Tigger held up both hands, palms out as though to say he did not want any trouble. “My paperwork is in order. Mrs. Bella Gunn has her husband’s power of attorney. I checked with the law firm. We were paid to demolish these two houses. I have a signed contract. We’ll wait, but you should know time is money in the construction business. I’m not about to break any laws.” He turned to his foreman and said, “Go fetch us some coffee and donuts, and turn down that damn radio.”
“You better not be doing any littering,” Diddy said menacingly.
“She can’t do this, can she?” Darby whispered to Ben.
“She’s going to try,” Ben whispered in return. “I think you should get your aunts to go in the house to get dressed. I’ll stay here and keep my eyes on these guys. By the way”—he leaned closer so his voice wouldn’t carry—“do you know your aunts romp around naked in the rain at midnight?”
“They do that all the time. You didn’twatch, did you?”
Ben pretended horror. “What kind of person do you think I am? Of course not!”
“I think I’ll get dressed, too. Come along, ladies,” she said to her aunts. “We need to get dressed. The whole damn town will be here before you know it.”
“Oh, my God!” Suddenly aware of her appearance, Diddy grabbed Ducky’s arm and dragged her backward, their nightgowns billowing out behind them.
Dodo met them halfway across the yard. “I called everyone. Now, don’t you wish you had let me kill that witch? Where are you all going?”
“To get dressed,” Darby said. “Ben is staying to make sure they don’t do anything they shouldn’t do. Hurry, ladies. I expect Bella herself will be here soon.”
The women separated, muttering to themselves as they went along. In mere minutes, they were back at the front of the Horseshoe just as an elegant, austere man, dressed in a full three-piece summer suit complete with straw hat, climbed out of his car with a yellow folder in his hands. He introduced himself as Hudson Duquesne, president of the Historical Society. “The society’s attorneys are filing an injunction with the court as we speak. Where is Mrs. Gunn?” His voice rang with authority in the heavy-laden air. Tigger shrugged as he shoved his contract under Duquesne’s nose. “This isn’t worth the paper it’s written on,” Duquesne said as he shoved the papers back into Tigger’s hand. “It’s a provisional license.”
Five minutes later it was a circus, with the mayor looking for his five minutes of fame as the local television personality shoved a microphone under his nose. The chief of police, who was extremely photogenic, inched his way closer to the mayor. He gave a short speech about residents who tried to break the law, and he was the man who would prevent such a thing from happening. He also made sure he put his hand on the gun at his hip. He looked macho, which was his intention.
The reporter backed away to take possession of the microphone, and said, “I think we’re in good hands here, folks. Oh, here comes Mrs. Gunn. Maybe she’ll say a few words and explain how this all came about. This is Axel Matthews talking to you from the famous Horseshoe in Baton Rouge.”
Bella Gunn stepped from the Bentley, her gaze on her stepson. She squared her bony shoulders as she pasted a smile on her face. She looked around at the mayor, the police, the police cars, the hoity-toity man from the Historical Society. She waited for the reporter to approach her. She nodded slightly to Tigger, meaning, just hold on until I take care of this.
“Mrs. Gunn, can you tell us what’s going on here?”
Bella flashed her porcelain caps. “I’d love to tell you what’s going on. My husband wants these houses demolished. Look at them! They’re a hazard and on the verge of collapse. Someone could get hurt. The liability insurance is atrocious. We want to rebuild them so that the Horseshoe can be a thing of beauty again. Our lawyers assure us this is all legal. I do have a provisional license pending the conditional event. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to speak with our contractor.”
The little group standing in the middle of the Horseshoe watched as Bella, dressed in a yellow polka-dot dress with a wide woven-straw belt minced her way not toward the contractor but to the mayor, where she hissed in his ear, the porcelain caps glistening in the bright sunlight. Her hair was even bigger and higher than usual. A bird could have flown into it, nested, and no one would have noticed.
