Chapter Fourteen
“Maggie!” Colton swore, but the line had gone dead. “Shit, shit, shit!”
He tossed the phone on the passenger seat and slammed his hand on the steering wheel of his truck. He could hear sirens in the distance. Peak Town only had one fire truck, and Dade had been dialing the sheriff before he made it out the front door of the ranch. He knew where those sirens were headed.
He pressed his foot harder on the gas pedal. He lived ten minutes from Maggie, but he was going to make it there in five.
She hadn’t sounded right. Fear had been in her voice, and it slurred as if she was stoned. Maggie didn’t do drugs. Hell, the woman barely drank. Even the other night at dinner, she stopped after just two glasses of wine.
His heart was in his throat as he turned down the main road and saw flashing lights in front of her place. The sheriff, fire department, and Peak Town’s only ambulance were all parked right at her shop.
Oh God, no!
Slamming on the brakes, he shoved the gear into park, not even bothering to turn off his truck before jumping out and racing toward the chaos.
“Maggie!” he screamed as he scanned the group of professionals and rubberneckers conglomerated around the shop.
Heads turned toward him and someone waved.
Maggie.
Colton swore in relief. She sat in the back of the ambulance, an oxygen mask covering her face; an EMT checked her vitals. She looked annoyed, but, thankfully, okay. She had either not been asleep or had dressed because she was wearing jeans, a long sleeved shirt and a pair of old sneakers.
He rushed to her side, running his hand over her hair, face, arms, checking to make sure she was all right.
The paramedic huffed in irritation. “Sir, I need to check her. Please step back.”
She waved the young man off. “I’m fine. I feel much better now. Thank you.”
“What happened?” he asked, gripping her hand tightly in his, refusing to let go.
The man sighed with annoyance, but continued with his examination.
“Gas leak,” Sheriff Jake Ryder answered, walking up to them.
“A gas leak?”
“Oven hose was ripped clean from the wall.” The sheriff pulled a note pad and pen from his breast pocket. His dark brown eyes focused on Maggie. “Did you do any moving today? Shift the appliances around? Maybe move the oven to clean behind it?”
Her eyes went wide with shock, and she removed the mask from her face. “No. I keep a clean shop, and we don’t do any heavy cleaning for another month.”
Ryder nodded, writing in his notebook. “You said you heard a noise. That was what woke you?”
“Yeah, it sounded like something banging against the dumpster. I thought it was a raccoon or bear or something.”
And she had called him. Colton hated this happened, but the fact she sensed danger and called him, soothed some of his raging emotions.
The sheriff nodded again. “The window just above the dumpster was open. Do you normally keep it unlocked?”
Her brow furrowed. “Well, yeah. It’s like eight feet off the ground and two feet wide. A bear couldn’t fit through that, and no way a raccoon could jump that high.”
“No,” Ryder agreed, absently rubbing the back of his neck. It sent his long, dark braid over his shoulder, and he flicked the hair back again. “But a raccoon could climb up the drain pipe and stretch over to the window. It’s highly unlikely, but not impossible. If the window was left open, even a crack, a hungry animal could get a whiff of your sweet cupcakes and think it was perfect for a midnight snack. Once inside, it could have scrambled behind the oven and pulled the hose out accidently.”
Colton shook his head, lips turning down in a frown. That was quite the stretch the sheriff was reaching for.
“But, I never open that window. Yes, it might be unlocked, but not opened.”
“Maybe Jamie opened it.”
Maggie made a sound of disbelief. “Please, she’s shorter than me.”
“Could it have been sabotage?” he asked, joining in on the conversation.
Ryder looked at him. “Why do you ask that?”
Mossy green eyes gave him a stern warning, but he ignored it.
“Maggie’s been having some issues lately.”
“Colton!” she admonished. “It’s nothing. Just some problems with my distributor, but I got a new one now and everything’s fine.”
Obviously, things were not fine. He didn’t care if she didn’t want her troubles getting out. Her life had been in danger. If she didn’t tell the sheriff everything, he would.
“What problems?” Ryder asked, pen to paper.
Maggie growled, sending him a death glare. Didn’t bother him. She could be pissed at him for making a big deal about this all she wanted. When it came to her safety, it was a big deal.
“Nothing. They just screwed up one too many orders, and I got tired of it. I complained. They didn’t care. I switched distributors. End of story.”
“What about the chopper?” he prompted.
She glared at him harder.
The sheriff glanced up from his notes. “What chopper?”
“My electric chopper had a cut cord. It looked like someone sliced through it then glued it back on so I wouldn’t notice. And before you ask, no it wasn’t Jamie.”
He nodded, but kept writing. Colton had every faith Ryder would look into everything Maggie told him.
“It was probably just an accident. One of the delivery guys was moving something and cut through the cord then tried to fix it so he wouldn’t get in trouble. They most likely knew I was complaining lately and didn’t want to give me any more fodder.”
“Or,” Ryder said, pausing in his writing. “They were angry that you were making them look bad and decided to get back at you.”
That’s what he had been thinking. People did stupid things when they got angry. Especially when their jobs were in jeopardy. He was glad to see the sheriff on the same page as him.
“That’s absurd. Besides, I switched my distributor, so they had no reason to want to mess with me. Not that they were.” She motioned to the high window above the dumpster. “Anyway, no one could fit through that window.”
“If they were small enough they could,” the sheriff mused, staring at the rectangular opening.
“Great. I’m being sabotaged by a gang of angry children because I won’t give them free cupcakes.”
Colton dipped his head to hide a smile. Her sarcastic humor always got to him, and the fact she still had her spunk took some of the worry off his chest. She coughed again, the sound tearing into his chest like a knife.
“Ma’am you really need to put the mask back on,” the EMT said, interrupting their conversation.
