The Stroke of Winter(25)

But he shook his head. “I haven’t seen anything, or anyone, around the house at all,” Jim said. “Although, I trust dogs’ reactions to things, and this guy was alerting you something wasn’t right.”

“Exactly my thought,” Wyatt said. “We just don’t know what that ‘something’ is.”

Tess sighed. But then, she had a thought. “Jim, do you have a security camera?”

He shook his head. “I have them all around the store, but here at the house? No. We’ve never needed one.”

Tess made a mental note to get cameras for her front and side doors.

The three of them chatted for a bit about other things, then, but Tess wasn’t really listening. She wasn’t sure what, exactly, had happened. Her mind was going in so many directions at once, and she didn’t like any of them.

The only thing she knew for sure was that she wanted to get back into the room. Despite all this strangeness—the scratching, Storm’s reactions—she was more concerned with something all too real. She had to know if those canvases were undiscovered paintings by her grandfather.

But at the same time, her stomach knotted at the idea of exploring the room by herself, at night. Even with Storm here, that room held too many strange and unsettling vibes for her to feel comfortable going back in there alone.

As she looked from Wyatt to Jim, she wondered whom she would trust to go into that room with her, given the very real possibility there would be artwork worth multiple millions stacked haphazardly there. She didn’t know these men, not really. They were friendly strangers, who, she hoped, would become true friends. But she wasn’t about to risk trusting either of them with a fortune. There was only one person to trust with the notion there could be undiscovered Sebastian Bells lying around, she concluded, and that was Eli. And he wasn’t here with her. She would have to go back into that room alone. But during the light of day.

“Well, I think I’ll head back home,” Jim said, touching Tess’s arm. “You call me if you get the feeling something’s not right. Anytime. Jane and I are just a few steps away.”

Tess pulled him into a hug. “Thank you,” she said.

He shook his head. “Think nothing of it. Dinner at our place next week?”

“I’d love that,” she said.

And then he was off, scuffing across the snowy driveway in his slippers.

“Okay, so that was a whole lot of nothing,” Wyatt said, pulling out a kitchen chair and sinking down into it. “We don’t have any answers, do we?”

“No,” Tess said, shrugging. “So much is running through my mind right now, I can barely form a coherent thought.”

“I get that,” Wyatt said. “The scratches. The stains. Storm’s weird behavior.”

“All of that,” she said. “Plus, I’ve always felt a little weird about that door. That room behind it. Now we’ve opened it, and it’s given us nothing but more questions.”

Wyatt glanced at the clock. “I hate to say this, but I really need to get going,” he said. “The dogs are going to be wondering about their supper.”

Of course, Tess thought. Wyatt had other things to do. But she felt a pang in the pit of her stomach at the thought of him going away. She wished he would stay.

“Jim mentioned you had dogs,” Tess said, by way of making conversation as Wyatt pulled on his coat, which he’d taken off as they talked. “What kind? I think he said malamutes?”

Wyatt smiled. “That’s right. One is black and white. One red and white. Luna and Maya. They’re good girls. I got them as a rescued pair about five years ago.”

“Bring them over sometime,” Tess said. “I’d love to see them.”

“I’ll do that,” he said, smiling. But Tess watched as that smile faded as quickly as it had appeared. “Will you be okay here by yourself tonight?” he asked. “You seemed pretty spooked.”

Tess wasn’t quite sure how to answer that question. She desperately wished for someone else to be with her, after the strangeness of the day. But she couldn’t very well say it out loud to Wyatt. Instead, she managed a smile.

“Of course,” she said. “I’ve got my bodyguard here to protect me.” She glanced at Storm, who had calmed down and was curled into a ball in front of the fire.

“Okay,” Wyatt said, holding her gaze for a bit longer than usual.

Something was happening between them, Tess thought. A moment. The air itself seemed to buzz around her like fireflies.

“Thanks for dinner,” he said, finally. “It was delicious. I can’t believe I neglected to brag to Jim about it. He’s been talking up your cooking to the whole town.”

Tess chuckled. “Anytime. My kitchen is always open.”

Wyatt leaned against the doorframe. “I really don’t want to go. Is that bad to say? Should I not be saying that at this juncture? I’m really out of practice at this. Whatever this is. Is this something? Or not? Am I presuming too much?” He chuckled. “Well, for sure I’m talking too much.”

Tess crossed the room and put her arms around his shoulders. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, their faces touching for an electric moment.

“I’m out of practice, too. At whatever this is. Or isn’t. Maybe we can just muddle through it together.”