What She Did

by Barb Han

  He moved to the pot and pulled a mug from the cabinet. He didn’t think much about his actions until he’d poured a cup, taken a sip and then turned around. Both Amber and Amy’s jaws practically hit the floor.

  It hadn’t occurred to Nate how comfortable he’d become in the McGregor house and that must be the action widening his sibling and cousin’s eyes.

  “I see Rofert has been keeping you company, Linda.” Nate redirected their focus. He didn’t want to discuss his comfort level at Chelsea’s house with anyone. Hell, he didn’t want to put too much stock in it.

  “He sits by the door until Skylar comes back,” Linda responded.

  “Aw,” both women said at the same time.

  “I shouldn’t be surprised, though. He loves kids,” Amber related, shooting an affectionate look toward the oversize pup curled up against the back door.

  “I made bacon, in case you two woke,” Linda stated. “I’ll just go check on Chelsea.”

  That’s when the women whirled on Nate.

  “So what’s really going on?” Amber asked.

  “Nothing, I slept in a chair.” He rolled his head around, trying to loosen the crick in his neck. “I have the knots to prove it.”

  Amber stared at him like he had two heads. “What are you talking about?”

  “Last night. Isn’t that what you were...” His blunder occurred to him midsentence. “You’re asking about the fire.”

  He glanced from Amber to Amy. “I thought you spoke to your brother.”

  “We did. But you know Zach. He doesn’t say a whole lot if he doesn’t think we need to know. We’ve been hearing rumors about her distant cousin and something about a limp on his left side. Is that true?” Amy had always had a spunky side and Nate could see the twinkle in her eye.

  “Yes, her cousin has a bad leg. Zach is checking into his background and whereabouts over the past couple of years,” Nate told them.

  “Is that the same person who set the fire last night?” Amber persisted.

  “No one knows for sure. I haven’t spoken to the captain about the fire yet.”

  “It’s arson,” Amy said emphatically.

  “How do you know?” Nate took another sip of coffee. Dealing with Amy and Amber’s energy before he had a solid cup in him was proving interesting. He didn’t want to give away information that was inaccurate, but felt everyone should be in the know so they could look out for one another.

  “I overheard my brother. He seemed certain,” Amy said.

  “Then the initial investigation is probably iron-clad.” He’d tell Chelsea as soon as she woke. He’d witnessed the distress lines on her forehead earlier and hoped more information would help ease some of her worry.

  Nate downed the rest of his coffee and turned to fix another. It was then he noticed the bags of groceries on the counter along with a stack of plastic containers filled with cooked food.

  “Did you do all this?” he asked Amber.

  “Me and Amy and the rest of the Kent clan. We all figured they could use a hand while Chelsea heals.” The compassion in his sister’s voice warmed his heart.

  Footsteps sounded from the hallway. A fresh-faced Chelsea walked into the kitchen wearing a jogging suit. Her blond hair fell around her shoulders.

  Nate’s heart clenched.

  * * *

  “GOOD MORNING.” CHELSEA’S gaze bounced from Amy to Amber. She saw the family resemblance and couldn’t help but think the Kents had been blessed with amazing genes.

  “We heard about what happened. I’m so sorry. I’m Amber, Nate’s sister.” She offered a handshake and Chelsea took it.

  “I’m Amy, his cousin,” the other one said. She shook Chelsea’s hand next.

  “Should you be standing up?” Amber asked.

  “Rest does a lot of good, but I should probably take a seat at the kitchen table.” There was no reason to push it.

  “Coffee?” Nate asked. He’d been silently observing from the corner by the machine.

  “Yes, please,” Chelsea said, looking around. “My mother said you brought food. You really didn’t have to—”

  “It’s nothing,” Amber waved her hand like she was lazily swatting a fly. “The least we can do under the circumstances. We’ve been meaning to come by anyway and introduce ourselves. The ranch has been keeping us busy, but that’s no excuse.”

  “This is too much.” Chelsea choked back the emotion threatening to bring tears to her eyes. By and large, she was not a crier. Although she couldn’t help but think a good cry might make her feel better if she could let out her emotions. Instead, she bottled them up inside until they threatened to choke her.

  “We were helping your mother put groceries away when Nate came downstairs and we got distracted.” Amy glanced at Nate before returning her gaze to Chelsea. “Is it okay if we finish what we started?”

  Their kindness was a little overwhelming but Chelsea was grateful. “I wish there was something I could do to help.”

  She started to rise, but Nate put a steaming coffee mug in front of her.

  “Fair warning. Once these two get something in their heads, they go all-in.” He smiled. Seeing that man in her kitchen first thing in the morning made her heart want things she knew better than to allow. Nate was intelligent, handsome and built like she couldn’t believe. In short, he was dangerous.

  “It’s too much.” Chelsea could lose her business and she would figure out how to get a job to pay bills. She could lose her house and she would figure out some way to find shelter. But she could not lose her heart. That was the one thing she wouldn’t gamble.

  Looking at Nate, she hoped like hell she wasn’t too late.

  “You guys are lucky to have one another.” Chelsea’s gaze moved from Amy to Amber, appreciating how the two moved in sync with each other. It was obvious they were close and seeing them made her realize just how opposite she must seem to Nate.

