Page 21 of No Bed Of Roses

The barn wasn’t huge but far larger than a house. From this viewpoint, she could see they were below the hayloft. The floor below their feet was dusty, but footprints were fairly clear, like the ones below. Marcus moved along the path, videotaping the route with his phone.

Tarps and blankets covered items on all sides, and the footprints seemed to check everything out. Isla wanted to do the same. Instead, she and Levi followed Marcus as the prints eventually led to the ladder where she’d fallen.

Damn. It was looking more likely that the saboteur was aiming at her. Maybe not her specifically, but whoever owned the barn.

Voices called from outside. Sam and Tansy. Marcus moved outside to greet them, but Isla didn’t move. She needed a moment to control her thoughts and her reactions.

She wasn’t surprised when Levi moved in front of her and ran his hands up and down her arms. “It’s going to be okay, Isla. We’ll figure this out.”

Would they? Or would she be running again?

As if he read her depressing thoughts, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, then wrapped her in a gentle hug. “Trust me, Glass Farmer. We’ve got this.”

Levi could feel Isla trembling as he held her in the quiet barn. Whoever had done this was going to pay for scaring her. And if the jerk tried to hurt her again, he was going to find the hounds of Hell on his heels.

When the voices approached the barn, Levi eased back from the hug. He kissed her forehead again and squeezed her hands, then released her.

Marcus returned with two people. A tiny woman full of concern and a man who could probably bench press the tractor that had saved Isla.

Marcus introduced them while the woman hugged Isla. “Levi Connors, meet Tansy Cheveyo and Sam Young. Tansy is a scientist and friend of Isla’s. Sam is her partner and runs Midnight Security.”

The men shook hands and then he shook Tansy’s. Sam immediately got down to business. “We got the basics from Isla’s call to Tansy. Walk me through it?”

A howl set up at the back of the barn, and Isla ran to the door. “Hopper.”

Levi thought the dog sounded lonely instead of scared, but rather than saying that he hustled out the door on Isla’s heels.

Sure enough, Hopper stood near the barn’s rear door, howling like a werewolf. When he spotted them, he stopped and raced toward Isla with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. He jumped up to place his paws on her shoulders and lick her face,

She laughed, and Levi figured the dog had earned himself a massive treat at the earliest opportunity.

Isla patted Hopper. “I’m sorry, boy. We shouldn’t have left you there. Good dog for listening, though.”

The lab rubbed himself against Isla’s legs again, then loped to Levi to do the same. After he’d rubbed down the dog, he settled and eyed the new people, who were both grinning.

It didn’t take long for them to earn Hopper’s approval, and then Sam turned his attention to the hole in the barn's foundation. “Just like the sawmill.”

Marcus nodded and returned to the opening, discussing the situation with Sam.

Isla shook her head when Marcus asked if she wanted to head in again. “I’d rather not go back in that way. I’m going to head around to the front entry. Do you mind if I uncover that tractor?”

Marcus shook his head. “Go ahead, but stick to that area, and keep your eyes open for any clues.”

She nodded, eyes still sad, and turned to head around the barn. Tansy moved with her, and Hopper bounced along beside them.

Levi hesitated but stuck with Marcus and Sam. The man ran a protection business, and Levi wanted to see the cameras he’d brought. He also wanted input into how else to keep Isla safe.

Once under the barn’s floor, they decided where best to place the cameras. They were battery-powered from solar energy, and Levi was fascinated. Apparently, Tansy loved to improve anything she could and created all kinds of inventions that didn’t harm the planet. With these, they would need to run a wire to the outside to leave the solar battery outside. The tiny gaps in the barn boards would be enough.

The idea of pulling his own farm operation off the grid was appealing. Another thing to add to his list. Along with learning about the hops, which should be a priority.

But with Isla’s safety in question, it wasn’t even in the top five items on the list.

As they worked, Levi realized that Marcus had made something of a team here in Phail. From everything he heard, Marcus, Sean, and Troy had become tight with all the people at Midnight Lake. He was glad his buddies had found their place.

He was also glad he’d kept heading north despite the logistics of farming in Vermont. Everything about this place felt right.

Especially Isla.

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