Page 63 of Colton’s Inferno

“Well, the way I see it, you have two choices. You can walk away, like she asked you to do, and you’ve done. Or you can try to win her back.”

“Win her back?” The idea was absurd. What was he supposed to do, land five rings and win her a stuffed animal? “How do you suggest that I do that?”

“Right now, she sees you as a liability,” said Cal. “It might not be fair, but you were the one she was with when her grandfather needed her most. She looks at you and sees a distraction.”

“Talk about saying things that hurt.”

Folding his arms across his chest, Cal asked, “Are you going to make smart-assed comments? Or are you going to listen?”

“You look and sound exactly like Dad, you know.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Aiden rolled his hand. “Proceed.”

“You have to become an asset and do something for her.”

“Like pull her out of a burning building to save her life. Is that what you’re talking about?”

“Christ Almighty, you are in a bad mood.”

Cal was right, he was in a bad mood. He also understood that his brother was trying to help. “I really like Lucy. I thought she liked me. We connected from the beginning.”

“Then you don’t want to walk away.”

“I don’t have any other choice.”

Sighing, Cal asked, “What can you do for her?”

“Isn’t that the line from a pop song? Mid-eighties, I think.”

“It’s not from a song, but the sentiment is the same.”

What could he do for Lucy? She mentioned that all the cattle had to be brought down from the upper pasture. That job was definitely outside of his wheelhouse. But there had to be something else. “If I figured out who started the fire in the barn, I’d be an asset.”

“Exactly.” Cal poked him in the chest as he spoke.

“Good thing my brother is the Stark County sheriff. He can tell me all about the criminal investigation.”

“Har-har.” Cal gave a fake laugh. “I told you already. I won’t know anything about where the lock was purchased until Tuesday at the earliest. And the lock won’t be processed for DNA or fingerprints for a week. Maybe more.”

That meant Aiden was still a liability. Then again… “Does it seem suspicious to you that someone tried to kill Lucy by setting a barn on fire, and then, her grandfather is seriously injured—and almost died—in a car accident?”

“But you said it was a heart attack. And he was driving on his own property.”

“Take both of those facts away.” His mind was spinning. “Would you be suspicious if someone tried to kill one member of a family and then, the other was in a car accident?”

“Yes,” said Callum. “Of course.”

“I should go and check out the scene. Look around and see if there’s evidence.”

“I would go with you, but I’ve got two different task forces working on cases right now,” said Callum. “Let me know what you find.”

“Will do,” said Aiden.

He turned to his car. Using the fob in his pocket, he turned on the engine and unlocked the doors. Ted came around the corner.

“Hey, you two,” he said with a wave. Despite the chilly day, Ted wore a golf shirt and khaki shorts. “Yesterday, I found you outside of The Eatery. Today, you’re standing across from Pixies. Is this all you do? Stand on the sidewalk and chat?”