by Barb Han
Humidity filled the air, and the promise of a rare August rain hung low and heavy. Shiny white stars cut through the pitch-black canopy overhead.
Coco finally conceded her playtime was over and hopped onto the deck. Her tongue hung out one side of her mouth as she panted. She had the snout of a shar-pei—it wasn’t exactly created to thrive in the heat.
“Are you ready, sweet girl?” Carrie bent down and scratched her dog behind the ears. The eerie feeling of being watched crept over her, so she made kissing noises at Coco before scooting inside. She closed and locked the door behind them. Her purse hung off a chair in the eat-in kitchen, and she noticed crumbs on the floor underneath it. She’d mopped the floor before work, which meant that Coco must’ve dug into the garbage again.
She scooped them up. Odd. They had a distinct smell...like the ham-flavored training treats Carrie had stopped buying when the vet had said Coco was tipping the scale. Carrie thought she’d thrown them all out, but she must’ve forgotten a bag in her pantry. She glanced around, the eerie feeling returning. She thought about the pepper spray attached to her key ring on the credenza by the front door and decided to sleep with it next to the bed. The incident with Nash had really thrown her off-balance—that must be why she felt on pins and needles in her own home.
Coco followed on Carrie’s heels as she double-checked all the doors to make sure they were locked. She took a quick shower, ate a bowl of cereal and then climbed into bed. She’d always considered Cattle Barge a safe place to live in general, and especially after the horrors she’d endured when she was taken away. She’d never really thought about being a single woman living on her own and working long hours at the treat shop until now.
Between Brett, Nash and her unfriendly, keep-to-himself Jerk Face neighbor, she figured it wouldn’t hurt to look into having a security system installed. Coco provided some insurance against a surprise predator. She usually barked at strangers. But after Coco’s lackluster performance with the neighbor, Carrie decided her backup needed backup. Even so, with her dog curled up at the foot of the bed, warming her legs, Carrie felt a little safer. Unless someone tossed a piece of meat onto the floor, Carrie thought with an almost smile.
The next morning, she woke to the sound of Coco growling. Her dog was at the doorway to the bedroom, starting down the hallway. Carrie grabbed the small canister of pepper spray off the nightstand and threw the covers off.
Coco wasted no time darting toward the noise. Carrie couldn’t hear much of anything over the barking, but all she could think was so Jerk Face neighbor gets a free pass but the UPS guy is suspect?
It was the UPS guy, right?
She followed her dog to the front door, checking out the window for the brown van. To be fair, this was the same reaction Coco had to the postal worker and the guy who’d tried to deliver flowers once. Amazon delivered to her door, but she didn’t remember ordering anything online. Then again, she’d been busy, working extra hours since the festival, and sometimes she entered her home address when she meant to use the sweet shop’s.
Speaking of which, Nash should be packed up and out of town this morning. That was a relief. Too bad he couldn’t take Brett with him, she thought with another almost smile.
Coco was doing her mix of bark-howling, which had been so cute when she was a three-month-old pup. Not so much at a year.
There was no way Carrie was opening the door until she could confirm who was out there. She stroked her dog’s head, thinking Coco must’ve heard a squirrel. Wouldn’t be the first time this had happened. “It’s okay, girl.”
After double-checking and being perfectly satisfied nothing was going on, Carrie opened the door. A stuffed animal lay at her feet. She picked up the black-and-white orca whale. Brett.
She scanned the front yard. There were kids riding bikes around the cul-de-sac, and that was about it.
“Okay, puppy. Way to keep me safe from the neighborhood children. Let’s get back inside.” Brett was the only one who knew whales were her favorite. She checked her phone and found several texts from him. They’d be more apologies. More of him being frustrated that she wasn’t returning his calls. She’d deal with those and with him later. Now, she needed coffee.
Carrie walked by the trash can in the kitchen and tossed the awkward gift on top. Take a hint, buddy.
An hour later, she parked under a tree in the lot of the strip shopping center. The rain never came last night, so the air was still thick with humidity. She noticed the festival trucks were still there. Everything was packed up and looked ready to go across the street in the lot of Ventnor’s Park. Not another day of Nash, she thought with a groan. Going to the sheriff last night seemed like an even better idea this morning. A complaint was on record. If Nash irritated her, she had every intention of telling him she’d reported him.
The icy chill returned—it was becoming a little too familiar.
Focusing on her morning routine at the store kept her distracted. Carrie liked to be the first one in the shop. She could prepare the bank deposit and relock it inside the safe before anyone showed up for work. That way she could deal with money so her employees wouldn’t even have to know where it was kept. Protecting her employees was always at the top of her priority list.
Harper Stoddard was the first to arrive. The nineteen-year-old’s cell was in her hand, and as soon as she looked up at Carrie, her brown eyes widened. “Everything okay?”
“Peachy. We need to cover a few things when Eric shows, but I’d rather wait until the both of you are here before we talk about last night.”
Harper walked over to Carrie and embraced her. “I’m just glad you’re all right.”
