by Kathy Ivan
“If you’re sure it isn’t a bother. I love Tex-Mex.” At her grin, he felt a tingling sensation in the center of his chest, spreading warmth through him. What was it about this woman that made him alternately feel ten feet tall and like a thirteen-year-old with his first crush? Whatever it was, he wanted to explore it, find out what made Tessa Maxwell different than anybody he’d ever met.
“Perfect.” He held open the passenger door, and she slid onto the seat. Within seconds, he was headed south. Dealing with Jeb Grady shouldn’t take long, and then he’d get to spend some quality time with Red.
He drove for a few miles before she asked, “Where are we heading?”
“Jeb Grady called in a complaint some kids spray painted graffiti all over the side of his henhouse. Give me a few minutes to take a look, get some pictures, and we’ll be on our way.”
“Wow, I thought graffiti was more of an inner city thing. Didn’t expect to run into crime in small town Texas.”
He shook his head, glancing her way for a moment before turning back to watch the road. “Shiloh Springs is no different than any other city, big or small. Crime is crime, and people break the law everywhere.”
“Living in a large city like Charlotte, I guess you become inured to the crime around you. Especially when it doesn’t personally touch your life. The closest I’ve ever come was when the police came to investigate my parents’ deaths.”
He straightened a little in his seat. This was the first time she’d mentioned an investigation concerning her parents. He knew they’d passed away, remembered his mother telling him something about it, but Tessa hadn’t voluntarily broached the subject before now. Couldn’t hurt to probe a little, find out a bit more about the woman who’d become his secret fascination.
“Why’d the police investigate? I’m not trying to pry.” Oh, yes, I am. “You haven’t talked much about your folks.”
She swiveled to face him, as much as the seatbelt would allow. “I didn’t realize. I guess I don’t talk about them because it still hurts. They’ve only been gone for about six months. Some days it seems like they’ve been gone forever, yet others, it seems like it happened yesterday.” Her hands tugged at the hem of her blouse, and he fought the urge to reach out and grasp them, to offer his silent comfort.
“Tell me about them. They must have been extraordinary to have raised a woman like you.”
He watched a blush wash across her cheeks, the pink bringing a glow to her face. Didn’t she realize how different she was from other women? Maybe not, but he saw it, and knew others did too. His family adored her, inviting her to sit with them at church on the family pew. Especially his momma, who invited her to visit again this coming Sunday, and that invitation included dinner at the Big House.
“Daddy was an amazing man.” Tessa stared out the windshield as she spoke, a wistful look on her face. “Larger than life, with more love in his heart than ten men. He was a teacher too. He taught political science at the community college near their house. Mom was a stay-at-home mother when Beth and I were younger. After we reached middle school, she got a part-time job as a receptionist at a doctor’s office. Always made sure she was there every day when we got home from school.”
“Sounds like you had great parents.”
He couldn’t help thinking about how different her childhood had been from his—which hadn’t been ideal—until he’d been lucky enough to become a part of the Boudreau family. Thought he’d shared the bare bones of his story the day he’d taken her to the barbecue at the Big House, she didn’t know all the details of what his life was like before. And now wasn’t the time or the place for conversation. It would happen later—if at all.
“They were the best. One of the hardest things I ever did was move away my junior year of college. Until then, I lived at home and commuted back and forth. They didn’t mind me sticking around. In fact, they encouraged it because it meant more time together. We weren’t rich,” she chuckled, “not on a college teacher’s salary, but Beth and I never went without.”
She absently brushed at a tear, and he fought the urge to pull over to the side of the road and pull her into his arms. Comfort her. Ease the ache she obviously felt. But there wasn’t a thing he could do. He couldn’t tell her everything would be okay; it wasn’t a promise he could make. Nobody knew what tomorrow held. But he’d be damned if he wouldn’t try to make her life better any way he could.
“You miss them.”
“Every single day.”
“What happened?”
“Carbon monoxide poisoning. They died in their sleep.”
