2 On the Nickel (23 page)

A golf ball to the noggin
wouldn’t phase someone as crazy as Evan. Luckily I’d come up with a plan B. I
spun around and hurled the ball at Monty’s cage, striking it soundly in the
center. The glass broke with a loud pop and splinters of glass flew everywhere.

“Monty!” Evan released me and ran to save his precious pet.

I bolted out the door and called
the cops.

Chapter 16

The storm came out of nowhere. A black whirling monster of
epic proportions. I walked faster and faster on the unfamiliar golf course. A
black snake fell from the sky. Startled, I steered clear of it. But a striped
snake fell to the right. Then a rattlesnake dropped on my left. Oh, God. It was
raining reptiles. I clutched my collar close and hurried along the narrow
fairway bordered by ominous woods.

The light dimmed to twilight levels. More snakes fell. They hissed as they landed and slithered to cover. One
gray snake hit my shoulder as it fell, and I yelped with fear.

I had to get out of here, fast.

Why couldn’t I get my bearings?

Lightning arced across the leaden
sky. A giant python coasted down the lightning bolt in a thunderous roar. Its bloodred
eyes fixed on me. I froze. Oh God, I was going to die.

A chime sounded.

Angels? Would I be rescued?

The chime sounded again.

I surged from sleep, blinking in
the drowsy sunshine of late afternoon. With one hand on my racing heart, I
scanned my surroundings for slithering creatures. Nope. No snakes.

Just me and the living room. I
sighed in relief.

The doorbell chimed insistently. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I padded to the front door and opened it.

“I brought the beer.” Dean and
Jonette strolled in arm in arm. Dean looked strong enough to best a lumberjack.
More importantly, he was smiling. Who wouldn’t smile with a “Moore for Mayor” button
pinned on his ball cap and another on his black T-shirt?

Jonette looked smashing in her
wild pink getup. Infused throughout her steady regard of me was a liberal dash
of happiness and relief. She waved a bag of donut holes at me. “This will cure what ails ya.”

“I’m not sick,” I protested. “My
arm’s a little sore, but other than that I’m fine.”

“You need donut holes,” Jonette
said.

I groaned. I could eat the whole
bag, and she knew it. “Maybe I should rethink my decision to quit the gym.”

“You look fine to me.” Dean regarded me warmly. “Not as fine as Jonette, but I’m slightly prejudiced.”

“You better be.” Jonette gave me a brisk hug and glanced around. “Where are the puppies?”

I waved in the direction of the
kitchen. “In there.”

Jonette’s hips twitched as she
strolled to the kitchen. In her bright fuchsia sundress, she was a vibrant
orchid amidst the dark neutrals in my house. I couldn’t imagine how blah my
life would have been without her friendship.

“You guys all right?” I asked
Dean.

His gray eyes gleamed. “Never better.”

His statement sparked my
curiosity. In the space of a few days they’d gone from being on the verge of
breaking up to making gooey eyes at each other. “What turned the tide? How come things are good now?”

The corners of Dean’s lips
twitched. “I’m not dull.”

I’d been called dull plenty of times, by Mama and Charlie. Jonette had worked her magic on my life, and I’d become less dull. See med she’d transformed Dean, too. He stood tall, radiating confidence. I smiled.
“You’re getting a lot of mileage out of running naked in the street, aren’t
you?”

He rolled up on his toes and back
down. “I’m milking it for all it’s worth. Then I’m getting me a Harley.”

The image of Jonette in fringed
white leather, seated on a big hog rumbling over the lush Maryland countryside,
came to my mind. She’d love the freedom of the bike. “Live the dream, Dean.
Life is short.”

“Don’t I know it.” His expression
sobered. “I’ll take good care of her. You don’t have to worry about that.”

His promise confirmed what I suspected. Dean was the best Jonette had ever landed. I couldn’t keep my smile
inside. “How do you feel about Saint Bernards?”

He nodded. “Anything Jonette
wants.”

Lucky woman. I hoped they’d
always feel this special connection. I took his arm and guided him to the
kitchen. “Let’s get that beer refrigerated.”

Charla, Lexy, and Jonette each
held slumbering puppies in their arms at the table. Mama manned the stove,
stirring and baking. Cinnamon and nutmeg perfumed the air as two apple pies
cooled on the counter. Before I could sit down, the doorbell rang again. No one
else moved to answer it. I sighed. “I’ll get it.”

