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Forcing a smile, he dragged two spindle-backed seats beside the bed as Beck returned, balancing three full cups.
“Thank you for helping Heavenly and me tonight.” Abel took a long gulp from his glass, fighting shaky hands. “We truly appreciate it.”
“We’re happy to,” Beck assured.
“I wish we could do more.” Seth hoped worry hadn’t bled into his tone. The old man didn’t need more concerns, especially about the safety of the daughter he relied on.
“I know this place isn’t fancy. It’s certainly not as big or homey as our farmhouse in Wisconsin. That’s where Heavenly and I used to live. Before I got sick, we had a cozy kitchen, a big stone fireplace that would heat the whole living room come winter, and our own bedrooms. I miss that for her. She deserves more.” Regret lined Abel’s face. “Broke my heart to sell out when we couldn’t keep up with everything. She loved living on the farm. We had three hundred head of dairy cows that made the best damn cheese in the state. When Heavenly was little, she used to name them all.”
Seth could picture that. Her evasions aside, he’d seen her big heart. “That sounds like a sizable operation.”
“It was. How much has Heavenly told you?”
Not a damn thing. But Seth was determined to get some straight answers. “I’d appreciate it if you filled in the gaps.”
“In other words, nothing.” Abel sighed. “That girl… She’s private, shy, and even more proud. You may have noticed she doesn’t trust easily.”
“We did,” Beck grumbled. “Why is that?”
“Well, my wife left after I got sick, said she hadn’t signed up to spend her life taking care of an invalid. Heavenly was just a teenager, in school and far too young to manage the spread by herself.”
What kind of mother left her young daughter to shoulder such an adult role? “Heavenly must have taken that hard.”
“She felt so abandoned after Lisa walked out. I’m afraid the experience taught her that those who should care most often don’t give two shits. Unfortunately, she’s had to shoulder most of the responsibility since. But Heavenly is a good girl. She’s taken care of me all these years.”
No wonder she handled everything on her own.
He darted a gaze over to Beck, who looked equally stunned by Abel’s story. Heavenly’s father was giving him more information about the girl in a few minutes than he’d managed to learn in months.
“After I sold the farm, I rented a little house in town for us. Eventually, my medical condition forced us to move to Milwaukee, then here. I wish the doctors back home could have diagnosed me properly before we had to move across the country. But the team in Wisconsin said the VA out here had more experience with my condition. Not so sure about that, and I don’t much like LA.”
Beck placed his hand on Abel’s shoulder. “I promise I’ll make some phone calls and set you up with the best neurologist in the city.”
The older man smiled in gratitude. “I can’t thank you enough. If your medical friends can’t cover all the expenses, maybe we can pay some now that Heavenly got that raise at the hospital and started working so many hours. It’s the only way we’ve been able to afford that gawd-awfully expensive medicine my doctor recently prescribed.”
Seth schooled his expression. Heavenly had even fooled her father into thinking that a nursing student volunteering thirty hours a week at the hospital made a salary. He didn’t blame her for not wanting to worry the sick man, but he also couldn’t stop wondering… Other than the tips she earned working part time at that kids’ pizza place, where was the money to pay the rent coming from? And if her cash flow was short, how was she paying now?
As the older man rambled on about the rising cost of pharmaceuticals, the hairs on the back of Seth’s neck stood on end. Only one answer came to mind.
She’d offered her virginity to River because she’d wanted some control over her first time. And when Raine’s brother had refused her sex… Shit, she’d been so rattled before heading across the courtyard because she’d known she would have to fuck her landlord to pay the rent.
Seth darted from his chair and bolted for the door.
Not a moment later, Beck scrambled to his feet, hot on his heels.
“You’re leaving?” Abel sighed. “Well, nice to meet you boys…”
“We’re going to check on Heavenly,” Seth shot over his shoulder.
“Uh-huh,” Abel mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.
Seth lurched out into the dark night. Beck followed. They peered across the shadowy courtyard. Seth tried to remember which apartment belonged to the landlord when a door along the far side slammed against a wall. He heard a cry, then caught sight of Heavenly, her pale hair whipping wildly as she ran toward them, panicked and sobbing—and frantically tugging her shirt over her bare breasts.
