Chapter 2

Chapter Two

N ate flexed his hands around the steering wheel and focused on the road ahead of him. He listened as Bailey told him what happened, her voice tight with unease, and wished he didn't live on the other side of town.

He'd often worried about Bailey and her young sons living in the country alone. They didn't even have a dog on the property to warn them if someone started sneaking around.

Nate thought about his own Rottweiler, Minnie. He'd feel a lot better if Bailey had a dog like that roaming her house and property. In general, Minnie was an absolute teddy bear, but she certainly didn't look it. Sometimes, those first impressions were everything.

Most people—even crooks—had enough common sense to walk away from a place when they saw a large dog protecting it.

He drove his truck across the railroad tracks, the tires bumping over the raised metal rails.

Bailey's voice came over the speaker. "I'm going to take Poppy into the barn and keep her there until I can get an appointment with the vet."

He shook his head even though she couldn't see it. If the person who had destroyed the goat pen were still in the area, the barn would be the perfect place to hide. "Don't go inside. Stay in the truck with the boys. I'd rather check the barn first and help you get her settled. I'll be there as fast as I can."

There was a moment or two of silence. Nate could imagine the resolute set of her chin and the flash of her blue eyes. She'd instinctively balk at his suggestion because she was always determined to do everything on her own.

He prayed she'd realize just how important it was to keep herself and the boys safe right now. Someone had gone onto her property and intentionally caused damage. There was no reason for that if not to either get attention or work out some anger. Neither set well with Nate.

"Wait seven minutes, Bailey."

"Yeah. Okay. We're in the truck by the barn."

That offered him some relief. Still, he couldn't get there fast enough. "Did you call the police yet?"

"No. You were the first person I thought of."

His heart flip-flopped at her words, and just as he'd done for the last eight years, he ignored the reaction. It didn't matter that he'd fallen for Bailey years ago because even before that it'd been love at first sight between her and Joe, one of his best friends.

It took less than a year for the couple to go from dating to engaged to married.

Nate had wanted nothing more than for the two of them to be happy. Letting anyone know how he felt would've only made everyone uncomfortable and likely ruined the friendships he had with them both. He'd buried the feelings down deep and hoped to eventually meet a woman who could capture his heart like Bailey had.

He was still waiting.

"I'm at the gate now." He'd insisted she stay on the phone until he got there. He rolled the window down and entered the security code on the keypad. The metal gate swung open, and he drove through, pressing the gas pedal and making his way to the barn.

Bailey's old, gray pickup was right where she said it would be. Their phone connection ended as she got out of the truck and closed the door behind her.

Nate noted the stress on her face and the worry flashing in her pretty blue eyes. Then he noticed the blood on her pants.

She looked down and frowned. "It's Poppy's. I was going to put her in the barn until I could get an appointment. I need to drive through the property and make sure nothing else has been damaged."

All while trying to keep two active little boys happy. Speaking of which, they were both waving at him, big smiles on their faces, as they looked out the truck windows. He grinned and waved back, hoping to put them at ease.

He turned his attention to her. "I'll go check out the barn. Call the police and report what happened. Then call the vet and see if you can take Poppy in. Okay?"

Thankfully, she nodded and turned to climb into the truck.

Whoever vandalized the goat pen was likely long gone. Should be, if they had any sense whatsoever. Still, Nate would feel better once he'd cleared the barn.

He opened the doors wide, reassured by the weight of his handgun tucked into the holster inside the waist of his pants .

The barn was only a few years old. There were three stalls and a large storage area for hay, grain, and other feeding supplies. The other side of the barn served as more of a garage for tools, a riding lawn mower, and things like that.

Everything seemed to be in order. Nate went through to reassure himself that no one was hiding.

When he got back to the truck, Bailey was leaning against the closed door, her phone to her ear. Her gaze swung to meet his. "All right, thank you. I'll bring her right in." She hung up and slipped the phone in her back pocket. "They said I can go ahead and bring Poppy in first thing." She cut a glance at the back door of her truck.

"Did you call the police?"

Bailey nodded. "Jenny is on her way out."

"Good." Officer Jenny Durant had also worked with both Nate and Joe at the precinct. "As soon as she arrives, I'll take Poppy to the vet for you. That way you can be here to answer any of Jenny's questions. I'll take Jordan with me."

One of Bailey's eyebrows lifted. "You sure about that?"

