Chapter 11

ELEVEN

CASSIE COULDN’T STOP the tremor that shook her body at Stu’s words. She’d been embarrassed and more than a little annoyed about his comments on her driving.

Not that he was wrong. But still ... She’d been about to chime in and remind him that she knew what he’d done during the Homecoming game their senior year. A spectacular stunt that still reigned as the best Homecoming prank ever pulled off at Gossamer Falls High.

Now? She sat frozen in her seat as he continued talking.

“No kidding, Donovan. If we have some fool doing this as a prank, they’re going to get somebody killed.”

“I agree.”

A screeching sound came through the phone. “I’m back at the station. What do you want me to do with the deer?”

Donovan looked like he wanted to throw something through a wall. “You can’t eat it, Stu.”

“I may not have a fancy college degree, but I’m not an idiot. I’m asking if you’re gonna do some kind of forensics on it.”

“Can you hang on to it for a few hours? I’ll have to let you know what we’re going to do with it.”

“Sure thing. No problem. I’m on a twenty-four so I’m here all night.”

“Thanks, Stu.”

Donovan disconnected the call.

Cassie couldn’t stand the look on Donovan’s face. “Is it too soon for me to make a joke that if you’d done what your family wanted and gone to medical school, you never would have had to figure out what forensics to do on a deer in the middle of the night?”

Donovan met her gaze. “Too soon.”

“But is it? Really?”

The tiniest twitch at the corner of his lips was the only hint she had that he didn’t think she was an idiot.

She stood and walked to where he was standing by his kitchen counter. “No kidding. What do you have to do now?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Instead of going to bed, I have to go get a dead deer and take it I have no idea where and do I have no idea what with it.” He punched the screen on his phone with enough force that she wondered how often he broke them.

She shamelessly looked at the screen to see the text he was sending to Gray asking for guidance. When he hit send, he set the phone on the counter and looked at her. “I think it should go without saying that I’m very uncomfortable with the idea of you being alone tonight.”

“I won’t be alone. You haven’t seen the setup I have now. I’m surrounded by family.”

Donovan didn’t look convinced.

“If it will make you feel better, we can call Mo and make sure he’s home. But he’s always home. Unless he’s at his mom and dad’s. But he doesn’t spend the night there.”

“It would make me feel better.”

“Fine.” She pulled her phone from her pocket and scrolled to Mo’s number. She put it on speaker while she waited for him to answer. He picked up after three rings.

“Cassie? Why aren’t you home, sweetheart?”

She leaned against the counter. “I’ve got you on speaker. I’m at Donovan’s.”

There was a pause. “Lots to unpack there. How about we start with why you’ve put me on speaker?”

“I almost hit a deer on the way home from work.”

“Did you get a ticket?”

“Why does everyone assume I’m going to get a ticket tonight?” She threw her hands up in exasperation. “No. I didn’t get a ticket. I didn’t wreck. I wasn’t speeding. Look, I’ll explain it all when I get home. Right now, I’m confirming that you’re home for the night. Donovan doesn’t want me to be by myself.”

“Yeah. I’m home. So is Meredith. We’re out here by the firepit. Cal and Landry just left. But I can get them back if you need me to.”

“No. I’ll be home in a few minutes.”

“I’ll be following her. Don’t shoot.” Donovan’s words had a hint of military command in them.

“Then I guess we’ll see you both. Be careful.” Mo’s tone matched Donovan’s.

Lovely.

She disconnected. “Please don’t pick a fight with my cousins.”

“I’m not trying to pick a fight. But I’m not going to step aside and let your cousins bully me into staying away from you.” He checked his weapon, keys, phone, and hat. “Let’s go.”

“Donovan?” She paused at the door.

“Yes?”

She’d wanted nothing more than to get away from him just a few minutes ago. So why was she suddenly compelled to hash everything out now? She had no idea, but she couldn’t fight it. “Should we, you know, maybe, talk? Before I go home?”

“No.”

His abrupt response cut her more deeply than she’d thought possible. She didn’t know what her face looked like, but whatever he saw made him close his eyes for a brief moment and shake his head. Then he reached for her.

And like the total pushover that she was, she let him pull her against him. “We can talk all night if you want after we get you safely home. Part of my job is to think of the worst-case scenarios and not to make assumptions. It’s possible that the deer was bad timing and some teenagers are out there thinking they are funny when they aren’t. But I don’t like the timing. So I’m following you home. When we get you on Quinn land, we automatically make you safer.” He ran a thumb across her cheek. “When you’re safe, I’ll be able to think straight. And then we can talk. Yeah?”

Her body was reacting to his proximity. Her mind was screaming reminders of how he’d hurt her. And her heart was telling her mind to shut up because no one else made her feel this way.

DONOVAN STEPPED AWAY from Cassie. “Let’s get you home.”

He didn’t think it was his imagination that she didn’t want to move out of his embrace. Good.

He stayed close, one hand on her lower back, as they locked up his house and walked back to her car. He opened her door. She climbed in. “Please stay close.”

She rolled her eyes. “What do you think I’m going to do? Floor it and force you to give me a ticket?”

He couldn’t stop himself from grinning. “Might be fun.”

“For you maybe. My insurance is already sky high.” Cassie was still grumbling as he closed her door and left to climb into his own vehicle.

He flashed his lights at her when he was ready, and to her credit, she kept it in the vicinity of the speed limit as they maneuvered through town and toward Quinn land.

His phone rang. Stu again.

He didn’t bother with a greeting. “I’m still not sure what I’m going to do with the deer. I’m working on it.”

