A moment later, he slid in behind the steering wheel and started the engine. Before pulling away from the house, he turned in his seat and looked at me. A grin touched his lips and humor shone in his blue eyes. I waited, wondering what he was up to.
“Annie told me you’re not exactly comfortable driving the Land Rover.”
“Comfortable?” I laughed. “I’m terrified a bird’s going to fly over and crap on it or someone’s going to put a ding in a door.” Fortunately for both of us, he didn’t laugh. In fact, he looked as if he understood. “The SUV’s a dream to drive and I’ve dreamed of owning one for some time now. But I so don’t want to be responsible for anything happening to it.”
He put the truck into gear and drove down the drive. “So, when do you want to go car shopping? Or are you going to get yourself another Harley?”
Well, at least he saved me from having to ask his help. “I’d thought this weekend.” I gave a half-shrug. “And it’s a car.”
He glanced over at me before returning his attention to the road. “I’m surprised. I figured you couldn’t wait to get back on a bike.”
“I can’t.” Another shrug. “But to say I’m a little gun shy right now is putting it mildly. Whoever drove that pickup meant to hit me, Drew. Until I’m completely healed and a lot more familiar with the roads around here, I want something solid around me when I’m out and about.”
He nodded, his expression grim. “I swear we’re doing all we can to find out who it was, Meg.”
I reached over and lightly rested my hand on his arm. That same quick spark of electricity raced up my arm and I swallowed hard. I didn’t – quite – jerk my hand away but I also didn’t let it linger where it was. Whatever that spark was, I had a feeling neither Drew nor I were ready to discuss it. At least I wasn’t. I had enough going on in my life already.
“I know you are.” Before I could say anything else, he pulled onto a street lined with trees. The houses might not have been as old as Miss Serena’s, but most looked to have been built in the early 1900’s. But it wasn’t the sight of them, or the well-maintained lawns, that had my jaw dropping.
“Don’t look!”
Without warning, Drew slammed on the brakes. I reached out, bracing one hand against the dashboard while the other hand kept a firm grip on the pie in my lap. The truck’s tires might not have squealed as we backed up and then around the corner, but not by much. When I looked across at Drew, I didn’t know whether to laugh or dive for cover. He looked like he’d seen a ghost – or worse.
“Drew?”
“Please, if you value your sanity, don’t look. Don’t make eye contact with them.”
Them were four women around my mother’s age. They wore pink jogging suits with matching pink running shoes. Two sported pink and white sweatbands. Even as the truck backed up the street, one of them spotted us. She said something and then all four waved. As they did, Drew sucked in a breath and, looking over his shoulder, backed around the corner before speeding down the block, away from the four.
“Drew!”
“Never, ever make eye contact with the fearsome foursome, Meg. Not if you want to escape with your sanity.”
I opened my mouth to ask why four suburban mothers – or, more likely grandmothers – terrified him. Before I could, he shook his head. Without taking his eyes from the road, he cleared his throat. I waited, hoping he’d soon explain.
“If you think the gossips at the café are bad, they’re nothing compared to those four. Trust me on this.”
I did my best not to laugh. Whoever the women might be, Drew wanted nothing to do with them. That was enough for me, for the moment at least. Not that I planned on letting it drop. Curiosity might have killed the cat, but I had a feeling the only way to survive in Mossy Creek meant was by having a healthy sense of curiosity.
So I’d ask Annie, or maybe Quinn, about the women later.
A few minutes later, Drew once again turned down the street. He drove slowly, looking this way and that. I knew without asking he looked for the four pink-clad women. With them no longer in sight, he seemed to relax and it wasn’t long before he parked in front of a two story, turn of the century house. For a moment, I sat staring at it in wonder. It might not be as impressive as Miss Serena’s home, I doubted anything in Mossy Creek came close, but that took nothing away from it.
“Did Annie tell you about this place?” Drew asked as he switched off the engine.
I nodded. That morning, Annie explained the house had been one of several ways their grandfather managed to trap her when she returned to Mossy Creek to defend her mother. Oh, it hadn’t been a real trap and it had been rooted in nothing but love. Not that Annie thought so at the time.
