Another Saturday Night and I Ain't Got No Body (A Page Turners Novel)

by Marts, Jennie

  “A can of Mace and a Taser gun.” Sunny smirked. “She was ready to shock Jake a good one when she flew into the house and almost caught us making out on the sofa.”

  “Oh, my,” Cassie said. “You better tell us everything, and Maggie, put that damn phone away before I break off one of your fingers. No texting at the table. I swear you are like one of the kids.”

  Maggie looked up guiltily from where she had indeed been texting beneath the table with a Who, me? expression on her face. “Sorry.”

  Sunny began with the phone call from Jeremy and told the girls everything that had happened the night before. Between bites of cheeseburger, she calmly replayed the events as if they were a television show she had seen, or as if they had happened to someone else. Because they were her two best friends, she also told them about the couch time with Jake.

  “I don’t know what came over me,” she said. She licked the traces of salt from her fingers. “I don’t know what it is about this guy. We haven’t even found Walter’s body or confirmed his death. My house is almost broken into, I know next to nothing about this man, and what I do know is probably a lie… and yet, every time I’m within three feet of him, I want to jump his bones.”

  “Maybe you should take a few steps back,” Cassie said, a worried look on her face. “It may sound like I’m joking, but I’m not. Sunny, I understand he is seriously hot, but hot equals fire, and I think that’s what you’re messing with here.”

  “Maybe I want a little fire,” Sunny said. “I’ve spent the last several years hanging out in dating Antarctica. Maybe a little heat is exactly what I need.”

  “Well, gosh, I hate to be the voice of reason here, but men can lie, and they can cheat, and they can use you if it helps them get what they need,” Maggie said.

  “But what could he possibly need from me?”

  “Besides the obvious?” Maggie asked. “Who knows? Like you said, we don’t really know anything about this guy. Why is he here? Where is he really from? He is Walter’s relative, but why hasn’t he planned some type of memorial? Walter does have a nice-sized estate, so he has motive for killing him. Because of the fire, there’s no body, so he may have committed the perfect crime and is currently getting away with it.”

  “Maybe Edna has a point,” Cassie added. “Could Jake have been the one who tried to break in and scare you, then showed up as the hero to try to gain your trust?”

  “I don’t know. That doesn’t feel right,” Sunny said. “Why would he need my trust? He keeps telling me he’ll keep me safe, and that I should trust him.”

  “Mags, can you use any of your connections to try to find out more about this guy?” Cassie asked. “Surely you know somebody who could do a little digging into his background or find out more about him?”

  “I’ll give it a try. But if Jake wasn’t the one trying to break in, then who was? Do you think Hank the Tank has taken stalking to the next level?”

  Sunny took a sip of her soda. “I hate to believe it, but the alternative would mean there’s a third unknown man who tried to break into my house, and that really scares me.”

  “Well, I’ll talk to Matt again and make sure he’s had that chat with Hank.” Cassie reached across the table and took Sunny’s hand. “I’m really sorry this is happening to you, honey.”

  “Thanks, Cass.” Sunny squeezed her friend’s hand. “I’ll be fine. I just need to get Jake out of my head.”

  “I think the recipe for that is one cup of hot cowboy served on a bed of tight Wranglers.” Maggie wiggled her eyebrow and gave Sunny a wicked smile.

  “Ooo yeah,” Cassie said. “Has Levi called you yet?”

  “Yeah, he called yesterday afternoon and invited me out to his ranch for a horseback ride this Saturday.”

  “How does he feel about you bringing a sassy gray-haired chaperone along?” Maggie asked.

  “He laughed and said he thought it would be fine. He doesn’t really seem to be fazed by much. He seems to have the ‘good ole boy’ thing going on.”

  “Piper is really excited for you to meet him,” Cassie said.

  “Tell her not to get her hopes up. I’m not much of a cowgirl. I’ve never even ridden a horse before.”

  “You’ll be fine,” Maggie assured her. “Even little kids can ride a horse. Go and enjoy yourself and forget about all this other stuff for awhile.”

