“I know, hon.” Jayce helped her into the car, buckled her seat belt.
“Asked him what it meant. He looked sort of stunned. Then he mumbled something about dreams going up in smoke, and stalked off.”
Jayce squeezed her arm and shut the door.
Rocky’s stomach convulsed as he rounded the car and climbed behind the wheel. “It means ‘fire,’ doesn’t it? ‘Ten-seventy,’” she said. “I heard sirens.”
“Listen, babe, I need you to stay calm. I was with Dev when he got a call from Gerry Rush.”
The captain of the fire department. So it was official. Rocky wrapped her arms around her aching middle. “Oh, God.”
“Someone phoned it in. Anonymous call. Fire trucks are on their way. Police, too. Dev’s en route and he’s calling Luke.”
“Brewster—”
“Is a smart dog. As soon as he smelled smoke, he probably panicked and busted out.”
“H-how?”
“You left the window partially opened for fresh air, remember? The screen.”
But she hadn’t left it open enough for Brewster to squeeze his body through, had she? She imagined his teddy-bear face and the one ear that flopped over, the way he followed her everywhere, the way he liked to snuggle. “I feel sick.”
“Think positive.”
If she hadn’t been holding herself together with locked arms, she would’ve punched him. “My freaking house is burning down, Jayce! Everything I own. Everything I love.”
“It might not be that bad, Rocky.”
But as his car raced faster and closer, she could see the smoke. Ugly black smoke billowing against the blue sky and vibrant mountains. Her eyes burned, and she retched. Her throbbing brain raced. She’d made hot tea for the film crew. Had she left the burner on? Had something sparked due to the rewiring in the house?
She saw it then. The fire trucks. The raging fire.
But no dog.
“Brewster!”
Jayce was still braking to a stop and she already had the seat belt off. She pushed open the door.
“Goddammit, Rocky!”
Hitting the ground in motion, she tripped and fell to her knees. Stood and ran. People shouted. Flames ravaged. Water gushed from hoses, yet the heat seared and pulsed in suffocating waves.
Jayce tackled her just as an explosion rocked the earth and shattered her heart. She wanted to puke. She wanted to die. Her body shook with fury and sobs as Jayce hauled her off of the grass and into his arms.
She clung and wept, her heart in tatters as she imagined Brewster. She could see his face. She could hear his bark.
“Dash.”
The noise was deafening. Crackling, burning. Firemen shouting.
Barking.
She felt something warm and wet on her cheeks. A tongue. A big sloppy tongue and bacon doggy-treat breath. She opened her eyes.
“Brewster.”
Her voice cracked from abuse and emotion. Rocky wrapped her arms around her furry friend and hugged him with all her might. She felt Jayce stroking her back, felt someone else squeeze her shoulder. She looked up just as her big brother stooped down.
“Jayce told me Brewster was here,” Dev said in a low voice. “I informed Gerry, and his crew called for Brewster as soon as they arrived. He ran out of the woods just before you got here, Rocky. He’s unharmed, but it’s not safe here. Let me put him in my car and let Jayce move you further from the house.”
What house?
she wanted to ask, but the words wouldn’t come. Her throat was thick with misery, relief, and acrid smoke. She gave Brewster another hug, then let her brother lead him away.
Jayce framed her face with his hands. “Rocky, look at me.”
She blinked at him through a haze of tears. She’d never seen him look so somber.
“It’ll be okay, hon. Are you listening?”
She flashed back on the creepy note.
You crushed my life, now I’ll crush yours.
Except the Red Clover wasn’t her life. Her family and friends were her life.
Jayce
was her life.
What if the fire hadn’t been an accident? What if someone had set it intentionally? And what if that same person crushed Rocky further by going after Jayce?
Panic whispered through her veins. Fresh tears blurred her eyes. If she pushed Jayce away, if he wasn’t a part of her life, maybe then he’d be safe. Chaos and sadness ravaged Rocky’s heart, mind, and soul. “Nothing will ever be right again.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
“You need to calm down.”
Jayce looked at Dev. “Did I say anything?”
“You didn’t have to. I’ve known you a long time and I know when you’re upset. Rocky’s in shock, Jayce. People say things they don’t mean under extreme circumstances. Losing her home and business,
all
of her belongings? That’s extreme.”
Jayce tried to relax on the sofa in Daisy Monroe’s house. A sofa he’d sat on hundreds of times through the years. He tried to slow his racing, battered heart. Tried to reap assurance from Dev’s logic. But all he could hear was Rocky’s refusal when he’d tried to take her back to his place, the home she’d so lovingly decorated. The home so full of her. Of
them.
