A Love So Real: A Christian Romance (New Hope Falls Book 1)

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  “What’s going…” His words trailed off as his gaze fell on the words etched into the side of her car. “What is that?”

  Arianna crossed her arms, hugging herself. “I guess someone wants me to leave.”

  “Why would anyone want that?” Eli asked, his tone incredulous.

  And wasn’t that the question of the hour. “I don’t know.”

  “Is this the first time you’ve seen something like this?” Eli’s gaze was piercing as he waited for her answer, his eyes widening slightly when she hesitated. “It’s not?”

  Arianna gave a quick shake of her head as she looked back at the car.

  Eli came to her side and gently gripped her upper arm. “Anna? What else has been done?”

  “I have them in the cabin,” she said.

  “Them? Show me.” Though Eli didn’t raise his voice, the demand was clear.

  With a nod, Arianna turned, pulling her arm from Eli’s grasp, and made her way up the steps to the front door. She unlocked it and led Eli to the counter where the notes from the previous days were laid out face down.

  Eli carefully flipped the papers over and stared at them, his profile revealing the tense set of his jaw. “When did you get the first one?”

  “On Monday.”

  “And the second?”

  “Tuesday.”

  He glanced at her then. “The night you didn’t come to dinner?”

  Arianna looked away for a moment before meeting his gaze again. “Yeah.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” He turned to face her fully, crossing his arms as he leaned a hip against the counter.

  Arianna shrugged as she sighed. “I don’t know. I just didn’t want to cause any trouble.”

  “This is too serious to ignore.”

  “I see that now that they’ve left a message for me on my car, but when it was just the notes…I don’t know. I thought it was a prank.”

  Eli pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and tapped a few buttons before lifting it to his ear. Turning back to the papers on the counter, he said, “Hey, Kieran. Wonder if you’d be able to come up to the cabins. We’ve had some vandalism.” He paused for a moment. “Okay. Thanks.”

  After he ended the call, Eli continued to stare at the papers for a moment before he turned to face her again. “The cops should be here shortly.”

  “Thank you. I’m sorry to cause a distraction from the work.”

  “You’re not causing a distraction,” Eli said, a smile gentling his expression. “Someone else is doing this. Someone else is causing the distraction.”

  “Still…”

  “No.” Eli reached out to cup her shoulder, his touch gentle and warm. “You’re not responsible for this.”

  “What is going on?” Leah’s raised voice from outside had them both turning toward the open doorway. She came into the cabin without knocking. “What’s happened to Anna’s car?”

  “Someone has decided they don’t want her here,” Eli said, waving to the notes on the counter. “Don’t touch them. Kieran’s coming, and I’m hoping maybe the police can get fingerprints off them.”

  Leah bent to look at the notes. “That’s crazy. Who would feel that way?” It didn’t appear that Leah was actually anticipating a response because she turned around and said, “I need to let Mom know. She’ll be upset if she hears about this from anyone else.”

  “Go ahead,” Eli said. “I’m going to wait here with Anna for Kieran.”

  Once Leah had left them, Eli turned back to her, a concerned look on his face. “Are you really doing okay?”

  “I am a little shook up.” Realizing that her legs were trembling a bit, Arianna went to the couch and sank down on it.

  “I’m sure you are,” Eli said as he followed her, sitting down next to her, close, but not touching.

  Arianna found that she would have welcomed his touch right then, but realizing that might not be welcome, she fought to keep herself from leaning into his strength. “I think I just assumed that if they continued to threaten me, it would be through notes, not something like what they did to my car.”

  “I am really sorry about your car.”

  She looked over at him. “It’s not your fault.”

  Eli leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs, his gaze on his hands. “I understand that, but it’s happened here at the lodge. On our property.”

  “Well, unless it was you, your mom, or one of the twins who was out there all night etching the message into the side of my car, it’s not your responsibility.” She reached out to rest her hand on his arm. “I’m not concerned about the car.”

  Eli gave a huff of laughter as his hand settled on top of hers. “Really? I would be if it was my truck.”

  “I think maybe you’re a little more attached to your truck than I am to my car.” His palm was rough against her skin, and she relished the feel of her fingers sandwiched between his arm and his hand.

  “How do you not become attached to a car when it costs as much as yours likely did?”

  “When my dad is the one who picked it out,” Arianna replied.

  “Wouldn’t that mean you’d be even more attached considering it was a gift?”

  “Honestly, my dad buys me a new car every year or so. He doesn’t trust my judgment when it comes to vehicles. Not that he knows anything more about cars than me, but he has friends who do, so more frequently than I need it, I get a new car.”

  “Well, I hope it doesn’t cost too much to repair the damage.”

  “Please, Eli, don’t worry about it. In all of this situation, the cost of repairs to my car is the least of my concerns.”

  Eli straightened and turned toward her. “You’re right, of course. I’m focusing on the car because I just don’t want to think about the rest of it.”

  Before Arianna could respond, the sound of a vehicle pulling up had them both getting to their feet. Arianna followed Eli out the front door, spotting a police vehicle that was now nose-to-nose with Eli’s truck. A tall man wearing a beige uniform got out of the car and headed toward the cabin. He came to a stop next to her car and stood with his hands on his hips as he surveyed the damage.

