the women in town from bringing it up to each other.
“Since I view you as a brother, does that mean I’m a part of that family charm, too?” she’d asked one day.
Caleb had chuckled then, as well.
“You know how small towns work by now, Jazz,” he said. “All you have to do is say ‘yes ma’am’ and ‘no sir,’ and compliment their pecan squares.”
Jazz snorted but didn’t disagree. Caleb had gone back to squeezing his stress ball, distracting his hand from texting Hodge again, when his phone finally went off.
“Talk to me, Hodge,” Caleb greeted him.
Hodge Anderson, the king of IT in town, answered in his usual gruff tone.
“Good news, bad news,” he said. “Tracked the IP address to one location in Overlook.”
“Bad news?”
“It’s at Claire’s Café.”
Caleb grumbled. Claire’s Café sold coffee, pastries and a small selection of books. It also had free wi-fi. It wasn’t unusual for locals and out-of-towners alike to make the trek to Arbor Street with their laptops. Fast internet wasn’t always easy to find in Overlook, and at the café it came with Claire’s homemade pecan squares.
“Could you track it to the computer that sent it?” he asked, hopeful. Sometimes they couldn’t get an exact location but just a general area.
“That is the bad news,” Hodge persisted. “I think it’s Claire’s computer. It seems to be stationary, the best I can guess. It hasn’t left the address in over a week.”
Caleb felt his eyebrow rise, confusion pulling the strings.
“Are you sure?”
Hodge sighed.
“That’s where the computer is that sent the email. You’ll have to figure out the rest.”
Caleb thanked the man before both said their goodbyes. He’d known Hodge since they were teens. Caleb questioning him had been more out of the need to be thorough. He trusted Hodge and his skills. However, that didn’t mean he thought Claire Jenkins was the culprit behind the email. She’d been friends with his mother since they were teens. She didn’t exactly strike him as the malicious type. Still, he put his stress ball back into its drawer and put his badge around his neck. He glanced at Declan’s closed office door and then was in his truck, pointed toward the heart of town.
* * *
THE AIR WAS cool and the breeze was gentle. There wasn’t the smell of salt water from the sea clinging to it like her childhood home, but the freshly mowed grass and the promise of rain was still a nice tradeoff. Nina picked her way along the manicured trail that led to the stables, trying to savor the charm of the ranch while pretending she wasn’t tired to the bone. Falling asleep had been hard. Once she’d managed it, it had been restless. When Molly had shown up that morning, eager to run a fine-tooth comb over every inch of the cabins, Nina had welcomed the distraction.
Now that it was almost lunch, she decided that she didn’t want to be alone just yet and took up Molly’s offer to show her the horses. The manager, like most of the employees on the ranch, had soft spots for them. Because of this, Nina didn’t mention that the last time she’d ridden had been when she was ten...and that she’d been terrified every minute of it.
“I hope this rain business keeps well enough away when we open,” Molly said, clipboard checklist for the cabins beneath one arm. Her blond hair was braided tightly against her scalp. She’d left her cowboy hat in the office. Nina knew she’d need to get one soon. She needed to help sell the idea of a ranch getaway. She needed to look like she belonged and buying a Stetson seemed to be the easiest way.
“If it does end up raining, what do you think about taking the guests out to the barn near the trails?” Nina thought out loud. “Dorothy said it was once used for storage but is now empty, right? Maybe we could set something up in there to make them still feel like they’re getting a camping or outdoorsy-type of experience without getting soaked. Maybe set it up to look like a makeshift campsite. Just a bit more comfortable.”
Molly’s brow scrunched in thought but her lips pulled up into a smile.
“You know, that could work,” she said. “We could put in lanterns and decorate the barn like one of those old Western town attractions. I have to meet with Dorothy this afternoon. I’ll run it by her and see if we can’t go ahead and start working on the backup plan tomorrow.”
Nina felt a swell of pride.
“I’ll see if I can’t come up with some activities, too. Maybe I can arrange something in town with one of the bars.” As soon as she said it Nina’s stomach clenched.
She had spent the night going over every person she had given her email address to but still couldn’t pinpoint anyone who had seemed off. Her gut hadn’t yelled or even whispered through meeting or talking with the locals. No red flags, no strange behavior. Yet that email was still in her inbox, taunting her.
Nina had decided not to bring it up with Molly or anyone on the ranch. Not when Caleb already knew. She was sure it was only a matter of time before the news was out and she was let go for being so careless. That had been half the reason sleep had evaded her for so long the night before. Between the memories she had tried to leave behind to the very real possibility that she’d have to move back to her childhood home and live with those same memories again had almost put her in a cold sweat.
This had been her best chance at moving on. Starting over. Yet less than a month had gone by and her fresh start was being soured.
“That’s a good idea,” Molly responded, unaware that Nina had fallen back into a seemingly unending loop of memories and fears. “You should talk to the Nash triplets. They’ve spent their lives on this ranch. I bet they know how to keep entertained during every season around here.”
“I can’t imagine having triplets,” Nina confessed, thankful for the slight distraction from her darker thoughts.
Molly laughed.
“Amen. Poor Dorothy has only been pregnant twice and yet has four children. Have you met any of them yet?”
Nina didn’t want to lie as much as she didn’t want to talk about the email. She nodded and went with a vague in-between response.
“I’ve only met Caleb, briefly.”
Molly lifted up four fingers and ticked them off as she began.
“We have the eldest, Declan, who’s the sheriff. He lives on the ranch in a house that used to belong to Dorothy’s in-laws before they passed. He’s a nice man but lets his work consume him. Which I guess you have to if you want to keep your community safe.”
“Dorothy mentioned him. She said I wouldn’t have to worry about any flak for throwing large scale events from local law enforcement since her son was the sheriff.”
“A definite perk! Though, let me tell you, he’s an intense fellow but it’s just his way.” Molly held up three fingers. “Then we have the triplets. Desmond, Caleb and Madeline. The
