Welcome to Blissville

by Walker, Aimee Nicole

  “Meredith is ripping into Chaz for misbehaving; same speech, different ear,” Josh told me. “What’s going on? You sound upset.”

  “I have some bad news, I’m afraid,” I said.

  “Oh my God! What is it? Did you have a vision? Is Gabe in danger?” He fired one question after the other at me. I felt terrible about causing him a moment’s panic. The news that Gabe’s ex-partner was on the run from the police to avoid a murder indictment had to be stressful for him. It didn’t help that the Marshals Service suspected that Jimmy De Soto was heading to Ohio to take out Gabe in the act of vengeance for what he perceived as Gabe destroying his life. No wonder Josh and the gang were jumpy.

  I placed my hands firmly on Josh’s shoulders, hoping the weight of my hands would calm him like Jon had done for me in my kitchen when I had a panic attack. “No, Josh. My visit has nothing to do with Gabe or the vision. I came over to tell you that I’ll be leaving town for a few days, but I’ll be back in time for your wedding.”

  Josh’s eyes searched my face for signs, and I knew exactly what he saw. The dark circles from lack of sleep stood out against my unnaturally pale face. “Is everything okay?” Josh asked me.

  “No, not really,” I admitted, “but I’m going to see if I can change that. I plan on returning Friday in case you need my help before your big day.” I pulled Josh to me for a hug and whispered, “You’ve been a great friend to me, Josh. You can’t possibly know how much that means to me.”

  My words sounded like a goodbye. I could see how concerned Josh was for me, and I was once again grateful to River for sending me to his neighborhood. I wasn’t crazy about all the things that had happened since my arrival or all the people I’d met, but it was an experience I wouldn’t change. An image of Jon Silver storming out of my house in hurt or anger, I couldn’t be sure, popped up in my mind to mock me. I just shoved it aside before I lost my nerve.

  It had taken courage for him to show up at my house and ask me for help. I’d given him no reason to believe I’d lend him air if he were stuck in a jar. Still, he drove an hour to my house in an effort to help his friend. I couldn’t get past the jealousy that unfurled in my gut every time he said the other man’s name. Why? I. Did. Not. Want. Jon! Regardless, I behaved out of character for me and pushed Jon to his snapping point. I refused to think about how badly it hurt when Jon said he was going to do his damnedest to forget about me, or the reasons why. I couldn’t allow Jon to mean anything to me, not even as a means to scratch the itch that had burrowed beneath my skin.

  “Running won’t change anything, Emory. Sometimes we must accept that fate—or a higher power—knows what’s best for us when we aren’t smart enough or brave enough to see it for ourselves. Sometimes you just need to have a little faith.”

  I nodded subtly and offered a small, uncertain smile before I left without another word. I drove to the airport where I parked my car in the long-term parking garage and boarded a jet to Bozeman, Montana. Once there, I transferred to a smaller plane that flew straight into Big Timber Airport. I had learned that there were a lot of fly fishing, whitewater rafting, and dude ranch adventures in the vicinity which made the airport a great thing for their local commerce.

  The first thing that stood out in my mind when I walked out of the small airport was how crisp and fresh the fall air was in the mountains. I noticed the resplendent shades of yellow, orange, and red leaves on the trees as we descended. In Ohio, things were still green. The second thing I noticed was the breathtaking views of the mountains. What must it be like to look at that view every single day? Did people take it for granted after seeing it their entire lives? I didn’t think I could ever get tired of seeing the majestic mountains. The final thing I noticed was the tall, imposing figure waiting for me by his big SUV with the sheriff’s logo emblazoned on the side. It was quite telling about my current state of mind that I noticed the air, trees, and mountains before I noticed a sexy man wearing tight blue jeans, a pressed beige shirt with a star-shaped badge pinned to his chest, a Stetson hat, and aviator glasses. Hollywood couldn’t have cast a sexier sheriff if they’d tried,

  Friends my ass.

  “Are you Emory?” he asked as I approached his SUV.

  “In the flesh,” I replied. “You must be Sheriff Rossi.”

