Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

N ate sat at Bailey's kitchen table with both his phone and hers in front of him. He'd purchased three cameras and placed them at the main gate, the store entrance, and the front door of the house.

He'd expected Bailey to object to that last one, but she didn't, which told Nate just how much all of this had shaken her.

Now, he was trying to connect the feeds to an app that would allow them to view the cameras from anywhere. Bailey said it was fine for him to add the app to his phone, and he promised her he would delete it once everything got sorted out.

She wandered into the living room, where the boys were playing with Minnie and being overly energetic. It was no wonder—they'd been cooped up in the store most of the day. "Hey, guys. I need you to tone it down before someone gets hurt."

The boys agreed, but their energy levels didn't come down much.

Nate gave a nod of satisfaction when the three feeds finally loaded on Bailey's phone. "I've got the cameras linked. Do you want me to show you how this works?"

She took a chair at the small table and scooted it next to his so she could see the screen more easily. Her shoulder brushed his briefly, and he did his best to ignore the scent of her shampoo or whatever it was that had her smelling like something soft and floral.

He explained how to view all three feeds together, how to enlarge each one, and then how to look up past instances of activity that would be recorded from now on.

"It should only record human activity. I told it to ignore animals; otherwise, you'd get an activity report for every bird or squirrel that moves on screen."

Bailey accepted the phone from him and touched the feed showing the front gate. "This is great. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He studied her for a moment. "I hate to ask this, but have you had any family members or friends express an interest in your business or land?"

She looked up from her phone, clearly surprised by the question. "No one. It was clear that Joe's parents didn't approve of our decision to take most of our savings and put it into this place. Plus, Joe liked to talk about retiring to run it together at some point. His dad worked as a police officer his whole life, and I don't think he could understand how Joe would be willing to walk away from it. If anyone else objected or wanted the land, they sure didn't tell us."

Nate remembered Joe talking about his father and how difficult he'd been when they first made the decision to buy the land. Joe hadn't understood why his father was so against it when he had followed in his father's footsteps already. Afterward, he'd promised that he would support his own sons in their occupational choices no matter what .

If Nate were to be blessed with children in the future, he'd feel the same way.

"What about competition? Is there any place in town or nearby that has a similar business setup? Someplace that you have to worry about taking customers away from you or vice versa?"

"Not really. Most of the local farms sell their produce or other products at the Farmer's Market downtown. I even stock some of their things in my store, like soap, honey, and salsa. I figure people who come here are going to be more interested in purchasing items that are made and grown locally. I can't imagine anyone who would try to put me out of business."

Bailey crossed her arms and rested them on the table. "And if Joe's parents had wanted to sabotage the farm to prevent us from turning it into a business, surely they would've done that from the start and not waited until now."

"I tend to agree with you."

The sound of thuds approached from the living room as Seth and Jordan ran into the kitchen closely followed by Minnie.

"We're bored." Seth folded his arms in front of him, the exact same stance as his mom when she was determined to do something.

Nate hid a smile.

Jordan nodded. "I'm bored."

Poor Bailey looked exhausted as she glanced at the watch on her left wrist. "What about a walk? Then we'll get home in time to make dinner. How does that sound?"

"Yes!" With that, Jordan ran to the banister and disappeared upstairs .

Seth's face brightened. "Can we go on the haunted trail? Please? It's been forever."

Haunted Trail? Nate had no idea what that was.

"Go upstairs and get your shoes and socks on. Then we'll talk about where we're going to walk."

"Okay. Thanks, Mom!"

Nate told Minnie to sit so she didn't follow Seth upstairs. The poor dog clearly didn't like being left behind. "So what's the haunted trail?"

"It's what Joe called the trail that leads from our house to the old barn. He told spooky stories the first time he took Seth, and it made a big impression. I haven't been out that way in a while." She didn't look sold on the idea. "Seth's always found the old barn fascinating, which is why it makes me nervous. There's no telling how sound the structure is."

"I think Joe might have shown me the barn when he brought me by not long after you guys bought the place, but I haven't seen it since. If you're going to be contacting companies in the next week or two to see about having it leveled, it won't hurt to have pictures to send. I'm good with it if that's what you guys want to do. Or I can go another time and take pictures for you."