He pondered her answer, brow furrowed. While it wasn’t uncommon for people to have carbon monoxide leaks, something about the way she answered him raised the tiny hairs on the back of his neck. “But…”
Resting her head against the headrest, Tessa let out a sigh before answering. “I know Daddy had the furnace checked a few weeks before it happened. He was meticulous about maintaining all the mechanicals around the place. Kept a handwritten calendar in his desk where he’d check off when the cars needed service, and other routine things. The furnace got serviced every winter, and the air conditioning system checked every summer. I didn’t believe it when investigators deemed it an accident. Even went so far as to call the company who serviced the equipment. Spoke with the owner. He provided documentation the equipment was in perfect working condition at the time of inspection and servicing.”
First thing I’d have done too.
“Do the police suspect it wasn’t an accident?”
“Coroner’s report showed super-high levels of CO2 in their systems. The furnace must have been slowly leaking for a few days without them noticing. Mom mentioned she was coming down with the flu. They just—went to sleep and never woke up.”
Glancing in the rearview mirror, he pulled over to the side of the road. Undoing his seatbelt and then hers, he leaned across and pulled Tessa into his arms, held her close, and rocked her gently. Carbon monoxide poisoning was a horrific way for anybody to die, and he regretted making her relive her parents’ loss again with his prying questions.
“I’m sorry, Red.”
She sniffled against his shoulder. “Not your fault.”
“I know, but I shouldn’t have pried.”
Leaning back, she looked into his eyes, her own swimming with tears. “You didn’t. I’m glad I told you. Talking about them is hard, but it’s getting easier. I think it hit Beth harder, because of Jamie. Poor little thing, she’s growing up with so few memories of her grandparents. She’s only three. How much is she going to remember of the two people who adored her?”
She pulled away, and reluctantly he forced his arms to loosen, letting her put distance between them, though it was hard. Red felt right in his embrace, and he wanted to keep her there.
“Kids are resilient. You and your sister will make sure she never forgets her grandparents loved her.”
“We’re trying. Evan, Jamie’s father, still has his mother, so she has one living grandparent.”
“Good. Family is important.” He reached forward and brushed a long auburn lock behind her ear, his fingertips skimming across her jawline. The softness of her skin felt like silk, and he lingered, running his finger along her jaw again. Watched her eyes drift closed as she leaned into his touch.
He jerked at the sound of a horn, dragging his attention back to his surroundings, and what he was supposed to be doing—dealing with Jeb Grady’s complaint—not almost kissing Red in the front seat of his sheriff’s car. Glancing through the window, he spotted his father’s car idling beside him, and gave a sheepish grin and a short wave in his direction.
Great, caught by my old man, making out in the front seat of my car. That hasn’t happened since I was in my teens.
Douglas motioned for him to roll down the window. “Everything okay, son?”
“Fine, Dad. We were…talking.”
From the look on his daddy’s face, he knew exactly what they’d almo
st been doing, and from his grin, his father wasn’t opposed to the idea.
“I spotted your car, and thought maybe you’d had some trouble. Since everything’s fine, I’ll be on my way. Talk to you later, son.”
Without another word, Douglas drove away, leaving Rafe leaning his head against the steering wheel, his shoulders shaking. “I am never going to live this down, Red. I suspect he’s already on the phone with Momma, telling her how he found us making out on the side of the road.”
“But…but, we weren’t…”
“Sure as God made little green apples, we would have been if he’d arrived a minute later, darlin’.”
“Oh.”
“By the time we get back to town, the rest of the Boudreaus will have heard the news too. Don’t worry, they won’t tell anybody outside the family, but I suspect we’re in for a bit of teasing. Some of my brothers have very warped senses of humor.”
Pulling back onto the road, he glanced at Red, trying to gauge her reaction. Fingertips against her lips, she stared out the windshield, silent. While he didn’t regret stopping and holding her in his arms, he probably should have picked a more secluded spot. Beside him, he heard a sputtering nose, and looked over. Hands covered her face, as she rocked in her seat.