How did she know something had happened? Then it dawned on Carrie that being seen with Dade Butler would be news. Social media seemed to keep people constantly in the know. “Me, too. We’ll put some controls in place to make sure you and Eric don’t run into any problems.”
“I’m not worried about us. You always make sure we’re covered. I’m concerned about you.” Harper had a point. Carrie always made sure her employees left together, while she locked up alone most nights.
“I’ll be more careful.” Harper’s thoughtfulness touched Carrie deeply.
Eric, her assistant manager, arrived, breaking into the emotional moment. Harper excused herself.
“Everything all right with you this morning, boss?” he asked as Harper opened the freezer to bring out tubs of ice cream to stock the front bins.
Carrie acknowledged Eric’s frown. He must’ve heard the news as well, judging by the concern written in his intense expression.
She deflected the sudden burst of emotion springing tears to her eyes by saying, “That was nothing. Coco kept me up barking last night.”
But her employees’ genuine concern touched her in a deep place.
“That stinks.” Harper flashed her eyes at Carrie. “Puppies can be so much work.”
“What time did you get in this morning?” Eric asked, motioning toward the fresh rack of waffle cones.
“Early.” Carrie followed Harper into the fridge, picking up a heavy container of Vanilla Bean-illa, a Carrie’s Cold Treats favorite. She’d set up several trays of baked goods in the front counter and signed on to the cash register. She needed to figure out the best way to discuss last night with her employees.
“In early after staying late last night?” Eric moved beside Carrie. “Let me help with that.”
“I got it.”
Overseeing every detail of Carrie’s Cold Treats had been her passion—the shop was her passion. And a little voice reminded her that she didn’t have much else, considering she lived in a rented house. Coco was a bright spot, but her pup was a little short on conversation.
Fresh from a breakup, dating was out of the question at the moment. Maybe she needed to step out of her comfort zone and share her pet project a little mor
e. The last thing she wanted was for her employees to feel like she didn’t trust them. Eric was a nice guy, a strong assistant manager who was working to put himself through the local satellite campus of the University of Texas.
“I could be better about sharing some of the load, and I have complete trust in both of you to do a good job.” She handed over the tray as a knock sounded at the back door. Fear caused her to freeze, because for a split second she thought it might be Nash returning to finish what had been interrupted last night. The thought was irrational, and yet it had her pulse pounding anyway. The festival trucks had not pulled away yet as she’d hoped they would’ve done by now.
“I got this,” Eric said.
She wouldn’t argue. She deposited the freezing-cold tub into the front bin and walked toward her office, figuring it was most likely a delivery.
Teddy Ginger, her milk delivery driver, waltzed in and stopped at her office door with one of those cheesy used-car-salesman smiles. He was a little taller than her and lanky. Teddy had a ruddy complexion and beady blue eyes. He was midthirties and on the thin side. “How’s business?” Teddy was always good for a smile and a joke.
“Good. Thanks for asking. I have your check right here.” She held up the offering, standing on the opposite side of the glass desk.
Teddy reached out for it. “Thank you much.”
“Cooler’s open, so feel free to load up,” she said, softening her expression.
“I’ll be out of your way in a jiff,” Teddy replied. He made quick work of delivering his product.
“Have a good weekend, Teddy.”
“Same to you.” Teddy waved as he wheeled out his dolly.
“I see we already have a customer waiting for us to open.” Harper motioned toward the front of the store. Plexiglas made up half of her office wall. She’d had it constructed that way so that she could be in her office while keeping an eye on business in case one of her employees needed help at the counter.
Carrie glanced at the clock. Five minutes until opening. She looked at the front window. Samuel? “I know him. He’s not really a customer. He’s most likely checking on me after what happened last night.”
“And what was that exactly?” Eric whirled around to face Carrie as she walked up.
“I thought you already knew,” she said.
“We’d like to hear it directly from you. I mean, you can’t always trust what people say.” Harper motioned toward the phone she kept in her apron pocket.
Carrie needed to explain the situation without scaring them.
“I had a weird run-in last night with a festival worker in the alley.” Carrie regretted her shaky tone. She didn’t really want to go into the details but realized her employees had a right to know, for safety’s sake.
“What happened?” Harper asked.
“It was probably nothing, but I filed a report with the sheriff as a precaution. From now on make sure you park in front of the building.” Carrie’s attempt to lighten her tone didn’t have the intended effect. Instead she sounded even more strained. She cleared her throat. “To be on the safe side.”
“Was it the guy who kept coming in here loitering?” Eric’s gaze intensified.
Carrie nodded.
“I knew I should’ve stayed late and walked you out.” Eric had enough on his plate between summer school and work without worrying about her.
“It’s fine. There were people around, and I got lucky that Samuel and an old friend of mine happened to be walking through the alley. I had all the backup I needed.” She appreciated the thought, though, and the concern. “But I don’t want either of you closing the shop on your own. From now on, we double-team everything.” It might cost a little more to have two employees stay until closing, but the money was worth it to guarantee their safety. Besides, business had been good. The shop had gotten into the black sooner than she’d expected. Having something she created take off so well brought an enormous sense of accomplishment and security to Carrie. She would do whatever was necessary in order to protect what she’d created from scratch. “Buddy system from here on out.”
