River yawned as he nursed a cup of coffee while sitting at the old butcher block table in the kitchen. Stretching his long, denim-clad legs, he felt the joints in his hips crack and pop. Too many years of abuse on these old bones. The life of a SEAL wasn't easy on a body and today he was feeling all thirty-eight years acutely.

"What a long night," Shaun muttered as he entered the kitchen and headed straight to the coffee pot.

"Tell me about it," River replied.

Shaun dropped into one of the chairs and sipped the strong black brew. "Where's Dad?"

River lifted his chin toward the back door. "Left about ten minutes ago. He wanted to check the hen house again before heading out for the south pasture. He's worried about the two new calves out there what with all the activity last night."

The grunt from Shaun sounded loud in the still air.

"What do you think it was?" Maddox took another swig of the brew.

Shaun's shoulders lifted in a shrug. "Weasel or coyote? Maybe a fox. Unless it sets off one of the traps, we may never know. You remember how things were when we were kids. We had some great times those summers. I still can't believe I'm back here after all this time. It's as familiar to me as riding a bike." He laughed. "Four years of college and I still end up back on the farm. You know, I'm happy here. It's where I belong."

"That mean you are planning on staying?"

"I don't know. Maybe? Hannah loves it here. Her family is in Kentucky and raise horses so she will always be a farm girl at heart. The pregnancy has been rough on her so she's taking time off until after the baby is born. My job can be done anywhere so I'm not worried. This is as good a place as any and with my parents getting up there in years, they will need someone to step in. What about you, Mad? What are your plans now?"

River rubbed the scruff on his chin. What were his plans? When he left the service, he had intended on coming here for a while and helping out until he got his civilian feet back again. Listening to Shaun talk about being home had resonated with him. It had been ridiculously easy to slip back into the swing of things. Being here felt right. It felt like home. He exhaled slowly. "First thing is to take care of Joselyn's stalker problem. Other than that..." He shrugged. "I didn't have much more planned, to be honest. Finding myself on this side of my career never seemed real to me. It was some hypothetical point in the future. It would come eventually.' Eventually' was a hell of a lot faster than I'm ready for."

The two sat in silence as the pre-dawn light slowly brightened outside from a dim gray to a soft blue. Off in the distance, a rooster crowed in greeting the new day.

"Sounds like Weiner has survived the night," Shaun grunted. "I still can't believe Dad named that stupid Rooster Weiner." He shook his head in disbelief. "I think he did it because Mom turns red every time he his name."

They both chuckled. "Uncle Aaron always did have a sense of humor."

Shaun nodded. "Yeah, he does. But I'm worried about him. There's a strain on his face I'm not used to seeing. He doesn't smile and joke as much as he used to or maybe he isn't as good at hiding it now we're older."

"From what I gather, he hasn't been the same since those two prize bulls died. Losing the breeding program and having to let all the hands go took a bit out of him." River sat straighter and leaned on the table. He ran his hands over the coffee cup slowly. "He had a lot of dreams riding on those two. With both you and I away and no help with the place, he went into survival mode." He waved a hand around the room. "It's become a shell of what it used to be."

"Well, Mom and Dad are both in their sixties. Dad has always been strong and Mom's a force to be reckoned with. Still, there's only so much they can do. Working a farm is hard, as you know. I'm afraid it's going to be the death of him. My biggest fear while on the road was getting a call from Mom saying he's had a stroke or a heart attack out in one of the pastures. I'm starting fatherhood kind of late in life but I want my kid to know his or her grandparents."

Their talk was cut short as a noise came from in the living room. After a moment, Joselyn appeared in the doorway followed by Celia. River smiled at the two and stood pulling Joselyn into his embrace before kissing her soundly. "Good morning, sweetheart."

Beside her, Celia grinned. "Woah, gracious me, Maddox. You are going to set the house on fire."

Joselyn's face turned the adorable shade of pink he so loved. Releasing her, he dropped a peck on his aunt's cheek. "I learned from the best," he teased. At the table, Shaun groaned.

Celia pulled out a pan and went to the refrigerator. Digging around, she pulled out several items. "Going to be pancakes today," she called out. "Breakfast will be done in a few minutes."

As River sat back down on his chair, he pulled Joselyn into his lap. Nuzzling against her neck, he murmured, "You smell good enough to eat."

She snuggled into his arms. "You been awake all night? I heard the animals going crazy off and on."

He slowly traced circles on her arm causing the fine hairs there to raise. "A good portion of it. Dogs wouldn't quit barking and it had the livestock in an uproar. Every half hour or so they started up again. Pretty sure it was some predator out to get a little chicken dinner."

"It wasn't a predator."

