by Grady, D. R.
Katy’s response was as intriguing as Trixi’s. “Of course she is.” She sent him an are-you-for-real look. As though she couldn’t believe he questioned this.
“Are you?” he asked Katy.
Beside him, Trixi smiled and answered, “Of course she is.”
Katy’s chuckle was infectious. “Oh yes.” Her smile held feminine mystery, but he had no interest in delving further.
Trixi’s sweet smile on the other hand, made it almost compelling to do so.
“Warren, could you please just pack up my things?” Trixi tried to keep the exasperation out of her voice, but it was hard.
“Don’t you want to spend time with me?” He sounded hurt, and maybe he was, but after fifteen years of rejections, you’d think he might catch on already that she wasn’t interested.
“No, I don’t. I want to finish my errands and go home.” If Katy was here, she’d run interference, but she had gone to see her aunts this Saturday morning. So Trixi was on her own.
He blinked, and bore an amazing resemblance to a surprised, spectacles-wearing ferret. Real ferrets likely performed the action better than Warren though. Probably because real ferrets were cute, whereas Warren was just a wannabe so he fell a little short.
Short being the operative word here. He stood only an inch taller than her. She was almost five-feet-three inches, and she guessed he could boast to five-feet-four. In their youth, he had been pimply and skinnier than her. He wasn’t pimply now, but he might still be slimmer.
Even though she wasn’t hefty in the least, she did possess some modest curves, so she might outweigh him. Trixi suspected he was only interested in her because he was marginally taller.
“I can’t believe you don’t want to at least have dinner with me,” he coaxed.
“No.” A surge of crankiness caused her to be more abrupt, but at least it spurred Warren’s sister, Winona, also a pharmacist, to nudge him aside and finish ringing up her purchases.
“Trixi, how are you?” Winona rapidly scanned and bagged Trixi’s items.
The transaction finally completed, Trixi smiled at her. Winona benefited from the height denied Warren. She was no raving beauty, but certainly classified as cute. She had not been passed over in the personality department either. Her friendliness and warmth were likely what kept the family pharmacy in business.
“I’m fine, and you?”
“Doing well. Thank you for asking.” Winona sent her another warm smile and Trixi returned it before turning to leave. There was a small line behind her, and Warren was called away, thank goodness.
Trixi escaped and breathed a sigh of relief when she cleared the door. She tossed the bag into her car and then hiked to the grocery store next door. They needed a few things. Once she was finished here, she had some dry cleaning to pick up and a quick stop at the hardware store and she should be finished.
Whipping her cart around the aisles, Trixi fantasized about what it would be like to shop with an amazing man at her side...
Chapter 16
After a couple of nights of uninterrupted sleep, she forgot what it was like to be woken in the dead of night. Only this time it wasn’t just ominous noises or bricks thrown through multiple windows.
Those were awful enough, but this time a snapping fire yanked them awake as an outbuilding close to the house erupted into flames. It had originally been the ice house, but was now used as storage for lawn care items. Except now the small structure was engulfed in fire that roared far too close to the house.
Her heart in her mouth, Trixi managed to call 911, but it was a scary few moments. She stood now with Katy and Gran, and watched as firefighters struggled to save the corner of the house that kept trying to catch fire. They had soaked this same corner several times.
What if her house burned down? All those years of history, gone in the heat of the hungry blaze. The firefighters fought with the wind. It seemed intent on snatching the flames to spread them with lavish disregard to their efforts.
The icehouse was gone, none of the firefighter’s efforts could save the piece of history smoldering at their feet. It was sad to think of the structure as no longer a part of the estate. Of all the buildings to catch fire, the old icehouse was the best, at least.
There had been an old outhouse, but one of her ancestress had long ago razed it because she felt it was an eyesore. Now, the icehouse was also gone.
“Who owns this house?” The fire chief looked at Gran.
Gran pointed to her. Trixi stepped forward. “I do.”
“And your name?”
She offered all the pertinent information.
“You might want to file a police report, ma’am.”
Her heart heaved. “A police report, why?”
“Because this fire was deliberately set.”
She swayed in the wind as the fine hairs on her body rose. “Deliberately?” Panic swelled as Katy and Gran both grabbed her.
He nodded to them, touched the brim of his hat in a gentlemanly fashion then loped off to assist with something his crew needed.
Trixi stood there, the wind trying to rip her clothing off, tears streaking her smoky face and had no idea what to do. The warmth Gran and Katy provided didn’t begin to quell the ice sleeting through her veins.
The arrival of a vehicle approaching fast stole her attention. She squinted through the smoke as Leo’s SUV skidded up beside them. He steered the vehicle off the driveway and then he and Mark erupted from the interior. Leo swept her and Katy into his arms and Trixi nestled close, shuddering.
Mark extricated her from Leo’s arms. She was surprised, but he smelled good and he proved an excellent windbreak. Trixi huddled against him, willingly admitting she was scared. He turned her around when the fire chief approached again and she felt him stiffen when the chief reiterated that she needed to speak with the police.
Nearby, Leo snarled something she didn’t catch. He had curled an arm around Gran so both she and Katy sheltered against him.
