Boone studied Hannah with a critical eye before exchanging a quick look with Cooper. It was obvious the security guru was worried about his girlfriend. It was also obvious he didn’t want to talk about it.
“She wasn’t very talkative last night,” Boone replied. “She’s ... traumatized, as far as I can tell. She talked to Lindsey a bit, but she just thanked me for seeing that she had a place to stay and ate the McDonald’s I picked up on the way home to make sure she had something to eat.”
“What about Lindsey?” Cooper queried. “Did she try to talk to her?”
“It was late when I got back. Lindsey was watching some ridiculous telenovela on the television when I got home. She was supposed to be in bed an hour before, and when I pointed that out to her, she said she was too old for a bedtime. She also pointed out that if she hadn’t been awake, I would’ve had to wake her to help deal with Angel because I don’t know where the guest linens are stored.”
That had Hannah biting back a smile. “Well, she does have a point.”
Boone extended a warning finger. “Don’t ever tell her that. She already has way too much power over me. If she thinks that she can win this particular argument, it will be all over for me.”
Hannah loved listening to Boone talk about being a father. He was good at it — no matter what he happened to believe — and his love for his daughter shone through every conversation. Even when Lindsey did something to drive her father insane, he couldn’t stop smiling when talking about her. In Hannah’s book, that made Boone a perfect father.
“Where are they now?” Cooper asked as he dug in the box for the food.
“There’s an extra breakfast for Tyler in there, too,” Boone noted. “I wasn’t sure if he’d be joining us.”
“He’s in the shower right now — the goats made a mess in the paddock this morning and he had to clean it up — but he’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“Good enough.” Boone accepted the container Cooper handed him. “As for the girls, they’re home hanging out. Lindsey was supposed to be volunteering at the library — I don’t want her lying around and doing nothing all day — but I gave her the day off. I figured Angel would be sad on her own.”
“On top of that, after a good night’s sleep, Angel might confide in Lindsey,” Hannah said. “Lindsey is closer to her age.”
“And Lindsey has lost her mother,” Cooper added. “She understands about loss.”
“Angel’s parents are still alive,” Boone replied. “They’re still unconscious — or were when I called the hospital this morning — but they’re alive. The doctors are still hopeful about their recovery.”
The way he phrased the statement had Hannah cocking her head. “You don’t sound hopeful about their prognosis.”
“That’s because the doctors can’t figure out why they haven’t woken up yet. They seem puzzled. I know something paranormal went down last night. That makes me leery.”
“I hadn’t considered that.” Hannah rubbed her forehead. “Maybe I should check on the girls.”
“I might take you up on that, although it will have to be later. For now, I want Angel to feel comfortable in our home. Having random adults show up to check on her might not provide that feeling.”
“Okay. What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing for right now. I think it’s important to sit tight. We have no idea what happened.”
“Maybe I can help you figure that out.”
“And how do you propose that?”
“I don’t know.” Hannah glanced at Cooper for guidance. “Maybe your idea to leave Lindsey and Angel alone is the wrong one. I could bring them out here, where there are horses and animals. I can also try to draw the story out of her once she’s feeling comfortable with me. The sooner we know what we’re up against, the better.”
Boone hesitated but ultimately nodded. “Actually, that might be a good idea. She seems to trust you. I mean ... she asked about you. If anybody can get through to her, it’s likely you.”
“So that’s what we’ll do.” Hannah felt better with a plan under her belt. “As soon as breakfast is over, I’ll head out to pick them up.”
“And I’ll text Lindsey to expect you,” Boone confirmed. “Honestly, she’ll probably be excited. She hasn’t been up here in at least a year. She loves this place.”
“Then it will be fun for everybody.” Hannah dug into her breakfast with determination. “We’ll figure it out. For once, the trouble isn’t up here. Let’s keep it that way.”
5
Five
Boone ended up transporting the girls himself. He said he wanted to talk to Lindsey in private, which convinced Hannah that he was going to warn the girl about acting up. Since Hannah understood about being a teenager, she wasn’t all that worried.
Angel looked nervous as she followed Boone and Lindsey to Main Street. Hannah had Jinx out with her as she picked up a few stray items that had blown in from someplace, and she was all smiles as she greeted the incoming trio.
“I’m so glad you guys could come out.”
Lindsey nodded enthusiastically as she hurried over to Hannah. She’d only interacted with the woman a few times, but she liked her ... at least so far. “Dad said we could hang out here all day. Are you sure that’s okay?”
“I’m sure,” Hannah reassured her. “I just plan on being out here all day myself. We’re not open for a few days as we stock up. There’s no reason you guys can’t hang out with me.”
“Cool.” Lindsey appeared positively thrilled as she looked around. “Where is Cooper?”
Boone scowled. “Leave Cooper alone. He has a job
