Home to Whiskey Creek (7 page)

“I thought you liked her.”

“As a friend.”

“She wants more?”

“She hasn’t asked for a commitment, but she sure wants to see me a lot.”

“She’s the one who took off your clothes in the car.”

Noah could easily remember that night. Few women had come on as strongly as Lisa. And yet she’d seemed almost straitlaced when they were talking in the bar. “That’s the one. She’s been hounding me ever since.”

Baxter’s smile shifted to one side. “I guess you’re just that good in bed.”

Was there an undercurrent to that statement, too? It felt as if maybe there was, but Noah couldn’t figure out why there would be. What was Baxter feeling? Jealousy? Envy? Or was there some criticism in those words? “Very funny.”

The buzzing of his phone stopped but started up again a second later.

“You’re right,” Baxter said. “She
is
persistent. Maybe you should answer it and tell her you’re not interested.”

“I don’t want to hurt her feelings. I don’t mind seeing her now and then.” As long as they were in the company of others. He was growing bored with the kind of sexual encounters that didn’t mean anything, and had begun to think he was missing out on a whole other dimension. Actually, after seeing how happy and in love Gail and Cheyenne and Callie were, he
knew
he was missing
something.

“Of course not. You’re always up for a good time.”

Noah studied his friend, searching for clues as to the correct interpretation of
that
line. But Baxter’s benign expression suggested he should take it at face value and Noah felt it was in the best interest of their friendship to let it go. “You like a good time, too, don’t you?”

“Sure,” he said.

Noah grabbed a bowl from him. “Good. I’ll tell her to come this weekend, and bring a friend.”

Baxter met his gaze. They were only a few inches apart and Noah got that odd feeling again, but he refused to step away. He shouldn’t have to. This was his best friend, damn it.

“Why would you have her bring someone?” he asked. “Now you’re into threesomes?”

“No. The friend is for
you.
” Noah clapped him on the back and smiled, waiting for him to beg off. These days, that was what he normally did. He’d say he had to work, he was in the middle of a project at home or he’d be out of town. Noah had started hanging out more with Riley and Ted, especially if there were going to be women present.

But Bax didn’t offer up the typical excuse. Although he didn’t seem as pleased as Noah thought he should be, he accepted. “Why not?”

“So, if she can do it, we’re on?” he asked in surprise.

“As long as it’s not tomorrow night. Tomorrow’s the big game, remember?”

It was Homecoming at the high school, but that didn’t mean what it used to. They didn’t attend the Friday-night games anymore; they were too old to hang with the high school crowd. But he had to go to
this
game. He, Cody and a lot of the friends they’d grown up with, including Baxter, had been part of the football team that won state during their senior year. Those who lived in the area had been asked to return and help present a memorial plaque to Coach Nobis, who was retiring and would be moving to Arizona in a few months. They were also going to retire Cody’s number. Noah’s father would be on hand to speak, in his capacity as mayor
and
as Cody’s father and, because he was his brother’s best receiver, Noah was expected to say a few words, too. But he wasn’t looking forward to it. Cody was too emotional a subject for him. He hated speaking about the loss of his brother, especially in public.

“Right. The big game. Trust me, I’m not likely to forget.”

Obviously picking up on his sarcasm, Baxter studied him. “You’re spending too much time dreading it. It won’t be that bad.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You never do.”

Noah rounded on him. “Why should I have to? Why does everyone want to hear about Cody?”

“It’s been fifteen
years,
Noah. How much longer can you put off dealing with it?”

“
Dealing with it?
You’re kidding, right? I have to deal with it every day of my life! I just don’t want to
dwell
on it.”

“So you’d rather talk about people who mean nothing to you. Lisa, for instance.”

“Sure, why not?” Lisa was an uncomplicated subject. He’d been honest with her about his level of interest and owed her nothing. But Cody. That was a different story. With Cody he had to ask himself too many what-ifs. What if he’d attended that party? Would he have been able to keep Cody safe? What if he’d gone to his parents and told them Cody was using drugs? Would they have been able to change the situation before it was too late? Would they have restricted him? Kept him home that night? And what if he hadn’t pointed out the Jepson mine to Cody in the first place?

“Should we ask Gail if she’ll let us use the cabin Saturday night?” he asked.

Baxter hesitated but allowed Noah to return to their former subject without complaint. “You mean the
mansion?
”

One of their best friends, Gail DeMarco, had married box-office-hit Simon O’Neal, who’d recently had a cabin built back in the hills. It must’ve cost eight million dollars, but that was mere pocket change to them, and the O’Neals often let friends or family use it.

