A car door slammed, and Isaac’s and Levi’s voices rang out from the front yard. Blake rose. “I’ll let them know we’re back here.” He bounded down the steps to the yard and waved to attract their attention.
Abby waved back and came toward them with his brothers. Her auburn hair was up in a ponytail, and her brown eyes were narrowed with concern.
The boys threw themselves at Blake’s legs in a boisterous hug before they spotted Simon at the water’s edge. “Can we fish too?” Levi asked.
“Sure,” Hez said. “Simon has extra fishing poles there for you. Stay with Simon and don’t go on the pier. The water is just right for fishing from the shore.”
“We aren’t babies,” Isaac scoffed. “Mommy says we swim like fishes.”
“That’s true, but we don’t want you in the water today,” Blake said. “It’s a fishing spot, not a swimming spot.”
Isaac spotted Paradise, and his eyes widened. “You’ve got some scratches, Paradise.” He came up the steps to her side and examined her face. “Does it hurt?”
“Not so much.” She embraced him and pressed her lips against his soft cheek. “I missed you and your brother.” She pulled him onto her lap and inhaled his little boy scent.
Levi ran up to hug her, too, then jabbed his brother. “Let’s go fishing.”
“Go ahead.” Seeing them had assured Paradise that they weren’t traumatized by what had happened to her. Jenna had probably downplayed it so they weren’t frightened.
Blake walked toward them. “I’ll help you bait your hooks.”
Paradise watched his little brothers run ahead of Blake’s tall, stalwart figure and marveled at his patience with them. They loved him so much, and so did she. She might have wanted to be consulted before he’d called Drew, but Blake was all heart and a fierce protector of those he loved. She was a blessed woman.
Abby reached her and studied her face. “Your poor face. Does it hurt?”
“My head aches.” Paradise gestured to the chair beside her, and Abby settled in it.
Abby had been through so much too. Her father, Roger Dillard, had died in the swamp while in the process of trying to cover up his part in a plot to force Blake and Jenna to sell The Sanctuary to investors who wanted the rare-earth elements under it. Together they’d all figured it out and stopped the plan, but Abby’s eyes still radiated hurt.
The boys reached Simon, who welcomed them with fishing poles. The three children knelt around the bait pail, and Blake put worms on his brothers’ hooks. If her head didn’t hurt so badly, she would have gone down to join in on the excitement.
She dug out the meds the doctor had given her. “I’m going to get some water,” she told Hez and Abby.
Hez started to rise. “There are cold bottles in the fridge. I’ll get you one.”
She put her hand on his arm and shook her head. “I’ll get it. I’d like to get out of the sun for a few minutes.” She went inside and found the kitchen. It had been recently renovated and gleamed with stainless steel and clean white counters contrasting the gray cabinets. She instantly loved it.
After plucking a bottle of water from the fridge, she walked into the dim coolness of the living room and settled on the sofa while she waited for the med to calm the pounding in her head. The clock on the mantel ticked, and the distant sound of tires on the road outside filtered into the room.
Someone didn’t want Drew here, yet yesterday’s action was bringing him to town sooner rather than later. Was it because Drew was a police detective and the perp feared he’d have more luck finding the killer than Paradise by herself? They already suspected the murders of her parents were somehow connected with the death of Drew’s father. If Drew discovered who his father was, would that lead to the killer?
There was enough worm goo on Blake’s jeans to choke a swamp gator and make it spit up its lunch. But his little brothers were all smiles, which made the mess worth it. They’d each caught two fish, and he promised to clean them and fry them up for dinner. They moved from the bay to Simon’s tree house in a tupelo tree on the east side of the property. The cool shadows held the scent of old leaves and moss.
Isaac clambered up the makeshift ladder without a qualm, but Levi eyed the slabs of wood dubiously. Blake touched the boy’s shoulder. “I’ll be right here to catch you if you slip. You can do it.”
Levi placed his right foot on the first rung. “Stay right there.”
“I will.” Blake didn’t help his brother because he wanted him to gain confidence by doing it himself. And sure enough, the seven-year-old managed to reach the platform with Simon and Isaac on his own.
Smiling, Blake started toward the house. A rustle of dead leaves and the crack of a footfall on twigs caught his attention. He could see Hez still on the deck, but there was no sign of Paradise. “Paradise?” he called.
A flurry of movement and the sound of someone running through the woods followed. Blake took off in pursuit. Paradise wouldn’t have run. He caught a glimpse of a green shirt that nearly faded into the canopy of leaves. Blake spotted a blue ball cap on the man’s head before the guy reached a rusty brown pickup parked along the ditch by the neighbor’s house. A billow of black smoke belched from the truck muffler before it rattled out of sight around the curve in the road.
Panting, Blake stopped to catch his breath. Who had been watching them? Had Paradise’s attacker already found her? He retraced his steps and reached the driveway in time to see a muscular man slide out of a blue truck. Drew had arrived, and his biceps indicated he’d intensified his workouts.
Drew spotted him and waited for Blake to reach him. Blake shook his hand. “You made good time.”
Drew gestured to the removable light on his truck. “I decided the attack warranted the siren. Where’s Paradise?”
