Once everyone was on horseback, Barb mounted her chestnut roan and led us away from the resort and across a meadow. Bulging saddlebags behind her saddle held our lunch.
“When we head home on Friday,” I tossed over my shoulder, “is Rodriguez going to pursue the investigation on his own?”
“I’ll probably stay behind,” Matt said. “I’m with you in not trusting him. Either the man is as dumb as that tree or he’s dirty. Either way, I’m needed here. I’ll send Wayne home with you.”
“Can’t it be the other way around?” I twisted in the saddle.
“And incur your sister’s wrath? No, thank you. I’d love to be the one to go home with you, but my captain elected me to stay behind.”
I wasn’t worried that Wayne couldn’t protect us. I knew first hand what he would do to make sure we stayed alive. Still, I’d worry every moment about Matt left behind.
“This isn’t the first time there has been trouble at Mountain Springs,” Barb said. “I might not be an employee there, having stuck to my independent trail rides, but I hear things. Last year, that snobby manager was in a bit of financial trouble. Word is…she has an online gambling problem. She was overcharging for the cottages and pocketing the difference. Corporation found out and gave her a warning. Stop or get out.”
I felt as if I’d had a palm slap to the forehead. “Is Mountain Springs owned by Boyd Industries?”
“Yep.” She led us out of the open and into the trees.
I glanced back at Matt and raised my eyebrows. He nodded, his face grim.
Guess who became our number one suspect? I drew in a sharp breath. What if Cheri and Shelby were in cahoots with each other? Blood ran deep in the Ozarks, and they were family. Even with the ongoing rivalry between me and Angela, we could harass each other, but no one else better dare.
J.R. danced under me every time another horse got close. I enjoyed horses that were plodding old dodgers, but this rambunctious animal showed me it wouldn’t do to lose my concentration.
“Settle down, boy.” I gave the reins a gentle tug. “You’re going to give me blisters on my behind.”
“It looks like your saddle is slipping,” Matt said. “Hold up.”
Barb halted the line and slid from the back of her horse. “Let me take a look.”
J.R. hopped sideways. My saddle tilted. The next thing I knew, I was on the ground studying the horse’s belly. I curled into a ball and covered my head.
The horse moved to the side and blew hot breath on the back of my head. I reached up and pushed him away.
“Are you all right?” Matt helped me to my feet.
Barb grabbed J.R.’s reins and ran her hands down his quivering flank. “There’s a notch cut out of the cinch. I’ve got a temporary fix, but I suggest you take your boyfriend up on riding double.” Her face darkened. “I’m so sorry. This has never happened before.”
“That’s because I wasn’t riding one of your horses before.” I dusted off the back of my jeans. It was an accident, right? No one could have known which horse I would ride, unless it didn’t matter which of our group got injured. I had a feeling someone wanted us gone by any means necessary. I gave myself a mental shake.
Falling from the horse rarely killed a person, unless they struck their head on a rock. I gave the rocks on the side of the trail a dirty look. “It’s called the Stormi syndrome. I’ll be fine.” Bruised maybe, but still moving.
“I got my wish after all.” Matt got back on his horse and held a hand down to swing me up behind him.
I wrapped my arm around his waist and breathed deep of his cologne and a scent that was all Matt. Something masculine and sexy with a hint of musk. Only my man could ride a horse and still smell good.
“Are you sure you aren’t hurt?” He asked.
“I’m fine. Clumsiness is my middle name, remember?”
He made a noise in his throat. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”
“An accident, right?”
He shrugged. “No way to prove otherwise.”
I stiffened. “You don’t think so?”
“With you? You attract trouble like cops to a doughnut shop.”
I exhaled sharply. “Well, if it was planned, I’m glad it was me and not Mom.”
“I heard that,” Mom called out. “You’d think I was old and brittle the way you go on.”
Barb led us to a clearing next to a bubbling creek. “We’ll stop here for an hour. The water is shallow, but icy cold, if anyone wants to wade.”
Dakota and Cherokee were the first to take their shoes off and were soon splashing each other and shrieking. I couldn’t wait to join in the fun.
