Page 784 of Love Bites

Dinner time came, and the dining room filled with guests and employees. Eagan stayed busy, prepping dishes while the waiters served them. But his mind remained where it had been all day. On the thief and the book. The way his heart had hammered when he touched her. The way her muddied face looked as she’d stared up at him, knowing she was caught. She was a mouse to his cat. Or so he’d thought. Until she outsmarted him.

And the book.

Was it a wish list? Things she was looking to steal? Maybe she was contracted to steal the items and made money when she delivered. Except that didn’t sit well with him. She wasn’t stealing high-priced items from the lodge. The things they were missing were small time. Camping supplies, food, clothing…

Survivalsupplies he realized.

Eagan’s grip tightened on the rag he was using to wipe down the counter.

Survival. Was that why his thief was stealing?

He pulled the notebook from his back pocket and flipped through the pages.

One quart, whole milk

One loaf bread, whole wheat

Processed cheese singles, 24 ct.

He skipped a few pages.

AA batteries

Lighter fluid

Weather radio

Pocket knife, five inch

Lavender soap, one bar

His heart raced. His mouth hung agape as he turned page after page, finding similar items. He skipped back to the beginning to note the dates. The earliest one was nearly six years ago.

Six years.

Eagan swallowed the lump in his throat. Finger leading his eyes, he combed through each page. Fishing rods, tackle, a variety of tools, a hairbrush, toilet paper. The next page had only one item listed.

Box full of scrap paper/cardboard

The words had been scratched out and replaced with,

Box full of love letters

Irreplaceable

Put off burning them as long as I could. Almost too long. I’m so sorry, Rose and Arnold.

Forgive me.

Eagan stood there so long, staring at that page, reading it over and over. When he finally looked up, the kitchen was clean and Bailey was gone.

Irreplaceable.

He thumbed through the book again. These were notes. Records of what she’d taken over the years. There was only one reason she’d keep track. It was because she intended on paying it all back.

His thief… she was homeless. She took the things she needed to survive. And she planned on making amends one day.

Eagan’s chest ached.

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