The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  Simone was a typical Parisian beauty, and her sparkling blue eyes and light brown hair attracted many a man. Like any true Parisian, she always managed to look effortlessly chic, even now that she’d settled in Wyoming. At 40, she could outshine girls that were half her age if she really made an effort to dress up. Most of the time, however, she would be seen in dark leggings, and a boat-neck long-sleeved T-shirt.

  When Simone had first started her ice-cream business, everyone had dismissed it as the “hobby” of a rich farmer’s wife. No one had made rude comments, but mentally, the townsfolk had thought of her as a bored woman who was trying to pass the time. Bernard, however had supported his wife fully, and taken pride in the unusual flavors of ice-cream she created, and her insistence on the purest ingredients, from full cream milk, to local berries. While she’d focussed on the taste and creation of the ice-cream, Bernard had worked on creating the right branding and packaging.

  After five years of working on the brand, Simone had made a breakthrough when a nationwide supermarket agreed to stock some of her ice-creams. After that, their Rancher’s Ice brand had taken off, snowballing into a phenomenon, with celebrities as far as LA being caught taking photos with the iconic striped packs.

  Even though they’d both become multi-millionaires, Simone and Bernard had chosen to live on in Milburn, reasoning that this was their true home.

  “Actually, Nora,” Simone said. “Bernard and I were wondering if you and Harvey would like to come over for dinner today. I know you might just want to rest and forget about today, so it’s perfectly alright if you want to reschedule.”

  “Oh. No. I’d actually love to,” Nora said. “I’ll have to ask Harvey about his schedule though.”

  “Perfect.” Simone smiled. “May’s told me she’s busy tonight, but Tina, you and Sam are welcome to join us as well.”

  “No thanks.” Tina shuddered. “All I want for company is a good book and some wine tonight.”

  “We do have both those at our house in copious amounts,” Simone said with a laugh. “But I understand completely. As for you, Nora, you’re going to be rewarded for driving all the way out there. Outside of me and Bernard, you and Harvey will be our first taste testers!”

  She looked like she was planning it all out in her mind, as she smiled at Nora. The smile was wiped off her face as a man with a shock of white hair appeared.

  “Joe,” Simone said. “Good to see you.” She clearly didn’t mean it. “Ladies, this is Joe, He’s our foreman at the factory.”

  “Hello, ladies. Simone.” Joe nodded at her. “Just came in to get myself some coffee. Bernard was looking for you at the factory.”

  “Right. I’ll be off.” Simone nodded back at him. “See you tonight, all right Nora?”

  “I’ll see you then!” Nora waved at her.

  *****

  Nora’s landlady Mrs. Mullally and Maynard, her golden retriever, both stood anxiously on the door step as Nora reached home.

  “Mrs. M.” Nora gave her a warm smile and a hug. “How are you feeling now?” For the past few weeks, Mrs. Mullally had been feeling rather low and been confined to bed rest.

  “All part of growing old.” She’d sighed. “Don’t you worry about it, Nora.”

  But Nora had worried. After three years of renting a room in the cottage, Mrs. Mullally was like a mother to her. Once or twice, Mrs. Mullally had even tried to bring up compensation when Nora stayed at home to take care of her. Nora had reacted by refusing, asking Mrs. Mullally why she’d ever feel the need to pay Nora for what came naturally.

  For once, though, it was Mrs. Mullally’s turn to fuss over her. “You poor dear!” Mrs. Mullally exclaimed as she and Nora walked to the kitchen. “What a terrible shock, having a gun pointed in your face!”

  “It turned out to be a fake,” Nora said. “So there was no harm done.”

  “Well, it may have been fake but you didn’t know it at the time,” Mrs. Mullally said. “Connie Ingress told me all about it. Terrible! What was the dispute about?”

  “Well… I’m not sure. There was this great bully of a man named Sergio, and a woman named Tiffany. He looked like the kind of man who would be an abusive boyfriend. The clingy type who uses force to get a girl to stay. I just hope poor Tiffany is all right. She must have had a shock too, but I don’t know if Sean has seen her.

