Authors: Trish Milburn
"Looks like a woodpecker." He was determined to keep the conversation as neutral as possible.
"It’s in that family. He drills holes in the tree bark and sucks out the sap."
He smiled at this glimpse of the Shelly he used to know. "Been a while since I had one of your biology lessons."
"Stick around long enough, I’m sure I can drum up a few more."
He sat up, draped his arms over his knees and remembered how easy their conversations used to be. He wanted to recapture that camaraderie and forget the strange new feelings seeing Shelly again had stirred to life.
"I can hardly wait."
"I thought you’d fallen asleep up here," she said.
"No, just recuperating from my incompetence with a hammer."
"Do you need some ice?"
"Nah."
"How about a grand tour of Bobcat Ridge?"
After the incident by the shed, he wanted to refuse. But his entire reason for being there was to protect her. He couldn’t do that if he used his libido as an excuse to avoid her. And despite her apparent good mood, there was a shadow in her eyes, like her mind was trying to escape the danger she might be in but couldn’t quite pull free.
Though he was serious about her protection, he hated that haunted look and wanted to help ease her mind. "Sure. Can’t say I’ll miss this infernal hammer."
He climbed down after her and readjusted his T-shirt to cover the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans.
Shelly nodded toward the gun. "If Ina Gwynn sees that, she’ll faint dead away. Not to mention it’s probably a crime to tote it into the post office."
"I’ll stay outside."
With Shelly driving the same little economy car she’d had when she lived in Dallas, Reed was able to examine the small town more thoroughly. He’d passed through it much too quickly when he’d arrived to process many specifics. No more than six or seven small businesses unless there were others like Firefly Run hidden among the thick trees. Now that he wasn’t driving through at twice the speed limit, he could actually appreciate how pretty the surroundings were. The thick forests, dripping rock faces, and occasional patches of colorful wildflowers were as different from north Texas as the moon was from the sun.
Shelly pulled up to the single gas pump in front of Harry’s Grab-n-Go. "I meant to fill up in Knoxville, but I forgot. Harry’s always ten cents higher," she said as she opened her door.
"Captive audience." He stepped out onto the cracked concrete and leaned against the top of the car.
"That and the fact that Harry wants to make as much money as he can before the government declares martial law."
"Sounds like a character."
"He’s crusty, but he has a sweet side he’d rather die than admit to."
Shelly spoke to the locals traipsing in and out of Harry’s as if she’d never lived anywhere but Bobcat Ridge. They replied in kind, smiling at her and glancing at him with either wariness—from the men, or interest—from the women. Despite the fact that tourists passed through the hamlet daily, a stranger riding around with one of their own was cause for speculation. And he could tell from their expressions that they were wondering if his appearance had anything to do with the news of Eddie’s release.
"I have a feeling you’re going to be the talk of the town in about five minutes." He nodded toward the interior of the store where two women were watching him and Shelly.
Shelly glanced inside. "More like seconds. That’s exactly the gossip I was guarding against," she said. "When we go in, go along with whatever I say."
"What are you going to say?"
"I don’t know, but I’ll think of something. If not, by nightfall everyone will have me traveling with a hired bodyguard or having some secret affair."
The thought of having a secret affair with Shelly caused Reed’s body to react in rather obvious fashion. Thank goodness the car sat between them, hiding his condition. He turned his attention to the forest on the opposite side of the road, watched a slender waterfall until he could safely round the car and follow Shelly inside.
"Hey Carla, Lily," she said as soon as she entered the store. "How are you two doing?"
"Fine," they both said, almost in unison.
"Want you to meet a friend of mine," she said, nodding at him. "This is Reed Tanner. He was my husband’s partner in Dallas. He’s up here on vacation to do some tubing."
The women looked slightly stricken, as if Shelly speaking of Troy had rendered them speechless. They glanced at each other, then Shelly, then him. They didn’t buy the vacation story, but they didn’t question it. And he wasn’t going to correct Shelly. Maybe she just didn’t want to deal with a detailed explanation of the situation. She had her reasons, and for now he’d trust them.
