Sophie ran her fingertip over the tonal pattern of her chair. “That proves to us how important this place was to her. We really need to stick as close to her wishes as possible.”
“I plan on it.”
“I've been researching various spas and resorts in my downtime.”
Zach eyed her, quirking a brow. “And when is that? Because as far as I've seen, you have no downtime.”
Leveling her gaze, she replied, “Are you the pot or the kettle?”
Shrugging, Zach glanced around the room. She knew what he was looking at. The pencil sketches. She had them all over her home. She couldn't count the number of drawings she'd done over the last ten years. Some she framed, some she gave away to random people and friends, some she had in a folder in her dresser drawer.
“I want these in the house,” he told her, his eyes coming back to land on her. “No matter what else, I want you to do some sketches for the house. Maybe one in each bedroom, and definitely the entryway. Maybe a grouping or whatever you want.”
She swallowed. Did he realize she'd used the sketches to recover from the accident as a form of mental therapy? If he was aware, Sophie knew he wouldn't be asking her, but she didn't mind one bit. She loved drawing and Chelsea had loved the simple designs too.
“I'd best get started now,” she joked. “Anything else?”
“Sorry,” he said with a slight cringe. “I don't know how long one takes you.”
Sophie swung her feet down, shifted to the other side of the chair, and pulled her feet back up. “Depends on my mood, how much I need the relaxation, and if I already know what the subject will be.”
“I'll leave everything up to you when it comes to the sketches,” he assured her.
“Well, I was thinking for the bedrooms, maybe they should each be a theme. You know, one could be Paris, one could be London. Whatever. Chelsea was so prone to take off and travel, but she never got to the places she truly wanted to see. Why don't we do each room as one she'd had on her bucket list?”
When he remained silent, she wasn't sure if he was processing the information or afraid to reject her ideas for fear of hurting her feelings.
“If you'd ratherâ”
She stopped midsentence when he jerked and reached for the cell in his pocket. Staring at the screen, his brows drew together before he answered.
“Hello?”
His eyes widened as he jumped to his feet. “I'm on my way.”
Clearly alarmed, Zach shoved his phone back into his pocket. Sophie came to her feet. “What is it?”
Without looking back, he raced from the room. “The Sunset Lake property is on fire.”
Chapter Sixteen
Sophie darted after Zach. She didn't ask, she just hopped up in the passenger side of his truck and buckled up as he tore out of her driveway.
“Who called you?”
He punched his hazard lights as he accelerated through town. “Braxton. The fire department was on the way.”
A ball of dread filled her stomach. Could fate be this cruel to pull Chelsea's dream right out from under them? After they'd all finally come together, they had a plan and a real purpose to work as a team, could it all be gone?
Beyond that, this home was a piece of history for the town. The grand estate had always stood tall on the small hill, overlooking Haven for over a century.
As they drew closer, Sophie couldn't help but let her mind flood with possible scenarios they'd face once they arrived. Would the entire home be engulfed? Would it be minor and they could rebuild with just a slight setback? How would this affect the grant funding? Was it arson?
Oh no. She seriously prayed it wasn't arson, because heaven help the one who set the fire if the Monroe boys discovered them.
As Zach pulled into the long drive, Sophie sat up straighter in her seat and clicked her seat belt off. Relieved that flames weren't shooting out of each window, she struggled to see exactly where the fire was. Two fire trucks sat in the drive; hoses were pulled and disappeared into the front and side doors.
Zach had barely put the truck in park and killed the engine before she was out and running up the walk. Well, running as fast as she could until the twinge in her hip kicked in.
Strong arms encircled her, lifting her off the ground and back against a familiar, firm chest.
“Slow down. There's nothing we can do until we see how bad the damage is.”
Sophie nodded, gripping his arms. “I'm okay. You can put me down.”
He eased her down but kept an arm around her waist. “We'll go in together, but you're coming back out to sit in the truck if you pull a stunt like that again or if I even think you're hurting.”
The way he cared, putting her needs ahead of his fear for this house, was all too telling. But she'd have to pick apart all of that later because right now she was terrified of what they'd find inside.
Just as they hit the porch, Braxton stepped from the house. A streak of black covered his gray T-shirt and his hair stood on end.
“It's under control,” he told them with a long exhale. “I came by earlier to sand some more in the bathroom. I was only here a few minutes when I smelled smoke. The kitchen where you ran new wiring along that outer wall was on fire. I grabbed that small extinguisher we keep here and got most of it before I called the fire department and then you. But there's some damage.”
