by Cindy Kirk
“I’m thinking about suggesting Ami add something similar to the Muddy Boots menu.” Marigold forked another bite. “It would have been nice to get our salads before the pizza, but they’re busy tonight.”
Cade shrugged. “I don’t mind doing a salad chaser.”
“You’re easy to please.” Marigold reached over and squeezed his hand. She found Cade’s attitude a refreshing change from Jason, who liked—or rather demanded—perfection from everyone. Not only waitstaff and work subordinates, but from her as well.
“I appreciated what you said to Izzie about supporting me in the election.” His gaze met hers. “I hope you know I don’t take your support for granted.”
“You’re the best person for the job.” Marigold spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. “Travis is a good guy. Eventually he’d make a good sheriff somewhere. But he’s not ready to lead a department yet. Len and Jeremy made the right call.”
“Hearing you say that means a lot to me.”
“You can thank me by letting me choose the dessert.” Marigold lifted the dessert menu from the table. “Rumor is they have this amazing bread pudding.”
Cade grimaced.
“Hey, what happened to Mr. Easy To Please who was in the mood to live dangerously?” Her tone turned teasing. “How can you not like a dessert that contains French bread, dried fruit, vanilla custard, and cream?”
“It does sound good,” he admitted. “But I don’t know where we’re going to put it all.”
She motioned for him to lean close, then whispered in his ear. “I can think of several ways to burn off all these calories once we get back to my place.”
Before he could reply, Izzie appeared. “Would you like any dessert this evening?”
Cade smiled. “We’ll start with the bread pudding.”
Marigold discovered that during her time away, Muddy Boots had become the place to be on Sunday morning.
When Ami had told her Beck had recently hired extra help to manage the after-church breakfast crowd, she’d assumed her sister was joking. That is, until she’d walked through the door this morning.
Marigold stared in amazement as she watched Katie Ruth flirt with high school principal Clay Chapin, coffee cup in hand. “This scene reminds me of a bar I used to frequent on Friday nights, except for the lack of loud music . . . and the fact that coffee has replaced wine as the drink of choice.”
“It’s a meat market,” Prim confided. “Like a Sunday morning singles club.”
“There are married couples here, too,” Ami argued.
After surveying the crowd, Marigold concluded her eldest sister was right. There appeared to be an equal numbers of singles versus those attached. While many sat at tables eating, others—like Katie Ruth—roamed from table to table with coffee cup in hand in a strange version of a bar crawl. “I like it. The place has a good vibe.”
Ami smiled. “Beck and I love the energy, the camaraderie and—”
“—the constant ring of the cash register?” Marigold gave her sister a wink.
“That, too.” Ami laughed.
Prim studied the crowded dining room with the assessing gaze of an accountant. “Now, if we can just find a place to sit.”
Relief lit Ami’s green eyes. “There’s a four-top being cleaned off by the window.”
“I saw that one, but there’s five of us . . .” Prim, always the accountant, reminded her sister.
“You guys sit.” Marigold held up a hand when Ami began to sputter. “I want to mingle.”
Ami shook her head. Her chin lifted in a stubborn tilt. “Beck can—”
“Think of it this way. All of these customers are potential clients for me.” Marigold lowered her voice. “I need to see and be seen, let people know I’m here and that I’ll be cutting hair while I’m in town.”
“Katie Ruth already mentioned that fact in the Open Door,” Prim said, referring to the online newsletter that supplied residents with daily news and gossip. “Trust me, everyone knows you’re back in Good Hope.”
Prim caught Ami’s eyes, and the eldest Bloom sister nodded.
Back in Good Hope.
There was such a finality in the way her sister said the words. Not back for a visit, but back in Good Hope.
Back, because she’d lost her high-profile position at the Steffan Oliver Salon. Back, because no other top-rated salon in Chicago wanted her. Back and now seeing clients in the former Carly’s Cut and Curl location.
Oh, how the mighty fall . . .
