As if he read her mind, Micah took her hand and led her toward the bank. The two-story, red brick building had new white shutters and a large welcome mat. A balding man dressed in a suit came forward to greet them.
“Hank, I’d like to introduce Cary Crockett. Cary, this is Hank Loveland. Hank runs the bank.”
Cary stuck out her hand like she’d seen the locals do and smiled. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Loveland.”
“Well, this is just a pleasure, Ms. Crockett.” He was friendly, but Cary got the feeling he didn’t trust easily. Must be something in the water. Distrust seemed to be ingrained in these people. “And I have to correct Micah here. I don’t just run the bank, I’m the president.”
“Cary is cooking for the boys. You got the papers ready?” Micah’s mood shifted from open to suspicious.
“I’ll have them Thursday, Micah. I’m sorry for the delay.” Hank’s attitude became even more effusive. “Ms. Crockett, how long are you here for?”
Cary glanced at Micah. His frown was as dark as a thunderstorm. “Remember what I said Hank.” He turned without another word and walked out, with Cary hurrying to catch up so she didn’t get left behind
“What’s wrong?” His long strides outdistanced her so she jogged a few steps to catch up. When he didn’t slow down, she placed her hand on his forearm. “Micah?”
“Sorry. That pompous ass gets to me. We were friends in high school, but now that he’s head of the bank, he thinks he knows everything.” He stopped then looked around town. “I’m hungry.”
“You’re always hungry.”
Without a word, he took her hand and led her toward the Five And Diner. “I’ll introduce you to Cal. He’s the cook I tried to hire that day you first showed up in East Hope.”
Micah didn’t release her hand. Most of the time when Ken had touched her, he’d wanted something from her. It was never to savor her skin against his. For the few moments it took them to reach the café, she could pretend Micah’s touch meant something.
They reached the door. Micah held it open then led her to a table by the window. Dust covered landscapes made from bits of bark and pine needles hung on the walls, all signed by the artist. Originally red, the tabletops had faded to a nondescript pink and the red vinyl on several of the stools at the counter had been mended with the same tape she’d used for her taillight. Nothing much had changed since she’d been here a few days ago. Nothing much had changed in the last fifty years from the look of the place.
Cary looked up from the menu to see a woman who most likely kept Avon in business.
Her up-do was the flat black of a home-dye job. Too many layers to count of black mascara covered her lashes. Sparkly, azure blue eye shadow and navy eyeliner framed her eyes and frosty pink lipstick tinted her lips.
She slammed two glasses of water on the table then stood back, her arms crossed beneath her ample chest. No Farms, No Food stretched across the front of her Kelly green t-shirt. “Micah West, you’re about as welcome here as a skunk at a lawn party.”
“Hi, Lorna. I’m glad to see you, too.” Micah didn’t even look up. He pointed at a line on the menu. “I’ll have the chicken fried steak with fries and a piece of your delicious cherry pie.”
“I’ve a mind not to serve you at all. The way you tried to take Cal away from me, I’d as soon bite a bug as serve you.” She turned on Cary. “You with him?”
“If it means I won’t get served, I’m not.
“This guy ever gives you trouble, you call on me.” The woman winked at Cary then turned back to Micah. “Well—”
Micah’s face softened into a smile. “Can’t we call it a momentary lapse in judgment brought on by severe stress?”
“I suppose I can forgive you this time.” She pulled her order pad from the pocket of her ruffled plaid apron then pointed at him with her pen. “This time.”
When Lorna’s attention returned to Cary, she ordered. “I’ll have the same, but with lemon meringue, please.”
Cary assumed Lorna had forgiven Micah because the food arrived in minutes and was some of the best she’d ever eaten. They talked about unimportant things until Micah asked about her family. She hated talking about this stuff, so she gave him the shortened version of her life. “I don’t know where my dad is. I don’t remember ever meeting him.” The look on his face said pity in capital letters, and she couldn’t have that. “I also don’t miss him. My mom and I got along just fine.”
Micah nodded as he worked his fork into the pie. “Sounds like you and she are close.”
“Some people would say that.” She took an overly big bite. “Why don’t you tell me about your wife?” A dusky flush worked its way over his cheeks. Good, she wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with the questions.
“I told you. Marlene’s not my wife. She hasn’t been since Willa Wild was small.” His attention appeared focused on getting every last drop of the cherry pie off his plate.
Cary laid down her fork. She folded her hands in her lap. “Are you sure she knows that?”
Micah’s fork clattered as he dropped it to the plate then pushed it to the center of the table. “She left us. That’s all that needs to be said.”
He might think that’s all that needed to be said, but his words made Cary wonder why he let her continue to come back. But she knew. Marlene was Willa Wild’s mother, and she knew better than most that a girl needed a mom. Even though Micah and Marlene were divorced, there didn’t appear to be room for Cary in this scenario.
“Any brothers or sisters?”
She stuffed a huge piece of her pie into her mouth. Maybe if he saw her chewing he’d stop the questioning, but he waited patiently while she swallowed. “No. Just me and mom.”
“Where’s your mother now?” He wadded up his napkin and waited for her answer.
