Of course, Jimmy had no loved ones in his life. Despite the fact that she’d just held a man at gunpoint, Sheri Marcoli was a caring and gentle woman who deserved a prince and a happy ever after.
No matter how attracted he was to Sheri, he knew he was the antithesis of that prince. Black-haired and dark-eyed, Jimmy also sported two tattoos, had literally fought his way through life and had only known love for a brief period of time when he’d been eight years old.
As he pulled into the parking space in front of the small apartment he rented, he dismissed thoughts of Sheri Marcoli. He was a man apparently built to be alone, as he had been through most of his life.
What he needed to concentrate on was the mystery of Liz’s continued disappearance and the most recent case of an armed robbery at a local convenience store.
Work. That’s what Jimmy did best. Solving crimes was his talent, his passion. He was good at it and he had a feeling he’d be very bad at loving and being loved.
* * *
“Okay, Highway, you be a good boy while I’m gone today,” Sheri said as she opened the oversize doggie door that had been cut into a side wall of the kitchen. The door led into a large fenced area where Highway could enjoy coming and going from the inside to the outside, without having the full run of the backyard and the woods.
When she was home all day she allowed him the freedom of the yard, but when she was gone, he spent his time using the doggie door and was confined to the large pen or inside the house.
As he ambled out into the mid-June sunshine, Sheri grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter and headed toward the front door.
Minutes later she was in her pickup headed for the roadside store she ran along with her sister Marlene. Unfortunately, she had a feeling the days of her sister working there were limited.
Marlene was in the process of realizing her own dream of owning a bakery on Main Street. She’d already found the perfect storefront and with Detective Frank Delaney’s love and support, her dream was slowly becoming a reality.
Sheri couldn’t be happier for both of her sisters, who had found the men of their dreams and were working to build a future filled with love and commitment.
Sheri’s one foray into a relationship with a man had been a disaster. Her hands tightened around the steering wheel as she thought of Eric Richards. They’d dated for three months before he’d shown his true colors.
She hadn’t realized at the time they were dating that Eric was just like the kids who used to bully her at school. He’d only shown that side of himself to her when he’d gotten angry and once had been enough.
A sudden vision of Jimmy Carmani filled her head. He was definitely a hot piece of work with his thick black hair and dark chocolate-colored eyes. Nobody in the entire town of Wolf Creek wore a pair of black slacks and a tailored white shirt quite as well as Jimmy.
She didn’t know much about him except that he was one of three detectives that served the small town of Wolf Creek. She also knew he had a reputation for being brilliant and devoted to the job and she had to admit feeling a small tug of attraction toward him.
She dismissed thoughts of Jimmy as she pulled in front of the store where signs advertised Amish cheese and furniture, fresh produce and nuts, and a variety of other items that would appeal to the tourists that came through the area on their way to the bigger, more popular tourist city of Hershey.
This was the kind of place Sheri had always envisioned working. She loved doing business with the nearby Amish community and visiting with travelers who passed through the store on their way to new adventures and family fun.
She was always the first to arrive and open the doors for the day. She’d work alone until ten at which time Jennifer Fletcher would come in to help out. Marlene would arrive between noon and one along with Sheri’s other part-time help, Abe Winslow.
Sheri wasn’t planning on replacing Marlene when she stopped working at the store and instead devoted all her time to her bakery. Sheri, Jennifer and Abe were a good team and would hopefully be able to manage the store during the hours it was open.
They were like a little family and since Aunt Liz had gone missing and her sisters had become romantically involved with their men, a sense of family had been missing for Sheri.
Her evenings were quiet with just Highway and her woodland creatures for company, and yet she knew there was somebody special fate had in store for her...her prince who would banish her loneliness and love her as nobody ever had before.
Once inside the store all thoughts of princes and loneliness vanished as she got to work stocking shelves, checking the produce to make sure it was still fresh and attending to all the duties to be ready for a day of business.
She hadn’t been open long when seventeen-year-old Jason King walked in carrying one of his mother’s handmade quilts. “Good morning, Jason,” she greeted him with a gentle smile. She had a special soft spot for the young Amish man. His mother, Mary, had died six months ago, leaving Jason and his father, William, the burden of caretaking for five little Kings ranging between the ages of seven and two.
Jason cast her a tired smile as he set the quilt on the counter. “Good morning to you, too.”
“I see you’ve brought me another of your mother’s treasures.” Sheri placed a hand on the lovely, close-stitched patchwork quilt. “We sold the wedding ring quilt almost the same day you brought it in. What design is on this one?”
“Mom always called it her field of flowers.” Jason’s gaze lingered on the quilt, as if remembering special moments with his mother.
Sheri’s heart squeezed tight. She wished she had any memories of her own mother, but her mother had dropped her off for her aunt Liz to raise when she’d been a couple months old.
“Same price as we put on the other one?”