“MistahMayor, you assured me this wasn’t going to happen. It looks to me like it’s happening. Take care of it,Mistah Mayor, or all those little pet projects my husband and I have been funding are going to come to an immediate halt. I will not tolerate these people making a fool of me. I do have a provisional license, as you know. Do we understand each other,Mistah Mayor?”
The mayor nodded, knowing he had a tiger by the tail. What did they expect from him? The Preservation Society had granted a provisional license pending the conditional license. Why they would do such a thing was beyond him. Now the Historical Society was weighing in. There wasn’t a darn thing he could do, thanks to the premature granting of the provisional license. Let the Preservation Society and the Historical Society duke it out.
He groaned, knowing the Lane sisters were going to make his life miserable if he didn’t at least try to do something. But his hands were tied, thanks to that damn provisional license. He groaned again when he thought about the field day the press was going to have with this mess.
All eyes were on Bella as she sashayed over to the contractor. “I think, Mr. Tigger, that we should let these kind people settle things. I want you to sit here with all your equipment until I tell you otherwise. Is that clear?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Bella turned and waved to Ben. “It was nice to see you again, Benjamin.” A moment later she was in the Bentley.
The police started to disperse the small crowd. The mayor and the local newspeople made up their own parade as they, too, packed up to leave.
“I don’t know what’s worse, looking at those ramshackle houses or having to look at Jay Tigger and all his equipment,” Dodo said as she trudged back toward her house. “Meet me in the gazebo. We’ll pretend we’re going to clean up the mess we left last night,” she whispered to Ducky, who in turn whispered the plan to Diddy.
“Would anyone like some breakfast?” Darby chirped. “Ben and I will make it.”
The threesome mumbled something that sounded like “bring it to the gazebo.” Darby and Ben exchanged glances as they walked up the wide steps of the veranda. “How does scrambled eggs and bacon sound?” she asked.
“You look nice even when you get up in the morning,” Ben said.
“So do you,” Darby said, her eyes twinkling as she eyed his bare torso. She laughed outright when his ears turned pink.
“I think I’ll…what I’ll do is”—he motioned behind him—“you know, get cleaned up. This is just a guess on my part, but I think your aunts are hatching something, so they’re going to be at it for a while.”
“I think you’re right. Take your time.” Darby grinned. She turned away. She was flirting, and she liked the feeling. It was way too long since a man had been in her life. Not that Ben was in her life. But he could be. He definitely could be. She hummed under her breath as she opened the screen door. Willie jumped up and tried to lick her face. “C’mon, big guy, I’m going to take a shower. You can stand guard.”
The retriever barked happily as he bounded ahead of her.
Life was suddenly looking just a little sunnier. Now, if she could just figure out what the aunts were up to, life might get even sunnier.
8
Darby smiled as she took in Willie sprawled across her bed, his head on her pillow. She knew he was daring her to make him get off, but she didn’t have the heart. “You’re going to have to move, Willie, I want to make the bed.” Willie stretched, barked his displeasure when Darby shook out the spread, and grudgingly hopped off the bed. She fluffed the pillows, then straightened the colorful spread. She looked at Willie, who was now curled up in his own bed, his silky head on his baby.
Darby dressed quickly in a mint green sleeveless sundress with spaghetti straps. She slipped into leather sandals. She felt ready for whatever the day would bring. But was she? As she made her way out to the hall and the stairs, she thought about the dream she’d had. Later, when the dream wasn’t so raw, maybe she would talk to Ben about it.
In the kitchen, she set about preparing breakfast. A quick look out the kitchen window showed her the aunts huddled close together in the gazebo. She wondered what they were up to. Whatever it was, she realized they were a law unto themselves, and nothing she could say or do would alter things. She shrugged. She had more important things on her mind just then than worrying about her aunt’s hijinks.