“Why does she need to speak with the police?” There was a hard note hidden in Mark’s tone.
“Because this wasn’t an accident.” The man touched his hat brim again, and then he disappeared into the bustling activity around them.
Trixi shivered in the cold and because of the ice still pummeling her veins. What was she going to do?
Mark called someone who asked a lot of questions he answered with her help. Her heart sank a notch as he spoke.
It wasn’t safe for Katy or Gran to stay here. Yet without ever mentioning it, she was well aware neither of these stubborn women would leave her. They would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her and defy anyone trying to run her out of the house.
But it didn’t make sense. No one had made an offer on the place. At least not that she’d heard. The offer had to go through her so she’d surely know.
The only person who had been unhappy with her ownership was Chrissy.
Trixi stiffened. Chrissy and her father weren’t even together now. What purpose would her father’s ex-fiancée possibly have in harassing her like this?
It was a long shot at best. Unfortunately, it was the only one she had.
She pressed tighter to Mark, thankful he and Leo had rushed to their rescue.
“How did you know we had a fire?” she asked.
“Katy called Leo.”
“Of course.” Contacting Leo was the first thing Katy would do. Call in the rescue squad the minute she knew there was a need.
“I called 911. She called Leo.”
He laughed and she enjoyed the ensuing rumble. It was nice to be sheltered like this in his arms. The world didn’t look as daunting now. Even in the dead of night with the wind whipping around them and a small, crescent shaped moon offering wan light.
“I’m glad you came,” she murmured.
His arms tightened around her and Trixi thought he dropped a kiss on her head. Her heart swelled but one of the firefighters approached before she could savor the moment. They
spoke to him for a few moments, then to the police who she couldn’t remember arriving, before it was decided the fire was out and the men swarmed their trucks and soon, with a roar of powerful engines, thundered away. The police poked around, asked more questions, and then they departed.
Their exodus left the five of them shivering in the wind. Trixi finally tugged free to lead the way into the house. She made hot chocolate, needing something to do and she figured they would all appreciate the warmth.
“We’ll stay the rest of the night with you,” Mark announced as she offered the steaming mugs with an assortment of hastily thawed cookies.
Trixi nodded. “You’re welcome to do so.”
“We’d love if you stayed.” Katy leaned against Leo who stroked her arm in between sips of his chocolate and bites of cookie. They didn’t appear to know whose cookie was whose, or care. Katy had experienced an upset and Trixi thought it very telling whom she called first. Leo hadn’t wasted time in arriving, either.
“Actually, Mark is planning to move in...” Leo started to say.
“Oh no, we didn’t call Dad.” Trixi cut Leo off. Was it too soon to call her father? Should she have done so immediately?
Gran shook her head. “I called him.”
“He’s not...” Before she completed the statement, her dad sailed through the back door, shouting for them. She and Katy rushed toward him and he bundled both of them close.
“What happened?” He swept them across the room to engulf Gran as well. Katy introduced him to the two men and she was relieved they all took to each other. It was good. She would have hated it if the de Vosse brothers and her father disliked each other upon meeting, especially Mark.
Her father listened then while she, Katy, and Gran related the nighttime events.
“I’m moving back in,” her dad declared when they finished.
“Thank you, love. But no, you need to stay where you are.” No one challenged Gran’s decree.
Her dad cleared his throat. “Mom—”
“This nice young man is planning to move in.” Gran waved in Mark’s direction.
“What?” Rylan’s disbelief was evident. So was Trixi’s. This was the first time she had heard those plans as well. When had Mark and Gran discussed this? Confusion buzzed like a cloud of circling mosquitoes.
Like the experienced surgeon he was, well used to performing under intense pressure, Mark stepped in.
“I haven’t had any luck at all in my house search. Everything promising has fallen through. I’m living with Leo at the moment, but if I can rent a room here, I’ll be on hand for emergencies.” He turned to Katy. “You can move back to your house, or stay here if you’d like.” If he was daunted by the prospect of living with three women, he didn’t show it.
“I’ll return to my house this evening.” Katy glanced around the kitchen. “I really like living here, though.”
“Yeah, it’s not every place where you get awoken by strange noises, bricks through the windows, and now fires.” Trixi wasn’t feeling bitter, just tired and a little scared.
“The ice house is gone?” her dad asked.
She nodded. “It burned to the ground.”
His lips tightened.
Katy waved at their dad. “Hey, how did your date with Nina go?”
If she didn’t know better, Trixi would say his cheeks reddened. “Oh yes, you had a date.”
Her dad’s smile did reveal happiness. “We went out to dinner and it was...”
For a moment, she thought maybe he wouldn’t finish but then he cleared his throat again. “Really nice.”
While Mark and Leo were perfectly satisfied with his answer, she exchanged knowing looks with Gran and Katy. They all settled around the table.
“Nice?” Exasperation threaded Gran’s tone.
“Yeah, Dad, you have to do better for us.” Katy snuggled against Leo who wrapped an arm around her.
Trixi grinned. “Nice isn’t even close.” She folded her arms on the table then leaned on them. “We want more.”
He shrugged. “We went out to eat. We talked and ate, and laughed. Then I took her home and we talked some more.”