Nate might have chuckled in a different situation. There was no doubt the youngest boy was full of energy and could be a bit of a handful, which is exactly why Nate wanted to take him along. "Yep. Seth can help you clean things up if needed and get the rest of the chores done."

"Thanks, Nate." One corner of her mouth pulled to the side. She slipped her hands into her pockets and leaned back against the truck. "I don't understand why anyone would do this. Was there any sign of someone breaking through the main gate?"

"It was secure when I arrived." Although with 400 acres, someone could have gone over the fence at any other point. The fences around here were to mark the property lines, but they didn't do much to deter someone from crossing them if they chose to do so. He didn't voice his thoughts, though. Chances were, Bailey had already considered it. If she hadn't, there was no need to bring that fear to mind right now. "Let me grab the crate and put it in the back of my truck for Poppy."

As sympathetic as he was toward the poor goat, he didn't want to get blood in the cab of his truck. Plus, a loose animal in the back with Jordan while on the road was a recipe for disaster.

Bailey gave him a nod. "Thanks again." With that, she went back to her vehicle to check on the boys.

Nate found the kennel in the barn, loaded it into the back of his truck, then secured it in place with rope. By the time he'd finished, a police car was driving toward them. Bailey must have given Jenny the code to the gate.

He jumped down from the bed of his truck just in time to watch Jenny give Bailey a hug before waving at him.

"Hey, Nate."

"Good to see you, Jenny. Thanks for coming so quickly."

"Of course." Jenny smiled, but there was a shadow of concern on her face.

They'd spoken after Joe's funeral and had agreed that, between the two of them, they'd make sure Bailey had any help she needed. Of course, the stubborn woman liked to do things on her own, but it didn't stop them from trying.

The fact that someone had come onto Bailey's property and caused damage at all was a problem.

Jenny motioned toward the goat pen. "I'm going to go take a quick look and snap a few pictures. "

Bailey tilted her head toward her truck. "Sounds good. I'll get Jordan's booster seat out."

Nate followed Jenny to the pen. There was no doubt that someone had intentionally cut the wood.

"It was premeditated." His voice came out as more of a growl than he'd intended. He glanced at Bailey's truck and lowered his voice. "If someone had just wandered onto the property and decided to destroy something, boards would be broken, not cut."

Jenny took several photos with her phone. "But why the goat pen? Was anything else damaged?"

"Not that Bailey noticed, but she said she still needed to drive around and check out everything else. You'll go with her for that?"

He'd rather take on the job himself, but he also wanted to ease some of the burden from Bailey's shoulders by taking Poppy to the vet.

"Of course. I won't leave until you get back." She gave him a contemplative look. "We really could use you back at the department. You've always had an eye for the details."

"I appreciate that." But he wasn't ready. He didn't need to speak the words aloud, though. Jenny knew what had prompted his extended leave of absence from his job as police detective, and she wouldn't push.

He truly appreciated knowing that his friends and co-workers wanted him back.

"If you and Bailey find anything else, let me know."

"Will do." Jenny turned back to the pen.

Nate jogged over to Bailey's truck and lifted the booster seat from her arms. "I've got it." He put it in the center of the back seat of his own vehicle and secured it in place.

Next, he opened her truck's back door again and greeted the boys with a smile. "Hey, kiddos. You being good for your mom?"

Jordan nodded his head emphatically while Seth gave Nate a serious look over the top of the small goat he was holding. "Yes, sir."

"Good man. Here, let me take Poppy. Jordan and I are going to take her to the vet. I want you to help your mom while I'm gone."

There was no missing the flash of worry in Seth's eyes as he momentarily tightened his hold on Poppy's neck. But he straightened his spine and leaned back. "Yes, sir. I will."

Nate ruffled his hair before lifting the goat into his arms. By the time he got her in the pen and Jordan transferred to his booster seat and strapped in, the sun was already warming the air.

He turned to find Bailey standing nearby. Her hair, which she'd pulled up in a bun, was coming loose. Several tendrils hung next to her face by one ear. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her with her hair down. Maybe a handful of times since Joe died.

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Thanks again. The vet has my credit card on file. I'll call ahead and let her know you're on the way, so there won't be any problems charging everything." She scratched at the back of her neck. "Not the way I wanted to start the morning."

"No joke. I'll text you with updates."

A smidge of her stress evaporated, and Nate was happy he could be the one to do that for her. Reluctantly, he climbed into the truck and started it up. With a last glance in the rearview mirror, he prayed that Bailey and Seth stayed safe and that Jenny could find evidence that might lead to whoever did this.