She rolled her eyes, gathered all the papers from the box—important or not—and placed them in a bag, slinging it over her shoulder.
“I’m running into town for primer and mail. Do you want anything?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Can you bring Levi back?”
She laughed, kissed my cheek, and giggled as she walked out the door. The warmth of her kiss lingered. She had a way of doing that.
“Try not to get dramatic while I’m gone.”
“I make no promises.”
When her truck pulled out, the yard fell quiet. I poured another cup of coffee and sat on the porch, watching the road. The wind bent the grass in a slow ripple. I laughed. A vision of the Loch Ness Monster swimming beneath the grassy surface came to mind.
Maybe it was nothing. But Penny’s words from the box kept looping in my head—Some things are worth fighting for.
I tightened my grip on the mug.
The horses shifted, uneasy. Sherlock and Inspector stared past me toward the trees.
That’s when I saw it: a glint, low in the brush. Glass? Metal? A lens catching the sun? My military senses were tingling.
Every muscle I had went still. I narrowed my eyes and set my coffee down on the deck table, keeping my gaze on that patch of shadow, waiting for the next flicker. Nothing. Only the breeze.
Still, the feeling stuck—the sense of being watched from just beyond the fence.
I walked the fence line, checked the outbuildings, and checked the gate. By the time I got back to the house, the sound of Milly’s truck floated up the lane, with Levi’s pickup close behind.
She hopped out with a gallon of primer and a bag from the bakery. Levi climbed out of his truck, already chewing.
“You rang?” he asked.
“Yeah. Thought you could use some unpaid work.”
“Best kind,” he said.
Milly handed me a donut from the bakery bag. “You okay?”
“Fine. Thought I saw a ghost.”
“Black sedan?” Levi guessed.
“No, just a flash of glass in the shadows.”
He nodded knowingly. “I hate flashing ghosts.” His sarcasm was laced with concern.
“No, just keep your eye open.”
“You feel it too?” Levi asked, watching me roll my shoulders. “Just keep it subtle.”
He tipped an imaginary hat. “When am I not subtle?”
“Do you want the list alphabetically or by incident?” Milly said, grinning despite herself.
Levi mock-saluted, laughed, and climbed back into his truck. Dust trailed behind him down the drive.
“Guess I’ll paint,” she said, setting the primer near the barn door. Milly smiled and vanished inside the barn, humming a happy tune. A few minutes later, the sound of music drifted through the open door.
On my rounds, I saw three cows from the far pasture near the creek bend.