  The man removed his aviator glasses, and his icy-blue eyes assessed me from head to toe. Was he wondering what my relationship was to Jon? I’d asked myself that several times on the trip west. I half convinced myself that I was doing it for justice, which would at least be a noble reason. My conscience told me it was my guilt that propelled me to google the case and the sheriff’s number not thirty minutes after Jon left my house. My heart told me it was something more—something that I didn’t want to consider.

  “Call me Beau,” he said with a smile. He extended his hand to me courteously, and I accepted it. “So, you and Jon…”

  “No,” I said firmly. “There’s no me and Jon. I’m here to see if I can help you solve a missing persons case. I have to be back home on Friday for a wedding.”

  “Jon told me about Josh and Gabe’s wedding this weekend.” Beau chuckled then added, “I think it might be the first wedding he’s attended.”

  “Really?” Jon eluded to the fact that the majority of his past was filled with harrowing experiences, but I was surprised someone in his inner circle wasn’t married.

  “Not many are brave enough to take on a portador de la muerte,” Beau replied sardonically. Death bringer? I knew Jon had blood on his hands, but I didn’t expect them to give themselves nicknames. Yet, Beau didn’t sound boastful; it was more like lonely acceptance. “Are you ready to head to your B&B?”

  “Sure.” I’d booked myself into a bed and breakfast that promised the best biscuits and gravy in the US. I’d just have to see about that because Emma at the diner in Blissville made the best I’d ever had the privilege to cram in my mouth.

  We were both quiet once we got inside the SUV, but at least it wasn’t an awkward silence. I had many questions on my mind, and I figured he did too. I also suspected that both of us questioned the other’s role in Jon’s life, but I didn’t pick up a jealous vibe from him. I still found it hard to believe, but maybe they were only friends.

  It didn’t take us long to reach Miss Martha’s Bed and Breakfast. I looked up at the charming two-story Victorian home, complete with turrets. I had expected something a bit more rustic, but I guess it wasn’t that uncommon for city folk to have different style homes than their rural counterparts.

  “This house was built two hundred years ago by a big timber tycoon as a hush payment for his mistress. She turned it into a bed and breakfast so she could be independent of men,” Beau told me. “His original ranch is still operated by a younger version of him.”

  “Did the bed and breakfast stay in the mistress’s family also?”

  “Yes, sir.” He tipped his head toward the wide porch where a young man exited the front of the house in haste. An older woman was hot on his heels giving him a piece of her mind. “The apple didn’t fall far from the great, great granddaddy tree. It seems Miss Martha doesn’t want Chase Kissander coming around her granddaughter.”

  “I guess by the way he tucked his tail and ran that he won’t be back for quite some time.”

  “Wrong,” the sheriff said. I turned to look at him when I heard the humor in his voice. “This happens at least once a damn day.”

  “Miss Martha’s website didn’t tell me that daily entertainment was included with my room and meals.”

  “That boy isn’t going to give up,” Beau told me. “I’ll give Chase credit because he doesn’t act like an entitled asshole like the rest of his kin.” He smiled and shook his head. “You’ve been traveling a while so why don’t you get checked in and have a bite to eat. I’ll come around and pick you up in a few hours. We’ll go over what little information I have and go from there.”

  “Sounds good.”

  A beautiful young lady with lon
g, dark hair with an unhappy pout stood behind the check-in desk looking down at her phone. I instantly knew that she was the one who captured young Chase’s attention with her cornflower-blue eyes and heart-shaped face with the cutest little chin dimple. I also could tell that she wasn’t very happy with her grandmother. She squared her shoulders, put her phone in her pocket, and pasted a smile on her face when she saw I had arrived.

  “Welcome to Big Timber, Mr. Jackson.”

  Hearing her addressing me by name caught me by surprise, but then I remembered the online express check-in process required me to provide a photo of my driver’s license. “Thank you.”

