Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

T he last of the police officers left with Detective Paris's promise that they'd do everything they could to figure out who was causing so much trouble. It made Bailey feel better that someone was actively investigating the case. Between all of the pictures and evidence the officers gathered, dusting the FOR SALE sign for prints, and checking the perimeter of the property, hopefully, they'd find some information that might help.

All in all, they'd spent several hours at the store. Now, it was well after four in the afternoon, and she needed to get the boys home. Hopefully, they'd go to bed easily tonight. She was exhausted and really needed them to. Desperately. Once they were asleep, she had every intention of digging into her candy stash. Something with peanut butter and chocolate was exactly what she needed after a day like today.

She looked at the notepad where she'd been making a list of things she needed to do. Like calling Rachel and letting her know the store might not be open to the public on Friday. Along with that, she planned to research companies who might be able to demolish the old barn, look into installing security cameras, and call her insurance company.

Not to mention the time it would take to get the shop itself cleaned up. That thought alone was overwhelming.

Maybe the company she hired to demolish the barn could do the same with the shop. Then, she could start over with a clean slate. Okay, not really, but the thought had crossed her mind in a flash of morbid humor.

While the police had been investigating, Nate and a couple of other guys she didn't know got a new door installed and boarded up the broken windows.

At least the store was secure again. Of course, she'd thought it was originally, too.

A touch to her arm made her jump. She slapped a hand against her chest and turned.

Jenny gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I was talking to you, and I didn't realize you hadn't heard me."

Bailey shook her head. "I guess I was lost in thought. What did you say?" She took a deep breath and sent up a silent prayer. Lord, please give me the energy and focus to get through the rest of today.

Nate stepped up beside Jenny, and the two of them exchanged looks.

Bailey's brows rose. "What's going on?"

Jenny cleared her throat. "We've been talking, and we're both worried about you and the boys being at the house alone tonight."

Bailey wasn't about to let someone run her out of her own home. That said, it was impossible to ignore the fact that if someone had gotten into the store so easily, it wouldn't take much more to break into her house .

The thought made her stomach churn. She'd already decided to sleep in the living room so she could hear if anyone messed with the doors. The decision made her feel slightly better.

"We'll be okay," she told her friends, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. "I appreciate it, though. I can't thank you both enough for everything you've done over the last few days."

Nate didn't look convinced. "Is there anyone you three could stay with for the next few days? I could run out here first thing to check on the animals for you."

"I'm not leaving my house." Bailey straightened her spine and crossed her arms. "It's the principle of the thing. I will not allow someone to run me off my own property." Surely they could understand that.

Judging by the look the two of them exchanged, they had not only expected her response but had a backup plan.

Bailey's eyes narrowed. "Why do I feel like you guys are conspiring behind my back?"

Jenny reached a comforting hand out and rested it on Bailey's arm. "Nate or I would like to stay with you for a few days. Another set of eyes can't hurt, and having another person present might be enough to deter someone from bothering you again. If you'd be more comfortable with me staying, I'm happy to do that." She motioned toward Nate. "But I'd prefer it if you let Nate be the one. He can bring Minnie with him, and she'll let you guys know if anyone is snooping around." She held up a hand to stop Bailey when she opened her mouth to object. "If they're keeping an eye on you, it'd be good for them to see a man around, not to mention a Rottweiler. There's no downside to this."

Bailey looked from one of her friends to the other. "You're serious." They'd clearly discussed this, and from the determined look on Nate's face, he agreed. She focused on him. "What about your job? You've got more important things to do than babysit us."

A muscle in his jaw flexed as he leveled her with an intense look. "First of all, there isn't much that's more important than making sure my friend and her boys are safe." He raised his eyebrows as though he dared her to contradict him. "Secondly, my boss has been on my case about taking some of my vacation time before I start losing it. I've got this entire week off."

"I can't let you spend your vacation here. There has got to be something else you'd rather be doing." She spoke the words, but her conviction was wavering. It was clear her friends had already put their plan into motion, and they weren't going to back down until she saw things their way.

Nate shrugged. "Not a thing. I intend to keep an eye on your place, Bailey. I can do that from inside your house, or I can camp out in the front yard."

"You can't be serious."

Jenny chuckled. "Oh, we're very serious. Except Nate and I would take turns watching your place out front. Tag team it, you know?"

Bailey rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh. She looked over at her boys, who were sitting at the picnic table. Jordan was driving a toy car around the top of the table, but Seth was clearly listening to the conversation.

"You two aren't going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope." Jenny perched her hands on her hips.

Nate gave her that smile that told her he knew he'd already won. "Not gonna happen."

"Fine." Bailey threw her hands in the air. "But I guarantee you, twenty-four hours in my house, and you'll be more than ready to go home again. "

His lips lifted in an almost boyish grin—one that traveled all the way to his dark eyes. He motioned toward the parking lot. "In that case, I'm going to run home and pack a bag, get a few supplies, and Minnie and I will be back as soon as possible."

Jenny leaned against one of the poles that supported the awning overhead. "I'll stick around until you get back."

With that, Nate waved to the boys and jogged back to his truck.

Bailey pinned her friend with a stern look. "I can't believe the two of you conspired behind my back like that."

"We knew you wouldn't go along with it unless we had it all figured out first." She tossed some hair over her shoulder. "Tell me I'm wrong."

As much as Bailey wanted to, she couldn't. Because if their roles had been reversed, she wouldn't have hesitated to help either of them in a similar manner. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. It was Nate's idea. He didn't like the idea of the three of you being out here alone. I didn't either." She hesitated. "He really hoped you'd agree to let him stay."

"I hate that he feels obligated to keep checking on us."

At her words, Jenny's brows rose. "Obligated? You really have no idea, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

Jenny shook her head. "Come on. Let's get the boys back to your house. I'll help you get dinner ready for a seat at the table before I head back out."

Bailey laughed at that. "I'll take you up on that deal."

She finished closing the store, but Jenny's words kept going through her mind. What had she been talking about? Bailey had no idea about what?

It bothered her that Nate gave up his vacation to stay at the house, but she couldn't deny that it'd be nice to have someone else around after everything that had happened. Vandalizing the goat pen was bad enough, but tearing the shop apart was on a whole different level. How far was someone willing to go to get her to sell her place?