Town Darling (21 page)

“I didn’t push her that
hard,” he snapped.  “She threw herself to the ground.”

“You threw her to the
ground!”  Abby appeared enraged while clinging to Melanie, who milked the
sympathy for all it was worth.  “I’ll have your badge for this!”

Vaughn climbed into his
blazer, slammed the door, and glared at Abby.  “Be my guest,” he scoffed then
drove out through the main gate.

†

T
he Remington farm was
peaceful early Saturday morning.  It was nearly three o’clock in the morning
and the fair was starting in just a few hours.  Grey sat on the porch railing
and stared out across the moonlit pasture.  The porch door opened, alerting
him.  Dina walked onto the porch in a camisole top and floppy shorts.  Her hair
was slightly mussed, and she appeared exhausted.  Grey shifted on the railing
and appeared slightly uncomfortable.

“Trouble sleeping?” he
asked.

Dina sat on the rocking
chair with her legs curled beneath her and clung to her slightly chilled, bare
arms.  “Bad dreams,” she replied softly.

Grey snorted a soft laugh
and returned his head to the support beam behind him.  “That’s the only kind I
ever have anymore,” he replied with some humor to his sad existence.

“I don’t doubt our
nightmares are similar,” Dina replied gently.  “I think about that night
constantly.  Your mother and father were the closest thing to parents I’d had
since I was little.”  She inhaled deeply and stared off at nothing in
particular.  “After you and Casey left, I felt like I lost everything.”

Grey took a deep breath and
avoided looking at her.  “Yeah, Casey felt bad about leaving you like that, but
she was in a really bad place for a long time.  There were times I didn’t even
want to know her.”

Dina looked at him.  He met
her gaze.  She stared at him a long moment with a strange look.  “It wasn’t
just Casey I was missing,” she said gently.  “You were a bigger part of my life
than I’d realized.”

He stared back at her with
some surprise but didn’t comment.

She smiled timidly and
shrugged.  “After Melanie dumped Deputy Tucker for Vaughn, I had my chance with
him,” she announced gently then snorted a soft laugh.  “I couldn’t do it.  I
passed up my opportunity with Tucker, because I couldn’t stop thinking about
you.  I just wanted you back in my life, so I could make things right.”

Grey uncertainly
straightened on the porch railing while staring at her with his mouth hanging
open.  “You
liked
me?”

“I still do,” she said
softly while staring at him.

He slowly moved off the
railing, approached her in the rocking chair, and held out his hand to her. 
She accepted his hand, allowing him to pull her up from the chair and into his
arms.  As he held her against him, she ran her hands along his chest while
staring into his eyes.  Grey gently touched her face then kissed her warmly but
passionately.  Dina immediately returned the kiss with added aggression.  He
became tense, broke off the kiss, and appeared embarrassed.

“I, uh, haven’t been on a
date in over two years,” he told her gently and avoided looking into her eyes. 
“I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to do.”

Dina smiled warmly and
caressed his chest, causing him to meet her gaze.  She smiled lustfully and
appeared unaffected by his admission.

“Well, we could start by
lying naked together in your bed and see what happens,” she cooed softly and
brushed her lips past his.

Grey stared at her while
nearly speechless and unable to move.  He fidgeted then grinned like a
schoolboy.  “Uh, okay.”

Dina smiled, took his hand,
and led him back inside.

I
t was late morning on
Saturday.  The Darwood Falls Annual Fair was filled with people from visiting
towns as well as locals crowding the fairgrounds.  There were games, food, and
entertainment of every kind.  Small children crowded midway for the overpriced
rides that attracted them with lights and sounds.  Excitement was everywhere. 
Vaughn was seated in the dunking booth, completely dry, in a pair of shorts and
a white t-shirt with the sheriff’s logo printed on it.  The soaking wet mayor
stood near the counter with a towel around him.  He joked with some of the
locals about purchasing balls to dunk the sheriff.  A young man pitched balls
and got nowhere near the target. 