  “You girls having any dessert? The special today is Mrs. C’s Cheery Cobbler,” the waitress said on her next pass by their table. The girls shook their heads no, and she slapped the check upside down on their table.

  “I got this one,” Maggie said, as Sunny and Cassie reached for their purses. She pulled a credit card from her immaculately organized leather wallet and slid it under the check.

  “Cassie, you made a good point about doing some kind of memorial for Walter. Maybe I’ll just stop over at Walter’s this afternoon and see if Jake’s given it any thought,” Sunny said.

  “No!” both Maggie and Cassie cried together.

  “First of all, the police haven’t declared Walter dead yet, so let’s wait on the memorial service idea,” Maggie said. “Also, I think you need some time to think this through, so as of now, you’re on a ‘Jake-Break’. Give it a few days before you see him again. Maybe he won’t seem so great when you’re not in the middle of a stressful situation.”

  Sunny sighed. “I don’t think the stress has anything to do with his smile or his abs or the way he fills out his Levi’s.”

  “Oh, brother,” Maggie said. “A few months ago, we could barely get you to even notice men. Now you’re dating and mashing with dangerous strangers and talking about how they fill out their jeans. I think we’ve created a monster.”

  * * *

  This Jake-Break didn’t last long. He was the first person Sunny saw as she pulled into the driveway and stepped from the car.

  Jake walked across the lawn, holding a brown plastic Home Depot bag. “You gonna be home for a little while?” He fell in step with her as she walked up the drive.

  “Sure, what’s going on?” Sunny asked as she unlocked the front door. Beau greeted her with his usual licking, butt-wagging and running around as if he hadn’t seen her in weeks.

  “That’s quite a greeting.” Jake laughed as Beau ran around him, jumping and trying to lick his hand.

  “Yeah, if only I could get him to cook, clean house, and put the toilet seat down, he could be the perfect man,” Sunny teased.

  “I know how to put the toilet seat down, and I make a mean cheese omelet.” Jake’s eyes conveyed a message her body heard loud and clear.

  “Well, uh, what’s in the bag?” Sunny stammered as she tried to veer away from that dangerous topic. Didn’t she just agree with her two best friends that she should take a step back from Jake and try to look at him more objectively?

  “New deadbolts for your door.” Jake pulled two packages of shiny gold deadbolts from the bag. “I was in Home Depot earlier today and picked these up for you. After last night, I thought it might make you feel a little safer to have an extra lock on the doors. If you’re gonna be around for awhile, I’ll install them for you.”

  “Oh, sure. I was going to work in the yard this afternoon, so I’ll be around. That’s really nice of you.” She wasn’t trying to be coy, she just couldn’t help but smile at the guy. He had gone to Home Depot for her, after all.

  “It’s my pleasure,” he replied with a grin that might have made her heart skip a beat or two. “I’ll be right back. I’ve got to grab some tools.”

  He headed for Walter’s as Sunny blissfully watched his retreating backside. Oh, you’ve already got plenty of tools.

  Sunny giggled at herself and went into the house to change into some shorts. Beau followed, and she shut the door behind her as she tried not to think about the way Jake had said the words ‘my pleasure’.

  16

  “What does she see in that fake surfer-boy wanna-be?” he seethed. From in his car parked down the block, he h
ad watched as Sunny had stepped from her car and Jake had come across the lawn toward her.

  His blood boiled as she smiled and flirted with another man.

  How could she not see through him? He had waited for her to get home so he could talk to her and tell her he was sorry for scaring her last night. He had only wanted to watch her. He had no intention of actually entering her house.

  But seeing her smile while she talked on the phone, and the way she absently played with that one wet tendril of hair that had fallen loose from the clip on her head, had done crazy things to him.

  When she had hung up the phone, he had called her again just to hear her voice. He planned on telling her how much he cared for her and wanted to see her again, but when she answered, the words froze in his mouth. He could do nothing but stare at her. He wanted to say everything right so she would really understand that her future was with him. That instead of petting that stupid dog, she should be caressing him, telling him in her sweet way how much she adored and wanted him.