Darby was whipping eggs into a rich, yellow froth when Ben entered the kitchen. Willie jumped up and tried to paw the man who looked so much like his old master. Ben tussled with him for a while before he washed his hands and set the table. Darby smiled at his exuberant greeting as she watched him out of the corner of her eye. Russ had been the same way, exuberant in the morning. They were so much alike and yet unalike. Her heart skipped a beat at how good Ben looked.Handsome hardly covered the way he looked in khaki slacks and sky-blue pullover shirt. She found herself smiling again at his resemblance to Russ. The only difference was that Russ had never made her heart skip a beat the way Ben did.
Darby watched as Ben placed strips of bacon on a bacon rack for the microwave oven. Toast was his next project, as Darby set the table for two. “The aunts want breakfast delivered.” She grinned. “If you’re lucky, you might overhear what they’re cooking up.” Her voice was breathless when she said, “Do you think Bella will win with the houses?”
“I sure as hell hope not. She only has a provisional license, which means absolutely nothing. All it does is allow her to park that equipment up at the top of the shoe. I’m thinking they issued it to shut her up until they can make up their minds definitively. Let’s not panic now. You took Russell’s seat on the board, so you have a vote. I think between you, Simon, and Sarabess you have a good chance of turning some of the others who are leaning toward granting the conditional license.”
“One swing of that wrecking ball, and it’s all over, Ben. If she says her contractor ignored her orders and did it anyway, then it’s too late. I heard her say she was going to demolish the houses. She has tofix them, not tear them down. She knows it, too. She’s planning something devious. I feel it in my bones.”
“Darby, that guy Tigger isn’t going to put his butt on the line. He knows the law, he could lose his contractor’s license if he pulled something like that. Bella’s running scared now that she knows you have Russ’s vote. The town won’t let her demolish those houses. Trust me on that.”
“It certainly did upset the aunts. Me, too, for that matter. Can you imagine two houses on the Horseshoe that look like the one she lives in. It would be a nightmare. The aunts offered to buy those houses hundreds of times. The Historical Society intervened on their behalf and even offered to buy them. Bella said no. There was a running commentary for weeks in the paper, then it more or less died off. I think our visit yesterday stirred Bella up again.”
Ben removed the bacon from the microwave and placed it on a platter. “You know, Darby, I think you may be right. What are we going to do today?”
We.It sounded so…so intimate. “I’m going to see Eric McAllister. He’s an old friend of Russ’s. He’s a lawyer in town. He’s a nice guy; you should come along—I’m sure you’d like him. I want a legal opinion on Russ’s will. There was something about property he would inherit in the future that I didn’t understand.”
“Sure, I’d like to go along for whatever good I’ll do. How about dropping me off at Russ’s place so I can pick up his car. The rental agency is going to pick up my rental this morning, so I’ll be without wheels.”
Darby removed the scrambled eggs from the frying pan. “I had this…this awful dream last night. I think it was right before I woke with all that racket outside. The workers started up all those machines and rap music was playing. In my dream I was at this parade in town and there was a long line of people and they all said their name was Russ. Each one wore a badge saying which body part they inherited. None of them knew me. I was screaming at the man who had Russ’s eyes. I kept saying, ‘Look at me. You must know me!’ He told me to get away from him. It was awful. I’ve always heard that you can interpret your dreams just by thinking about what’s going on in your life. Do you believe that?” she asked fretfully.
Ben nodded, and would have taken Darby in his arms, but he was holding the platter of bacon, and Darby was holding the platter of scrambled eggs. “I had a similar dream two nights ago. It’s the not knowing.”
“Well, I want to know,” Darby said with a sigh.
“Probably. I can research dream interpretation if you like. You do have a computer, don’t you?”
“Sure. Let’s get this all down to the aunts before it gets cold.”
They were back within minutes. Ben buttered the toast, and Darby poured coffee.
Ben stared at her with an intensity that unnerved Darby. “This is nice. I enjoy having breakfast with someone I like. It’s a good way to start off the day, wouldn’t you agree?”