Marigold had seen other stylists crash and burn, most often due to addiction issues. But her slide from grace had occurred through no fault of her own. She forced a smile, gave Ami and Prim a little shove. “Go. Sit down. I’ll be fine.”
Her sisters had just strolled off when Beck and Max returned from the kitchen. Instead of heading for the table, they moved to her, obviously puzzled to see her standing alone.
“Your wives are over there by the window.” Marigold gestured with her head. “I’m preparing to circulate.”
Beck glanced in the direction of the table, frowned. “If it’s a matter of seating, we can—”
“It’s a matter of me wanting to become reacquainted with old friends and meet new ones.” She offered Beck and Max a reassuring smile. “Trust me, if I get bored, I have no compunction about booting one of you out of your seat.”
Max chuckled.
Beck’s gaze searched hers. “May I at least get you a cup of coffee?”
“You’re so sweet, but right now I want my hands free.”
At her brother-in-law’s questioning glance, she winked. “Hugs. Kisses. I’m hoping for a little of both.”
Not giving them a chance to argue further, Marigold turned on her heel and stepped into the crowd. While she adored her family and knew they only wanted to be supportive, she needed a little space.
“Hey, stranger.”
Marigold turned to find Katie Ruth and her perky smile. Clay was nowhere in sight.
“Quite a crowd,” she murmured to the former high school cheerleader.
“It’s always like this.” Katie Ruth waved to someone by the window who Marigold didn’t recognize. “That’s why I love coming. It’s the best time to connect. You never know who’ll be here.”
Marigold felt a prickle at the base of her spine. She slowly turned, a smile of welcome already on her lips.
After spending Saturday with her, Cade had left the apartment shortly before dawn on Sunday morning. But not before they’d enjoyed a long—and extremely pleasant—shower together. She could smell her soap and shampoo on him now. Seeing the look in his eyes made her glad she’d decided to wear her favorite cashmere wrap dress to church this morning.
Prim had whispered during the church service that she looked like a sexy siren in red. From the way Cade’s eyes kept returning to her chest, Marigold decided red was her new favorite color.
“Don’t you both look pretty this morning.” His low, husky voice wrapped itself around her spine and caused an inward shudder.
“You don’t look so bad yourself.” Though dressed simply in jeans and a sweater, he looked yummy enough to eat.
As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, he winked.
Katie Ruth cleared her throat. “I, ah, have your troop list ready. I’ll e-mail it to you when I get home.”
The comment had Cade angling his body toward the Y director. “That was fast.”
Katie Ruth’s chuckled and shook her head. “Not really. The first meeting is in three days.”
Marigold had spent the first ten years of her life feeling out of step. She’d never liked the feeling. “Troop?”
Both pairs of eyes turned to her.
“Cade has agreed to be the leader of a new Seedlings group we’re forming,” Katie Ruth explained, her voice filled with satisfaction.
Marigold moved to let a buxom redhead carrying a tray of food pass. The upside of being accommodating was it put her even closer to Cade. The downside was she had t
o ignore the unsettling flutter his nearness caused in her midsection. It took several erratic heartbeats to find her voice. “I thought troops were formed in the fall.”
“We’ve been short leaders, so those who registered late didn’t get in,” Katie Ruth informed Marigold before shifting her attention back to Cade. “Brynn Chapin is in your troop. You know David, her father.”
Cade nodded.
Marigold wished Katie Ruth had e-mailed her the list so she could peruse the names. “Would I know any of them?”
“I don’t think so.” Katie Ruth quickly rattled off six names.
None sounded the least bit familiar to Marigold.
“Hold on a minute.” Cade’s brow furrowed. “Most of those sound like girl names.”
“That’s because the majority are girls.” Katie Ruth pulled up the list on her phone. “Yes. Five girls. Two boys.”
“I thought the sexes would be evenly mixed.”
Was that panic in his voice? Or irritation? Whatever it was, Marigold found her gaze shifting like a ping-pong ball from Katie Ruth to Cade and back again.
