He lurched, as if someone had punched him in the gut. Apparently he’d gotten sufficient information from her feeble whisper. She tried not to smile.
“How do you know this?” he asked in a high-pitched squeak.
“Boo told me. And I saw the ring. Beautiful.”
“This can’t be! They’ve only dated a few weeks!”
“I’m sorry, Garth. I know how this must break your heart. But listen, you and Melb make a fine couple. At least you won’t be alone.”
“No!” Garth said, and this time a few people over by the desserts turned around. He smiled and waved, but he was growing pale and looked as if he was going to throw up.
“Oh, honey, listen. It’s not as bad as it seems. And Melb is enamored with you. Haven’t you seen the way she looks into your eyes?”
Garth’s face twisted, and she thought he might scream. But in a low, controlled, and very angry voice he said, “You know Melb hates my guts. She’s in love with Wolfe.” He looked at her with a harried expression. “They’re not in love. Ainsley is a dreamer. She always has been. One of these days she’s going to realize that what she needs is a stable breadwinner like myself. She’s too caught up in the lovey-dovey feelings.”
Miss Peeple watched as Garth’s loathsome eyes roamed the room. He was like a bull looking for some poor soul to gore. He was right where she wanted him. She was a little sad she’d played the Thief card so soon.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“I don’t know, I don’t know,” he said. “When did he say he was going to do this awful thing?”
“Sounded like very soon, but he wasn’t specific. I’d say soon, though.”
Garth slapped his forehead with his hand. “This can’t be happening. He knew. He knew.”
“Knew what?”
“That Ainsley was falling for me. That’s the only reason he’d do something so insane as to ask her to marry him now. I’ve got to tell her how I feel about her, tell her how she feels about me. Make her see.”
“I doubt that will work. Love can make people blind, Garth.” And apparently nonsensical as well.
“You’re right.” Then he stopped, and by the look on his face, Miss Peeple knew Garth had a plan. “But if I make her see the real Wolfe Boone … expose him for what he truly is …”
“And what exactly is that, dear?”
“I don’t know yet. But I’ll come up with something.”
With dessert over, the crowd had gathered by the fire for a wonderful, creamy pumpkin drink that Ainsley had made. Outside the snow fell more and more heavily, and Wolfe worried for a moment about how people would get home. But as far as he was concerned, getting stranded here was not a bad thing.
Ainsley was busy in the kitchen with something, but Wolfe was, nevertheless, enjoying the fire and the company. Garth’s and Alfred’s antics aside, he found this crowd fairly amusing. Miss Peeple, whose date was Alfred Tennison, was sitting on a cozy love seat with Mayor Wullisworth listening to him tell war stories about an unspecific war. Alfred seemed content next to Ainsley’s friend Marlee, who was wedged between Alfred and Butch and enjoying the close company. Wolfe studied Butch and decided he was the perfect antithesis to himself. His sweater was tied neatly around his neck, his short blond hair perfectly spiked. He seemed to know what his smile did when he flashed it, so he flashed it a lot, laughed heartily, and told jokes with perfect timing. Wolfe didn’t hate him, though. In fact, he appreciated him, because with all the attributes also came a sincerity that Wolfe could easily recognize. These all came easily for Butch, and his charismatic personality just liked to show them off.
But Wolfe could only devote half his attention to studying how to be the perfect male. The other half went to a conversation with Melb, whom Wolfe had decided was a lovely lady with a heart of gold. It was rare to find someone as attentive to a conversation as Melb was, and soon he found the conversation shifting from his novel Black Cats to his newfound faith. Melb seemed happy to listen, and so they talked about the Lord in front of the roaring fire, sheltered from the storm.
“How’s my peach fuzz?”
Melb and Wolfe glanced up to find Garth standing above them, grinning. “Garth.”
He scooted her over on the couch and put his arm around her neck, though Melb might have been a football player for all Garth’s sensitivity. Melb tried to smile graciously.
“What’re you two over here chattin’ about?”
“Jesus Christ,” Melb said, looking at Wolfe with joy.
“It’s true,” Wolfe said.
“Oh … for a moment I thought you’d just taken the Lord’s name in vain, but you’re actually talking about Him, are you?”
“Yep! Wolfe is quite knowledgeable about the Bible.”
Wolfe shook his head. “I just know a few things. I have a lot to learn.”
Garth turned to Melb. “Your eyes look watery.”
“What?”
“Watery. And red. Are you having allergies again?”
Melb blinked. “Allergies?”
“You are! Why didn’t you say something? