Chapter 3

The move didn’t take them long, only about a week. The house was furnished and even the little bits and pieces that he had didn’t take but a single truck to take it to their new home. They’d not realized when looking around the house that the Dutch’s had moved out already and were just wanting to get it off their books, so to speak. After the paperwork had been signed, they were handed the keys as new owners of the Dutch Estate. Soon to be the Dixon Estate.

“When I can cash my checks, I’ll pay for half the house?” He told Londyn that he had it. “I’m sure you do, but I want to have my name on the deed as well so that if anything ever happens to us, someone will be able to have a house to live in.”

“I sometimes forget that you’re an attorney.” She asked him what that meant, and he laughed. “Nothing untoward about you. I just understand that you’d want to have all your i’s dotted and all your t’s crossed. I like that about you. And I also know that you’re right that both our names should be on the deed. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He could tell that she was still unsure about what he’d said, but he was all right with that. They were having a good time making the place their own, and he wouldn’t want her to feel slighted in any way about this forever home.

They were only going to need a few things before they could claim they were moved in. There was furniture, of course, but no linens. They decided to get themselves new mattresses as well as everyday kitchen plates and silverware. It was easy enough for them to get staff on board as the troop that Dallas ran was mostly older people who would jump at the chance of having a job so close to home. There were other details to work out, none of them terrible, but they were well on their way to get themselves situated into their home quickly.

Their new cook had worked at one time for his parents. But when she’d had to take over the raising of her grandchildren, she’d had to stop work to take care of the kids full time. He was excited to have Belle back with him. She made the best cinnamon rolls he’d ever tasted.

They also hired a driver for Londyn. He wanted her to have protection wherever she went until Davis was captured. He’d found out from his dad that there was a warrant out for Roman’s arrest and questioning about a body that had turned up in his office. Dad said it also looked to him like Dale, his father, was taking precautions to have his only son out of the house permanently. Just as he was going to suggest that they take a drive to the Davis and Davis law firm, a courier came to the house with a cell phone in an envelope, especially for Londyn. She opened the large padded envelope as soon as it started to ring. He had her put it on speakerphone so that he could hear as well.

“Londyn? Is this Londyn Rice?” Londyn told him that it was her and what did he need. “Yes, I’m so happy you took my phone so that I can call you. This is Dale Davis of Davis and Davis. I had a feeling that something had happened to you and was worried that Roman had caused you bodily harm. How are you?”

“I’m scared out of my wits if you want to know the truth. Your son is trying to kill me over insurance money that was supposed to have come to me years ago. Now, not only am I worried about if he’ll catch me or not, but to wonder at the lengths that he’ll go to get me by burning me out of my own home.” Dale said that he’d not heard about that. “My place is gone and everything that I had in it. Also, my car. It wasn’t much, but it was mine.”

“I’m so sorry, my dear. So very sorry. I should have known that somehow he would be involved in your disappearance. Not that this has anything to do with you, but he had a dead man in his office this morning when I found him. He didn’t say a word either. Just left for the day, and when I went in there to talk to him about finding you…you can imagine my surprise.” She told him about the two bodies that had turned up in her apartment when it was burnt up. “I swear to you, honey. I knew that he was a bad person but I just didn’t know how bad he was until all this. And he’s been searching for you too. I heard from your father-in-law. He was going to do something for me about my son or to help me with him when he told me about him having your insurance checks waylaid from you. My goodness, I never expected…well, I suppose no one expects their child to be a monster. And that’s just what he is. A monster.”

“I’m terrified for my life. And from what I’ve heard, I should be afraid.” He said that he’d do anything he could to help her. “Did you call the police when you found the dead man?”

“I did. It was in my head, I have to tell you that I wouldn’t do it. Somehow making it justified in my mind about him. But how does one do that? Justify their child killing someone when there was no reason for it. I called them right away, and they’re looking for him.” She told him good. “I also have changed the locks on my home, stopped him from having a driver, and anything else that was on the list that Sherman gave me. He’s upset with me as well. A good man that, Sherman Dixon. And now he’s helping me turn the tables on Roman to get him arrested.”

Mr. Davis told her that he was working with the insurance company to get her the rest of her money. That had been a surprise to find out there was more money coming her way. After struggling to be able to eat and pay the rent, now she had more money than she knew what to do with. Dale, as he asked to be called, asked her to hold on as he had a call coming in on his house phone. She did so without putting up any kind of fuss.

“You’re going to be happy to hear that Roman has been arrested. He’s currently in a jail cell in Columbus, where he was caught trying to steal a car. His excuse with that one being that he couldn’t find his own so he took what he needed.” There was a little hiccup of a sound, and she knew that he was crying. “I raised him to be better than this. I want you to know that. I wanted him to be a partner with me in my firm, but all he ever did was lash out at the others there and treat them as his own personal servants. I did indulge him a bit more than I should have when it came to his education too. Oh my, what have I done?”