Bailey glanced at the staircase. Judging by the frantic stomping upstairs, the boys were getting ready and would be back down any minute. "It'd be good for them to get some exercise, and you're right. I should get some pictures in case I need them." A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Besides, we desperately need some rain. Going for a long walk without umbrellas practically guarantees that'll happen."

Twenty minutes later, they set out along a narrow trail that led away from the Thompson's backyard and to the northeast. It didn't take long for Seth and Jordan to find walking sticks as they led the way. Bailey and Nate walked side by side behind them. Minnie, who was on a long leash, happily trotted along, her nose to the ground.

"It really is pretty out here," Nate commented as he took in the trees around them. He'd traveled to different areas of the United States in the past, but the Texas Hill Country was still his favorite place.

He glanced at Bailey, relieved to see that some of the tension in her shoulders seemed to ease as they walked. Apparently, she needed to get out and away from everything herself.

The path—if it was even wide enough to be considered one—was so narrow that walking beside Bailey meant touching shoulders on occasion. More than once, their hands brushed against each other. Nate imagined a situation where he could hold her hand, and she'd lean against him to laugh at something silly the boys did. The thought sent warmth through his chest.

Had she and Joe done that very thing while walking this same path? The question sobered him. Suddenly, the air felt heavy, and Nate wasn't sure if it was from the weight of memories or if it was because the humidity had increased when the clouds rolled in. Most likely, it was a combination. For the first time since he'd arrived at the house to stay for a few days, Nate felt like he was intruding.

"We're almost there!" Seth announced loudly and picked up some speed. Jordan struggled to keep up with his big brother.

Bailey raised her voice. "When you see the barn, stop and wait for us. Do not go to the barn."

"Yes, ma'am." The little boys' voices sounded out in unison .

Nate shoved his melancholy thoughts aside and focused on the building that appeared in the clearing. He wasn't sure what he'd expected. Maybe something around the size of the small barn that Bailey used now.

This was so much larger, and Bailey wasn't exaggerating when she said it was rundown. No wonder Joe referred to it as haunted. It would be the perfect location for a horror movie.

He took in the sagging roof, the siding that at one time was probably red was now covered in mold and cracking due to exposure to the elements. Even the large barn doors were tilted off their tracks. He doubted anyone had used the building in decades.

"It's so cool," Seth said in awe. "Like right out of an adventure story."

"Wow!" Jordan stared at it. "It's broken."

His simple description made Bailey chuckle. "Yes, it is. Very broken. And dangerous. There's a good chance part of the ceiling or walls could fall at any minute." She waited until they were both looking at her. "That's why it's important that you never, ever go inside. Do you understand?"

The boys nodded, their faces serious.

There were piles of stones that made a border of sorts. Bailey told them they could play there if they wanted to. Now, the boys were jumping from stone to stone and trying not to touch the ground. Minnie whined, but Nate refused to let her off the leash. She generally behaved well, but the last thing he wanted her to do was to run into the barn.

"I can see why you want to tear it down. You can't have people coming onto your property and wandering around here." He glanced at her profile. She was looking at the barn with a critical eye. "What are you picturing?"

"This is the perfect location for another pumpkin patch. With all the trees around it, it'd be a fun place to take people on a hayride for them to choose a pumpkin of their own. Don't you think?" Bailey turned her head to look at him.

"Yeah, I think it'd be perfect." But even with his reassurance, she seemed reluctant. "What's wrong?"

She folded her arms in front of her and shivered. "This place gives me the creeps. I can't explain why. It always has, though. Maybe it's just the ambiance of it and the fact that it was abandoned here to rot."

Right on cue, something inside the barn cracked loud enough to draw the attention of the little boys. They stopped jumping and turned to look at the building, their eyes wide.

"That's exactly why you should listen to your mom and never go inside that building," Nate told them, his voice serious and louder than necessary. He understood why Bailey was worried because it was clear that Seth, especially, found the place fascinating.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, drawing Nate's attention to the sky. The white cloud coverage had turned to a dull gray. A wall of black clouds on the horizon promised rain and potentially more severe weather ahead. "You'd better get your pictures so we can head back before that storm gets here."