by R A Wallace
Megan wondered how the Bennets would have reacted if they’d seen her parents. No doubt, it was best that they weren’t there.
Megan decided to change the topic. “I picked up the turkey from Tom today.”
Eric pointed to the fridge. “I saw him in there. He takes up the whole fridge.”
“We’re having turkey?” Dan asked.
“We’ll have it tomorrow. I’ll put it in the oven in the morning. I want to speak with some more people tomorrow, but I’ll be back in time to finish dinner. I do a Thanksgiving dinner early with my parents every year.”
Dan looked at Eric and Sharon and smiled. “I’m not complaining. I could eat turkey year round.”
Sharon laughed. “Me too. We would like to visit during the actual holidays, both Thanksgiving and Christmas, but we worry about the traffic and the weather.”
“That’s why we visit earlier in the month,” Eric said. “To avoid all of that.”
“And to be here for the harmony contest,” Sharon added with a smile.
“This year you’ll actually get to vote for the winner.” Dan explained the online voting system Megan had designed.
Sharon’s face lit up. “That is so clever.”
“Everyone will be able to use their phone. You’ll actually vote right there during the contest and the winners will be by popular vote instead of judges,” Megan said. “Mayor Reynolds said she was really happy with not having to be the one who picked the winner.”
“Everyone is going to love it,” Eric said as he stood. “But all of this talking about turkey has me hungry.”
“We’ll come back here in the afternoon tomorrow, though. That way, I can help with dinner and you won’t have to worry about getting back here at a specific time,” Sharon told her daughter.
Chapter Seventeen
When Megan turned the corner onto Hilary Boswell’s street the next day, she wasn’t completely surprised to see Cooper running across the lawns of her neighbors. After parking her truck, Megan began walking through the neighborhood in the direction she had last seen border collie. As she walked, she called his name. Finally, she found him one block over. He had cornered a young boy and his small dog and was trying to herd them. Megan caught him just as Cooper was about to take the boy’s arm into his mouth to pull him along. The young boy looked up at Megan in fear.
“It’s okay. He won’t hurt you. He just wants to make sure that you go where he thinks you’re supposed to.” Megan crouched down next to Cooper and put her arm around his body to settle him. Cooper immediately sat and tried to lick Megan’s face. “See? Cooper’s a good dog.”
“Why does he want me to go with him?” Now that an adult was nearby, the boy had lost some of his fear of the dog.
“Well, because he’s a farm dog. He was bred to herd sheep and other farm animals. He doesn’t have any of those nearby, so he was going to herd you.”
The boy looked at Cooper curiously. “Why isn’t he on a farm?”
Megan stood up but held onto Cooper’s collar. She looked down at Cooper’s face. He was looking up at her expectantly, as though he knew she’d just come from a farm and was wondering the same thing.
“Good question.” Megan sighed. She wasn’t sure Henry would be happy with Cooper. Her rooster wanted to be the king of the barnyard.
Linda looked down at Cooper when she opened the door to Megan. “Oh, good. You found him.”
Megan turned Cooper loose once the door behind her was closed and the border collie took off for his water bowl in the kitchen.
“Hopefully, the problem with Cooper will be solved soon.” Linda led the way to the living room.
“Oh?” Megan nodded to Hilary when she saw her sitting there.
“Casey found a home for him. He’s going to pick him up today.” Linda motioned for Megan to sit.
Megan tried not to look relieved that she wouldn’t have to take the dog home herself. She explained to Hilary and Linda what she had learned since she’d last spoken with them. When she explained about the notes that the other wives had found, Hilary got excited.
“I found one too!”
Megan and Linda watched as Hilary jumped up and left the room. She returned a moment later.
“I was going through Colin’s things. I found this in his pants pocket last night.”
Megan read the note out loud. “I’m coming for you.”
“What does that mean?” Linda asked.
“It must mean that it wasn’t an accident,” Hilary said, her voice sounding convinced.
“What did the other notes say?” Linda asked.
“One said I’m watching you. The other said I know who you are.”
The three women considered the messages.
“They sound threatening to me.” Hilary looked between Linda and Megan.
Megan shared a look with Linda. “Off the top of my head, I can’t come up with a simple explanation arguing that they weren’t. We also know that he had been upset when speaking with someone on his phone on more than one occasion. And that Colin told more than one person he was being followed.”
“What should we do?” Hilary asked.
Megan was still considering her answer when the doorbell rang.
“That must be Casey.” Linda rose to get the door. She returned a moment later with Casey behind her.
Casey greeted Megan, then looked at Hilary. “You’re sure about this?”
Hilary sighed, then nodded. “He deserves better than this.” She gestured at the house. “He’s trapped here all day by himself. I’ve been off this week because of Colin’s death. But I go back to work next week. And I can tell Cooper misses Colin. Colin was the one who really wanted a dog. It just isn’t fair to Cooper. You know he wants to be outside, working. It’s in his blood.”
Casey nodded at Hilary, then turned to Megan. “Maybe you could help me get him from the kitchen.”