She walked toward the door. She unlocked it and turned the open sign over. “And, I’ll probably start bringing Coco in with me again if I get in a position to close by myself.”
“We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen but we like having Coco around.” Eric seemed to accept that answer.
Samuel looked pasty and nervous, like he was still shaken from the encounter with Nash last night. Carrie turned to Harper before opening the door and motioned toward the register. “Might as well open up and get business flowing. It’ll be hard to top this week’s sales, though.”
She smiled at Samuel while scanning the parking lot looking for signs of Nash. Across the street she could clearly see the line of festival trucks parked there. That sensation of being watched had returned, and a creepy-crawly feeling sent chilly tingles up her spine. Too bad the caravan was still across the street. Not one truck had moved.
“Come on in, Samuel. I owe you an ice cream.”
* * *
DADE HAD BEEN working for seven hours by the time Carrie opened her sweet shop. He’d been distracted today. He blamed lack of sleep, but the truth was that he kept thinking about running into Carrie again after so many years. And he wanted to see to it that she was all right after last night. She’d been on his mind since he’d returned to Cattle Barge and had learned that she’d opened a shop downtown.
“Remind me later that I have to get an emergency delivery of hay for the horses when we head inside. We won’t last another day with the feed we have on hand,” Dade’s twin brother, Dalton, said.
“I’ll pick it up in town.” A visit to the feed store would be as good excuse as any to pop into town. He could drop in to collect that cold treat from Carrie while he was at it.
His twin brother shot him a look.
“It’s on my way,” Dade hedged, needing a minute to come up with a plausible excuse. He and Dalton had always been close, and his brother could read him a little too easily.
“Why do you need to go into town again?” Dalton’s brow arched.
“The Olsen widow has something for May. Figured I’d save her a trip if she hasn’t picked it up yet. Ella thinks May’s been working too hard since the funeral.” Dade had no plans to share that he really wanted to check on Carrie.
Dalton’s brow hiked up, but he didn’t say anything.
“Since when do you care why I need to run into town?” Dade deflected.
His brother shrugged. “Guess we’re all acting a little different since the Mav’s...”
Dalton didn’t finish his sentence—didn’t need to. The air at the ranch had been thick with tension ever since their father’s murder. Neither of them ever discussed the man, the past.
Dade didn’t want to make small talk when he could be in the shower cleaning up before heading into town. He turned his horse, Flame, toward the barn. He’d been named as a nod to his fiery chestnut coat. “I better head out before May overdoes it again and wears herself out.”
“Nice of you to think of her.” Dalton’s eyebrow was raised, but to his credit he left it alone. “See you at supper?”
“Maybe.” Being around the family, carrying on traditions held little appeal for Dade since retiring from the military to take his position on the ranch. He loved the land and his brother and sisters, but being home was complicated and his feelings were all over the map since the murder. “How about fishing on Sunday instead?”
“Deal.” Dalton seemed satisfied. His brother’s concern came from a good place, and Dade appreciated the sentiment. He really wasn’t trying to be a jerk. He needed space. And besides, he couldn’t talk about what he didn’t completely understand himself—his relationship with the Mav.
In half an hour, he was showered and on the road into town, grateful to be
putting the ranch in the rearview. There was still plenty to do when he got back. Modern ranching involved patience, laptops and near-constant logging of herds. At least the recent herd of calves had sold well at auction this summer. Focusing on work had provided a good distraction in the past couple of days. But Dade didn’t want to think about ranch business now. His thoughts kept bouncing back to Carrie.
By the time he made it to her shop, there was a line out the door. There was nothing like August sunshine to make folks want ice cream. He could see that the festival caravan was still parked in the lot across the street. As much as he didn’t like it, there wasn’t much he could do about Nash being around. The man would disappear soon enough.
Dade squinted against the sun as he strolled through the parking lot, telling himself all he was doing was checking on a friend. He considered it good news that she hadn’t used the number he’d given her last night, but a tinge of regret pierced him anyway, because he liked seeing her again more than he wanted to admit.
Carrie was a strong, capable woman, and he figured there wasn’t much she needed from him or anyone else. But she’d seemed rattled, and he wanted to see for himself that she was okay today first thing after she opened.
Since there was a line and she would be busy, he planned to stick his head inside the door and leave it at that.
There was a commotion going on inside the shop and...shouting?
Dade bolted toward the noise. His hands fisted at his sides. Carrie’s voice raised above the sounds.
He listened carefully.
A shrill cry pierced his ears.
Chapter Five
“I already said I didn’t leave a flower on your car, and you still haven’t explained what you were doing with another dude last night.” Brett’s shouting caused a stir inside Carrie’s shop. People scattered and mothers hid their children behind them. A couple of mothers raced toward the door, children in tow.
“I don’t believe you, Brett.” His iron grip on her arm had caused her to cry out in pain once already. She jerked her arm free. “You’re hurting me.”