  He came from a wealthy, tight-knit family. Chelsea and her mother were as close as they could be. They loved each other, but her mother had always held back, protected herself, even with her daughter.

  Chelsea didn’t blame Linda for guarding her heart. Or maybe it wasn’t guarding at all. Maybe it was just broken and the pieces had never fit back together in the right way. There was no doubt her mother loved Chelsea. Loved Skylar. But once her heart had been shattered, she’d never seemed to recover.

  It was the kind of all-consuming heartbreak Chelsea would experience with a man like Nate. And all the more reason to keep her distance.

  * * *

  MEETING NATE’S FAMILY a few days ago and seeing their generosity had Chelsea wishing her daughter could grow up surrounded by that kind of love.

  Chelsea pushed the unproductive thought aside. She was doing okay as Skylar’s mother. Wasn’t she?

  Nate had taken to sleeping in the guest room downstairs even though she’d insisted that she was well enough for him to go home.

  Having Nate sleep at her house was a stark reminder of the danger she’d been in. She was still in danger as long as the person who’d clocked her from behind and then lit her restaurant on fire was still on the loose.

  The fire marshal’s initial ruling was arson, noting that the fire had been started from the inside. Any DNA evidence linking a perp to the crime had most likely been burned at the scene, so Zach was no closer to figuring out who was responsible.

  Chelsea had contacted the estate lawyer, Michel Green, who’d relayed that the restaurant had been covered under an umbrella policy left by Aunt Maddie. Thankfully, Chelsea hadn’t lost everything and she had a certain pride from not having to borrow from Nate even though she deeply appreciated his offer. There’d be a delay in opening—the fire set back her opening to the end of February at the earliest—and that was definitely more stressful.

  Money would be tight, but Ch
elsea figured she might be able to eke by until then.

  Nate walked into the kitchen where she sat at the table nursing a cup of coffee.

  “I just heard from Zach,” he said.

  “What did he have to say?”

  “You’re not going to like this.” Nate held up his phone. “Travis has been in jail for the past three years. He was locked up on illegal possession of a firearm.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chelsea could scarcely believe her ears. Granted, Travis had gone down a dark path, but real jail time? For weapons?

  And then another thought dawned on her.

  “He won’t be able to get custody of Skylar,” she said to Nate in an almost whisper.

  “A judge could grant supervised visitation, but that’s the best he’ll be able to get based on other cases I’ve heard about,” Nate confirmed.

  Travis was far more dangerous than she realized if he was involved in weapons charges.

  “What if I’m not in the picture?” she asked. “What if I’m gone?”

  “That would be tricky. Skylar has spent her entire life with you and your mother. If Travis had a real job and could prove that his home would be more fit...”

  “He would never be a better option than my mother.” They both knew that her mother’s health could be made into an issue.

  All this time she’d been afraid that Travis would show up with court-ordered visitation or shared custody and he didn’t have a leg to stand on with a judge. His threats the other day had been idle because he had to know it, too.

  “I’m guessing that Zach has no idea where Travis is,” she stated.

  Nate shook his head.

  Travis hadn’t showed up since that evening at the restaurant as far as she knew. “He knew about the restaurant. I wonder how long he’s been watching me.”

  “Good questions. Zach said he was released two months ago and has to see his parole officer on the second of every month,” Nate advised.

  “He must’ve just visited before he came to Jacobstown,” she said.

  “If he’s responsible for the fire, he might skip his next appointment.” Nate poured a cup of coffee and held up the pot. “You ready for more?”

  Chelsea nodded.

  He walked over and refilled her mug. He stopped for a second and looked her in the eyes. “He won’t get to you or Skylar as long as I’m around. You know that. Right?”

  “Yeah.” The key was as long as he was around. He couldn’t stick around forever. He had responsibilities on his family ranch. “At some point you need to go back to work. I feel bad enough that your family has sacrificed the extra set of hands this long. From everything I’ve read about running a ranch, it takes everyone in your family and then some.”

  “It’s not the easiest way to make a living. It’s a way of life. My family bought land a long time ago and got the associated mineral rights,” he said. “We’re fortunate and we know it. Our parents made sure we didn’t take any of it for granted.”

  “I wish I could’ve met them. They sound amazing.” She picked up her mug and rolled it in her hands. “I’m pretty sure I could benefit from a few pointers from them. I hope I’m not messing up being a parent too badly.”

  “You love your daughter more than anything else. Isn’t that what kids need the most?” Nate had a point.

  She wanted to give Skylar the world. But it wouldn’t do any good if her daughter didn’t feel loved. Chelsea loved her mother and the two had grown close over the years. She still remembered feeling like she wasn’t enough to keep her mother happy. As an adult, she realized that her mother had been grieving losing her husband and the life she thought they’d have together. Chelsea came to realize that having her had probably kept her mother from completely falling apart.

  Losing Travis in the way she had, facing the same fate as her mother, gave Chelsea even more resolve to make sure Skylar always knew she was loved. “I guess you’re right. It’s so easy to focus on my mistakes when it comes to parenting. It’s this big, important job and I want to get it right.”