Megan raised her eyebrows but stood and followed Casey.
He turned once they reached the kitchen and faced her. “Can I guess you’re here about a puzzle?”
Megan nodded. She hadn’t really thought Casey needed help with Cooper. “Do you know something that might help?”
Casey hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. “It’s probably nothing. Still, I know how you feel about puzzle pieces. Someone might hold a piece to the puzzle.”
Megan smiled and finished the thought. “Sometimes, they might not even realize the importance of it.”
“Okay, so here it is. I saw Colin not too long before his accident. I was out at a farm to check on an animal. I saw Colin drive past the farm at what I thought was pretty fast rate. Too fast for that road. There was a car behind him and not only was he keeping up with Colin, I thought the other car was going to try to hit Colin from behind.”
“Did you recognize the other car?” Megan asked.
Casey shook his head. “No. It was a dark-colored car. Four doors. That’s all I really know. The house is pretty far from the road and then there are trees that line the property. I didn’t really get a good look, sorry.”
“Did you ask Colin about it later?”
“No. I didn’t see him after that. And then the accident happened. I wasn’t sure if I should say anything in front of Hilary or not. I figured you would know what to do.” Casey bent down and began speaking to Cooper in a low, soothing voice as he rubbed the dog’s ears.
“Did you find a good home for him?” Megan held her breath for the answer. She knew that if Casey asked her, she would take the dog.
Casey grinned up at her. “Were you worried?” He’d been known to bring stray animals to Megan in the past. Then the smile left his face and he looked down at Cooper as he continued to rub the dog’s ears.
Casey spoke quietly to Cooper. “I’m hoping you can work a miracle for me.” Cooper’s intelligent eyes looked steadily back at Casey.
Megan returned to the living room after Casey left with Cooper. Hilary had been pacing the room but stop
ped and turned when Megan entered.
Megan explained what Casey had told her.
“Linda and I have been talking. I’m going to ask the other wives here. Maybe if we pool our knowledge, we’ll have even more information that can help.” Hilary looked frustrated. “Something has to.”
Linda looked at Megan. “We were hoping you could be here too?”
Chapter Eighteen
He stared out the window. He could hear conversations taking place all over the bus, but he remained silent and alone in his seat. He’d been alone a lot lately. Ever since the rumors about his mom had begun. They’d thought she’d be arrested for murder. Everyone in town knew about it. Ethan had heard the whispers and seen the stares in school. All the kids knew.
Some didn’t bother to whisper. They taunted him in the hallways. Some of the older kids would brush against him in the hallway, trying to make him drop his books as he moved from class to class. They would call him names when they did it, and then laugh as they continued walking down the hall. Sometimes other kids even filmed it with their phones when he was being taunted. Ethan had no idea if they were posting it online, or where. He’d never looked.
He had thought it might end once the case had been solved and his mother wasn’t arrested. He had Megan to thank for that. She’d continued trying to help them even when everyone else, including the police, were convinced his mom had done it. But the taunting hadn’t stopped. Now they had a new topic.
It had become known that his father had left town with a young girl seven years ago. They had all kinds of new names to call him now. Ethan hated it. But he didn’t know what to do about it. The bus slowed and then stopped to let someone else off. A kid walked past his seat as they exited the bus.
“Bye, Ethan. See you tomorrow.”
Ethan turned away from the window and gave his neighbor a ghost of a smile. Not everyone was bad. Some of the kids were still his friends. They didn’t make fun of him or call him names. Like Bella. Ethan turned back toward the window to hide his smile as the bus began moving again. He didn’t have any classes with Bella, but he did see her in the hallways sometimes. She wasn’t really old enough to be at the high school yet, but she took some of her classes there because she was really smart for her age.
Ethan thought back to the time he’d missed the bus because some kids had trapped him in a stairwell at the end of the day. Bella had rushed the whole group of them and demanded that they leave Ethan alone. He’d walked her home after that and they’d talked. He hadn’t really had a chance to talk to her again since, though.
The bus began to slow again. Automatically, Ethan began to gather his things. It was his stop. He exited the bus and trudged around the house to use the back door. He took his shoes off back there and hung his coat. Then he walked down the hall toward the front of the house. Turning at the stairs, he walked up to his room and dropped his book bag on the floor. He had homework to do after his chores.
He changed his clothes quickly and went down to the kitchen. He found a snack in the fridge to tide him over until dinner. Then he put on his work coat and boots and headed out to the barn. He needed to feed and water the animals.
His actions were automatic. He’d been doing the chores for years. Ever since he and his mom had moved in with his grandfather. Lately, it was just Ethan and his mom here though. Grandpa was spending more and more time with his friend, Caro. Ethan really liked her.
He knew that his grandfather would be here soon, though. He had told Ethan he would stop by this afternoon to help him with the chores. They both knew that Ethan didn’t need the help. Ethan was sure his grandfather was just worried about him. Ethan didn’t know what to do about that either. Lately, he wasn’t sure what to do about a lot of things.