  “Tiffany? Tiffany Jones? Oh, was she a pretty brunette with chocolate brown eyes?” Mrs. Mullally asked. “I know who that is.”

  “You do?” Nora looked surprised. “Her hair was bleached blonde, but I suppose she could be the same person.”

  “She was one of my students back in my high-school tenure,” Mrs. Mullally said. “Nasty piece of work, if you ask me. She was suspended three times for bullying others. There were rumors in the football team that she… well. Let’s just say she was the kind of girl who went to great lengths to attract attention. She was beautiful, though. A stunning girl. Until she opened her mouth and you caught a glimpse of the poison inside, it was very easy to be charmed by her.”

  “Interesting,” Nora said. “I do remember that she was cursing at Sergio. He kept asking her where Joe was, and she refused to tell him.”

  “Joe? Wonder who he is and what part he had to play in this.”

  Nora shrugged. “I gathered he was one corner of an unpleasant triangle.”

  Mrs. Mullally sighed. “When you’re a teacher, it’s often easy to see wave upon wave of children grow up and become adults, but you can always trace the good ones, and sometimes you can pinpoint exactly who’s going to do well in life, and who’s going to fail. I always hoped that my predictions about Tiffany would be untrue. It’s hard, when I think of how she once was.”

  “I’m sure there’s every chance she’s going to be all right.” Nora smiled. “Maybe after this incident, her life will bounce upwards.”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” Mrs. Mullally sighed. “I remember the one time I had some sort of connection with her. I came early to class one day, and Tiffany was right there, crying in a corner. I asked her what the matter was, but instead of taking my help, she became belligerent. She accused me of gossiping about her, and said that she hated the whole school. Soon after, she dropped out. This was, oh, about fifteen years ago.”

  Mrs. Mullally opened the fridge, taking out a loaf of fresh whole-grain bread, and some marmalade. “I tried so hard to reach every one of my kids, but there are some who have their own destinies, and it’s impossible to change them. Poor Tiffany. You know, Nora, if you run into her again, tell her I’d love to have her over for lunch someday.”

  “Mrs. Mullally, I’m not sure that’s entirely wise,” Nora said. “You never know who she’s become in fifteen years, especially if she’s dealing with men like Sergio on a regular basis. There might be more to her than you suspect, and it might be best if you stayed out of her life.”

  “Always so protective.” Mrs. Mullally smiled. “You’re a good girl, Nora.”

  “For you? I try my hardest to be.” Nora smiled. “You’ve been wonderful to me, Mrs. M. You treated me like family from day one, and I sorely needed it.”

  “Oh.” Mrs. Mullally blushed. “Go on now. Maynard needs a walk.”

  Nora finished up her bread and jam, and with a whistle, had an excited Maynard bouncing up and down with joy. He gave a little woof of appreciation as she tied his leash around his collar, and rushed out of the house, dragging her behind him.

  Unease pricked at the back of Nora’s neck, as she thought of the events of this morning. Sergio might be in police custody now, but if he should eventually get out, what would happen then? Would he want revenge on those who had caused him to be imprisoned?

  Why had he been so angry, anyway? Had Tiffany been cheating on him? Nora remembered how Tiffany had said, “You have no guts, Sergio.” That had changed him. That challenge to his manhood had made him pull out the gun.

  Now that she thought about it, it was very curious that a man like that had in his possessio
n a fake gun. Why a fake gun? It should be easy enough for a man willing to break the law to get a real gun, and if he had walked into that shop intending to hurt her, well, it would make more sense to have a real gun. What could be his motive? She walked back to the cottage, lost in thought.

  Her phone buzzed, a text from Harvey. Pick you up at 8?

  She had better get dressed fast, Nora thought, pushing her thoughts aside.

  *****

  Chapter 3

  Harvey arrived, dressed in a black shirt and grey slacks, a jacket dangling from his arm. Nora’s face lit up with a smile as she saw him. Freshly shaven, he looked as delicious as always, with the fresh scent of shaving gel and soap around him. He put one hand on the back of her neck, the other around her waist, and dipped her almost to the floor as he kissed her hard on the lips. By the time he had let her go, she was quite breathless.

  “What was that for?” she asked, her smile widening.

