Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

B ailey didn't like the idea of Nate going outside. What if someone else was out there, waiting for him in the dark? Would Minnie be able to tell in time to warn Nate? At the same time, if someone was snooping around the house, they had to put a stop to it.

"Please be careful."

"I will. Stay here, lock the door behind me, and don't open it again until you hear my voice on the other side." He waited long enough for her to meet his eyes and agree. He snapped a leash onto Minnie's collar, flipped the front porch light on, and exited the house.

She quickly locked the door again and resisted the urge to watch from one of the windows. She took in shallow breaths as she listened, hoping to get a hint of what might be happening outside. "God, please keep them safe," she prayed under her breath.

It wasn't five minutes later that a soft knock came on the door. "It's me, Bailey." She opened it, but he didn't come inside. "I don't see anything, and Minnie's relaxed again. I'm going to take a few minutes and walk her around the house. It might help her to get a sense of what's normal at night. Lock the door again, and we'll be back shortly."

"Okay." She did as he asked and tried to sit down, but that lasted mere seconds before she was on her feet again. She wiped off the kitchen counters and restocked the sodas in the fridge while she waited for him to return.

When he knocked on the door again, the sound made Bailey jump. She rolled her eyes at herself and waited to hear his voice before opening it. Nate came inside, holstered his weapon, and let his dog off the leash.

"There's no way to know for sure, but she most likely heard a small animal or something like that. If it was a person snooping around, then they had to have heard her bark. It's good for them to know she's here. That you and the boys aren't alone."

Now that he was safely back in the house, the fear and worry settled over her like a weight. Suddenly cold, she crossed her arms in front of her and swallowed hard.

What if this person didn't stop until she finally agreed to sell the place? What if they decided threats alone weren't enough? What if there was more than one person involved?

"Bailey?"

She blinked to find Nate standing directly in front of her, leaning down to study her face, his own filled with concern. "Sorry. I don't know why I'm reacting like this."

"Are you kidding? I'd be more worried if you weren't." He reached out and gently squeezed her arm. "We're going to figure out who's behind this. Come on, let's go sit back down and figure out a strategy." He led the way back to the living room, where he regained his spot on the couch.

She sat down again. "Strategy?"

"For getting the shop cleaned up. I figured I'd start first thing tomorrow by repairing the goat pen. That way, when Poppy's well enough, you'll have a place to put them. After that, all you have to do is tell me what you need help with, and I'm there."

"Even if we work all day, I'm not sure we can get everything cleaned up and ready to open to the public by Friday."

"Then we get started and see where we end up. We aren't going to know until we try."

It was hard for her to imagine making the kind of progress they needed in time. But he was right; all they could do was try. And if he was willing to help, then they'd get a lot more done together than she ever could on her own.

Minnie wandered over and laid her head on his lap. Nate ran a thumb up the bridge of her nose and his hand over her head. She kept adoring eyes locked on his face.

Of course, she thought the world of him. Nate had taken her in when she had no home and shown her love. He was her hero.

Bailey hated that Lana's case had made him question so many things about himself and his career. Maybe he couldn't find Lana in time, but there were countless others that he'd helped. She'd be praying that he'd see the truth in that.

The jangle of the tags on Minnie's collar and the hum of the refrigerator were about the only sounds in the quiet house.

Bailey yawned and quickly covered her mouth with one hand. A glance at the clock surprised her. How was it already ten-thirty?

As if he'd read her mind, Nate gave Minnie a final pat and stood. "You should get some rest. I know you've mentioned that the boys are usually up early."

She wanted to object, but he was right. She was even more tired than normal after not sleeping well the last few nights. "Yeah. I probably should. Are you sure you're okay with the sleeping bag and couch?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it." He gave her a kind smile. "Minnie and I will be just fine. Go and get a good night's sleep. We've got everything under control down here."

Nate had come over several times before Joe died, so he knew the layout of the house. Still, it didn't seem right to just leave him down here. But she knew him well enough to know there was no changing his mind. "All right. Please tell me if you need anything. Good night, Nate."

"Good night."

Bailey went upstairs to the master bedroom and closed the door behind her. As weird as it was to know that Nate was staying in the living room, it also put her mind at ease. There was some guilt that he might not sleep well, but the thought of being able to rest without worrying about someone messing with the house took a huge weight off her shoulders.

She took a quick shower, blow-dried her hair, and then fell asleep moments after her head hit the pillow.

For the first time in months, she had a dream about Joe. In the past, they either involved his accident and the nightmare surrounding it, or it would be a replay of something they'd done together as a family: the birth of one of the boys, a camping trip, or a special Christmas memory. She'd had one of those dreams nearly every night for a long time, but recently they'd started to dwindle.

This one was different. In her dream, she awakened to find Joe standing beside the bed, a sweet smile on his face. He looked down at her with such love that her heart nearly burst. He never said a word as he softly brushed some hair from her forehead and leaned over to kiss her there.

He gave her hand a squeeze and then turned, walking out of the room and closing the door behind him. In the dream, Bailey knew he was leaving for good—that she'd never see him again—but she had peace about it.

She woke up with a start, momentarily disoriented. She pressed a hand to the spot on her forehead where Joe had kissed her and tried to separate her own feelings from those she'd experienced in the dream. There was still a sadness there, but it was as though it were blanketed with a layer of peace that had the quieting effect of snowfall on the chaotic world.

It was only then that she realized her cheeks were wet with tears. She dried them with a corner of her sheet and was about to lie down and try to get more sleep when Seth's screams made her jump out of bed and almost out of her skin.

"Mommy! Help me!"