  “My name is Caroline, and I work the front desk each day until three. Give me a buzz or stop by if you need anything.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Caroline. I’ll try not to be a pest during my short stay, but I could really use something hot and tasty to eat to tide me over until dinner. If the kitchen isn’t open, can you point me to—”

  “Nonsense,” Martha said when she swept into the room. “I’d never send one of my guests in search of food after traveling all day to get here. How does grilled cheese and a bowl of my homemade vegetable beef soup sound?”

  “Divine,” I said just barely loud enough to be heard over my growling stomach.

  “Caroline, please give Mr. Jackson his room key so he can go upstairs and get settled.” Martha turned to me and said, “I’ll bring up a tray in fifteen minutes.”

  “Oh, please don’t go to any trouble.”

  “Nonsense,” she said again. “There’s a tray stand outside each door for occasions like this. I’ll knock on the door to let you know the food is waiting for you.”

  “That’s impressive,” I said genuinely. “I think I’m going to like it here.”

  “It is my hope that you enjoy it so much that you return many times and recommend us to your friends. I’ll be up as soon as your food is ready.” I didn’t have many friends, but I would be sure to tell them about the hospitality. If the food was as good as promised, I was sure Josh would want to fly west and swap recipes.

  “Here you go, Mr. Jackson.” Caroline handed me an ornate-looking skeleton key on a keychain with the B&B logo on it. Maybe most guys my age wouldn’t like to be addressed so formally, but hearing the name I shared with River warmed my heart.

  “Thank you, Caroline.” I started to walk away but then stopped and leaned a little closer. “Does that scene I witnessed outside happen every day?”

  She blushed prettily and nodded her head. “Grandmother thinks Chase is bad news, but I love him.”

  “She runs him off, and he keeps coming back?”

  “Yes, sir.” Caroline giggled then covered her mouth so Martha couldn’t hear her. She lowered her voice and said, “He’s loved me since we were five years old.” I guessed them to be in their early twenties, so that was almost their entire lives.

  “And have you loved him that long, as well?”

  “Yes, sir,” she replied proudly.

  “Don’t give up, Caroline. Fight for love, and you’ll never regret it.” I gave her a conspiring wink. Some might say I was giving bad advice because look at the heartache I continued to endure after losing River, but I could never regret the eight years, five months, three weeks, two days, and twelve hours we had together.

  Once I got upstairs, I unpacked my small bag and kicked off my shoes so I could lounge on the bed while I waited for the highly anticipated knock. The room wasn’t as frilly and fussy as I expected as some of the B&Bs that River and I stayed in over the years. The furniture was antique, but sturdy and modernized with neutral fabrics with small pops of color from the current era rather than a reproduction of materials from yesteryear.

  I suddenly remembered that I needed to turn my phone back on after the flight. I had promised Memphis I would call when I arrived. It seemed to take an inordinately long time for my phone to turn on, so I set it aside when “the knock” came on the door. I whipped the door open and stepped into the hallway before Martha made it back to the top of the stairs.

  She smiled and shook her head at my eagerness. I hoisted the tray off the stand and took it to the small table inside my room. I lifted the lid and inhaled the delicious aroma of bread, butter, melted cheese, and slow-cooked soup into my nose. I paused for a second to appreciate my bounty then devoured it in minutes. I stopped just shy of trying to lick the bowl clean.

  My phone vibrated on the bedside table where I left it when it started to come to life. I could tell I had several messages waiting for me. I expected them to all be from Memphis and all of them were but one. I stared down at his message on my phone and told myself not to read it. I didn’t do this for him. Liar.

  Curiosity was the only reason I clicked on his message. Thank you, Emory. I spent the rest of my time trying to figure out why those three little words made my heart race while I waited for Beau to arrive.

  “He’s cute.”

  “Who?” I asked Beau, feigning dumb. My friend’s warm chuckle let me know he wasn’t buying my act.

  “He landed safely and is currently at the bed and breakfast getting settled and grabbing a bite to eat before I go over the case with him,” Beau said. “He seems nice.”

  “I wouldn’t know.” Even I heard the slight bite of bitterness in my voice.

  “Well, you must mean something to Emory for him to drop what he was doing and fly to Montana to help me,” Beau countered.

