Home to Whiskey Creek (11 page)

“Hard to believe it’s been fifteen years,” he mumbled. “Seems like yesterday.”

“I know. Jacob grew up almost overnight,” Riley said. “Or maybe it just feels that way because I’m still not married,” he added with a weak laugh.

Eve twirled a lock of her silky dark hair. “I’ve been feeling my biological clock ticking away, too. As a group, we’re pretty late to the marriage party.”

“Maybe I’m glad I haven’t always been part of the group,” Olivia teased.

Noah would’ve pointed out that she’d only been married a short time, but Eve distracted him by clutching his arm. “That’s
her,
isn’t it?”

He twisted around to see who’d walked into the coffee shop and spotted Adelaide. She was wearing a pair of sunglasses, probably to hide her black eye because it wasn’t that bright outside, and a jogging outfit. Both her clothes and her hair were damp, suggesting she’d been working out, but she was carrying a laptop.

“That
is
her,” Olivia confirmed. “I wouldn’t have expected her out and about so soon.”

Riley whistled under his breath. “Looks like she’s back on her feet to me.”

Noah didn’t respond. Addy froze when she saw him. For a second, he thought she might turn around and head right back out the door. She hadn’t been happy when he’d more or less cornered her into having him over for dinner next week. He felt bad about that, but not bad enough to cancel.

Instead of leaving, as she seemed tempted to do, she raised one hand in a quick, obligatory wave. Then she averted her gaze and approached the counter.

Ted leaned to one side, obviously hoping to get a better look at her. “She’s pretty, all right.”

Noah shot him and Riley a scowl. “Don’t get any ideas.”

“
You’re
interested?” Ted said.

“Of course he’s interested,” Baxter grumbled. “He hasn’t slept with her yet.”

Noah shot
him
a look, too, but for an entirely different reason. That had sounded so...
jealous.

“Come on, Noah.” Riley winked at him. “Why not let me save her the heartbreak of getting involved with you?”

“I’m not going to break her heart!” he said. But he had a terrible feeling that this might be the girl who could break his.

* * *

Ugh!
How could she have forgotten?

Addy wanted to kick herself. Noah had mentioned that he met up with his friends on Fridays at the coffee shop. She’d had no idea what time, of course, or how long they stayed, but had she realized there’d be a chance of running into him, she wouldn’t have stopped at Black Gold.

Maybe she would’ve remembered if he’d been the only thing on her mind. Needless to say, he wasn’t. She’d gone to the high school track to run, where there were plenty of other people. She’d thought that might make her feel safe, but she’d been looking over her shoulder the entire time, fearing that the man who’d confronted her in her bed might accost her again. She wouldn’t have come out of the house at all—part of her wanted to hole up and hide away, at least during the day when she felt so exposed—except she refused to let the men who’d raped her limit her life to such a degree. She needed to establish a normal routine, especially if she was going to be here for a while. The longer she put it off, the more resistant she’d feel about circulating in public.

It wasn’t easy to move on as if nothing had happened. She had to deal with questions, expressions of alarm and surprise from almost everyone she encountered. And seeing Noah only made a tense morning worse. He looked so good sitting there. Far more handsome than he had any right to look—to her, anyway. She didn’t want to admire him. What did it matter if he was handsome? Or nice? He couldn’t be part of her life. If she accepted him, even as a friend, he’d be a constant reminder of everything she was struggling to forget.

And just think how betrayed
he’d
feel if he ever found out how his brother had really died.

Careful to avoid his gaze, she ignored him as well as those who were with him, and tapped her fingers on the counter while waiting for her latte. She’d brought her laptop, hoping to take a peek at www.SkintightEntertainment.com. But now she wasn’t even going to sit down, let alone log on. She just wanted to grab her latte and go, get out of there before she had to engage Noah or anyone else in conversation.

Come on, come on, come on,
she chanted silently, but the barista didn’t fill her order fast enough. The next thing she knew, Olivia Lucero and Eve Harmon were at her side.

“Addy, it’s so great to have you back,” Olivia said.

Pretending to be pleased to see them, Addy turned and suffered through two embraces—awkward, given that she was holding her laptop and purse. “Thank you. It—it’s good to be home,” she lied.

Eve gave her a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry about what happened.”