I’d listened, disbelief warring with laughter, as Annie talked about her return to Mossy Creek. She’d left town ten years earlier, determined not to return for more than a few days at a time. At the time, she’d been one of the top prosecutors in the Travis County DA’s Office. However, when her grandmother called, telling her how her mother had been charged with Spud Buchanan’s murder, Annie hadn’t hesitated. She’d dropped everything and had come home. That decision cost her a job she’d loved. It also proved to her the time had come to return. Between the house, learning her grandfather had instructed Judge Caldwell not to let the law office go, to reuniting with Sam, it soon became clear she’d come home.
Since then, she’d married Sam and adopted Sam’s son, Robbie. Annie’s expression hardened, and her voice grew hard as she told me how the little boy’s mother walked out on them. Sam had just returned stateside after being severely wounded in combat. My jaw clenched and my own demons reared their ugly heads at that. Too many of my Army buddies, male and female, had seen their relationships go sour while on in combat. But, bad as all that had been, it paled next to what else happened during my last tour.
I’d managed to shake off the memory before Annie realized anything was wrong. But, to make sure, I’d leaned forward. Voice low and serious, I assured her if Sam’s ex ever showed her face in Mossy Creek, Annie just had to call me. No one would ever find the woman again. Much to my surprise, instead of being put off by my comment, Annie nodded and said she’d be glad to have the help.
“Looks like the others are starting to arrive.” He motioned over his shoulder and I glanced back in time to see a black SUV park behind us.
By the time I’d climbed out of the pickup and moved to the sidewalk, the front door opened and Annie stepped outside. She smiled and lifted a hand in greeting. As she did, Robbie skirted around her and raced down the steps. I laughed gaily as Ali gave her mother a quick hug before hurrying to join her best friend. Quinn softly told one of her Belgium Mals to go with them.
“Drew, Lucas, Sam’s out back getting the grill going,” Annie said as we joined her on the front porch.
Before they headed back, I stopped Drew and handed him the bourbon. He grinned and gave me a wink. Then, telling us to enjoy our “girl talk”, he hurried through the house, Lucas on his heels. As they disappeared, Quinn chuckled softly. I watched and then wondered if I dared ask Quinn and Annie about the ladies in pink.
“The kids are out back with Sasha and Rocky,” Annie said, motioning for us to be seated.
I looked around the room, impressed. At one time, it would have been smaller, perhaps a parlor or sitting room. But someone had taken down walls and opened it up. The sitting area flowed into the dining area and then into the kitchen. Modern it might be without losing the overall feel of the original.
“Is that one of Miss Serena’s rhubarb pies?” Annie eyed the pie I still held, and I nodded. As I did, Quinn whooped in laughter.
“What?” I looked between the two women in question.
Annie took the pie and moved through to the kitchen. “My mother must have told her how I sent Sam out looking for a slice of rhubarb pie the other night. Damned cravings.” Even as she grumbled, she bent and sniffed the pie, much as her brother had earlier.
“I
don’t care how she found out. If you don’t want the pie, I’ll take it,” Quinn teased. Even as Annie shook her head, her expression all but daring Quinn to try, Quinn smiled at me. “If you haven’t had a piece yet, you’re in for a treat. Miss Serena makes the very best rhubarb pies ever.”
Considering how good everything Miss Serena fixed me had been, I looked forward to trying the pie – assuming Annie shared.
“So, are we going to have girl talk?” Quinn made air quotes around “girl talk” and plopped down on the sofa. As she did, Zeus settled at her feet.
“I don’t know if it qualifies as girl talk, but I have a question.” I took an overstuffed easy chair across from her and waited as Annie joined us.
“This sounds interesting.” Annie grinned and sat in the mate to my chair.
I didn’t say anything for a moment as I tried to figure out the best way to broach the subject. “We’d just pulled onto the street when I saw four women jogging in our direction. The moment Drew saw them, he told me not to look at them or make eye contact. Then he threw the truck into reverse and backed all the up the block and around the corner. Is there something I should be aware of?”