“I told you the troops were coed.” Katie Ruth’s smile vanished. Though her expression gave nothing away, her voice now held the slightest hint of panic. “I’ve already notified the children’s parents of the meeting time and place.”
Cade must have heard the panic, too, because he gave the youth activities coordinator a reassuring smile. “I’m not backing out.”
“But you wish you could.” Marigold’s impish smile earned a dark look from Katie Ruth.
Cade didn’t deny it. “I don’t have any experience with little girls.”
“I’ll be available the first night to help you get off on the right track,” Katie Ruth assured him, settling her hand lightly on the sleeve of his coat.
Cade didn’t appear to notice.
Marigold waited for him to brush Katie Ruth’s hand away. Irritation surged when he let it linger.
“What she isn’t saying is that after that first night, you are on your own.” Marigold wasn’t sure why she kept trying to stir the pot. Inciting drama wasn’t her way, had never been her style. Goodness knows, the past year she’d had enough of Steffan being deliberately provocative to last a lifetime.
But Katie Ruth’s hand remained on Cade’s sleeve and the woman stood way too close to the sheriff for Marigold’s liking.
Mine.
The thought took Marigold by surprise. Despite all those months with Jason, she’d never thought of him as hers, had never felt this primal possessiveness.
“Being on my own concerns me.” Cade expelled a breath, and a shadow passed over his expression. “I’m concerned I won’t do the girls justice.”
Katie Ruth’s lips tightened. She fixed those cornflower-blue eyes onto Marigold and finally, finally, removed her hand from Cade’s arm. “I’ve a fabulous idea. Marigold can help you. She can be a co-leader.”
“Ha-ha.” Marigold rolled her eyes. “Good one, Katie Ruth.”
The blonde didn’t crack a smile. “You said you wanted to help. You said I should tell you where you were needed.”
Had she really asked Katie Ruth to put her where she was needed? Marigold went blank, unable to recall the exact phrase she’d used. She wished suddenly for a cup of coffee, or really any kind of prop. She didn’t know what to do with her hands. They fluttered in the air like a butterfly without direction. “I, ah, assumed you would need help with fundraising. Troop leader is a big commitment. I won’t be here for more than a couple months.”
When Katie Ruth began to nod as if that was of no concern, Marigold added, “Maybe not even that long. That’s at the most. I could be gone way before then.”
There was amusement in those blue eyes, even as Katie Ruth waved a dismissive hand. “By the time you pack your bags, Cade will be comfortable leading the troop on his own.”
“I like the idea.” The tense set to Cade’s shoulders visibly eased and he flashed a smile.
Marigold could almost feel the noose tighten around her neck. “It won’t work.”
“Why not?” Cade and Katie Ruth said in unison.
A doughnut she’d eaten before church formed a leaden weight in the pit of Marigold’s stomach. Leading a troop wasn’t like helping with a fundraiser or working on a temporary project. Being a troop leader involved forming ties that might prove difficult to break. And being a troop leader with Cade? It would only draw them closer, and they were too close now.
Marigold jerked up her chin. “It just won’t work.”
“You’re not in Chicago anymore, sweetie. In Good Hope everyone is expected to pitch in, do their civic duty.” With a stubborn tilt to her jaw, Katie Ruth continued to press. “It’s only twice a month. Depending on how long you stay, it may be only a handful of times that you’ll have to step in.”
“But—”
Katie Ruth arched a brow and her gaze turned speculative. “Unless you have something against working with Cade?”
Chapter Nine
Unless she had something against working with him.
On Sunday, Cade had seen the emotions roll across Marigold’s face when Katie Ruth had pinned her down. So many emotions stormed those blue eyes that he couldn’t identify them all. In the end, she’d agreed, denying her reluctance had anything to do with him. But something in her eyes told him that fact had played some part in her hesitation.
The thought that she might want to keep her distance from him for any reason, no matter how inconsequential, was a knife to the gut.
But he was a Marine in need of backup. He’d assessed the Seedling situation and determined because of various factors, he needed her. Now, three days later, he was happy Katie Ruth had pressed Marigold to agree.
