Organically Yours: Sanctuary, Book Five by Abbie Zanders (love letters to the dead txt) 📕

an hour or so away, he knew it would be better to be off Obermacher property when the sun came up.

Tina barely stirred as he carried her into her bedroom and put her to bed, tucking the covers around her. After ensuring she had everything she might need within reach, he scribbled a quick note, pressed a light kiss to her forehead, and slipped out into the early morning darkness.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Tina

Tina woke, feeling better than she had in days. She still wasn’t one hundred percent, but there was a definite improvement.

Doc was gone, having slipped out at some point. She had a vague memory of him carrying her to bed sometime in the wee hours of the morning. She wasn’t sure when exactly, but it must have been pretty late—or pretty early, depending on how she looked at it. All she knew was, each time she’d woken on the couch, it had been to find herself snuggled against him with a different movie playing.

She wasn’t complaining. Doc’s presence had been unexpected but very much appreciated. Sure, it had been humbling for her to have him see her at her worst, but on the plus side, if he could handle that, he could probably handle anything.

As she fixed herself a cup of tea, the thought made her smile, as did the clean dishes drying in the rack and the neatly folded sheets he’d left on the table. Unexpected bonus: he knew how to fold a fitted sheet to perfection—a skill she had never quite mastered.

A girl could get used to that kind of pampering.

Tina was sipping her tea and pondering the benefits of the friendship-plus plan when she heard the telltale crunch of gravel outside, indicating an approaching visitor. A moment later, she identified the distinctive roar of her brother’s truck, followed shortly thereafter by his beefy hand pounding on the door.

“Bert! Open up.”

She took her time in getting up and walking to the door, opening it just a crack. “What do you want?”

Rick pushed open the door and walked in like he owned the place. Technically, she supposed he did since it was on Obermacher property, but it annoyed her more than usual.

His gaze swept over the small interior, coming back to rest on her accusingly. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

Did he know about Doc’s visit?

She tightened the sash on her robe and crossed her arms as she pretended to think about it. “No, I don’t think so.”

“I was just down at The Mill, looking for you. Aggie said you didn’t show up the last couple of days. And why the hell are you still in your pajamas?”

“Because I’m sick,” she told him. “And I didn’t go to The Mill because I didn’t want to get anyone else sick.”

“Yeah, well, just because you’re taking it easy doesn’t mean your crew should be. I told you firing Eddie was a mistake.”

Rick had just blown past the I’m sick part. No how are you. No can I do anything or how can I help.

“Firing Eddie was not a mistake,” she told him firmly. “The crew’s idle because the supplier sent the wrong fertilizer, and I refuse to spray that toxic crap on my trees.”

“So, I’m supposed to pay them for hanging around the barn and drinking coffee?”

“Last I checked, their salaries come from the orchard budget, which, if I’m not mistaken, brought in more than any other division last year. But if it bothers you so much, poach them like you usually do until I get this mess straightened out.”

When Rick continued to glare at her, she prompted, “Was there something else?”

His mouth twisted into a grimace. “Someone told Bonnie they saw you driving up the mountain last Sunday.”

“And?” Tina driving around wasn’t exactly prime gossip fodder.

“And,” he said with exaggerated patience, “they saw you heading up the mountain. Alone. And it wasn’t the first time. Where’d you go, Bert?”

“Whoever someone is, they need to mind their own business. And I’ll start telling you my whereabouts when you start telling me yours.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You weren’t at Sanctuary, were you?”

She lifted her chin defiantly. “What if I was?”

“Goddammit, Bert! I told you to stay away from there.”

“First of all, last time I checked, you weren’t my keeper. And secondly, get your head out of your ass and stop listening to window lickers like Eddie. You’ve known Matt Winston all your life. You know he’s not the paranoid, unstable guy some people say he is, and neither are the others.”

“Jesus. You have been going up there, haven’t you?”

Tina had been hoping to put this battle off for as long as possible, but it appeared as if she would be fighting it sooner rather than later.

“Not that it’s any of your concern, but Matt asked for my advice on the old orchard, and I gave it to him. And while I was there, I saw Kate Handelmann and Sandy Summers, and they invited me for coffee. It was nice. They were nice.”

Rick’s face darkened even further. “You want girl time? You’ve got two sisters-in-law. You don’t need to go up to Sanctuary for that shit.”

She snorted. She had no desire to spend time with either of her brothers’ wives. Bonnie was wrapped up in her own issues, and Giselle had her nose too high in the air to be bothered.

“What do you have against them anyway?” she asked. “Because I’ve heard the rumors, and I can tell you that Sanctuary is nothing like the mercenary stronghold some people make it out to be. In fact, it looks a lot like it did when we used to go up there as kids. Matt’s even restoring the—”

“God, you’re so gullible. They were just putting on a show for you. Can’t you see that?”

“Oh? Where’s your proof, huh? Have you actually been there? Talked to them?”

His teeth ground together. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”

“And you do?”

His body stiffened. “I’m not going to tell you again. Stay away from Sanctuary.”

“Or what?”

“Or