He stopped by the fence and watched the hogs for a while as his mind returned to his father. They’d received the confirmation from the police. He had died in an accident half way across the country and he had run away with a young girl just four years older than Ethan was now. Not for the first time, he wondered again what his mother had seen in the man.
He heard an engine in the driveway and assumed it was his grandfather. Ethan started moving again. He was surprised when he heard some yipping and the cows started shifting in the field. Ethan walked over to the fence and looked out into the field. There was a dog there.
“Hey!” Ethan yelled.
“His name is Cooper.”
Ethan whirled around and found Casey. He didn’t know that the sight of Casey brought a smile to his face.
“Hey. Did you get a new dog?” Ethan asked Casey.
Casey walked over to Ethan and stood next to him as the two leaned on the fence watching the dog herd the cows.
“His owner just died. He’s looking for a new home.”
Ethan’s head swung quickly toward Casey. “You brought him here to stay?”
Casey turned to look at the young man. He could see a look of longing begin to dawn in Ethan’s eyes though they were still clouded with something else. He turned back to the field and watched the dog he was hoping would perform a miracle. He’d hadn’t been certain that Ethan would want the dog, or that it would even help with the problems he’d been facing lately. He hoped he hadn’t made a mistake.
“He’s a special kind of dog. He needs a special kind of home.”
“He’s good at herding,” Ethan said with awe in his voice.
Casey chuckled. “That he is, but he’ll need you to work with him.”
Ethan dropped his head. “I don’t know that I’d be any good at that.”
“Sure you will. It will just take a little practice so the two of you learn how to work together as a team. Think you can do that? It would make Cooper really happy if you would. He’s happier when he’s working.”
Ethan shrugged, but he didn’t say no. His head came back up.
Casey kept his gaze forward. “How has school been going?”
Ethan continued watching Cooper. The border collie had stopped herding the cows and was crouched down low in the field, watching them with intelligent eyes.
“The same.”
Casey let out a sigh. “The other kids still bothering you much?”
Ethan shrugged. “It’s a little better.”
“They still talking about your mom?” Casey hated the idea of anyone talking about Marcy like that.
“It’s about my dad now.”
Casey turned to him. “You know that if you need my help…”
“Nah,” Ethan interrupted him. “I’m good.”
They both turned when they heard another truck pull in. This time it was Ethan’s grandfather. Casey left Ethan by the fence and walked over to Tom. Tom closed the truck door and watched Ethan for a moment before speaking with Casey quietly.
“Did it work?”
Casey glanced over at Ethan to make sure he couldn’t hear him. “Not sure yet. He still seems quieter than usual.”
“What about school?”
“Sounds like it’s about the same. Maybe I should go to the school and talk to someone about it?” Casey would do anything to help.
Tom looked at Ethan again. “Maybe. Maybe what he needs is another man around here more often to talk to.” Tom looked at Casey pointedly.
Casey dropped his head and brought his hand up to the back of it to rub. It gave him a moment to get himself in check before he answered.
“Well, Marcy doesn’t seem to agree with that at the moment.”
Tom huffed out a laugh. His daughter had been known to be stubborn.
“Maybe it’s time to worry about Ethan,” Tom said.
Both men turned when they heard Ethan laugh. A young steer had broken away from the group and was moving further out into the field. Cooper leapt up and immediately herded him back. Tom and Casey walked over to join Ethan at the fence.
Ethan turned to his grandfather. “Do you mind if we keep him? Casey said he lost his family.”
“Well, maybe he’d like to join ou
rs,” Tom said as he put his hand on Ethan’s shoulder.
Chapter Nineteen
Alaina was packing her bags when she got the call from Linda asking her to meet the other wives at Hilary’s house. She had to think of it as Hilary’s house. She couldn’t bring herself to think about Colin ever living there. She knew that she would have to come to terms with it all eventually. But she hadn’t quite gotten to that point yet.
For the five years that they had been married, Alaina had never questioned that Colin’s work required him to travel so much. Required him to spend so much time away from their home in Ohio. She had known what he did for a living. That’s how she’d met him, as he’d traveled around to market the drugs for a pharmaceutical company.
Now that she knew Colin was not only traveling for work, he was also maintaining three different homes in three different states with three different wives, Alaina was still too amazed to make sense of it all. Why would he do that? Alaina might have thought he’d married her because of some flaw with his first wife. Maybe Hilary wasn’t an understanding wife. Maybe Hilary wasn’t kind enough. That would have made Alaina feel almost a little better about the whole situation.
But the truth was, now that Alaina had met Hilary, she had been impressed with the other woman’s character. Certainly, Hilary had not been required to invite Alaina to Colin’s funeral. And yet, she had. Alaina hoped she would have behaved as well under the circumstances had the situation been reversed. Truthfully, she wasn’t certain what she would have done.
Although she had not yet spent much time with Nicole, she was beginning to suspect that Colin’s third wife was also the kind of person that she would have been proud to call a friend under different circumstances. Yes, the three of them had begun their relationship by arguing fiercely about Colin. But Alaina suspected that was due more to the shock of just discovering the extent of Colin’s deception.