Like banshees or something?
Annie paled slightly as Quinn chuckled almost evilly. “What were they wearing?” Quinn asked.
“Matching pink jogging suits.”
I watched, not sure whether to be concerned or amused, as Annie dropped her head into her hands and groaned. A moment later, she sat up. “Sam!”
The sounds of Sam, followed quickly by Lucas and Drew, racing inside filled the house. “What?” Sam demanded as he slid to a halt next to Annie’s chair. “Are you all right? Do I need to call the doctor?”
“No, you don’t need to call the doctor,” she answered acerbically. “But you can call your father and swear out a complaint against my mother and the Terrible Trio. And you – ” She pinned Drew with a look that had him paling and taking a step back – “You didn’t think I needed to know our mother and her friends were jogging in the neighborhood?”
Oookay, there most definitely was more going on than I knew. Praying I wasn’t about to step in it, I drew a deep breath. “Why is it bad that your mother and the others were jogging down the block?”
And did I really want to know?
“Mama means well,” Annie began.
Drew snorted before taking a long pull on his bottle of beer.
“Let me.” Quinn looked as if she had a hard time not laughing. “Their mother is what you might call a character, Meg. She loves Annie and Drew more than anything.”
Another snort from Drew and Annie actually rolled her eyes.
“Okay, more than anything but her babies?” Now Quinn did laugh.
“I know I’m going to regret this – but her babies?” No way any of the women I saw earlier were young enough to have babies.
“Two of the meanest, most hate-filled geriatric poodles you’ve ever met.” Sam actually shuddered. “After Catherine had to stay with Annie’s grandmother before the charges were dropped, Annie bought Mary Kate a German shepherd pup to remind her what real dogs were like.”
“But why is jogging down the street bad?”
“Because it means she’s up to something and that is never good.” Annie closed her eyes again, as if praying for patience – or for lightning to strike. If the latter, I hoped her intended target wasn’t me. “She means well.”
“And that’s like saying bless her heart,” I said and everyone nodded. “So, what can I do to help? I take it you’d prefer her to be focused elsewhere.”
When Annie and Quinn looked from me to Drew and back again, my stomach rolled, and I felt all the color drain from my face. Shaking my head, I looked to Drew for help, only to find him chugging his beer like it was his last drink before facing the executioner.
Well,” Annie drawled, a wicked smile on her face.
“I could tell her how much you would like her to start dropping by the office each day to keep you company.”
“Don’t you dare!” Annie glared at me for a moment and then laughed. “Okay, how about we both just try to avoid my mother and matchmaking.”
“I think that is a very good idea, twin.” Drew gave his sister a look even I recognized, one that promised they’d soon be having a long talk. “Besides, Mama and the Terrible Trio didn’t see us.”
“You keep telling yourself that, buddy.” Sam clapped a hand on Drew’s shoulder even as he chuckled. “Your mother doesn’t miss much and she sure as hell wouldn’t miss that big black truck of yours, especially not with Meg sitting in the cab with you.”
“Leave them be,” Lucas laughed. As he did, he rested a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “C’mon, guys, we have steaks to grill.”
Two hours later, dinner eaten and the kids put to bed, we relaxed in the living room. Quinn handed out coffee to those who wanted it while I refilled drinks for the rest. Annie and Sam sat on the sofa, his arm around her shoulders, holding her close. Lucas sat in the chair Annie occupied earlier and Drew leaned sat on the fireplace hearth. They waited until Quinn and I found seats.
“Meg, Drew said he’s told you about the investigation,” Lucas began and I nodded. “We’re checking not only our normal sources but all the local garages. We’ll find who hit you. I promise.”
I leaned back and sipped my coffee, considering what to say. “Lucas, I trust you and Drew to do everything you can.” And I did, but I was also a realist and I knew the chances of them succeeding lessened with each day that passed. “Have there been any reports of similar accidents?”
