Chapter 11

11

Brooklyn prepared a lovely burrito bowl lunch for Sandy, who sat at the small kitchen table to keep her company. The recipe was healthy and packed with protein, so it shouldn’t further set off Sandy’s inflamed joints. The men—minus Micha again, who stood sentry at the front door—had gone to check out the fence and would be back as soon as the meal was ready. Brooklyn had chosen it for Sandy, but the recipe made enough for an army, so she couldn’t very well exclude the guys from sharing the meal. Even if she really needed some time away from Colin to get her feelings under control.

She sliced the green onions and looked at Sandy. “I didn’t even ask if you liked green onions.”

“I do,” she said enthusiastically. “What else is in the bowl? Other than the salsa and black olives on the island.”

“Pinto and black beans, quinoa, corn, cheddar cheese, and avocado.” Brooklyn tapped the oven. “And I’m grilling chicken in adobo pepper sauce.”

“So that’s the amazing smell that’s making my mouth water.” She inhaled and smiled. “Sounds heavenly. Are you sure I can’t help?”

“Nothing but chopping to do right now, and your hands won’t like that.”

Sandy frowned and rested her cane against the wall.

“I’m sorry,” Brooklyn said. “I’m sure it doesn’t help to be reminded that you can’t do it.”

“I try to ignore what I can’t do anymore and keep my spirits up, but I really don’t like to impose on others.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “So I would’ve done just about anything not to have to move in with the boys.”

“Boys.” Brooklyn giggled, trying to keep this discussion light after the events last night. “Nothing boy-like about them.”

Sandy smiled just as she had hoped. “They’ll always be my boys.”

“I’m sure they will.” Brooklyn went back to chopping the onions.

“They shouldn’t have to be saddled with me.” She planted her hands on the table and stared at them. “I hear them talking when they don’t think I do. Their lives have been upended. So I’m very thankful they found you.”

“I’m thankful for the job right now.” She smiled at Sandy. “I don’t think of you as a job though. Like I said last night, you feel like family, and I really enjoy your company.”

“Likewise.” Sandy fell silent for a few moments. “Do you want to get married someday?”

Oh, wow, where did that come from?

Brooklyn stopped chopping. Wouldn’t do to slice her finger. “I’d like that. Of course, Kane has to be arrested and be incarcerated for the foreseeable future before I could ever consider it.”

“He will be.”

“You sound so certain.”

“One thing I know. If my Colin is motivated to do something, he won’t rest until he succeeds. And, sweetheart, he is motivated to save you from this Kane fella.”

Brooklyn had to smile over the thought of his care and drive to find Kane. “I can see that.”

Sandy blinked a few times. “I think he has feelings for you.”

“I think so, too, and surprisingly, I have feelings for him,” Brooklyn admitted, shocking herself that she admitted it.

Sandy clapped but then winced and stopped. “How wonderful. I would like nothing more than for him to find a woman like you and settle down to have kids. You do want kids, right?”

“I do, but I don’t think he’s ready for any commitment.”

“That’s because of me.” Sandy crossed her arms. “I applaud him for his sense of commitment to me. I am blessed by it, but I sure don’t want him to put his life on hold for me.”

“I don’t think he has to do that, right?”

“Right.”

“Then maybe in time if you’re still living with him, he’ll come to see that he can get married and still have you living with him.”

Sandy tightened her arms. “If whoever he chooses as a spouse agrees to have me underfoot.”

“You’re so wonderful, she’ll be bound to love you.” Brooklyn scooped the onions into a small bowl. “Once she sees how much you mean to him, I can’t see how any woman wouldn’t want to help in your care.”

“I hate to say this, sweetheart, but that’s pretty na?ve. Lots of women, especially new brides, don’t want their mother-in-law in the same house.”

“That’s because they haven’t met you.” Brooklyn winked.

“Which is why you’re perfect for my Colin.” She held on to Brooklyn’s gaze.

Brooklyn let her warmth linger until she couldn’t handle seeing her own hope for her own future in Sandy’s eyes and had to look away. She dumped out black olives onto the cutting board.

The front door flew open, and Brooklyn jumped, stabbing her knife into the board near her finger.

“It’s just us,” Colin called out.

She let out a breath at the shock and near miss of her finger.

He poked his head into the kitchen and locked his gaze on her. “Is there enough food for Ryan and Reid too? I’d like to do an update while we wait for Sierra and Kelsey to finish up. See if we can use the time wisely.”

Brooklyn felt her face heat under his intense study. “There’s plenty.”

“Good because we brought them with us.” He winked and left the room.

