by Lea Hart
“Not really. I guess in the back of my mind I thought about it in some vague way. The idea didn’t crystalize until I was in college. Senior year came a lot faster than I was ready for, and I had no idea what I wanted to do. I majored in political science and knew I was never going to do anything with the degree. I had the option of going home and working at the winery, but that didn’t appeal to me.” Laughing he shook, his head.
“I was home for winter break, and one of my dad’s friends came over, and we got to talking. It turned out that he’d just retired from the Navy, and I got the chance to hear his stories about all of the things he’d seen and done. I knew then that I wanted to join.”
“Was he a SEAL?”
“Yes, he’d been on the Teams for over twenty years and then went on to become an instructor down in San Diego. It’s almost unheard of for someone to last that long in active duty anymore. The war on terror has kept everyone on heavy rotations for the last ten years. The old guys didn’t see the constant action that we’ve seen since 9/11, so they lasted longer. Anyway, I knew that I wanted that kind of experience. So when I graduated, I applied, and got accepted into the officer candidate school. I was lucky because they were looking to expand the Teams about the time I wanted to join.”
They stepped into the diner and found a table. After they ordered their lunch, Ivy took his hand. “How much do you miss it?”
“When you met me in that bar, I was in bad shape. I had been retired for several months and I hated every second of it. I thought that I would never find anything I loved as much. Going to work at SAI has given me hope. I had only a couple of weeks in Florida, but it was enough to let me know that I’ve found a place I belong. When we were on that rescue op up near Jacksonville and we found that girl, I knew that I could do that and be happy. Sitting in the open door of a helicopter with my feet planted on the rails and my rifle in my hands is where is I feel most comfortable. I’m not done yet and I still have a lot to contribute.”
“Why did you retire?”
“Because I took a bullet that gave me enough lung damage not to be able to dive. If you can’t operate effectively in the water, you can’t stay on the Teams. I had ten years and I’m lucky.”
“I’m sorry you’ve been stuck in Texas for the last two weeks. You can fly back to Florida early, because I know they need you. Every office has more work than they can handle, and Joel and Grady need you back there.”
The waitress delivered their drinks, and Ivy sat back and folded her hands. When they were left alone, he stood, walked to her side and sat down. “I wouldn’t want to be anyplace else. I still don’t know who took a shot at you, and you’re stuck with me until I know you’re safe.”
“It feels selfish. I know how to protect myself, and I’ll bet whoever did it isn’t coming back.”
“Sorry, honey. I’m the gum that’s stuck on the bottom of your shoe. No getting rid of me.”
Their food was dropped off, and Ivy started eating before answering him. So he followed her lead and ate. She could think whatever she wanted, but he wasn’t going anywhere. As far as he was concerned, they were joined at the hip. They didn’t know who instigated the well fires and they didn’t know who shot her, so he was staying put until they did. The sooner she accepted that, the better.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Sunday
Ivy stood in front of her bathroom mirror and finished doing her hair while Ryan stood in the doorway reading texts on his phone. “I’ll be done soon. Why don’t you go on out to the living room and wait for me?”
His eyes flew up, and his eyebrows drew together. “Am I crowding you?”
“Kind of. No harm can come to me while I’ve got a curling iron in my hand. Unless you consider that one time I set my hair on fire. I was thirteen and just learning how to tame the wild mass of hair on my head. You have to understand that having good hair in Texas is more important than almost anything. Given the state of my hair, I need a lot of time to tame it into some sort of acceptable style. Anyhoo, I was home alone after school and I decided it was the perfect time to practice getting my hair straight. Mama had purchased some gizmo on TV that I had begged her for. It promised to take my naturally curly hair and turn into a crown of rolling beautiful waves. It had come in the afternoon mail, and I decided to get started on those waves as soon as I could. I plugged the thing in and grabbed a book. I figured it was going to take a while, so I could finish Pride and Prejudice while I straightened my hair.”