“Yeah. I don’t care about the deer. It’s fine for now. Listen, I need to ask you something.” Stu’s voice was low, as if he was trying to keep anyone from overhearing.

“What do you want to know?”

“Do you think the deer being in the road right when Cassie drove by was random? Because I don’t.”

“What makes you say that?”

“That mess at The Haven is all over the county. Everyone knows the kitchen was trashed and Cassie and Bronwyn found it.”

“I’m not surprised. What does that have to do with the deer?”

“Because when I got back to the station with the deer, I was telling the other guys what happened. One of our volunteers got a funny look on his face. He said he’d heard some talk at The Dry Gulch tonight that Cassie was the target.”

“I’d like to know why a volunteer was at The Dry Gulch before his shift, but even more than that, I’d like to know who was talking.”

Stu snorted. “I tried to get something for you. He said he heard it from the bartender who heard it from a mysterious somebody who’d heard it from some other somebody. And he wasn’t drinking. He was playing pool with his brother.”

“Sure he was. If you hear anything else, holler.”

“Will do.”

Donovan followed Cassie down the long driveway to the tiny house where she now lived. She pulled into the space that was obviously hers. Two other vehicles were already parked under the carport. A red Jeep that belonged to Mo, and a deep blue Toyota 4Runner that was Meredith’s.

The tiny house compound had been built by Cal, Mo, and Meredith so the cousins could have their own space but still be neighbors until they decided to build their forever homes. So far, Cal was the only one who’d made the leap. And rather than have his tiny house sit empty, the cousins had offered it to Cassie.

When Donovan heard about it, he’d assumed it had been because she planned to stay in Gossamer Falls for only a short period of time and didn’t need a long-term lease.

Now? He wasn’t so sure.

He climbed from his SUV and joined Cassie. He walked beside her but didn’t touch her, and when they reached the firepit, he found that Mo and Meredith had called Cal and Landry back after all. The four sat around the firepit. Cal’s dog, Maisy, sat at his feet.

“Where’s Eliza?” Cassie asked as she walked around the circle giving hugs.

Cal had taken to fatherhood like everyone had always known he would, and he was extremely protective of his daughter. The adoption wasn’t final, but she’d started calling him Daddy even before the wedding and as far as everyone was concerned, she was his and always would be.

Landry, Eliza’s mother and Cal’s new bride, spoke up from her perch on Cal’s lap. “She’s with Abby.”

Abby Shaw, Cal’s niece, and Eliza were the best of friends. And Donovan knew that Cal’s brother and sister-in-law were happy to have Eliza over frequently to give the newlyweds some precious time alone.

Cal pointed to a chair. “Let’s hear it.”

Cassie laughed. “Ready to go home, Cal?”

“Yes I am.” There was a distinct tinge of exasperation in his voice. “I was almost home when Mo called. What’s going on?”

Donovan filled them in on the deer in the road, the phone call from Stu that Cassie had heard, and then the one he’d received on the way to their house.

“I’m feeling like I might need to spend a few hours in The Dry Gulch.” Mo stretched his arms above his head.

“Oh no you don’t.” Meredith gave her brother a flat look. “Leave it to Donovan.”

Donovan didn’t miss the look that passed between Mo and Cal. And based on Cassie’s squared shoulders, neither did she.

Meredith patted Cassie’s hand. “Don’t worry. Gray and Donovan will handle it. And Cal and Mo will have to be content with making themselves a nuisance as they provide a protection detail for you. Please note that your desire to have this protection detail will not be taken into consideration.”

Maisy stood and walked to where Cassie sat, and then put her head in Cassie’s lap. Cassie ran her hands over Maisy’s head.

Donovan had never known a dog as sensitive as Maisy was. She was most attuned to Cal. But she’d picked up on Cassie’s stress and decided she needed to do something about it.

While Cassie argued with her cousins, Donovan kept his mouth shut. He was in no position to get involved. And when his phone rang, he didn’t hesitate to answer. “Bledsoe.”

“I leave you in charge for the day and the whole place implodes.” Gray’s amusement was clear, as was his fatigue.

“That’ll teach you,” Donovan fired back.

“Where are you now?”

“At Cassie’s.”

“Oh really?”

Donovan ignored Gray’s innuendo. “What do you want me to do with the deer?”

“I’ve already sent someone to get it.”

“We have a procedure for this?”

“Yep. Don’t worry about it. Tell me why you’re at Cassie’s.”

This time, the comment held nothing but a request for information and Donovan didn’t hesitate to respond. He stepped away from the firepit and shared the story for the second time in the last few minutes.

Gray’s response was similar to that of Cal and Mo. “I would give up a month’s pay to get an informant in at The Dry Gulch. But that will have to wait. Talk to Cal and Mo about sticking to Cassie. I’ll call Bronwyn and tell her what’s going on. She already has security ramped up at The Haven, but I’ll make sure she doesn’t drop her guard.”

“Sounds good.”

“Then go home and sleep. Tomorrow I want you to talk to Chef Louis. And talk to Bronwyn about the possibility of putting you in the kitchen while Cassie’s working. You might need to dress like a server to keep from standing out, but I’d like you close.”

“Okay.” He was going to do that regardless. But having permission made it easier.

“Unless”—Gray drew out the word—“you want me to hand her over to Brick.”

“Gray—”

“Think about it. He’s on this weekend. Cassie knows him, and I doubt she’d mind.”

“Absolutely not. No one else is handling Cassie. She’s mine.”