“Come on, Tim,” Vaughn
egged him on.  “College is making you soft.”

He missed all three
attempts.  Vaughn appeared humored and possibly a little arrogant as the boy
walked away.

“And the sheriff stays dry
once again,” Vaughn announced cheerfully.  “What kind of farm boys do we have
around here?  Can’t even pitch a decent softball.”

Diesel and Ruger approached
the dunking booth.  Diesel handed his funnel cake to Ruger, who attempted to
juggle the funnel cake and several stuffed animals under his arms.  Vaughn eyed
them, groaned softly, and managed a smile.  Diesel played with the first ball
and grinned.

“Sheriff--”

“Diesel--”

Diesel threw the ball.  It
struck the target with tremendous force.  Vaughn’s seat fell out from under
him, and he plunged into the cold water.  Vaughn surfaced with a loud gasp.

“Oh, shit!  That’s cold!”

Diesel chuckled softly and
played with the second ball while Vaughn reset the seat above the water.  He
wiped his face as he positioned himself on the seat and looked at Diesel.

“I know Casey put you up
to--”

Diesel threw the second
ball.  It again struck the target.  Vaughn was once again dropped into the tank
of cold water.  Vaughn surfaced with a gasp, wiped his face, and nodded.

“Okay, I see where this is
going.”

Vaughn set up the seat and
returned to it while wiping his hand over his face.  Diesel played with the
third ball and slyly eyed Ruger, who watched with little interest.

“I like this game.  What’s
it called?” Diesel asked Ruger.

“Drown the sheriff,” Ruger
casually replied.

Diesel grinned.  “Okay--”

He threw the ball.  It
again struck the target and Vaughn once again fell into the water.  He surfaced
with a gasp and appeared reluctant to reset the seat.

“Do we have time for
another three?” Diesel asked.

“Not if we eat our way to
the horse show,” Ruger simply informed him.  “We want good seats.”

Diesel grinned at Vaughn. 
“Later, Sheriff.”

Vaughn gasped for air and
gave them a slight wave as they walked away.

†

T
he horse show was already
in progress by the time Diesel and Hunter arrived.  Diesel had even more plates
filled with junk food.  They joined Grey in the stands.  There were eight
events at the horse show, although Casey was only participating in the advanced
events, leaving the easier events for children and teenagers.  She entered
barrel racing, pole bending, walk/trot/canter, and the keyhole race.  All three
men cheered on Casey in the speed events.  She had the shortest time for barrel
racing and pole bending, but her horse stumbled during the keyhole and added
precious seconds onto her time.  During the walk/trot/canter, both she and
Storm were flawless, and the professional judges were impressed with the
horse’s beautiful canter.  She won first place in three of the events and
second in the keyhole race.  After her events, Casey rode up to Grey, Ruger,
and Diesel, with his plates of food.  She handed Grey her three first place
ribbons and one second place ribbon.  Grey eyed the second place ribbon and
shook his head.

“Second,” he scoffed. 
“You’re such a loser.”

She just sneered at him. 
Casey stretched in the saddle and suddenly felt anxious about her next
project.  A frown crossed her face.  “How much time do I have before pimping
out my lips?” she asked dryly.

“Forty minutes,” Ruger
replied while giving her a quick once over.  “You may want to clean up a
little.  No one’s going to want to kiss you smelling horsey.”

“Speak for yourself, man,”
Diesel announced.

“Relax,” she muttered.  “I
have a change of clothes and there’s a shower in the locker room.  One of you
will have to unsaddle Storm for me and put him in one of the stalls in the
arena barn.”

“If it helps you smell
better, I’m on it,” Grey informed her while grinning.

She effortlessly dismounted
her large horse with style and grace, landing near Diesel.  He leaned closer,
sniffed her ponytail, and grimaced.

“Oh, that’s rank,” he
announced.

