Page 10 of Bridge to Safety

Shiloh and his daughter were chattering away in the house, but he couldn’t make out what they talked about. It provided a nice backdrop to his thoughts. How could he keep Shiloh safe? He couldn’t be with her twenty-four-seven.

If Duke watched the house long enough, he’d pick out a pattern of when law enforcement drove by. From what Rowan had gathered from asking a few subtle questions around town earlier that day, a lot of people still thought a lot of Duke, but Rowan couldn’t figure out why. To him, Duke Larson was a puffed-up rooster strutting his stuff when he had little to strut about. Except, the man did seem to be monopolizing the renovation market. Rowan would have to find someone else to do Shiloh’s projects when he couldn’t because of his work schedule. By the time he finished the stairs, the aroma of pizza drifted through the open door. He set aside the tools and entered the house, sniffing in appreciation. His stomach rumbled, reminding him of the time.

“I warmed it up,” Shiloh said, handing him a paper plate. “I’m not a fan of cold pizza. There’s soda in the fridge.”

Rachel, mouth full of her supper, nodded. “I got a Coke.”

“Great.” He ruffled her hair. “You’ll be up all night.”

“No, I won’t.” She took a big swig from the can. “Bedtime is at eight-thirty. Alice never lets me have soda, even when there’s no school the next day.”

“Our babysitter,” he replied at Shiloh’s curious look. “Rachel is eight, in the third grade, and thinks she’s thirteen.”

“I see that.” Shiloh’s eyes sparkled. “Aren’t you going to say anything about the wall behind you? Rachel painted it.”

He turned and widened his eyes. Yellow streaked the wall next to the fridge, most of the dingy white showing through. It would definitely need another two coats. “Looks great.” His gaze met Shiloh’s amused one. At least she had a sense of humor. He’d have cringed and taken the brush away from his daughter.

“I’ll redo it,” he mouthed.

Shiloh shook her head. “I’m going to have her painting the wall behind the sofa after we eat. A lovely robin’s-egg blue.”

At least she hadn’t picked dark colors. The lighter ones would be easy to paint over. “Do you want me in there or the kitchen?”

“Wherever you prefer. It all will get done eventually. Or, the two of you can head home. I hate that you’re spending your Saturday afternoon doing my work.”

“It’s fun.” Rachel punched the air. “I want to come back tomorrow.”

“We’ll see.” Rowan grinned. “I’ve some chores to do myself at home, and you need to clean your room.”

“But this is more fun.”

“Seriously. Painting is relaxing to me.” Shiloh tossed her empty plate in the trash. “I appreciate your help, but I can do this. Well, the painting and cleaning.”

“I’ll find you a contractor by the end of the day on Monday.” He helped her clean up, then grabbed the can of blue paint and a roller. “Let’s get this front room done.”

By the time he’d finished and repainted the small section his daughter had done, Rachel was curled up on the sofa fast asleep.

Shiloh handed him a cup of coffee. “Thank you.”

“Let’s take this out and sit on your new steps. I didn’t see any stain to treat them with.”

“Forgot to buy some. I’ll head into town early next week.” She sat on the top step. “Rachel told me your wife got sick and died when Rachel was little.”

He sat beside her. “Cancer, three years ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It was rough, but we moved here to make a fresh start.” He cut a sideways glance at Shiloh’s profile. She was the only woman to catch his interest since Rose. The first woman in three years, and she was in trouble. While he didn’t mind helping her around the house, it couldn’t become a permanent thing. He wouldn’t put his daughter in danger, and a man like Duke could be very dangerous, indeed.

They sat in companionable silence as the sun lowered over the mountain, kissing the trees with crimson and gold.

With a sigh, he pushed to his feet. “I’d better put my daughter to bed.”

Shiloh’s eyes sparkled in the moonlight. “Thank you, again.”

“Anytime.” He flashed her a grin and went inside to retrieve his daughter.

As he drove home, he passed Duke locking up the garage. The man glared his way. When Rowan glanced in the rearview mirror, he was still staring after them.

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