apartment above the mechanics shop. She insisted on paying Ted rent, which he reluctantly accepted. Her ex might not be sending her money, but she had a housekeeping job up at the ranch caring for Juan Garcia, her private physical therapy clients, and she worked the occasional shift at the gas station when Ted was shorthanded.
Life was good—even with two teenage boys to feed and help navigate through life. She parked around the back of the house and went in through the gate, wrinkling her nose at the smell of burning fat as she opened the kitchen door.
“Oh crap!” Wes, her almost-son, jumped like he’d stuck his fingers in an electrical socket, which was totally something he would do. “You’re back early.”
“What are you burning?” Beth looked at the frying pan.
“I’m not burning anything.” Wes rushed the smoking pan over to the sink and threw it in, making Beth wince. “It’s just a little browner than I meant it to be.”
She followed him over and watched as he frantically squirted dish soap into the pan and turned on the hot water.
“What was it before you cremated it?”
“French toast.” Wes sighed. “It was going really well, and then I got a text, and I forgot about it.”
As Wes lived on his phone, Beth wasn’t surprised.
“You’d better clean that up properly,” she warned. “Or you’re buying me a new pan.”
“Like I have any money,” Wes grumbled even as he filled the pan with cold water and set it to soak.
“You earn money,” Beth pointed out. “You have a full-time job as a carpenter’s assistant, and you’re always busy.”
Originally Wes had found the move to a small town from the city suburbs hard. After a series of unsuccessful career choices, he’d ended up working for Kaiden Miller as an apprentice carpenter. Not only did Wes enjoy the work, but Kaiden had managed to knock a bit of sense into his head as well. Wes was now a full-time employee and Beth couldn’t have been prouder.
“Where’s Mikey?” she asked.
Wes pointed up the stairs. “Sleeping, I think.”
“He’d sleep his life away if I let him.” Beth sighed. “I need to talk to you both, so don’t go anywhere.”
“That sounds bad,” Wes said as he scrubbed energetically at the pan. “And I’m going to say upfront that whatever it is, it’s all Mike’s fault.”
Beth couldn’t help but smile as she climbed the stairs. There was only a year between Wes and Mikey, who shared the same father—her ex—but had different mothers. She’d taken Wes in after the court case that had left him without both his parents. At first he’d been angry and resentful, but years of patience and understanding had paid off, and he was well on his way to becoming an amazing individual.
Her smile died as she knocked on Mikey’s door. Her son had come back from college for the summer and barely had time to talk, let alone confide in her. More worryingly, he seemed angry all the time, which set off all kinds of alarms in her head. She’d spent years dealing with his father’s unprovoked rages and she dreaded having to deal with them in her son.
She knocked harder and went in to find him sitting at his desk staring at his laptop screen. He was taller than Wes and had darker hair and eyes like his dad.
“What’s up?” He didn’t bother to turn around when he spoke.
“I need to talk to you. Can you come downstairs for a minute?” Beth asked.
He sighed and swung around like he was doing her a big favor.
“Sure.”
She set off back down the stairs. If he didn’t want to speak to her, she wasn’t going to keep pushing him. The last thing she wanted was for him to get mad, but what he might be mad at her for was a mystery.
Wes had finished cleaning the pan and had made her a cup of coffee, which she accepted gratefully.
“So, what’s up?” Wes asked as he also handed Mikey a mug.
“I have to go up to the ranch this afternoon, so I won’t be able to get dinner with you guys. I’m not sure when I’ll be back, so you’ll have to fend for yourselves. I’ll leave you pizza money, okay?” She went to find her purse. “The guy who rented the hunting cabin hasn’t picked up his supplies from town for over a week, so I have to go and check up on him.”
“Why?” Mikey, who had sat on the couch, looked at her directly