed to ask Zach about the interview. Zach had surely investigated that angle by now. It wasn’t uncommon for a criminal to call in his own crime, especially once he believed his victim was dead.
At the very least, someone was sending a message to Chelsea. He was saying that he could get to her whenever he wanted. He could strike anywhere, any place.
Except home.
Rofert would’ve heard a noise if anyone had broken into the house. The locks were secure, too. Nate had seen to it that the best locks had been used. The windows had been replaced. Getting to Chelsea at home would definitely require more skill.
Another consideration was that the attacker only wanted to harm Chelsea. The person wanted to ensure no one else was hurt. That scenario pointed directly to her ex, Travis. Reggie wouldn’t make that distinction. He’d strike where he could and Nate doubted the man would care about collateral damage.
Nate doubted anyone from town would have a problem with Chelsea opening up a new restaurant. People had been complaining about that building being vacant for years. He’d only heard good things from folks about her breathing life into it again. There’d always be one or two complainers.
And then, there could be nothing to it. She might’ve fallen and hit her head, knocking the heater off the table and starting the blaze. Nate didn’t think Chelsea would lie. Her brain had been scrambled in the fall and she might be recalling events out of order.
He�
��d worked with enough head-injury patients to realize Chelsea could be remembering wrong.
The coffeemaker sputtered and beeped, a welcome sound.
He filled two mugs, grabbed yogurt and a spoon, and then headed upstairs, stopping at the top long enough to set one of the mugs down so he could scratch Rofert behind the ears. Rofert seemed happy as a lark.
The old boy might have a tough time leaving the sweet family when this was all said and done.
* * *
NATE WOKE TO the scent of bacon the next morning. And a pair of familiar voices. Amber and Amy, his sister and cousin respectively.
A moment of panic had him to his feet and out the door in two seconds flat. The sun was up for now. The news had predicted a turn in weather. Nate hoped everything was okay at the ranch.
“Amber,” he said from down the hallway. He’d heard Linda shout upstairs that she was taking Skylar to school a few hours ago. Nate had heard Linda return before letting himself nod off. All he needed was a couple of twenty-minute spurts and he was fine. He’d slept longer than that. He reminded himself not to get too comfortable in the single mother’s home.
“Hey, Nate,” Amber practically chirped. She met him at the door to the kitchen and gave him a warm hug.
Amy followed suit.
“What’s going on?” He looked to Amy and then Amber.
“We heard about the fire and wanted to stop by to see if there’s anything we can do to help,” Amber said. His baby sister and cousin had hearts of gold.
“Good morning, Nate,” Linda said. “I sure appreciate you staying over last night to keep watch over my daughter.”
“Much obliged, ma’am,” he responded.
“How is Chelsea?” Amber asked.
“Physically, she’s doing better. The high winds probably saved her from having more issues with her lungs,” he stated.
“My brother told us what happened. That’s so scary,” Amy interjected. “I’m sorry she had to go through that. It sounds like she’s very lucky.”
Nate wouldn’t disagree with that statement. But first, coffee.