Jason lifted his gaze back on her. “Yes, that would be good.” He leaned against the counter as if reluctant to leave. He was a good-looking kid with dark hair beneath his requisite straw hat. But his eyes held concern and dark circles rode beneath, making him appear much older than his age.
“Everything all right?” Sheri asked softly.
Jason shrugged slender shoulders. “Okay, I guess, although I’m worried a bit about my da.”
“Worried about what?” It wasn’t right for a child to worry about his father, she thought.
Once again Jason shrugged, a faint pink stain coloring his cheeks. “He’s just not been himself the last couple of months. He leaves the fieldwork and disappears and I don’t know where he goes. He’s distant and isn’t part of the family like he used to be.” Jason flushed again. “I shouldn’t be talking about this.”
Sheri reached out and covered his hand with hers. “Don’t worry, Jason. You know I’m not a gossiper. Maybe your father is still grieving and he’s dealing with it by isolating himself.” She pulled her hand from his.
“I know he misses my mother a lot, and dealing with the younger ones is difficult. Thankfully, Sarah Fisher is watching them for me this morning for a couple of hours.” He gave her a small smile. “I love my family but sometimes a little break away from them all is not a bad thing.”
“You have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, Jason. Just try to find some time for a little fun, too,” Sheri replied.
At that moment Jennifer arrived and the private conversation between Sheri and Jason halted. With a wave of his hand he left the store as Jennifer came around the counter to stand next to Sheri.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
Sheri nodded. “Jason brought in another of his mother’s quilts to sell. I feel so sorry for him. Since Mary died he’s had so much to deal with.”
“You know the old saying, ‘What doesn’t break you makes you strong,’” Jennifer replied.
Sheri eyed her wryly. “Ah, words of wisdom from a twenty-two-
year-old who still lives at home with her parents who treat her like a princess.”
Jennifer laughed. “I’m the first to admit that I’m hopelessly spoiled.”
“Now that we agree on that, take thy spoiled bottom into the storage room and unpack the boxes of Wolf Creek souvenirs that came in yesterday,” Sheri said.
Jennifer gave her a saucy salute and then disappeared into the big back room that provided storage space and a picnic table for lunch breaks.
The morning seemed to fly by, with more business than usual for a Wednesday. She hoped it was a portent of a busy tourist season. Spring and summer business was great, but when the snow flew she shortened her hours and lived mostly on what she’d made during the busy season.
There were only three places where Sheri was happy—here at the store, at her cottage with the surrounding woods, and at her aunt’s home that had always smelled of cinnamon and apples or rich chocolate and dough.
Liz Marcoli was a talent in the kitchen when it came to baking sweets and desserts. Marlene had inherited her natural talent for baking. Roxy also had a genuine talent in the kitchen, but Sheri was hopeless when it came to cooking anything but the simplest of dishes.
A blur of tears misted her eyes as she thought of her missing aunt. She knew the law enforcement in Wolf Creek had done everything in their power in an attempt to find Liz, but there had been no leads to follow, no breadcrumbs of clues.
Three and a half months had passed and the hole in the fabric of their little family had been ripped right from the center. Aunt Liz had been their mother-figure, their support system, their snuggle buddy on dark stormy nights when they’d been children.
And now she was gone...vanished from her home, seemingly vanished from the entire world.
The tears that had been about to fall as grief attempted to take hold of her vanished when a car pulled up to the front door and a family of five tumbled from the doors.
It was one o’clock when Sheri’s cell phone rang and she saw Marlene’s number light up. “Hey, sis, what’s up?”
“I feel really, really bad calling at the last minute like this, but can you get by without me today? I’ve got an appointment at three to meet an electrician at the store and I have a feeling it’s going to be a long meeting.”
“It’s not a problem,” Sheri assured her sister. “In fact, if it’s time for you to stop working here to focus solely on the bakery, it’s all right. Jenny, Abe and I can handle things here and if I find myself shorthanded, I can always hire a new part-timer.”
There was a long silence from Marlene. “Are you sure?” she finally asked. “I really am excited to get the bakery up and running as soon as possible.”
Sheri smiled into the phone. She knew between the work on the bakery and her relationship with Detective Frank Delaney, Marlene had finally found all the pieces she needed for her happiness. Working in the store had never really been part of Marlene’s dreams.
“I’m positive,” Sheri replied. “I don’t want to see you here unless you’re shopping for something you need to create culinary magic.”
“Sheri, you’re the best,” Marlene said, her relief evident in her tone.
Sheri laughed. “Just build that bakery and invite me as a special guest on opening day.”
“You know that goes without saying.”
The two spoke for another few minutes, talking about their eldest sister, Roxy, who had moved in with Detective Steve Kincaid and his seven-year-old son. Roxy ran a successful restaurant called the Dollhouse and specialized in hearty breakfasts and delightfully fresh and original lunch fare.
Neither of them mentioned Aunt Liz or the stalled case that had all three sisters barely clinging to any hope that she would be found alive.
When the call finally ended, the rest of the day remained busy. Thankfully when it was time for Jennifer to leave, Abe Winslow had arrived to take up the slack.