Despite the boxes of chocolate in
his hands, Bud Flook’s voice trembled with uncertainty when he greeted me. His glasses tilted to the right, and his rumpled business suit looked like he’d slept in it.
“Is Delilah home?”

I stepped aside to wave him in. “She
sure is. Would you join us for supper?”

“I wouldn’t want to put you folks
out. I wanted to borrow your mother for a few minutes.”

“Good luck with that. I haven’t
been able to pry her out of the kitchen all afternoon, but you’re welcome to try.”

He handed me a box of fancy
chocolates, his cigar-scented clothing rustling as he moved. “This is for you.”

“Thank you.” My mouth watered at
the pictures on the box. “That’s so sweet.”

Bud blushed. “You’re welcome. I’m glad this matter is settled once and for all.”

“You and me both.” I tore open my
chocolates and offered him one.

“No thanks,” he said.

“Mama’s in the kitchen, Bud.” As
he ambled away, I selected a chocolate for myself. I’d earned this reward, even
if I did ruin my supper. The decadent treat melted in my mouth. I hummed with delight, savoring the rich flavor. All too soon it was gone. But there were eleven
more. Which one would I try next?

Another car stopped on the curb
in front of my house. A bright red convertible. My pulse leaped with joy at the
sandy-headed, lanky man who strode my way. I stepped out on the porch and
closed the door. With any luck, the crowd inside wouldn’t miss me for awhile.

Rafe approached with a giant
crystal vase of roses. Dark red roses. Twelve of them. Lots of white babies’
breath and fern leaves in between. I liked.

The flowers and the man.

“Thank God you’re safe.” His lips
met mine.

We’d only been apart for a few
hours, but it felt like days. My body basked in his strength, warmth, and
passion. I wanted a lifetime of his kisses. I needed our relationship to mean more to him than flowers or sex. Though I wasn’t complaining about either one of those
things.

I reached for the beautiful
roses, but the chocolate box was in my hands. Placing the box on the porch
railing, I accepted his roses and inhaled deeply. Heady floral elixir filled my
lungs, my heart, my soul, fueling my dreams.

“Open the envelope,” he urged.

Anticipation rioted in my blood.
Carefully I set the vase on the wicker table. His expression sharpened, causing
me to tense as I plucked the white envelope from the fragrant bouquet. A thin
red ribbon the color of the roses was bunched inside. Tied to the ribbon was a
gold key.

My breath hitched. Chirping birds
and passing cars faded until we stood there alone, a universe of two. His brown
eyes glittered. “For you.” He placed the ribbon around my neck, the metal key sliding under my shirt to rest against my skin. His light caress shivered through me.

He’d given me the key to his
house. My heart raced a mile a minute. Two months of dating, and he’d given me his house key. I pressed the key against my breast.

“Come see me anytime.” He cradled my hand in his.

My heart swelled with emotion. A
key implied commitment. It wasn’t a ring, but it indicated trust and
dedication. Energy surged. I jumped him. “Thank you.”

Our teeth smacked together. He
caught me, centered me, and chuckled at my eagerness. “Easy, Red. We’ve got all
night.”

After dinner, Charlie had the
girls overnight. I planned to spend the entire night with Rafe. “You’ll stay
for dinner?”

His arms hugged me close. “I’m not leaving here without you. Did you cook?”

“It’s all Mama tonight.” I caressed
his clean-shaven face. Frissons of awareness flashed between us, rioting my
heightened senses. Tonight would be the best ever between us. “We have regular
food, too. Dean brought beer, and Jonette brought donut holes.”

“Two of my favorite food groups.
I’m in.” He glanced over at chocolates on the railing, and his expression
clouded. “Where did those come from?”

“Bud Flook. He’s over here
courting Mama.”

Tension ebbed in Rafe’s face. “Sounds
like you’ve got a full house in there.”

“It’s a little crazy inside. You
want to sit out here for a bit?”

“Sure.”

The setting sun cast long shadows
across the lawn, but on the porch it was all sunshine. We cuddled in the
creaking swing, Rafe’s arm around my shoulder. His masculine scent filled me with wonder and hope. I could get used to this. I could so get used to this.

Rafe cleared his throat. “About
this afternoon—”

I put my fingers to his lips to
cut him off. “Hey, no fair fussing. It’s over and done. If it weren’t for me, Evan Hodges would be getting ready to kill again.”

He brushed my fingers aside. “Why
didn’t you take me with you to Evan’s? I could’ve taken him out easy.”