  But her face changed when she answered the phone. She had looked angry and scared as she told him to quit calling her. How could she mean that? He hadn’t planned to enter her room, hadn't meant to scare her. All he wanted to do was make her understand they were right for each other. But she'd seen his glove as he reached through the curtain. Then that damn mutt went crazy and tried to attack him.

  He had gotten out of there fast, but not before he saw the lights go on in Walter’s house, and that damn Jake bolted out the door and headed for Sunny’s.

  Why did Jake get to go over there and be the hero? He would probably take her in his arms, and she would just give herself to him.

  He slammed his fist against the steering wheel, and then took a deep breath to calm down. If she would give him a chance to explain, she would realize how he felt, and they could put this whole misunderstanding behind them.

  But how was he supposed to talk to her with him always hanging around? Who was this guy anyway? He needed to find out more about this Jake guy and show Sunny he was no good for her. Then she would see how much he cared for her. He needed to prove that Jake was the one who had planned to kill Walter in that explosion. She sure wouldn’t giggle and smile at Jake then. He needed her to see that she was meant to be with him.

  Only him.

  17

  Saturday morning dawned clear and bright, and Sunny woke with a good feeling about the day. Even if Levi turned out to be a dud, she would get to spend time outside at a real working ranch. And this time, she would have Edna along as a date-buffer. A day with Edna could never be boring.

  Levi was supposed to pick them up around two, so Sunny spent the morning putzing around the house doing light housework – which meant straightening some magazines on the coffee table and throwing away some take-out cartons. Then she took a break in her favorite lounge chair in the backyard. There was nothing she liked better than having a Diet Coke and some chocolate while sitting in the sun soaking up the summer. Images of a shirtless Jake ran through her mind. Well, there are some things I like better.

  A sound rousted her from her daydreaming, and she looked up to see Jake as he pulled the lawn mower from Walter’s shed. She waved, feeling a tiny bit disappointed that he was wearing a shirt. “Feel free to cut my lawn next.”

  He smiled that dang crooked grin of his. Tingles tickled her insides and she couldn’t help from grinning back like an idiot.

  Sunny did actually get a small Jake-Break because she hadn’t seen him since Thursday afternoon. She had worked in the flower garden while Jake had installed the deadbolts. She had really tried to keep her mind on yanking out weeds, but her eyes strayed to the doorway where he worked and to the way his biceps flexed as he used the drill. What was it about guys and power tools?

  He had finished installing the locks and handed Sunny the keys when his cell phone rang. He answered and his face went hard as he turned from her and spoke into the phone. “Listen, this isn’t a good time. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll call you back.”

  “Sorry about that.” He turned back to Sunny and tried to put the smile back on his face. Unfortunately, the smile didn’t quite meet his eyes this time. “Work,” he said, alluding to the caller he had just hung up on.

  “Oh, sure,” she replied. “Of course. What kind of work did you say you did again?”

  “Financial consulting,” he replied smoothly. “Did you have some stocks you were interested in?” And the easy charmer was back.

  Where had this come from? Financial consulting? She hadn’t heard him say anything about finances, even when she was telling him about her date with Blaine, the boring stockbroker. Another reminder of how much she didn’t really know about this man.

  “Yeah, all that extra money I make as a teacher,” she said, sarcastically.

  “Well, I better get going.”

  “Yep. You gotta return that call for work.”

  “Yeah. So, I guess I’ll see you later.” The fun banter they had earlier had deflated into dry small talk.

  Not able to just let him walk away, Sunny had reached out and touched his arm. “Thanks again for installing the new deadbolts, Jake. I really will feel safer now.”

  He looked at her for just a moment too long, as if he wanted to say something, then changed his mind. “No problem. I was happy to do it. I’ll see you soon.” Then he disappeared into Walter’s house, and she hadn’t seen him again until now.

