Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

C ady would not show the hurt of being tossed aside for a Belle. Again. When she'd moved to Keeneston, she'd kept to herself. She was using as little of her money as possible to restore the distillery that had stood empty since prohibition in the 1920s. Instead, she'd done as much of the work as possible by herself. She bushwhacked the property. She cut down trees. She plowed up the lawn around the buildings and planted new grass. She made paths and laid down the gravel. She cleaned every building, inside and out.

She had to hire plumbers, electricians, and contractors, but she helped where she could to save money. Plus, as the owner of a distillery, she needed to know how everything worked so if something went wrong, she could fix it.

What she didn't do was go into Keeneston and try to flirt and pick up men. One embarrassing night when she tried, she'd ended up hitting on Father Ben, the Catholic priest, and that stopped all future flirting attempts. Plus, she didn't have money to spare for lots of meals at the café. It was a lot of ramen soup and peanut butter sandwiches for her during those lean years.

That didn't mean her little crush on Colton went away. It only meant it was a fun thing that gave her someone to think of as she was spending late nights in the lab, cleaning out machinery, or worrying about her budget.

Cady stayed at the hospital with everyone else long enough to hear that the mother and both babies were now thriving. People were pairing back up to drive back to Keeneston. She hung back a moment to make sure no one else needed a ride home. She was about to leave the lobby when she heard Colton call out to her.

"Cady? It looks as if everyone has left. Can you give me a ride home?"

"Colton! I'm here," Jasmine called as she hurried through the doors. "The car is right outside."

Of course. Jasmine. She was everything Cady wasn't. Tall, willowy, gorgeous, and with a cute job in social media. Cady wasn't short, but she wasn't tall either. She was also curvy and muscled and had to constantly wipe cobwebs, dust, dirt, and grains from her clothes.

"Thanks, Jas," Colton said with a smile. "But Cady's giving me a ride home. I need to talk to her." Cady looked up at him with surprise. "Right, Cady?" he asked with a slight hint of desperation in his voice.

"Right."

Jasmine looked as confused as Cady felt. "What could you possibly need to talk to her about?"

"Um," Colton said, trying to buy some time.

"He needs me to explain the chemical reactions between heat and fermented yeast and the best way to tackle a grain fire," Cady lied smoothly.

"Why would you ask her about that? You're the firefighter." Jasmine wasn't going to let this go.

"Because Cady is a chemical engineer and freaking brilliant. I'd be stupid not to ask her about, well, anything. I value her opinion and knowledge."

Cady felt the blush start up her neck and spread over her cheeks. That was the sweetest thing a man had ever said about her. Of course, it was a lie to get a girl off his back, but it was still sweet.

"Ready to go?" Cady asked. She was the hero here. It was a first, coming to Colton's rescue. She liked the feeling and she loved the way he was smiling at her.

"Yes, let's go home." Colton smirked, Jasmine frowned, and Cady tried not to read anything into it. The conclusion she came to was that Colton suddenly sounded less like a friend and more like a flirt. But that couldn't be right. Right?

Colton walked right by her side as they made their way to the parking lot. His arm brushed against hers and she forgot how to talk. Stupid really, but after Jordan she didn't date much. She didn't have time. Barrel Creek Distillery was her life.

"What has you looking upset?" Colton asked and she noticed he wasn't watching where they were walking, but was looking down at her. "Whatever it is, I'll take care of it."

A giggle escaped her lips before she could stop it. Somehow, she doubted if she told Colton of her sex drought that he'd break out his fire hose for her. Besides, it was embarrassing. "Just thinking of all I have to do for the bourbon conference that I'm hosting next week."

"You're hosting a whole conference? That seems like a pretty big deal."

Cady smiled because it was. And she wanted to rub her success in Blue Stone's face. "I was awarded the top up-and-coming bourbon of the year by the Association of Bluegrass Distillers. It's a huge honor, and as such, all the Kentucky distillers and owners will be at our annual meeting. It's most of the week. The first day is a tour of my distillery and a tasting, followed by a big dinner. Then I'm hosting panels for the rest of the time."

"That sounds more like a punishment," Colton said, reaching for her door and opening it.

Cady slid into her dad's old truck and started it up as Colton went to the passenger's side and got in. "Yes and no. They pay a fee, so I'm not out any money. But I am out a lot of time organizing it and stressed, making sure everything is just so. But it really is a huge honor and I'll get a ton of great PR for it, including being put on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. That will bring in a ton of tourist dollars and really help me get the money I need to finish renovations and ramp up production."

"I'm so proud of you. That's a huge accomplishment, even if it's a lot of stress. Can I help with anything? You know firefighters are good to help move heavy things."

"That's nice of you, Colton. I'll ask if I need anything. Right now, Joey and I are getting everything in place. And Willa and Tilly, as my silent investors, are also helping."

"Joey?" Colton asked and she could tell he was trying to place the name.

"He's my... everything," Cady said with a laugh.