  “Kieran,” Eli said as he neared the man. “Thanks so much for coming out.”

  “No problem.” The other man smiled, shaking the hand Eli offered him. “It’s nice to have something to fill my time between runs to the donut shop.”

  “There’s a donut shop in New Hope?” Arianna asked.

  “Only in Kieran’s dreams,” Eli said, then he reached out to touch Arianna’s shoulder. “This is Anna, and this is her car. Anna, this is Kieran Sutherland. He’s with the Sheriff’s office in New Hope.”

  Kieran held out his hand as he said, “It’s nice to meet you, though I always hate to meet under criminal circumstances.”

  “I’m glad you were able to come so quickly,” Arianna said as she took his hand and gave it a firm shake.

  “There’s not too much crime happening around here on a Thursday morning.” Kieran pulled his phone out and snapped a picture of the damage on her car. “Is this the extent of the situation?”

  “No. I also received some notes,” Arianna said, gesturing at the cabin. “They’re inside.”

  “Okay. Let’s go on in, and you can give me the details of what’s been happening.”

  Once inside, Arianna recapped the timeline of events since she’d noticed the first note. It was unfortunate she couldn’t say for sure when she’d received that first one because she hadn’t been out by her car for a couple of days.

  “Have you had any negative interactions with anyone since arriving here?” Kieran asked as he wrote in a small notebook he’d pulled from his pocket as he sat down at the table with her and Eli after looking over the notes.

  “Some people have been friendlier than others, but no one has been hostile toward me.”

  “You were at the bakery, right?”

  Arianna turned to look at Eli, lifting her eyebrows at the s
trangeness of his question. But then she remembered how the woman who worked there had cooled considerably toward her when she realized that Arianna was staying at the lodge.

  “Yes, I was.”

  “Was Cece one of the people who could have been friendlier to you?” Eli asked.

  “Cece?”

  “Cecilia,” Eli said. “And yes, she was the one you asked about the other night.”

  “She tends to be rather possessive of Eli,” Kieran said, sharing a look with Eli. “Have you had any other interactions with her?”

  “No. I don’t remember seeing her at all after that first time at the bakery.”

  “She has seen you,” Eli said with a sigh.

  “When was that?” Arianna turned to Eli with a frown. “And how do you know?”

  “It was when we were at Norma’s the other night.”

  “You were there together?” Kieran asked.

  “Yes,” Arianna said.

  “And she saw you together?”

  Arianna shrugged, but Eli said, “I’m pretty sure she did. She came in after we got there.”

  “Okay.” Kieran wrote something more in his notebook then said, “Anyone else?”

  Arianna glanced at Eli, wondering if she should say something about Leah. Eli must have understood what she was thinking because he just grinned and said, “Go ahead.”

  “Well, uh, Leah hasn’t really warmed up to me.”

  Kieran huffed. “Leah doesn’t warm up to anyone. If she doesn’t like you, you’re in good company since she doesn’t like anyone except maybe Nadine, Sarah, and sometimes Eli.”

  “Only sometimes?” Arianna asked as she looked at Eli.

  “I’m her older brother, it’s practically in my job description to bug and annoy her. So yeah, there are times she doesn’t like me very much.”

  Arianna leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “Well, I don’t think it’s Leah anyway.”

  “Why’s that?” Kieran asked.

  “I just don’t think it’s her. She may not like me much, but she hasn’t been mean or anything like that.” Arianna wasn’t going to throw Leah under the bus just because they didn’t happen to get along. Besides, she really didn’t think Leah would have done something like that.

  “Anyone else?”

  “No, I can’t think of anyone.”

  “Okay. I’m going to take these notes and have them processed for fingerprints.” Kieran pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket and tugged them on, then he pulled out a couple of bags. He slid each of the papers into their own bag, then scribbled information on the labels. “Would you be able to come down to the office later to be fingerprinted since you also touched the papers?”

  “Yes, I can do that.”

  “I’ll also send someone out to check for fingerprints on the car.”

  “Can I drive it?”

  “It’s probably better that you don’t unless you want to become the center of attention when you park it outside the police station.”

  “I can take you,” Eli said.

  “Are you sure?” Arianna asked. “I don’t want to take you away from the work on the cabins.”

  “This is more important.” His expression was serious, his gaze intense as he looked at her. “The cabins will still be there later, plus we’re ahead of schedule with them because of your help. I can take this time off to help you out.”

  “Thank you. I really appreciate that.”

  Kieran cleared his throat as he got up from the table, peeling off the gloves. “I’m gonna head back to the office. Come in as soon as you get the chance.”

  “We’ll make a stop to see my mom and bring her up to date, then we’ll be there.”

  After Kieran had gathered up his things, they all walked out of the cabin together. Kieran shook hands with Arianna and clapped Eli on the shoulder before climbing into his vehicle. He backed into the driveway of the cabin next door then headed toward the exit.

  “Are we going right away?” Arianna asked.

  “I think we should.”

