Tattered Stars

by Catherine Cowles

  “Here we are.”

  I forced my eyes open and did my best to take in the place in front of me. It wasn’t what I’d expected, but it somehow fit. Classic was the word that came to mind. A historic white farmhouse with black shutters and a wraparound porch. There was even a porch swing. He probably had a full acre of land yet could walk to town if he needed to.

  “I love a porch swing.”

  Hayes grinned. “That one’s solid. A great place to drink a beer and let the day go.”

  “I think I need one at my place.”

  “Sounds like a good plan to me. But why don’t I get you inside first so you can get some rest?”

  I yawned. “I think that’s smart.”

  Hayes hopped out of the vehicle and came around to open my door. “I’m gonna lift you again. I think it’ll be easier on your body.”

  “Okay.” This time, it didn’t hurt nearly enough. Instead, I felt the planes of muscle as Hayes leaned me into his body. I smelled the hint of something that wasn’t pine but similar.

  He eased my feet to the ground. “You okay to walk?”

  I nodded, unable to find words at the moment. He led me up the path. The front yard was simple, grass and some basic shrubbery in front of the porch. But it worked. A few pots of flowers with gorgeous blooms sat on the porch steps.

  Hayes followed my line of sight. “That’s all my mom. Every time she comes over, she moans about how boring my yard is. Then, a few days later, another pot appears. I had to hire a neighbor girl to water them because I forget and then break my mother’s heart when my black thumb kills something else.”

  I could see the interaction in my mind as clear as day. Julia harping on Hayes and fussing with plants. And him simply letting her. Not only that, he’d made it so the plants grew and prospered. “I think they’re beautiful.”

  “I don’t hate looking at them.” He put his key in the lock and opened the front door.

  I couldn’t help my intake of breath. Hayes was just full of surprises. Instead of the tight corridors and small enclosed rooms I expected from a historic home, it was open and airy. “This is gorgeous.”

  “We gutted it pretty much down to the studs. I loved the exterior, but the interior was a mess. But that meant I got her for a song. I had a friend who was just starting up his contracting business, so I let him use my place to prove what he could do—and I got a steal on the labor.”

  “I’d say it paid off.” I moved into the space, walking by a small study with its glass doors and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, past a wall filled with a scattering of black and white prints of Hayes with his family and friends, and into the kitchen. It was a showpiece somehow managing to be both light and masculine with unique light fixtures and creative drawer pulls.

  “Glad you like it. Do you want water? A soda? Maybe something to eat?”

  “Honestly, I just want a shower and bed, if that’s okay.”

  “Of course.”

  He led me around the kitchen, through a living space with deep couches and a massive TV, and to the back stairs. “You go first in case you get a little wobbly.”

  My hand went to the railing, a rustic but smooth wood, and I made my way up without any dizziness.

  “Second door on your left.”

  I stopped just inside the space. It was that same mix here—a dark wood headboard but white duvet and pillows. The bedding resembled a cloud, and I couldn’t wait to fall into it. “This is gorgeous.”

  “Glad you approve. My sisters left some sweats in the dresser in case they come over for a movie night and want to be comfortable. Those should fit you.”

  “Are you sure that’s okay?”

  “Don’t be dumb.”

  I scowled at Hayes. “I’m not dumb. But I also don’t want to be presumptuous.”

  He rolled his eyes heavenward. “They’re just clothes. It’s not the family jewels.”

  “Do you have family jewels?” I asked with a smirk.

  “I think we might’ve misplaced the crowns somewhere along the line.”

  “Such a shame.”

  Hayes shook his head and moved in close. He paused for a moment and then wrapped his arms around me in a hug that managed to be both gentle and all-consuming. “I’m glad you’re okay. Scared the life out of me when I got the call.”

  My eyes burned as I pressed my cheek against his chest. “Thanks for coming back for me.”

  “I’ll come back for you anytime you ask, Ev. Or even if you don’t.”

