Page 25 of Trouble Comes in Threes

His body softened, and he placed a kiss on my forehead. “Given everything you’re worried about, it’s no wonder you woke up,” he said, his fingers resuming their meandering on my arm. “But with Hope, don’t go borrowin’ trouble, darlin’. We have plenty of our own.”

Chapter Seven

I woke before the kids, so I took advantage of the quiet time to work on some designs in the sunroom off our bedroom. It had been my own baby nursery for those two short months before my birth mother’s death, but I’d turned it into a home office. I loved working there in the mornings with my coffee while watching the sun come up. It gave me a great view of the barn and the horse pens, which had been vacant for a few years. If I started working part time, maybe we could house rescued horses again.

I wanted to get as much work done as I could before going into the office because I knew Neely Kate and I would be searching for the owner of the box, which was still in the back of my Suburban. There was a chance the box would belong to the next homeowner on the list, but I had to admit to myself that I hoped the search would take longer. The idea of working a case had grown on me, and Neely Kate and I were pretty good at it. Plus, it was something exciting to work on, even though the stakes were low.

My mind drifted to my dream. It had mostly faded, but I still heard screams in my head and remembered the sight and smell of blood. I tried to shake it off and focus on my work.

Liam began to fuss in his room a good half-hour before everyone else was supposed to get up. Joe stirred, so I told him I had it and headed for Liam’s room.

He was standing in his crib and broke into a broad smile when he saw me.

I shut the door behind me and picked him up, giving him a hug. “Don’t you know it’s still sleepy time?” I asked. But he hadn’t woken up in the middle of the night, so I called it a win.

After I changed his diaper, I took him and my laptop downstairs. Muffy, who always slept with Hope, heard us and hopped off her bed, following us downstairs.

It was chilly outside, but Liam loved the outdoors, so I put on his jacket and shoes over his pajamas, and we went outside with Muffy, roaming over to the barn. I showed him where the horses used to be and then pointed across the field and told him that once upon a time, Daddy had lived on the other side.

Goodness, that seemed like so long ago.

My gaze landed on the barn, and I once again marveled at everything that had taken place there. All of that seemed like a lifetime ago too, and while I didn’t miss the danger—especially now that I had children—I had to admit part of me craved the excitement.

I hoped the mystery box would help curb that yearning, but I feared it would only feed it.

I wasn’t sure how long we’d been out there when Joe appeared at the back door, telling me he was cooking us breakfast. So I scooped Liam into my arms and carried him to the house, Muffy beating us to the door.

We started the morning chaos, but I was already dressed, which made things easier. Joe and Ashley left before I did so they’d have time to chat at breakfast. She’d seemed thrilled by the special attention, and I hoped she’d tell him about everything that was going on so he didn’t have to hear about it secondhand.

I fed everyone the scrambled eggs and toast Joe had made. Thankfully, everyone ate and cooperated when I said it was time to go. Without Ashley to boss the little kids around, Mikey filled her role to some extent, beaming when I told him he was a good big brother.

Soon, I had three kids in my car, and we were on our way into town.

I said goodbye to Mikey in the carpool lane at the elementary school, then headed to the daycare to drop off Hope and Liam. On my way out, I ran into Jonah.

“Hey, Rose,” he said, smiling from ear to ear. “I haven’t seen you in a few weeks.”

“Liam had a cold last week, so we kept everyone home from church,” I said with a grimace.

He waved his hand. “You don’t need a sanctuary to spend time with God.”

“True enough.” I started to walk past him, then stopped. “Say, Jonah, I know you don’t officially have your counselor’s license in Arkansas, but did you ever work with kids?”

His smile fell. “Is everything okay?”

I pulled him to the side of the hall and leaned in, keeping my voice low as I gave him a short recap of what was going on with Ashley.

“I think it might help her to talk to someone who isn’t me or Joe.” I shrugged. “Joe took her out to breakfast, so he might get through to her, but I think this is just the beginning of things.” I drew in a breath. “I mean, there’s no denying where her father is, but she’s such a rule follower. I think she’ll really feel the stigma of it.”

“How about I pull her out of after-school care today for a chat?” he asked. “I can’t officially be her counselor, but I can tell you if I think she needs to see someone.”

“Thank you,” I said, already feeling relieved.

“Kids can be so cruel.”

I shook my head, my own memories flooding back. “Isn’t that the truth?”

“How are you doing?” he asked, his gaze holding mine.

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