My feet went numb the moment I stepped into the water. It didn’t take long, though, for me to disregard the sharp cold and wade in as far as I could roll up my pant legs. Didn’t take but a second more for Dakota to send a wave of ice water at my face.
“You do know it’s October, right? Not July. I’m going to freeze to death.” Hair that had escaped my ponytail stuck to my face. I turned and trudged back to the bank. Let the kids catch a chill.
“Spoil sport,” he said, laughing. “Cherokee and I don’t mind the cold.”
I sniffed. They were kids. I was an adult and had more sense. Still barefoot, I helped Mom unload the lunch while Matt and Wayne conversed quietly at the edge of the water, occasionally scanning the line of trees. Rusty, afraid of horses, had elected to stay behind at the resort. I prayed he was watching television in the cottage like he promised.
Barb cared for the horses, clearly upset over my fall. Nothing I said eased her guilt. Maybe a thick ham and cheese sandwich would help.
“Lunch.” I held out the paper towel wrapped sandwich.
“I’m not hungry.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Barb.” I offered the food again. “Really. These things happen to me all the time.”
Her shoulders slumped. “You’ve been through so much, according to the grapevine. I wanted the ride to be a pleasant experience.”
“It is. I’m enjoying myself. The others are, too. Eat.”
She took the sandwich. “Thank you.” She perched on a fallen log, face downcast.
I rejoined the others and sat on a corner of a quilt spread across a carpet of autumn leaves. I wished the men would relax, but couldn’t blame them for standing guard. Not after the so-called vacation we’d had so far. Still, the beauty of the day covered the ugliness.
After I ate, I laid down, watching clouds converge overhead. It looked like rain. Wonderful. That was one thing that could definitely put a damper on the day. I didn’t relish arriving back at the resort, cold and shivering.
An increasing wind disturbed the water of the creek and rustled tree branches. Barb told us to pack up and cut the lunch break short. We had to head back.
I went to sit up, only to have my head jerked back. “Ow!” I grabbed my hair and turned. J.R. had my ponytail in his mouth. “He’s eating my hair!”
“That horse is going to be the death of me.” Barb grabbed his reins. “He’s worse than a child. There is no keeping him tethered. I can’t put him in the same corral as the other horses because he’s always picking fights.” She freed me and led the horse away.
“What’s the damage?” I showed Mom my hair.
“A little uneven on the ends,” she said. “Nothing a good stylist can’t fix.”
I vowed then and there to schedule another vacation as soon as possible. One with no murders, thefts, a hair-eating horse, or a crime of any kind. I yanked the blanket from the ground and rolled it into a tube before handing it to Barb to tie onto J.R. If no one was going to ride him, he might as well pull his weight another way.
Thunder rumbled in the distance seconds before fat raindrops fell.
“There’s a cave this way,” Barb said. “Everyone grab something and a horse’s reins. It isn’t far, but we’ll have to lead the animals.” She stepped into the rising creek and led the way across.
Seriously? I
n one hand, I still carried my shoes, in the other, J.R.’s reins. I glared at the horse. “Behave. I don’t like this any more than you do.”
I once again stepped into the freezing water, no longer able to keep my pants dry. The water rose to mid-thigh.
J.R. splashed behind me, soaking my back. He snorted against my neck. I swore he tormented me on purpose.
I yelped, losing my footing. The water closed over my head and stole my breath. The only thing that kept me from being swept away was my firm grip on the reins. Instead of me leading the horse, he dragged me to the opposite shore, staying true to having to be at the front of the line.
Struggling to my feet, I smacked his rump. “Beast.” I marched past him and into a cave. Good. Someone had the foresight to stockpile a load of wood against one wall.
“We keep wood and a lantern here for times like this,” Barb said. “Tie the reins to a tree outside. The poor horses will have to make do until the rain stops.”
“I’ll get a fire started,” Wayne offered. “Of course, the expression on Stormi’s face might get a flame going before these matches.”
“Very funny. I’m freezing.” The quilt I had carefully tied to the back of J.R.’s saddle was sopping wet and no good to me now.