“How did you manage to set your hair on fire?”
“Did I ever tell you how much I love Mr. Darcy? I guess not, given your blank expression. I got so into the story that I didn’t realize how long I had the iron on my hair. It was only the smell of burnt hair that got my attention. By the time I got the thing untangled, I had lost a big chunk right in the middle of my head. It was so traumatic that it took me almost five years before I could go near a curling iron. Come to find out, the gizmo that I ordered was faulty. The company ended up in a lawsuit because burnt hair happened to a lot of people. Not just geeky girls with wavy hair from Texas who loved Jane Austen.” Studying her hair, she decided she was finished. “This is as good as it’s going to get.”
Ryan ran his fingers through her hair and then leaned over and kissed her. “When I saw you unpin your hair in the bar, I thought about how pretty it was. I imagined it falling like a curtain over us as you lay on top of me. Turns out reality beat that fantasy to shit. Your soft hair trailing across my stomach last night when you…”
Her hand covered his mouth. “We are about to go to church. We do not need to be discussing what happened on Saturday night.” Pushing his chest, she waited until he stepped back. “Put your mind on God while we’re in church.”
He followed her out of the bedroom and put his hands in his pockets. “How long does my mind have to stay there?”
“Until we’re having coffee and donuts in the courtyard.”
“For the record, last night was a religious experience, and I think we should do it again tonight.” He took her hand and led her out of the house. “It’s important to respect what God has given us and celebrate it.”
“I suppose your celebration is a naked one.”
“Only kind there is, honey.”
He opened the car door and she got in. “Can’t argue with that,” she mumbled to herself. When he got in and buckled his seat belt, she laid her hand on his shoulder. “Let’s try and get through church without a scandal. It may be difficult, but I think we should try.”
“No scandals…got it.” He winked and drove them down the street.
“There are going to be a lot of curious people, and I should warn you that the women of Dripping Springs are not shy about asking questions. Some people have compared them to a pack of piranhas. Which doesn’t make any sense, because as I far as I know, piranhas don’t travel in packs, they travel in schools. That’s more of a rabid dog thing.”
“I get it, honey.” He patted her leg and drove calmly toward the church.
“All that sniper cool you have may be used up today at Grams’ lunch. I thank you in advance for going with me today.”
“Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he replied.
“You are too good to be true, Ryan Cordell.”
“Feel free to show me your appreciation the same way you did last night.”
“If you make it through church and lunch and still want to talk to me, then you can count on it.”
He pulled into the church parking lot and turned off the engine. “Give me a couple of minutes. I need to replace the pictures in my head with godly ones. It’s going to take a few minutes.”
She flipped the mirror down and checked her lipstick. “Take all the time you need.”
***
Ivy ate her second donut as she looked around the courtyard. She had a distinct feeling that sharks were circling and waiting for the perfect moment to attack. Apparently, the little trip she and Ryan took to Fabar’
s a couple of weeks ago was still fresh on everyone’s mind. Why did she get herself into these pickles? There would be long stretches of perfect control and behavior, and then she’d snap like a rubber band and do something so fabulously inappropriate that it would be talked about for years. Ryan ambled over and seemed relaxed and happy. He handed her a cup of coffee and studied her. “Don’t say anything.”
“I’ll bet everyone is wondering how many condoms we have left, if any.” He waved to some women and then winked.
“Stop encouraging them. You’re adding fuel to their fire.”
“You started this bonfire, and it’s my job to enjoy it. The prettiest woman in the world is my girlfriend, and there are at least fifty people in this courtyard who are jealous as hell.” He looped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her head. “I may add a little lighter fluid and give you a real kiss, just to see what happens.”
“Behave. We still have Grams’ lunch to get through.”
“Fine. Where’s the lunch?”
“Mama is hosting it at the Bell Springs Winery. I think there are close to a hundred people coming. Grams taught high school math for almost forty years, and she is real popular in town.”