Big macho-man talk. “You had golf
lessons to give. Besides, it was a spur of the moment thing.”

Rafe cupped my chin, held it
fast. “Red, you almost got yourself killed.”

Suddenly the key around my neck
weighed a ton. It felt less like a precious gift, more like a ball and chain.
In accepting the key, had I given away the freedom to make my own decisions? I
pulled away from him. “I got myself out of there. I called the cops. Everything
turned out fine.”

He stroked the length of my hair,
his hand coming to rest on my shoulder. “I don’t want to fight, sweetheart. I
want you to be safe.”

I thought of Monty in his glass
cage and shuddered at the prospect of being similarly caged. “This is who I am,
a woman who thinks for herself.” I slipped the ribbon off my head. My voice
broke. “If you don’t like it, take this back.”

I dropped the key in his lap.
Commitment, or trust in this case, wasn’t enough after all. I wanted an equal
partnership. If we weren’t in accord on a basic level, this would never work.
We had no future together. Despair kicked me hard in the gut.

Rafe blinked rapidly. “You’re mad
at me? For caring about you?”

“For trying to control me. I want to be with you, Rafe, but not at that price.”

He stared right through me. I prayed he didn’t get up and walk out of my life, but this heart-to-heart talk was long
overdue. For once I held my tongue. Silent winds tore at my heart. I braced for
the worst. I hoped for the best.

“One of the things I like about
you, Red, is the starch in your spine. You don’t let anyone walk over you.
That’s worth a lot in my book. I want you. I’ve made no secret of that. But I
want you safe. That’s not going to change, either.”

“We’re deadlocked? Both of us too
stubborn to compromise.” I didn’t purposefully shift in my seat, but somehow my boatneck top slipped off my right shoulder. My black bra strap stayed firmly in place.
Rafe traced my neckline with his fingertips, his languid touch setting fire to
my skin.

In a flash, the key was back
around my neck and he held me tight. “We can work this out. I care about you,
Red. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Rafe’s breath warmed my throat.

Hope rushed over the dam of
frustration. “We’re back to being a couple?”

“Definitely.”

“You can’t sleep over here
routinely. I have the girls to think of.”

“We’ll make it work, Red.”

I tucked the key under my shirt,
hardly believing my good fortune. My opinions and convictions mattered to him.
The new Cleo rocked. Even better, Rafe respected me for who I was. I’d dreamed of having someone accept me for who I was all my life. We held each other in contentment.

Dreams did come true. I happy-danced inside my head, twirling and humming with joy, until an unexpected sound
caught my ear. A door slamming. The door of the vacant house. I had new
neighbors? I strained forward to catch a glimpse, then wished I hadn’t.

Charlie exited the vacant house
next door. He strolled across my front yard, swaggering like royalty. His size-ten
feet made short work of my steps. “Evening,” he said.

With a heavy heart, I intercepted
him. “What now, Charlie?”

The skin at the corners of his
blue eyes crinkled. “I rented the house next door. We’re going to be neighbors.”

Alarm closed my throat. I gasped
for air. “This is not a good idea.”

“For you, maybe. It puts me right next door to my daughters.”

Rafe pressed in close behind me. “Jones.” Rafe’s arm circled my shoulder.

“Golden,” Charlie said.

I fisted my hands at my sides. “What
are you doing here, Charlie?”

His chest puffed out. “Charla
invited me to dinner.”

I shook my head. Charla and her
matchmaking were driving me crazy. I pointed to the front door. “The girls are
in the kitchen. Go on inside.”

He did.

A glance at Rafe’s scowling face
confirmed what I knew in my heart. Charlie’s dogged persistence was more than a
nuisance to Rafe. I found my voice. “I’m as stunned as you are. I had no idea
he planned to move next door.”

Current pulsed through the air. “Do
you love him?”

Charlie was my past, Rafe my
future. I gazed directly in Rafe’s eyes and willed him to believe me. “No. I’m crazy in love with you.”

Rafe searched my face for the
longest time. His scowl faded, and he clasped my hand. “Then there’s no
problem.”

* * * * *

Jonette scraped the
rosemary-flavored popcorn stuffing out of her purple pork chops and over to the
edge of her plate. “I don’t understand how you knew Evan was the real killer.
What gave it away?”

I swallowed a mouthful of stuffed
pork chop. The stuffing wasn’t bad. I rather liked the unusual flavor
combination. “Great stuffing, Mama.”