Page 17 of Tracking Safety

“No way . . .” Wyatt muttered.

“I ran into her this morning. At Hartwell’s. She’s been in town a while, apparently.” He kept his voice level. “She’s staying at Hollow House.”

Wyatt stared at him, not bothering to hide his disbelief. “You’re serious?”

“As serious as a crack in the foundation.”

Caleb swung his head back and forth. “Why? Why would she come back now? After two years?”

“She said it’s complicated.”

Wyatt let out a short breath. “Complicated. She disappears, walks back into Blue Ridge Hollow, and that’s what she gives you.” He shook his head. “Why does everyone use that word like it means something?”

Luke agreed. “I don’t know. But that’s what she said.”

“That takes nerve.” Caleb’s jaw flexed. “I’ll give her that much.”

Luke had thought the same thing.

Wyatt shifted, still looking at him. “Are you going to talk to her again?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“What about the kids?” Caleb asked. “Does she want to see them?”

“She didn’t say.” He paused. “I didn’t give her much chance to say anything.”

“Good.” Wyatt narrowed his eyes before shrugging.

Caleb shot him a look.

“I’m just saying.” Wyatt crossed his arms. “We watched what happened to you after she left. We watched what it did to the kids. You don’t just walk back into that without some answers first.”

“He knows that,” Caleb said.

“I know he knows it. I’m saying it anyway.”

Luke looked across the yard at his children as they played. Jonah had abandoned whatever he’d found in the grass and was now climbing onto the bottom porch rail, his grandmother positioned to catch him. Cora was talking—she was always talking—beside them, her hands moving the way they did when she told her stories. Liam held a chicken, saying something to it as he walked.

His kids. His whole world.

And it was his job to protect them. Sometimes, protecting them required making hard choices—choices he didn’t want to make.

His spine straightened. “She’s not seeing them. Not yet. Not until I know what’s going on.”

Neither brother argued with his statement.

“We’ll help you figure it out,” Caleb said. “Tell us what you need.”

Wyatt nodded once. “That’s what family’s for.”

Gratitude filled Luke. He was so thankful for his family.

And he just might need them now more than ever.

That night, Luke stood at the stove and stirred marinara sauce into some cooked spaghetti noodles.

The meal wasn’t gourmet by any stretch. Then again, he’d never set out to be a cook—that had always been Jenna’s domain. Necessity hadn’t done much to change his skills.