Page 28 of Killer on the Homestead
He was terrified it would feel empty.
But he had his family now. His roots. His legacy. Things he’d let fall by the wayside for far too long.
So why should he balk at exploring something that might be deeper than a one-night stand in a hotel room?
When a knock sounded at the door, Duncan’s eyebrows raised. Was she back? Now that would be something.
But it was not Rosalie.
“Mom.” He glanced out at the yard. Would she have seen Rosalie rush out of here? Drive off? He didn’t know how he felt about that. There was something like an echo of old teenage embarrassment, except she didn’t say anything.
Which he was almost certain meant she hadn’t seen anything. Mom didn’t hesitate. She called him out. Always.
“Everything okay?” he asked, then shook his head. “Stupid question. Come on in.”
Mom stepped inside. “Your dad is out running himself ragged. I thought maybe you could ride out and help him. I tried, but he’s tired of me pecking at him. You two are excellent at sitting in silence.”
He almost managed a smile at that.
“You don’t have to go right away. He’ll figure I sent you if we don’t give himsomealone time. But maybe in an hour or so you could hunt him down?”
He didn’t ask why she’d come down to his cabin to ask that, because he could see as she moved restlessly around the front room, eyeing the boxes with a mix of frustration and zeal, that she was looking for things to do, to manage. That was how Mom dealt with stress.
“Sure. I’ll track him down. Give him a run for his silent money,” he said, hoping to make her smile.
She did, but it was small.
Because he couldn’t joke or pester her out of this horrible reality they found themselves in. So maybe that was what he could do. Find answers.
“Rosalie wants to follow a theory about maybe this connecting to the missing cattle. I told her I could get a map of the ranch, and some more information about the times cattle have gone missing.”
Mom frowned. “Of course,” she said. “I’ll get you a map. I… Don’t tell your father, but I wrote down little details about the cows every time it happened. If I ever got him to go to the police, I thought it’d help. I’ll give the notes to Rosalie. Or you.”
“You’ve got enough on your plate. You get it to me, I can handle it.”
Mom glanced at the door, something Duncan couldn’t quite read in her expression. “You know, if you… You don’t have to always be here, Duncan. You don’t always have to be helping. Your father and I will muddle through.”
He couldn’t quite understand what she was trying to say, but he went for light and teasing. “Trying to get rid of me?”
“No, I just thought maybe you’d… Well, you don’t need to focus on only this case, honey. You’re home for good. You should…”
“I should what?”
“Settle in. Meet people. Connect.”
He heard every silent word in between the words his mother spoke.Grow up. Get married. Have kids.
“Mom. Someone was murdered in your front yard just last week.”
“Yes, and it’s awful and tragic. But isn’t that reminder enough? Life doesn’t promise us anything. Might as well find some good in the midst of all that bad.” She looked at the door again, considering. “Rosalie’s a sweet girl.”
Duncan snorted.Sweet?No, that was not what Rosalie was. But shewassomething. “What’s any of this got to do with Rosalie?”
She gave him a look then. “Come now, let’s not play dumb. You’ve got your eyes all over her.”
Duncan felt that old teenage embarrassment creep in, but he pushed it away. He wasn’t going to be a coward just because this woman was his mother. “She’s nice to look at.”
Mom smiled at that. “She’s nice, period. Had a rough go. She looks right back, you know.”