“We could grill steaks, watch a movie, lounge on the deck,” Noah suggested.

“Drink a few bottles of wine?”

“If you want,” he replied, but this suggestion surprised him. From what he could tell, Baxter had quit drinking. At least, he never drank around Noah. He’d started taking life more seriously, had become all about making money, for himself and his clients, and renovating his house. And then there was that scare, when they thought they’d lose Callie, another friend, to liver disease. Baxter had been singularly devoted to her for most of the summer, even after the transplant that saved her life. He’d probably be at her farm this weekend, helping improve the place, if Callie wasn’t on her honeymoon. “But...you don’t drink anymore.”

“I haven’t quit entirely,” Baxter responded. “I might as well enjoy myself. It’s not like I have anything to lose.”

As far as Noah was concerned, that was as strange as any of his other comments, because there was an element of anger, maybe even hurt, to it. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Baxter smiled. “It means I’m looking forward to it.”

If what he said was true, why did Noah get the impression he meant just the opposite?

7

G
ran did a great job of keeping the locals at bay, at least until dinnertime. By then she’d fielded so many calls, she was getting too tired to deal with the onslaught and took her old-fashioned phone—the kind with no voice mail or answering machine—off the hook. Everyone in Whiskey Creek wanted to show their concern. Several neighbors had brought casseroles, flowers, cards or a combination of the three. Chief Stacy had checked in to tell Adelaide he’d be working late, that if she remembered anything, anything at all, to contact him right away. And Ed Hamilton, from the
Gold Country Gazette,
had pleaded with Gran to have Addy call him before the day was through. He wasn’t about to miss the deadline for this week’s paper. He wanted to take advantage of having something bigger to report than the completion of movie star Simon O’Neal’s cabin not far from town.

That wasn’t how he’d described it, of course. He’d told Gran he wanted to use the power of the press to alert the community to possible danger and enlist their cooperation in apprehending the man who’d hurt Adelaide.

With a sigh at the effort moving required, Addy forced herself to come out of her bedroom in time for dinner. She was sore but somewhat rested, not that her long nap had changed her outlook. If she had her preference, she’d return to Davis until the firestorm ended. But she couldn’t leave Gran so worried and upset. It was better to stay and act as if she was as desperate for the police to find her attacker as everyone else. That meant she had to at least
pretend
to be cooperating.

“So...are you going to call Ed?” Gran had fully embraced the idea that appealing to the public might break the case. She’d shuffled into Addy’s room three times to talk about it, hoping, no doubt, that Addy would jump up and give Ed his interview.

“Sure.” Addy managed a reassuring smile.

“When, honey? When will you call? He’s under a deadline.”

That might be true, but what could she safely reveal? She had no idea what Kevin, Tom, Stephen or Derek might think of Ed’s article, and their perceptions were as important as reality—no,
more
important. If they thought she was revealing too much, or that she might expose them, she could be in danger again.

It was so hard to guess which of her former rapists had attacked her, exactly how much damage he’d hoped to do, how far he might go in the future and what his expectations might be now that she’d been warned. Other than that gruff threat, he hadn’t been particularly clear on what statements or actions would constitute a breach.

She needed to use her laptop to check the website she’d seen on her attacker’s sweatshirt. Maybe it would give some clue to his identity. Whether or not she decided to share that information, she was certainly curious.

But there was no internet here at Gran’s. Once she was back on her feet, she’d have to go to Black Gold Coffee, the only place in town that offered free Wi-Fi.

Or maybe she wouldn’t bother. What good would knowing do? She couldn’t turn him in. And one man could be as dangerous as the others. They all had the same thing to lose if she came forward, didn’t they? It was even possible that they’d gotten together and agreed on the approach that was taken.

“Addy?”

She glanced over at Gran, who had set about dishing up some meat loaf and potatoes. Gran still made breakfast and a few other simple meals. Her kitchen was her kitchen, and she liked being in charge of it. But these days Darlene used Gran’s recipes and did most of the cooking at the restaurant. The meat loaf was something Darlene had brought over the day Addy arrived. Gran was just warming it up so it wouldn’t go to waste. Addy had no idea when they’d eat all the food brought by others, because she hadn’t had much of an appetite since her return.

“I’ll call him as soon as I finish my dinner.”

