Running to You: Small Town Romance

Chapter Five

**This has not been edited or proofread.**

GRAYSON

Later that night after having showers and eating dinner, Farrah and I were sitting in front of the fire in my living room. It was a cool night, chillier than we were used to this time of the year. So, while I'd gotten a fire started in the fireplace, Farrah dragged some couch cushions down to the floor, and we were now cuddling in front of it while I told her my version of Little Red Riding Hood again.

"Grayson?" she whispered when I paused to swallow down some coffee.

"Hm?" I questioned, setting my coffee mug down.

She turned to face me. I frowned when she ran her eyes over my face. There was a hint of nervousness in her gaze, and I didn't understand why. She had nothing to be nervous about around me.

But then, she leaned forward and kissed me.

Ah, jeez.

I wrapped an arm around her and yanked her closer to me before I tangled my fingers in her hair, deepening the kiss. She softly moaned, her fingers coming up to twist into my hair, her lips opening beneath mine.

We parted all too soon, but we were both breathing heavily. Her pretty eyes had darkened a shade, and her lips were now swollen and plump.

"I've wanted to do that since I was nine," she whispered.

I grinned at her and brushed my nose with hers. "I've been in love with you for years, Farrah." Her breath caught in her throat. "And I've been infatuated with you since you were born."

She giggled, a pretty blush staining her cheeks. I opened my mouth to speak again, to tease her about how beautiful she looked, but my phone rang before I could. I sighed and snatched it up, my gut twisting at the sight of Chase's name on my phone.

"Yeah?" I grunted.

"Another fire," he told me. I gritted my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut. "Deek said it looks like it's been started the same. He found a used motor oil boil that had probably been dropped." I was clenched my teeth together to so hard that it hurt. "Thought I'd let you know."

I nodded with a heavy sigh. "Thanks, Chase."

I hung up, my good mood killed. Farrah ran her eyes over my face. "Grayson?" she quietly asked.

I blew out a soft breath. "Another barn fire," I informed her.

She frowned. "Where?"

I shrugged. "I didn't bother asking," I told her. Part of me was terrified to know the answer. I basically knew every where Farrah had done work, especially recently. And I didn't want my suspicions confirmed that someone was specifically targeting her, playing with her.

Farrah burrowed against me. "Do you think someone has something against the animals?"

It sounded cruel when I thought about it, but I really hoped someone had a weird vendetta against horses and barns instead of her. I couldn't lose her.

"I don't know, baby girl," I said instead.

~*~*~

FARRAH

Two weeks had passed quietly. After that third barn fire that night, everything had been silent. I'd stopped taking training work for the time being just to be on the safe side, especially since I'd found out where that third fire had been at.

It was at the Rainey's farm where I'd been at the day before Mr. Collins had called me to work with Vern.

Chase was doing a good job of keeping my mind distracted when I wasn't at work, and even Meredith was stopping by my Vet office when she wasn't busy so I could dote over my niece.

She really was the most precious baby I'd ever seen, but I could have been biased. Didn't matter though. The town agreed with me. Chase and Meredith had made the cutest baby ever.

I wedged my phone between my shoulder and my ear as I turned off my car and shoved open the door. "Yes, Grayson, I'm still coming over this evening," I told him. "I just need to do some laundry first. You've been taking up all my time."

His deep voice came through the line like velvet sliding across my skin. "Need help? I'm done for the day. The guys are finishing up the last touches on the barn." They'd been working on that barn for two weeks now. Just about everyone in town who had a moment to spare between the rebuilding of the other two barns helped Grayson get his back up as well, though I knew to Grayson, that barn would never be the same. I knew how much that first one meant to him.

"As much as I'd love that, no. There's some things a girl should keep private."

Grayson snorted, making me giggle. I walked up the steps to my front door and instantly stopped, my face paling, my keys falling from my hands. I ripped the old news article down, my heart thumping wildly in my chest.

"Grayson?" I croaked, my hand trembling.

"Farrah?" His voice was harder now and filled with steel. "What's going on?"

I was just a child when this article had been written, but I was the reason it got written in the first place. I'd told Chase and Grayson that I caught a man beating a horse, and they'd convinced me to call the police. Mom and Dad had firmly stood behind me when everyone began to accuse me of just being a nosy little girl, but I ended up uncovering an illegal horse trade.

This man was stealing people's horses from all over the state and housing them far out in the county. I'd just managed to find him beating one of Mr. Weeber's that he had just stolen. After that, I became praised by the entire town for saving all of those horses, and as a sort of tribute to me, every single one of those horses that hadn't been reclaimed found a new home in this town.

And the man had gone to jail.

"I think I know why all the barn fires are happening," I whispered.