Page 25 of Mystery at Rescue Ridge

A fresh cup of coffee sat on the counter, still warm.

“Is this for me?”she asked Owen, realizing she could get used to this treatment.

“One sugar,” he said.“Just how you like it.”A hesitation came.“Or, should I say how you used to like it?”

“Still do,” she confirmed.“Thank you.”Warmth circled through her chest at the realization he’d remembered the way she took her coffee.One sugar.Raw.Simone kept packets in a clear container next to the coffee machine to entice Evie to visit.She also kept Sour Patch Kid Gummy Bears for the same reason.Evie frowned when she picked up the package and saw they’d expired a year ago.

Bad daughter.Bad sister.Bad aunt.

She could count on one hand the number of visits home in the years she’d lived in Dallas.One hand.And two of those had been holidays.Since co-workers at her job had young kids, she’d volunteered to work Christmas Eve every year so they could spend more time with their families.The reality was that she’d used work as an excuse not to make the drive home.

Why visit when she left feeling awful after being quizzed about what kind of men she dated and why she never brought anyone home?She’d been drilled over her non-church-going habits.She’d been spread over hot coals for her choice not to sign up with a youth group, so she could find a good, religious husband.

Despite their flaws, Evie hadn’t hated her parents.She hadn’t regarded them much at all.They’d given birth to her and kept her fed until she was old enough to fend for herself.Eighteen.They’d done their best.Neither had ever said much about their childhoods.Evie couldn’t imagine there had been much laughter.Her parents had been serious people with permanent frown lines etched into their foreheads and brackets around their mouths.

Sounds of trucks smashing into each other in the adjacent room cut through her reverie.

“Oh no!You got me!”Owen rolled onto his back as Luca jumped to his feet.The kid launched himself into the air.Owen caught Luca and then moved his arms up and down while making airplane noises.Luca’s arms were spread, and he had the biggest smile on his face—a smile that stirred up maternal feelings Evie didn’t know existed.Was this what maternal satisfaction felt like?

Liv was in her high chair, happily sucking down the contents of a bottle.

Both kids were happy for what felt like the first time since Evie had arrived.Maybe she didn’t hate parenting so much as she hated feeling like she was failing at it.Maybe parenting wouldn’t be all that bad.With Owen.The tiny voice in her head had a nasty habit of stating truths she didn’t want to consider.

Was everything easier with Owen here?Yes.Of course.Naturally, taking care of the kids was easier with a partner.How many times had Simone mentioned wishing her husband had a normal job—one that allowed him to participate in parenting on a daily basis?She’d always immediately followed up the remarks, stating how proud she was of him and that he was doing a job he cared about, keeping the babies safe in a different way.

Evie had felt bad for her sister before she’d known how difficult parenting could be.I’m sorry for all the times I let you down, Simone.Evie could have visited more, if only to keep her sister company.

She stood at the fridge, noticing a picture she hadn’t seen before.Others crowded it out until barely a sliver was visible.Lifting the magnet, she caught three pictures in her free hand.The two on top were Luca and his father.The one tucked behind them was of Evie’s parents, sitting on the sofa with one-year-old Luca in between them.Their wide smiles caught Evie off guard.Maybe she’d been wrong about her parents.Maybe they had known how to laugh.Maybe there were other things she didn’t know about them.

Leave it to Simone to be the one to find a way to make them happy.

10

The kids had eaten breakfast and were happily watching cartoons, giving Evie a moment of peace to sip coffee at the kitchen table.Dark circles cradled her eyes, making Owen wonder if she’d gotten any more sleep than he had last night.The elephant in the room, the kiss, sat between them, and they’d managed to stay in separate rooms so far, after a short interaction in the kitchen to make breakfast.

Gravel crunched underneath tires on the lane leading up to the house.Owen forced his thoughts from the kiss to check out the window and verify it was the sheriff.Before Travis knocked, Owen opened the door.“Come in,” he said to his brother-in-law.

“Morning,” Travis said to Evie after greeting Owen with a bear hug.

“Coffee?”Evie asked.

“No, thanks.”Travis’s expression said he was ready to get down to business.He paused long enough to give the kids a smile as he crossed the living room toward the table.

Luca looked up at Travis in awe.Owen made a mental note to play cops and robbers later.The brief look of longing that came over Travis’s features reminded Owen that his brother-in-law was medically unable to have kids of his own.He was, however, the best father figure to Chloe’s three-year-old son, Grayson.

Travis looked at Evie.“I hope I’m not out of line suggesting this, but my wife and I have a boy about Luca’s age.It might be nice to get them together to play sometime.”

A glimmer of hope and excitement danced in those emerald eyes.“I think Luca would like that very much.And maybe your wife could give me a few tips on taking care of little ones.”

Travis smiled.“Chloe is a wonderful mother.”He’d found true happiness as a husband and father without having children of his own.And yet, the look a few minutes ago said he wished it could be different.

Had Owen made a mistake that he might regret?

“I’ve had all hands on deck working this case,” Travis said, interrupting Owen’s thoughts.“The quicker we figure out who the hiker is and why he’s following you, the better.”

“I agree,” Evie said, glancing over at the children.“I’m all they have.”

Owen stopped himself from saying the kids had him, too.That he would make an amazing uncle to them.Plus, he stood to inherit more money than he knew what to do with.What better way to spend it than to give it to someone who needed it more than he did?He could work with a lawyer to set up trusts for the children.Evie wouldn’t have to stress about finances.Would she let him help?Evie was prideful.He understood her because he was the same way.

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