Page 19 of The Breakdown

“I don’t know,” Vaughn said. “I don’t have the time and—”

“Which is why I’m offering.” But Natalie understood her hesitancy. Vaughn didn’t know her and didn’t yet trust her. She wasn’t willing to let just anyone revamp her website. It was her life. Her livelihood. “I can show you some of my current work and create a sample website for you to take a look at.”

“I don’t see how that would hurt anything,” June said.

Vaughn set her elbows on the table and folded her hands. “I reckon not.”

“Great,” Natalie said. “I can get started now if you like and then join you later for chores?”

“The sooner we get some more help around here the better,” June said.

Vaughn steepled her fingers. “Sure.”

Natalie smiled, thrilled to be given the chance to help. She rose to take her plate and silverware to the sink. She turned back to them as she ran the water. “Would you like me to help you clean up from breakfast first?” June had, after all, cooked for her and fed her. It was the right thing to do.

June stood and began gathering the remaining dishes. “That won’t be necessary. You go on now and get busy on that computer of yours. We need workers more than I need help with the dishes.”

Natalie rinsed her plate and dried her hands. “Okay.”

“You come around noon for lunch,” June said, crossing to the sink with her arms full. Natalie tried to help her but she side-stepped her. “You just worry about getting to work and then showing up for lunch.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

June smiled. “You’re learning fast.”

Natalie looked to Vaughn who gave her a nod, quietly dismissing her, and Natalie headed for the kitchen door. For the first time in years, she felt excited at the idea of helping someone with something she actually knew how to do. And helping Vaughn and June, at the moment, felt like everything to her.

Chapter Seven

Vaughn took another batch of hay and deposited it in the last of the feed buckets along the side of the corral. She took a break and leaned along the railing, removing her hat to wipe her brow with the back of her arm. It wasn’t even ten a.m. and the heat was already oppressive. It hung heavy in the air with the remnants of last night’s humidity ruining her usually hot and bone-dry mornings. But that was August in the Valley of the Sun. Hot and humid, caused by the occasional monsoon. She supposed she ought to be used to it by now, being a valley native, but the humidity was never welcome. And August, well, August was always just a bitch of a month to plow through.

One of the horses neighed as if in agreement. It was Charlie and she was slowly walking up to her. “Hey, girl.” Vaughn peeled off her gloves and stroked Charlie’s neck. She was a stunner of a horse, with a shiny black coat and rich, glossy eyes. “You come to stand in the shade with me? It’s hot, huh? Too hot.” A few of the other horses had come to stand on her side of the corral as well, seeking the shade of the ramadas, the morning heat already too much for them. “How ’bout a cool down?” Vaughn walked over to the hose and uncoiled it. She hollered at Benny to turn on the faucet at the stable. She felt the water, noted the warm temperature, and waited a few minutes for it to run cooler, then she sprayed Charlie down. “There you go,” she said. “Feel good?”

She adjusted the nozzle to create a mist and continued to wet Charlie down. Soon a few of the other horses sauntered up to her for their own cool down. A hot breeze began to blow through and Vaughn smiled, knowing it would help in cooling the horses with their wet skin. “There you go, you guys should be good for a while.” She yelled again for Benny to turn off the water and rewound the hose. She was wiping her hands off on her jeans when Benny whistled at her and pointed beyond the corrals. She followed his line of sight and saw a vehicle pulling up on the drive. She squinted, trying to make out who it was in the white SUV. She left the corral and was halfway to the car before she could make out the writing on the side. The vehicle was with the fire department. Vaughn silently cursed and looked back toward the guesthouse. Natalie was nowhere to be seen.

A man climbed from the SUV carrying a hard-cased folder. He adjusted his sunglasses and stuck out his hand.

“Wesley Locke,” he said. “Fire investigations. You Vaughn Ruger?”

Vaughn shook his hand and sank hers in her back pocket, nervous.

“Sure am. What brings you out this way?”

“Someone here called in a car fire yesterday evening and I was just following up.”

“Right.” She’d almost forgotten that Gram had called in to report the fire. So much had happened it had slipped her mind, which was unusual for her. She was usually very keen and on top of things. Natalie’s presence had disrupted not just her home life, but her thoughts as well. She briefly wondered what else she would disrupt.

“The caller was…” He opened the folder and flipped to the correct page. “June Ruger.”

“She’s my grandmother. But she isn’t the one who saw the fire. That was me. I came upon it as I was returning from town.”

He made a note. “Did you happen to see the driver of the vehicle?”

Vaughn wavered. She didn’t like to lie, but Natalie’s location might be blown if she didn’t. Thoughts of Aunt Sissy and all the trouble she’d gone through with her divorce came once again. She thought of how damaged she seemed to be from it all. The bruises on Natalie’s neck also came to mind. No, she couldn’t tell. She couldn’t do that to Natalie.

She shook her head. She might not have done enough to support her aunt during her rough divorce, but at least now she could try to make up for that by helping Natalie.

Wesley glanced up at her over the rim of his sunglasses as he paused his pen mid stroke. “No?”

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