*
Seeing Renee so genuinely happy gave Piper hope. The poor girl just needed some attention and direction, and she’d be fine. As for Piper, as usual, the simple act of planning how she’d refurbish the dresser raised her spirits, taking her mind off her sadness at not being with her family for Thanksgiving.
Handing the list to Renee, Piper dug fifty dollars out of her purse and handed it to her. “This should cover it.”
“Okay.” Renee appeared eager to be off.
“Go.” Piper shooed her away. “When you get back, you can empty your stuff out and we’ll have your uncle take it out into the garage.”
“I’ll be back.” Renee spun on her heel and prepared to take off. When she reached the door, she turned and looked at Piper. “Thank you. I’m really glad you’re staying with us.”
After the door closed behind her, Piper made her way to the front window and watched her drive away. Truman woofed softly, as if he understood. “You’re a good boy,” she told him. “Let’s go get ready for bed.”
She found she slept better with a dog curled up at her side. And not just any dog. This dog. Truman. Great. She’d fallen in love with Cord’s dog.
The next morning after breakfast, Piper and Renee started on the dresser. Since Renee had to go back to work that night, she wanted to get as much done in the day as she could. Piper told her not to rush, that it would be better to take her time so she didn’t have to redo things, and to her surprise Renee listened.
Despite the attention to detail, the sanding went relatively quickly. After all the old stain had been removed, the primer went on. Since the hardware wasn’t bad, they kept it to put back on once they’d finished.
The next day, the paint. Two coats.
“The color is lovely,” Renee’s hushed voice conveyed her awe. “I can’t believe how such a small thing could transform something so hideous into something beautiful.”
Piper grinned. “Addictive, isn’t it? Now you see why I enjoy my hobby so much.”
“Why don’t you do more with it? Instead of a hobby, turn it into a business?”
Piper stopped smiling. “Actually, that was my plan. I’d been saving to open my own shop and nearly had enough. But then all this happened, and I had to withdraw my savings to survive.” She sighed. “I’m being very careful with my money, but I don’t know how long it will take to get back to where I was.” Not to mention her reputation. Even though she had to believe she’d eventually be cleared, she wasn’t sure her reputation would survive.
“I’m sorry.” Renee looked like she’d give anything to take back her casual statement. “I didn’t know.”
“Of course you didn’t, how could you?” Leaning on her crutch, Piper put one arm around the teenager and gave her an awkward hug. “Don’t worry about it. None of that is your fault. Now, let’s just get this dresser finished so you can display your showpiece in your bedroom.”
*
Though it had been years since he’d used his smoker, once Cord got it cleaned up and plugged in, it worked like a charm. He and Piper had decided not to stuff the bird, so he’d simply seasoned it with a nice rub and put it in the smoker at 5 a.m, since it took eight to twelve hours. He had a four-hour window to get the internal temperature up from forty to one-forty. If that didn’t happen, they’d have to take it out and cook it in the oven.
Since he’d done this before, he knew he’d finish it in the smoker. His mouth watered thinking about the delicious taste. For once, Truman stayed with Cord instead of Piper, no doubt attracted by the scent of the turkey.
Once he went inside, of course Truman parked his butt in the kitchen. Despite the early hour, Piper bustled around, only occasionally using her crutches. She sat a lot, though, slicing celery and onions while the cornbread baked. “I’ve never made the dressing before, but I’ve watched Whitney’s cook Bettina do it a bunch of times,” she confided.
He’d smiled and nodded, his heart full. Though the kitchen atmosphere felt strangely domestic, he didn’t mind. In fact, he liked it. He’d always thought a man and his dog would be enough. Then his niece had come and he’d had hopes he could make a go of their odd little family. Now he knew better. Piper gave him a glimpse of how great life could be. She gave him hope for a much brighter future. The only thing that would have made this day even better would have been if Ms. Berens could have been here. When he’d invited her, she’d declined, stating she’d already accepted an invitation from one of her neighbors.