She should lie. She could make up any answer, and he’d never know the difference. But the words wouldn’t come out of her mouth. She couldn’t lie to Micah. “I don’t know.”
Chapter Eight
The muscles in her jaw had clenched as her knuckles turned white when she grasped her fork. He’d hit a nerve. “Let’s go check out the rest of the town. If you’re going to be here a while, you might as well meet some of the townspeople.” Micah threw some bills on the table then stood and held out his hand.
Cary stared at his outstretched fingers then looked away, keeping her hands to herself. The satisfaction he’d felt holding her hand as they crossed the street was real, and he wasn’t giving up on her now. They walked along the sidewalk on the main street of town until they came to the feed store. “Want to look around?”
When she smiled at him, his heart kicked it up a notch.
“Sure. Who wouldn’t want to shop at the feed and seed?” She pulled open the glass door and went inside. Cary wandered the aisles while Micah paid his bill.
A young man came out from behind the counter.
“Tom, you remember Ms. Crockett from the other day?” Micah came up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Cary, this is Tom Hart.”
“I remember you. Nice to see you again, Tom,” Cary said, a bright smile on her face. “I’m looking for cake pans. I don’t suppose you have any of those here.”
Micah watched as Tom fell under Cary’s spell. He knew just how the kid felt. While they took off for the cooking section of the store that had most everything a person could want, Micah ordered the supplies he needed for the ranch.
With Cary clutching a bag with the pans, they walked back to the truck. Micah took the opportunity to point out bits of information about East Hope.
Cary nodded or gave him one-word answers.
“Cary.” He stopped and waited until she made eye contact. “You can tell me about your mother if and when you feel comfortable talking about her.”
She blinked rapidly and turned away. “Tell me how East Hope got its name.”
Obviously she wasn’t ready yet. He looked down the short main street. East Hope probably lo
oked like any other small town across the country, but this was his town. He couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. “Originally this was the town of Hope. Founded and named by a couple of brothers around 1850 in hopes of finding gold. That never happened, and when they had a falling out, one moved to one end of town and one to the other. You can guess the rest.”
Cary had watched him as he spoke, her brow furrowed. “If this is East Hope, where’s West Hope?”
“It just kind of faded away. Only us East Hopeians left.” He pointed to the west. “About three miles down the highway are the abandoned feed store and livery.”
“Interesting.” She looked up. “What’s next?”
“Groceries.” They dropped the supplies they’d bought at the Co-op into the back of the truck then entered Foodtown.
Cary dug into her pocket and pulled out a list.
“What you got there?”
She held out the piece of paper. The items were grouped by type then alphabetically. Under fruit, she’d listed apples, bananas, and blueberries. For vegetables— broccoli, corn, lettuce, potatoes and tomatoes. Staples were the longest list, including baking powder, cheese, flour, sugar (brown and white), pasta and vinegar.
“These are all in order. Are you this organized with everything?” He looked up with a smile to see her cheeks brightening to a soft pink.
She snatched back the list and turned away.
Micah took hold of her arm and turned her to face him. “Hey, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I was just asking.” Cary was pretty tough most of the time, but she had some triggers.
“It’s no big deal. I admit I do like things in order.” She pulled a breath in and let it out on a sigh. “I’m going to grab a cart.”
As Cary disappeared around the corner, Millie came around the end of the aisle. She hurried toward him and gave him a big hug. “Bout time you came in again. Just got a big supply of chocolate covered raisins. Your favorite.” She took his hand and pulled.
“Wait a minute.” The wobbly wheels of the grocery cart clattered against the chipped linoleum floor as Cary came up behind them. “Millie, you remember Cary?”
The older woman froze, her expression changing from friendly to frigid. “You’re still here.” It wasn’t a question, and it wasn’t welcoming and it wasn’t like Millie at all.
Micah had never seen Millie react to a person as she did to Cary. Suspicion wafted off her in waves, annoyance darkened her normally friendly appearance.
Millie switched her focus back to Micah. “The candy is back here.”
Micah looked at Cary. There wasn’t much he could say. If Millie didn’t like Cary, he couldn’t change her mind. He would ask Millie what was going on—another day. “Sorry about that. I don’t know what’s with her.”
“Or what was with her the last time I was here.” Cary shrugged. “I don’t usually have this effect on people.”
He grinned. “Now let’s see. So far you’ve made an enemy of Marlene, Millie and a couple of the hands.”
He could see she was trying to keep the insulted look on her face but humor broke through. “I don’t think Marlene counts.”
“You’ve got a point there. Marlene is—Marlene.” He plucked the list from her hand and tore it in half. “You take care of this. I’ll get the rest.”
Micah found Millie in the storage area in the back of the store. She’d ripped open a cardboard box and opened the plastic bag. There must be twenty pounds of chocolate covered raisins inside. With a large scoop, Millie filled a white paper bag then handed it to him.
“That’s a lot of goodness right there.” He reached in and grabbed a handful, his mouth watering, anticipating the taste.
Millie’s pale blue eyes squinted as her rosy cheeks lifted with her smile. She gave him a soft punch in the shoulder. “They’re not all for you. Some of the other people in town like them, too.”