Addy checked to see if the barista had her drink ready. Not yet. How long could it take to make a latte? “Crazy, isn’t it?”

“Beyond crazy!” Eve exclaimed. “Especially here. That kind of thing doesn’t happen in Whiskey Creek.”

She wished that was truly the case. “At least...at least I wasn’t seriously hurt.” She’d already spoken the same platitudes several times. It was the only way to satisfy everyone and, she hoped, get life back to normal.

“I bet you’re glad Noah was there when you needed someone,” Eve said.

Addy told herself not to look over, but her eyes shifted in Noah’s direction in spite of herself. He hadn’t gotten up. He was watching her from across the room, but that was enough to put the old flutter in her stomach. She’d been so sure she was over him, that the melting sensation she’d always experienced when he was around couldn’t survive what Cody had done.

That wasn’t true at all.

“Yes, it was...kind of him.”

Olivia softened her voice. “I hope they catch the guy who...who hurt you. He deserves to be put away. It’s scary to think there’s a would-be rapist in town.”

“He
didn’t
rape me!”

She realized she’d stated it too emphatically when Olivia hurried to reassure her. “I know. But that was his intent, wasn’t it?”

“Hard to say
what
he wanted.” Wishing she could go, Addy reached into her purse for her keys and accidentally dropped the wallet she’d taken out.

Eve picked it up and handed it back. “The knife Chief Stacy found should help—if they can figure out who it belongs to.”

Addy refastened the snap that had come open on her wallet and slid it into her purse. “They already know who it belongs to.”

Olivia’s eyes went wide. “They do?”

“That didn’t take long,” Eve said. “Whose is it?”

Addy decided she might as well share the news. It’d circulate through town whether she spoke up or not. “Aaron Amos’s.”

“It’s
Aaron’s?
” Eve covered her mouth.

“Does Dylan know?” Olivia looked over at their friends before nudging Eve. “Maybe that’s why he and Cheyenne didn’t come this morning.”

“I know Aaron’s been...troubled and Dylan’s been worried about him,” Eve said. “But surely he wouldn’t—”

“No,” Addy assured them. “It wasn’t Aaron. I mean...it
was
his knife. He admits that much. But he’s not the one who attacked me.”

“You’re
sure?
”

She was hugging her laptop so tightly it was cutting into her biceps. “Positive. He kept it in his truck. Someone must’ve stolen it.”

Olivia seemed even more shocked. “Wow, I was sort of hoping it was a...a spur-of-the-moment attack. Somehow that’s less frightening than thinking someone, someone we probably know, plotted it all out.”

“Stealing a knife to commit a crime—basically setting someone up—that takes a lot of forethought,” Eve agreed.

Addy rearranged all the stuff in her arms. “It wouldn’t be hard to set Aaron up. His reputation makes him an easy target.”

“Especially if it was possible to get hold of his knife,” Olivia said. “How do you know it wasn’t him?”

“He was with Shania Carpenter.”

Eve stepped back. “
Shania?
Has she finally given up on Noah?”

“She was after
Noah?
” Addy asked.

“If she couldn’t have Cody,” Eve told her.

Olivia looked perplexed. “So are Aaron and Shania together now?”

Addy shook her head. “I don’t get that impression.”

“I’m just glad he has an alibi,” Eve said. “And I’m sure Dylan and Cheyenne will be happy about it, too. But...if it wasn’t Aaron who attacked you...who was it?”

“The police are still trying to figure that out.”

At last, the barista turned and set her latte on the counter. “Here you go,” he said with a smile.

“Thank you.” She took it and began to leave, but Olivia blocked her path.

“Hey, why don’t you join us? We’d all love to talk to you. Noah was just saying he’d like to know where you worked before coming here. Maybe you can tell us what you’ve been up to for the past decade or so.”

Her eyes darted back to the group at the table. “Noah wanted to know
what?
”

Olivia seemed to realize she’d said something she shouldn’t. “We’re all curious about where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing. We’ve missed you.”

Addy cleared her throat. “That’s so nice of you to say. And I—I’d love to join you, but...another time?” She lifted the only arm that had any range of movement to gesture at her clothes. “Look at me. I’ve been jogging and...I need a shower.”