  “It probably has more to do with a dislike of injustice.” Or perhaps guilt. “Regardless of his reasons, I’m glad he showed up to help you. When I talked to Emory about your situation, he asked me a question that I couldn’t answer.”

  “What?” Beau hesitantly asked.

  “Emory asked me what had changed to cause the sense of urgency and frustration I’d detected in your voice on Sunday. I felt like you were keeping something from me.”

  “I’ve been completely honest with you from the beginning,” Beau calmly said. “Once his family found out there was a new sheriff they pressed me to look into the cold case. That’s all.”

  “All of that makes perfect sense to me, but you sounded despondent on the phone Sunday morning in a way I haven’t heard in a long time. It gives me the impression that this case is more personal to you than you’re letting on.”

  “I was just exhausted and frustrated that I haven’t gotten any further in the investigation. I’d hoped that enough time passed that people started loosening up their lips a bit,” Beau said dejectedly. Yeah, I bought that excuse too, but I knew there was more he wasn’t telling me. I was pissed because we didn’t keep secrets from each other, but I respected him enough not to push. He’d tell me when he was ready. “So, there’s nothing you want to tell me either?” he asked.

  I shook my head no then realized he couldn’t see me through the phone. “No,” I finally answered. “I still haven’t figured out who stole money or hooch from my club and the person must’ve been scared straight because nothing hinky has happened since we had our staff meeting.”

  “Could be a glitch in the software program, you know,” Beau suggested. “It’s not like computers, gadgets, and programs are one hundred percent accurate all the time.”

  “I’ve considered that too.” And I had. I was cynical by nature, but I truly liked and respected everyone on my staff. None of them gave off shady vibes so I was truly in a conundrum and there was nothing I could do unless the thief struck again. “Time will tell.”

  “So, there’s nothing going on between you and Emory?” Beau asked. I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that Beau would pursue him if I said no. Yes, there was something going on between Emory and me, but I couldn’t claim him. I didn’t have the right to after what I’d done.

  “Nope. Nothing.”

  Beau’s laughter rumbled through the phone connection. “How about everything else? Did that Broadman guy’s confession bring you the closure you were looking for?”

  “Yes and no,” I rep
lied. “Yes, I feel better knowing that Nate’s killer is off the street, but it won’t bring my brother back.” I still felt the sting of heartache every day, which was why I understood why Emory fought the idea of us. He wasn’t ready to move on. “I’m still fucking angry that Rylan Broadman valued farmland over my brother and his other victims’ lives.” I was especially resentful on behalf of Rick Spizer’s widow. Making her think her husband took his own life for even a second was the cruelest act of them all.

  “We made a living engaging in battles on behalf of our grateful nation over land disputes, but you never expect that bullshit to happen in your backyard.”

  “So fucking senseless,” I replied.

  “Besides New Orleans, this is the longest you’ve stayed in one spot as long as we’ve known each other. You haven’t met someone special in all this time?” Beau questioned, changing the subject to one that wasn’t as sad. Of course, lately my love life—or lack thereof—was pretty pitiful.

  “Have you?” I countered.

  “I have a friend.” His answer made me laugh out loud. “What’s so funny, asshole?”

  “Emory thought that you and I were friends,” I replied.

  “And he didn’t like the idea because there is something between the two of you, even though neither of you will admit it.”

  “Shut the fuck up, Dr. Phil,” I groused. “When the fuck did we start talking about our feelings?”

  Beau laughed hard at my temper. “Maybe now that we’re not constantly running for our lives or shooting our way out of trouble we can all find someone that makes our lives a little more pleasant.” My response was a grunt. “Then you won’t mind if I ask Emory to be my friend?”

  “I will slit your throat while you sleep,” I answered between gritted teeth. The thought of anyone’s hands on Emory’s body besides mine made me physically ill. Would he feel the same way when I told him what I’d done with Alexander?

  Beau laughed until he was out of breath while I gripped my phone hard enough to break it. “I… won’t… touch your… man,” he told me in between gasps for air. “You’re both a couple of idiots.”