Page 33 of Sheltered By Love

I blink rapidly as my brain whirls. “Zane went AWOL?”

Her expression turns grim. “He had to. His brothers needed him. Family trumps everything with the Reid boys.”

No wonder they’re so protective of that damn house and of each other.

The house is what connects them all. And I was foolish enough to choose to live in it.

“I had no idea,” I mumble.

She purses her thin lips. “We never know what people are dealing with, though do we?”

I toy with the question before asking. “It must have been terrible having to rent out his house after losing his parents. Why not hire a property manager? Or sell it?”

She waves her hand in the air. “That’s city thinking, girl. Their house is a piece of this town’s history. The Reid boys weren’t going to hand it over to just anyone.”

I chew on my lip as I put the information she’s given me all together. “But why Zane? Wasn’t he in trouble?”

“He was. But he made it his mission to settle everything before he went before the military tribunal. Finding a good tenant was his sole responsibility.”

“What happened with the tribunal?”

“They took pity on him I expect. He was three months out from the end of his tour, so he escaped with a general discharge.”

I blow out a breath. “Wow. Why didn’t you tell me any of this before now?”

Viola chuckles and reaches over to place an arthritic hand on mine. “If I had done, you’d have been on the first bus out of here,” she says.

Zane

It’s almost dark when she finally gets home. And from where I am positioned in the living room I see her cross the street, laden with bags I can’t help her unload.

After spending all morning and half the afternoon installing cameras and cleaning the gutters to make it look good, I’m tired and hungry, and the last thing I want is to spend the night here.

When I hear the key in the lock, I get to my feet and the second she’s inside, I take an armload of groceries and follow her down the hallway, talking as I go.

“Just so we don’t have any misunderstandings keep your curtains drawn on the east side of the house, okay?”

Her shoulders stiffen a little, but she stays silent as she dumps a bag on the table.

“Why didn’t you switch some lights on?”

I frown at her as I place the other bag on the countertop. “You aren’t here.”

She rubs her temple as she frowns. “But you left lights on at yours?”

“They’re on a timer switch. So is the TV.”

A faint smile appears and then vanishes. “You really have thought of everything then.”

“That’s why I’m here.”

Her eyes shift to the pen she’s got her pet in, and she crouches down to pick him up. “Has he been behaving himself?”

“He’s fine. He’s been in his pen.”

A smile plays on her lips. “I was talking to Roger,” she says.

I fold my arms across my chest and lean against the counter as she gives him a scratch between the ears.

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