Lyon's Heart (21 page)

“Dude, that’s the sorriest
looking tree I’ve ever seen what’re you doing?”

“What’s wrong with
it?”

“What’s wrong with it? Don’t
you see all those bare limbs in the middle?”

“Shit, I didn’t notice,
dammit why didn’t you tell me it was brick outside?”

“How would I have known
that? I was in the house all morning and since you mention it I’d
like to get back there sometime before next year so lets get a move
on.” He looked up at the tree that he’d been about to cut down as
if trying to find its redeeming qualities.

“Forget it dude let’s
go.”

We walked around back there
for a good while before we finally found one that I thought looked
respectable enough.

“This one.”

“That shit’s huge Colt
what’s she gonna do with that? She only needs a little five
footer.”

“Nah this is good it’s only
about seven feet and look at it, it’s healthy looking.” I helped
him cut it down and bind it up before we started heading
back.

We headed for his truck with
me bringing up the rear. He stopped short and almost got me in the
gonads.

“Dude.”

“Sorry Colt.” He bent down
close to the brambles and I was about to ask him what the hell he
was doing when he stood and looked around.

“What’s up bro?”

“Were you back here in the
last day or so?”

“No why?” He pointed to what
looked like footprints and matted down grass but I still didn’t
quite grasp what he was getting at. As much foot traffic as had
been through here in the last few weeks there was bound to be
tracks.

“Somebody was back here bro
and in the last day or so.”

I didn’t bother asking him
how he knew that shit, that was his thing. That little gift has
come in handy a time or two in the past and I never questioned his
knowledge. I knew fuck all about it so I let him take the
lead.

“Maybe one of the guys came
out to get their tree.” Though they usually told me when they were
going to be out here or they usually came by the house first it’s
possible.

“Nah bro Zack was the last
one and I helped him get his two weeks ago and we came in over
there.” He pointed in the opposite direction from where we now
stood. I started following the pattern he pointed out with the
naked eye and pretty soon I could see it. It’s not something I
would’ve picked up on my own but the way he explained shit as he
went made sense.

“You see these right here,
they were broken off just in the last day or so they haven’t
started to turn as yet. That could be partially due to the weather
but I don’t think so and look here. Here’s where the person was
standing.” We’d put the tree down when he started his bloodhound
routine and now we were standing in the spot where he thought
someone had been. I was starting to get that kick in my gut again
when we turned in the little copse of trees where he’d stopped. The
bush around the base of one of the trees was matted considerably
more than the rest around it but I still wasn’t sure it wasn’t from
the guys tramping through here.

“How sure are you that this
is new…?”

“Colt…” The tone of his
voice made me uneasy and I looked up at him. He was staring in the
direction of the house and I knew I wasn’t going to like where this
was going. I stood next to him and looked in the same direction. It
was a direct line to the back of my house which was more glass than
anything else. You probably couldn’t see anything from back here
unless you had binoculars but if you got close enough you would be
able to see into the house. My blood ran cold in my veins and my
first thought was to run and get my woman and kid the fuck out of
there. I started to do just that but Jared’s hand on my arm stopped
me.

“Wait bro lets see what else
we find back here, it’s not easy to walk through the woods without
leaving something behind.”

“Fuck that Jared I’m getting
them out of here now.”

He was already off nosing
around following the tracks, stopping every once in a while to
study shit closer. We found a trail of sorts or more accurately
Jared found a trail that led onto the property from the road that
ran behind it. No one ever used that road because it led to nowhere
for a few miles. In fact I doubt many people even knew it was
there. The only thing that kept people off of my land was a little
barbwire fence which I now saw had been cut.

“Fuck me.” I ran my hand
over my face as my mind raced, everything in me wanted to run back
to the house, bundle them up and take them the fuck away from here.
The other side of me wanted to snap someone’s fucking neck in
half.

“I’m calling a meeting you
go drop the tree off and meet me back here in ten.” I pulled my
phone and called Paul one of my crew and told him what I needed.
Jared and I headed back in the direction of the house. He broke off
and went to his truck while I stood at the back of the house and
looked back towards the woods trying to figure out what if anything
whoever had been out there had been watching. We hadn’t been
spending as much time back here because of the change in the
weather but could they see into the kitchen and if so why the fuck
would they want to? I knew who was behind this, there was no doubt
in my mind that it was the chick that was on my driveway but in the
off chance that I was wrong or that for whatever fucked up reasons
she might have an accomplice I had to be careful. One thing was
certain after the initial gut punch. I wasn’t leaving my home
because of some sick fuck, fuck that. I’m not uprooting my daughter
and hiding her away somewhere. I had more than enough security
around this place so that no one could get near my house without
alerting me. The first thing I needed to do was reinforce the fence
running along the back of the woods and do it in a way that Kat
wouldn’t suspect. That should be easy all I had to do was tell her
that the fence had come down or some shit. They didn’t have
anything planned in the next few days that entailed her leaving the
house without me so that was covered and I planned on having people
around them at all times from now on until I got to the bottom of
this fuckery. The trick was how to do it without alerting her to
the danger.

“Colton what…?”

“Fuck baby back inside.”
Fuck I scared her. She closed the door but stood there looking at
me like a deer caught in headlights while I tried to calm the fuck
down. Way to go Lyon way to not alert her to what’s going
on.

I went to her and pulled her
into my arms while easing her away from the glass enclosure without
being too obvious about it.

