“Shit. So, he’s going after each of us one at a time, and I’m next on his list,” Aaron guessed.
“Not just you, man, but you and Sunny and the baby. He seems to think that you are the reason he lost his family. His ex said that when he would get high, he would talk about the three men in his company who beat death and took everything away from him. He blamed you three for leaving him on that mountain to die. She alerted the local authorities, but they never did anything with her report, just filed it away. He was listed as a person to ‘watch’, but it never went any further than that. He disappeared, using his new face to his advantage. I’m guessing the other two guys weren’t lucky enough to piece the puzzle together before he found them. He made it look like an accident,” Sawyer said.
Aaron sighed into the phone. “Yeah, he would be good at that. When we are taught how to put out fires, we also learnedhow to start them. We are also taught how to make fire look like an accident since we need to figure out how they are started. Fuck, how did we miss this? Why wouldn’t his making it down the mountain be reported to anyone?”
“I’m thinking that after he was listed as a John Doe, he didn’t fill them in otherwise. His wife said that he was never quite the same, even before he got hooked on the pain pills. I’m guessing that losing his family was the straw that finally led him to snap,” Sawyer said.
“I can’t imagine losing Sunny or Sadie. He probably went crazy when he found out they had moved on and forgotten him. So, what’s the plan?” Aaron suddenly felt a new resolve to find Reid and get this whole thing behind him. His family needed to get back to Harvest Ridge, and he was determined to keep them safe. The only way for both of those things to happen was to catch Travis and put him away where he wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else.
“I’ve contacted the local authorities in Goose Creek. I’m working with them, and they’ve agreed to keep the lines of communication open. You need to talk to Mrs. Hobbs and clue her in as to what’s going on. Justice told her some of it, but she needs to know everything. She said that her grandmother wouldn’t turn you all away over a little danger. She sounds badass—I like her.” Aaron smiled at Sawyer’s assessment of Mrs. Hobbs. She was pretty badass as far as grandmothers went. “Yeah, she is. I’m sure she would love to hear you say that, too. She’s got a good security team here at the ranch. I met with them last night while she and Sunny got to know each other. I will talk to her foreman and the head of her security and fill them in on the whole situation. Let me know if you hear where Reid is. I want to be kept in the loop, too, Sawyer,” Aaron insisted.
“Of course. Let’s plan on daily phone calls at eight in the morning. That way, I can keep you updated and know that youthree are safe.” Aaron grunted his approval, and they ended their call.
He turned to go into the cabin and found Sunny standing in the doorway with the door cracked, listening to his conversation with Sawyer. She looked worried, and he pulled her into his body for a hug.
“We’ll get through this, baby,” he promised, but a part of him worried that he might have just made Sunny a promise that he wouldn’t be able to keep.
Aaron filled Sunny in on his conversation with Sawyer while she fed Sadie. He made them some breakfast, and she worked to unpack their things. It would be easier to take care of the baby if she knew where everything was. In the middle of the night, they had to turn on all the lights in the cabin to search through their bags for the new pack of diapers. She didn’t want to live out of suitcases, but a part of her felt like a traitor for unpacking their stuff like she was planning to stay in Goose Creek.
She called home to talk to Justice and was happy to hear that her bakery was doing great. Justice was easily becoming a part of her family, and she was so thankful for her new friend. Sunny told her all about how Norma Jeane took to Sadie and gushed about what a wonderful woman she was. She could hear Justice’s sadness even though the phone line when she asked about her grandmother. Sunny was determined to find out what was going on with Justice. Just as soon as she could get her shit together, she would help her friend fix hers. She also called Piper to find out that her friend was still dealing with morning sickness at night, and she was grumpier than a bear that wasn’tinvited to the picnic. She promised Pipe to call home every day and assured her that they were all safe and sound at the ranch. Before they got off the phone, Piper started crying, telling Sunny how much she loved her and how she wouldn’t be able to make it through the rest of her pregnancy without her best friend around. Sunny knew that she shouldn’t laugh, but a part of her wanted to. Was that how she sounded the whole time she was pregnant with Sadie? How did her friends put up with her? She knew she was a handful, but geez—how did they not get sick of her?
She ended her call with Piper and found Aaron wearing the baby sling. It was a gift from Lorna—she said she found it at a little shop on her way back from her honeymoon. She said that it was perfect for keeping Sadie close while still being able to have her hands free to do work. Sunny just never expected to see Aaron wearing it, and honestly, she wasn’t sure if the sight made her want to laugh or turn her on. It was pretty hot the way Aaron took care of their daughter. She always thought that seeing men holding babies was a turn-on. But seeing her man take care of their daughter was enough to make her ovaries explode.
“Hey there. Where are you two headed?” Aaron smiled at her, and she was pretty sure that she could read his mind—and it was filthy.
“Well, I thought that I would head over to talk to Norma Jeane and her head of security. I called over to the main house, and she told me to come on over and to bring—and I quote, ‘that precious baby’. So, Sadie and I are going to see Mrs. Hobbs, and I figured that you could stay here and do what you need to do. I also took the liberty of finding your favorite bubble bath, and I put it in the bathroom.” He smiled and winked at her. Sure enough—she was right. He was thinking dirty thoughts about her getting naked and slipping into a bubble bath. She couldn’t help her giggle, especially when he gave her his wolfish grin.