She snatched one of his
French fries, glared at him, and bit into the fry.  He glared at her for having
touched his food.  It was just something you didn’t do.  Casey turned and
walked away.  Diesel and Ruger headed in the opposite direction, making their
way toward more game and food vendors, while Grey led Casey’s horse to the
arena barn.  Ernest and his four sons stood nearby and watched the others go
their separate ways.

“Well, I know what I’m
doing,” Ryan scoffed.  “I’m taking out my revenge on Casey at the kissing
booth.”

“You’ll do no such thing,”
Ernest growled in response while glaring at his son.  “Sheriff Holt is already
sympathizing with her.  If you do anything out in the open, you’ll be giving
him cause to point blame at us.”

“Then what the hell are we
doing here?” Wayne demanded.  “If my wife catches me here after I told her I
wouldn’t come with her, she’s going to kill me.”

“Still a little pissed
about that video, huh?” Blain teased.

Wayne glared at his
brother.  “Shut up.”

“All of you shut up,”
Ernest snapped and looked at his four sons.  “According to what Abby told me,
Casey’s going to bomb in the talent show, so she doesn’t need any help from us
to look stupid.  That leaves Dina.  We’ll make our point by sabotaging her
performance.  She’s Melanie’s only real competition anyway.”

“I don’t know,” Fred
announced softly and appeared tense.  “Maybe we should let it go.”

His father and three
brothers suddenly glared at him.  “What’s your problem, boy?” Ernest demanded.

“That new girl of his has
him whipped,” Ryan scoffed then meowed like a cat.

“She does not,” Fred
protested.  “After what happened the other night, I’d think you’d learn your
lesson.”

“What are you talking
about?” Wayne demanded.

“I know you were up to
something at the Remington farm,” Fred replied.  “Someone saw you and got the
slip on you.  Do you want to end up naked and tied to a cannon again?  I think
they’re just watching and waiting for you to try something else.  Face it;
they’re smarter than we are.”

“And maybe they’re getting
some help,” Wayne growled and took a step closer to Fred.

“Not from me,” Fred
protested.  “I wasn’t included in either of your recent attacks.”

“What do you mean
either
?”
Ryan demanded to know while giving Fred a strange look.

“That thing at the tavern
with Dina,” Fred announced.  “Slashing her tires and then stalking her.  Now I
hear Sheriff Holt is trying to link her attack to the murders.  Dumb things
like that could raise suspicion about our alibis for the night of the murders.”

“We had nothing to do with
what happened to Dina,” Ryan suddenly protested.  “And you better watch what
you say.”

“I’m not saying anything
that Sheriff Holt isn’t already investigating,” Fred informed them.  “I
overheard Deputy Tucker and Deputy Mitchell discussing it.”

Ernest stared at Fred a
long moment then looked at his other three sons.  “Fred’s right,” he
announced.  “It’s too public here.  If we’re seen, it could open a whole other
can of worms.  We need to do something they can’t trace back to us.  I’ll need
time to give it some thought.”  He glared at his boys.  “Until then, Dina and
the Remington’s are off-limits.”

Fred appeared relieved. 
His three brothers reluctantly nodded without sharing Fred’s sediments.

“We’ll get even with them,”
Ernest promised.  “We just need to be smart about it.”

“I’ll agree to that,” Ryan
sulked, “but I think I should be allowed to take out a little frustration on
Casey and Dina at the kissing booth then.”

Ernest groaned and
reluctantly shook his head.  “Knock yourself out, but I want no part of it.”

Ryan glanced at Wayne. 

Wayne vigorously shook his
head.  “If my wife sees me kissing another woman, I can kiss my marriage
goodbye.”

He then looked at Blain. 

Blain held his hands in the
air and took a step back while shaking his head.  “Casey nearly broke my jaw
the other night,” he announced.  “I’m not putting my face that close to her. 
She probably bites.”