  25

  Hayes

  I eased down into the chair in my study, hitting the timer on my phone for three hours. I scrubbed a hand over my face as I watched the seconds tick by. Sleep wouldn’t be happening tonight.

  Everything in me felt like it was going haywire. Short-circuiting and sending jolts of electricity through me. Like when Everly had pressed her cheek harder against my chest as if I were her only source of comfort. Or looking at her asleep in my guest bed just now. She’d curled herself into a position that didn’t seem at all comfortable, as if she were shielding herself from potential attack, yet her face was completely relaxed.

  “Get a grip, Easton.” I tapped a recent call on my phone.

  “Sheriff’s department.”

  “Hey, Williams, it’s Easton.”

  “Hey, Sheriff. How’s Ms. Kemper doing?”

  The kid had a good heart on him, and I hoped he kept it as he worked the job longer. It was tough not to let this line of work harden you a bit, make you more skeptical. But if you logged the moments where you saw the best in humanity, you could hold onto that optimism. “She’s going to be fine. Got a concussion and some stitches, but it could’ve been a lot worse.”

  “Who’s doing this, boss?”

  “I wish I had a clue. Has anything turned up tonight?”

  “You know I would’ve called you if it had.”

  I leaned back in my chair, my muscles protesting the movement. “I had to check.”

  “I know it. Ruiz and I logged the evidence, and the techs should get to it first thing.”

  “Thanks. Call me if anything else pops up.”

  “Will do. Get some sleep if you can.”

  I hung up without agreeing. I didn’t lie to the people who worked for me, and I wasn’t going to start now over something as stupid as sleep. Instead, I lifted the screen to my laptop and tapped a key, waking it up. Keying in a couple of passwords, I logged into our department’s system.

  I needed to read over Cammie’s statement again. Maybe that would knock something loose. Any clue that might send me in a new direction. I read everything we had four times before my eyes started to cross.

  I pushed to my feet and paced the wide-planked boards of my floor. Maybe I needed to cast a wider net. These were the only incidents in our county, but that didn’t mean there weren’t more elsewhere.

  I turned back to my computer and sat, typing in a few search terms. The number of cases that lined my screen had a wave of nausea sweeping through me—too much darkness in this world. But I’d have to start somewhere, and that meant combing through each individual case.

  I slid a cup of coffee across the counter to Hadley. “Thanks for coming over, even though you worked last night.”

  “No problem. I actually got five hours of sleep after we took Everly in. Looks like it was a hell of a lot more than you.”

  I knew I looked like death warmed over. My eyes felt like someone had poured acid in them, and my head was giving a steady thrum. “Nothing a few gallons of coffee won’t fix.”

  “You could take a day off and catch up on some sleep.”

  “Not with everything going on right now. I’ve got a slew of cases I need to sift through and see if any of them match what’s going on here.”

  Hadley straightened on her stool. “You’re thinking serial?”

  “It has to be the same person who tried to grab Cammie. That’s two attempts. He has most likely done this before. But not around here. We don’t have
any unsolveds with the same MO.” I bent forward to meet my little sister’s gaze. “That means you need to be careful. No going off on your own for a hike or mountain biking. Take a buddy. No walking to your car alone at night, either.”

  “Hayes. I carry bear spray and a keychain with spikes. I’ll be fine.”

  “Hadley… This isn’t me being overprotective. Someone’s trying to take women in your age range. It would kill me if something happened to you. Please. Until we catch this guy, just cut me a break.”

  She was silent for a moment as she scanned my face. “Okay. But you know the whole world doesn’t rest on your shoulders, right? It’s impossible to keep every single person in this county safe at all times. Bad things happen.”

  “I’m well aware that bad things happen. And I’ll just start with keeping my family safe. Dad’s having the same talk with Shiloh this morning. Everyone is on the buddy system for now.”

  “Even you?”

  I sighed and leaned a hip against the counter. “Even me. I’m taking Young with me to interview some suspects now.”

  Everly appeared at the edge of the kitchen. I hadn’t even heard her silent feet on the steps. “Ian?”

