Tattered Stars

by Catherine Cowles

  Calder inclined his head to a stack of paper on my desk. “What’s that? Looks like a whole lot of paperwork to me.”

  “It’s called being the boss. It comes with strings.”

  “Sure, but just remember what the nail in your coffin was when you try to take a swing at me.”

  I had half a mind to do it simply to prove Calder wrong. “Get out of my office before I throw this coffee at you.”

  He chuckled but pushed to his feet. “I have to get to work anyway.”

  “Enjoy riding that pole.”

  “Always do, desk jockey.”

  Just as Calder disappeared, Deputy Young stepped into my office with an amused smile on her face. “Did he just call you a desk jockey?”

  “Yes,” I growled. “He’s an ass.”

  “He’s a firefighter. They’re all pompous.”

  “You’re not wrong there. What can I do for you, Young?”

  Her feet shuffled as she gripped the back of the chair Calder had vacated. “I, uh, saw something yesterday I thought you might want to know about.”

  “Okay…”

  “I was picking up lunch for my mom and me from Spoons, and I saw Everly Kemper.”

  Young stopped talking. I waited for a moment, but she didn’t say anything else. “She does live here now. You’ll probably see her in town.”

  “I know. It’s just… It looked like her brother was threatening her. I was about to step in and see if she needed help when her uncle called Ian off. I’ve got a bad feeling about those guys, boss.”

  The coffee in my gut soured. I did, too. And Everly hadn’t said a single word when I showed up at the cabin yesterday afternoon. “He touch her?”

  “He knocked into her when he walked away. She stood her ground, didn’t let him see her scared. But I saw her shaking a bit when she walked to her car.”

  I bit back a slew of curses. I didn’t want to feel this pull to make sure Everly was okay. I tried to justify in my mind that it was simply because this was my job—to protect the citizens of this county. But I worried it was more.

  11

  Everly

  I leaned on the fence and pulled. With a groan, it gave way in an almost comical domino effect. Post after post, and board after board went down. That answered whether any part of the fence line was salvageable. It looked like an entire new one was on my list. I stepped on a rail with my boot. The wood itself seemed sturdy. That meant I might be able to reuse the materials, but it also meant I’d have to assess each piece.

  The sound of an engine caught on the breeze, and I turned to see an old pickup truck cresting the hill. I stiffened, my hand going to the holster at my back and resting there. If my brother thought he’d catch me unaware, he had another thing coming.

  But it wasn’t Ian who climbed out of the truck. It was a face as familiar as his, but one that had matured over the years. The rest of him had, too, broad shoulders and a leanly muscled form. I froze in place, my body warring with itself. Part of me wanting to run to Ben and engulf him in a hug. The other part felt the need to protect myself from whatever might be coming my way.

  “Hey, Evie.”

  His voice was different, yet the same. And it had tears burning the backs of my eyes. “Hey, Ben.”

  “Ian said you were back.”

  I did my best not to stiffen at my brother’s name. “I’m sure he had lots to say about that.”

  “Ian has a lot to say about any topic. Even when he doesn’t know anything about it.”

  His words startled a laugh out of me. “I guess some things never change.”

  Ben took a step closer. “You have, though.”

  “Bound to, I guess.”

  “You gonna take that hand off your gun, or still making up your mind?”

  Of course, he knew what my hand rested on. We’d practically grown up together, his family having the ranch next to my uncle’s and being just as involved in the prepper community as we were. We’d formed this insular almost-family. Homeschooled together, raced horses, swam in the lake. But all of that had disappeared in a blink.

  My hand flexed. “That depends on why you’re here.”

  “To see my best friend.”

  I studied Ben’s face. I didn’t see any deceit in it, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there.

  He took another step closer. “I’ll never forgive myself for not protecting you. For not stepping in when Ian—”

  The look on my face stopped Ben cold, and his words fell away. The echoes of pain had entrenched themselves there. I usually kept them well disguised, but I couldn’t hide them when he brought that up. “Someone should’ve stepped in. I’m not sure it was your job, though.”