The two of them stayed busy with customers until seven. By eight Sheri decided it was time to close up shop. She locked up the front door and then together she and Abe left through the back.
“Busy day,” he said as they stepped outside into the warm night.
“Hopefully we’re just going to get busier.”
“I could work more hours if you needed me to,” Abe said.
Sheri smiled at the older man. He’d taken the job of working here in the late afternoon and evenings after his wife had died. He’d told Sheri that the silence of their cabin had been overwhelming after she was gone.
“I might need you to work more hours. Marlene isn’t going to be working here anymore. We’ll see how things go. Good night, Abe.”
“See you tomorrow,” he said and headed toward his old Chevy parked in the lot next to her pickup.
As she pulled out of the lot, she thought about Abe. He’d initially been a suspect in Liz’s disappearance when he’d told Sheri and Marlene that he’d asked Liz out and she’d turned him down.
But he’d quickly been cleared of any wrongdoing. At the time Liz had disappeared Abe had been spending the night at his brother’s home in Hershey. The brother and several other family members had confirmed his alibi.
Thoughts of Abe halted as Sheri noticed car lights behind hers. She slowed to allow the car to pass, but the car slowed, as well. She sped up and the vehicle behind her mirrored the action.
No reason to believe anyone is following me, she thought. And yet when she turned off the highway and onto the narrow gravel road that would eventually lead to the lane that was her driveway into her cottage, the car made the turn right behind her.
An edge of apprehension crept up her spine. There were few people who used this road and she couldn’t remember the last time any vehicle had shadowed her from the shop to her home.
Stop being silly, she told herself. There were other people who lived in this area. She didn’t own the road that continued past her driveway and on up the mountain. It was probably just the thought of somebody kidnapping Aunt Liz that had her unusually on edge.
She couldn’t tell the make or color of the car that was behind her. Darkness had fallen and all she could discern was the brilliance of the headlights.
As she turned into the lane that led to her cottage, she could have sworn that the car behind her came to a near halt, and then zoomed on and disappeared from sight.
Sheri hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until it expelled out of her in a deep whoosh. She parked her truck and when she stepped out, a sense of uneasiness settled over her again as she heard the sounds of Highway barking raucously from his pen.
Nerves jittering, she quickly unlocked her front door, stepped inside and then locked the door behind her. She went to the kitchen and looked out the window where Highway was at the back of his fenced pen facing the forest and barking the kind of sound that indicated danger.
The dog was well trained not to bark at four-legged creatures or any of the wildlife that populated the area. Highway only acted this way when there was a two-legged predator in the woods.
Sheri opened the window above her kitchen sink, her heart beating an abnormally rapid rhythm. “Highway...inside!”
The dog turned in her direction, looked back toward the forest and gave a sharp bark, and then headed to the doggie door.
As he entered the kitchen, Sheri flipped the latches on the door that would keep anything else from crawling inside. She hurried back to the window and peered outside, wondering who or what had set Highway off.
The darkness betrayed no movement, no discernible figure, but that didn’t slow the frantic beat of Sheri’s heart. She tried to tell herself she was overreacting.
Still, she went from room to room, turning on lights and checking windows for any sign of an intruder. Her blood chilled as she found an unlocked window open an inch in the spare bed
room.
Had she unlocked the window last week when the weather had been so nice? Had she opened the window to let in some fresh air? She couldn’t remember. All she knew for certain was that she didn’t want to be here alone.
She wasn’t even aware that she had memorized Jimmy Carmani’s phone number until she punched it into her phone. He answered on the first ring. “Jimmy, can you come to my house?”
“On my way,” he replied, and hung up.
Chapter 2
Jimmy had been at home when he’d gotten the call from Sheri. He hadn’t bothered to run a comb through his thick, unruly hair. He hadn’t taken the time to change from his jeans and polo shirt. He simply grabbed his gun and car keys, jumped in his car and headed out.
As he tore out of his driveway, all he could think of was the faint simmer of stress he’d heard in Sheri’s voice. She hadn’t specified anything wrong, but the phone call directly to him was definitely an anomaly.
He hoped he didn’t find her holding a shotgun on somebody again. She was obviously territorial about her property, but her going up against a hunter’s loaded gun with her useless shotgun was not just foolish, it was suicidal.
If that was what this call was about he intended to leave her home tonight with that shotgun of hers safely locked away in his trunk.
He thought about calling her back to find out what was going on, but figured by the time he pulled over and made the call he could be at her place. He couldn’t imagine why she’d called him, but as he rolled to a stop in front of her cottage every light in the house radiated outward and she opened the front door.
He breathed a sigh of relief, just now realizing how tense he’d been on the drive here. “Are you okay?” he asked as he got out of his car. He’d pulled his gun, but kept it by his side, ready for any situation.
“I’m fine, just a little freaked out.” The smile she offered him was slightly shaky as she opened the door wider to allow him inside.
Lone Wolf Standing Page 2