  Nate took the seat next to her and put his hand over hers. “I’ve been around a few babies recently and it’s help me realize a few things. No parent is ever perfect. No kid is ever perfect. But honesty, forgiveness and genuine love go a long way toward a perfect relationship.”

  “Said like that, it makes perfect sense.” Chelsea’s heart pounded her ribs with him this close, touching her, but she managed a smile.

  He leaned toward her.

  Her mother’s footsteps sounded in the hallway, heading for the kitchen.

  Nate stood and grabbed his cup of coffee from the counter. “Morning, ma’am.”

  “You know you can call me Linda,” she said.

  “My apologies. It’s old habit,” he said.

  Chelsea took a sip of coffee, enjoying the burn. She needed a reality check. Falling for Nate was out of the question.

  * * *

  “WE’LL GO TO Houston with Zach first thing tomorrow morning to interview Renaldo.” Nate made sure Chelsea was settled in bed before he shut off the light.

  “I need to be here with my mother and Skylar,” Chelsea said.

  “I’m not going without you. We have a pilot who can fly us down and back. You’ll be home before supper.” Nate had no plans to let Chelsea out of his sight until the case was solved. He wanted to be there when Zach interviewed Chelsea’s former boss if for no other reason than to have Zach’s back. He also planned to make sure someone watched her house to protect Skylar and Linda.

  “In that case, I’d like to hear what he has to say.” She pulled the covers up and settled in. “I’m guessing Zach couldn’t pinpoint Renaldo’s location based on the texts.”

  “No. So, he wants to interview him and get a feel for whether he’s honest. We’ll wait at a nearby café while Zach speaks to the suspect. That’s as close as Zach will allow us to get.” There were too many variables for Nate to feel comfortable. First, there was Reggie. Nate didn’t like anything about that man. Everyone was keeping watch for him, though. And the benefit to that kind of scrutiny was that it would be much more difficult for him to show up unannounced.

  Word had gotten out about Reggie’s limp and that he’d been in and out of town doing who knew what.

  Travis was more of an unknown quantity. He’d been in jail for three years and his first act after release was to hunt Chelsea down. Then again, he might’ve been keeping tabs on her from prison if he’d had access to a computer or friends on the outside. Controls were in place to prevent computers being used for devious reasons but convicts were cunning and could find ways around them.

  Chelsea hadn’t exactly been in hiding for the past four years. She’d been working and taking care of her family. Nate couldn’t help but think someone as honest and hardworking as her deserved a break. Life had thrown a lot at her, but she was still standing. He admired her courage.

  At seven o’clock the next morning, the airplane waited on the tarmac. A checklist had been run through and Nate received the text that all systems were go.

  It took an hour, give or take, to fly to Houston. They arrived at Renaldo’s downtown apartment building by 8:53 a.m.

  Nate couldn’t help but notice that the modern building was extremely tall and that the glass had a blue tint that looked like it reflected the sky. There were sharp angles at the top. It was the kind of building Nate expected an entire apartment to be decorated in shades of gray: light gray walls with a dark gray sofa. The place would be all about the lines.

  He couldn’t imagine living in such a colorless environment but it suited some people. He was more of an outdoor campfire guy. A house with a fireplace and comfortable furniture was more his style. He liked being able to sink into a chair rather than perch on the edge of one like a bird.

  There was a café across the street fro
m the building by the name of Roasted Bean. It was the perfect spot for Nate and Chelsea to set up and wait for Zach.

  The trio split up after confirming that Renaldo’s vehicle was parked in the attached garage in the space assigned to apartment 1101.

  Chelsea had been fidgeting in the airplane. She’d twisted her fingers together on the ride over and now she was tapping her toe on the concrete flooring while they waited in line to order coffee.

  It was understandable.

  She kept glancing across the street.

  “You want to grab a table by the window while I order?” he asked, figuring she needed something to do besides stand there.

  “Yeah, sure.” She’d healed from her injury and the headaches had subsided. “He should be in there, right?”

  “His vehicle is parked in its spot. There’s a high probability he’s in there.” Plus, from what Nate knew about the restaurant business, a chef’s world didn’t get started until at least 3:00 p.m. and would run late into the night. An executive chef like Renaldo wouldn’t likely arrive until 3:30 p.m. He would most likely have already been up and shopping at five o’clock this morning as the freshest produce and meats would be put out then.

  Renaldo might be arrogant but he hadn’t risen to his position in the restaurant business by being lazy.

  By the time Nate got the drinks and sat, his cell buzzed. He checked the screen. It was Zach.

  “No one’s answering the door,” Nate reported to Chelsea.

  She groaned. “He might’ve gone back to sleep, in which case he’ll be wearing ear plugs.”

  “I’ll let Zach know,” Nate said not wanting to ask how she knew the man’s sleeping habits.

  “Hold on. There he is.” She pointed across the street. A man wearing expensive jogging pants and a T-shirt with bare feet came running from around the side of the building. “Security must’ve called up and warned him.”

  Nate bit out a curse and bolted out the door. He made a beeline for the shorter, medium-built guy with long hair and loose curls.