Even with Marigold at his side, he knew he’d rather face a firefight than stand here waiting for seven second graders to burst through the door, five of whom would be of the female persuasion. He slanted a sideways glance. “Ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Marigold fluffed her hair with her fingers, then grabbed a tube of lipstick from a bag the size of a postage stamp and added more red to her lips. “This should be fun.”
“You didn’t seem all that jazzed Sunday,” Cade reminded her. “Katie Ruth practically had to threaten to get you to agree.”
“She didn’t threaten. I don’t respond well to threats.” The petite blonde spoke slowly and distinctly, as if to make sure there was no misunderstanding. “I’ve had a stellar day, and I’m in a glass-half-full mood. If that’s a crime—”
She thrust out her wrists. “Cuff me now.”
Tempting, he thought. Oh so very tempting.
“If you insist.” He rubbed his hands together in exaggerated anticipation, then reached into his back pocket for the cuffs.
Marigold rolled her eyes. “Only you, Cade, would go there.”
“I’m so glad you’re both here.” Katie Ruth strolled into the room in the town hall, clipboard in hand. Her gaze settled briefly on Marigold’s outstretched wrists, then moved to the cuffs dangling from Cade’s fingers. “You might want to put those away. They might scare the children.
Cade shot Marigold a wicked smile and slipped them back into his pocket.
Marigold lowered her hands and stuck out her tongue as soon as Katie Ruth’s gaze dropped to the clipboard.
“Before we get down to business.” Katie Ruth lifted her gaze and focused on Marigold. “I want the scoop.”
Obviously puzzled, Marigold blinked. “What scoop?”
“Don’t be coy.” Katie Ruth wagged a finger. “It’s all over town that you and Travis shared an intimate meal today.”
Cade caught the speculative gaze Katie Ruth tossed in his direction. Years of training and self-discipline kept his shock from showing.
“I believe it’s a stretch to ever call any lunch at Muddy Boots intimate.” Marigold’s droll tone got a chuckle from Katie Ruth. “But I can recommend the meat loaf to your readers.”
; For a second Cade didn’t follow. Until he recalled Katie Ruth wrote the Open Door newsletter, which included a small gossip section. Marigold Bloom having lunch with Travis Forbes was a juicy tidbit residents would find of interest.
This was the first Cade had heard about his deputy and Marigold sharing a meal. He accepted that it wouldn’t be the last time someone shoved that bit of intel in his face. When it came to the gossip mill, Good Hope was no different than Trainor, the small Michigan town where Cade had grown up.
Residents loved to speculate, to prevaricate, and if that wasn’t juicy enough, to simply make up. It wasn’t Cade’s favorite part of small-town life, but to his way of thinking you had to take the bad with the good. And there was so much about small-town living to love.
This opinion had not been shared by his former fiancée. As far as Alice was concerned, no town with metropolitan area under a million was worth considering.
“Not good enough.”
For a second Cade thought he heard Alice’s voice, then realized it was Katie Ruth.
The activities coordinator now stood directly in front of Marigold, her eyes razor sharp. “My readers don’t care about meat loaf. They want the down and dirty about you and the deputy.”
Marigold hesitated and Cade found himself tempted to step to her rescue. Only the knowledge that she could hold her own against Katie Ruth’s bulldoggedness had him staying silent. Marigold’s melodramatic sigh made Cade smile.
“If you want the skinny—oh, wait, the down and dirty—I’ll give it to you. I ran into Travis on the street. He asked me to lunch. I accepted.” Marigold brought a finger to her cherry-red mouth and frowned. “Is it significant I turned down dessert?”
“Depends on what kind of dessert,” Cade heard himself say before Katie Ruth could respond.
A smile tugged at the corners of Marigold’s lips. “You’re right. The kind of dessert does matter.”
Katie Ruth stepped closer. “Will you be seeing Travis again?”
Cade found himself holding his breath as he awaited her answer. Before she could respond, the door swung open with a clatter and Prim burst into the room, two redheaded little boys in her wake.