“Mrs. Hobbs also said that Sadie could spend the afternoon with her if you and I would like to catch up on some sleep.” He busied himself with packing Sadie’s diaper bag, but Sunny could tell that he was watching her for approval.
“Um, I just don’t know. We’ve never been away from her. What if she needs me?” Sunny suddenly felt like she was going to burst into tears, and that wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted to spend some alone time with Aaron, but she was afraid to leave her daughter. Aaron crossed the cabin. “Baby, we don’t have to do anything you aren’t ready for. It was just an offer. Mrs. Hobbs didn’t mean anything by it.” He pulled her into his arms, and Sadie squirmed between them in her sling. “I know that she only meant to help. I think that I’m just being overly sensitive. She called it the ‘baby blues’ last night. Maybe a couple of hours alone time would do us all some good. Besides, I’m pretty sure that she will spoil our daughter rotten. She won’t put her down for a second.” Aaron gently kissed her lips.
“As long as you’re sure, honey. If you change your mind, I’ll just run over to the main house and pick her up.” Sunny nodded, and Aaron smiled. She didn’t miss the way that his eyes darkened as he looked her up and down. “I won’t be too long,” he whispered. She bit her lip at the promise in his eyes, and he groaned. “In fact, I’ll hurry.”
“I’ll be here, waiting.” Aaron grabbed Sadie and her things and headed out the door. If she planned things right, she could finish unpacking and take a quick bath. She wanted to be ready for him when he returned. Sunny waited long enough to show Aaron how much she loved him. She gave him the words, and now she would prove to him how much he meant to her.
Aaron spent most of the morning talking to Mrs. Hobbs’s security team to catch them up on what was going on. Mrs. Hobbs was generous and understanding when he explained about the fire and everything that happened all those years ago. He even noticed her tearing up when he talked about all the friends that he lost that day. He told that story more in the past few weeks than he did in the years since it happened. Each time he told it, a little piece of him seemed to heal. He never thought that he would be able to escape his painful past, but here he was with a family to prove it. Mrs. Hobbs pulled him in for a hug after he had spilled his guts.
“I think you are about the bravest young man that I’ve ever known.” She released him and took the baby out of her sling. “So, do I get to spend part of my day with this little angel? Did you talk her mama into sharing her for a few hours?” Aaron smiled at how much Mrs. Hobbs seemed to already love his family.
“Well, it took some convincing, but she’s on board. This will be our first time leaving her, so don’t be surprised if Sunny comes banging on your front door, crying about wanting her baby back. I can’t thank you enough for everything, Mrs. Hobbs.”
“Oh no, now I already told your Sunny that she is to call me Norma Jeane, and I want you to do the same. Family isn’t formal, and we’re family now.” He nodded his thanks and gave her instructions on when Sadie would want her bottle.
“She might give you a little bit of a fight—it’s her first bottle.” He kissed Sadie’s soft little face, and she squirmed. He was starting to feel like he might be the one to run back over to themain house and beat down the door, crying for his kid. It was hard to leave her, and Norma Jeane must have sensed it with the way she started pushing him out the door.
“By the way, I’ve ordered a full-size crib and mattress for your cabin. Your little princess here needs a bed to sleep on while you are here.” She smiled down at Sadie, and Aaron felt bad. He couldn’t put her out like that.
“No, Mrs. Hobbs—” She stopped his words with just one glare; the woman was fierce enough to stop a stampede of cattle running through a town.
“It’s Norma Jeane, and I’ll not take no for an answer. I should have had that option for my guests this whole time. Lots of folks come through with babies, and they need a bed to sleep in, too. Besides, hearing your story only made me feel that I’ve done the right thing in ordering the crib. I can’t tell you how many fires I’ve lived through that could have wiped out our ranch, but didn’t because of brave men like you. It’s the very least that I can do.” Aaron nodded his thanks and turned to leave. He was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to speak past the lump in his throat. Norma Jeane was one of the kindest people that he had ever met; they were lucky to have her helping them. “You go on back to your Sunny and spend some quality time together. You’ll both be better for it, and she will be too.” She looked down at Sadie, who was sleeping in her arms, and smiled.
“And you both come to dinner here tonight. We are having steaks.” Judging by her laugh, Aaron must have looked as excited about steak as he felt.
“Yes, Ma’am.” Aaron shut the front door and hurried down to where Sunny was hopefully waiting for him. Visions of her in the hot bubble bath danced through his head, and he picked up the pace. When he got to their cabin, everything seemed quiet. She finished unpacking all their stuff, and everything was put away. He checked the bathroom, not finding her in the tub. Did she goout and not tell him? He started to worry until he heard what sounded like an angry bear’s growl coming from their bedroom. From the looks of her, Sunny took a bath, slipped into her robe, and got into bed. She probably fell asleep waiting for him to come back, and she looked way too tired for him to wake. Aaron pulled off his clothes and slid into bed, pulling her into his body. Quality time was taking on a whole new meaning after having a baby.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Sunny woke up and stretched, running into a solid wall of sexy man—Aaron. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back into his body.