Sophie stepped from Zach's grasp and turned to look at him. He rubbed his forehead, closed his eyes, and muttered a curse. “I was just here,” he stated, clearly frustrated. “There was nothing wrong when I left and I can run wire in my sleep.”
Braxton shrugged. “That's where I found the flames. The fire department is in there now, looking for the point of origin or anything suspicious.”
“How much damage was done?” Sophie asked, shifting her weight to her good side.
“I don't think much.” Braxton brushed his hands down his shirt, ran his hands through his hair, and sighed. “It's going to put us back, but I don't think for very long.”
“Did someone call Liam?” she asked.
Braxton nodded. “He's on his way.”
“There's no way that wiring was faulty,” Zach muttered, almost as if he were talking to himself. “I've never had a problem.”
An SUV roared up the drive. Liam had arrived, coming in as fast and frantic as Zach had.
Sophie placed her hand on Zach's arm. “I'll go talk to him.”
As she started to step away, Zach reached for her. “You okay?”
“I'm fine. You and Braxton go inside.”
She didn't hang around to see the concern staring back at her. No doubt Liam would be angry and confused at this unfortunate turn of events, and if she could play buffer, then she certainly would, because the last thing any of the boys needed was to get into an argument over how the fire started.
She met Liam at the end of the walk. His eyes searched beyond her.
“Braxton and Zach are inside,” she told him, stepping so he wouldn't pass. “Calm down and look at me.”
With his focus centered on her, Sophie reached for his hand. “We don't believe there's much damage and the fire was contained to the kitchen. Nobody was hurt, so that's what's important.”
“How did it start?”
Sophie swallowed, leading him up the walk. “They think the wiring in the kitchen.”
“The old wiring?”
“No. The new.”
Liam cursed as he came to an abrupt stop and pulled his hand back. “How the hell can new wiring go up in flames?”
“Don't go there,” she warned. “Accidents happen and placing blame now will get us nowhere. The kitchen was getting an overhaul anyway, and fighting now will only set us back.”
The muscle in Liam's jaw clenched. He was angry and looking for an out, and Sophie wasn't about to let him storm inside and zero in on his target. If he wanted to yell at someone, he could use her . . . not that he would, but she was going to stay in his face until he cooled down.
“Zach is inside with the firemen and he'll get it figured out,” she went on. “You know he's never had anything like this happen before.”
The muscle in Liam's clean-shaven jaw clenched. “That doesn't mean this isn't his fault.”
Sophie placed a hand on Liam's firm chest. “Listen to me and calm down. He's as upset as you are, but check your rage before you walk inside. Got it? I won't have you going in there and starting a fight.”
Liam's dark brow lifted. “You're pretty territorial with Zach. I don't want to know why.”
“Good, because it's none of your business.”
Sophie pivoted on her heel and started back up the walk.
“He's going to hurt you.”
The low, bold warning had her freezing. With her back still to Liam, she replied, “It's a chance I'm willing to take.”
Because she was. Zach might not want more, he might not be ready for more, but that didn't mean she wouldn't keep trying to chip away at his defensive walls. And having anyone, including his own brother, cause more harm, would not happen while she was around.
* * *
The firemen had gone. Braxton had given Sophie a ride back home when Zach insisted she go rest because it was so late. And now Liam was practically looming over Zach's shoulder.
“Back the hell up.” Zach couldn't focus on the wiring with his brother waiting to call him on a mess-up. “I'm going to be a while. You might as well go home too.”
Liam took a step back, a small step. “I'm not leaving. This is my project too, and I want to know what the hell happened.”
Zach honestly had no clue. The fire department said faulty wiring, but Zach knew that wasn't the case.
As he looked over the blackened wires, he was starting to grow concerned. Some of this was not his work. Who else would mess with the new electrical?
Braxton didn't know how to do this, and Liam sure as hell wouldn't attempt it. Which placed the speculation straight onto Zach, but . . .
He blew out a breath, raked his hands over his beard, and turned. “I have no clue what happened. I didn't wire this like that. There are rookie mistakes here.”
The average person might not see what Zach saw, especially with some of the wires black, but there were wires running in areas he hadn't even touched yet.
Zach didn't add that they were lucky the entire house didn't go up in flames. Luckily Braxton was here when it happened. Zach didn't even want to think of any other outcome, because this old house would've gone up fast and unforgiving. There would've been chimney and foundation left had no one been around to catch it in time.
“Maybe you're too busy burning the candles at both ends.” Liam crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes. “Why don't you try focusing on the house instead of sniffing around Sophie.”
Zach shifted his stance, turning fully to Liam. “What?” he asked, sure he'd heard wrong.
