Rather than opening it and risking flames, she’d climbed out the window. It was one-story so while the snow was cold underfoot it wasn’t tricky. By the time she’d run to the front of the house, the first fire truck was pulling up. Garret King had leapt out, scooping her in his arms as if she were a ragdoll, ignoring her orders to be set down that instant.
While other volunteer firefighters fought the blaze he insisted on staying by her side, riding in the ambulance with her.
While she was grateful for the fire department’s fast response and the fact they did their best to salvage the house, Garret had continued to be too overbearing. As she was taken in to the ER, she’d asked him to get in touch with Wilder as soon as possible, and if he didn’t have his number to contact the sheriff.
She was whisked off before he could answer but she hadn’t expected him to ignore her wishes entirely.
“Miss Quinn.” The nurse sharpened her tone as Quinn yanked off her hospital gown. “I must insist you stay here.”
“There’s been a terrible mistake and I have to help put it right.” Quinn changed into her clothes at the speed of light.
“This isn’t how things are done,” the nurse continued. “If you won’t cooperate I’ll have to fetch the doctor.”
“Do whatever you need to do because I’ll be doing the same.” Quinn tore through the open door and jogged down the hall. What had Wilder and Garret done to get themselves in trouble? And how was she going to help? The hospital was a mile out of town, a long lonely stretch of highway at this time of night. How would she get all the way back to Main Street?
She burst through the emergency room double doors as cries of “Wait! Come back!” rang out behind her.
Edie and Grandma glanced, startled, from two plastic chairs in the corner.
“Told you she’d come,” Grandma said triumphantly, rising to her feet. “That girl has gumption.”
“You can’t leave,” the nurse repeated, coming into the waiting room.
“Do you have keys?” Quinn asked Edie.
“Yes to Archer’s truck. He left with the guys,” Edie replied.
The nurse cleared her throat. “I said—”
“You said your piece and last time I checked it was a free country,” Grandma snapped. “And I know you. You’re Dinah Kane’s little girl, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Mrs. Kane.” The women shrunk back. “Bonnie.”
“Well, Bonnie, I suspect you know that Dinah is in the Chicklits and the Lady’s Guild. It would be such a shame for her to be dishonorably discharged.”
Bonnie gasped. “Are you blackmailing me with my mama?”
“Blackmail? Oh. No. That’s got a harsh ring to it, don’t you think?” Grandma affected a sugary sweet tone. “I prefer to call it negotiating. We go now without a fuss and you don’t ruin your dear mama’s fun. She’s a nice lady, if a bit of an airhead.”
Bonnie gasped. “You’re straight from the mafia.”
“There are two things I care about in life.” Grandma held up her forefinger and middle finger. “My tomato patch and my grandsons.”
Quinn gave Bonnie a tight smile. “I’ll come back in tomorrow if I’m feeling out of sorts. Promise.”
Bonnie’s mouth gaped.
“Don’t let the flies in, dearie,” Grandma snapped, leading the charge to the front doors.
Edie grabbed Grandma’s handbag and flashed Quinn a look of quiet concern. “Are you really okay?”
“Course she’s not,” Grandma called over her shoulder. “Her house burned down and Wilder is in the slammer.”
“What happened?” Quinn trotted behind. For her bad hip, Grandma certainly moved fast tonight.
“What happened is that Trixie Higsby is a damn fool, and I’d like to put that Garret King over my knee and give him a proper hiding.”
Edie unlocked the truck door, helping Grandma inside before turning. “In translation, your cousin was notified as next of kin after the fire. She and Garret King accused Wilder of arson, claimed he’s been responsible for the other two house fires and what happened at Haute Coffee. Claimed he had a history of bad behavior and that none of the fires had started before he returned to Brightwater.”
Quinn stiffened. “And do you believe them?”
“Of course not.” Edie smiled gently. “But then Wilder blamed Garret in return and the two of them almost got into a fight. Sawyer and Archer grabbed both of them and left for the sheriff’s office so they can cool down and get to the bottom of everything.”
“That’s exactly where we are going,” Grandma said stiffly, pushing her glasses up her nose.
Quinn climbed into the truck and looked over at the older woman beside her on the bench. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Grandma’s smile was troubled. “Tonight is a night for ghosts, I’m afraid. Someone better call Annie and tell her to wake up and come down too.”
“Annie?” Edie asked, starting the truck. “What’s she got to do with anything?”
“Nothing,” Grandma replied. “But Sawyer will need her. I hate to admit being wrong, but those boys all chose the right women. Tonight they are all going to need you like they’ve never needed you before.”
SAWYER SET HIS elbows on his plain wood desk and leaned in. “I’ll ask again and somebody better start talking. What the hell happened back at the hospital, fellows?”
The Brightwater sheriff’s office wasn’t big, a single room, but tonight if someone dropped a pin in one of the two empty holding cells in the back, the clatter would be deafening.
“I have alibis for tonight.” Garret broke the silence at last, folding his arms and glaring at his boots.
Wilder shrugged, keeping his body tilted left, away from the asshole seated on his right like they were two bad kids in the principal’s office. He didn’t have much to contribute. Garret had always been a bully. A big kid who pushed others around. Wilder was a fighter too, but never had Garret’s charm. Or talent for picking on defenseless people. Instead, Wilder would pick on Garret and his crowd, and that dynamic is what almost got him thrown out of high school half a dozen times, not to mention that it had caused the fight that first introduced him to Quinn all those years ago.
Quinn.
Wilder closed his eyes. They’d gotten enough out of Garret to understand that she hadn’t suffered any great injury, but she’d come close, too close, to danger. And this asshole beside him was somehow involved.
A hand clasped his shoulder. “Easy, tiger,” Archer said, pausing from his round-the-room pacing. “I see you tensing up. Sawyer’s a patient man and he’ll wait this out until someone starts talking.”
“I got nothing to say,” Wilder said.
“Maybe not but I do.” Grandma Kane burst through the sheriff’s office door. Wilder turned to see Edie and Quinn hurrying in her wake. His chest relaxed and he could finally take a full breath again. Quinn looked tired, out of sorts, her hair in a messy ponytail and glasses a little cockeyed, but there was no denying she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
Wilder started to stand when Sawyer shook his head. “Sit.”
“Want to try and make me, little brother?” Wilder flew around, all his pent-up frustration directed at his brother who remained calm as usual. Always so goddamn collected and in control.
“Hey, calm down. No need to start anything,” Archer said.
“He can’t help it.” Garret sneered, slamming his feet to the ground. “He’s unhinged.”
“That’s it,” Wilder ground out. Someone was going to feel some pain, and he didn’t care who it was, even if that person was him. Better to bleed than suffer the numb hollow fear gnawing at his gut.
“Boy.” Grandma stepped in, her hand raised in warning. “Don’t let your fist write a check your butt can’t cash.”