“Oh, I’m fine. My head barely hurts and the nausea is gone.”
“Do as he says, Magpie.”
“You are not the boss of me, Colton Denning,” she grumbled, but put the mask back on. “And I thought we agreed to retire the nickname,” her mask muffled voice added.
He smiled, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “You’re right, sweetheart. I’m sorry.”
She rolled her eyes, but through the clear plastic he could see the hint of a smile at the corner of her lips.
One of the firefighters rushed over to Ryder and spoke softly with him. The sheriff nodded, turning back to them as the man left.
“They’ve shut off the gas and are fixing the hose. You should leave all the doors and windows in the shop open tonight to air the place out. Same goes for your upstairs apartment. The gas got up there, too, which is why your alarm went off.”
“Why didn’t the alarm in the shop go off?” Colton asked, since she still had the mask on.
“They’re checking that now. Could be a dead battery or a faulty detector. Have you checked the batteries recently?” The sheriff directed the question at Maggie. She nodded. “Okay. I’ll post a watch tonight, make sure no one messes with your place while we air it out, but you should go get some rest. And not at your apartment. It’s not safe.”
“You can stay with me.” The words left his mouth without a thought.
It wasn’t like she had many options. The nearest hotel was over ten miles away. They had only been on one date. It was early in their relationship, dating, whatever they were doing, but they had been friends for a long time. He would never leave a friend out in the cold.
And there was no way he was letting Maggie out of his sight tonight. Not after what had happened. The woman kept scaring the life out of him.
She glanced up, eyes wide, hands twisting.
“Dade took the master bedroom so his old room is a guest room now. You can bunk in there as long as you need.”
Relief filled her eyes. Relief…at his offer or at not having to sharing his bed?
She wanted to. He could tell by the way she arched into him when they kissed, rubbing the sweet little body of hers all over him. Making him crazy.
Yeah, she wanted him, but she was also nervous. Of going too fast? He’d be a liar if he didn’t admit to the same thing. Whatever this thing with Maggie, it was special. She was special. He didn’t want to screw it up, and if that meant taking it slow, he was fine with that. He’d just have to get used to cold showers for a little while.
“Thanks, Colt.” She turned to the EMT. “Can I take this off now?”
“How do you feel?” He placed a stethoscope on her back, listening to her breathing.
“Just peachy, you?”
The man didn’t appreciate her humor. Colton thought she was a riot.
“You’re fine,” the EMT said, taking the mask off her. “Just be sure to drink lots of water and get plenty of fresh air the next few days.”
With that, the guy packed his stuff up. Colton led her out and away from the ambulance as the young man closed the doors and drove off.
“I’m going to need the name and number of your distributor, and I’m going to talk to Jamie Thompson tomorrow. Just to confirm everything. I don’t want to miss anything.” Ryder handed over his pen and paper.
She wrote down her old distributor information and handed it back.
“You might want to think about keeping the shop closed tomorrow. Don’t want any lingering gas making people sick,” the sheriff suggested.
She shook her head. “I already had to close Saturday due to the weather. I can’t afford another day.”
Stubborn woman. How could she ignore the fact she almost died, again? He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. “How about a half-day? Give it the morning to finish airing out then open in the afternoon. That’s when most people come in anyway right? The after school crowd.”
She sighed. “I guess I could do that. It’s already after midnight, and I could really use the morning to sleep in.”
“It’s settled then.” Leaning down, he brushed his lips softly over hers. “You need to grab anything before we go?”
“Do you have something I can sleep in?”
His mind whirled with tantalizing possibilities. “I’m sure I can rustle something up.” He waggled his eyebrows, and she laughed as he intended her to.
Ryder cleared his throat, reminding them he was still standing two feet away. “I’ll set a few of my guys up here for the night. Tell them not to leave until you return tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Sheriff.”
Ryder nodded and put his notepad away. “You think of anything else, just give me a call. I’ll let you know if I find anything more.” He inclined his head to Colton. “Take care.”
He returned the other man’s nod. Maggie trembled slightly in his arms. He may not have any idea what they were doing, but he knew one thing for sure. He cared about this woman, and if anyone was trying to hurt her, they’d have to go through him first.
****
No one noticed her, just another curious townsperson peering around the emergency personnel to see what was happening. The rumors were already starting to circulate.
“An animal broke into the bakery.”
“I heard it was a bear.”
“My mom said she heard an alarm go off. Was it a fire?”
“No. I think it was a gas leak. Faulty machinery or something.”
Or me.
She had almost broken her neck crawling through that window. Twisted an ankle when she fell back out onto the dumpster. Good thing it had been there or she would have snapped the damn thing in half.
But it had all been worth it.
When a fireman carried a pale, unconscious, Maggie Evans out in his arms, she almost squealed with glee. Then the EMT had brought the bitch around, and her joy withered. It wasn’t as if she wanted Maggie dead, not really. She just wanted the woman gone.
Dead is a kind of gone.
Maggie was a resilient, stupid bitch. After months of messing with her business, she couldn’t believe the woman was still determined to stay where she wasn’t wanted. Screwing with her orders had just been the beginning, a subtle warning to close up shop and go back where she came from.
Perhaps too subtle.
Cutting the chopper cord had been more direct. It was just pure luck the bakery door had been left open that day. Easy to sneak inside, cut the cord, glue it back, and sneak out while Maggie had been busy up front with customers. But even that act hadn’t caused the cupcake maker to rethink her decision to stay in Peak Town.
Time to be more aggressive.
If hurting her business wasn’t going to get Maggie to leave then maybe attacking her directly would.
Tonight was only the start.
If the little bitch didn’t take the hint and leave soon, she’d have to up the ante. Maggie Evans needed to leave, and she would make that happen.
Any way necessary.