After a few moments, Carla and Lily recovered enough to offer shaky smiles.
"I’m sure you’ll have a good time," the shorter of the two women said.
He had no idea which was Carla and which was Lily.
"It’s got to be cooler here than in Texas. You all still having that awful drought?"
"Yes, ma’am, afraid so. My yard’s so dry, they’re about to declare it a national desert."
That caused the two to chuckle. He glanced over at Shelly to find her smiling at him. His heart somersaulted.
"Well, better pay Harry before he starts charging me for the air I’m breathing," Shelly said.
"I heard that, smart missy," said a man in faded denim overalls and a ball cap sporting the logo of one of the tobacco products on the shelf behind him. He’d heard despite his obvious age and the political discussion he was having with three other similarly dressed old coots.
Harry’s shirt was so similar to the one he’d worn the day before when Reed had briefly stopped for directions that he wondered for a moment whether the old man had budged from his post since he’d last seen him.
"See you found where you were going," Harry said when he made eye contact with Reed.
"You asked Harry for directions?" Shelly asked. "How much did he charge you?"
"You sure are a sassy thing," Harry said.
"And you love me for it." She reached across the counter and pinched his cheek, causing an unexpected blush to color his weathered face.
"How’s your daddy doing?" one of the other men asked.
"Fine, thanks. No change, but holding his own."
"I saw the news last night," Harry said. "What the devil’s wrong with those idiots down in Texas? Whoever heard of someone getting off death row down there?"
Reed saw Shelly swallow hard before answering. "I don’t know. Some guys thought they were doing the right thing and really screwed it up."
"They going to put his ass back in jail where it belongs?" an old man with tremendously thick glasses asked.
"Not unless he breaks the law again."
"Well, he better not show his face around here, I tell you that," Harry said. "I might be eighty, but I can still shoot a pretty good hole in something the size of a man."
Reed found himself liking Harry a lot.
"I’m sure that won’t be necessary," Shelly said.
"Just saying. How you gettin’ along out there? You need any help? I can send over them grandsons of mine."
"We’re doing okay. Reed even pitched in a little this morning."
Harry eyed him with a wise expression. No, nothing got by those eighty-year-old eyes. He could probably spout the family tree of everyone in Bobcat Ridge all the way back to the
Mayflower
. "Huh, some vacation you got going there."
"Beats Dallas in the summer."
"Been there once. Wouldn’t give you two cents for it."
Reed had to laugh. Something about the group of old friends was growing on him.
They left Harry’s and drove about five hundred yards down the road to a small structure that looked like a miniature barn. The green and white sign above the door said Sugar High.
"Linda makes the best desserts I’ve ever put in my mouth," Shelly said as she stepped out of the car.
Damn, was the woman trying to kill him by talking about secret affairs and her mouth? If she kept it up, he was going to have to take a dip in the river.
He followed her inside where she introduced him to Linda Brickman, loved far and wide by sweet tooths.
"I remember the first time I had one of Linda’s cakes," Shelly told Reed as Linda blushed over the praise. "It was for my eighth birthday party, and the cake was so good I thought only an angel could have made it." Shelly placed her arm around the older woman’s shoulders. "Turns out I was right."
"Listen to you, saying such things." Linda, a remarkably thin woman for someone who baked all day, looked at Reed. "This one, she was always the sweetest thing. Always packing home stray animals. Didn’t matter if it was a puppy or a raccoon. I think she would have brought home a black bear if she could have picked it up."
The slice of Shelly’s younger self didn’t surprise him. He’d called her Nature Girl more than once because of her tendency to go off on tangents about some bird none of her friends had ever heard of.
"Well, let me go get your order." Linda disappeared into the kitchen.
"I buy muffins and cookies from Linda to go in all the cabins," Shelly said.
"That little extra touch?"
"Yeah. Her stuff is delicious, and I try to support as many of the local cottage industries as I can. Baked goods from Linda, linens from a lady down in the valley, soaps from Marianne Miller up the road."
"Good business strategy."