I can’t do this. Us.
She may as well have told him to piss off, because she’d proceeded to shut down just as she had thirteen years ago.
“Gram and Chloe are with her now. Just give Rocky a little time.”
Jayce imagined her sitting on a canopied bed in one of the many bedrooms of this enormous house. He imagined her looking at all the antiques and collectibles and thinking about everything she’d lost in the fire. He didn’t blame her for being devastated. She’d put everything into the Red Clover. Her creativity, hard work, and all of her finances—plus some of Dev’s. That inn had been her dream, yet over the years it had proven little more than a hardship and ultimately a heartbreak.
Jayce hoped Daisy and Chloe were reminding Rocky that she had the moral and financial support of a large and lucrative family. That’s what he’d be saying if she hadn’t pushed him away. He’d also remind her that she had Brewster. And, whether she liked it or not, she had Jayce. Unlike the first time she’d rejected him, he wasn’t going anywhere.
Luke walked in from the kitchen carrying three beers. He handed one to Jayce.
Jayce met the younger brother’s eyes and noted a spark of mutual concern for Rocky. There’d be no fighting now, no grudge regarding the past. Time to pull together. No matter their beefs or quirks, the Monroes always pulled together in times of trouble. Jayce reflected on how many times he’d banded with them in the past. How he’d always been included. How he was still included. Throat tight, Jayce accepted Luke’s grand gesture and sipped beer.
Luke sank down in an opposing wingback chair. “Just got off of the phone with Adam. He heard the news—everyone’s heard by now—and he was calling to make sure Rocky’s okay. He was genuinely shook up.” Luke held Jayce’s gaze. “You can’t blame the guy for caring.”
“I don’t.” And he meant it. He was pretty sure he’d allowed jealousy to taint his judgment where Adam was concerned. Still … “Can’t blame me for being cautious.”
Luke raised a brow. “I know Sheriff Stone and Captain Rush said there was no obvious sign of foul play, but after what Dev told me … I mean, come on. Practically the whole of Sugar Creek’s fire and police department were on-site with the exception of Billy.”
Jayce set his bottle on a coaster and leaned forward. “Stone said Billy was on his way over when he got an emergency call from his wife.”
“Convenient,” Dev said.
“And suspect,” Jayce said, “considering they’re separated.”
“Which was news to all of us,” Dev said, “including Sheriff Stone.”
“Stone said he’d look into my concerns and there’ll also be a formal investigation into the fire.” Jayce dragged a hand through his hair, tempering his frustration. “I don’t blame Stone for doubting my suspicions about Billy. A lot of things don’t add up.”
“Timing for one,” Dev said. “He was with Rocky, in town, when the fire was reported.”
“Could have rigged something with a timer,” Luke said. “Or maybe he set it, then drove like a bat out of hell into town. Fifteen-minute drive.”
“Ten if you fly,” Jayce said.
“But what about motive?” Luke asked. “What are we talking? Revenge? A grudge? Granted Billy’s an asswipe, but an arsonist? What would push him to risk his career and prison?”
“I don’t know,” Jayce said. “But I’ll find out. As soon as I’m sure Rocky’s okay, I’ll be all over this.”
“I’d advise cooling off first,” Luke said with a raised brow. “Last thing Dev and I want is to have to bail you out of jail for attempted murder.”
“What about assault?” Jayce asked.
Dev shot him a look.
“Not to take away from my sister’s case,” Luke said, picking at the label on his beer, “but I might need to hire you myself, Jayce.”
“For what?” Dev asked.
“Never mind,” Luke said. “Bad timing.”
Jayce noted Luke’s tense body language. “We’ll talk.”
“I called Dad and Mom,” Dev said, his own spine stiffening. “They’re flying up tomorrow.”
“Took a crisis to pull them out of paradise, huh?” Luke shook his head. “I can’t believe they stayed down south so long without buckling for even one weekend visit home. Every time I brought it up they mentioned one or another conflict. The one time I considered flying down to visit
them,
Dad made me feel guilty as hell about leaving the Sugar Shack. If I didn’t know better I’d think they didn’t want to see me.”
“About that.” Dev glanced at Jayce, then back to Luke. He sipped beer, then rolled back his shoulders. “There’s something you need to know. I’ll fill Rocky in when she’s stronger. It’s about Dad.”
* * *
Rocky sat on a yellow-and-red-flowered bedspread surrounded by lots of beautiful things, two caring people, and one needy dog. But for all of the comfort and love, her heart felt empty. Gram said she was in shock, but Rocky was pretty certain she was dead inside.
