love some coffee.” He strode across the kitchen and dropped a kiss on his mother’s cheek. “Good morning, Momma.”
“You sleep okay, son?” Her sharp-eyed stare didn’t miss a thing, he knew.
“I got some sleep. Momma, you remember Greg Summers?”
“Of course I do, I’m not senile yet.” She nudged Brody aside, and hugged Greg. “How are your parents doing? I do miss spending time with your mother.” With the familiarity only a mother could get away with, she cupped Greg’s cheeks. “Is everything okay? You look tired.”
“Everything’s fine, Ms. Patti. My folks are doing good. Mom’s getting the treatment she needs in Florida, and Dad’s spoiling her rotten. I came up to talk to Brody about the fire. Thought I’d better drive up and see the damage for myself, maybe get some pictures to send to my dad. He’s…upset about the barn going up in flames. He was counting on selling the property.”
“If you can give me a couple of minutes to change, I’ll take you over to look at the barn.” Brody grabbed the cup of coffee Tessa held out, taking a long sip. “Thanks, Tessa.”
“No hurry, Brody. I should probably have called first, but since it’s the weekend, I figured I’d drive up, look at the damage, and answer any questions you might have.”
“Appreciate it.” He glanced toward his mother and Tessa, who’d moved back to the stove and toaster, continuing breakfast. “I do have a few questions. I’d planned on calling you the first part of the week once I had more answers, but since you’re here…”
Greg held the mug Tessa had given him, staring down into it like it held the mystery of the universe in its dark depths. He shook his head before looking at Brody. “I can’t wrap my head around the place burning down. Do you have any idea what happened?”
Brody gave a subtle shake of his head, letting Greg know he didn’t want to answer. Not yet. He’d answer his questions once they were at the Summers’ homestead, because he had some questions of his own, and he didn’t want to ask them while he had an audience. Besides, Greg might feel more comfortable around their old stomping grounds.
Brody walked over to his mother and whispered low enough Greg couldn’t hear. “I need to take him over to his family’s place. I won’t be gone long. Can you take care of Beth and Jamie? I’ll give Rafe a call, make sure he knows I’ll be gone for a little while.”
“Beth will be fine. So will Jamie. Your brothers are here. Your father is here, too. Nobody’s getting within a mile of either one of them, I promise.”
“Thanks, Momma. Love you.”
“Love you too. Now, git.” She playfully swatted at him with the dish towel in her hand. “I got a whole passel of hungry people to feed, and don’t need you underfoot.”
Grinning, he snagged a couple pieces of bacon, stuffing them in his mouth, and jogged out of the kitchen. Knowing Beth would be taken care of while he dealt with Greg made him feel easier about taking him over to the site of the fire. He had questions, and he hoped his suspicions were wrong.
He needed to wait, get the results from the lab in Austin. Concrete evidence what he suspected was, in fact, true. Within minutes, he was dressed and headed for the door. Greg joined him, and they climbed into Brody’s truck and headed for the Summers’ place.
The ride took about twenty minutes, and they caught up on the things happening in their lives. Greg had started a new job a couple of months earlier, and was dating a woman he’d met at his previous job. From the way his voice warmed when he talked about her, he obviously cared about her. He hoped Greg found some happiness, because he knew things would change as his parents aged, and his mother’s cancer worsened.
Following the dirt and gravel road turnoff toward the barn, Brody gave a curse and sped up until he was parallel with the barn. The brakes squealed as the truck rocketed to a halt, and Brody slammed his fist against the steering wheel.
Smoke spiraled upward from the charred remains of the barn. The walls, which had remained from the initial fire, now lay in ashes and ruin, the stench of gasoline and smoke choking the air.
“What’s going on?” Horror colored Greg’s voice.
“Looks like once wasn’t enough. The barn’s been burned again.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Evan grumbled a curse, rolling over on the