“I’m sorry, Red. I’ll make sure nobody says a word. Embarrassing you is the last—”
Before he could finish, peals of laughter spilled from Tessa, the sound joyous and free. “I can’t believe your father caught us on the side of the road. Did you see his face? I’m not sure if he was appalled or thrilled.”
Rafe knew exactly how Douglas felt. They’d had a long chat the day after the barbecue. He’d confided in his dad he planned on courting Tessa, and Douglas gave his blessing. Not that he needed it, but knowing his father approved went a long way. Finding a woman like Tessa was an unexpected blessing as far as he was concerned. The more time he spent with her, the more things he discovered about her that fascinated and enchanted him. She wasn’t perfect, and didn’t pretend to be. What she was, was honest, and forthright, and sweet. He liked her—a lot.
“It doesn’t bother you? That the whole family will assume we’re together?”
Sobering, she looked in his direction, though she didn’t quite meet his gaze. “Only if it bothers you, Rafe.”
“The only thing bothering me at the moment is I have to get to Jeb Grady’s place and deal with his complaint, instead of picking up where we left off.”
The prettiest blush stained her cheeks. “Let’s go and handle Mr. Grady’s problem, and you can buy me the lunch you promised. Then we’ll see what happens.”
Stomping on the accelerator, Rafe headed for Jeb Grady’s farm, his lips curved in a smile. This day was definitely looking up.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Sheriff, I ain’t gonna lie. If you don’t catch them dadburn kids what’s doing this, I ain’t gonna be responsible for my actions the next time they trespass on my place.”
Tessa watched the older man standing beside Rafe, who was studying the side of the henhouse currently decorated with splashes of color, courtesy of several cans of spray paint, tossed at the base of the coop. Moving closer, he inspected the design, which didn’t resemble anything threatening, more like somebody swept their arm in an arch while holding the spray can. Looking at the weather-beaten, wooden structure with its tin roof, Tessa secretly felt the spray paint was a vast improvement in its appearance, but kept her opinion to herself. Exacerbating the temper of the older man wouldn’t help the situation.
“Jeb, did you see or hear anything before you found this?” Rafe’s hand pointed toward the graffiti-covered henhouse.
“If I’d heard ’em, you’d be hauling their butts to jail right now, instead of standing here jawing at me. It was like this when I came out here to collect the eggs.”
“Did you touch anything? Pick up the cans of paint?”
A guilty look passed over Grady’s face, while he blustered and postured, trying to divert the attention back to the henhouse. Tessa studied the old farmer closely. Something seemed off with this whole picture, but without all the facts, she didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Instead, she kept her lips zipped and stood back, letting Rafe do his job.
“I…um…”
“I’ll take that as a yes then.” Rafe knelt and picked up the can with the blue lid, his hands wrapped in the plastic gloves he’d retrieved from his car. “I’ll bag these up and take them in for fingerprints, but unless the kids caused trouble in the past, they won’t have prints on file.”
“Well, don’t see any reason for you to bother then, Sheriff. Gotta say, it’s getting mighty hard to get a good night’s sleep around here anymore, what with sitting up, wondering if them good-fer-nothing’s are gonna show up and cause me more problems.”
“Mr. Grady?”
He turned toward her, pulling a rag out of his back pocket, and running it across his face, which was peppered with sweat. “Yes, ma’am? Whatcha need?”
“I was wondering if I might trouble you for a glass of water?” She cut her gaze toward Rafe, who was standing at her side, and he quirked his brow. Something niggled at the back of her head, a hunch, and maybe if she asked a few leading questions, she might figure out a way to solve Mr. Grady’s problems.
“Land’s sakes, where are my manners? Come on up to the house, little lady, and I’ll get you something right away.” She watched him scurry toward the back door of his farmhouse, his scrawny frame making quick work of the distance.
“What’s up, Red?” Rafe’s hand touched her elbow, as she stepped over a tree root from the huge live oak in the yard. It was enormous, spreading its branches across the entire back porch. The shade felt wonderful. Although the day was only half over, it was already in the mid-nineties, and the weather forecast stated it would be over a hundred by late afternoon.