She didn’t interrupt him in his crying. She’d cry, too, if she had a child that was as bad as Roman. But there was very little that she could do about it now, so she thought that moving on was her next step. Then she asked what he was going to do about helping her with her insurance money.

“I’ll get the checks in the morning delivered here. Once they’re here and certified to be correct, the underwriters of them will hand them off to you. You’ll have to be careful with them. They’re certified checks, which, I’m sure you understand, can be cashed by anyone who has them. You should get those Dixon boys to take you to the bank to get the money distributed for you. They’re gorillas, and that will make you safe and sound.” She looked at him, and Waylon told her that she’d have nothing to worry about. “Good for him. Women like you don’t come around all that often but I’m so happy that you have yourself a good man in Waylon. All his family are good people.”

“I’m beginning to see that.” After they had finished speaking, she handed the phone off to him. Waylon made the arrangements for Londyn and his family to go to the offices tomorrow. Just knowing that Roman was in jail, he knew that he’d sleep a good deal better than he had last night.

Every creak of wood, every snap of rain against the window, woke him up. Not only did he not sleep well because of Roman, he was pissed off at the man for making his mate so upset. After closing the phone, he went to find Londyn. He found her in the kitchen making herself a cup of hot tea.

“I don’t care for it, to be honest, but there is something about making it that makes me feel less tense. Not that I’ll simply dump it out, no, I’ll drink it but I do feel better once I sit down to drink it. I believe there are cookies somewhere, too.” He pulled down the large tin and handed it to her. “I’m not even going to ask you why you knew that this was up there. Did you, by chance, sweet talk Mrs. Dutch out of knowing where it was?”

“I put it there when I came down here this morning, and our cook, who I like, by the way, was baking. I put them in the stash so that even if my brothers came over to snitch a few, I had our own special stash right there.” He took one of the iced treats and bit into it. “I’m hoping that you’ll have dinner with me tonight. The cook told me that she’d need to have supplies brought to the house, so I’m assuming that there isn’t enough to make even a sandwich.”

“I don’t know. How about we order something and have it delivered. I need to feel safe here at home. I know he’s in jail, but just the thought of him being out there gives me the willies. How about a large meat pizza and some nice wine?” He thought that was a splendid idea and set about making it happen. “I believe I saw a couple of bottles of some wine in the basement. I’ll go there and get it now.”

While she was getting the wine, Waylon decided to not just order pizza but was going to have some desserts delivered as well. Finding a place that would bring him some cheesecake, he ordered an entire cake and thought that it would be nice to just have some around to eat on when they wanted a treat. He knew that it would freeze nicely and he sort of liked the frozen confectionery too.

They ate, sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, watching television. It was much too warm out to have a fire but it was nice to just sit and have some quiet time. Waylon was more than a little bit happy that she suggested ordering in. It was certainly more relaxing than having to drive someplace and back again.

Clean up was put off in favor of just sitting around. Leaning against the couch, he was just closing his eyes when he heard from Cullen. There was going to be another child brought to his brother, and he wanted to know if he wanted to join them at the hospital. No biggie, he said, as no one else was planning to go either.

“I think that we’re in for the night.” He just then remembered that his family was supposed to come over later to have a look at their new home. “I’m assuming that the plan to come here is off as well.”

“I forgot about that. Yes, I would assume so. But a new child in the family is good, right?” Waylon remembered his other brother Jayden telling him that they were going to be taking in children all the time now and wondered if they’d get to keep this one . “He’s about ten, the little boy is. His parents were both killed in an automobile accident about a month ago. Todd is only just getting to the point where he can get around. His grandparents are making arrangements to come and get him in a week. As you can imagine, it’s been hard on all of them.”

Waylon let Londyn know about the new addition, if only for a week that they were going to get. Like him, she’d forgotten about them all coming over to see the house and got up to clean up their mess. It wasn’t much of one, not really, but like him, she didn’t care for clutter.

Getting up to get onto the couch, he realized that it wasn’t as comfortable as he might have thought it would have been. Deciding that he was going to get them something else, something that went with the house, he wondered how the elderly couple was able to have a nice relaxing sit down when there were springs popping up everywhere. Waylon thought that after all this time, they more than likely knew where the bumps and springs were.

~*~

Londyn was nervous about being in the office again. Dale told her that her things had been boxed up and that he’d make sure that they were sent to her new home. He seemed to be as excited about their purchase as they were. When the underwriter came to make sure that she was indeed Londyn Grace Rice Dixon, the checks were handed to her one at a time so that she knew who the insurer had been as well as the person who had taken out the policy. The checks that she had on her at the time were null and void because they’d been tampered with. Not by her, but they’d been in the possession of too many people for him to feel comfortable to have her have them.