Ryan glanced at Fred, but
he was already walking away.  He groaned with disgust.  “You’re all a bunch of
pussies.”

“I need to find Lance,”
Ernest remarked.  “I’ll catch up with you later.”

As Ernest walked away, Ryan
glanced at his two, remaining brothers.  “Are you at least coming along?”

“No,” Wayne replied. 
“We’ll catch up with you later.”

Both walked away.  Ryan
appeared disgusted and headed toward the row of port-a-potties heading away
from the arena and back toward the main fairgrounds.  He entered one of the
port-a-potties and shut the door.  The ‘occupied’ sign was turned.  Someone
approached the port-a-potty.  A zip tie was placed through the metal lock loops
and was tightened.  A moment passed.  The sign turned to ‘vacant’ and the door
was jolted.

“Damn it,” Ryan was heard
from inside.

The door jolted harder. 
Ryan was heard pounding on the door from inside.

†

Y
oung and old men alike
began collecting around the kissing booth, but they remained at a safe distance
to give the appearance that they weren’t anxious for their dollar-a-kiss. 
Melanie appeared relaxed in her short-shorts and hot pink, lacy camisole top as
she leaned against the booth while inspecting her nails.  Dina, who wore a short
sundress, nervously paced the area before the booth while Wiley eyed his watch
several times and looked around the surrounding area.  Casey hurried toward the
kissing booth wearing a white, low cut tank top and a pair of jean shorts.  She
carried her shoes, allowing her to jog the entire way.  Dina glared at her from
her position at the booth and appeared irritated with her.  Wiley appeared
overly pleased.  Casey eyed the look she received from Dina and slipped into
her shoes.

“I made it--relax,” Casey
scoffed.

“Barely,” Dina snapped.

The booth had three sides,
providing a side for each girl, and a counter to keep the men from getting too
close.  Melanie cast a loathsome glare at Casey and Dina.  Dina fussed over
Casey’s hair that was still damp from her rushed shower.  Ruger, Grey, and
Diesel approached.  There was still five minutes before the booth was
officially open.  Wiley made an announcement over the PA system, alerting all
men that the kissing booth was about to open.  Casey rolled her eyes and groaned.

“I can’t believe you guys
talked me into this,” Casey muttered under her breath.

Ruger smiled and held up a
tube of breath freshener.  Casey groaned with a tense smile and allowed him to
spray some into her mouth.  Dina quickly approached and opened her mouth as
well.  Ruger gave her a squirt.  Dina returned to her side.  Grey joined Dina
and smiled.

“I think I’m first,” Grey
announced.

She grinned her response. 
The small crowd of men now moved closer to the booth with an overwhelming
majority lined up on Casey’s side.  Melanie appeared annoyed while folding her
arms across her chest and huffed softly.  Vaughn, now changed back into his
uniform, maintained his distance and watched with disgrace as Deputy Mitchell
and Deputy Tucker stood in Casey’s line.  Wiley stood nearby, looked at his
watch, and grinned.

“One minute until the booth
opens,” Wiley announced with a little too much enthusiasm.  “And since I’m in
charge, I’ll start things off.”

Wiley placed a ticket in
Casey’s jar and quickly kissed her.  He did the same for Dina and Melanie then
looked at his watch and grinned proudly.

“The kissing booth is
officially open,” Wiley announced to the crowd of men.

Diesel approached Casey,
grinned deviously, and dropped a stack of tickets into her jar.  He patted the
table.  Casey eyed him, smiled, and moved across the counter to join him on the
other side.  Diesel pulled her into his arms and kissed her warmly but
passionately.  Dina also kissed Grey longer than she should.  Melanie passed
out the standard, quick kiss.  The men on Melanie’s side saw the other kisses
occurring and quickly switched sides, opting for the longer lines.  Ruger stood
to the side of the booth, glared at Diesel kissing Casey, and appeared annoyed.