Renee came wandering in after he’d poured his second cup of coffee. “You’re up early,” he greeted her.
She glanced around with wide eyes. “Well, it’s a special day and I wanted to help.”
“You’ve come to the right place, then,” Piper put in cheerfully. “I’ve got potatoes to be peeled, if you don’t mind. Or you can do the prep work on the green beans. I’m going to be busy making my family’s homemade cornbread dressing. It’s complicated and takes the longest to make.”
“That’s what I smell.” Renee sniffed the air appreciatively. “Cornbread. I’m guessing this must be hard on you, missing your family and all.”
Piper’s cheerful smile briefly faltered, but Cord admired the way she pulled herself together. “I won’t lie. I am missing my family. But I’m also excited to be making new memories with the two of you.”
Chapter 10
The turkey was ready around one o’clock. “We’ll let it rest,” Cord said. “That way you ladies will have time to get everything else ready.” He eyed Truman, sitting near the counter, drooling. “Just make sure the dog doesn’t counter surf and get it.”
Piper laughed. “I’m watching him. And we’re pretty much done,” she told him. “The dressing, sweet potato casserole and corn casserole are all in the oven. The green beans are in the skillet on low. All I need to do is cook the dinner rolls.”
“I can do that!” Renee offered, nearly dancing with excitement.
The next few minutes were busy. He sliced the turkey while Piper watched Renee arrange the side dishes on the kitchen counter. Renee got the rolls—perfectly browned—out of the oven. Through it all, Truman watched intently, still hoping for a morsel.
“Don’t worry, buddy,” Cord told him. “I’ll make you a small plate of white meat.”
As if he understood, Truman barked once.
“He’s saying ‘thank you,’” Renee said, making them all laugh.
Cord finished slicing and set down the platter of sliced turkey. “Ya’ll ready?”
“Oh, yes!” Renee said, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. “Let’s make our plates and then we can dig in!”
With the food set out buffet style, they took turns serving themselves. Looking exhausted, Piper asked Renee to make hers. Then, with their plates heaping, Cord and Renee took seats at the kitchen table next to Piper. She’d spruced it up a little with a homemade pumpkin and gourd centerpiece. Cord couldn’t help but wonder if she missed her no doubt much fancier table at Colton Valley Ranch.
“I can’t wait to taste the smoked turkey,” Piper said, smiling. “I’m loving this. It’s so much more relaxed than what I’m used to.”
Momentarily dazzled by her smile, he could only nod and pick up his fork.
“Wait,” Renee said. “This is my first traditional Thanksgiving meal and I want to say grace.” She held out her hands. Cord took one and Piper the other.
“Thank You, God, for this food. A special meal, cooked with love. But most of all, thank You for these people.” Renee’s voice broke, but she bravely continued on. “Growing up the way I did, there are a lot of things I never got to do. I have a feeling that this is only one of the many firsts ahead of me.” She blinked back tears, still holding his hand tightly. “Thank you, Cord, and you, Piper, for giving me something to start filling the hole inside of me. Love.”
His heart expanding inside his chest, Cord gripped her hand as fiercely as she held on to his. Tears streamed down her young face, but despite it
all, she smiled. So much hope shone in that smile that his own eyes misted. He glanced at Piper and she quickly looked down at her plate, but not before he noticed how her green eyes glistened with her own emotion.
He thought this just might be the best Thanksgiving he’d ever had.
“Now we can eat!” Pulling her hands free, Renee wiped at her eyes with her napkin, picked up her fork and dug in.
Truman barked, reminding them of his promise to make him a plate.
“I’ll do it.” Piper jumped up, wincing as she put too much weight too fast on her still-sore ankle.
“Piper—” Cord began.
“It’s better, I promise,” she said. “I actually forgot about it for a minute. I really want to feed Truman his Thanksgiving dinner myself, if you don’t mind.”