Matt wrapped his good arm around me and rested his chin on my head. “I’ll warm you up.”
I sighed and nestled back against him. “Why does anything bad that’s going to happen, always happen to me?”
“Luck.”
“Lack thereof, you mean.”
“It’s fodder for your stories.”
“True.” I turned and kissed him. “You always know what to say.”
Wayne soon had a tiny fire going. I stepped away from Matt and crouched next to the flames, welcoming the warmth.
Lightning cracked overhead. A tree fell across the opening of the cave. The horses whinnied and yanked free before racing away.
I sighed and held my hands closer to the blaze. Fodder for my stories, indeed.
“Don’t worry,” Barb said. “They’ll return as soon as the storm is over. They know who feeds them.”
Wayne straightened. “I’ll get started breaking up that branch so we can get out when it’s time.” He laughed. “You, drowned red rat, are bad luck.”
Wasn’t I though?
18
Night had fallen by the time we trudged to our cottage. Although I was no longer soaking wet, I was far from completely dry, and couldn’t wait to take a hot shower and wrap in a fluffy robe.
“I’m bushed, babe.” Matt planted a kiss on my lips. “I’ll stop by in the morning, okay?”
I nodded. “I plan on going straight to bed.”
We kissed again, and he leaned his forehead against mine while the others trooped past us. “We need to hurry and get married,” he said, “so we don’t have to go to separate rooms.”
“Agree. Let’s finalize a date as soon as we—”
“She’s gone.” Mom bustled up to us.
“Who?” I sighed and stepped back.
“Cheri. Rusty said she packed her bags and left while we were gone.”
I wanted to dance a jig. We could enjoy the last couple of days of our vacation with no worries. Her running off cinched the fact she was the murderer. She was probably on a flight to Mexico, or back to France, this very minute.
“I need to call Rodriguez,” Matt told me. “I’ll talk to you in the morning. I love you.”
“Ditto.” I watched until he entered his cottage. “I’m getting married, Mom.”
“Obviously. That’s why you’re wearing a ring.”
“I mean soon. We’re setting a date as soon as we get home.”
“A spring wedding. Perfect.”
“No, Christmas.” I put my arm around her shoulders and stepped into the cottage with her. “I don’t want to wait.”
“Finally, we can have some fun,” Angela said. “We leave in three days, and I’ve done nothing but rattle around here.”
“If you call daily massages and facials rattling around, you’ve had a rough time of things, for sure.” I thanked Rusty and sent him on his way, glad more than I could say that he had stowed away in Matt’s truck. His peeping where he wasn’t wanted paid off more times than I could count.
After a hot shower, I fell asleep dreaming of Matt, weddings, and home.
I woke to a pounding on my bedroom door. I cracked one eye open and stared across the room at Maryann, who stuffed a pillow over her head.
“I’m coming in,” Mom said. “Don’t worry about being decent, I’ve seen it all before.”
Not since she changed my diapers, but who cared? “Come in. I’m up.”
“Get dressed. The chef is gone, too, and there are a lot of hungry people in the restaurant. We’re cooking.”
“Wait. What?” I flung back the blankets.
“With Cheri gone, employees are leaving left and right. If we want to eat, we have to cook.” She frowned down at me. “It isn’t something we haven’t done before.”
True, but let a girl wake up before throwing something of that magnitude at her. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
I made it in twenty. I stumbled into the commercial style kitchen and stared. It was everything a cook could ever want. I might only cook when stressed, and my full freezer at home could testify that I was stressed over my latest book quite a lot, but I was definitely knee deep in envy. “This isn’t going to be work. This will be a vacation!” I tied a crisp one apron over my clothes.
“Let’s see if you still feel that way after filling the breakfast buffet,” Mom said. “We need scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, cut up fruit, pancakes…You name it, we got to fix it.”
“No, we don’t. We make a gourmet breakfast and let Rusty carry it out. The guests can take it or leave it.” I rubbed my hands together. “This is a survival situation.” I couldn’t be happier.
“I already sent Matt and Wayne out to take omelet orders.” Mom cracked eggs into a bowl.
