AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I wasn’t sure how long I stayed like that, silently speaking to Trisha. When my legs were almost numb from the kneeling position, I rose to my feet and wiped away a few tears.
The phone in my pocket kept vibrating, but I ignored it. Business could wait. My Sunday morning visits to Trisha were more important. And since today was also the five-year anniversary of her death, I felt like I ought to stay for a while longer.
So, I did. I stood in front of her grave with my head bowed, wishing I could turn back the clock five years and a day.
Eventually, a cloud cover rolled in, and the breeze picked up. As a soft rain began to fall, I finally headed to my truck.
Time to go home.
Time to face another night alone.
* * *
The next day
I parkedin front of the large brick building on Main Street, then grabbed my tool bag and other supplies from the back of the truck. Nothing gave me purpose like fixing up the rental properties I owned in Rocky Springs. Having grown up in poverty, I knew what it was like to have shitty landlords. Now that I was a landlord myself, I was determined to be a good one.
Standing on the sidewalk in front of the house, I glanced around to make sure the exterior was perfect. Just last week, I’d replaced a few bricks and painted the shutters. After a recent remodel, the inside was nearly complete and ready for the next tenant, I just needed to add the final trim to the kitchen cabinets. I’d already informed my rental agent, Sarah, that she could start showing the house, though to my knowledge, no one had shown any interest yet.
I unlocked the door and strode inside, heading straight for the stairs. Like many of the buildings I owned in town, this one contained space for a store (most likely, another gift shop that would cater to tourists) and a spacious apartment on the second floor.
Ever since I’d started buying up and remodeling houses and buildings on Main Street years ago, business in Rocky Springs had exploded. This was great for the town and for me personally, as it meant more wealthy tourists came for the “ranch experience” at Rocky Springs Ranch and Resort.
When I was a kid growing up in this town, we never had tourists. Not unless they had no choice but to stop here for gas. Rocky Springs used to be a rundown town nobody cared to visit. I was proud to have done my part to help turn it around. Proud to call this beautiful town home. I loved the people here. In Rocky Springs, everyone looked out for their neighbor.
I froze once I reached the upstairs apartment. Hm. There were boxes strewn about the floor. Looked like someone was in the process of moving in. But how could that be?
Shit. I hadn’t answered my phone yesterday, nor had I finished checking all my messages. It was possible I had a message waiting from Sarah about a new tenant.
“Hello?” I called out, feeling like an intruder. “Anybody home?”
I stared at the closed bedroom door. Had I shut it last time I was here? I couldn’t remember.
“Hello?” I called out again. “Hellooooo?”
CHAPTER3
GEMMA
I awoke with a start,then relaxed once I realized where I was. Rocky Springs. In my new house. A rental, but it still felt like mine.
As I yawned widely, I stretched under the covers. I reached for my favorite stuffie, Mr. Rabbit, and hugged him tightly to my chest. Satisfaction filled me as I gazed around my room.
I’d worked late into the night unpacking and getting it set up just the way I wanted. I’d hung fairy lights and put up my favorite wall art, mostly abstract paintings of baby animals I’d created myself. The bed was filled with fancy pink, lace-trimmed pillows, and matching sheets with a warm comforter. About a dozen stuffies were piled into the corner of the bed against the wall, but I had a few more boxes of them I needed to unpack.
Stacks of books were scattered throughout my bedroom and there were two large piles on the nightstand too. I hoped that sometime this week, perhaps even today, I could purchase some bookshelves. I would have to wait until the movers arrived with the rest of my belongings, however, since they were due to show up around noon today. Yesterday, a truck had brought my personal belongings, but today my paintings and other supplies for my art studio would arrive.
I couldn’t wait to set up shop, and I began compiling a mental list of all the tasks that awaited me.
“Hello? Anybody home?”
I clutched the covers and gasped at the sound of a deep, masculine voice that had come from the other side of my bedroom door. A robber? A serial killer? A murderous clown? My imagination ran wild.
“Hello? Helloooo?”
There it was again. The voice sounded friendly enough, but it still made me uneasy that someone had just walked into my new home. My stomach flipped when I remembered that I had absolutely locked the front door last night. Back door, too, and I’d even checked the downstairs windows.
Well. Whoever it was had broken in.