Her enthusiasm made him smile. “Not too much—he’s not used to such rich food and it could make him sick,” Cord warned her. “Just a few slices of white meat, no fat. He can also have a couple of green beans, if you rinse them off.”
Piper nodded. Once she’d finished, she turned and nearly tripped over the enthusiastic pup. “Here you go, boy.” She set the plate down. “Dig in.”
Needing no urging, Truman devoured his food. Grinning, Piper sat back down, moving more gingerly than she had before.
Renee hadn’t wasted any time digging in, either. “This is fantastic,” she exclaimed between mouthfuls. “No wonder everyone always talks about how much they look forward to this day.”
Cord and Piper exchanged amused glances before starting in on their own plates.
The smoked turkey had turned out perfectly. Everything had, actually. It had been a long time since he’d eaten a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and he relished every bite.
Once he’d cleaned his plate, he looked up to find both Piper and Renee watching him with identical expressions of amusement. “Do you want seconds?” Piper asked. “Or are you ready for dessert? We’ve made both pumpkin and pecan pies.”
Though he preferred pecan, he didn’t know who’d made which pie and didn’t want to offend anyone. “I’d like both, please.” Sitting back in his chair, he grinned. “You two are amazing cooks. I loved every bit of this meal. This is the best Thanksgiving I’ve ever had.”
Renee ducked her head, her expression pleased.
“Thank you,” Piper replied. “But we have to admire your culinary skills, as well. That smoked turkey was the bomb.”
At the expression, Renee high-fived her. This made both of them giggle. Cord loved how well the two of them got along. The camaraderie made the atmosphere even more perfect.
Renee jumped up, waving Piper back into her seat. She brought him his pie, two slices on one plate along with a heaping scoop of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream. She brought the same to Piper, though her pieces were much skinnier. Finally, Renee cut her own piece, and she only got pumpkin, confirming his suspicions that she’d baked that one.
Even the pies tasted like ambrosia.
When he’d finished, Cord looked up from his plate and groaned. “I’m so full.”
“Food coma,” Renee agreed. “I could sleep.”
“But it’s nearly time for the Cowboys game,” Piper announced. “Though a nap sounds lovely, you have to stay awake for that. They play at three.”
“Is football part of your Thanksgiving traditions?” Renee asked.
“Yes.” Piper’s eyes sparkled. “Since the Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving, my family schedules the big meal around the game. Some years, we even go and watch it in person. Of course that means our dinner is either really early or really late. We haven’t done that in several years, though.”
Needing to move, Cord pushed himself up and started gathering the dishes. “What are you doing?” Piper asked, sounding alarmed.
“Washing up,” he told her, resisting the urge to give her a quick kiss. “You go ahead and watch the pregame show. I’ve got this.”
Tilting her head, her expression bemused, Piper hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“Very. You cooked, I’ll clean.”
“And I can help,” Renee chimed in. “We can get these dishes rinsed off and in the dishwasher in plenty of time to watch the game with you.”
Still, Piper didn’t move. “I need to wrap up the leftovers,” she began.
“We can do that.” He made a shooing motion with his hand. “Now go on. Git. Let us get to work.”
“You convinced me.” Piper threw up her hands. “Come on, Truman. Let’s go chill on the sofa.”
A short while later, they were all seated in the living room, waiting for the game to start. Renee had taken the armchair, so Cord had to sit next to Piper on the couch. Truman lay on one side of her, his big head resting on her knee. Slightly envious of his dog, Cord considered sitting as far away from her as possible, then decided to do what he really wanted. So he took a spot right next to her, so close their thighs bumped. Then, with Renee pretending not to watch them, he casually draped his arm over her shoulders.
To his relief, rather than stiffening or looking at him, she sighed and snuggled in. Head against his shoulder, she kept her gaze on the TV. Truman raised his head, eyed Cord and then settled back down with a sigh.
“I know what we need,” Renee said, jumping up. “Or rather, what you two need. Beer. What’s football without a cold brew?”
“I’d love one,” he said.