“Not so far, but I’ve reached out to the surrounding counties. I’ve also put a BOLO out on the truck. It’s a long shot but we might get lucky.”
“What can we do to help?” Sam asked.
“Keep your eyes and ears open and talk to your sources,” Lucas said.
I nodded, almost to myself. Sam might run his grandfather’s construction firm now, but he was also, according to Annie at least, the best private investigator around. Since he had helped clear her mother’s name, I tended to believe her.
“I’ve put some feelers out as well,” Quinn assured me. “We will find him, Meg.”
“I hope so.” I didn’t want to spend my time in Mossy Creek looking over my shoulder, wondering when another attack might happen.
“Has anything else happened?” Drew’s brows drew together as he looked at me in concern.
“No, not really.”
“But,” he prompted and I felt everyone’s eyes on me.
“It’s nothing really.” At least I hoped it wasn’t. “Just a couple of times, I’ve felt like someone was watching me.”
For a moment, no one said anything. Then Drew shoved up from the hearth and stalked across the room in my direction. Without a word, he reached down and pulled me to my feet. Then he stared down at me, his expression stormy.
“Why the hell didn’t you say something sooner?”
Anger flared but not enough I didn’t feel that damned spark.
“Drew!” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Annie stand.
“Stand down, deputy.” Lucas’ tone brooked no disobedience.
“Let. Go. Of. Me.” I ground out the words, careful to keep my temper in check. When he didn’t comply, I snarled and, before he could react, I knocked his hands away and moved out of reach.
“Meg, easy.” Quinn spoke softly. “Drew, you know better. Apologize.”
“I’ll be damned if I do. She should have told us. Something could have happened.”
Before he could finish, Annie interrupted him. “Damn it, twin, think.” I looked at Annie and blinked in surprise. “Meg’s probably felt like she’s been the center of attention since she got to town. Think about it. Miss Peggy knew she was coming as did Miss Serena and she didn’t know anything about them or us. Since then, Mossy Creek’s been, well, Mossy Creek. I’d be surprised if she hadn’t felt she was being watched. You know what the town’s like.”
For a moment, he didn’t say anything. Then he ran a hand over his face before nodding. “They’re right, Meg, and I’m sorry. I overreacted.”
“Yeah, you did.” I inhaled, doing my best to calm my racing heart and my rising temper.
Sam looked at Drew and, with a jerk of his head, motioned for him to return to the hearth. Then he turned to me. “Meg, if you haven’t figured out, we tend to be protective of our own and you’re one of us. I can’t explain it, but we all feel as if we’ve known you all our lives. There’s a connection we can’t ignore. For myself, it goes further. You’re a vet, just like I am. That means we’re going to react sometimes before thinking.”
I smiled slightly. “Thank you. I feel the same way.”
“Then, let’s leave the others discuss with Drew why he was such an ass just now while you and I check on the kids.”
I certainly hadn’t expected that, but I nodded. After telling the others not to be too hard on Drew, I followed Sam upstairs. It didn’t surprise me one bit when, after checking on the kids who slept soundly on twin beds in Robbie’s bedroom, he led me into what had to be his home office, closing the door behind him.
“Bourbon?” he asked as he produced a bottle from a desk drawer.
“Please.”
I watched as he pulled two glasses from the same drawer and then splashed several fingers of the amber liquid into them. He handed me one and indicated I should take a seat in the only other chair in the room besides the desk chair. Then, leaning against the edge of the desk, he cocked his head to one side, looking at me.
“How long have you been out?”
Surprised, I paused in the process of taking a sip of my drink. “I left the Reserves less than a year ago.”
“Active duty before that?”
I nodded.
“You’ve seen action. The sandbox or elsewhere?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t seem surprised by my answer. Instead, he lifted his glass and waited for me to sip from my own.
“I’m not going to push.” He shook his head and something in his expression reassured me. “I’m not even going to ask. But I see a lot of myself after I came home in you. If you need to talk or just want to, I’m here. If you need the name of a counsellor, I have that too. Just promise me you won’t try to do it all on your own. We all need help sometimes.”
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