“I’m not sure, but I have a hunch. Mind playing along for a bit?”
“I’ve got my own suspicions, but I’m game. Jeb seems to like you.”
Tessa smiled. “He’s a crusty old curmudgeon, isn’t he?”
“What he is, is a pain in my—backside. This is the fourth call out here in as many months.”
Pulling open the back door, Rafe motioned her inside, where she was met with blessed coolness. An overhead ceiling fan rotated on a low setting, the windows in the kitchen propped open, pulling the breeze in from outside. Older places like this normally didn’t have air conditioning, not unless they’d gone through renovations, and it didn’t look like Mr. Grady’s home had seen hide-nor-hair of an interior designer, much less a coat of paint in decades. The place was spotlessly clean, dishes stacked in the drainer, and a row of clear glass canisters lining the tiled countertop.
“Here you go, ma’am. I added some ice, since it’s blistering outside. Sheriff, fixed you one too.” Grady pushed a second glass across the table, and Tessa hid her smile behind the rim of her glass when she noted Rafe only warranted two measly ice cubes, while she had a glass full.
Setting her glass on the wooden tabletop, she watched Jeb Grady putter around the kitchen like a flustered housewife, opening a cabinet and taking down a package of store-bought cookies, and placing several on a plate. Bustling over to the table, he placed it precisely in the center of the table, before lowering himself onto the chair beside Tessa. Rafe stood leaning against the doorjamb between the kitchen and the hallway.
“Mr. Grady, you have a lovely place.”
“Thank you, ma’am. Bought it back in sixty-five, right after me and the missus got hitched. Raised our three boys here, but they’ve all moved to the big city—for their jobs.” His expression when he motioned the big city left a very distinct impression, like it was a bad word leaving an unpleasant aftertaste in his mouth. Glancing around the kitchen, she didn’t spot a lot of feminine touches, other than the ruffled curtains above the sink. Faded and yellowed with age, they looked to have been there for a long time.
“The sheriff explaine
d on our way over you’ve been having trouble for several weeks now. Vandalism like this should never be ignored.” She glanced in Rafe’s direction, and noted his eye roll. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. At least he kept his mouth shut, for the time being.
“Exactly what I tell the sheriff, every time I call. Something’s got to be done.”
“Especially with them shooting at your barn. Somebody could have been hurt—or worse.” Tessa hoped he’d open up and talk, because if her suspicions were right, that’s exactly what he needed. Somebody to talk to. Being alone, with no family or friends close by, she couldn’t imagine the loneliness. In North Carolina, she’d always had people around, her parents or her sister. Even little Jamie brought joy to her life. Since moving to Texas, she’d made new friends, and kept busy getting ready for school, even meeting all her students and their parents. The activities kept her from feeling isolated or alone.
“Ain’t nobody out here to get hurt besides me, ma’am. Besides, I chased ’em off long before the sheriff made it out here.” Jeb cut his eyes at Rafe, the corners of his mouth turned down. “Takes them forever to come.”
“Jeb, we’ve had somebody respond to every single call you’ve placed. Somebody spray painting graffiti on the side of your hen house isn’t precisely an emergency call. I’m here, and you know I’m doing my best to find out who is messing with your farm.”
Jeb’s whole body seemed to deflate at Rafe’s words. Though she didn’t know the older man, it broke her heart to see the life and energy seem to drain away before her eyes.
“Mr. Grady—”
“Call me Jeb, ma’am. No need to be all formal like around here.”
She smiled and reacting on impulse, reached out and squeezed his hand. “I was wondering…no, never mind, it’s too much to ask.”
“Tessa?”
“No, it’s okay, Rafe. I was going to ask Mr. Grad—Jeb—if he’d mind my dropping by to ask some questions about farming. But I realized he’s so busy, running this farm on his own, he doesn’t have time to deal with my ignorance.”