  The feel of Ian’s steel-toed boot in my stomach, ribs, and shoulder resurfaced. The pain bloomed as if it were yesterday, not sixteen years ago. I released my hold on the gun, my hands fisting so my nails could dig into my palms as if that small bite of pain could distract from memories of so much worse. It couldn’t.

  Ben kicked at a rock. “It was my job. I’d been looking out for you practically since you were born.”

  It was true enough, but it only hurt more to hear him say it aloud. “I can’t go there. Please, don’t make me.”

  “All right. But I need you to know I’ve regretted it every day since.”

  I nodded, unable to get any other words out for a moment. “Why did you stay?”

  “It’s home.”

  It was such a simple answer—the ties that bound us to family, the roots that made up our pasts, they were powerful. Far more than I’d given them credit for when I was just eleven years old. “I get that.”

  “Are you okay? I don’t know that you should be staying up here all alone. If I talk to Allen, he’ll let you come back. He won’t do anything—”

  “I can take care of myself.” My spine locked tight. It didn’t matter how many precious childhood memories I shared with the Ben I’d known as a boy; he was a man now. And he was tied up with a group of people who wanted nothing more than to put me in the place they thought I belonged and deserved—which was likely under their boot.

  “I know that you’re a capable woman. I admire that. But—”

  “But nothing. I’m fine here. And I’m more than protected. You can report that back to Allen and Ian.”

  “I’m not reporting—” The sound of another vehicle cut off Ben’s words. Another unfamiliar truck appeared, and Ben surveyed the driver. When he saw that it was a woman, he turned back to me. “I should get going. I’ll come by later and—”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  The hurt that flashed across his face cut, but I just dug my fingernails deeper into my palms. I had to draw a line in the sand because as much as I’d missed our friendship, I wouldn’t let Ben try to drag me back to that life. Not now, not ever.

  “Okay, then. When you change your mind, you know where I’ll be.”

  My throat burned as I watched him walk back to his truck and drive away. As his taillights disappeared, I tried to convince myself that it was for the best. A door slammed, and I looked at the woman who was standing in front of a dusty truck.

  I would’ve recognized her anywhere. The image of the missing person’s poster was seared into my mind. Even a decade and a half of time passing and growing up didn’t disguise her.

  Shiloh raised her chin and met my gaze. “Who was that?”

  I wanted to laugh. She asked the question as if we were lifelong friends, and she had every right to know who came and went from my life. “Someone I used to know.”

  “Friend or foe?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe a little of both.”

  “Those are always the most complicated ones.”

  My mouth curved. “You’re not wrong there. It’s good to see you, Shiloh.”

  She shifted on her feet. “Is it okay that I came?”

  That slight hesitation made my ribs tighten around my lungs. “You’re welcome anytime.”

&nb
sp; The set of Shiloh’s shoulders relaxed a fraction, and she surveyed the land around us. Her gaze caught on the shed in the distance. The building that held all of our ghosts—or most of them, anyway. I needed to tear the thing down. Burn it and bury the ashes. Put something worthy in its place.

  Shiloh’s face shut down, her gaze dropping to her feet as her hands clenched and flexed at her sides. She seemed to be counting silently. I didn’t say a word, wanting to give her all of the time and space she needed. After a minute or so, she straightened, turning back to face me. “Thank you. For what you did. I’ve thought a lot about you over the years. I never had a chance to say that, so I’m saying it now.”

  “You don’t need to—”

  “I do.” Her eyes blazed with a fierce heat. “The doctors said I probably wouldn’t have made it another couple of days. Thank you.”

  The invisible vise around my torso tightened another notch. How could my family not see? That this sickness in my father had almost cost another family everything? “Are you okay?”

