Page 34 of Apple of My Eye

“Yes, the game was fine,” she stated in the most rushed, most matter-of-fact way, as if she didn’t enjoy herself at all. I’d stew about that later, right now, clearly there was an emergency. “We’re leaving. We’ll be there as fast as we can.”

She hung up, staring at her phone in disbelief.

“Talk to me. What happened?” I asked.

Raw, and scared, perhaps angry, too, in the span of a few seconds, she revealed a side of herself to me that not many had likely seen.

“My family, Knox...” She schooled her shaking voice. Herhands trembled, too. “Someone’s broken into our house. Take me home. Right now. Please.”

I sped backto Forest Grove, cutting the time by half. Daisy was on the phone the entire time, first back to Sage, voice clipped, running through instructions like a woman who had been the one in charge her whole life and wasn’t about to stop now. Then to Poppy. Then to Ivy. Back to Sage. The calls continued, hardly taking a breath between them.

I drove and kept my eyes on the road and tried to be supportive where I could when she’d drop a few hints at what was happening.

“The sheriff’s already there with his brothers. They’re starting the investigation.”

“Liam and Finn Patrick are good men.” I knew them from around town. Liam was the fire chief, while Finn operated the Patrick ranch. If they were on scene, supporting the sheriff, then the place was covered, but I offered the ODRR services anyway. “If you think they need more help, call Ash. He’ll get some guys posted there right away.”

“Colt’s there.”

Didn’t make the knot in my gut any looser. I kept pace with the highway, eating up the miles, watching the dark roll by.

She’d concluded one call. Thirty seconds later, another came in. “Hey. We’re almost there.” Pause. “We went to the game, it was fine. I’ll tell you about it later.”

The words landed with the specific dull weight of something that wasn’t meant to hurt but did anyway.

It was fine.

A year of watching her. Months of slow, careful ground gained one inch at a time. The overlook and the headlights and her voice when she moaned my name tonight?—

Fine.

I kept my eyes forward and my mouth shut. Because she was scared and she was worried and her family needed her, and the kind of man I was totally understood this wasn’t about me right now, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t leave a mark.

She hung up and I waited a minute before setting things straight. “You could’ve told them about us tonight, like how much fun we had, meeting my family…”

She cocked her head. “Knox.”

“Not asking for a parade. But something more than fine. You could’ve said it was… I don’t know. Good. Great. Best night you’ve had in a long time.”

Her expression tightened with the look of someone who didn’t have room in their chest for two things at once right now.

“It was all of that. But my house just got broken into. My sister was alone when she found it wide open. What if she had walked in on whoever it was? I should have been there, and stayed home this weekend.” She chewed a nail. Drew a breath. “Tonight was more than fine. I know that. But right now all I can think about is getting home to my family.”

“I know. And it wouldn’t have done any good ifyouwere there. They could have hurt you. Better that you were away with me.”

Her eyes glazed over, and her focus turned to the window.She was done with this conversation, rightfully so. She had her sisters and her home to worry about. I clammed up and drove faster. Because that was the thing about caring for a woman who carried as much as Daisy Wylde did. We’d taken a giant leap forward tonight, but a step backward too.

I just had to hope the ground we gained was still there beneath our feet when all this was over.

Chapter Ten

Knox

The sheriff’scounty cruiser sat in the Wylde driveway when we arrived, the blue light bars rotating in silent sweeps across the house and trees and the gravel road. Another unmarked truck was there, and a couple of cars, too. Sage, Ivy, and Colt all sat on the porch talking to the Patrick men.

Daisy jumped out of my truck and ran to them. The three sisters met in the yard, arms locking around each other, the best anchors when the ground pulled out from beneath them. Nobody said anything for a moment. They didn’t need to. Ivy had a hand pressed to the back of Daisy’s head. Sage had her face buried in Daisy’s shoulder, her frame shaking with tears.

I hung back. This was theirs, not mine. I nodded at Colt on the porch. The sheriff’s brothers stood off to the side.