“Given enough time, I bet I could eat all of them.” He tossed a couple more of the candies into his mouth. “What’s in the other boxes?”
Millie took her box cutter and opened another box. This one was filled with chocolate covered orange sticks. “I got four different kinds. The other two have nuts.” She held out the square candy. “This is my favorite.”
Micah had her give him a bag of the orange candy, too. “I wonder what kind Cary would like?”
At the mention of Cary’s name, Millie’s smile faded from her face. She closed the candy boxes. “She’ll just have to wait until I get these on display.” The storeowner turned and hurried out the back of the building. Micah followed her to the door. The outburst was about as out of character for his friend as he’d ever seen.
“Micah?” He heard Cary calling for him. He’d have to think about this. Did Millie see something off about Cary, something he didn’t?
Cary stood by the meat cooler, her cart nearly full. “Have you got your groceries?”
“Haven’t even started. Millie gave me some candy.” He held out both bags. “Want some?”
“Millie’s sweet on you, isn’t she?”
This time it was Micah who was embarrassed. He’d considered once that Millie might have a crush on him, but it was easier to ignore a situation that could become awkward. He had no feelings for Millie other than those of a friend, but he didn’t want to lose that. “We’re friends.”
“If you say so.” Cary took one of the bags. “What are these?” She took a bite of the candy. “Oh my god, these are sugar overload.”
“They are one of the truly wonderful concoctions known to man.”
“They are sugar and preservatives.”
“I can’t believe a pastry chef doesn’t like sugar.” Micah popped a few more into his mouth.
“I don’t hate sugar, but my food is made from fresh ingredients not chemicals.”
A can dropped to the floor, and they both turned to see Millie standing behind them, her face drawn into a frown. “If you don’t like what I sell here, feel free to shop somewhere else.” Millie stood with her arms crossed, her expression thunderous. With a great amount of effort, she looked at Micah. “Enjoy your raisins.”
~~~
The venom in the woman’s tone made Cary’s heart race. What had she done to receive so much anger from a person she hardly knew? “What just happened here?”
“You shouldn’t have insulted her candy.”
Her head jerked up, and indignation threatened to drown her. “How is this my fault?” She grabbed the handle and shoved the cart toward the front of the store.
Micah followed along behind. When they got to the checkout, Cary started unloading the groceries, placing canned goods onto the counter with a little more force than was necessary. Okay, more than a little.
The girl behind the register took a step back, her eyes wide.
Cary put the last can of beans on the counter. She looked at the cashier. “Would you ring this up? Micah will take care of it,” she said then walked toward the door without a word.
She paced up and down in front of the pickup. When Micah stepped into her path, she twisted around him and continued.
“Can you calm down?” His voice was quiet as he leaned against the fender of the truck.
“No, I can’t.” She stopped, raising her gaze to stare into his eyes. “That woman insulted me, and you act like it’s my fault. I had enough of being blamed for things with Ken. That’s why he’s no longer in my life.”
“Ken?”
“My very ex-boyfriend.” Cary turned her back to him. Let him think she was interested in what was happening down the street.
“Your ex-boyfriend? I thought you were married,” Micah said, standing beside her, also scrutinizing the empty road. He sidestepped until his shoulder touched hers, causing a pleasant shiver to crawl down her arm.
“I’m not. And that doesn’t excuse you for blaming me for Millie’s bad behavior.” She looked up at him and wasn’t that a mistake. The sight of his blue eyes made her fingers curl.
“I didn’t mean to blame you.” The soothing sound of his voice almost made her give in. “I just meant that she takes her store very seriously, and you said you didn’t like the candy.”
“I see. I don’t have the right to an opinion, especially when it might hurt Millie’s feelings. But it’s okay for her to be rude to me? Is that what you’re saying? Because if it is, you need to take me back to the ranch, and I’ll be gone before sundown.” Her breathing was labored, and her chest heaved. She’d thought for a while that he was different, that he really saw her, but he was like the rest, trying to stuff her into a hole where she didn’t fit.
She’d opened her mouth to continue when Micah stepped forward. He put his hands on her cheeks and ran his thumb across her lips. “Shhh,” he said, just before he kissed her.
Her knees grew weak, and her hands lifted of their own accord to run through his hair. No matter how hard she tried to remain strong, his kisses melted her bones, and sent her brain on flights of fancy. She gave up and closed her eyes letting the feel and taste of Micah brighten her world.
A loud crash thundered through the air. Cary tried to jump away, but Micah’s grip held her close.
Millie stood in the doorway to the store. The broken box spilled canned goods at her feet.
A can of beans rolled across the sidewalk and dropped off the curb into the street. The look Millie gave Cary chilled her.
“Your groceries.” Millie disappeared into the store without another word, but Cary could just make out the woman watching from behind the window.
“If you’ll get these, I’ll get the food from the store.”
Clinton Barnes’ came up beside her as Micah hurried into the store. “Don’t let Millie get to you,” he said in his raspy voice. “She’ll come around.”
Gimme Some Sugar Page 7