  Shiloh lifted one shoulder then dropped it back down. “I’m as good as anyone can be, I think. People might think I’m a little weird. But that’s okay with me.”

  “All my favorite people are a little weird.”

  The corner of her mouth kicked up as the wind made the long braid down her back swing. “Good taste.” She was quiet for a few moments, seemingly not feeling the need to fill the space. “Mom said you’re turning this place into a sanctuary.”

  “That’s the plan. As you can see, it’s going to take a while.”

  “Might go faster if you had help.”

  I met Shiloh’s stare. “True enough.”

  She steeled herself, those hands clenching again. “I’d like to help.”

  “You would?” I couldn’t imagine it was easy for her to be here. Yet she stood steady as a rock.

  “Yes.”

  “I can’t really afford to bring anyone on.” It would take a wish and a prayer to get this place off the ground without going bankrupt.

  “I’ve got money. Don’t need any more from you. And I like animals…a hell of a lot more than people. It would be nice to build a home for ones who could use it.”

  I studied the woman in front of me. The face that had haunted so many of my dreams. The person I’d wondered about, time after time. “What do you know about fences?”

  She grinned. “Dug more than my share of post holes.”

  “We still have an hour or so of light. Let’s tear this down so we can build it back up.”

  12

  Hayes

  Dad guided his truck up the mountain road. “She’s gonna have a hell of a time when we get a good snow.”

  “I had the same thought when I first came up here.”

  “Should talk to her about snow tires and good chains. I can call Greg about putting her on the plow list for winter. Maybe even get a snowmobile in case of emergency or—”

  “Dad.”

  He glanced quickly at me. “What?”

  “It’s gonna be okay. She’s nice.”

  He nodded, adjusting his grip on the wheel. “I know that.”

  “Then I think you can stop chattering about every type of plan for snow.”

  Dad scowled in my direction. “I wasn’t chattering. Didn’t anyone ever teach you to respect your elders?”

  “Apparently, not.”

  “I’m rethinking my parenting approach.”

  “Understandable. You raised a bunch of hooligans.”

  He snorted. “Ain’t that the truth?”

  Koda pushed his head between the two seats as the cabin came into view. I gave him a scratch under his chin. “I know you’re excited, but you need to behave yourself. You were an embarrassment the last time you were here.”

  “He jump on Everly?”

  “No, just didn’t obey a single command.”

  “Koda,” my dad said, leaning his shoulder into the dog, “you’re gonna get yourself into trouble one of these days.”

  “Not with Everly. She loves dogs.”

  We came to a stop in front of the cabin, and I caught sight of the woman stacking what appeared to be fence posts. Her hair was piled in a messy array on top of her head, blond strands gleaming in the sun. She moved with an ease that said she wasn’t a stranger to hard work. Her tank top and worn jeans showed the lean muscles and curves beneath.

  “That her?” Dad whispered.

  “That’s her.” I forced my gaze away from the woman I was beginning to worry could drive me to distraction. “Come on, Koda.” I slid out of the truck and opened Koda’s door as I shut mine. Everly looked up at the sound, but I had a feeling she’d already known we were there. “Incoming,” I called as Koda leaped down.

  He made a beeline for his new best friend, and Everly dropped her post so she could meet Koda on the fly. She sank to a crouch as Koda’s front legs went to her shoulders. He licked her face, and Everly’s head tipped back as she let a laugh free. The sound punched me right in the gut, and I almost had to take a step back.

  “Well, I’d say those two have hit it off,” Dad said, coming to stand next to me.

  “Something like that,” I muttered.

  Everly stood, pulling a treat out of her back pocket. Her gaze met mine. “Is it okay if I give him this?”

  “Sure.”

  She sobered, looking Koda in the eyes. “Sit.” With a singular motion of her hand, Koda’s butt plunked right on the dirt.

  “Well, I’ll be. I’ve never seen him sit so quickly for you when he’s this excited.”

  “Shut up.”