“Do we need a donut for the road or are you okay?”
She let her eyes rove lovingly over the selection and then shook her head. “No, let’s mingle and then we can head out.”
“Lead the way.”
Ms. Janey and Ms. Elvie were the first to approach, and Ivy shot them an innocent smile. They might look like a pair of sweet librarians, but in fact they were the Gestapo. The way they got information about people was legendary. “Hi, ladies. Did you enjoy the sermon today?”
Ms. Elvie fluttered her hankie and laughed. “I certainly did. I think we should all remember that it’s important to forgive those who do us wrong.”
“I agree,” Ivy said. Whatever came after this was going to be interesting. Ms. Elvie never missed a chance to share the gossip she was so famous for extracting.
“I have to tell you that we had Nelson Reardon’s mama over for lunch last week. That woman is ninety-five if she’s a day, God love her. Sharp as a tack, remembers everything like it was yesterday. We got to talking about your daddy’s passing, and she brought up the big falling out that Nelson had with him a couple of years ago. The woman talked for twenty minutes about how close Nelson and your daddy were from the age of five until just a few years ago.”
Ms. Janey put her hand on her sister’s arm. “Elvie, get to the point. These children do not have all day.”
“Fine. I was getting to it. Mae Reardon said her son Nelson never got over what happened up in Denton when he and your daddy were in business together. Something about Nelson being cheated out of a fortune. Mae swears that her son is bent on revenge and she’s worried that it’s going to land him in jail.”
Ms. Janie clucked with disapproval. “It was out of character for her to be so worried. She thinks the sun sets and rises on her son’s hiney and that he can do no wrong. Why, I can’t tell you. That boy has had a streak of evil in him since he was ten. The way he behaved in the library was not to be believed. I had to kick him out more times than I can count.”
Ms. Elvie nodded her head in agreement. “We thought you should know because your grandmother told us about the problems you’ve been having with your daddy’s business. For all we know, Nelson is up to no good.”
“Thank you so much for sharing that with us,” Ivy said as she patted both ladies’ arms. The women of Dripping Springs were proving more capable of acquiring the information, than the detective that had been on the case since last week. “Are you two heading over to Grams’ lunch?”
“Yes we are, dear,” Ms. Janie responded. Her eyes ran up and down Ryan, and she gave him an approving smile. “We’re so happy that our Ivy has such a fine young man in her life.”
“Thank you, ma’am. I’m very lucky that she’s taken me on.”
They were about to walk away, but Ms. Elvie stopped. “We heard that Fabar’s restocked the condoms in your size. Maybe you want to run on over and grab some before they run out.”
Ivy choked on her coffee, and the ladies waved as they walked away. Ryan thumped her on her back and she tried to get a breath. When she could, she looked up at him and then started laughing. “I imagine that may come up a few more times before the day is over.”
“Maybe we should go and grab a couple of boxes just to keep the story going. I don’t want people to think that I’m not satisfying you.”
“We’re not even using them. Why would we buy them?”
“I have a reputation to protect. We should’ve been done with the supply last week.”
“Your reputation as a sex machine? I don’t feel the need to protect that.” Hitching her purse up on her shoulder, she turned toward the parking lot. “I deserve whatever happens. This is all because I felt like taking a poke at Wendy Ann. This is my karma coming back to bite me.”
“It’s kind of fun. I’ve never had so many women check out my package and then give me a smile. I kind of like being objectified.”
“Good for you.” She took long strides toward the car and then felt Ryan come up behind her. When he took her hand, she stopped. “What?”
“You’re the only one I care about, and your opinion is the only one that matters. So don’t get yourself twisted into a fit.”
“You’re right.” Looking around the parking lot, she squeezed his hand. “I should be focusing on what they said about Nelson. Maybe he and his son are the ones responsible for the sabotage and fires at Daddy’s wells. They know enough low-lifes that it wouldn’t be hard for them to find someone to do it.”