“Oh, right.” Olivia nodded and apparently chose not to mention that she was holding her laptop, which would’ve led anyone to believe she’d planned to stay, at least long enough to check her email. “No problem.”

“How about next week?” Eve pressed. “We come every Friday.”

Addy braced her cup against her body with one arm as she inched closer to the door. “Sure, except...I’ll be helping out at the restaurant by then. That’s why I’m in town. But...I’ll certainly come if I can.”

Pushing the door open with her back, she raised the same arm in what would’ve been a wave if she’d had a free hand and pivoted toward her car. But in her rush to get out, she nearly ran into someone who was coming in from outside.

And when her eyes lifted to the man’s face, she recognized him.

11

A
delaide would’ve known Kevin Colbert anywhere, because he didn’t look that different. He had the same straight black hair, dark eyes and Roman nose. Pockmarks and a heavier shadow of beard growth had replaced the acne he’d struggled with as a teen, but he wasn’t
bad-
looking. The girls had liked him well enough. According to Noah, Kevin had married petite and curvy Audrey Calhoun, who’d been popular and pretty.

The man she’d long envisioned as a monster was just an older version of the boy she once knew. Although he was thicker—he’d put on at least thirty pounds—he wasn’t any taller. She still had him by two or three inches. She noticed because that night in the mine he’d been so intimidated by her height. She could distinctly remember him saying it didn’t matter that she was taller when he had her on her back.

Cody had thought that the best joke in the world....

She told herself to walk past Kevin without any acknowledgement. She’d prepared herself for this moment. When she decided to return to Whiskey Creek, she’d known she’d have to face him—the others, too—and probably sooner rather than later.

But her feet wouldn’t carry her to her car. They wouldn’t carry her anywhere. Her vision narrowed, and she could hear the blood rushing through her ears.

“Hi.” He blinked at her, startled when he recognized her. Then he reached out to hold the door as any polite person would. In the process his hand grazed her arm, and she jumped back as if he’d burned her, causing her latte to splatter on the ground.

“I’m sorry!” He glanced past her, at everyone who’d just seen her drop her drink. “I—I didn’t mean to knock that out of your hand.”

He hadn’t touched it, and he had to be aware of that, but Adelaide couldn’t draw enough breath to speak.

“Here, let me... I—I’ll buy you a new one.” He bent to pick up her cup, continuing to hold the door as if he expected her to turn around so he could make good on that promise. But she wasn’t about to go anywhere with him.

Without a single word, she circled wide and hurried to her 4-Runner. She could feel him watching her as, hands shaking, she struggled to unlock her SUV. She could feel everyone in Black Gold staring through the windows. But she couldn’t help the flight instinct that had kicked in. All it had taken was one look into Kevin’s eyes and memories of the attack had overwhelmed her.

* * *

Noah cut Kevin off before he could reach the counter. “What’d you do to her?”

Kevin looked out of it, as though she’d just hit him with a strong right hook. “What?”

“What’d you do to her?”

“Nothing.”

Together, they watched Addy peel out of her parking space. She didn’t even take the time to wait for a safe opening in traffic before charging into the street. The driver of a red Honda honked as she cut him off but that didn’t slow her down.

“You scared her,” Noah said when she was gone.

“No, I didn’t do anything, I swear.”

“Why else would she run away like that?”

“How should I know? I said I’d buy her another drink. That was all. I think...I think it was just that I came upon her so suddenly.”

Noah had a hard time believing that could be it. “Maybe she got burned by the coffee....”

Kevin smoothed his Eureka High football T-shirt over the “happy fat” he’d been piling on since getting married. “Could be. But you of all people know she’s had a rough week. I can’t imagine she was in the best frame of mind to begin with.”

Noah couldn’t argue with that and yet the encounter he’d just witnessed bothered him. Addy had seemed absolutely...stricken.

“What’s up with you acting so defensive, anyway?” Kevin put an arm around his shoulders and gave him a playful squeeze. “You pull her from the mine and now you’re her designated savior?”

Noah wasn’t anything to Addy. She didn’t want him involved in her life. She’d made that clear. And yet...he felt oddly protective. She was so sensitive and serious. Hearing about her selfish mother, and knowing she planned to help her aging grandmother despite the attack, made him sympathetic. Adelaide put on a tough-girl front. She wanted him and others to believe she could take care of herself. But he had the feeling that she was attempting to protect a very fragile heart.

