by Regina Duke
“Yes. He keeps some at his office, too, for when he stays in town.”
Ashley felt bad for Thor. Could Britney Beth be telling the truth? Certainly a man as good and kind as he was would need help sleeping if he were having nightmares about something as terrible as murder. Her brows drew together in consternation. She was irritated with herself for falling into Britney Beth’s crazy line of thinking. “What exactly happened?”
Britney Beth pulled a hairbrush out of the pocket of her robe and began running it slowly through her long blond hair. “I thought you wanted to hear it from Thor?”
“I do, but you can give me a few details first.” She added to herself, Then I can match them up with what Thor says.
“Well, all right, if you’re sure.” She pulled out a kitchen chair and lowered herself daintily onto it. “He was a fireman back then, in Texas. He wanted to be one all his life. Even as a little boy, it was all he dreamed of.” She paused.
Ashley knew it was for dramatic effect. Hating herself for playing along, she waved a hand to encourage the word flow. “Go on.”
“Then one day, he was working this big old apartment fire, and he went inside, and there was—”
Rocky barked to be let in.
Ashley opened the door. When she turned back to Britney Beth, Thor was standing behind her chair. She dropped her gaze at once to Britney Beth, but too late. The woman was a lot more perceptive than Ashley wanted to give her credit for. In an instant, she transformed herself from gossip to gracious guest.
“Why, Thor darlin’, did we wake you? I’m so sorry. I was worried about that when Ashley opened your door to let the dog out. Would you like some coffee? I made it with my own little hands.”
Ashley forced herself to count to ten. Then she mumbled, “Good morning.”
“Morning,” said Thor. “Love the jammies.”
“Sarcasm before six a.m.,” said Ashley lightly. “Lovely. And this from a man in boxers and a tee shirt. Aren’t you freezing?”
Thor grinned at her.
Britney Beth stood up and placed herself between them. “Let me fix your coffee for you, just the way you like it. Did you want your toast now or after your shower?”
Ashley reached for a mug and poured herself a cup. “I’ll just let you two enjoy your breakfast,” she said. “I’m going to get dressed.”
Thor tried to stop her, but Britney Beth latched onto his arm and tugged on him until he surrendered and sat down at the table.
Ashley decided on her way up the stairs that if he really was a murderer, he would have confessed and begged for prison long ago. It would have been so much easier than dealing with Britney Beth.
She’d barely had to time to sort through her new clothes the night before, so she took a few minutes to select her outfit for the day. The long red coat deserved a momentary hug. Then she selected a pair of black skinny jeans, a soft thermal undergarment with tiny pink flowers, and a classy cream blouse with a wrap around collar that tied like a scarf. She was tired of feeling cold, so she layered a creamy cashmere sweater over the blouse.
Checking herself in the mirror, she was pleased. Her eye caught the rubber snake lying on the dresser.
“Morning, Mr. Hissy. Are you cold, too?” She picked it up and stared into its tiny painted eyes. “You’re coming with me. I can use all the allies I can find. I think I know why I’m cold even when I’m indoors. The temperature of the room drops ten degrees when Britney Beth enters it. I know, I know, I’m being snarky. Well, here’s to staying warmer today.” She stashed the toy in her purse.
She made the bed and glanced around. She put her other clothes away and folded the three shopping bags. “I could have sworn I had four bags of clothes.” She shrugged. Must have left one in the car. And if she wanted more coffee before they left, she needed to get a move on. She slung her purse over her shoulder, grabbed her coat and empty coffee cup, and headed downstairs.
Thor was alone in the kitchen. Ashley sighed with relief.
“Good morning again,” she said, holding up her mug. “I need a refill.”
Thor smiled warmly. “You look wonderful.”
Ashley’s cheeks burned, but she was pleased. “Thank you.”
Thor refilled her mug.
Ashley looked around like a baby deer checking for wolves. “No Britney Beth?”
“She wanted to take her time getting ready, so I told her to do whatever she pleased.” His lips pressed together in a thin line.