“I think you’re right. I’m not sure how we prove it, though. Let’s give the information to Ken and the private investigator, and see what they come up with. All of the wells should have the new security measures installed by the end of the week. We’ve limited well site access to only those with a security pass, and the well site data is now automated. We’ve got cameras up in several places at each site, and there’s also a drone monitoring all twenty wells regularly. If they try anything again, then we’ve got them.”
“We should tell Phoebe and have her monitor all of the Reardons’ electronic communication. It won’t be admissible in court, but it might be enough to get them to stop.”
“Text her while I drive us over to the lunch.”
They got in the car and before Ryan pulled out, Ivy touched his arm. “Thank you for being such a good sport about all of this. I don’t think there is another man alive who would deal with me and the crazy I’ve got going on.”
Leaning over, he kissed her. “Honey, you’re not crazy, just colorful and entertaining. I knew when you told the macaroni salad story that you were the girl for me. You’re a tempest in a teacup, and I wouldn’t want you any other way.”
“That’s very sweet. Though I’m not sure that being compared to a violent windstorm is a good thing…I guess I won’t complain.”
“You’re not the type of storm to run away from. You’re the type to chase,” he said as he drove them toward the winery.
Ryan Cordell was better than a chocolate chip biscuit, and it was useless to pretend otherwise.
***
Ivy and Ryan sat with Grams and Mama under a shade tree and enjoyed their lunch. “Mama, do you think those two old biddies got it right about Nelson?”
“Baby, I think they may have. Elvie and Janie are as old as dirt, but they never get gossip wrong. They’ve been friends with Mrs. Reardon since your daddy and I were kids. Bill and Nelson competed over everything since the first grade. I never understood why they tried to be in business together, but they did. It wouldn’t surprise me if Nelson got up to his old tricks. Just because your daddy died doesn’t mean that Nelson has given up the feud.”
Grams pointed her fork at the table. “It’s what gives him a reason to wake up every day. He’s not going to stop just because Bill is six feet under
.”
Ryan wiped his mouth and looked at Ivy. “We’ve done everything to secure the wells. He won’t get away with anything again.” He looked over Ivy’s shoulder. “Ivy, why are those two women pointing knives at each other?”
Glancing up, she noticed that the annual pineapple upside-down cake argument was about to start. “That’s my Aunt Cee and her friend Eugenia discussing the merits of adding nuts to the cake.” She lifted her napkin and gently wiped her mouth. “It happens at least once a year, if not twice. There was only the one time that actual blood was drawn, and Eugenia swore on a stack of bibles that it was because Big Bobby accidentally pushed her.” Standing, she grinned down at him. “I’m going to get seconds. Do you want anything?”
“Sure. The ribs are incredible.”
“Now, that’s a fight where you better have an ambulance standing by. Shots were fired last year when Carl and Jake started discussing dry rub versus wet. It’s never smart to point your gun at a man’s smoker. Nothing good will ever come out of that. I think Carl still walks with a bit of a limp.” Ivy turned and walked over to the tables filled with food.
Ryan watched her and felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking over, he saw Bea and Grams smiling at him. It was time to put his cards on the table and let the two most important women in Ivy’s life know how he felt. “I’m in love with her, and I want a chance to show her.”
Bea dabbed her eyes with a napkin. “You have my blessing. My baby is a strong as carbon, but she has a soft, squishy center, and she needs a strong man to understand that. I think you may be the one who does.”
Grams cleared her throat and grinned. “I think he’s a good choice for our girl.”
Before Ryan could respond, Ivy returned with two heaping plates of food. “What are you all talking about?”
“Dessert,” Ryan answered.
“We’re going to light the cake on fire this year. Grams is seventy-nine.”
“I’m going to light you on fire if you keep discussing my age,” Grams replied tartly. “We raised you better than that.”