“Now, these last checks are for the double indemnity on their deaths. The insurance company that was for the hotel that your family was staying at and the hotel itself have agreed to pay the amounts of the insurance on your family. They were found negligent on all accounts and have had to pay out for everyone that was lost that day.” She asked how many others were hurt or killed that day. “Nearly everyone staying at the hotel. About three hundred people total.”

“That’s terrible.” He asked her why she wasn’t with them. “I was in the hospital with the pneumonia. I was to join them the day after they were all killed. I begged them not to go. But my mother explained to me that there would only be a couple of days that I’d miss them and I’d be fine in the hospital. I think about that on occasion.”

“My goodness, child. As much as I’m sure you hate that you lost your family, it’s good that you were spared of the mudslide. I’m to understand that the hotel was the only business that was completely taken out. Lots of homes, too.” She said that she thinks of that daily. “I’m sure you do. I’m positive, too, that you take that on as a bad thing. No, you’re lucky. Why think of all the things that you’ve accomplished since they’ve been gone.”

“I do.” She wanted to move on from the conversation and was glad when Waylon seemed to have understood that. Once he started talking to the man, Mr. Robbins, she was able to gather her thoughts up and slide her way into thinking like he did. That she was very lucky to have been sick.

Going to the bank, the people there were falling all over themselves trying to help her. Finally, getting into the office of the bank manager, she was able to not just get an account opened up but to put Waylon’s name on them as well.

“I can’t believe that I have this much money.” Waylon told her that it was smart of her parents and family to have made sure that they were insured, too. Not to mention her not being there when it happened. “What would have happened to you had I died? Would you never have found a mate?”

“I don’t know, to be honest with you. Someone else might have come along. But knowing you and being in love with you—because I am with all my heart, I can’t imagine they’d make me as happy as you are right now.” She wanted to kiss him. To show him how he made her feel, but before she could get up enough nerve to do it, he pulled her to him and kissed her.

It was a good kiss, and she was glad that he’d done it. But it hadn’t been enough. Not nearly enough for the way she was beginning to feel about the big man. After finishing up with the bank, they went to Jayden’s house to meet the newest member of the Dixon family.

At once, she didn’t like him. Even when he put out his hand to shake hers, she wanted to find a place and wash up not just with soap but with any kind of disinfectant that she could find, too. Once they were introduced, Hazel asked if she wanted to see the baby. Following her out of the room to see the little boy, who was just a month old now, she was slightly confused about why she hadn’t brought the baby down for Waylon to see, too.

“You don’t like him.” She just stared at her. “It’s all right. I don’t either. I’m sure there will be times when someone comes to our home, and we’ll not like, but I feel like he’s looking for a place to stab me in the back all the time.”

“I didn’t get that but I did take an instant dislike to him. I thought that it was just me.” Hazel shook her hand and handed her little Allen. “Now, this little guy I like already.”

She was playing with the little boy when Todd, the little boy staying with them, came into the room. He told Hazel that he was hungry. Telling him that he could wait another ten minutes for their lunch had him stomping his foot and telling her now.

“You won’t speak to me that way, young man.” He told her to shut up and get him something to eat. “Logan, come to me.”

Logan, a man that she’d gotten to know over the last few days. She didn’t take her eyes off Todd when she told him that the little boy was out of line. While she knew that Logan had magic, a great deal of it she’d been told, he simply disappeared with the younger child. Londyn looked at Hazel.

“Where did they go?” Hazel burst into tears and told her that she didn’t care so long as he wasn’t there. “Has he hurt you in some way, Hazel? Maybe he has taken his temper out on you? I’ll take care of him if he has.”

“No, nothing like that, yet.” It was the yet that scared her the most. “Allen screams his head off whenever he’s near him. Like he somehow knows something that we don’t. Also, last night, I heard him talking to the baby over the intercom system. I didn’t hear what he was saying but Jayden did and jumped out of the bed and went to bring Allen to us to sleep with. I’ve never been afraid of children before, but this kid…he really creeps me out.”

“You’re also thinking that he had something to do with his parent’s death, aren’t you?” She nodded, using one of the tissues off the changing table to blow her nose. “What has he said? I mean, when you called Logan, he didn’t even ask questions about anything but took him away.”

“I told him how I was feeling about the little boy. And while I can do it, I’ve not searched his mind. Not that I can’t, but Jayden is much better. He’s only been here for two days, and I want him to go away forever.” She played with Allen to sort of distract herself from thinking about what was right there in front of her mind. “I have a feeling that the grandparents won’t last all that long, and he’ll be right back here. I’m actually terrified of that. What will he do if I tell him no again? It’s only lunch, I know, but I also know that he’ll not like anything that we have for him. None of the toys that we have are good enough because we didn’t buy them just for him. I’m afraid of him, Londyn. And I’m a grown woman.”

