Page 18 of No Bed Of Roses

She nodded. “Someone cut the rungs partway through.”

Marcus gestured to the barn. “Do you mind if I have a look?”

Isla kept in the sigh and led the way to the barn. Levi reached over to squeeze her shoulder as they walked. She assumed it was a show of support, and she appreciated it after her hissy fit.

As they approached, Marcus slowed. “Both doors were locked?”

“Yes. There was a padlock on this door. The front doors were padlocked but from the inside. I haven’t gone all the way around, so I don’t know if there are other doors.” Her voice remained stiff, but that couldn’t be helped. She was at least able to be polite.

Hopper leaned into her side, and she reached down to pat his head. “Sorry, Hopper. I’m okay, just grumpy.”

Both men chuckled at her whispered words. Levi reached an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “You’re allowed to be grumpy after a fall like that.”

Even after her show of temper, he hadn’t turned away from her. Hadn’t left her.

Emotion clogged her throat, and she swallowed hard to contain it. She was absolutely not going to sob in front of these two men. With another swallow, she leaned into Levi’s side. His arm tightened even more, and he turned her into a gentle hug.

Another swallow kept the tears down.

For a long minute, she simply stood and let his warmth and comfort surround her.

She wasn’t sure about much at the moment, but she was pretty sure she was falling hard and fast for this man she barely knew.

Levi wanted to rewind time and return to when he’d called in Marcus. Instead of doing that preemptively, he would take the time and do this first.

Hold her. Make sure she was okay emotionally and not just physically.

His military training had taken over, and then he’d grabbed control of the situation when it wasn’t his. Isla had been pissed, but she hadn’t directed that anger at him. Instead, she’d attacked her garden to vent it.

Now, she was taking deep breaths and settling herself in his arms. It felt so right, it was scary. No matter how many times he told himself to stay away from his neighbor, he found himself touching her at every opportunity. And he didn’t regret it.

Dumbass.

When Isla blew out a breath and stood back, he released her. Her smile was small but appeared genuine as she looked up at him. “Thanks. And thanks for coming to my rescue as well.”

He grinned. “Even if you didn’t actually need rescuing. Glad to help anytime.”

Marcus had stepped away to give them a modicum of privacy. He had squatted down and was shining his flashlight slowly over the floor. When they moved, he motioned with his hand for them to follow in his footsteps. “Which way did you come in, Isla? Can you show me which footprints are yours?”

Marcus moved the light to the small door, and Isla pointed. “I started there. I couldn’t see much even using my phone, so I moved to the barn doors and then straight to the ladder.”

Her boot prints were far smaller than his tracks, which he pointed out to them. Levi grunted. “I came in through the front doors. I didn’t spot Isla immediately, so I told Hopper to find her. He came straight to the ladder.”

“He did?” Isla reached down to pat the dog. “Good boy, Hopper.”

Marcus moved the light back and forth slowly over the area. “I think there’s at least one other set of prints, but with all the movement, it’s difficult to tell. Let me take a few photos before we move in.”

Isla frowned. “Does that mean someone else has keys to the building? Or could it be from ages ago? The person who installed the locks, maybe?”

Levi shrugged. “Either option makes sense. Any clues which one it might be, Arrow?”

Isla turned to him with a question on her face. “Arrow?”

Marcus grunted and left Levi to answer. “I think I told you Marcus and I were on the same military team. We all had call signs, and it’s become a habit to use them instead of names.”

Marcus continued to look at the floor, but Levi could hear the smile in his voice. “Ask your neighbor here about his call sign. As if a farmer from Kansas could be anything else.”

Levi wanted to sigh, but Isla’s face showed interest, not fear, and for that, he’d answer the question. “You ever see the Wizard of Oz?”

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