Beth knew everyone wanted her to stay inside the house, but she was getting cabin fever, going stir-crazy, being cooped up inside. She hadn’t heard from Brody, and she missed him. Missed the cheeky half-grin he had, the right side of his lips curving slightly higher than the left. Missed feeling his arms wrapped around her. And she secretly missed his need to protect her. Not that she was a shrinking violet or anything, but his overprotectiveness made her feel cherished. Special. Something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Jamie was upstairs taking a nap—finally. She’d been running around the ranch since she’d woken up. Beth had given in and let her have waffles for breakfast, and then they’d headed out to the barn to visit the kittens. Afterward, Jamie had insisted Beth meet Otto, the donkey. Her brave little girl had climbed up the wooden fence running beside the barn and called Otto to her side, laughing as she scratched him between the ears. Unfortunately, Otto hadn’t taken to Beth’s attempts to pet him, barring his yellowed teeth and braying in an ear-splitting sound that had her slamming her hands over her ears.
They’d then spent time in Ms. Patti’s vegetable garden behind the kitchen, watering the plants, and pulling the occasional weed, though Beth admitted there weren’t very many. This was a well-tended garden.
She’d worked a little with Jamie on her lessons. Even pre-kindergarten classes had lessons and Mrs. Gleason had e-mailed her information of things she could work on with Jamie, so she didn’t fall even further behind. Between the move from North Carolina and now this enforced isolation at the Big House, Beth was afraid Jamie was going to have to repeat the school year.
Nica had volunteered to keep an eye on Jamie to give Beth a break, and she’d decided to visit with Camilla, who’d set up a mini-office at Dane’s house. Working remotely wasn’t a problem for Camilla, who could do her job anywhere she had access to a computer and Wi-Fi. She’d figured as long as Evan was on the run, she’d stay close to Beth and Jamie.
Since it was a beautiful day, if a little warm, Beth decided to walk to Dane’s house. Nica had given her directions, which seemed pretty straightforward. The walk shouldn’t take long, but getting out and getting some fresh air would be nice. Skirting around the back of the barn, she followed Nica’s directions, enjoying the bucolic scenery and peaceful contentment the ranch provided. She paused to watch the horses munching on the alfalfa, the mommas and babies frolicking in the grass. Having never been around farm animals before, observing them offered her a rare insight into Brody’s life growing up. Made her feel like she was getting a snapshot of where he’d come from.
Tessa had explained to her about the Boudreaus when she first started seeing Rafe seriously. How each of the boys raised by the Boudreau family had come to them from horrible life situations or through the foster care system. She didn’t know any specific details, not even Rafe’s, though she knew Tessa did. It wasn’t her business, but she couldn’t help wondering about Brody’s story. What had his life been like before he’d moved in with Douglas and Ms. Patti?
There was no doubt he adored his adoptive parents and they loved him. That wasn’t even an issue. She knew while most of the boys had been officially adopted, some of them hadn’t, whether because they couldn’t be, or because it was a mutual decision, there wasn’t a single doubt the love shared between not only Douglas and Ms. Patti, but with all of the brothers, was something unique and strong. They were the epitome of family.
The Big House soon disappeared from view as she continued her walk to the foreman’s house. Birdsong filled the air, and Beth smiled at the peace she felt inside. Most likely it was the calm before the storm, because Evan didn’t allow her even a brief respite, but she’d take the small moments when and where she could. Once he was back in prison, she was cutting all ties with him, once and for all. No more phone calls, no letters. Nothing.
In the distance, she could see a white two-story house, with blue shutters and a gingerbread trim. A wide front porch, complete with a swing and columns, decorated the structure. It reminded her of photos she’d seen from the turn of the twentieth century, lovely and reminiscent of a bygone era. She chuckled, thinking about Camilla living in a farmhouse. There was nobody more citified than Camilla Stewart. Now there was a woman who loved her creature comforts. Spa days, mani-pedis, good wine, and fancy restaurants were more her speed than homespun life with the white picket fence and a couple of kids. This had to be pure torture for her friend.
