The Texan's Surprise Baby (Bell Family 2)

Aaron turned to cock his head in Steven’s direction. “Is there any chance sabotage was involved in your accident?” he asked, nodding toward the crutches propped at the back of Steven’s chair.

Steven shook his head. “Totally my own fault. I let my thoughts wander while I was mowing, took an angle too steeply and turned over the mower.”

Even though Steven didn’t further elaborate, Andrew figured he’d been thinking about his future, trying to work up the courage to tell his family he wanted to leave the resort and train for a firefighting career.

“So it’s aimed at Hannah, then,” Aaron said with a grim expression.

Andrew felt the slightest tremor in Hannah’s fingers when she smoothed the adhesive bandage against his temple. Once again fury flared, and again he had to forcefully tamp it down. He needed to think clearly, rationally, and he couldn’t do that when his mind was clouded with anger.

Maggie watched Hannah pack away the first-aid supplies. “Chuck Cavender,” she said simply.

Hannah started. “We can’t know that.”

Andrew remembered that her ex-father-in-law had been the first person who’d popped into Hannah’s mind as a potential suspect in the vandalism of her car. He remembered, too, the uneasy feeling he’d had when they’d all ended up at the same intersection earlier that day.

He stood to push Hannah gently but firmly into his chair at the four-seat table, saying she needed to get off her feet for a while. “Does he resent you that much?” he asked when she was settled.

“Yes,” she said simply. “But it still seems unlike him to sneak around and cause this kind of mischief.”

“This was more than mischief, Hannah. This was an attack on you and the baby,” Andrew snapped, his simmering temper momentarily getting away from him. He wasn’t angry with her of course, but it was a good thing Chuck Cavender wasn’t within his reach at that moment. “I think I’ll have a talk with him tomorrow.”

Hannah swiveled in the chair to gaze up at him. “Andrew, you can’t just show up at his house and throw accusations at him without some sort of evidence. You of all people should know that.”

“I know how to question a suspect.” Aware that he’d snapped, he grimaced somewhat apologetically afterward.

She narrowed her eyes at him, reading the emotions roiling inside him. “With your fists?”

“If necessary.”

“I can see how Cavender could have gotten to your tires,” Aaron mused, leaning against the counter. “But would it be so easy for him to get to your porch? He’d have had to come through the gate, right?”

“Well, anyone can come through the gate,” Maggie pointed out. “If they aren’t registered guests, all they have to do is pay five dollars for one day’s admission.”

And no names or license plate numbers were taken at the gate, Andrew thought. Maybe that should change in the future.

“Still, he’d have risked being recognized by someone,” Aaron continued. “I’m assuming he spent some time here when you and the evil ex were married, Hannah.”

She nodded with a grimace at his use of the nickname everyone in the family had given Wade.

“He wouldn’t necessarily have come through the gate,” Steven suggested.

Leaning side by side against the counter now, Andrew and Aaron both looked hard at Hannah’s cousin. “There’s another way in?” Andrew asked. “Why didn’t I know that?”

“The old road?” Maggie asked, looking from Steven to Hannah. “I guess Wade knew about it, but would Chuck?”

“I don’t know,” Hannah replied unhappily.

“What old road?” Andrew demanded.

“It’s hardly more than a dirt path through the woods now,” Steven explained. “It’s the original road from the old highway to the river, before the dam was put in and the resort was built. It’s not on any of our resort maps, but it runs through the woods behind Pop and Mimi’s house. We used to ride four-wheelers and dirt bikes on the road when we were kids, but it’s pretty rutted and overgrown now. It’s still accessible from the old highway, though there’s a chain and a No Trespassing sign at the entrance. I guess someone could have gotten around the chain if they set their mind to it.”

Andrew was stunned that he’d never known about the old road. “Why the hell didn’t anyone tell me about that road? Did anyone mention it to you?” he asked Aaron.

His brother shook his head. “First I’ve heard of it.”

“Not even when Shelby was missing?” Andrew asked in exasperation. “You didn’t search it then to see if the chain was still in place?”

“Aaron didn’t know about it and the rest of us didn’t think of it,” Maggie admitted. “Besides, Aaron was pretty sure he knew who had Shelby, so his focus was on Cabin 7.”