“You’re upset.”
“I’m worried. Her behavior since arriving has been so grating. She’s being awful to you. Oh, I know, as soon as I enter a room, she gets all sweet and gooey toward me, but it’s still obvious that she’s turning it on and off.”
Ashley laid a hand on his arm. “I’m trying to stay civil with her, but it’s not easy.”
“You’re doing fine,” said Thor softly. “I knew she had a mean streak. I just didn’t realize how nasty she could be. Being around you—” He paused. “Well, frankly, it’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a woman’s company so much.”
Ashley smiled into her mug. “I’m glad.”
“I need to see some clients today, but I’m also hoping to get a call about your mother’s situation.”
He glanced at the clock. “We’d better get going. Is that insurance adjuster meeting you at the office today?”
“Oh, gosh. I forgot all about that!”
“Did you have breakfast?”
Ashley opened the fridge and snagged an apple. “This will do.”
The ride into town was pleasant, but quiet. Ashley munched her apple, and battled with herself over whether she should question Thor about Britney Beth’s outrageous accusations. In the end, she kept her mouth shut. Asking a man if he’d killed anyone lately just felt like a lousy way to start the morning. Rocky was snoozing in the back. She sat back and enjoyed the snowy landscape.
At the office, Rocky went straight to his bed against the wall and settled in.
“Do I need to use the security code?”
Thor jotted five digits on a message pad by the phone. “It’s here if you need it, but don’t worry about it. I’ll set it at the end of the day for nighttime security.”
“What about my security?”
Thor smiled warmly. “That’s what I’m for, remember?”
Ashley smiled back, matching his warmth with her voice. “Yes, but you’re leaving.”
“I’ll be back soon.” He tossed his head in the direction of the window. “The insurance adjuster will keep you company for a while.”
“Rats.”
Thor laughed.
The insurance rep entered and Thor checked his I.D. and business card before he left to see clients. Forty-five minutes later, the rep assured Ashley that her car repairs were covered.
The front door opened, and Britney Beth sashayed in, carrying a white pastry bag from The Muffin Man. She ignored Ashley completely and set about brewing a pot of coffee.
Ashley shrugged it off and began reading her father’s letters. It was taking longer than she expected, because every letter took her down memory lane, and more than once, she had to wipe her eyes before continuing to the next missive. Whenever she took a break, she would walk to the window and peer up and down the street. The pavement was visible through the snow now, and traffic was picking up. When she looked in the direction of the Cattleman’s Inn parking lot, she marveled at the hardiness of the locals who would sit out on a bench in the cold to watch the world go by. At least the fellow was wearing a hat.
By eleven thirty, Britney Beth was bored with watching TV on Thor’s computer. “If Thor doesn’t get back here in a hurry, I’m going to die for lack of something meaningful to do.” She pulled a dog biscuit out of the desk and offered it to Rocky. His black-and-tan face was covered with speckles of powdered sugar. He’d found Britney Beth’s pastry bag and helped himself. He was so full, he turned his face away and moved sluggishly to his dog bed in the corner. �
�That’s odd. I’ve never known him to turn down a treat.”
“Look at his face,” said Ashley. Her lips were a grim line. She lifted the bag and sniffed. “How many donuts were left in this bag?”
Britney Beth tossed her blond mane over one shoulder. “Don’t be absurd. Donuts are for peons. I bought Mexican wedding cookies and some Russian gingerbread and—” She peered inside the bag. “Oh, Rocky. You big pig. You ate everything!”
“You should be ashamed, Britney Beth. That poor dog doesn’t know any better. He’s definitely not feeling well.” She pulled out her cell and speed dialed Thor’s number. “Thor? I think Rocky is sick. He’s acting kind of funny.” She ambled toward the window. Karla and Minion had left only a few places unpainted. The Halloween designs provided privacy even as they cut down on the ambient light. Ashley peered through one of the unpainted spots, her gaze moving up and down the street. Up past the corner where the Cattleman’s parking lot was visible, she spotted what she was looking for. “Yes, I think having him looked at is a great idea, but when you get here, check the benches in front of the Cattleman’s Inn. A man in a dark suit and a black cowboy hat has been sitting there ever since you left.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
IN LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES, THOR screeched to a halt in front of his office. He bounded out of his vehicle and into the building. He went straight to the sofa where Ashley sat with Rocky lying limply beside her.
