Page 34 of Hidden Memories

“That’s a nice offer. Tell me what time and we’ll be there.”

I switch seats with Ava who talks about goats and fractions with Theo, somehow getting him to enthusiastically scribble plenty of notes. They high-five when he gets a hundred percent on the quiz at the end of the lesson.

In the meantime, I chat with Penelope and Enzo. Enzo doesn’t talk too much. He makes me a little nervous, but maybe it’s just the resemblance between him and his brother. But as a reserved type myself, I know his wheels are turning. In the end, he’s still happy to have me and Theo over at his house, so I guess I passed his test, and we all exchange phone numbers.

It feels like college again, giving out my number to new neighbors.

But after a while, it’s time to get back to Keeper and head home. We plan to meet on Thursday late afternoon for dinner and a lesson. My heart is full and warm on the drive home, the buzz of the unexpected making me feel brighter than I have in so very long. We’re being welcomed. And a small part of me thinks, maybe this shouldn’t be temporary.

But my high comes crashing down as I park up in front of the farmhouse. The front door is ajar, and terror runs through me. Intuition tells me not to go inside. Nobody would rescue us. Keeper starts barking. I shush him as I grip the steering wheel, knuckles white.

It’s just me and Theo here. We’re more or less in the middle of nowhere. I stay in the car and keep it running while I call the police. Little do I know, Mission is in the Echo Valley jurisdiction, and two officers show up, one being Callum. I would have rather he not seen me as bringing trouble near his small town. Or being a damsel in distress.

When everything is clear, Callum speaks to his fellow officer, Luke, inside their car. Callum makes a phone call. When they get out, Luke takes Theo aside to throw some stones at a random old tin garbage can that’s in the scrubby patch next to the house.

I guess it’s so Callum can have a private word with me.

“Listen, Kat, if whoever did this was happy to operate in broad daylight, it might be best if you stay somewhere else for a while. Just until we have a better idea of what happened here? It could be a targeted break-in.”

The last thing I want to do is stay in that house, but it’s not like we have hotel money or a family to run to. “We’ll be fine. I have Keeper.”

Callum lets out a friendly, amused laugh at the thought of our toy poodle being a guard dog.

“You work with Julia, right?” he asks but doesn’t wait for my answer. “I just buzzed her. She has a big house with plenty of room for you and Theo and is happy to have you for as long as you need.”

I rub the sides of my arms. Julia has already done me a favor. Multiple favors. “It’s okay.”

“Well, it’s not okay with me. Or Julia. Or anybody sensible.” He glances around like the place gives him the creeps as much as it does me. “You’re in the middle of nowhere. Until you know why the house was broken into, why not play it safe? For Theo if anything.”

I gaze over at the house thirty yards away. Everything was tipped upside down. Every drawer was pulled out. Our luggage was strewn all over the place. But nothing of value was stolen. Saying that, I have my laptop and cell which are two of the most expensive things we own. But the two items of jewelry and my wedding ring were right in my dresser drawer. Was the person wild and didn’t notice themstuffed in among my underwear? Or were they searching for something else? Were they here because of the owner of the house? Or me?

“Kat?” Callum’s assured voice grabs me out of my spiral. “How about it? It doesn’t seem like you have much to pack, so Luke and I will wait and then escort you back to Echo Valley.”

“Yeah. I suppose I don’t want Theo here. Thank you.”

I fight the stone forming in my throat when I catch sight of Theo coming back toward the front yard with Luke. What kind of mom am I? I take my son away from absolute luxury to a part-time job, a house with poltergeists and thieves, and now another move into a house with some total stranger?

Callum pats my arm reassuringly and offers a firm nod and a tight-lipped smile. “It’s the right move.”

But even doing the right thing can have unpleasant consequences.

Chapter Eight

PRESENT

I adjustChispa’s saddle and the leather creaks under my touch, a comforting, familiar sound that usually helps clear my mind. Though right now, nothing can shake the image of Kat.

I only went in for some of those damn dog treats, but instead, I got blindsided. She appeared in that doorway, and the world tilted. The years between us dissolved like morning mist, and I’m that reckless twenty-one-year-old again, sitting under our tree, dreaming of ourlife together.

But then she spoke. Her voice was softer, almost hesitant, but the edge of defiance was still there.

“Santi.”

Just my name, but it carried the weight of a thousand unspoken words. We didn’t talk as we worked, but years of rumination played out while we moved hay bales, bedding, and took the delivery off the truck together along with her son.

She’s still breathtaking. Still a bit hardened, but not like someone jaded, more like a fighter, fist tightened with determination. The woman had grit then and she has it now. I didn’t fail to notice other things; she still has strong shoulders and curvy hips. They’re curvier, and she’s softer through the middle, and goddamn it, she’s even more beautiful than the day I left her. It annoys the hell out of me that logic can’t erase attraction.

She still has something that gets my body responding, and there’s nothing I can do about it. But I’m not a boy anymore. I’m a grown man and I’ve practiced the skill of restraint with women like it’s a dying art. I’ve chosen them wisely over the years. I’m no saint but I’m not into breaking hearts either.

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