Page 11 of After We Fall

“But nothing happened yesterday. It’s over. Crisis averted.”

“Harlan wanted me to stick around while he’s on his honeymoon. So that’s what I’m going to do.” Using his thumb, he increases the pressure on my hand. “After I finish the install, I’ll gather intel on anyone with access to the ranch.”

“Why’s that?”

“Only a handful of people knew about the wedding. Intentionally or accidentally, someone had to leak the information. That could lead us to our vandal.”

What sounds like a herd of elephants descends the stairs. Only they speak in high-pitched English with intermittent giggles.

The girls.

I stifle a groan and open my eyes. “I need to introduce you to the girls.”

Luke nods, releases my hand, and turns to rest his hips against the counter next to me. He crosses his legs and arms, but his alert eyes give a hint to the harnessed power hidden underneath his relaxed stance.

I don’t think this man misses much.

Then again, there’s no way he can miss Finley’s entrance. She bounces her beautiful eighteen-year-old self into the kitchen, and it’s hard to believe she isn’t using a pogo stick. “Good morning, Miss Penelope.”

Her sheer enthusiasm could cause me to have a stroke. I flinch and hold out a hand as if it could stave off the decibels traveling toward me at light speed.

“Oh.” She skids to a stop, gorgeous brown hair waving forward, chocolate eyes widening. “Do you have a headache? Is it as bad as the last one? It looks as bad as the last one.”

Bianca, looking over her shoulder to talk to Tanya, slams into the back of Finley. “Whoa.”

“Shh. Miss Penelope has one of her headaches.” Finley, my sweet caretaker, shoots her arm out during this declaration.

“Who’s this?” Bianca doesn’t try to disguise her disgust. Her glare rakes over Luke from head to toe and back again. She holds her body taut.

The other two girls freeze.

Introducing Bianca to new men always constitutes a challenge. With her past, no one can blame her.

“Bianca, this is Luke Granger.” I use a calming voice. “He’s going to be on the property working on the security system. Mr. Granger, this is Bianca Miller.”

The air in the room goes static. No one moves. To Luke’s credit, he waits with the rest of us.

“Bianca.” My call to her is a whisper as I coax her into action with my words. “Luke can back a trailer.”

Whatever I might think of Luke and this situation, Harlan chooses his friends wisely. He would not have left us with someone he didn’t trust implicitly.

At the sound of our safety phrase, Bianca shifts her stare from me to Luke and inhales. In a moment more courageous than Luke will understand, she takes two steps toward him and offers a hand.

He returns her greeting with slow movements.

A wisp of relief floats through the room, calming the charged energy to a dull roar.

Finley bounces in front of Bianca and holds out her hand. “I’m Finley Harris, Mr. Granger. So nice to meet you.”

Luke keeps his eyes on hers as he shakes her hand.

She claps her hands in exuberance. “So much fun to have someone new at the ranch!” Her feet almost flitter off the floor.

“Don’t get all unkempt.” Tanya slides in between Luke and Finley, shielding her friend from any more attention. “Hi, I’m Tanya Purtle.” She pumps Luke’s hand.

“Luke Granger.” His lips twitch.

“Tanya, I wonder if you meant to say ‘verklempt’?” I ask. “I think that was the word of the day last Tuesday.”