by Vella, Wendy
“Okay, spill.”
“Spill what?” Fin looked from Pip to Joe and Dylan. All were looking at him with expectant expressions on their faces.
“What you’re not telling us,” Pip added. “You’re really vague, and that usually means you’re working hard not to tell us the truth without actually lying, because you hate doing that.”
“I can lie,” Fin defended himself. “Just when it’s for a good cause. Besides, lying is not something to be proud of.”
“All true, however, you’re the worst at it,” Joe said. “Just out of curiosity, when is a good cause?”
“When you do those dance moves and think you’re cool.”
“I can dance!”
“See how good I am.”
“Asshole.”
“Shithead.”
They both whispered so Gracie didn’t hear.
“So, about Maggs.” Pip, with her usual tenacity, had not moved on. “What aren’t you telling us?”
“Can’t a man enjoy a quiet beer in this establishment?” Fin sighed. “And why would I not tell you something about Maggs?”
“I don’t know why you wouldn’t.”
Fin sighed again because it fit the moment. “She was on the side of the road; her car had broken down. I asked if she wanted a ride, then gave her one. I didn’t get to meet her family, as they were doing ranch stuff.”
“Nash can be niggly, but he’s basically a good guy. He just hates it when Maggs dates losers, and maybe if he’d seen you, he’d have thought you were one of those… which of course is right.”
Fin rolled his eyes at Joe.
“Plus you arrived on Harriet, so it’s possibly good they didn’t see that, as her family are protective of her.”
“Harriet?” Fin asked.
“Harriet the Harley,” Pip smiled.
“You just completely emasculated my bike.”
“Okay, even I can see BS when it’s staring me in the face,” Dylan said. “Your eye is twitching. That’s a hell of a giveaway there’s a lot more to this story. You only twitch when you’re evading the truth, Fin. So let’s hear what you’re not telling us about Maggie.”
“You do not know that about me!”
“To be fair, he likely does,” Joe said.
“Don’t you start that profiler shit with me, bud.” Fin felt cornered and wished he’d bypassed A.S. and simply gone home where he had perfectly good beer and a great deal less aggravation.
“Maggs has been off—I wonder if that could be aftermath from what happened in London?” Pip said. “But she won’t talk to us about it, Fin. If you can shed light on that, I’d be grateful.”
Aww, hell.
He loved Pip like a sister, but he’d promised Maggs, so he went for hinting but not actually coming out and saying what had happened.
“That thing that happened in London,” Joe said as he handed his niece a lollipop. “I think it’s to do with that.”
“More sugar, excellent.” Pip glared at her cousin.
“That thing was a terrorist attack,” Dylan said. “And she was in that place, but told us it was all good. Do you think it wasn’t, Fin?”
“Pip would know more about that than me, or Bailey, who is her best bud.” Fin felt his collar tighten for the second time that day. “But yes, I think something is off there. She’s jumpy, and I can’t get her to argue with me, and we always argued,” Fin added. “But it’s my guess she’ll talk when she’s ready. Until then, I guess we wait it out.”
They fell silent then, all no doubt having the same thoughts. What had happened to their fiery redhead to force her to return to them the way she had?
Chapter Twelve
“So what’s up, Tigger?”
Her family had given her the nickname when she was a child, because apparently she used to bounce a lot. It had stuck.
“Nothing.” Nash, the brother just above her in the Winter family pecking order, was driving her back to Ryker, as her father said her car needed a tune up and he would get it done and return it tomorrow. Maggs didn’t argue; her father would simply have taken her keys if she hadn’t agreed.
It had been wonderful to see her family again. She’d sat in the big, comfortable kitchen with her elder brother, Ford, Nash, Mom and Dad and listened as they’d told her about what had been happening in their lives over the last few years. She’d also told them about her adventure, but not all of it.
“I know you well enough to know when something is off.”
Maggs didn’t play favorites, but Nash held a special place in her heart. Even when he’d grown up and become way cooler than her—his words—he’d still let her tag along with him and his friends, because image wasn’t a big deal to Nash.
He was four years older, and Ford eight. They had tended to try and control her, but while Nash could be controlling, he was also a friend.
“Tell me what’s bothering you.”
“Nothing. I feel great, actually. A bit tired, but slowly getting my bearings. I’ve been back at the gallery, and there’s things I want to do there, and I’m excited about that. Things I learned in London.”
London really was a dark place inside her, and that wasn’t fair. Most of her time there had been fun and enlightening. She’d studied art and painted. Maggs loved painting; she just rarely had the time to do any. It had been a dream to go to art school, then work in the gallery on weekends.
For a while she’d thought that maybe it suited her, the London lifestyle, but that had soon changed as she’d felt the pangs of homesickness. Ryker Falls held her heart and always would.
“So about what happened when you were over there. The shooting incident.”
Stay calm.
“It’s my take that there was more to that. I wanted to get on a plane and come to you, but we all decided you’d ask if you wanted that. Were we right, Tigger?”
“You were right. I was fine.” She’d have completely fallen apart if her brother had arrived.
