Page 57 of No Love Lost

“They are. And so are you.”

A soft beep interrupted the moment, and they both stilled. He put his laptop on the table and moved to the kitchen. “It’s the outdoor camera.”

Instead of disturbing the curtains and alerting whoever was out there to the fact they’d been spotted, Heath pulled up the app Sam had installed on his phone.

The beep sounded again before he had it pulled up. There. Movement in the snow just past the pile Jonas had plowed to the side of the driveway.

Heath still didn’t trust the man, although his actions today had dulled those suspicions. Maybe he’d snuck back for another go at Addy’s house. It should be obvious to anyone that they were there. Two vehicles in the driveway usually meant someone was home.

He hadn’t expected the guy to make a move tonight, not after messing with the heater again the night before.

All he needed was a glimpse of a human, and he’d call in his friends.

Addy had her phone out as well, and they studied the app in silence. The camera beeped again and then Addy laughed softly.

He glanced at her, and she pointed to a corner of the screen. The shadows made it difficult to make out, but eventually, the shape moved again and a deer stepped into the yard.

Addy smiled. “She’s beautiful, but I don’t think she’s going to cause us any trouble.”

Heath grinned and tucked himself around Addy to watch the deer on her phone. The animal looked at the house and the cars, then wandered across the camera view and back into the woods. Probably looking for food.

Addy sighed and put her phone on the table and then turned to wrap her arms around him. “I hate this. I hate being scared in my own house. I hate thinking someone hates me enough to do these things. Is it because I was too happy? Things were going too well?”

Heath held her close. The defeat in her voice was something he’d never heard before. She was fierce and strong and so protective of Nina and everyone else she loved.

This bastard was going to pay.

CHAPTER 18

Find A Way

Heath was both relieved and pissed when nothing further happened during the night. He didn’t want anyone bothering Addy, but he also wanted to catch the jerk and put him behind bars.

Snow had fallen in earnest overnight, and there was almost a foot to be cleared from the driveway. Addy refused to stay inside where it was warm, so they both bundled up and headed outside to deal with it.

They brushed off the vehicles, cleared the paths, and used her snowblower to clear the driveway. The previous snow had melted completely earlier in the week, but from the last few days, there were snowbanks along either side of the road and her driveway. He wondered if this would melt again or if this amount would guarantee a white Christmas for them all.

It wasn’t far away. He hadn’t spent enough time planning out gifts for his girls. He knew one gift he wanted to give Addy for sure, but he needed some time to do some shopping, online and otherwise.

This was his first Christmas knowing he had a daughter and he had a dozen Christmases to make up for.

He also didn’t want to go overboard and embarrass either of them or himself. They’d spent years being smart and frugal, focusing on the important things in life. He refused to be like his parents and focus on buying them shiny things with no underlying meaning. He wanted to be a better partner and father than that.

Once they were back inside, Addy put the kettle on. “I’ve got to get at least a few hours in on my book.”

He nodded. “I’ve been taking up a lot of your time.”

That made her laugh. “You’re the very best kind of distraction.”

He grinned and kissed her until the kettle boiled. She patted his chest with a grin. “See. Distracting in a very good way.”

When she passed him a mug, he leaned back against the counter and studied her. “Do you want to stay here, or would you be comfortable writing at the farmhouse or somewhere in town?”

Those dark eyes studied him right back. “I don’t want to be the idiot in the horror movies, but I’d like to stay here and work. It’s my normal routine and I hope to sink into the work. I know you and the guys are meeting at the saloon to go over ideas for the brewery, but I’ll be fine here. Even if someone is targeting me, it’s been harassment-type things, nothing dangerous.”

But what if that changed? “What if we asked Kimi if she has a good guard dog?”

“What?”

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