“If you don’t want to live with Jayce,” Gram said, “you can live here. For as long as you like, sweet pea. There’s plenty of room. And after next week, I won’t be here at all. Unless you want me to stay. I can postpone my plans to move in with Vincent. He’ll understand.”
“Yeah, but
why
don’t you want to live with Jayce?” Chloe said. “You love him and he loves you. I don’t get why you’re pushing him away.”
“Every time I want something badly,” Rocky said, “somehow I screw it up. Things go wrong. Bad things happen. Do you know how long I dreamed about owning the Red Clover? I’ve dreamed of being with Jayce twice as long and I want him much, much more.”
“So you think if you have Jayce something bad will happen to him?” Chloe asked.
“What, like he’ll get shot or have a heart attack or something?” Gram asked.
Chloe elbowed the older woman, and Rocky glanced down at her grass-and-ash-stained jeans. “You think I’m being ridiculous.”
“No,” Chloe said.
“Yes,” Gram said. “Listen, sweet pea. Life is short and a man like Jayce doesn’t come along every day. I’ve known he was special from the first day he rode his bike over here for Sunday dinner. He was only yay high,” she said to Chloe, “and he pedaled clear across town. Stopped along the way and picked me a bag of apples from a nearby orchard. Said he would have bought me flowers, but he didn’t have enough change. Later I learned from my neighbor that he didn’t even have money for the apples, so he offered to rake her yard in exchange. He could’ve swiped the apples, but he didn’t. He didn’t have to give me a gift, but he wanted to.” Gram reached over and squeezed Rocky’s hand. “Jayce is a good, honest, hardworking soul. Just like you. Don’t shy away from a golden opportunity just because you’re scared. Scared, schmared.”
Chloe grasped her other hand, and Brewster scooted over and rested his head on Rocky’s lap.
“I say spit in the eye of fate and grab all the happiness you can for as long as you can,” Chloe said.
“Nothing more sad than a missed opportunity,” Rocky said, thinking about Jayce’s friend Mrs. Watson.
Brewster barked.
Rocky’s dead heart rallied just as the door cracked open.
It was Dev. “You need to come downstairs,” he said to Rocky.
It wasn’t a request. Curiosity motivated her as much as her brother’s intense expression. Knees wobbly, she slid off the bed and, holding hands with Gram and Chloe, followed her brother. Brewster brought up the rear. With every step, Rocky’s heart pounded a little harder. She didn’t know what to expect, but it sure wasn’t the sight of Tasha and Randall Burke standing in Gram’s living room.
Randall had been at odds with Rocky’s dad for years, and before that Randall’s dad had butted heads with her Grandpa Jessup, Gram’s deceased husband. Tasha was the only Burke who’d ever been in this house, and that was purely because she was a Cupcake Lover.
“What’s going on?” Rocky asked.
“That’s what we’d like to know,” Jayce said.
Her eyes went immediately to his. Her pulse raced and her stomach flipped. So much for being dead inside.
Randall spoke first. “My wife has something she wants to tell you.”
Gram motioned everyone to sit, including the Burkes.
Randall shook his head. “Thank you, but we won’t be staying long.”
The only reason Rocky sat was because she worried her legs might give out. This was bad. Jayce, who’d been standing, sat next to her on the sofa and held her hand. Her brothers remained standing.
“I’m not sure where to start,” Tasha said. Her voice sounded raspy and choked. She swallowed hard and looked at her husband. “I don’t think I can do this.”
Randall reached over and interlaced his fingers with his wife’s. He gave a little squeeze, and Rocky’s own throat tightened at the show of genuine affection and support.
Tasha squared her shoulders and gave a stiff nod. “First,” she said, looking directly at Rocky, “I want to say how sorry I am about your house. I never thought…”
She cleared her throat and pushed on. “A couple of months ago, Billy started flirting with me. I’m ashamed to say I flirted back. It’s what I do. I like attention.” She bit her lower lip, nibbling off most of her signature red lipstick. “Randall was so busy and Billy always seemed to be around, feeding my ego. Nothing squicky every happened. I swear,” she said with a nervous glance at Randall. “But Billy got it in his head that I was toying with him. He became obsessed with impressing me, thinking he could win my affections. He was always surprising me with gifts or showing up unexpectedly and giving me a ride. He e-mailed and texted. He ignored his own wife to the extent of alienating her. I tried to ignore him. I tried to handle the situation on my own. I didn’t want to tell Randall because I didn’t want to cause strife between father and son.” Tears filled her eyes. “But mostly I didn’t want Randall to be disappointed in me. I didn’t want to risk … risk losing him.”