  She looked down at herself then said, “I kind of dressed today with painting in mind. Can I have a few minutes to get changed?”

  “Sure. I’m going to head to the lodge to talk to Mom. Text me when you’re ready to go, and I’ll come back. Don’t walk to the lodge on your own.” He pinned her with a stern look. “Seriously. Don’t.”

  Arianna felt a warmth spread through her at his protective words. Strangely enough, the thought of anyone else saying that to her didn’t sit right with her, but coming from Eli, she found that it gave her a sense of security. “I won’t. It shouldn’t take me too long.”

  “Okay. See you in a bit.”

  Arianna went back up the stairs to the porch, glancing over her shoulder to see Eli still standing there. She noticed that he waited until she was inside the cabin and was closing the door before he walked away. Unfortunately, his words also had the effect of igniting a paranoia within her. She hadn’t considered that someone might be hanging around out there, waiting to see her alone and vulnerable.

  In her bedroom, she quickly switched out her paint-splattered clothes for a pair of skinny jeans and a long, fitted sweater with a cowl neckline. After a few minutes in the bathroom to fix her hair and makeup, she tugged on a pair of knee-high boots and grabbed her leather jacket from where she’d hung it up. Once she had her purse, she tapped out a message to let Eli know she was ready.

  Though she was tempted to open the curtains and blinds, she left them closed while she waited. When Eli’s knock came, she jumped then sighed. She hoped this situation was resolved quickly. She really didn’t want to spend the rest of her time in New Hope in constant fear of someone showing up to harm her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Arianna opened the door, relief flooding through her at Eli’s presence. “I’m ready.”

  Eli’s gaze swept over her. “I can see that. I kinda thought it would be half an hour or more before you were ready.”

  “Did I take you away from a cup of coffee?” Arianna asked as she stepped out on the porch then turned to lock the door.

  “Not quite. I’d just finished it.”

  When they got back to the truck, he opened the door for her. She pulled herself up into the seat then put her seatbelt on as Eli went around to climb behind the wheel.

  “How was your mom?”

  He put the truck in gear and slowly drove past the cabins. “Mad. Upset. Worried.”

  “I’m sorry. I hate that this has upset her.”

  “It’s mutual, believe me,” Eli said as he pulled to a stop at the exit that led to the road. After a brief hesitation, he turned onto the main road and headed toward the town. “She hates that this has upset you.”

  “I just wish I understood it.” Arianna stared out the window, wishing she could appreciate the scenery like she usually did. “I don’t like it when things don’t make sense.”

  “Is there any chance this could be someone from your life in LA?” Eli asked.

  “No one knows I’m here. I’m in contact with the people I need to be in contact with, but frankly, they don’t need to know where I am. If they did, one or two of them would be on their way here in short order, and I don’t want that right now.”

  “I have to say that while I have no interest in being in any sort of relationship with Cece, I also don’t want her to be the one behind this. I’d be really disappointed if that were the case.”

  Seeing Eli protective of someone else brought weird conflicting emotions to the surface for Arianna. First, it was an admirable thing that he hoped that the woman wasn’t behind the harassment even though she no doubt made his life awkward at times. However, Arianna experienced a bit of disappointment and jealousy that maybe he was just protective of everyone, and she wasn’t special.

  The jealousy was something new for her. She couldn’t remember ever having felt that way before. David had tried to trigger jealousy in her a few times during their time together a
nd had been so angry when it hadn’t worked. She hadn’t reacted the way he wanted, and when she’d tried to remind him that that wasn’t the sort of relationship they had, he’d gotten livid. That had been the first step down the slippery slope that had ended with the implosion of everything just before she’d fled LA.

  And now, having begun to experience feelings for Eli, she realized that she never could have felt anything like that for David. She respected Eli in a way she never had David. Knowing what she did now, it made her regret more than ever that she’d allowed herself to compromise her values and do something she knew wasn’t right.

  Was it possible that David was behind this?

  Arianna stared down at her phone. She’d always been super careful to never leave her phone unlocked around him, and once she’d fled LA, she’d gone to an Apple store to ask someone if they could check for any sort of tracking app on her phone. The guy had given her a bit of a weird look, but he’d talked her through his search of her phone, in the end determining that there was no tracking app.

  Could the Apple guy have missed something?

  David was the only person in her life that she could imagine going to those lengths, partly because she had come to the conclusion that he was nuts. Certifiably nuts. She didn’t want to bring all that up with the cops, but unfortunately, she might not have any choice.

  It wasn’t long before they were pulling into a spot in front of the sheriff’s office. The building was a single story one sandwiched between the library and a dentist’s office. Eli held the door for her, then followed her inside.

  “Well, hello there, Elijah,” the woman seated behind the desk said. She looked to be in her mid to late fifties, with highlighted blonde hair stacked high on the top of her head. With a smile at Eli, she pulled her glasses off and stuck them on her head where they promptly disappeared into the mass of curls piled there. “Kieran said you’d be stopping by. Feel free to go on back.”

  “Thanks, Lisa. This is Anna, by the way.” Eli turned to her with a smile. “Lisa is the one who keeps this office running smoothly.”

  “And don’t any of you forget it.”