Within a few minutes, she was standing on the porch, hand raised, when the front door was yanked inward, and a hand reached out, yanking her inside. She gasped at the sight in front of her. Camilla’s hair stood on end, spiking out away from her face. Her feet were bare, pink toes sticking out from the bottom of her dust-covered slacks. Glasses were perched on the end of her nose, a wild look on her face.
“You’ve gotta get me out of here!”
“Camilla, what in the world? What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong? What’s right! I’m sorry, Beth, I love you and Jamie to death, but I can’t stay here a second longer. This—this is torture!”
“Okay, calm down. What happened?”
“That gigantic, motorcycle-driving maniac happened. He makes me so mad! Ugh!”
Beth bit her lip to keep from laughing. Apparently, Camilla had met Heath. “I take it Heath’s giving you trouble?”
“Heath? Is that what he’s called? I figured his name was Neanderthal, since he’s such a caveman. What a jerk!”
“Come on, Camilla. I’ve met him. He’s a perfectly nice—”
“Are you kidding me? First, he used up all the hot water, so I couldn’t take a shower.” She started ticking items off on her fingers. “Then he drank the whole pot of coffee before I got up, leaving me caffeine deprived. You know I can’t function without at least two cups first thing in the morning. Then he confiscated my laptop, and won’t give it back!” Her voice rose with each infraction, until it reached a shrill screech. Beth barely kept from sticking her fingers in her ears.
“Whoa, calm down. I’m sure there’s more hot water. You’ll be able to take a shower. As for the coffee, come on, let’s go to the kitchen and I’ll make you a fresh pot.”
Camilla sniffled. “You can’t. Apparently, there’s no more until Dane can make a grocery run or his mother drops by with supplies. I mean, seriously, who allows themselves to run out of coffee?! And it’s not even the kind of coffeemaker with pods. You have to actually add the grounds. It’s archaic.”
“No, you’re spoiled.”
“Am not.” Camilla slumped down in a chair and stuck her tongue out at Beth. “I’m sorry. This trip has been an utter fiasco. Every single step, from the moment I got the call about Evan, up until today with Captain Caveman, has been an unmitigated disaster. Except for seeing you and Jamie. You are the bright spot in my nightmare.”
Beth sat across from Camilla, watching her friend’s expression go from frantic to harried to finally calm. Camilla tended to be overly emotional, feeling things strongly and with no problem expressing her opinion. Apparently, she’d met her match in Heath Boudreau.
“Morning, sunshine.” Heath ambled into the room, and tousled Beth’s hair, giving a heated glance to Camilla, before heading to the refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of water. “How’s Brody?”
Beth leaned back against her chair, and crossed her arms over her chest. “I haven’t spoken with him today.”
“He didn’t spend the night?” Heat crept into her cheeks, burning hotter at Heath’s chuckle. “Don’t worry, I’m teasing.” He pulled out another chair at the kitchen table and slid onto the seat. “I talked to him last night. He’s got a lot on his plate right now, dealing with some stuff at the firehouse.”
“I know. He’s been working a lot of hours recently.”
Camilla watched Heath, her expression guarded, but Beth could see the spark of interest Camilla did her best to hide. Oh, brother, if these two get together, talk about fireworks.
“Any word on your ex?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. I don’t understand why nobody’s caught him yet. He doesn’t know anything about surviving outside of the city.”
Camilla gave an inelegant snort. “Got that right. Roughing it to Evan is staying any place with less than four stars. No way he’d be able to live off the land. He’s too spoiled.”
Heath arched one brow at Camilla. “Pot, meet kettle.”
“I’ll have you know I can take care of myself.”
“Sure you can, princess. As long as you have a fancy pants boy toy to wait on you hand and foot, I’m sure you’d survive just fine.”
“I’m going to take a shower. Beth, I’ll see you in a few minutes.” She glared at Heath. “You don’t need to be here when I get back. And give me my computer, you big goober.” With that final word, she stormed from the room, her footsteps fading as she climbed the stair.
“You really shouldn’t give her such a hard time.”
Heath grinned. “But she makes it so easy.”
“Be that as it may, she’s still reeling from her brother being sent to prison and having her life thrown into turmoil. She adored him, and it’s hard to find out somebody you care about has feet of clay.”