Satisfied with that commitment, Gran seemed happy to relax and do what she did best—put on a meal.

The comfort of being in Gran’s kitchen, of smelling her wonderful food, eased some of Addy’s apprehension, too. She’d get through this. She’d play it smart, mind her own business and convince Kevin, Derek, Tom and Stephen that she planned to maintain her silence. That way she could stay and do right by Gran. Maybe her mother wouldn’t shoulder any responsibility, but Addy wasn’t like that, and she was bound and determined to prove it.

Gran’s orthopedic shoes squished as she navigated the kitchen without her walker. After watching her struggle to get a plate down, Addy was tempted to take over. She could’ve assembled the leftovers much more quickly and efficiently. But she knew Gran liked feeling productive, liked bringing her pleasure through food.

“Noelle came by while you were sleeping.”

Addy had been twirling a glass of orange juice. At this, she stopped.
“Noelle?”

“Arnold. Don’t you remember her?”

“You mean Olivia’s sister?”

“That’s right. She wasn’t in your grade, was she?”

“Olivia was, but not Noelle. Noelle’s two years younger. So why did she drop in?”

There was a shrug in Gran’s voice when she answered. “Said she heard about what happened and felt terrible. She brought a gift from that shop where she works.”

This was completely unexpected. Addy knew her, but they’d never been friends. “Which shop is that?”

Gran had given her a lot of information over the years. Addy knew that Noelle had married the handsome Kyle Houseman even though Olivia, her sister, had been dating him only a few months before. She knew that Kyle’s proposal had a lot to do with Noelle’s pregnancy, and that Noelle had aborted the baby after they were married without telling Kyle, which pretty much destroyed any obligation he’d felt toward her and resulted in their divorce. But she didn’t know where Noelle had gone to work. She probably would’ve learned if she’d returned when Olivia married Kyle’s stepbrother, Brandon Lucero. She’d wanted to attend the ceremony. She and Olivia had called and exchanged emails for several months after she left town, but Addy had eventually stopped responding. She’d done what she could to break ties with everyone except Gran and those who helped Gran, like Darlene. She couldn’t have too many people drawing her back to Whiskey Creek....

“A Damsel’s Delights.” Gran smiled when she managed to remember the name of the store. Her mind was mostly sound, despite her age. “They have dresses, handmade jewelry, hats and other accessories.”

Addy pictured a quaint-looking shop done up in pink and brown with striped awnings and cute tea tables out front. “Oh, it’s a couple of blocks down Sutter Street. I saw it when I drove through on Saturday.” Once she’d arrived, she’d wanted to see what had changed while she’d been gone and was relieved to find that there wasn’t much she didn’t recognize. Set in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Whiskey Creek had been founded during the gold rush and, like so many other towns with a similar history, had covered boardwalks, old-fashioned light poles and a bevy of restored Victorians and shops that maintained the nineteenth-century feel.

“She’s been running the place since her divorce.”

“Why’s she working? You told me she stuck Kyle for quite a bit of spousal maintenance.”

Gran’s voice turned sour. “She took him for everything she could. She wanted him for his money—and to hurt her sister.”

“I’m guessing it worked on both counts.”

“Sure did. Can’t say why she went back to retail. Maybe she doesn’t have anything better to do.” She clicked her tongue. “I feel sorry for her parents. She’s always been such a...
difficult
girl.”

Which Gran understood, thanks to her own daughter.

“Why is she reaching out to me?” Addy asked.

“She probably needs a friend. Everyone who lives here is on to her.”

It wasn’t like Gran to dislike anyone, but she clearly disliked Olivia’s younger sister. “Olivia lives in town these days, doesn’t she?” Addy asked.

“Not far. Brandon owns a cabin up in the mountains. But he won’t have anything to do with Noelle, so they don’t spend much time together. Her parents aren’t pleased that he’s drawn such a hard line. They blame him for ‘breaking up the family,’ but...if you ask me, he’s doing the right thing.” Her hand shook with the usual tremors as she carried Addy’s plate to the table. “And I think Olivia’s secretly happy about the break.”

“After what Noelle did to her, Olivia has every right not to spend much time with her sister. Has Kyle remarried?”

“Not yet.”

“Is he seeing anyone?”

“Haven’t heard, but somehow I doubt it. He wasn’t given any choice when his wife aborted his child. And he lost his true love to his stepbrother. Life has been hard on him.”

