Chapter 2
What nobody in Millbrook Falls understood yet was that Damon Cross didn’t do anything without checking first.
Before his knuckles ever touched that motel door, he’d already had her legal name confirmed, her references verified, her record checked clean. Not because he doubted her — because three minors slept under his roof, and Damon Cross had buried a wife once already. He wasn’t about to gamble what was left of his family on a stranger’s smile.
He wanted to know one thing only: was she safe to bring near his children.
The answer came back clean in under an hour. Elena Voss was exactly who she said she was.
So when she finally opened that motel door — jeans, thick sweater, an expression that said she’d already survived enough surprises for one lifetime — Damon didn’t waste her time with charm.
Ten minutes. Bread. Meals. Schedules. Whether she minded kids underfoot.
Then one question that made her fold her arms and actually look at him.
“Can you cook anything besides baking?”
May you like
She didn’t know yet that this house had swallowed two hired cooks in a week. She didn’t know why. She didn’t know what — or who — had made three children afraid of strangers in their own kitchen.
She was about to find out.