  She looked so damn adorable, her hair a rat’s nest from sleep, her feet bare. “I need to have a word with him and Allen. I know I won’t get far, but at least I can read their reaction.”

  “I really don’t think it was him. Like I said, it’s not his style.”

  “What is his style?”

  Everly visibly swallowed. “Brute force attack. He would’ve done whatever he intended to right there.”

  Heat rose through my body, filling muscle and sinew, pouring into my blood. What the hell had Ian done to Everly?

  Hadley cleared her throat. “You’re sure he doesn’t want you back home with the rest of your family? Maybe he decided to force that. You and Cammie look a little bit alike. Maybe he thought she was you.”

  Everly let out a chuckle, but it had a bitter air to it. “Trust me, the last thing Ian wants is for me to be home with him.”

  I hadn’t thought about it until now, but Cammie and Everly did look alike. Same hair color, similar builds. Whoever this was, obviously had a type. “For now, everyone just needs to be careful.”

  Hadley set her coffee down on the counter. “Yeah, yeah, buddy system at all times.”

  I sent a pointed stare in my sister’s direction. “If I find out you’re not holding to that, I’ll tell Mom about the time you snuck liquor out of the cabinet for that bonfire and were sick for days.”

  Her mouth fell open. “You wouldn’t.”

  “Test me.”

  “I know a few things about you, too, Bubby. Careful before you start a war.”

  I slid my phone into my pocket and palmed my keys. “You know I have far more ammunition on you.”

  She looked to Everly for help. “He’s right, dammit.”

  Ev pressed her lips into a firm line to keep from laughing. “Better wave the white flag now.”

  “Listen to her, little sister.” I moved through the space and acted on instinct, dropping a kiss to the top of Everly’s head. “Call if you start feeling worse. Your pain meds are on the counter.”

  Her eyes widened a fraction. “O-okay. Thanks.”

  I nodded and ignored the mischievous grin on Hadley’s face, heading for the door. As I drove to the station, I swore I could still feel the silk of Everly’s hair and smell the hint of jasmine that always seemed to float around her. I was screwed. And not in a good way.

  As I passed the hardware store, a familiar truck caught my eye, and I hung a quick right. I parked a few spaces down from the older vehicle, turned off my engine, and stayed seated, waiting. It didn’t take long for him to appear. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that Ian was alone. Maybe without Allen whispering in his ear, I’d finally get the truth.

  I slid out of my SUV and started towards him. Ian caught sight of me in seconds and scowled. “I’m starting to think you’re stalking me.”

  “Was just driving by and saw your truck. It saves me from having to drive out to the ranch later this morning.”

  He balanced a bag in one arm. “What now?”

  “Where were you between nine and ten last night?”

  Ian stiffened. “You’ve got no right to ask me that. I don’t buy into your authority. I don’t answer to—”

  I held up a hand. “Save me the spiel. I’ve heard it all before. Just tell me where you were, and I’ll leave you alone.”

  “No.”

  “I’ll take that to mean you don’t have an alibi.”

  “It means I don’t tell pigs shit.”

  I dialed in to everything about Ian at that moment. His fingers wrapped tightly around his keys. The set of his jaw. Anything that might give me any sort of clue when I relayed the next bit of information. “Someone attempted to abduct your sister last night.”

  His eyes shifted to the right, his hold on the keys tightening. “What are you talking about?”

  “Someone tried to grab her outside the vet’s office a little after nine.”

  A muscle in Ian’s jaw ticked. “That’s what happens when women go out on their own, unprotected. Maybe a little scare will finally show Everly her place.”

  “You think it’s your job to give her that scare?”

  Ian’s eyes narrowed on me. “I do whatever I want, whenever I want. I only report to God and my family.”

  “Somehow, I don’t think God would be too pleased with some of the things you’ve done, Ian.”

  He set his bag on the hood of his truck. “What did Evie tell you? Whatever it was, she lies. Invents all sorts of stories.”