Darby flushed. “Absolutely.” Russ had always told her to be patient where her love life was concerned. He said it would happen when she least expected. Was it happening now? Russ always knew what to say and managed to say it at exactly the right time. A wave of sadness overwhelmed her. She struggled to overcome the feeling. “Do you like being a park ranger, Ben?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Very much. I think I’m in a rut, though. I’ve been thinking about moving on this past year. I truly do miss home. I didn’t realize how much until I got back here. I really missed the shoe when I went off to college. This is home. That other place…that place Bella built was never home. You and Russ were the lucky ones, you came back.”
“Yes, we were the lucky ones,” Darby said sadly. “Russ loved it here. He found his niche and had a wonderful life. He loved his job, the kids, the school. He had great friends, and he had Claire. Next year he and Claire were going to go to Africa on a safari. Their honeymoon. I can’t tell you how he was looking forward to it.” A sob caught in her throat.
Ben was at a loss as to what to say. He was learning things about his brother he’d never known. Guilt washed over him. He should have called more often, sent more e-mails, come home more often. He said so.
Darby shook her head. “Don’t feel guilty. I have enough of that for both of us. Russ talked about you all the time. He used to get such a kick out of your stories about patrolling on horseback. We need to get this all settled in our minds, or it’s going to ruin our lives. That’s why I’m going to see Eric at his law office. I don’t have an appointment, but I’m sure he’ll see me. Eric and Russ belonged to the Big Brother organization. They were so good with the kids.”
Ben pushed his plate away as did Darby. Willie waited patiently, knowing he was going to get the leftovers. When no one moved to transfer the food to his bowl, he trotted over to his dish, carried it back to the table, and dropped it with a hard thump. He sat back on his haunches to wait. He let out a loud bark, startling both Darby and Ben. Together they stooped and started to scrape their plates into Willie’s food bowl. They were so close, their noses touched. Their eyes locked, and then, slowly, Ben leaned forward and kissed her. Darby thought it was the sweetest, gentlest kiss she’d ever gotten. Her breakfast plate dropped from her hands. Ben dropped his as his arms went around her. Willie barked. And barked. Then he barked some more. They separated, their eyes wide with astonishment.
Never bashful, Darby said, “Wow!”
Ben grinned from ear to ear. “Yeah, ‘wow’ about covers it.”
Willie wolfed down his food and ran to the door. “The aunts are coming,” Darby said. “Let’s not give them something else to stew about, okay?”
“The three of them have b
een plotting to get us together for years. Didn’t you know that?”
Darby flushed as she bent down to pick up the plates. “Yes, and no,” she muttered.
Willie danced around, enjoying all the attention the aunts showered on him.
Always astute, they looked smug at the obvious discomfort on the young couple’s faces. “Since you cooked, we’ll clean up. Why don’t you two go about whatever it is you planned for the day. We, ah, might not be here later when you get back, so don’t worry about us. Lunch and dinner will be whatever you prepare. Go, go, scoot,” Ducky said, making shooing motions with her hands. “Leave Willie with us. We might need…what I mean is we’ll feel better with Willie here. You know, all those people out there on the shoe.”
“Well, sure,” Darby said, certain now that the aunts were up to no good. “I’m going to drop Ben off at Russ’s town house so he can pick up the Range Rover. Then we’re going to see Eric McAllister to talk about Russ’s will and his inherited property. What are you three going to do?” she asked, suspicion ringing in her voice.
“Not much,” Ducky said vaguely.
“I was thinking about finishing a quilt I’ve been working on,” Diddy said just as vaguely.
“Why do you want to know what we’re doing?” Dodo demanded.
Darby’s feet literally left the floor as Ben pulled her forward. “I was just making conversation. Do you need anything from town?”
“No,” the aunts said in unison. It was clear they wanted them to leave.
Outside, Darby said, “Don’t tell me they aren’t up to something. They looked guilty as hell. What do you suppose they’re planning?”
“I don’t have a clue, but I bet it’s something that will make us nuts. Want me to drive?”
“Sure,” Darby said, climbing into the Volvo.
“Listen, Darby, what happened back there in the kitchen…”
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