“Leave Sophie alone,” he warned. “You've done enough to her and the last thing she needsâ”
Zach's fist connected with Liam's jaw. Before Liam could recover, Zach had hold of his brother's shirt and was backing him across the room until they collided with the wall.
“Don't you ever talk about Sophie to me,” Zach growled. “Our relationship is none of your business.”
Liam punched Zach in the stomach, forcing Zach to release his hold and double over as the wave of nausea consumed him. Damn it. He was too old for this.
“I don't want to see her hurt again,” Liam shouted. “I won't sit back and watch you use her for a time and then push her away when you're finished. You weren't a friend to her when she needed you most, so don't act like you're anything more now.”
Trying to pull in some much needed air, Zach held on to his stomach as he straightened. “What are you talking about?”
“You turning her away when you were in prison,” Liam spat out. “For some asinine reason she went to see you. Often. You always declined her visit.”
Because he hadn't wanted to see her. He was humiliated, and there was no way in hell Sophie was going to see him behind glass . . . not when he was there partly for the damage he'd caused her.
“I had reasons.” Finally he was getting air and breathing without too much pain. Definitely too old to be getting into a fistfight. “None of that matters now. Sophie and I have an understanding.”
Liam's mocking laugh really grated on Zach's nerves. “Do you?” his brother asked, propping his hands on his hips. “Because she defended you earlier. When I arrived she was quite determined to keep me away from you until I calmed down. She's special, Zach. Even you can't be that much of an asshole to think you can just mess around with her.”
No way was Zach getting into this with Liam. Partly because it was none of his business, but mostly because Liam was right. Zach had no right to think he deserved any part of Sophie's beautiful world shining into his. But he wanted . . .
What? What did he want? A commitment? A chance at forever with her? Marriage and babies and sharing bills?
When anger rolled into guilt meshed with reality, he had no choice but to look at the grand scheme of things. He'd slept with Sophie. He wanted to sleep with her again, but there had been a bond that had formed when they'd been intimate. And if he slept with her again, he knew that bond would only bind them even tighter. There would be no way to sever it later without completely breaking her heart. Or his.
Zach turned and stared across the room at the frayed wires, the blackened wall, and the mess he'd have to clean up. It was late, he was beyond tired, and he wanted to be alone.
“I'm going to clean up, then head out,” he said without turning back to his brother. “I'll meet you and Braxton here in the morning and we'll regroup.”
“Fine.” Footsteps pounded over the floor, then stopped. “Don't think I'll let this go,” Liam warned. “Sophie is my friend and I would look out for her no matter what. If you're honest with yourself, you'll know this is wrong from every angle.”
Continuing to stare at the wall, Zach clenched his fists. The front door opened and closed with a slam. Alone with his thoughts was a dangerous place to be. Alone with his thoughts after Liam pounded common sense into him could prove to be crippling.
Zach had never begged for anything in his life. When he was a kid and his father brought home women and his mother was too strung out to care, Zach didn't say a word. When his biological parents would be gone for days, Zach searched for food. When he came to live with the Monroes he'd struck the parent lottery and definitely never asked for anything, because he'd just been given more than he'd ever hoped for.
But at thirty-two years old, he wanted Sophie. He wanted her with a need that had become all consuming. Having her meant exposing her to the past he'd fought to keep behind him. Having her meant opening himself up to someone and risking loss all over again.
And having her meant she would have to choose between her parents and him, because there was no way her family would sit by and watch her grow closer to someone like Zach. Accident aside, they'd never liked him. When he'd wrecked and Sophie had been injured, he'd been warned to stay away from her or face their lawyers.
At the time Zach hadn't wanted any more trouble for his parents, so he'd avoided Sophie, in prison and when he got out. He would only see her when Chelsea brought her around, but even then Zach would do everything in his power to avoid her.
It had been the most difficult decade of his life.
But now he was an adult, and he wasn't afraid of her parents, but he was afraid of putting her in a tight spot . . . something else she didn't deserve.
So now he faced trying to figure out how to get through each day working closely with Sophie, because he had just come to the conclusion that he could never be with her again.
But just like when he was a kid and had come to live with the Monroes, he had something more than he'd ever thought possible for his life. Being with Sophie was absolutely beyond any expectation he'd had. He just had to hold on to those memories, let them replay over and over in his mind as heâ
A
thump
came from the basement. A
thump
that couldn't be ignored, and there was no way in hell that was the house settling. He kept a knife in his truck and contemplated going out to get it for about two seconds, but decided to grab the hammer from the kitchen island instead. There were enough tools here he could use for a weapon . . . unless whoever was downstairs had a gun.