  There was a slight edge of panic to his tone. That simple fact had ice sliding through my veins. “Everly hasn’t told me anything. But why don’t you share what would have you running scared, all of a sudden?”

  “I’m not scared of anything. Not her. Not you. No one. Fuck off, pig.” He grabbed his bag and jumped into his truck, the tires squealing as he pulled away.

  Everly had something on Ian. And the fact that she was back scared him. I just needed her to trust me enough to tell me what it was.

  26

  Everly

  “I’m not going to lie. I’m relieved to have you back, and not just because it means you’re feeling better.”

  I winced as I watched Miles rise from our break room table and throw away what remained of his lunch. “I’m sorry I left you in the lurch for a few days.”

  “It wasn’t your fault. I’m just so sorry this happened. And right outside, too. I had some new floodlights installed. That should help discourage any lurkers. And you and Kelly aren’t to lock up alone anymore.”

  “I hate that you had to go to all of this extra trouble.”

  Miles met my gaze. “It’s not trouble when it comes to keeping you and the rest of my staff safe. You’re an asset to this team, Everly, and I’m lucky to have you.”

  “Thank you. I love working here.”

  There wasn’t a dishonest word in my statement. Even two days away had left me twitchy. But the way Hayes had set Hadley and Shiloh on me, I hadn’t had a chance to do anything but watch movies or play cards. When my forty-eight-hour prison sentence was up, I’d practically run back to work.

  Miles gave me one of his warm smiles. “I’m so glad you do because we’ve been a little lost without you. And I think Kelly was ready to throttle Tim and me.”

  A small laugh escaped. The other vet tech and I had really found our stride and made a great team. “I owe her a cup of coffee, at least, for covering for me.”

  “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind that. I’m going to get a jump on paperwork before our next patient. Enjoy the rest of your lunch.”

  “Thanks, Miles.”

  I turned back to the salad and chips I’d packed this morning. It wasn’t an egg salad from Spoons, but it did the trick. I reached into my bag and pulled out my small bottle of Tylenol. I had the stronger pre
scription but didn’t want to take that while working. Acetaminophen would have to cut it. Swallowing two pills down, I rubbed at the back of my neck.

  Dr. Balicanta had told me that, even though my concussion was mild, it could take weeks for the symptoms to go away completely. It was mostly a dull ache running through my skull, but I sometimes got dizzy if I moved too quickly. And I didn’t have weeks for that. I needed to be back to helping Shiloh build some shelters for different animals.

  A knock sounded on the door. “Come in.” It slowly swung open, and a familiar face peeked in. “Addie?”

  She hesitated in the doorway. “Hi, Evie.”

  “Come in. I’m just having lunch. You can sit if you want.” I was doing everything in my power to keep from pushing. The last thing I wanted was to scare her away again.

  She stepped inside but didn’t take a seat. Instead, she stood twisting her fingers into intricate knots, then untwisting and starting the process all over again. “Are you okay? I heard someone attacked you.”

  “I’m fine. Just a bump on the head.”

  Addie studied the bandage near my temple. “That doesn’t look like a bump.”

  “A few stitches.”

  Her fingers bleached white as she knit them tighter together. “You hurting?”

  “Not bad. Just a headache. That should go away in a week or so. How are you? Everything okay?”

  She ignored my question. “Ian’s really mad that the sheriff talked to him again. You need to be careful.”

  As much as I didn’t think the attack was my brother, I had to ask… “Was he around the night it happened?”

  Addie stiffened, the manic acrobatics of her hands stilling. “I don’t know. I go straight to my room after dinner. I don’t want to be around if they’re drinking.”

  “Addie…”

  “I’m fine. I know how to take care of myself.”

  Taking care of herself was one thing. Having to play a constant guessing game for when your father or one of his ranch hands might lose his temper was another thing altogether. I would’ve given anything for Addie to trust me in that moment. For her to come stay with me. I wanted to protect my baby cousin how I’d failed to all of those years ago.