  Dad’s mouth pressed into a firm line as if he were trying to hold back a smile. “It wasn’t an insult.”

  “Sure, it wasn’t.”

  Everly gave Koda the little bone and rubbed his head. “Good boy.” She looked up at me. “I was hoping you’d bring him.”

  “So you were prepared.”

  A hint of pink flushed her cheeks. “There were some treats by the checkout at the hardware store. Thought it wouldn’t hurt to have some on hand.”

  I adjusted the ballcap on my head to block the sun. “You’ve made his day.”

  “A little spoiling now and then doesn’t hurt.”

  “He gets more than a little of that,” Dad cut in, taking a step forward. “I’m Gabe. It’s wonderful to finally meet you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for our family.”

  Everly slid her hand into my father’s open one for a shake. “I’m glad to meet you, too. And thanks for coming out here to check out the barn. I’m afraid it might be a total loss.”

  I didn’t miss that she avoided the thanks from Dad. I studied her carefully, trying to figure why that was. I was sure it brought up bad memories at the very least.

  Dad inclined his head towards the leaning structure. “Let’s go see what’s what, and we can take it from there.”

  “Sure.”

  Everly led us towards the barn. “I haven’t been inside.”

  I looked up at the building—if you could even still call it that. “That’s probably a good idea. It looks like the snow did a number on it.”

  Dad let out a low whistle. “We’ll take a walk around the outside first. I’m guessing it might not be sound to go inside.”

  Everly’s steps slowed as she worried the corner of her lip between her teeth and stared up at the structure. I could see the mental calculations eating up her mind. I doubted she’d been gifted a massive pile of cash to go along with the property, and taking care of animals got expensive when you did it right.

  My fingers tapped out a rhythm on my thigh. The urge to reach out and provide some sort of comfort took me by surprise. It seemed incredibly unfair that she had so much stacked against her. “Why did you come back?” The words came out a little more abruptly than intended, and my dad cut me a glare.

  Everly stiffened, her lip dropping from between her teeth. “You know you don’t have to help, right?”

  “I did
n’t mean it like that. I just meant…I’m curious, why. You’ve never been back before. Wouldn’t it be easier to sell this place and use the money to start your sanctuary somewhere else?”

  “Ignore my son. His manners leave something to be desired, and he often puts his foot in his mouth.”

  Everly’s lips curved, and her eyes got back a little of that sparkle that had fled once my dad said the barn might be a loss. “I’ve learned that about him.”

  “Hey, two against one isn’t fair,” I said.

  She met my gaze. “Life rarely is.”

  That was the truth. I learned it day after day. Those who deserved a break, rarely got one. That familiar marching band of guilt picked up its tune inside me. Everly deserved a break, and I hadn’t given her a single one. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have stuck my nose where it didn’t belong.”

  “You and your dog have that in common. He’s just a little friendlier about it.”

  Dad snickered. “She’s got your number.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m sorry, okay? Forget I asked.”

  “Fair enough.” She turned back to the barn. “I think the worst of it is around the other side.”

  My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out. Seeing the dispatch number on my screen, I hit accept. “Easton.”

  “Sheriff. We’ve got a call. There was an attempted abduction over by the lake.”

  I stilled, the world seeming to tunnel, my gaze traveling to that damn shed. What were the chances of getting a call like this when I was standing where I was? “Who’s the vic?”

  “Cammie Sweeney. She’s okay. Ruiz and Young are already there and told me to call you.”

  “I’m on my way. Probably twenty or thirty minutes out.”

  “I’ll let them know.”

  I hit end without another word. “Dad, I need your keys. I got a callout.”

  “But it’s your day off.”

  I abruptly shook my head. “I need to go. Can you keep Koda?”

  He tossed me his keys. “Of course. I’ll have your mom pick me up, and you can come get him at the ranch when you’re done.”

  Everly’s eyes were sharp and assessing as if she could already read my tone and movements. “Everything okay?”