Thor knelt next to them. He ran his hands over the dog’s head. Rocky’s stump of a tail twitched, but he didn’t lift his head. Thor checked his eyes, then pressed a thumb against his gums.
“He’s not in shock, but his tummy is a little bloated,” he said. “Come on. We’ll let the vet check him out.” He scooped Rocky up in his arms. Outside, he asked, “Where’s Britney Beth?”
Ashley averted her gaze. “She went up the street to get another muffin.” Ashley opened the back door of Thor’s vehicle so he could deposit Rocky gently on the seat.
Thor smiled to himself when he realized she’d been staring at his muscles again.
They got in and drove off.
“How did it go with the insurance adjuster?”
“Okay. I spent thirty minutes filling out paperwork. Then Britney Beth arrived with a bag full of pastries that she didn’t eat, but poor Rocky did.”
Thor allowed himself a grim smile. “Sounds like her modus operandi.” He took a corner too close and four-wheeled over the curb. “Sorry. Worried.”
“I understand. Did you spot that guy in the black cowboy hat?”
Thor thumped the steering wheel with the palm of his hand. “I didn’t even look. Darn it.”
“It’s okay. Rocky comes first. Besides, this is Colorado. Cowboy hats are everywhere.”
Thor careened into the parking lot next to a whitewashed concrete building with a big red cross covered with white paw prints. The sign read, “Small Animal ER.”
He lifted Rocky gently out of the back seat. By the time he reached the entrance, Ashley was holding the door open.
Thirty minutes later, the vet assured Thor that Rocky would be okay.
Outside in the parking lot, Thor took a cleansing breath and stretched. “What would you like to do now?”
Ashley was stroking Rocky’s head. “Can I be totally selfish? Can I have you to myself for half an hour? Just the two of us? No Britney Beth in the middle?”
Thor rolled his head back and forth like a man shrugging off a burden. “Mercy, yes. Let’s go. Lunch is on me. Where to?”
“Some place decadent.”
Thor’s features screwed up in thought. “We just ate at Il Vaccaro yesterday.”
“Not expensive,” said Ashley, playfully thwacking his arm with the back of one hand. “Decadent. I want a hot fudge sundae, with extra fudge. Oh, no, wait. A super thick chocolate milkshake and a cheeseburger! Oh, my goodness, I’m drooling.”
Thor laughed. “Your wish is my command.”
The Nest was a quaint mom-and-pop drive-in at the west end of town. Thor insisted they eat inside.
“Rocky will be okay for a bit in the car.”
The decor was kitschy and eclectic. The tables were miniature picnic tables with benches instead of chairs. The walls were covered with framed cartoons of hamburgers and cheeseburgers with wings, perched on the edges of nests.
Ashley’s brow furrowed as her gaze moved from one to another.
“Eagle’s Toe?” said Thor. “Birds? Nests? Get it?”
Ashley nodded. “It just feels like a reach.”
“The whole town is like that. I mean, they are really into their history. In a good way, you know?” He smiled up a their gray-haired server. “Thanks.”
When she left, he continued. “You really made a great decision when you let those girls paint my window. I’ve been getting comments left and right. Every time I go in somewhere, people remark on what a good job they’re doing. Lots of students are painting around town right now. And our window looks the best by far.”
One corner of Ashley’s mouth curled in a smile when he said “our window.”
Thor continued. “Did you know they’re having a contest? It’s not just a school project. There’s also a contest for the local kids for the best window decorations.”
“Karla said something about the judging on Wednesday afternoon. Our girls will win for sure.”
“Well, if they don’t, I’ll want to know why. How’s your milkshake?”