River's head snapped around. He spied his uncle standing in the doorway leading into the mudroom. Dressed in faded work jeans, a chambray shirt, and filthy boots, he filled the entryway with his presence. His stance was ramrod straight and River noticed the slight tremor in his limbs. Fury burned in his eyes as he swept the room and his jaw clenched. A double barrel shotgun sat cradled in his arms.

"Aaron! You are tracking dirt on my floors," Celia admonished.

He shot her an apologetic glance. "I'll sweep it in a bit. Sorry, Ce." He motioned toward the two men at the table. "Come on, boys. I need your help a bit."

The way he said it made chills run along River's spine. Nudging Joselyn out of his lap, he stood. Beside him, Shaun took one last drink of his coffee and placed the mug in the sink. "Let me get my boots," River said approaching the mud room.

When he reached his uncle, Aaron placed a hand on his shoulder. "Grab your sidearm," he murmured and disappeared back outside.

"Well, crap," he muttered. He was not going to like this.

* * *

"Son of a..." River swore as he glared at the back side of the barn.

"Holy, shit," Shaun muttered beside him.

"I guess now we know why we couldn't find any foxes. Seems we had a bigger predator prowling around last night," Aaron said with a nod toward the barn.

"Shaun? Hannah is sick. She asked me to find..." Joselyn's words dropped away to nothing as she came around the corner of the barn. River tried to block her but she pushed past him. Eyes widening, her face paled as she read the sadistic message left for her in what looked like dried blood. The carcasses of two chickens lay on the ground underneath.

Gardens will wither once they have bloomed

Three other blossoms also are doomed.

The majestic Magnolia so full of life

Working away as the farmer's wife.

The delicate Lily with a secret she hides

A sweet tender Daisy slumbering inside.

My Rose has fled away from her home

So others now soon will also be sown.

"No," Joselyn whispered.

Maddox saw her knees buckle and pulled her into his arms before setting her on an upended bucket. Pushing her head down until it was lower than her knees, he told her, "Breathe, honey."

Gulping air, she pushed his hand from her head angrily. "I'm fine. It just surprised me. How did he find us?"

River shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't think he would be able to. There's no connection to me here. Bull has my cell phone. Have you told anyone the address? Maybe your mother?"

She shook her head. "I gave her the phone number. I haven't had my cell phone on and I haven't been online unless we were in town. Maddox, I haven't even turned my laptop on while here in case he could somehow track us. I swear to you I've been extremely careful." She read the words aloud again and wrapped her arms around her midsection. "When I was a teenager, the thought of getting poetic love notes from a boy was so romantic. In truth, the reality makes it a lot less appealing."

Seeing her distress, River wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently. She took in a shuddering breath but smiled. His breath hitched when it didn't reach her eyes. Letting her go, he stood and turned back toward the others.

"Now what?" Shaun asked.

"Family takes care of family," Aaron growled. "We hole up here and wait for this psycho to come back. With the three of us, we can handle him."

"No," Joselyn whispered.

"It's not going to be easy. We'll have to take turns watching, twenty-four seven," Shaun said. "You two are better at this stuff than I am, so you tell me what you need me to do."

"No," Joselyn shook her head.

"This place is too open. There are too many entrances, too many ways he can sneak by." River gestured toward the wall. "He managed to do this last night with us running around every few minutes."

"No," Joselyn said a bit louder. They ignored her.

"It was different. We thought it was a fox after the hens. Now we know..." Aaron started.

Joselyn stood, knocking the bucket over. "No," she shouted.

All three of them stared at her like she had sprouted another head. It would be comical if not for the seriousness of the situation.

"I'm not going to put you at risk. I'm not going to let Celia, Hannah, or that precious little one get hurt because of my problem." She pushed by River and stomped toward the house.

"Where are you going?" River called out as he hurried after her. He caught her at the porch and swung her around to face him. Seeing the tears swimming in her eyes, he softened and brushed her cheek with his thumb. "Hey. Come on honey, don't let him win."

She pushed out of his arms. "He's already won. Can't you see? He won the minute he threatened your family. When he mentioned Hannah and the baby, he won."

"Joselyn, he hasn't won. You are still alive. Aunt Celia, Hannah, and the baby are fine. "

"But for how long? He's already proven he can find me. He can get to me no matter where I go. You saw the message. He will hurt them if I keep running."

He brushed the hair from her face and cupped her cheek in his rough palm. "We stop running. We take a stand... here and now."

She shook her head. "Not here and not now." Turning away she climbed the steps. "I'm not going to let anyone else get hurt. Since he is going to get to me anyway, I'm going home. We'll change the locks, reset the codes and if we have to, we will hire a full security team. I'm not going to stay here and let him target the others. It's time I got back to New Orleans."