Almost immediately, she noticed two people missing.
Seth.
And Arianna.
As though reading her thoughts, Paige glanced toward the empty chair usually occupied by her eldest daughter.
“Ari had a sleepover last night at her friend Joey’s house,” she explained. “You met her parents, Nicole and Hank, at the barbecue. They live about fifteen minutes away. But don’t worry. Tucker followed them home to make sure no one else did. They've got an excellent security system and two very protective mutts.”
It eased her mind knowing Arianna was safe. But the guilt that the extra measures were necessary only grew heavier.
Conversation continued around the table, mostly about cattle, fencing, feed deliveries, and the weather. She listened more than she talked, answering when someone asked her a question but otherwise picking at her breakfast.
Everyone was friendly, and no one seemed to blame her for the shift in normal ranch activities. If anything, they went out of their way to make her feel included. That somehow made her feel worse. She couldn't shake the feeling that the usual comfortable banter around the table had been replaced by something more careful because of her.
The scrape of chairs echoed through the room as the ranch hands carried their plates to the sink before heading outside. Tucker followed after a few final words with Shane, while Mya disappeared into the kitchen to start on the dishes.
When the room finally quieted, Paige focused on cleaning bits of scrambled egg from Ashley's fingers and cheeks with a damp washcloth. Shane thumbed through what appeared to be a stack of invoices, jotting notes in the margins. Wrapping both hands around her coffee mug, Shylo gathered the courage to say what she needed to say.
“I've been thinking...” The words came out softer than she'd intended, drawing Shane's attention. Paige paused in the middle of cleaning Ashley's hands.
Shylo took a slow breath. “Maybe I should leave Hazard Falls. The only reason Troy followed me here is that he thinks I'll get money from Shane and give him half of it. If I leave Kansas, he'll have no reason to stay here threatening all of you.”
Shane didn't answer right away. He studied her, then set down his coffee mug.
“No.” The single word wasn't angry or raised in frustration. It was calm, unwavering, and left no room for argument. “If you decide to leave after he's taken care of, that's your choice. But I'm not letting him run you out of my life when we just found each other.”
Paige dropped the washcloth on her plate. “Shane’s right, Shylo. You belong here. Don’t let Troy chase you out of town.”
Before she could protest, a thunderous pounding shook the front door.
Shylo jumped so hard her coffee sloshed over the rim of the mug, splashing onto her fingers. Thankfully, it had cooled enough not to burn her.
Her pulse lurched into a frantic rhythm before she even heard the voice.
“Shylo!”
Every ounce of color drained from her face. He'd found her.
Panic crashed through her. “That’s him—Troy.”
Shane was already moving. His chair scraped across the floor as he rose, unsnapping the retention strap on the holster at his hip.
“Mya...” His voice stayed calm despite the urgency. “Take Ashley, Paige, and Shylo to your room. Lock the door.”
The housekeeper appeared almost instantly from the kitchen. Wide-eyed, she hurried across the dining room as Paige lifted Ashley from her highchair.
“No, I’m staying,” Paige said, placing the little girl into Mya's arms instead of following. “Get Ashley out of here.”
“Paige—”
“I'm staying. End of story.”
He rolled his eyes as though he'd already lost the argument. “Fine. Get the shotgun and call the police.” His attention returned to Shylo. “Go with Mya.”
She shook her head. “No. He’s here because of me. I’ll talk to him.”
The front door shuddered beneath another violent blow.