Addy shifted to relieve the pressure on her sore backside. “He got Olivia’s sister pregnant, Gran.”

“He and Olivia were on a break.”

“They hadn’t been split up very long. Some people would say he deserved what he got.”

“Those people don’t know Noelle. She’s a life-wrecker, just plain wicked. You should see how shamelessly she flirts with Brandon if she ever runs into him. I’ve witnessed it at the restaurant, and I’m guessing that’s why he won’t have anything to do with her. He’s not about to let her ruin
his
marriage.”

Adelaide took a bite of meat loaf. “It takes two to make a baby.” After being married to an adulterer, she wasn’t letting Kyle off the hook too easily.

“That’s true, but Kyle’s paid the price for his mistake. He’s a good man.” She touched Grandpa Davies’s war picture hanging near the stove as if to say he wasn’t the last good man, after all. “He stood up and married her even though he knew what he was in for, didn’t he? Did it for the baby. That’s called taking responsibility for your actions, and it’s something I don’t see too often these days. Everyone wants to make excuses. Anyway, I like him. I hope he can find a woman who’ll treat him right.”

“Don’t look at me.” She lifted her hands in mock protest.

Gran didn’t laugh; she scowled. “Why not? Don’t you think he’s handsome?”

He
was
handsome. But so were his friends. Especially Noah. She had to admit that, despite everything, she still felt a sizzle when he was around. She’d have to be dead
not
to feel
something.
He had that much sex appeal. But she’d gone to great pains to extricate herself from this town. She wasn’t about to build any relationships while she was here—not with Noah or Kyle or anyone else.

“He’s not bad.” She pretended to be intent on stirring gravy into her mashed potatoes when she added, “Do you see him with Noah very often?”

“Oh, yes. They come into the restaurant all the time. To this day, that whole group is the best of friends.”

Adelaide had always envied them their closeness. Her class had nothing to rival the clique that had included Cody and Noah, Eve, Cheyenne, Gail, Callie, Ted, Kyle and others. Maybe that was why she’d acquiesced so easily when she was invited to that fateful party. She’d known a lot of popular people would be there. She’d accepted in the hope that Noah and his friends might go, too.

And Cody
had
gone....

“Speaking of Noah, I think we should invite him over for dinner, to thank him for his help last night, don’t you?” Gran said.

Adelaide nearly choked on her food. “I’m sure that’s not necessary. He doesn’t expect anything.”

“Maybe he doesn’t
expect
it, but he might enjoy it.”

Addy had offered him
something.
She’d been loopy when she’d asked what he wanted as his reward, but she could remember the way he’d looked at her when he’d said, “After the past half hour, that’s not a fair question to ask me.”

She was glad he hadn’t taken her up on anything specific. This way, they could both just...let it go.

“Don’t you agree?”

When Gran turned to face her, Adelaide set down her fork. “To be honest, I’d rather not see him again. It was awkward when he had to take over for you yesterday. We—we don’t really know each other that well.”

“Oh, don’t be silly.” She waved Adelaide’s words away. “What are a few slivers? A pretty woman like you...I’m sure he didn’t mind one bit. But we do owe him. What would’ve happened to you if not for him?”

She hated to imagine. But...he wouldn’t have had to save her if not for his twin brother. “Maybe when my scrapes and bruises have healed,” she mumbled, hoping that small concession would encourage Gran to leave the matter in her hands.

“Noah’s a lot like Kyle.”

“He’s a cheater?” she teased.

“He’s a good man!”

Adelaide wasn’t so sure. Cody had seemed just as promising—just as smart, handsome, athletic and even more popular. He’d had such innate ability, could do anything and do it well. She’d experienced the effect he had on others firsthand.

But she didn’t want to continue discussing Kyle or Noah. “So what did Noelle bring me?” She didn’t see any gifts in the kitchen.

Gran motioned with the spoon she’d just rinsed off. “See for yourself. I put it on the table by the front door.”

Eager for a reprieve from the conversation, Addy got up to find that Noelle had left a pretty pink-and-brown sack with tissue paper. Inside was a necklace with a pendant on it that read Courage.

“What is it?” Gran called.

Addy brought the necklace into the kitchen to show her. She liked what Noelle had given her. It buoyed her spirits.

But the gift did nothing to soften Gran’s heart, which was a testament to Noelle’s past deeds because Gran’s heart wasn’t normally hard. She took one look at it and frowned. “Whatever you do, don’t trust her.”