She told her what she felt when she shook his hand. “Also, when he came up here demanding lunch, I found myself wanting to smack that smirk right off his face when you told him no. it’s like he’s keeping track of what you tell him no about.” She looked around the room. “I’d not leave the baby alone for anything if he’s around. That’s a terrible thing to say, but that’s just what I feel.”

“I do as well.” Logan appeared in the room, but he was alone. Hugging Hazel, he told her that Todd was being watched over by Minx until such time that his grandparents were here. “Will she be all right? I’d hate for anything to happen to her while he’s with her.”

“She has a great deal of magic and will keep him in line.” Logan looked at her. “You’re all right, aren’t you? I mean, he didn’t hurt you while here, did he?”

“No, nothing like that.” She was handed a bottle for the baby and was content to rock and feed him. But she did have one question. Not looking at either of them, she finally had the nerve to ask. “Did he kill his parents? Make them have a car accident?”

“He did. He was upset about the fact that they weren’t going to be able to buy him all the toys that come with the meals. They don’t have them all in at once, they tried to explain to him, and when the opportunity came, Todd put his hands over his father’s eyes while he was driving, and the impact into a semi-trailer took both their lives. He was hurt badly himself, but he survived. I’ve made it so that there will be an inquiry about the accident, and they’ll figure it out with a little help from me.” She asked him if he’d done things like this before. “Yes.”

For some reason, she was content with that answer. It was frightening, but that’s all she wanted to know. Whatever the kid was about, someone needed to get a handle on him before he killed someone else. And for as sure of her new love for Waylon, she was sure that the boy had killed before.

After giving the baby his bottle, they went to the living room. The nursery was set up so lovely that she wanted to go home and decorate one of her own. Like that made sense. She didn’t even have a baby, not to mention she’d not had sex with Waylon. And she realized that she really did want that to happen, too.

They ended up staying for dinner, too. She watched Jayden change Allen’s diaper and thought it funny that he had to keep referring to the pictures on the box to do it correctly. During her teenage years, she’d done a lot of babysitting and was able to impart a few tricks to them that they could use. Jayden hugged her three times when she told him it wasn’t necessary to take his sleeper all the way off to change him. The silly man.

Heading home, she realized that she was very excited for the family. Excited, too, that she’d be able to have family around her for the first time in over a decade. Since the night was so warm and they could, she and Waylon decided to take a swim in the pool. She didn’t have a bathing suit but realized that she could change into anything that she wanted. Going down to the pool, she was nervous to see that Waylon was already in the large pool and swimming laps.

Seeing him this way, half naked with water streaming down his chest. It took her several seconds of not breathing before she was able to move toward the deck chairs that they had. When he saw her, he came to the edge of the pool and smiled at her. There was something so utterly amazing about seeing a half-naked man in a pool that made her mouth water.

“Are you all right?” She told him about how she discovered that she could wear and change into anything that she wanted. “I didn’t think of trying that. I just realized that you don’t have much in the way of clothing, do you? What with your apartment going up in flames.”

“I have a few things that were at the dry cleaners when I went to pick them up. Not too much for everyday wear. But I was able to order me a few things while I was hiding from Roman. Everything that I ordered came to the diner and under her name. They were really good to me while I was hiding out there. For money I would help with the busing tables and doing the pots and pans.”

“I never thought of you not having credit cards either. This with your money, it must make you feel pretty good?” She said that she felt wonderful and that she was happy too that she had all her money where it needed to be as well. “My mom is great at investing money. You should talk to her about making every dollar work for you. I know she’s made me a bundle by listening to her advice.”

“I’ll do that.” She was tempted, really tempted, to ask him to get out of the water so that she could have a full view of him. But instead, she made her way to the deep end of the pool, where the diving board was, and dove into the water. It was almost too warm, but it was heavenly on her poor body after all the things that she’d been stressing about since Donnie handed over her money that fateful evening.

When she had enough splashing around, she started to the stairs. It was then that Waylon came to her to mostly help, but when she slipped backwards, her body hitting the water hard, he was right there to rescue her. And he held her in his arms until she stopped trying to stand up again.

“Are you all right?” She nodded and had to swallow twice before she could form words. She told him she was just fine. “Good. I was thinking that if you’d not mind, I’d really like to make love to you. Not right this second. There are too many prying eyes around here, and I don’t want to have our neighbors pissed off at us before we even get to meet them. But the thought of taking you upstairs to our room and having a great deal of sex with you appeals to me in a way that I’m hard just thinking about it.”

“Okay.” He laughed, then simply threw back his head and laughed loudly. Getting out of the entanglement of his arms, she stomped her way to the house. He’d learn not to make fun of her again.