  “Just a reminder,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “That I’m your man.”

  She felt her heart melt, as it always did when he gave her a smirk and looked at her through stormy eyes.

  “You look beautiful tonight,” he said.

  “Like it? You gifted me this pendant last month, remember?”

  “Did I now?” He rubbed a finger under her collarbone, lifting the delicate chain. “Well, as evidenced by my choice of girlfriends, I’m a man of exceptional taste.”

  “You’re a man who’s full of it tonight.” She laughed, giving him a friendly whack on the chest. Seriously, she asked, “How do you feel, Harvey?”

  “Furious at Sean,” Harvey said, though his face was a mask. That was the thing about Harvey, he never allowed his emotions to leak onto his face. When she had first begun dating him, it had made Nora wonder whether he was trustworthy. Now that she knew him well, she knew that no matter how placid or mild his face was, his eyes could never lie. Right now, she saw in them determination and anger.

  “Harvey, Sean is a good man and a good sheriff,” she said. “You have to let this old feud go. You have to try and make peace with him.”

  “I can’t believe you’re defending him!” Harvey said. “You… you’re supposed to be on my side, Nora!”

  “I am on your side, Harvey. That’s why I believe that peace is the way forward, not war. If you keep escalating things, if you try and dethrone him, it’ll just lead to him having a lifelong hatred for you.”

  “Good,” Harvey said. “Because I have a lifelong hatred for him.”

  “Harvey-”

  “Do you know the amount of pain he caused me, Nora?” Harvey asked. “When he and his father refused to acknowledge me as their own family?”

  Nora bit her lip.

  “My mother died alone, and I struggled, penniless and broke, while Sean had everything I ever wanted handed to him on a plate,” Harvey said. “He had my father’s love, the same father who refused to acknowledge I even existed. He had all the comforts that his huge ranch house provided him. He had respect in society.

  “What did I ever ask for? All I asked was for him to welcome me as a brother. I asked him to acknowledge me. But all he wanted was to hate me for barging into his comfortable little life and exposing that his father might not be as perfect as he thought. Is it any wonder I hate him? Is it any wonder that all I want is for him to suffer?”

  “It isn’t right,” Nora said. “It isn’t right for you, Harvey. You’ll burn up inside, and what use will it be? Sean’s happiness isn’t dependent on you, and your happiness shouldn’t be dependent on him suffering.”

  “Forget it,” Harvey said. “I know you won’t understand. You’ve always had a soft corner for Sean. Let’s just go, shall we?”

  “Harvey, you have to see that this isn’t about me having a soft corner for him. It’s about you having an unhealthy obsession with him.”

  “I’m only obsessed with making sure the rest of the world sees what I do, that Sean isn’t the golden boy everyone thinks he is,” Harvey said. “I feel like…” He was interrupted by the buzz of his phone. He looked at the screen, and with a grunt, cut the call.

  “Nora, I don’t want to fight with you. Not today. You’ve been through a lot, I know.” He put his forehead against her. “Can we just forget about Sean for a little while, and not let him come in between us?”

  “All right,” Nora said grudgingly. “Only if you promise to think about what I just said really carefully.”

  “I promise to think about it, but I can’t promise it’ll change my mind,” Harvey said. Once again, his phone began to buzz, and once again, he cut it, this time without even bothering to look at the screen. He kissed Nora on the nose, and then both her cheeks. “I love it when you dress up,” he said.

  She twirled around, letting the skirt of her red dress fly around her. “This little thing? I bought it years ago.”

  “Well, it makes you look like you belong in a perfume ad,” Harvey said. “You know what I’m talking about? The ones where they’re all just lounging about in impossibly fancy places, or stepping out of vintage cars.”

  Nora laughed. “Let’s get going, shall we? Simone and Bernard are waiting for us, no doubt. Oh, that reminds me, I offered to bring along a salad for Simone.”

  “Looks good.” Harvey took the covered dish from her hands, and peeked inside. “What is that?”

  “It’s a grilled peach and Halloumi salad,” Nora said. “I was smoking some ribs anyway for the restaurant, so this was a fun thing to make. I put some mango chutney on the side, and a bed of greens, so we’re all set.”