“Me, too,” Piper said.
A minute later, Renee returned, carrying two bottles of beer and a can of Dr. Pepper.
Happily, he accepted his beer, aware he was grinning like a fool. Renee grinned back and he knew exactly what she had to be thinking. His heart was full and life was good. He wished it could be like this forever.
*
The day after, Piper still carried a bit of Thanksgiving contentment. Now that the actual day had passed, she knew exactly what would be going on back at Colton Valley Ranch. The day after Turkey Day, Whitney, rather than fighting crowds to catch sale prices at the mall, orchestrated a huge Christmas decorating event. The house would be decked out and if each year appeared more extravagant than the last, so much the better.
Briefly, Piper wondered if Whitney would continue on with Eldridge missing. But then, she realized of course she would. Her adoptive mother had always maintained that she wanted to keep everything as normal as possible so when Eldridge returned, nothing would be out of place. Whitney had never lost faith that her husband was alive.
Of course, Piper knew that most people outside the family thought Whitney had only married the much older Eldridge for his money. Piper didn’t believe it after seeing how Whitney had reacted to Eldridge’s disappearance. She truly loved her husband and was fiercely loyal not only to him, but to everyone in the family. Including Piper.
Which made Piper feel even guiltier for not contacting her. She would, she told herself. As soon as she figured out her own situation.
About that. The other day, when she and Cord had been discussing the bloody shirt that the police were using to pin the murder on her, Piper had told him she couldn’t think of any enemies. Now she had to wonder. Fowler seemed more and more determined to bring her back home. He’d already told her to her face that he believed she was guilty. Maybe she needed to consider the possibility that he’d been the one to frame her.
As soon as she had the thought, she wanted to discard it. Despite his overbearing personality, Fowler was her brother. Or adoptive brother, as he liked to remind her. Either way, they were related. She couldn’t imagine him having any reason for wanting to frame her for their father’s murder.
Pulling out her cell phone, one of several disposable phones she’d purchased—hey, she watched TV crime shows—she punched in Reid’s number. This brother had believed in her innocence even after her arrest. Since he used to be a police detective, maybe he could pull some strings to clear this mess up. If not, at the very least, he might be able to gather some information that would help her find out who had done this to he
r.
Taking a deep breath, she hit Send. The phone rang once, twice, three times. About to end the call on the fifth ring, partly relieved, Reid answered.
“About time you called,” he said instead of hello once she’d identified herself. “How is everything?”
“Okay. Do you happen to know if I have a court date yet?”
“I don’t know. There’s still an active warrant though.”
She swore under her breath. “How bad does it look for me?”
“Not good,” he said, his voice grim. “Where are you?”
“I can’t tell you that right now. But I can assure you I had nothing to do with Eldridge’s disappearance. If he’s dead, I certainly didn’t kill him. Like I told Fowler and Marceline, someone is framing me.”
“We all figured that out, Pipe. Whitney has been a huge champion of yours. She knows—as we all do—that there’s no way you’d have done such a thing. She’s even announced publicly that you’re innocent.”
Touched, she closed her eyes. Though Whitney had taken her in as more of a project than because of any deep feeling, she and Eldridge had always treated her like she was their daughter. “I miss her. Please tell her I’m safe and I’ll see her as soon as I can.”
“I will, but I need more. Explain to me why you’ve decided to go into hiding?”
“Because both Fowler and Marceline made it clear that they believe I’m the killer.”
“What?”
She explained what had happened the day she got home from jail.
Reid swore again. “I’ll talk to them. That’s absolutely ridiculous.”
“Oh, there’s more.” Briefly, she outlined what Fowler had told Cord that he’d done.
Hearing this, Reid swore again. “That explains the warrant. I wondered. What the hell is wrong with him? He’s been going around agreeing with everyone about your innocence and then he pulls something like this?”
“That’s why I’m beginning to wonder if he—and maybe Marceline—are the ones who framed me.”
Runaway Colton Page 13
