Page 43 of Haystacks and Hoaxes

Mila shutthe door behind Rock, feeling weak as she leaned back against it. With the way her knees were trembling, she might actually need the cane she was clutching to make it back to the guest room.

The sound of clapping made her head jerk toward the tall, arched entryway leading to the kitchen.

Decker was standing there in a t-shirt and sweatpants. His feet were bare.

“Should I take a bow?” She wasn’t sure why he was clapping. She also wasn’t sure how to explain why she was holding Rock Hefner’s cane after he’d left the house.

He answered her question with a question of his own. “Only if stealing mobility-assisted devices from wounded soldiers is something to brag about?”

She tossed her head. “He doesn’t need it anymore, and I just finished proving it to him.”

Decker dropped his hands to his hips. “How’d you know?”

“I just did.” She wasn’t sure how to explain it. “He’s my partner,” she added vaguely.

“It didn’t take you two long to bond,” he observed blandly.

She attempted to twirl the end of Rock’s cane on the tip of her finger. After a few wobbles, it slipped off. She caught it and lowered it back to the floor. “I reckon a few near-death experiences can do that to a partnership.” She smirked at him. “He’s not the only person I’ve bonded with this week.”

“Oh, the horror!” Decker pretended to back away from her with his hands raised protectively in front of him. “If you’re suggesting what I think you are…”

“There are worse things in the world than having a sister you didn’t ask for,” she informed him loftily.

“Name one,” he shot back.

She pretended to think hard. “Can I get back to you on that?”

He lowered his arms to his sides. “I’ll have gray hair by then, but sure.”

She danced his way, scowling at the side of his head. “I think I see one already, old man.”

He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “I can feel it. Having a second kid on the way can do that to a person.”

That wasn’t what had been weighing on him the most, though, and they both knew it.

It seemed like the right time to ask him the same question she asked every evening. “Have there been any new developments in Mom’s case?” Despite the fact that Carla Kingston might be behind bars soon, both of them were still referring to her as their mother.

Instead of saying no like he usually did, he angled his head toward the kitchen. “Want to grab a cup of coffee?”

She nodded and followed him. Unsure what to do withRock’s cane, she propped it against one of the kitchen cabinets. Then she joined him at the bar.

He pulled out a stool for her. She perched on it, laying her cell phone on the countertop in front of her. As he’d gotten into the habit of doing, he brewed coffee for them and returned with two steaming mugs.

He set one in front of her. “Gage and Johnny have been interviewing everyone in town who’s willing to talk to them about our mother. It’s been enlightening.”

“I bet.” Mila’s stomach knotted. She cradled the mug between her hands, trying to draw comfort from its warmth.

“Apparently, Carla Kingston has been hobnobbing with Loretta Bentley before and after she fired you.” He seemed reluctant to look up from his coffee cup. “Were you aware they’re friends?”

Unfortunately, she was. “It’s kind of my fault they became friends, since I’m the one who introduced them.” She thought she was doing her mom a favor by sharing her employee discount on salon services.

“Not true.” He drew a heavy breath and let it out. “Turns out, our mother worked for the Bentleys in Dallas.”

That didn’t sound right to Mila. “She worked for a car dealership there, but Dallas is a long way from Heart Lake.” From what Mila understood, her mother had started as a receptionist and worked her way up to be the front desk manager.

“The Bentleys own and operate dealerships at three locations, including Dallas.” Decker lifted his mug to gesture with it. “You can thank Gage and Johnny for connecting the dots.”

“What are you getting at?” She sensed she wasn’t going to like the point he was working up to.

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