Nash was big, strong, and stubborn. Women didn’t fall all over themselves to get close to him like they did with Ford. He had a fierce frown and refused to be anything other than himself. In fact, there were no soft edges to this brother unless you knew where to find them.
“I didn’t want you to drop everything when there was no need to.”
She lifted her hand and resettled her sunglasses. Nash shot her a look, then slammed on the brakes right there in the middle of the road.
“What the hell is that?” He grabbed her hand and pushed up her sleeve.
“Nothing.” She’d known they’d see it sooner or later; her hope had been for later, when she’d worked out what to say.
“Don’t give me that crap.” His eyes studied the long, angry line that ran up the inside of her forearm like Fin had earlier. “That is not nothing!”
“Calm down, Nash.”
He released her to stare out the windscreen.
“You never hid things from me, Maggie. I usually knew what you were thinking before you did.”
Suddenly, the reasons she convinced herself were good ones for not telling people about what had happened to her didn’t seem good anymore. In fact, she felt guilty and just plain wrong for keeping her secrets now. In London, with no friends or family around, she’d made her decisions, but here it was different. These people knew her well. Loved her, as she loved them. Her guilt grew.
“Can we just say I’ve changed and move on?”
He gave her a quick look. “You really think I’m the type to do that? Just move on and not question why my baby sister has changed? What happened to your arm?”
“I got it in the shooting. It was from a glass.” She could tell him that much.
“You said you weren’t hurt.”
“As you can see, maybe that wasn’t entirely the truth.”
“What else are you not telling me?”
“Nothing. Now let it go, Nash. It’s the first time I’ve seen you in two years, so stop growling like a bear.”
He started the car moving again but was still frowning.
“So, are you seeing anyone? Has some woman dropped you to your knees and you can’t think straight when she’s around?”
He snorted. “No. You?”
“No, and if I was I wouldn’t be telling you, because rarely have you played nice with any man I’ve introduced you to.”
“I can be nice!”
Maggie laughed. It felt good. “You’re like a super hairy Scary Spice.”
“There is no way I’d fit on Mom’s spice rack.”
“The girl group, you idiot.”
He frowned.
“They were a huge success.”
“Still nothing.”
“Honestly, it’s like you live in a vacuum, Nash. Be more aware. How the hell will you ever find a woman if you don’t upskill yourself?”
“I do all right, and don’t change the subject. What’s the deal with you?”
Maggs looked through the window at the late afternoon sun. She had to tell him something.
“I’m all right, I promise. That day, the shooting, it really shook me up, okay?” Maggs nearly laughed at the understatement. “I don’t want to go into details or explain. It’s done with, and coming back here means I can forget it and never speak of it again.”
“Were you hurt worse than the arm?” His voice was cool, but the bunching of muscles in his jaw told Maggs he was not happy.
She didn’t want to lie, so she said nothing.
He slammed his fist down hard on the steering wheel, making her jump in her seat.
“How the hell am I to leave it alone, Maggs, when whatever happened was big enough to put those shadows in your eyes, and God knows what else you’re hiding from me! Christ, we thought you were all good over there. Calling every few weeks, laughing and telling us about this big adventure, and all the time you were hurting. ‘No, I’m all good, it was a bit scary, but I’m fine,’ I believe your words were.”
“I wasn’t hurting all the time; don’t be dramatic. It happened; it wasn’t personal. Just something I got caught up in.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better, is it? I suppose you’ve told the clan in Ryker Falls all about it. Your besties!”
“No. I haven’t told anyone. I just didn’t want to bring it back here with me,” Maggs said quietly.
“And that’s bullshit too. If it happened to you and changed you, then odds are you’re fucking still carrying it inside you!”
“Stop roaring. There was nothing you could do from here, and I didn’t want to worry you,” Maggs said, feeling like crap as they rolled into Ryker Falls.
“Don’t think that makes it right, Maggie. It just means you didn’t need us. Didn’t respect us enough to let us hurt right alongside you.”
“No! That’s not what happened.”
He shot her a look that told her how much she’d hurt him.
“That’s how it feels.” His laugh held no humor. “I wanted to show you my big surprise. My dream that I wanted to share with my little sister. But now I’m pissed off and considering just turning around and heading home.”
“Nash.” She touched his arm, and the muscles were clenched tight. “I never meant to hurt you, and I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“Whatever. Now shut up so I don’t look like I want to murder Ted when I see him.”
“Why are we seeing Ted?”
“I said shut up.”
“You don’t get to speak to me like that. I may be your sister, and you may be pissed with me, but don’t you dare have that tone.”
“I just did. Now smile. I’m not letting Ted and that bloody ranger know we’ve been arguing.”
“What?” She looked through the windscreen as they drove in through the lodge gates. Ted was standing outside with Fin.
She didn’t want to get out. In fact, that was a lie—she did, but only so she could run back to her house and lock the doors.
Too much emotion. Too much pain. She was hurting people, and that had never been her intention. Why was this so complicated? She’d come home to be the person she’d been before she left, but it wasn’t working.
