Hearths of Fire (19 page)

Finally Neal’s eyes adjusted to the dark and he didn’t see anything or anyone that stood out. Patrolling the small property, he took his time as he went around the house and grounds. His head was a hell of a lot clearer than it was ten minutes ago. Walking back up the porch steps, he saw that Charlotte was waiting for him with his coffee and it was then that he decided the time alone hadn’t done a damn bit of good. When she handed it over to him, her warm fingers brushed his and he knew it was done on purpose. What the hell did she want from him?

“I’m sorry for what I did to us back then,” Charlotte said, her voice barely above a whisper. Neal wasn’t even sure he’d heard her correctly, because if he had the anger he’d kept at bay would finally be released and they had other pressing issues to deal with. “I handled it poorly and—”

“I’m going to stop you right there,” Neal replied in a hardened tone. “What happened is in the past and that’s where it needs to stay. We don’t need to rehash it. Our misfortunate circumstances don’t erase the fact that we grew up together and that Mandy is like my sister—which is why I’m here. I think it’s best that we stick to that, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t.” Charlotte raised her voice, but it wasn’t loud enough to cover up the sound of a car door. Neal had seen the headlights fifteen seconds prior and had recognized Mandy’s older vehicle. He wasn’t sure why she’d come home early, but it was perfect timing. He wasn’t being dragged into this conversation despite Charlotte’s obvious intention. “We’ve never talked about—”

“You’re right, we haven’t spoken about it…and for damn good reason.” Neal turned away from Charlotte to face the street, where Mandy was making her way up the short manicured walkway. “This is how you wanted it, Char.”

‡

C
harlotte finished sprinkling
some powdered sugar on the French toast and then placed the platter in the middle of the table, where the rest of the settings were arranged. It was eight o’clock in the morning, although Neal had left the house a little before six. She figured he’d be back soon to talk to Mandy and cooking breakfast gave Charlotte something to do while she thought over their behavior last night. He might not want to talk about the past, but she did. His remark about them being teenagers and making it sound as if their youth wasn’t of importance left her feeling somewhat bereft. What they had felt for each other back then was real. It just hadn’t been the right time.

“Morning,” Mandy muttered as she walked into the kitchen wearing a pair of sweats and an old T-shirt that had the insignia of their high school. She snatched a piece of bacon from the table as she made her way to the refrigerator. “Why aren’t you at the store?”

“I’m having Pam open it for me. It’s not like Neal comes home that often,” Charlotte replied, taking a seat at the table and picking up her coffee. Last night Mandy had returned home early because she and Garreth had gotten into a slight argument over how he’d treated Neal. Charlotte knew better than to add fuel to the fire so she sat back and let Neal address that issue. He’d done well, saying that maybe Garreth had felt a little intimidated by a male figure showing up out of nowhere. After that the two of them caught up on things while Charlotte stayed in the background. He’d been careful about saying too much about Garreth and she knew that today was going to be hell in that regard. Mandy wasn’t quite ready to hear anything bad about the boy. Neal had wanted to do a little more investigating before broaching the subject of what Becky had shared with them last night. “I’ll head in after breakfast.”

“Where’s Neal?” Mandy poured herself some orange juice and after putting the container back into the fridge, she grabbed her glass and joined Charlotte at the table. Mandy raised an eyebrow at the food on the table and then pulled her ponytail a little tighter. “Breakfast? Either you’re trying to impress Neal or you’re upset about something.”

Charlotte wasn’t going to reply to that assumption, especially when both suppositions were right. She took a sip of her coffee and thought about the day ahead. Maybe she should have Pam work until closing.

“Neal said he had some things to take care of and as for breakfast, I thought it would be nice. It’s not often we get houseguests.”

“Charlotte, bringing Neal here to fight your battles is wrong,” Mandy said, setting her juice on the table with a little more force than necessary. She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. “I mean, it’s not that I don’t like seeing him. I do. I miss him. Let’s face it—you didn’t even speak with Neal when he came home last time. But there’s nothing he can say or do that will change my mind about Garreth. He acted stupid last night, but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad person. Even Neal said so.”

Charlotte bit her tongue, knowing Neal hadn’t said anything of the kind. It always amazed her that people could take things in such different ways. She needed to be patient and wait to see what Neal found out today. She did wonder why he’d left the house so early and she hoped like hell it wasn’t because he didn’t want to be alone with her. Couldn’t he see that there were things they needed to talk about? She’d needed to apologize to him and last night had been the perfect opportunity. Being near him brought back all those buried emotions and though it might be wrong, she wasn’t so sure she wanted to keep them buried.

“Charlotte?” Mandy’s voice finally penetrated and Charlotte had to wonder how long she’d been calling her name. Her sister huffed in annoyance and then snatched up her orange juice before sliding back her chair. “I’m not hungry right now. I’m going to take a shower.”

Just like that, Mandy left the room. Charlotte sat there a while longer and stared at the food that probably wasn’t going to be eaten. She wasn’t in the mood for breakfast either. Sighing in resignation, she placed her mug on the table and wondered again how things had gotten so out of hand. One minute her sister was concentrating on her studies and talking about nursing school. The next minute her life revolved around Garreth Ashe and proving to everyone that he wasn’t as bad as everyone thought. It also included pushing away Charlotte as if she was nothing more than a stand-in parent who was acting way too overprotective.

“I know I locked the front door when I left.” Charlotte jumped at the sound of Neal’s voice that was heavy with censure, not having heard him enter the house. When she glanced up he was standing in the doorway of the kitchen looking as if he was waiting for an answer. “Want to tell me why it was unlocked?”