“Fine.” Why couldn’t she do things the easy way for once? “I’ll work on the omelets. You, Angela, Maryann, and Cherokee each take something else. Dakota, you have kitchen duty.”
He groaned. “I knew it.”
“Just stack them on that belt and push the button.” Did I mention I was jealous?
“Cool.” He sat in a chair to wait for the first load. “Do you think the guests will give me a tip if I bus their table?”
“I doubt it. The meals are included in the cost.”
For the next hour, I made omelets like a crazed scientist, before collapsing, happy but exhausted, into a nearby chair. Before taking up writing, I’d entertained the idea of being a chef. It might be fun once in a while, but I felt like I’d been run over by a truck.
“Thank you.” A clapping drew my attention to the kitchen door. Shelby, dressed in a navy suit, beamed. “I’m the acting manager and I must say, bravo!”
Oh, good grief. I slumped in my seat. Just when I was ready to relax.
“I really had no idea what we were going to do. Rodriguez refuses to let the bridesmaids leave. Said he is still investigating. Isn’t that the weirdest thing? I’ve never heard of suspects being detained on a resort before. Guess there is always a first.” She shrugged one shoulder. “Somebody has to feed them. I’m glad you’re staying on to do so.”
“No, no, no, no.” I pushed to my feet. “We are leaving on Saturday. No exceptions. Y’all can fend for yourselves.”
“Please.” She clasped her hands together as if praying. “I can’t cook.”
“We’ll cook until we leave.” Mom tossed a dish towel onto the counter. “We have a zip-lining appointment tomorrow, and we’re leaving after breakfast the next day. We can leave a couple of meals in the freezer for you. I’m sure you’ll be released soon enough. With Cheri flying the coop, she as much as admitted her guilt.”
“She’s right,” Matt said, squeezing past Shelby and into the room. “Rodriguez said once ever
yone is gone, you’re free to go. You can kick everyone out now, if you want to.”
My family started yelling at once. Clearly, no one wanted to miss zipping through the trees covered with autumn foliage.
Shelby looked relieved. “By midday Saturday, this place will be nothing more than a ghost town. The only ones left are y’all and the wedding party. Even the servants have gone. There is no reason for me to stay.” She turned and left.
“I had no idea she would still work for Boyd Industries after Lawrence broke off their engagement,” I said.
Mom shrugged. “A gal’s gotta make a living.”
“I suppose.” I glanced at the others. “Take a few hours off. Mom and I will plan sandwiches for lunch, and find something for dinner. No personal orders, though. Everyone eats the same meal.”
“With no staff left, what are we supposed to do?” Angela planted fists on her hips.
“I have no idea.” Nor, did I care. There was nothing more relaxing than to do nothing. Which is exactly what I planned on doing as soon as the day’s meals were planned.
When everyone had left, Mom and I headed for the freezer to take inventory. I pulled a clip from the hinge and opened the heavy metal door. “What a waste.” The shelves of the eight by ten foot room was filled.
“What do you think they’ll do with it all when they close the resort?”
I shrugged. “Maybe they won’t close it. Maybe they’ll hire all new staff and be up and running within a couple of weeks.” I hoped so. If there hadn’t have been a murder, it really was a nice place to spend a week…or two.
“We could do chicken parmesan.” Mom stepped on a stool. “If we take these chicken breasts out now, they should thaw in time.”
The door slammed shut.
I pushed against it. Nothing. “Will we thaw by then?” I cupped my hands and peered through the small window in the door. “Uh, Mom. We’re locked in.”
“Impossible. These doors have protection against that.”
“Take a look. There’s no protection against someone putting the chain through the lock.” I wrapped my arms around me. How long could we last in there? How long until someone missed us?
“Okay, don’t panic.” Mom rattled the handle. When that didn’t work, she kicked the door. “Help! Let us out! We’re going to freeze in here.”
Nosy Neighbor: All 7 complete Nosy Neighbor cozy mysteries PLUS: 2 short Christmas stories (A Nosy Neighbor mystery) Page 85