"And they’re my friends. We all look out for each other, have to in order to survive. The businesses here have to market the quiet of Bobcat Ridge, the personal touches, to compete with bigger towns like Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. We’re small, but we like it that way."
Reed was surprised to see the same passion in Shelly she normally reserved for nature’s critters. She might have come back to Bobcat Ridge to escape the bad memories in Dallas, but it was obvious she really loved her hometown.
"Here you go," Linda said as she reappeared with a large box. "Orange cranberry muffins and lemon iced cookies." She handed the box to Shelly, then extended a wrapped loaf to Reed. "And here’s a little something for you, Mr. Tanner."
Surprised by the unexpected gesture, he stared at the proffered treat for a moment before taking it. "Thank you. What do I owe you?"
"Not a cent. Consider it a welcome to Tennessee gift. And anyone who takes care of our Shelly is a friend of mine."
Now how had the word gotten to Linda so quickly? This town had one hell of a grapevine and collective intuition.
He thanked her again, then followed Shelly back to the car.
"If that’s what I think it is, I might have to fight you for it." She slid into the driver’s seat.
He lifted the loaf to eye level. "It looks chocolate."
"Only the best chocolate pound cake in the world. I’ll have to take that off your hands. If you eat any of it, you’ll never want to go home."
As they headed back toward Shelly’s place, Reed watched the town roll by, trying to imagine it from her point of view. It was quaint, even inviting in a Mayberry sort of way. If one didn’t mind the lack of nightlife, it might even be considered attractive. It probably also had the added bonus of a virtually nonexistent crime rate. Very attractive indeed after his years of combating one crook after another in Dallas.
The thought brought images of Eddie Victor to mind. In the bosom of lazy, wholesome Bobcat Ridge, it was hard to believe such evil existed. But Reed’s mind harbored not a fraction of a doubt that Eddie would take out the entire town if it meant getting to Shelly.
Eddie might be living it up in Vegas, but instinct told Reed it was too good to last. He was just waiting for the call that would tell him his instinct was right.
"One more stop." Shelly’s voice banished his train of thought as she pulled into the parking lot of the tiny post office. Either the incident by the tool shed hadn’t bothered her like it had him or she was doing a masterful job of hiding it behind her chipper voice, forced though it might be. "Since you’re staying outside, Ina will just have to get her look at you through the window."
As Shelly disappeared inside, Reed felt even more like a specimen in a petri dish. He took the opportunity to call Lee.
"What’s the latest?"
"Eddie’s helping Las Vegas keep its reputation as Sin City. Spending a good amount of time in a suite with a very pretty young thing."
"When you can, talk to her. See if Eddie’s let anything slip."
"Will do. How long you thinking we should keep an eye on him? I gotta get back in a couple of days."
Reed wanted to say forever but knew that wasn’t practical. "You leave when you need to. I’ll call in some favors after that."
He ended the call and strolled over to the ATM at the edge of the building to get some funds. When he returned to the car, a woman with a big head of blond hair that would rival any in Texas stood leaning against the front fender.
"You must be Shelly’s friend, the Texas policeman."
Bobcat Ridge might be so small it didn’t warrant a dot on the map, but it must be keeping the local phone company in business.
"Yes, ma’am. Reed Tanner." He shoved his wallet in his back pocket, then shook her hand. She held his a moment too long, causing the strangest sensation that she was checking out the feel of his palm.
"I’m Marianne Miller. I own the shop across the street."
Reed glanced over at the Touch of the Smokies Gift Shop. "You must be the Marianne Shelly buys soap from."
"Yep, that’s me," she said, her voice bright and chirpy. "Shelly and I go way back, to first grade. How long have you known her?"
"About five years."
Marianne glanced toward the post office as if checking on Shelly’s progress. He detected a bit of nervousness in the way she slid her hands into her back pockets, an action that stretched her sleeveless sweater more tightly across her ample breasts. He looked at her face more carefully while her gaze was turned away. She was pretty if you could get past the copious amounts of hairspray and one too many layers of makeup.
A vehicle with Illinois tags rolled into the gravel parking lot in front of Marianne’s shop.