Page 17 of Sean

Sean had managed to avoid any alone time with Julia throughout the evening. Not long after dinner, she’d taken Amos and Lucy to their room to get them settled for the night. Even after they’d fallen asleep, she hadn’t come back down to join the family. Not that he’d spent much time in the living room himself. He’d walked the property, looking for weak spots in their defenses. Since much of it was open pasture, someone could come onto the farm from multiple angles. The fences that kept horses in wouldn’t keep an assailant out. It was a worry that still occupied his mind as he headed for the kitchen the following morning.

It was early and the house was quiet. With any luck, he’d avoid his family. It was…uncomfortable being here after years away. Some moments were okay; others were fraught with all the things left unsaid. He’d prefer to leave it that way. He saw no point in dragging up the past. Consequently, he almost turned around when he saw his mother hovering near the coffeepot.

“Good morning,” she said when she caught sight of him. “Join me for a cup.” It wasn’t so much a question as a demand. She made a gesture toward the counter, so he took a seat on a stool and waited. He’d taken one sip from the mug she put in front of him when the questions started. “Why did you lie to us about Julia and the kids?”

“I didn’t lie,” he declared. He hadn’t revealed all the details, but that was because it was better if no one knew too much.

“You might want to rethink that statement, young man.” Kelly’s words made him feel thirteen again. “Don’t misunderstand me. I’m glad you’re here. It was time. Past time that you came back to your family.”

That wasn’t what he was doing on the ranch. It was simply the safest place he knew of for Julia and the kids to take shelter. He hadn’t come because he wanted to talk about JP or deal with his family’s collective grief.

“And,” Kelly continued, “we’ll get to that, but I want more information first. The man they’re running from is the kids’ father, not just some boyfriend that Julia was living with. Julia’s taken them from their daddy, Sean, so there must be more to the story.” She paused, waiting for him to respond, but he remained silent until she heaved out a sigh. “They’re here on my family’s land. I deserve some details.”

He couldn’t argue with that logic, but he was also unwilling to say too much. He went for the simplest version of the truth. “All that matters is that Julia is the only true parent they have. She’s their aunt and she loves them, but she needs a safe place to hide them from a dangerous man.” He couldn’t say it more plainly than that. “He’s their father, yes. But that doesn’t mean they’re safe with him. If you don’t want them here, we’ll leave.”

“The last thing I want is for you to walk away from your family again,” his mother said. “Stay, protect them, do what you have to do, but remember that you can trust us. You can share information that might help them.” He saw her argument, but the more his family knew the greater the risk for them, so he remained silent. “You’re as stubborn as your father, you know.” Kelly’s lips pursed in her “disappointed mom” expression.

He remembered that from when he was a kid. Back then, he would have given in and told her what she wanted to know. Since he was no longer a kid, he took his coffee and went out the door to sit on the porch and watch the sunrise. He was surprised that his mom didn’t follow him, but he was grateful for the time alone. Having people around constantly was an adjustment after four years of solitude. He was knee-deep in emotions, and he needed to get clear of them.

Sean managed to avoid anything but a cursory conversation until later in the day. He’d gone to the barns and shoveled out stalls and moved hay bales down from the loft. He’d enjoyed the physical labor. It helped to clear his head. He stayed aware of Julia and the kids’ location. They spent some time in the barns before returning to the house.

Eventually, he went to his room to check email and put some time in at his actual job. He had a list of questions to respond to from the director about scenes being shot later that week. He was halfway through the list when he heard a knock on his door.

“Come in,” he called. Julia slipped in, her face stricken. She clutched her laptop in her shaking hands. “What is it?” He was instantly on his feet. “The kids?”

“They’re fine.” She put her computer on his desk. “It’s just…I got another message from Wilson.”

It had been threats from her brother-in-law that had driven her to seek Sean’s help in the first place. Sean didn’t like that she’d dealt so long on her own. He hoped she knew that she didn’t have to handle everything by herself now. “What did he say?”

“More of the same.” She clicked play, and a man’s voice came on.

“Bitch, I’m going to find you and get my kids back. When I do, I’m going to make ’em watch while I cut—”

Sean clicked the pause button. She didn’t need to hear the actual threat again, whatever it was. He could imagine what a man like Wilson would say. He was supposed to be a sophisticated museum director, but all men behaved the same when they were cornered and desperate. They became vicious and lashed out. The fact that Wilson directed that at Julia made Sean’s blood boil.

“He said he’d…” Her voice was trembling, but she was keeping it together. “He can’t take the kids. If he does, God knows what he’ll do to them.”

Typical of Julia, she wasn’t worried about herself. But he agreed with her that it was worrying that Wilson was so focused on getting the kids. Was it just an ego thing, not wanting to lose face? Or was there something more at stake? It would help if they understood why Wilson wanted his son and daughter so much when he’d ignored them for weeks. Whatever the reason, Julia, Lucy, and Amos had Sean’s protection until Wilson was caught. He could give her that, which meant he had to look at this tactically.

“When did the message come in?” Sean asked.

“Today.” She gave him a quizzical look. “Why?”

“Because it proves Wilson doesn’t know where you are. That’s good.”

“Oh.” She stood a little straighter. “Right. I hadn’t thought of it that way.” Her brow crinkled again, though. “His threats are getting worse, and I’m sure he’s got people searching for us.”

“You’re safe here.” He dropped his hands onto her shoulders even while he told himself that he shouldn’t get that close to her, not after that kiss. Comforting her had led to that moment in the barn. He couldn’t let it happen again.

“I want to believe that, but there are more people here than I expected. Yesterday, I saw several come and go.”

“Horse owners and ranch hands.” That was normal to him. The horse ranch had always been a busy place.

“Do you know them all?” she asked.

“Not anymore—not personally.” He’d recognized some faces, but not everyone. “But I guarantee you my mom and sister know everyone who boards a horse at Birch River. They’d spot a stranger in no time.”

“But what if Wilson gets to one of the boarders? He’s not above paying someone to do his dirty work. Or he would pay someone to pretend they’re interested in boarding a horse, just to give them an excuse to get on the property. Your family is probably careful, but…”

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