Sandy shook her head. “Just like my boy. Do, then ask for forgiveness. Sometimes it’s endearing. Sometimes not so much.” She laughed.

Brooklyn joined in, but the sound of the oven timer took her attention, and she got the chicken breasts out to slice them for the bowls. She liked to serve the burrito bowl with fresh bread, but hadn’t been at the cabin long enough to get needed supplies to bake it. She hadn’t asked, but she didn’t think Colin or Dev would have yeast on hand. They could surprise her, but…

Brooklyn carried large bowls along with silverware to the passthrough and leaned out. “Would someone mind grabbing these to set the table?”

She didn’t wait for an answer but turned back to get tortilla chips and the choices of fixings she’d prepared for the burrito bowls. She put them in a large divided platter that worked like a lazy Susan, which she set on the counter after Colin had taken the bowls to the table.

“You should go in,” Brooklyn said to Sandy.

She frowned.

“What is it? Not feeling up to lunch with a crowd?”

Sandy reached for her cane. “No, I’m good with that, but I hate that you have to do all of this on your own.”

“That’s why I’m here.”

“Not really. Not to feed an army of men.”

“It’s really no more work.” Brooklyn started slicing the chicken. “There just won’t be any leftovers, and we’ll have a few more bowls to wash, which the dishwasher will take care of.”

Sandy struggled to her feet. “Well, don’t let us take advantage of you.”

Brooklyn nodded, but honestly, it was just the opposite. She was feeling useful and connected for the first time in a long time, making her even more resolved to do whatever she could to locate Kane.

Colin’s mom hobbled into the room, her cane thumping on the thick pine floorboards with a rhythmic thump, thump, thump. He pulled out a chair for her at the head of the long, rustic dining table. She grimaced when sitting. He gritted his teeth. They needed softer chairs for her to sit in than the matching log style. When this was all over and Tarver was behind bars, he would remedy that.

Colin went back to the passthrough counter to retrieve platters of food. The chicken smelled out of this world. Spicey and tangy at the same time. He wasn’t quite sure what the meal was, but he was a fan of all of the ingredients. Well, maybe not the yellow stuff he couldn’t name. Looked kind of like rice except rounder, and he had no idea if he liked it or not. He was generally a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Oh, and pizza—’cause what guy didn’t like pizza?—but he didn’t mind trying new things.

The other guys came into the room and settled at the table, their conversation filled with this week’s NBA final games.

His mom plugged her nose. “So who smells like cigarette smoke and why?”

“Sorry, that would be me.” Ryan stood behind a chair. “When we canvassed the route we thought the potential intruder took, I went into a convenience store where the owner smoked. I’ll go take my jacket off, and that should help.”

“That would be good,” Colin said. “Mom’s lupus makes her sensitive to all unusual smells.”

“Just one more of the many perks of the disease.” She laughed, but Colin caught the frustrated undertone.

How many times a day since she’d come to live here did he wish he could take this disease from her and take it on himself? Sure, he would hate having it, but he hated seeing his beautiful, wonderful mother suffering even more.

“Could someone grab the iced tea and glasses?” Brooklyn called out.

Dev dropped into a chair and stared at Colin. “You’ve been doing such a good job of helping I wouldn’t want to deprive you of the final steps.”

“You know what I’m going to say to that, right?” their mom asked.

“Don’t let your big brother do everything,” Colin and Dev said at the same time, then Dev laughed.

“Yeah, you can laugh ’cause you’re the one sitting on your butt.” Colin rolled his eyes. “But it’s no biggie. Brooklyn’s the one who got the wrong end of things.”

She entered the room and swiped a hand over her forehead. “I like to cook, and I don’t get to do it often for others, so it’s my pleasure to make the meal. I’ll be able to plan ahead for the next one and have all the ingredients to make something special.”

“In that case”—Dev jumped up and pulled out a chair for her—“sit next to me, and we can talk about a menu.”

She laughed, the delightful sound rising up and filling the room. Colin couldn’t help the happy smile that crossed his face, capturing his mother’s attention and gaining him a knowing look. So, fine. She knew he was attracted to Brooklyn. What red-blooded male wouldn’t be?

He grabbed the iced tea and filled the tall glasses, handing them down the table.

“The tea isn’t sweetened.” Brooklyn picked up the sugar bowl from the tray and held it up. “My granny would be disappointed in me. She always said sweet tea was the only tea, but I didn’t think you all were the type to want sweet drinks. The sugar’s here if anyone wants it.”

“I’m not too proud to ask for it.” Dev reached for the bowl and started spooning sugar into his glass.