“She’s been through enough. That’s all,” he said curtly.

Eve and Olivia hadn’t had a chance to return to their seats before Addy dropped her drink. They’d stood and watched the scene unfold, just as surprised as he’d been. Now they hurried over to join him. “What happened?” they asked, almost in unison.

“Says he doesn’t know,” Noah replied.

“I don’t.” Kevin spread his hands to show his innocence. “If she wasn’t burned, maybe it has to do with the attack. She’s got to be rattled. Someone threatened her with a
knife.
” He fished his wallet out of his back pocket and checked the menu, written in chalk on a blackboard overhead, even though it seemed unlikely that, after coming here so often, he needed to consult it. “She’ll feel better once they catch the guy who did it. And that should happen soon.”

Taken aback by his confident tone, Noah stopped him before he could move away. “What are you talking about?”

“Haven’t you heard? Chief Stacy identified the owner of that knife he found in the bushes by her door.”

Eve spoke before Noah could. “Doesn’t mean anything.”

“’Course it does!” Kevin argued. “That knife belongs to Aaron Amos.”

Noah thought he must’ve heard wrong.
“What?”

“It’s true!” he insisted. “That bastard has never been up to any good. And now they have something on him that might stick. Once they throw his ass in prison, like his daddy, this whole community will sleep better at night.” He shook his head. “That boy needs to learn his lesson.”

Olivia gave Kevin a disapproving look. “Maybe Aaron’s got issues, but he’s not the one who attacked Addy.”

Noah was relieved to hear this. He’d never spent much time with Aaron, but he knew how Dylan would feel about his brother going to prison. Dylan loved his siblings almost as if they were his own children and had every right to, since he’d sacrificed so much of his time, effort and energy to raise them.

“It was
his
knife,” Kevin said. “Who else could it be?”

“Anyone who might’ve taken it from him,” Eve replied. “I’m telling you, Addy just said it wasn’t him.”

Skepticism drew deep lines in Kevin’s forehead. “Come on...can she really make that call? The guy who broke into her room was wearing a mask, so it’s not like she saw his face. I spoke to Officer Willis this morning—he helped me groom the football field for the Homecoming celebration tonight—and he’s sure Aaron’s the one. Who else in town would do such a thing?”

Eve came to Aaron’s defense. “He has an alibi.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Kevin said. “He claims he was with Shania, but Shania can’t remember exactly what night they were together or for how long. She was too drunk. She thinks it was Monday, not Tuesday. And if he says he was with his brothers? What will
that
prove? The Amoses would swear to anything to protect him.”

Kevin was getting on Noah’s nerves. “Be careful talking crap about Dylan,” he warned. “Just let the police do their jobs.”

“Hey, I know Aaron’s big brother is your friend these days, but...the truth is the truth,” he said. “And I, for one, hope the truth comes out.”

“Everybody does.” Noah started back to the table. “But there’s no need to lynch Aaron without proof.”

“You all set for tonight?” Kevin called after him.

He wished there was some way he could beg off. But how did he tell his father, and everyone else, that he didn’t want to be part of the big half-time memorial honoring his dead brother?

“I’ll be there,” he grumbled.

* * *

“How was your run?”

Gran’s voice came from the back bedroom as Addy closed and locked the door. But she couldn’t answer. Not yet. She was too out of breath. It was almost as if, now that she’d encountered Kevin, she thought Stephen, Tom and Derek would suddenly appear, too—as if they’d been watching her since she came home, maybe even following her. She knew that was highly unlikely. But fear wasn’t always rational.

She was also kicking herself for not getting a look at Kevin’s vehicle. Was it white? Did it show damage on the front right side?

She couldn’t say. She’d left in such a rush, she’d nearly provoked a full-blown panic attack. Only being back with Gran, where she felt safe, softened the sharper edges of what she was experiencing, helped bring it under control.

“Addy?”
her grandmother called when she didn’t respond.

With a final deep breath, she managed to find her voice. “The run was...great. It—it’s a beautiful fall morning.”

“Good. So—” she made her way into the hall “—will you feel well enough to go with me tonight?”

Telling herself to relax, that there’d been no reason to overreact, Addy moved away from the door. “Go where?”

