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Laura’s brow furrowed. “Like what?”
“Like the fact that there have been people asking questions around town about you two.”
“Since when?”
“Since before you even came to the hospital together. Separate people apparently, asking separate questions. And now whoever has been asking has some new information.”
“But who’s doing the asking?”
“That I don’t know,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m still new in town too, so no one says anything directly to me, but I’ve heard several nurses mention that they’d heard of you before you ever came in.”
“Me, I guess I can understand. I’ve been living here for months, but that doesn’t make sense for Laura. She just got here.”
Tori shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I just wanted to pass the information along.”
Laura couldn’t move. Her mind whirled, trying to process it. People in town asking questions about her? It couldn’t be. The rules were clear. Except for some reason, they weren’t following them.
“Laura!”
She jerked and realized both Rafe and Tori were staring at her. “What?”
“I asked if you were alright. You’re really pale.”
“I’m fine,” she said automatically.
“Bullshit,” Rafe spit out.
“Sunny!”
“What? She’s obviously not fine. Do you know who would be looking for you? Are you in trouble? Are you running from someone?”
Was she?
“I, uh… I need to talk to Harper.”
She turned on her heel and was out the door in a flash. She heard Sunny and Tori calling after her, but she didn’t stop. The UTV was next to the barn, so she jumped in it, apologizing in her head to Eli if he’d planned to use it that afternoon. She took the path to their cabin as fast as she could and breathed a sigh of relief when she found Quinn and Harper on the porch.
Harper looked up, a smile on her face that fell when she saw Laura’s.
“What’s wrong?”
“Dr. Durst just told me someone has been asking for me around town.”
“Who is Dr. Durst?”
Laura let out a frustrated huff and gave her the cliff notes version of the story of the night in the hospital with Rafe. Harper gaped at her, then shook her head.
“It can’t be them, Laura. We followed the rules. They’ve never brought anyone back who left.”
That was true, but few people ever tried to leave. Let alone the lead pastor’s stepdaughter. “What if it’s about my mom or my siblings?”
Harper’s face hardened. “Then it’s too bad. They shunned us, remember? It’s not the other way around. We’re forbidden from contacting them and vice versa. We don’t exist to them.”
Laura let out a slow exhale. Of course, Harper was right, but still. Who could be looking for her? She had no friends or other family besides Harper.
She sat down on the step below Harper and the babbling little girl.
“Sorry, I guess I just got scared.”