Colton frowned. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Cady then laughed harder. "Gosh no. Joey Hopper is from Lipston. He a jack of all trades and a master at anything mechanical. He can fix anything and everything."

"Well, know you can call me too. Or the firehouse. We're all happy to help you."

"Thank you. I just hope everyone behaves. You get a lot of guys together with bourbon and sometimes it can get a little wild." Plus, she really, really hoped only Isaac was coming from Blue Stone. It was already going to be stressful enough dealing with her rival, Daniel Long, of Long Mill Bourbon. He'd been up against her for the best new bourbon award, but he thought because he was older, he deserved it. As if being forty-five magically made him more knowledgeable than she was. He'd been talking trash about her ever since she was announced as a finalist. Cady believed it had less to do with her age and more to do with her gender. If people thought the legal profession was a good ol' boys club, well, they should see the bourbon industry.

Colton frowned. "I can come by and keep an eye on things if you want. I don't like the idea of you having to handle them all by yourself."

Cady chuckled. "You think I haven't been there, done that? That's cute."

"I didn't mean you couldn't handle it. I don't like that you have to."

"Don't worry, I have a secret weapon."

She pulled into Keeneston and saw Colton raise an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"Your sister's fart taser."

Colton laughed and she enjoyed listening to his deep voice fill the truck. "I'm glad Sophie gave you one. That does make me feel better, but know you can call me anytime if you need anything. Anything from handling a drunk asshole to fixing something at the distillery, or if you only want to see me. I'll be right over."

Colton looked down Main Street and pointed to the fire station slightly off Main Street. "There's my SUV. Thanks for the ride. Remember to call me."

Cady smiled but she was so confused. He'd never asked her to call him. Ever. What was going on and was she reading this situation all wrong?

Cady stared after Colton as he strode across the parking lot of the fire station to his SUV. She probably would still be sitting there trying to figure out what was going on, but her phone buzzed with an alert.

Alarm in residence has been activated.

Cady put the car into gear as her phone rang. "This is Cady," she said as she took off down Main Street. It was a twenty-minute drive to her distillery.

"Hey, it's Luke," the sheriff's deputy told her. "I got your alarm notice. Are you at home?"

"No. I'm just leaving Main Street."

"I'm doing patrols in the county. I'll head to your place. I'll be there in five minutes and meet you there." Before Luke hung up, Cady heard the sirens turn on. What was happening at her home? She pressed the gas pedal down a little harder and raced to find out.

Cady pulled up to her house to find Luke standing in her front yard, watching the house. He turned then, hooked is fingers into the utility belt he wore over his jeans, and walked toward her. Cady rushed from her truck, leaving the door open and her thoughts went down every rabbit hole possible.

"Nothing to worry about," Luke said, holding up his hands to calm her down.

"Then what set off the alarm?" Cady asked, slowing to a walk and taking out her key.

"It looks like a potted plant out back tipped over and took out your glass door on the patio," Luke told her. Cady followed Luke around to the back of her house and sure enough, one of the ancient cement planters was lying half in and half out of her house. "The base is really eroded and cracked. I think it finally gave out and the planter fell. All the locks to your house are still in place and while the glass shattered, there's no evidence anyone went inside."

"How can you tell? Couldn't they walk in through the broken door?" Cady looked into her dark house, slightly worried about going inside alone.

"None of the glass was stepped on. You have a rug here, it someone stepped on it, the glass would be embedded. Plus, there's all this dirt. There's not a single footprint in the dirt and no glass is embedded in the rug. Now that you're here though, I'll go in and sweep the house."

Luke bent down and picked up something small from the outdoor table. "What's that?" Cady asked.

"I put my bodycam out here in case someone decided to try to sneak out while I watched the front and sides until you came. Give me your key and I'll go in through the front. You stay by my cruiser."

"I thought you said you think the house is empty."

"I do, but I'm still going to check it out before I let you in."

Cady handed her key to Luke as they walked around to the front of the house. She kept back as he unlocked the door and disappeared inside with his gun drawn. There were long minutes that ticked by until Luke came back to the front door and turned on the lights. "All clear. Do you have a board I can use to close up the back door until you can get the glass replaced?"

"I do. In the barn next to us."

"I'll put that up in no time and let you get to bed. I heard it was a busy night with the wedding and then the Drews having their babies. Twins! Who knew?" Luke smiled at her and took off for the barn about a hundred and twenty yards away from the house.

It took him thirty minutes, but her back door was secure by the time Luke left for the night. She'd call Joey in the morning before he left for work and ask him about the glass repair. It was one more thing to add to her list of things she had to finish before the conference started. She was starting to wonder if Colton was right—if winning was more trouble than it was worth.

No. It was worth a lot in terms of tourist dollars. Dollars that would take her distillery to the next level. She could hire more people than the bare bones operation she had now. She could renovate another warehouse... or two. She could complete the dream she and her father started and that would make it all worth it.