  “Yum,” Harvey said. “I’m tempted to skip dinner and just drive you to a quiet spot. I can always finish off the salad if I get hungry.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, and Nora blushed and laughed.

  They set off in relatively good cheer, their hands linked together as Harvey drove his BMW.

  *****

  Chapter 4

  Simone and Bernard’s house was down the lane from the ice-cream factory. The factory itself was just a series of low buildings painted the same as the iconic packaging on Rancher’s Ice ice-creams. An iron gate circled the premises, and as they drove by, Nora spied a night-watchman fast asleep in front of the gate, with his head lolling on his chest.

  The house had a circular drive, with a statue in the centre of a small boy wearing striped overalls and licking a heavy, half-melting cone. A red Ferrari was parked nearby, as well as a black Mercedes.

  The white and brick mansion overlooked acre upon acre of mowed green grass, and apple orchards. Some of the apples had even ended up being used in special limited editions of the ice-cream. Before Simone had come on the scene, the idea of gourmet ice-cream had been laughed at by retailers. But then she’d produced one of her more famous products - a Tahitian vanilla ice cream with golden champagne macaroons - that had inspired a revolution.

  Simone was waiting on the porch, a green silk shawl covering her simple blue slip dress, really bringing out the color of her eyes. She smiled as Harvey and Nora emerged. Bernard came out behind her, with two glasses of champagne in his hand, which he now handed to Nora and Harvey.

  “Welcome to our humble home,” Bernard said. “The weather’s been so good, Simone and I were wondering if you two wouldn’t just rather eat outside? We have a river flowing in our backyard. It’s a picturesque place to relax.”

  “Perfect,” Harvey said, clinking his glass against theirs.

  “That’s champagne, because Simone insisted on it.” Bernard smiled. “I’ve got a great collection of whisky too. I’ve heard you’re somewhat of a connoisseur, Harvey.”

  “Oh, I’m trying to be.” Harvey smiled. “Impresses the clients. To be honest, my drink of choice is a humble beer. Any brand, as long as it’s ice cold.”

  “I’m sure I can manage to rustle up a couple of those,” Bernard said with a smile.

  They went around back, and were greeted by a fluffy orange cat, who wound her way around Nora’s legs, insisting on
having her ears scratched.

  “Oh, mind Rusky, she’s a bit of a brat.” Simone smiled. “Once you start rubbing her tummy, she’ll never let you escape. The way she demands to be served, I think she was an Egyptian pharaoh in her last birth.”

  Bernard laughed. “Simone’s a little jealous because I love Ruski more than her.” He picked up the cat and nuzzled it. “I do, don’t I?” His voice softened as he used baby-talk on the cat. “You’re a pretty cat, aren’t you? Who’s a queen? You are. Yes. You are.”

  Simone whacked him on the shoulder playfully, and laughed. “Hey, save some of that loving for me!” she teased.

  They led Nora and Harvey to the backyard and to their seats. While the front drive had made their house look grand, the backyard made it look very cozy. A string of lights emitted a soft yellow glow, while fireflies winked as they flew about. A long table made of dark wood had covered dishes and candles on it, while a few children’s toys were scattered about on the bank near the river.

  As they sat down, the screen door creaked open, and a small boy poked his head out. He was a scrawny little thing, with dark hair that stuck up in odd patches around his head, and beautiful eyes the color of melting chocolate.

  “Hey buddy.” Bernard opened his arms to welcome him. “What are you doing here? Thought we put you to bed.”

  “I heard noises,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep. There’s someone up there, daddy.”

  “Come on, now.” Bernard cuddled the young boy and gave him a little kiss on the forehead. “Is it the monsters in your closet again?”

  “No. It was… there was a face in the window,” the boy said with a shudder. His eyes were big and tearful.

  “Oh, dear.” Simone sighed, and picked him up. “Come on, Cliff. I’ll take you upstairs.”

  “I don’t wanna go,” the boy cried. “I want my daddy.”

  “Come on, dearie.” Simone put her nose against his and rubbed. “You know we love you. We’re right here if you get scared, all right? Want me to read your favorite book to you again?”