“I’m sorry Angel I didn’t
mean to scare you.” I squeezed her, folding her tighter into my
body. The thought of her being in danger scared and infuriated me
in equal measure. Nothing was going to fuck with her not now not
ever. I pulled her head back and kissed her before placing it back
on my chest.

“Colton what’s
wrong?”

Think fast Colt don’t fuck
this up. “Nothing’s wrong Angel my mind just wandered there for a
minute and you spooked me.” She leaned back and looked up at me. I
put a scowl on my face to let her know I didn’t appreciate being
spooked, better that than letting her see what was really going on
inside my head.

“It’s all that crap you
read, I told you to stop reading that stuff. You about scared me
half to death.”

I hugged her and kissed her
again to farther dispel any suspicion.

“I’m sorry babe, maybe
you’re right, maybe I need to lay off a bit. Listen the guys are
coming over to help me out a little before we have to leave for the
hospital.”

“Help you out with what? You
guys gonna strap on the aprons and bake some cookies?” She grinned
up at me just asking for trouble. I guess it’s a testament to her
affect on me because even with all the shit going on in my head I
wanted her. With one last kiss on her nose I eased her
away.

“Funny, no we’re going to
repair the fence I think the last snow tore down parts of
it.”

“You guys have to do that
today, can’t it wait?”

“Nah babe I want to get it
done before the next storm comes and fucks the whole thing up. It
won’t take long with all the guys pitching in; not to worry we’ll
be done in more than enough time. Mom and the ladies still in there
right?”

“Yeah we’re having a blast,
we ended up making way more than we’d planned to but hey it won’t
go to waste right.”

“Okay I’ll be out here,
where’s Caitie bear?”

“Sitting in her highchair
fighting sleep.”

“Her grandmothers are
probably making my poor kid crazy.”

“No they’re fine she’s
keeping everyone entertained with her new words, she’s such a
showoff.”

“What new words?”

“Calm down she hasn’t
learned anything new she just thinks she did, she’s babbling the
way she always does when we’re cooking.”

“Oh okay, you
videoing?”

“I didn’t think of
that.”

“Babe what did I say? We
have to get all this shit on tape this is part of the whole holiday
thing right?”

“You’re right I forgot I’ll
go get the camera, don’t take too long we don’t want to be late
getting to the hospital and stuff.”

“No worries babe we’ll be
done.”

I knew what I needed to do,
what I was thinking of doing. Since there was no way I was leaving
the house with this shit fresh in my mind I called Jared to pick up
some supplies on his way back.

“Colt I think electrical
fencing is illegal in residential areas or some shit.”

“I give a fuck bring it,
Home Depot carries what I need, we don’t have time to run the lines
so we’ll go with the solar operated one for now. It doesn’t pack
the same punch but it’ll get the job done if the bitch tries
cutting through it again.”

“Okay I’m on it, I hope they
don’t ask me what I’m using it for.”

“If they didn’t want people
using it they shouldn’t be selling the shit in my town.”

The guys started showing up
one by one a few minutes later.

“What’s up boss?”

“I’m cool Tommy
you?”

“I’m cool Linda’s on my ass
about baking pies and shit so I’m kinda glad you called and got me
out of that fuckery.”

“I hear that, Elena and her
crew are in there helping Kat; ran my ass out the
house.”

“Shit smells good though
your mom making her shoofly pie?”

“Smells like it, she was
supposed to be teaching Caitlin how to do it.”

“How’s my little darling
doing?”

A smile broke out across my
face, my crew knows how I am about my little princess. They’d only
just stopped teasing me about it in the last few months. I use any
excuse to break out the pics or go on about her latest achievement.
Of course every once in a while I have to kick somebody’s ass to
remind them that although I might’ve gone soft over my girls I’m
still the same hard ass.

“Her mother says she’s in
there fighting sleep. So when are you and Linda gonna get started
on yours?” It felt strange having a normal conversation with all
this shit going on but I was only explaining that shit once so I
might as well pass the time until the others got here.

“It’s all she can talk
about, I think your wife lit a fire under her ass or something. You
know she wanted to finish getting her masters, I guess she figures
she can do both just fine now.”

“I’m happy for you, best
thing I ever did.” I ignored his disrespectful smirk when I heard
the others coming around the side of the house. I’d told them to
meet me out back so we could avoid nosy ass Elena and her shit. If
anyone could ferret out shit it would be her or she’d sic Char on
our asses to figure out what we we’re up to.

“We’re just waiting on Jared
to get here and then I’ll tell you guys what’s going on. Any of
those nosy ass women come out here we’re fixing the fence that’s
it.”

“I don’t know boss if they
offer me some of whatever smells so damn good coming out of there I
might spill my guts and I don’t even know what the fuck this is
about.”

“Zack we’ll feed your greedy
ass in a bit Kat said they made extra; shit here they
come.”

“Hey boys we all ready for
this evening?”

“Hey Ms. Elena, we’re ready
where’s Daniel?”

“He had to go into the
hospital today what’re you lot up to out here?”

“Mom don’t you have pies in
the oven?”

“I just came to see if you
boys wanted some hot chocolate and a slice of my pie. We made
plenty I think we might’ve gone a little overboard this
year.”

“There’s no such thing as
too much pie Ms. Elena…”

“Zack.”

“Fine I’ll have pie and
chocolate after we help the Grinch fix his fence.”

“They’re not twelve Elena
and take my kid back inside it’s cold out here.”

“Colton Lyon I will have you
know I’ve raised three kids you included. I know how to bundle her
up against the cold.”