“Nash!”
He’d been in the process of leaving the pickup but turned to look at her.
“I never meant to hurt you. I just thought this was the best way to handle everything. I love you and the others; I would never intentionally hurt you.”
His face softened, and he leaned over and gripped her chin. “Leave it now. We’ll talk later.” He then kissed her forehead. “I’m glad you’re back, Tigger. I missed you.”
Swallowing down the tears, Maggie got out and followed her brother to where Ted stood with Fin.
The lodge had changed everything in Ryker Falls. With it had come tourists, and Maggie’s business had flourished because of it. Built in natural tones with huge glass windows and everything a guest could want, it was a place that looked as if it had sat here forever. Phil and Roxy loomed big and rugged over them.
“Hey, Maggs.”
“Hi, Ted.” She accepted his kiss on the cheek, but it was still a shock. The big bad Teddy Bear had softened since she’d left, and Maggs knew this was all because of the woman he loved. Looking at him, she saw even his face had lost that hard-edged expression.
“How’s Mandy? I need to call in and see her and the sisters again. I didn’t get a chance to chat last time, as Tea Total was busy.”
His smile was blinding. “Mandy’s great. Awesome, in fact, and I know she and the sisters would love to see you. The business is going better than any of them thought. They’re always needing adults to read on Thursdays too. The kids love it. Last week, Mandy managed to get Bas from the garage in. He even sang.”
“I’ll be sure to put my name on the roster then.” It would be part of her growth.
She nodded to Fin and made herself meet his eyes with a smile. He gazed back with that steady look that unsettled her. It was like he could see what she wasn’t saying.
“So Fin’s here because he’s buying the other twenty acres,” Ted said to Nash.
“I don’t understand?” Maggie looked from Ted to Nash. “What has this got to do with you?”
“I’m buying some land off Ted. Surprise,” her brother muttered.
“And now we’re going to be neighbors, Nash. That just makes a man feel really happy.” Fin smiled at her brother. “I didn’t realize you and Maggie were related.”
“She’s the baby of our family.” Nash held out his hand. “As long as you keep to your side of the boundary fence, I’m sure we’ll do fine.”
They knew each other because they played basketball and their teams were in the same league, but she saw the surprise that he’d not known they were siblings.
“I have no problem with that,” Fin drawled.
Ted waved them down beside the lodge, and soon they were in Fin’s cruiser heading to view the land her brother had purchased.
“How come you didn’t tell me about this, Nash?”
He was seated beside her in the back.
“Like you tell me everything, do you mean?”
That shut her up. She looked into the rearview mirror and met Fin’s eyes. The look he gave her suggested he’d heard Nash’s comment and was in sympathy with him.
She’d come home to get her life back on track, find normality, but what she’d found were people who saw more than she’d given them credit for, and she wasn’t sure what to do about that.
Chapter Thirteen
Fin had organized grid searches, and today he was leading a party that was moving higher up the mountain. It was overcast, one of those days where the sun fought and lost the battle to shine. In these conditions, it would be easy to miss something, and they’d had a light dusting of snow, so things weren’t going to be easy. They’d trekked in for two hours at dawn and were now an hour into the search.
“Stay in sight of the man left and right of you!” He called the reminder down the line
.
Everyone was tired, cold, and some were cranky.
“I’m hungry,” Lint Hauge called to him.
“Lint, you could eat a cow and be hungry twenty minutes later,” Luke yelled back. “You just ate your sandwich, so stop your moaning and this will get done quicker.”
Lint grunted something uncomplimentary.
“I’m telling Aunt Jess you think her boy is a shithead.”
“How the hell did you hear that from here?” Lint asked.
Digging around in his pack, Fin passed chocolate bars down the line. “Now shut up and search,” he said.
Another hour passed, and he blocked out everything but what needed to be done. He was in charge of everyone out here today, this was his territory, and he knew it better than most. A slip could cause a broken bone or worse.
“Buzz has just shot off the trail, Fin,” Joe called to him. “He’s barking like crazy. Could be nothing.”
“Everyone stay where you are. I’ll go and look. The mist is rolling in, so when I get back, we’ll head down.”
“Well, hallelujah,” Lint said.
Fin made his way through the trees, leaving behind the talk from the other men and following Buzz’s high-pitched barking. The dog was good at finding things, but usually wounded animals were his specialty, or something caught up a tree.
“Steady, boy.” The dog was digging frantically at the ground. Placing a hand on his head, Fin used his boot to nudge the fallen trunk aside. He found a half-covered trench in the ground. Deep enough that whatever was in there would have stayed buried if something hadn’t dug it up.
Dropping to his knees, he looked in and saw the remains of a body. Buzz whined at his side. There was little doubting animals had been here.
“Lint is about to riot if you don’t get back soon,” Joe said from behind him.
“You know how that decomposed rat made you hurl up the contents of your stomach that day in the stables, Joe, because you’re weak and pathetic when it comes to anything that smells off?”
His friend nodded, then shot a look to the opening Fin crouched before.
“Trust me when I tell you this will be way worse.”