pleased.
“Everything okay here?”
Faith’s body went rigid as she heard Jake’s
voice. Less than a second later he was standing by her side.
“Where’s Tom?” she asked, not bothering to look
at the sheriff to see his reaction.
“He’s fine. Just playing with
Sam on the grass. I forgot something and came back.”
Faith relaxed, taking strength from Jake. He
might not know about her past, about why she hated Fairview – or parts of it – so
much, but she knew he’d protect her no matter what. He’d already proven what
kind of man he was, and he wasn’t the kind to let a woman find her way into
trouble if he could do anything to help it.
“I was just saying to Ms. Walker here,” the
sheriff said, sending a sickly sweet smile in her direction, “that we’re
unfortunately no further ahead in our investigations over the fire.”
Jake frowned. “The fire chief has finished his
report though, correct? I was told that the fire had been confirmed as being
started by a fire bomb through the window.”
The sheriff just nodded. “Correct. There will
be no insurance problems that I can foresee, which means Ms. Walker will be
able to settle her affairs and move on.”
“By move on, you mean away from Fairview?” Faith
asked.
Jake gave her a confused look, but he didn’t
say anything. The sheriff shifted his weight before taking a few steps
backward.
“I’d best be on my way. We’ll be in touch if
there are any further developments.”
Faith stared after him, thankful that Tom
hadn’t appeared until the sheriff was in his car. Her son raced around the side
and she forced a smile on her face, not wanting him to see how upset she was.
She’d brought Tom up with all the love one person could muster, telling him
constantly what a blessing he was, so the last thing she needed was for him to
feel unloved, to figure out that he had a connection to people who hadn’t even
wanted him to enter the world.
“Hey, baby,” she said, crouching down to give
him a big hug.
He let her, patiently standing there while she
held him, putting his arms around her neck.
“Jake’s going to show me how to catch a horse,
and maybe let me ride bareback.”
Faith laughed. She didn’t know why she’d let
the sheriff rattle her – it had been the shock of seeing him after so long, not
that she wasn’t capable of standing her ground – because when she was with Tom,
she knew that all the shit she’d dealt with had been worth it.
“That sounds great. Why don’t you run off with
Sammy, find his ball maybe? I just need a quick word with Jake.”
She ruffled Tom’s hair as he bolted off with a
smile on his face, before turning to Jake. His expression was unsure, but his
eyes… they were telling her that he didn’t really give a crap what was going
on, so long as she told him what it was all about. Only she wasn’t so sure she
was ready to answer the questions she saw burning in his gaze.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“WHY are you looking at me like that?”
Jake could have asked her like what , but he hadn’t exactly been pretending like he hadn’t
noticed.
“You’re acting like Sheriff Brewster’s the one
who torched your house.”
She took a deep breath, staring straight back
at him. “Yeah, well maybe he did.”
Now it was Jake’s turn to give her a hard
stare. “Faith, what’s going on?”
She sighed, looking up at the sky before
returning his gaze. “He’s Tom’s grandfather.”
Jake would have been less surprised if she’d
sucker punched him. “Grandfather?” How was that even possible?
Faith crossed her arms and shut her eyes,
opening them only after she took a visibly deep, shaky breath. “You asked why
I’d come back? What had happened?”
Jake was waiting. He took Faith by the arm and
steered her into the house and to the sofa in the family room. They both sat
down, but he never took his eyes from her face.
“I think you need to start talking. No more
pretending like we can just live in the
“Everything okay here?”
Faith’s body went rigid as she heard Jake’s
voice. Less than a second later he was standing by her side.
“Where’s Tom?” she asked, not bothering to look
at the sheriff to see his reaction.
“He’s fine. Just playing with
Sam on the grass. I forgot something and came back.”
Faith relaxed, taking strength from Jake. He
might not know about her past, about why she hated Fairview – or parts of it – so
much, but she knew he’d protect her no matter what. He’d already proven what
kind of man he was, and he wasn’t the kind to let a woman find her way into
trouble if he could do anything to help it.
“I was just saying to Ms. Walker here,” the
sheriff said, sending a sickly sweet smile in her direction, “that we’re
unfortunately no further ahead in our investigations over the fire.”
Jake frowned. “The fire chief has finished his
report though, correct? I was told that the fire had been confirmed as being
started by a fire bomb through the window.”
The sheriff just nodded. “Correct. There will
be no insurance problems that I can foresee, which means Ms. Walker will be
able to settle her affairs and move on.”
“By move on, you mean away from Fairview?” Faith
asked.
Jake gave her a confused look, but he didn’t
say anything. The sheriff shifted his weight before taking a few steps
backward.
“I’d best be on my way. We’ll be in touch if
there are any further developments.”
Faith stared after him, thankful that Tom
hadn’t appeared until the sheriff was in his car. Her son raced around the side
and she forced a smile on her face, not wanting him to see how upset she was.
She’d brought Tom up with all the love one person could muster, telling him
constantly what a blessing he was, so the last thing she needed was for him to
feel unloved, to figure out that he had a connection to people who hadn’t even
wanted him to enter the world.
“Hey, baby,” she said, crouching down to give
him a big hug.
He let her, patiently standing there while she
held him, putting his arms around her neck.
“Jake’s going to show me how to catch a horse,
and maybe let me ride bareback.”
Faith laughed. She didn’t know why she’d let
the sheriff rattle her – it had been the shock of seeing him after so long, not
that she wasn’t capable of standing her ground – because when she was with Tom,
she knew that all the shit she’d dealt with had been worth it.
“That sounds great. Why don’t you run off with
Sammy, find his ball maybe? I just need a quick word with Jake.”
She ruffled Tom’s hair as he bolted off with a
smile on his face, before turning to Jake. His expression was unsure, but his
eyes… they were telling her that he didn’t really give a crap what was going
on, so long as she told him what it was all about. Only she wasn’t so sure she
was ready to answer the questions she saw burning in his gaze.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“WHY are you looking at me like that?”
Jake could have asked her like what , but he hadn’t exactly been pretending like he hadn’t
noticed.
“You’re acting like Sheriff Brewster’s the one
who torched your house.”
She took a deep breath, staring straight back
at him. “Yeah, well maybe he did.”
Now it was Jake’s turn to give her a hard
stare. “Faith, what’s going on?”
She sighed, looking up at the sky before
returning his gaze. “He’s Tom’s grandfather.”
Jake would have been less surprised if she’d
sucker punched him. “Grandfather?” How was that even possible?
Faith crossed her arms and shut her eyes,
opening them only after she took a visibly deep, shaky breath. “You asked why
I’d come back? What had happened?”
Jake was waiting. He took Faith by the arm and
steered her into the house and to the sofa in the family room. They both sat
down, but he never took his eyes from her face.
“I think you need to start talking. No more
pretending like we can just live in the
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