Page 92 of Samuel

Relief flooded her body. She nodded at Hank. “I’d rather be safe than sorry. I have my phone for you, too. Oh, Sam.” Evie turned to face him. “The man… he broke my new phone before he left. I’m sorry.”

“Bluebell, that’s not important at all. We have insurance and can get you a new one.”

“I know, but you just spent all that money. God, I hate him. You were right, I needed to talk about this. Because there is no way he should get away with what he’s doing.”

“We’re going to do our best to figure out who he was, Evie.” Hank promised.

Twenty-Four

Evie stepped out of her bedroom, freshly showered, dressed for success in one of the outfits Grace had managed to drop off the day before with a whole tray of treats from Emma. Their friends had well and truly rallied around her, and it was overwhelming, in the best way.

She was fully expecting to find Sam, who hadn’t left her side in days, in her living room or kitchen. Instead, she found the place completely empty. There was breakfast ready for her on the table like it had been for the last few days, but no handsome cowboy to keep her company.

She knew it was for the best. They’d actually gotten into quite a few arguments since the night he first stayed about his hovering and her desire to return to work. Sam had finally agreed that three days was enough time for her to rest.

And she was relieved. Because as much as she wanted to curl up in a ball and hide away from what happened, a rage was building behind her rib cage that someone thought they could come into her new home and threaten her.

Evie might not be the physically strongest woman in the world, but she was just about the most stubborn one outthere. She was going to get to the bottom of the missing money. That was one thing she knew with absolute certainty. Just after she ate the waffles with syrup and bacon jam that Sam left her. And maybe a bite or two of the fruit salad. Life was all about balance, after all. Waffles with a side of fruitandjustice sounded delightful.

Positively stuffed a few minutes later, Evie rinsed her dishes off, grabbed her keys, and opened her apartment door ready to put on her brave face and tackle the day.

Instead, a scream bubbled up in her throat at the sight of someone sitting outside her door.

“Oh, honey,” Sylvie laughed, setting down her book on her lap. “I’m so sorry I scared you.”

Evie placed her hand over her heart. “It’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting to see anyone out here.”

“Sam had to go down to the office early to put something together. Didn’t want you to be up here all alone, but I didn’t want to intrude. I told him, ‘just put a chair up there for me and I’ll be over with my book and my shotgun.’ Now I see he should have told you I’d be here.”

Evie’s eyes dropped to the side of Sylvie’s chair, where there indeed was a shotgun resting against the wall.

“What on earth are you doing with that?”

“Protecting you.”

“Sylvie! I thought for sure you were a pacifist.”

“Oh, I am. But not when it comes to my family. Someone came here and hurt you. No one messes with the people I love.”

Evie smiled, her throat feeling tight with emotion.

“When Abby was attacked, I stood vigil at our door too until the bastard was caught. It’s what a mother does for her children.”

“But I’m not your child, or your family.”

Sylvie stood, taking Evie’s hands in her own.

“I hope you know just how untrue of a statement that is. The day you stepped onto this ranch, you became family. And I saw the twinkle in my son’s eye that very same day. I knew it would just be a matter of time before I gained myself another daughter and grandbaby. I know you feel that because your parents are gone, you don’t have any family. But you do. You have us, Evie. We love you.”

Evie threw her arms around Sylvie, soaking in everything that she’d just said.

“I love you too, Sylvie. But no more surprising me with shotguns in the hallway. I’ll tell Sam he needs to let you into the apartment if he’s going to insist on you babysitting me.”

“What are you doing down here? I thought we agreed that you were going to ease into today.”

She huffed, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. Perhaps it was the way Sam looked at her, dressed in his tight Levi’s and shirt that stretched deliciously across his chest. She just couldn’t find the sassy part of her personality when his gaze sent her stomach into somersaults.

“No, we didn’t. And you know that. I don’t need more time to rest. I was ready to come back to work the day after, Sam. I need this.”

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