“To the big game!”

Of course. It was Homecoming at the high school.

Addy had seen the announcement on the marquee outside Eureka High this morning when she went running but had thought nothing of it. “Don’t tell me you still go.”

Gran inched closer. “I certainly do. I always sell my baked goods at a booth next to the snack bar and donate the proceeds to the athletic program. You know that.”

Addy put her laptop and other belongings on the closest chair so she could steady Gran when she let go of her walker to sit down. The last thing either one of them needed was for Gran to fall. Addy feared the day something like that happened. She’d heard a broken hip could be the beginning of the end for the elderly and, as much as she wanted to leave Whiskey Creek, she didn’t want it to be because she’d had to say a permanent goodbye to Gran. “You mean...Darlene isn’t doing it for you?”

“Heavens, no! She’s short-staffed at the restaurant. Anyway, I like doing this myself.” She winked. “It’s good advertising for the restaurant.”

The restaurant didn’t need to advertise. Everyone in town knew it was there, and most frequented it. Addy guessed this was about Gran. She’d had to give up working on a daily basis, but she wasn’t about to sacrifice the other things she’d always done for the community.

“You must’ve had help the past few years....”

“I pay some of the young girls from church—they’re, oh, ten or twelve—to carry things in and out and help me wait on customers. I’ve got two sisters whose parents will be bringing them to the game—Misty and Savannah Busath. But I could use you, too, if you’re ready to be out.”

Oh, boy. Addy could bump into just about anybody at the game, including the four men she most wanted to avoid. Kevin was the coach, so he’d definitely be there. At least he’d be on the field, away from her. And she’d face the same possibility when she started at Just Like Mom’s on Monday. She had to get past her fear, make herself comfortable in Whiskey Creek, or she wouldn’t be any good to Gran during the next few months.

That had been her thinking before she’d headed to the track this morning, and that was her thinking now, even after coming face-to-face with Kevin. Seeing him shouldn’t have been as traumatic as it was, she told herself.

“Why haven’t you mentioned the game before?” she asked Gran.

“What with all the excitement, I forgot. And then I didn’t want to make you feel pressured to go out if you weren’t ready. But you’re bouncing back quicker than I thought you would. I certainly never expected you to go running.”

Addy worked out almost every day. That was how she dealt with stress. But Gran wouldn’t understand. Gran was from a different generation, had never been to a gym or a track. “Of course I’ll help. What time do you need to be there?”

“Game starts at six, so we should leave here no later than five. We’ve got to go by the restaurant to get the food. Darlene said she’d have the van loaded.”

“Do we already have a sign or a list of the items we’ll be selling with the prices?”

“Of course. That’ll be in the van, too. I had Darlene add lemon bars this year. They can be messy, but they’re delicious.”

“
All
your recipes are delicious.”

She smiled but that smile soon faded and a hint of sadness entered her eyes. “Have you heard from your mother since you’ve been here, honey?”

Addy hadn’t heard a word. But she was used to Helen’s long silences. She’d learned years ago not to count on her mother for any emotional support. Helen only called when she got into a fight with her current husband and wanted a place to stay, or needed to borrow money. Under those circumstances, Addy almost preferred no communication. It was less upsetting. “Not yet. But I’m sure she’s fine. She always manages to get by.”

“What did I do to make her turn out the way she did?” Gran asked. “I
tried
to be a good mother.”

Addy knelt in front of her and took hold of her gnarled hands. “You were a good mother to both of us, Gran. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. But we all have our choices to make.”

Tilting her head to one side, she gazed into Addy’s face. “I can’t believe you’re back. I’m
so
happy.”

The guilt Addy had carried since she left felt like an anvil on her chest. She should’ve visited before, should’ve returned again and again, instead of making Gran come all the way to Davis. If only Gran knew the emotional turmoil and fear she had to cope with in order to be here. But Addy couldn’t tell her and hoped she would never have to know.

Standing, she gently encouraged Gran to do the same. “Let’s go into the bathroom and curl your hair. You want to look your best for tonight, don’t you?”

“Oh, I’m too old to look very good,” she said with a self-deprecating chuckle, but Addy could tell she was excited by the prospect. She loved having her hair done.

“What are you talking about?” she said. “You’re the most beautiful woman I know.”