Page 71 of Love, Hate, Love

“Missy, you’re pushing it.”

“You’repushing it, mister.”

If it had been anyone else, I would’ve told them to go fuck themselves, but I didn’t have the heart to quash the progress she was making.

“Actually, take a walk with me.” I got up and walked to the door, holding it open for her to follow me.

She nodded, falling into step with me. We weaved in between the many workmen setting up around the place.

“Am I getting fired?” she shot out.

“Should you be?”

“No. I work damned hard around here, even if I do yell at you sometimes.”

“I know, which is why I’m not firing you. This talk has nothing to do with you at all, really.”

Missy was as solid as they came. Her only issue was a touch of paranoia, which occasionally worked to my benefit around the ranch, as she was continuously looking for things that were about to go wrong. The yelling was getting a little old, but I’d put up with it. Hopefully it was just a phase.

“Then what do you want?” She might be a valuable hand, but she definitely lacked a certain finesse. As long as she wasn’t planning to go into politics, she’d probably be fine.

“You and Leah have gotten pretty tight.”

“She’s good people. I don’t care what they say she did. I don’t buy it.”

“She ever talk to you about that?”

“No, it’s just a hunch, but my hunches are usually right,” she said, almost as if she were on the fringe of betraying a confidence.

“I’m not asking you to tell me her secrets. I’d never do that.” Mostly because she’d never tell me, but I wasn’t above using whatever I could to find out what was going on. “You just sound very convinced of her innocence.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what happened, but I’d bet she had nothing to do with that painting.”

“I’ve know her since she was a child, and I’ve never known her to steal anything.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s something to do with that stepfather of hers. He is in the art field. Have you noticed how weird she gets when he’s brought up?”

How had this slip of a girl, barely a woman, figured this out while I’d been completely blind? Willfully blind was more like it. I’d met Leah’s stepfather, and I’d swallowed the good ol’ boy act the same way it seemed most did.

“Yeah, that’s interesting,” I said, not having much more to add. I couldn’t. Leah had never brought him up in front of me. “I’ll talk to you later, but thanks for sharing.”

“Where you heading?”

“Where do you think?”

She just nodded and smiled.

Chapter32

Leah

They’d all start pilingin for the wedding in a few days. All my old friends, the ones who’d cut me off quicker than they could run off a rat-infested boat in the middle of a surge of plague.

There were footsteps and then a pair of broad shoulders filled the doorway of the old barn, the moon shining behind him. Didn’t matter if I couldn’t see his face. I’d recognize him anywhere, in spite of wanting to forget.

Kade walked over, stopping right below me. “What are you doing up there?”

“Just checking out the old place.”

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