Page 8 of Twilight Tactics

And the people, of course.

He and Maya shared a connection to the land that ran as deep as the bond formed through their mutual love for their amazing grandparents. It was ironic that their fathers—twin brothers—wanted nothing to do with the place Maya now called home. A smile tugged at his lips as he thought about their grandfather’s wisdom in willing the ranch to her. Definitely the right move. Their grandmother had chosen to vacate the home and move into the independent living center just fifteen minutes away, and no amount of begging her to stay had swayed her decision. Maya had filled him in on the conversation shortly after she’d taken possession of the ranch.

“Your grandfather left this to you,” their grandmother had told her. “He and I talked about it for years and we both agreedon this. I’m too social to want to live out here any longer without Paul. So, you just keep me a guest room made up, and I’ll come spend the night occasionally.”

Maya had finally agreed, and truly, their grandmother did seem like she loved living in town. They all missed Paul Sullivan, of course. He’d been a great man. A godly man. And taken much too soon by a heart aneurysm.

Gramps had been gone just under a year, and his passing left a void in Sully’s heart that didn’t seem like it would ever heal up. He sighed and walked into the kitchen to open the refrigerator, surprised to see it stocked full.

Maya had been busy. He grabbed a bottle of water and listened for any movement from the bedrooms.

All was quiet.

And he was hungry. They’d grabbed something at a drive-through on the way, before the cat-and-mouse game, but all the adrenaline had burned some calories.

He grabbed some cheese, an apple, a banana, and some crackers and figured that would hold him until morning. He turned to see Ollie in the doorway and his heart jumped, then settled. Good grief, she was like a ninja. “You hungry?”

“Yes.”

He put the food on the table and grabbed a few more pieces of fruit. Another trip to the refrigerator netted him a purple sports drink that he set in front of her. “Adrenaline rushes can do that to you.”

“I know.” She sat in the chair facing the door and snagged a banana.

“You feeling okay?”

“For now.”

“Will you tell me or Piper if you’re not?”

“Of course.”

He grunted. She was talkative tonight. “You want to watch television?”

“No.” She glanced up through her thick lashes. “Thanks.”

He narrowed his gaze at her while she ate the banana and set the peel aside to grab an apple.

“Wanna talk?” he asked.

She hesitated, then opened the drink and took a swig. His Spidey senses tingled, so he waited and sliced the block of cheese.

“Can you call that woman? Elena? Ask her to come back over? I want to talk to her.”

Oh. Elena. He nodded and tapped a message to the woman who’d captured his attention from the first time he’d met her.

Ollie wants to talk to you. Are you up? You mind coming back over?

He set his phone aside. “If she doesn’t answer in a few minutes, I’ll call her. In the meantime, you have time to eat before she gets here.”

“Thanks.” She ate the apple, then started in on the crackers and cheese.

“There’s chips in the pantry if you want some,” he said. “Want me to make you a grilled cheese?” Shouldn’t he offer her something a little more filling and nutritious?

She stood. “I don’t want the sandwich, but I won’t say no to the chips. I’ll get them.”

When she returned to the table, she had the bag of kettle chips already open.

“I’m sorry, Ollie. I really am.” Sully sighed and rubbed his temples.