“And not too proud to consume the whole bowl.” Colin shook his head as he took a seat. “Wait until you see him in the morning with his sugar-filled breakfast cereal.”

“Hey, you gotta start your day out right.”

Brooklyn laughed again, and Colin wished he’d been the one to make that happen, to make her happy. But he seemed only to bring her down with his serious nature. Or scare her. He had to change that. Make a point of it, or she was going to fall for Dev. Nothing worse in Colin’s book right now than that happening. Seeing her dating his brother. No, he couldn’t let that happen. Not at all.

Ryan came back and took the furthest chair from Colin’s mom as possible.

“You don’t have to exile yourself,” she said, smiling at Ryan.

Colin didn’t notice an odor this time, though.

“Don’t worry, Mom,” Dev said. “He doesn’t smell anymore. At least not any more than usual.”

Ryan rolled his eyes.

“So what is this great looking meal we’re having?” Colin asked to change the topic.

“Burrito quinoa bowl,” Brooklyn said. “So basically the same things you might find in a burrito but in a bowl with quinoa. Has a lot of good things for your mom, like multiple protein sources and the oils in the avocado.”

“Ah, yes, quinoa,” Dev said. “The grain that’s so small, you wonder if ants are plotting to infiltrate our meal.”

Brooklyn grabbed his forearm and chuckled.

“A seed.” Colin suddenly felt very grumpy, and he wanted to rip her hand from his brother’s arm. “It’s technically a seed and part of the spinach family.”

“Well, excuse me.” Dev rolled his eyes. “I didn’t think you knew so much about quinoa.”

He didn’t. Had never even seen it or eaten it, but he’d heard that little detail on a quiz show.

“Whatever it is,” Brooklyn took her hand back, “it’s the base of our meal. Put some in the bottom of your bowl and layer on any of the fixings you want. All of them make it super good, but choose only what you like.”

“Never really been a huge fan of quinoa,” Dev said.

“Maybe give it a try in this meal.” Brooklyn handed the bowl to him. “You might find you’ll like it.”

“If you recommend it, I’m sure I will.” He gazed into her eyes like a lovestruck little puppy, making Colin want to hurl.

“There was no sign of a fence intrusion today either,” he blurted out to stop the two of them from flirting. Okay, maybe not flirting, just getting along so well.

That did it. Brooklyn’s cheerful expression evaporated, and Colin’s gut clenched tighter. He might be filling his bowl with food, but he doubted he could eat a thing. Something new for him. Nothing much had ever stopped him from eating.

“Any evidence worth collecting?” Her expression filled with hope.

“Footprints leading up to the road.” Colin’s gut ached for the hopefulness that could be dashed at any moment until Tarver was charged and behind bars. “Sierra said she would stop by and cast them. Then do a more thorough review, just in case we didn’t know what we were doing.”

Dev shook his head. “We all know crime scenes and how to look for evidence, but she doesn’t seem to give us credit for that.”

“It is her field of expertise,” Sandy said. “You all wouldn’t stand by and let her tell you what to do in the law enforcement area.”

“Point taken.” Colin gave his mom a fond look.

Brooklyn took the quinoa bowl from Reid. “Is she done at the house?”

“No.” Dev topped his bowl with ripe chunks of avocado. “She said she hopes to finish collecting evidence tomorrow.”

Reid looked up from spooning black beans into his bowl. “I heard her mention that she’ll be doing the fingerprints before starting on the recovered arson samples.”

Brooklyn filled the bottom of her bowl with perfectly cooked quinoa. “Did she say why the prints take priority over those samples?”

Ryan nodded. “They hope the prints will lead to the victim’s identity, which is the number one priority.”

“Right,” Colin said. “That makes sense. So I guess our footprints from last night are going to take a back seat too.”

“She said she would put her staff on them.” Dev stabbed a fork in a chunk of chicken. “But not to hold our breath on how helpful they’ll be unless we find the almost intruder to compare to his footwear.”

“Which, if it is indeed Tarver, we don’t have a clue where he is,” Reid said.

Ryan held his fork over a heaping full bowl. “Learning the victim’s ID will do so much more for helping us find him than anything.”

Everyone fell silent for a moment, likely thinking about the victim as Colin was doing. Thinking of the horrific way he’d died. If he was found in Tarver’s place, he could very well be a criminal. Maybe another hacker. Or even a wildlife trafficker.

Colin couldn’t let the fact that he was likely on the wrong side of the law sway him. No matter who this guy was or what he’d done, he deserved justice. Colin wouldn’t stop until the man was identified and his killer brought to pay. If it turned out to be Kane Tarver, all the better.