  Unfortunately, the mini Jake-Break hadn’t done a thing to keep her from thinking about him, how he had held her, the way they had kissed on the sofa, the way he had touched her…

  “So, today’s Saturday. Who’s lined up for tonight?” Jake asked, referring to her weekly blind date schedule, and bringing Sunny crashing back into the present. She hoped she wasn’t blushing.

  “A cowboy,” she said.

  “Yeehaw. That should be fun. Are you gonna rustle up any ‘dogies’?”

  “Stop.” Sunny smiled a little, in spite of herself. “He gives Piper horse-back riding lessons, and she claims he’s ‘super-hot’.”

  “Well, I hope you have a good time. I’ll be getting ‘super-hot’ around here as I mow the lawn and do yard work,” he teased, then yanked the cord, and the mower started up with a sputter before it caught.

  Jake mowed Walter’s entire backyard, but to Sunny’s chagrin, he never peeled off his shirt. He caught her staring a couple times and gave her that heart-achingly gorgeous grin.

  What was it about that smile and the way his sandy hair fell across those gorgeous blue eyes? That tingly feeling was back, and her cheeks were getting warm. Must be too much sun.

  With that thought, Sunny grabbed her glass and headed inside for a shower.

  After running the water slightly cooler than usual, she spent twenty minutes applying some light makeup and blew out her hair. She chose jeans, a floral print button-up blouse, and rummaged through the closet for her only pair of cowboy boots.

  Pulling on the second boot, she heard the doorbell ring, then the door opened. Her breath caught as she worried that her intruder had returned. She looked around for a weapon to protect herself. She really needed to buy more dangerous household items. All she saw was a dresser covered in costume jewelry and a closet spilling out a waterfall of too many shoes. Her choices of protection were to poke him with an earring or whack him with the latest style in footwear.

  “Yoohoo!” hollered the familiar voice of her favorite neighbor.

  Sunny’s shoulders relaxed, and she laughed at her own paranoia. Edna always let herself in. “Be right down.” She grabbed her purse and headed for the stairs.

  “Why, don’t you look snazzy?” Edna said when she saw Sunny. “I wonder if I should get some cowboy boots too?” Edna was dressed in jeans, sandals, and a white t-shirt with a pink handkerchief tied bank-robber style around her neck. She had on large turquoise earrings and a pink cowboy hat sat atop her silver curls. “Maybe I don’t look Western enough.”

  �
��You look great, Edna.” Sunny smiled endearingly at her friend. “I think the hat is just the right touch.”

  A loud engine rumbled as it pulled up out front, and they peered through the door Edna had left open as she came in.

  Climbing from a large red Dodge Ram pickup was indeed a ‘super-hot’ cowboy. From his tight Wrangler jeans to his black felt cowboy hat riding low on his dusty brown hair, he was a tall, cool drink of water.

  “Yippee-cai-aye!” whooped Edna. “He could ride my pony.”

  “Edna, stop it now.” Sunny giggled and swatted her playfully.

  They stepped out to greet him as he sauntered up the walkway.

  “Well howdy, ma’am,” he said and extended his hand toward Sunny. “My name is Levi Garrett, and I’m mighty pleased to meet you.”

  Sunny’s cheeks were flushed as she stammered out, “I’m Sunny, and this is my neighbor, Edna.” His hand was large and calloused from labor, but warm, and he held her eyes an extra beat before he let go and reached for Edna’s.

  “Well, pleased to meet you both. It will be my pleasure to accompany two beautiful ladies, such as yourselves, out to my ranch this afternoon.”

  Was he for real? Pulling the door shut, Sunny looked up as Beau jumped into the window and began his, Please don’t leave me, saga of whining and crying.

  “Hey, is that your dog?” he asked.

  No, it’s the neighbor’s dog, that’s why he’s crying-to get out of my house. Maybe this cowboy wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. Good thing he was so cute. “Yes, that is woman’s best friend, my lovely Beau-dog.”

  “You should bring him along,” Levi offered.

  “Oh, no. He’ll be fine.”

  “Really, you should bring him. There’s plenty of room to run around the ranch, and I love dogs. In fact, I have a yellow lab named Duke who would love to have another dog to play with.”