“You didn’t have a key, so this morning when I got the paper I left it unlocked,” Charlotte replied, not moving from where she sat. He could join her at the table and maybe she could finally say what she wanted to. “I was here, so it wasn’t like someone was going to come in and rob the place. This is Hearth, remember?”

“You now live where a cult is residing, so I think that changes things. As for a key, I took the spare that your parents always kept in the side table.” Neal closed the distance and joined Charlotte at the table, causing her to realize that his demeanor was more serious than last night. She wasn’t sure how that was even possible, but his features seemed to be set in stone. “I spoke with Sheriff Plinkton. You were right about the livestock going missing. Unfortunately they can’t tie the stolen animals to Ashes to Dirt.”

Charlotte felt an uneasy feeling settle around them, pushing aside what she’d wanted to discuss. Mandy’s safety came first and it was sounding like what Neal had discovered wasn’t in favor of that. She needed to do something with her hands, so she rose from the table and went about pouring him a cup of coffee.

“Does he think they are sacrificing them?” Charlotte asked, not really wanting to know the answer. The thought of what might have happened to those animals made her sick. “Has he sent anyone out to their property?”

“Yes, but unless they have probable cause he or his deputies can’t get a warrant from the county judge to search the property.” Neal gave Charlotte a half smile when she handed him the cup. At least he didn’t seem as uncomfortable with her as he did last night. She backed up a few steps to lean against the counter, thinking over their options. “Which is why I’m heading over there now. I also shared with the sheriff what Becky overheard yesterday and he’s going to pay a visit on her today.”

“I’m coming with you,” Charlotte stated, feeling better about the situation now that she was helping. She turned and reached for her cell, which had been on the counter. She’d never formally met Garreth’s parents, although she’d seen them once or twice around town. She ignored the trembling in her fingers at what their first encounter might entail. “I’ll call Pam at the shop and make sure she—”

“Char, you’re not going with me.”

“Yes, I am.” Charlotte whipped around to find that Neal was standing directly in front of her. His intensity caused her voice to catch, but if he thought for one second that he was going out to that property without her he was sorely mistaken. “This is my sister, Neal. She’s been dating this boy for almost two months and I’ve never met his parents. What happens when you leave? I’m left here to deal with them by myself and I think it’s best I meet them with you by my side.”

Charlotte cringed at how her last sentence must have sounded to him. It wasn’t like they were married and while she had every intention of addressing what had happened back then, it didn’t change the fact that he would leave come tomorrow. What clearing the air would do was give her the closure she hadn’t even realized she’d been missing. First they needed to get through this day and she did her best to stare him down. It wasn’t easy when his green eyes practically penetrated her soul.

“Fine. We’ll go together, but I do the talking,” Neal warned, turning and taking those couple of steps back toward his seat. “The drive out there will also give us time to figure out dinner this evening. There are some things I’d like to cover with you before I start asking Garreth some questions. Is Mandy around?”

“She went to take a shower,” Charlotte answered, watching Neal as he sat and dug into the breakfast she’d made. At least someone would enjoy it. She rejoined him at the table, reminding herself she still needed to call Pam. “So what exactly is our goal tonight?”

“Look, I didn’t come here to break them up,” Neal warned, picking up the bottle of syrup. The table had been in her family for a very long time and she couldn’t help but notice that he’d chosen the same seat that he’d always sat in when he’d join her family for dinner. It was disconcerting in a way, but also very calming. “I came to ensure that Mandy stays on the straight and narrow. I have no intention of causing her heartbreak. With that said, if I get confirmation that this cult is participating in illegal activities, I trust that Mandy is smart enough to see that Garreth is a part of that and she should rethink her feelings about him.”

Charlotte felt comfortable with his strategy and that eased a little tension from her body. While Neal ate his breakfast she called Pam and ensured that store hours would be covered. Her friend had always been there when she was needed and now was no exception. With the festival going on, Charlotte also called in two of the high school students who worked part-time on the weekends. This wasn’t the most opportune time to take some personal leave but it couldn’t be helped. Thankfully Pam wanted the extra hours. She also understood Charlotte’s position and she knew the store was in good hands.

“Did you eat?” Neal asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin and sitting back in his chair. He picked up his coffee and took a sip, all the while looking over the rim at her. “With all the running around we have to do today I’m not sure we’ll have time to grab lunch before we get back in time for dinner tonight.”

“I’m not hungry,” Charlotte said, standing as she started to clear off the table. “I’ve got a frozen lasagna I made in the freezer I can thaw out. It’s simple and easy enough with a salad and bread. We—”

“Sit down and eat.” Neal scooted the chair back as he stood, pointing toward an empty plate. Charlotte couldn’t tell what he was thinking as he picked up the one he’d used and walked it over to the sink. “I know it’s late in the season, but I’ll grill out on the back deck. It’ll give me some time alone with Garreth.”

“That sounds like a good idea.” Charlotte carried more items to the counter but didn’t quite make it before Neal stepped in front of her and took them out of her hands. “Neal, let me clean up and then we’ll be on our way.”

“We’re not leaving here until you eat some breakfast.” Damn, but Neal could be stubborn. It appeared he hadn’t changed on that front. Before Charlotte could stand her ground and argue with him, she heard movement coming from the living room. Mandy was dressed in jeans and a black turtleneck sweater with her hair pulled back in another ponytail. Her appearance reminded Charlotte of when they were younger and it still amazed her that so much time had passed since those days when she used to do her sister’s hair. “Mandy, you’re just in time to join Charlotte for breakfast. I just ate and now I have some phone calls to make.”

“Garreth said that he’d be by the house around five o’clock for dinner.” Mandy really didn’t make eye contact with Charlotte, but the two women sat at the table. “He’s got to run the booth that Ashes to Dirt is using to promote their church, so we’d like to hit the festival early.”