Page 22 of Dairy and Deadly

“You are.” Josh waved away his protest. “And it’s okay. That’s what you really came here to ask, isn’t it?”

“I guess, but?—”

“It’s okay,” Josh said again. “I mean it, bro. I don’t understand why God allows things to happen the way they do sometimes. I truly don’t, but I’ve learned a thing or two about His timing along the way. And this feels like His timing, so quit fighting it.”

“That’s all you’ve got?” Johnny shook his head in confusion.Quit fighting it?He’d just finished admitting that he was attracted to another woman, for pity’s sake!

“Yep.” Josh’s expression was serious. “It’s okay to move on, Johnny.”

Johnny glared at him. “What if I’m not ready?”

Josh spread his hands. “If you weren’t ready, I don’t think we would be having this conversation. You’re just gonna have to take my word for that.”

“Okay.” The heavy feeling in Johnny’s chest eased a little. “I’ll never stop loving Cassandra, though.” His voice grew fierce.

“Nope. You won’t.” Josh shook his head matter-of-factly. “But there’s room in your heart for someone else to draw alongside that big lump of pain you’ve been hanging onto. If things are meant to be between you and Ashley, she’ll help carry your load and you’ll help carry hers. It’ll make both of your loads lighter in the long run. That’s how this works.”

“I want to believe you.” Johnny scrubbed a hand over his jaw, feeling the scruff of an evening shadow forming.

“While you digest that,” Josh’s voice changed, “I have something I need to run past you.” His words grew clipped the way they always did when he was talking business.

Johnny forced himself to focus. It wasn’t easy with the muddle happening inside his head, but he’d long since learned how to compartmentalize that stuff. It was part of the job.

“The police received an anonymous tip about some danger Farmer Monty might be in,” Josh sighed. “Again.”

Wait. What?Johnny suddenly no longer had trouble focusing. “What’s going on?” Though he was still relatively new in town, he’d been in Heart Lake long enough to know that Monty Chester was one of the town’s most beloved citizens. The events he hosted on his farm were a huge hit, especially for families and children.

“According to an anonymous tipster, he may have hired a new events manager with dubious intentions toward him and his business.” Josh’s mouth twisted wryly. “Naturally, the sheriff is relying on our team to follow up on the tip to determine if there’s a reason to be concerned. Unfortunately, a lot of garbage gets called in to these tip lines.”

Johnny cleared his throat, digesting the information. “Caro Madison?” The woman was a self-absorbed flirt. He’d admit that all day long, but she didn’t strike him as dangerous.

Josh’s eyebrows rose. “Are there any other events managers at Chester Farm that I’m not aware of?”

“Nope. Just her.” Johnny shook his head. “I’ve met her multiple times. My initial assessment is that she doesn’t pose a threat to anyone.”

“Based on what?” Josh probed.

Johnny shrugged. “Gut instinct.”

“I believe you.”

“But,” Johnny said dryly.

“You know me well.” Josh’s lips twitched. “Just check out this tip for us, will you? For our firm. For Farmer Monty. For the safety of the entire town.”

“How?” Johnny wanted to make sure he understood the directive before agreeing to anything.

“Oh, come on!” Josh gave a bark of laughter. “There’s no way you don’t know why you’ve been selected for the task, and I’m not referring to the fact that Gage is on vacation. I did reach out to him, though, and he agreed you were the best person for the job during his absence.”

Gage Hefner was Johnny’s immediate supervisor, the guy who ran the PI side of their security business.

Johnny grunted in disgust. “Caro and I have never been an item if that’s the direction you thought the wind was blowing.”

Josh nodded, eyes twinkling merrily. “I believe you. As for the rest of the town…” He spread his hands, looking sly. “I think we both know there’s an entirely different rumor floating around. A rumor I think we could use to our advantage here.”

Johnny couldn’t believe his friend was asking this of him after everything they’d just finished discussing.

Josh’s expression grew resigned. “Are you gonna make me call in a favor?”

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