Keeping Her Safe. Barbara Phinney

Rae just buried her father this morning?”

      Christine put on an appropriate look of sympathy, but Rae wasn’t convinced of its sincerity. “I did know,” the woman said. “And allow me to offer my condolences. I should have done that sooner. But being financially secure at this difficult time can help to ease the burden that mourning places on us. Your father was wise not to sell before this. The market wasn’t ripe like it is now.”

      Rae frowned. “Are you saying you approached my dad before he died?”

      The woman flushed. “Uh, no, I didn’t. I just assumed that he would have thought it at some time. But now, eco land is growing in value, and this would bring you a tidy sum. I can offer you—”

      “I am not ready to slap up the For Sale sign yet, Ms. Stanton. I’m sorry you had to come all the way up here to hear that, but my business is growing and I have no inclination to sell.”

      “Not to mention that I am half owner of this land.”

      Rae had wanted to deliver that tidbit later, but Hunter’s words struck where they needed to. Christine’s jaw fell.

      “Half owner?” she echoed.

      “That’s right,” Hunter answered. “Robert Benton, Rae’s father, willed the land to both of us, along with the buildings and the business. So whenever you feel the need to discuss business, both of us need to be present. And I agree with Rae. There’s no need to sell, especially not today.”

      Rae felt Hunter’s gaze settle briefly on her. While she wanted to stand up to this real estate agent by herself, she was quite glad to hear his words.

      Maybe when she got her insurance money, she’d push for him to sell to her, but for now, they stood in united opposition to this worldly agent.

      Rae liked the solidarity.

      But it was hypocritical to want Hunter around only while it was convenient.

      “I didn’t know.” Christine’s voice had dropped, as if she’d been expecting something totally different. A second later, her bright smile returned. Swinging her camera sassily, she added, “I’m the best agent in the area and can get you a great price for this place.”

      “We’re not interested,” Rae said flatly.

      After a glance at Rae, Hunter studied the woman with suspicion. “Why do you think this land is so special? What did you call it? ‘Eco’ land?”

      “Just like those ecotours of environmentally sensitive areas of the world, I see places like this as returning to the way they should be, so the land can be enjoyed in an ecologically minded way.”

      Rae found it a strain to stay polite. She’d done nothing to this land, so how could the woman insinuate otherwise? “Well, you have no worries there. My woods are going to stay this way for a very long time. We don’t allow lumber to be harvested anymore, and we don’t do anything to the forest. It’s exactly the way God meant it to be.”

      “Well, like I said, money can provide the security you need. Give it some thought.”

      “Who do you think might want this land?” Hunter asked.

      She smiled again, making Rae shiver unexpectedly. “I have a few people in mind. Perhaps I could evaluate your property for you. Free of charge, of course.”

      “No, thank you,” Rae answered.

      “Are you sure? Acreage around here is going fast.”

      The woman wasn’t getting the message, Rae thought. But she had managed to pique her interest. “What land around here? I haven’t seen any For Sale signs, and behind me is all provincially owned forest.”

      “Don’t be fooled by the lack of signs. This area is ripe for development and I want you to benefit from it.”

      Wasn’t she kind? Rae wanted to answer her own question, but by then the woman had drilled one of her thin stiletto heels into the soft edge of the driveway. With a yank, she pulled her sandal free and sashayed back to her little black coupe. When she turned at the end of the driveway, the car door showed her bold, smiling face along with her agency’s logo.

      “I can’t believe what just happened.” With a shake of her head, Rae returned to the workshop. Hunter still stood outside. Through the window, she could see his back. He turned, as if scanning the property.

      Her heart lurched. Was he actually considering Christine’s offer? Was he thinking of forcing her to sell this place?

      Would he thwart her desire to make this shop viable again? Worry gnawed at her and she did her best to discard it. Don’t borrow trouble. You have enough on your plate today to deal with.

      She’d make this place work better than ever before. She had to. She’d bring the business back to its former strength, and no one was going to stop her.

      “Let’s go.”

      Rae frowned at Hunter, who’d walked in while she was deep in thought. “Where?”

      “To the police. We agreed, and we’d have been there and back by now if it wasn’t for that woman. She doesn’t change anything here. We need to talk to the cops.”

      He was still concerned for her safety. That seemed to squash any suggestion that he wanted money out of their new arrangement. Otherwise he would have used the threat, along with this offer of Christine’s, to force her to sell.

      She reluctantly followed him outside. It was going to be a long day. Reaching the truck, she turned. The half-bare trees beyond her house rattled in the wind, like dry, bony skeletons.

      The milled lumber at the edge of the yard snagged her eye, and she saw that what had been a neat pile two weeks ago was now leaning awkwardly, almost like a makeshift teepee. Had the wind pushed over the boards? Or had trespassers knocked the lumber off its supports on their way across her land?

      Shivering, she stole a glance at Hunter as he climbed into the truck. It was probably hikers, nothing more, and not worth mentioning.

      All the way into Green Valley, she wondered how he was going to convince the police that someone wanted to hurt her. A dead man’s complaint of gas-soaked rags, burned up now, and the notion of trespassers, probably Christine and her staff checking out the place, were hardly worrisome.

      That was as crazy as Rae sitting in the police station foyer with Hunter, waiting patiently for some officer to come out and listen to a supposed warning from her father.

      Hunter had to be insane to think that the local cops would act on such weak evidence. They were going to think her dad had become deranged from the cancer.

      Tears stung Rae’s eyes. She was hurting her father’s memory by coming here.

      An officer entered the small foyer. The tall man glanced down at her, then his curious gaze settled on Hunter, who had risen when the security door opened.

      The two men stared at each other. Immediately, Rae sensed tension between them. The officer stiffened, and Hunter’s hand strayed to his shoulder, where the scar showing above his collar deepened in color.

      The policeman turned to her. “My name’s Mike Halloway. How can I help you two?”

      Hunter answered. “This is Rae Benton. We need to report a danger to her.”

      Rae rose. She didn’t want to censor Hunter’s words, but perhaps she could tell the police what Hunter had told her, without making her father look like a fool. “There could be a small amount of danger to my life.”

      Halloway crossed his arms. “What makes you think that?”

      She paused. “My father told him when he was in jail.”

      “Prison. Hunter was in the federal prison, not the provincial jail.”

      He knew Hunter had been incarcerated? They were on a first name basis? Was that the reason for his obvious tension?