“Are you seeing her again?”
“We went out again this past evening.”
This time his cheeks definitely reddened.
“And when is the next date?” Katy asked. There was a smile in her voice.
“I can answer that.” Trixi raised a finger. “He’s taking her to church this morning.”
“Yes, I am.” He didn’t prevaricate.
“This is all pretty fast, isn’t it?”
Her dad smiled. “Yes. But neither of us are exactly young. We don’t need to make this long and drawn out.”
“Right. I have a lot to learn,” Leo muttered. Katy rubbed a comforting hand up his arm.
“You’ve got time.”
Leo nodded, but looked askance at Katy. Trixi wasn’t certain what to make of his expression.
Instead, she turned to Mark. “When are you planning to move in?”
“Soon.” Was all he promised. “We’ll stay here for the rest of the night, if that’s okay?”
She, Katy, and Gran all agreed, with palatable relief.
“I can show you the guest rooms.”
“Maybe later, after church, you can show me the house. We’ll figure out then where I’m to live and can settle on rent.”
“You don’t have to pay rent.” Trixi’s protest died when he shook his head.
One of his eyebrows rose. “Of course I do. You’re providing me with much needed housing. Leo only has one working bathroom right now.”
“It’s only a problem before work.” Leo didn’t appear to find the bathroom situation too inconvenient.
Mark grimaced. “Yeah, but it’s a big hassle then.”
“Why do you only have one working bathroom?” Trixi hadn’t seen his house, but surely there was more than one.
“Because I’m redoing the others.”
Mark translated. “He’s updating the master and the two powder rooms. That leaves the main bath.”
“They’re moving along, but we’ve been busy so I haven’t had as much time.”
“I know the name of a good man who can finish the job for you,” Rylan offered.
“Thanks, but my cousin would never forgive me. He’s gotten busy with another job, so I got dropped to the bottom of the list.” Leo again didn’t act like it mattered.
Gran yawned, followed quickly by Katy.
“You all try to get some sleep.” Mark settled a hand at the small of Trixi’s back when she stood.
“I can show you to your rooms.” Trixi managed to keep her own yawn at bay, maybe because she was running on the still dissipating vestiges of adrenaline.
“We’re not planning to sleep.” Leo hauled Katy tighter against him.
“You’re going to stay up the rest of the night and keep watch,” Katy stated. She craned her neck to peer at Leo. “That’s not healthy for either of you.”
“We’re doctors. Neither of us needs much sleep.” Mark shrugged when she and Gran opened their mouths to add to Katy’s protests.
“This is to keep you safe,” Leo added, and Mark nodded once, very firmly.
“You don’t need to do this.” She hated the men losing sleep.
Mark leaned over and kissed her nose. “Yes, we do. We’ll be in for breakfast.”
Obviously satisfied with the lay of the land, her dad also kissed her, then Katy, then Gran. “I’m going to help them. There are some things I want to check on and a phone call I need to make. I’ll also be here for breakfast.”
“Daddy, you have your date this morning.”
“I won’t miss it.”
Aware she was defeated, Trixi instead wound her way to the coffee maker. She assembled everything and brewed a large pot. Then she set mugs and spoons out, as well as sweetener and some powdered creamer. “There’s half-and-half in the fridge.” She waved toward the huge refrigerator s
et in the opposite wall. She also dug out a spare key for Mark and told him the security code for the alarm system.
All three of them nodded before heading outside. Her father was already busy with his investigation. Mark and Leo joined him.
That left her, Katy, and Gran staring at each other in the kitchen. “Well, life has certainly become interesting.” Gran kissed them both goodnight for the second time and took herself off to bed.
Trixi turned bemused eyes on her best friend. “What in the world happened?”
“I haven’t figured it all out yet, but I think we are in for an interesting time.” Katy’s smile would have rivaled the sun, if the orb had been up.
Since it was still dark out, Trixi headed toward the stairs with her. “Will you sleep?” They climbed to the second floor together.
“I don’t know.” Katy didn’t seem worried either way. “Since showering off the smoke, it’s more likely.” Katy, Trixi, and Gran had immediately showered and changed clothes, because the smoke had infiltrated their skin, hair, and clothes.
Trixi’s thoughts turned to their new guards. “What if they come back inside? Where will they sleep if they finish whatever they’re doing?”
“Leo will crawl into bed with me.” Katy shrugged as though this was a no-brainer.
Still trying to comprehend how she knew this, Trixi stared at her. Did Katy actually hear herself? Did she realize what she had just said? The huge significance of it? Trixi waited for Katy to comprehend, but she merely waved and disappeared into her own room.
Trixi lingered, wondering if Katy would pop her head out and utter her surprise at the way her relationship with Leo was so natural.
It was so natural Katy didn’t even think about it because the small light she had snapped on earlier clicked off and the room nestled into the darkness.
With a shrug, Trixi entered her own room and climbed into bed in the dark. Would Mark come crawl in with her? No. Their relationship was nothing like Katy and Leo’s. In fact, she had never met another couple like them.
Did they value what they had? Then again, how could they? Neither appeared to understand how precious their budding relationship was.
Did people value their relationships?