Heath’s gaze shifted to the hallway where Camilla had disappeared, his expression guarded. “I’ll try.” He stood and tossed his plastic bottle into a bin under the sink. “You wouldn’t happen to have a picture of your ex handy?”
She shook her head, starting to say no, but hesitated. “You have Camilla’s computer?” At his quick nod, she added, “Let’s look on her Facebook page. I’m sure there are lots of them on there.”
“Lemme grab it, just a second.” He returned quickly with the state-of-the-art laptop, and Beth quickly logged in, easily navigating to Camilla’s page.
“This is Evan. Probably taken about a year ago, maybe a little more.” She clicked on the photo, enlarging it. It showed a happy, smiling man, groomed and polished to perfection, the way she remembered him.
“Can you e-mail me a copy of that?” He rattled off his e-mail address, and Beth shot the photo to his phone, wondering why he wanted a copy. She hadn’t realized she’d spoke her question aloud until he answered.
“I’m going to head into town, see if I can spot him. I know some people who might help. At least I’ll feel like I’m doing something instead of simply sitting around, waiting for something to happen.”
“Wish I could go too. I feel useless, being babysat by everybody else.”
“You’re not useless. You are protecting your child, and that’s more important than you wandering around trying to find a needle in a haystack. You’ve got the important job. Let the rest of us find your ex and send him back to Huntsville.”
“I know, I just hate feeling helpless. Before I met Evan, I was strong. I had confidence, knew who I was and what I wanted. Somehow, over the years, I’ve become…less. I feel like I’ve lost a part of me, of who I am.”
Heath surprised her by leaning down and hugging her, a brief but tight squeeze. “The last thing I’d say about you is you’re weak. It takes strength to stand up to a man and tell him no. You did that. From what my family has told me, when you and your sister found out what your ex-husband tried to do, you stood up to him. Divorced him. Protected your child. Gave the money back to the people of Crowley County. A weak-willed person wouldn’t have done that. They’d have sat back and taken the money, lived a comfortable life, without a single lick of conscience. Nope,” he ruffled her hair again, “you’re a warrior woman. Brody’s got his hands full.”
Beth was speechless at Heath’s words. Did he really see her like that? More importantly, did Brody see her as a strong, independent woman, and not the meek puppet Evan wanted?
“He’s right.” Camilla walked in, her gaze assessing Heath. She’d had a shower and now looked like the sophisticated, put together woman Beth was used to seeing, instead of the screaming harpy who’d answered the door.
“Of course I’m right.”
Camilla ignored him, her stare focused on Beth. “I’ve always known you were incredible. But you proved just how much fortitude and willpower you possessed when you stood up for your convictions, doing the right thing. I never doubted your strength or your character, not for a second. Captain Caveman is right, you are a warrior. You just needed a chance to prove it.”
“And with that, I’m out. I’ll call the Big House if I hear anything.”
Beth watched Heath walk away, and noticed her friend’s eyes glued to the big man too, with a curiosity that piqued Beth’s interest. Camilla had been hurt in the past, and stayed away from anything resembling a commitment. She dated, but played the field, never staying with any one man for more than a month or so before she moved on. If Camilla stuck around, who knew what might happen? Though she didn’t know Heath, having just met him, she did know his family, and if he was anything like the rest of them, which she was pretty confident he was, Camilla could certainly do a lot worse.
“I see you got my laptop back from the Neanderthal. Hope he didn’t screw up my files.”
“Camilla, give the guy a break. He drove halfway across the country to see his family, only instead of getting to spend time with them, he’s been plunged neck deep in my problems. I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt, okay?”
“Halfway across the country? West coast, I hope.”
“Nope. Virginia. Actually works in D.C.”
“No way he’s a politician. He’s not polished enough.”
Beth shook her head. “I think he works for the ATF. All these Boudreau men seem to like high energy, uber-masculine jobs.”
Camilla pushed her hair behind her shoulders and straightened. “Well, I still haven’t had my caffeine. Want to head back to the Boudreau house and see if they’ve got some coffee?”
Before Beth could answer, her cell phone rang. Looking down at the caller ID, she noted Nica’s name. “Nica, everything okay?
“Beth, I can’t find Jamie. She’s gone.”