Ashley squeezed her eyes shut. “Brain freeze! Other than that, it’s perfect. I could eat it with a spoon.”
Thor’s eyes softened and filled with a thousand thoughts, but all he said was, “Good.”
Ashley dangled a fry in a puddle of catsup. “Are you going to fill me in on why you left Texas and moved to Colorado?”
Thor dropped his gaze and worked his jaw.
Ashley reached out and touched his arm. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to if you don’t want. I just… Well, Britney Beth keeps alluding to some tragedy back home, and how that drove you away from her.”
Thor snorted. “She wishes. Goodness gracious, is that what she’s telling herself? No, what happened back home sealed her fate, but I was done with her long before.” His tone was grim.
Ashley folded her hands in her lap. “I shouldn’t have brought it up. I’ve ruined a lovely lunch.”
“No, you haven’t,” said Thor softly. “Look, we’re engaged.” He glanced at her with a twinkle in his eye. “You’re entitled to know a little about my past.” He laid his French fries out on his napkin in a row like little soldiers while he talked. “I was a fireman. It’s all I ever wanted to be, since I was a little kid. My dad was hoping I’d come into the family oil business, like Ulysses. But I knew what I wanted to do with my life, and that wasn’t it. I loved being a fireman.” His voice was sad.
“What happened?” Ashley’s voice was half question, half sympathy.
“There was a big blaze. An apartment building. Really bad. Trucks rolled from all over town. My buddy and I were looking for people overcome by smoke. Neighbors told us there were two toddlers and their mother in an upstairs apartment. By the time we found them, my buddy was getting low on air and had to head out right away. We couldn’t get them all out with us. I had to make a decision. I nabbed the kids and carried them out. By the time we got the mother out, it was too late.” He stared at his French fry soldiers.
“Well, that wasn’t your fault,” said Ashley. “You weren’t the only fireman there.”
“I know, I know. But I had to make that decision. Who do I save first?”
“The kids, of course. The mother would have wanted it that way.” Ashley waited a few seconds, then added, “Was that all? There must have been something else, to drive you away from your home, your job, and your family.”
Thor shifted his attention from the fries to the back of his hand. “That woman. The mother.” He paused. “She was making meth in her kitchen. That’s how the fire started. Part of me fe
lt like she deserved what she got.”
“But you saved her children,” said Ashley softly. “And you went right back in for her.”
Thor’s mouth worked. Then, “No. I didn’t.”
Ashley’s breath hitched.
“I called out to one of the other guys. Told him she was in there. Then I carried the kids to the ambulance. When I turned around, he was heading into a different apartment. Someone else went in, but by then, it was too late. We got her out, but she never woke up. I should have passed the kids off to someone and gone right back in. I didn’t. I made a bad decision.”
“And it’s eating you alive.”
Thor ran a hand over his face. “It soured me on the fireman’s life.”
“So you came here for a fresh start?”
He nodded. “Different direction. Different location. Try to forget.”
Ashley nodded slowly. Didn’t sound like murder to her. Or even a negligent death, though she wasn’t a legal expert by any means. Still, it felt like something was missing from the story. Was Thor telling her everything? She was building the courage to ask that very question, when Karla stomped into The Nest, Minion trotting to keep up.
“Someone defaced our painting!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“WHAT?”ASHLEY EXCLAIMED.
At the same moment, Thor asked, “How did you find us? And what are you doing out of school? It’s only 1:00 o’clock.”
Karla said, “We have art class now, and those of us in the contest have special permission to work on our windows this afternoon. We just came from your office.” She waved toward the curb where a white limo waited. “We were on our way home to tell my brother. I just have to tell someone. I’m so angry. Minion and I went straight to your office from school. We were ready to put the final touches on the window and take more project pictures.”
Minion jumped up and down and wrung her hands. “The project is due tomorrow. We still have to take our photos and then create our presentation and maybe print them out or maybe do a slide show, we haven’t decided, you know? But we only have so much time to do it all in, and now there’s all this ugly writing all over our window, and I have an algebra test tomorrow morning.”