Daisy and I might have our forever figured out, but for everyone else… Things were still up in the air.
We slept in, for us. Grams was opening the bakery, and Daisy and I were still lazing in bed as the first beams of sunlight crested the mountains, turning the treetops emerald and burning off the dawn mist.
We took our time getting dressed, pulling on clothes between kisses, reluctant to leave our cozy love nest for work and real life. Unfortunately, we hadn't packed breakfast or coffee. Stomachs rumbling, we set out for the house, hand in hand.
As we walked, I caught Daisy turning her hand in the light, watching the diamond petals flash and glow in the early morning sun. I loved the sight of that ring on her finger almost as much as I was going to love sliding on the engagement ring I'd already picked out.
If she loved Lady Estelle's daisy ring, she was going to adore the diamond I had in mind for her. Later. We had time. Now that she'd agreed to move in and wore my ring on her finger—even if it wasn't an engagement ring—I could be patient.
I expected the house to be quiet when we snuck in the back door. Breakfast was served as a hot buffet most days to accommodate the widely varying schedules of the Sawyers. Those of us who worked outside the house usually hit breakfast early, though not this early.
Then again, what did I know? I'd been leaving before dawn with Daisy for the last month. Maybe the rest of the family had turned into early risers.
Despite the cacophony of voices from the front hall, I doubted it. Daisy and I bypassed the dining room, dropping our picnic basket at the top of the stairs to the lower level, and headed straight for the crowd assembled just inside the front door.
Griffen stood there, his hair rumpled from sleep, Hope in her robe beside him, her face pale and eyes wide. I glanced to Tenn and saw the reason for her expression. He stood beside a tall redhead I didn't recognize. The redhead's teeth were gritted, her finely wrought features torn between fear and annoyance.
“Hey guys,” I said, trying to figure out what the hell had gone wrong now. “Since when are you all up this early?”
Tenn raised an eyebrow at me. “Since I found Vanessa's body this morning when I came back from my run.”
Daisy and I both stared at him, his words not sinking in. Vanessa had made bail a few days before, but she'd since disappeared. We'd kept an eye out for her to resurface but otherwise hadn't given her much thought.
“Vanessa's body?” I asked. “She's dead?”
“Shot in the forehead, just like Dad,” Tenn confirmed.
“And who's she?” I asked, looking at the redhead. The redhead in question rolled her eyes to the ceiling, her impatience almost disguising her nerves.
“Her?” Tenn asked. He raised his arm and hers followed with a metallic jingle, the handcuff connecting them shining silver. “She's my alibi.”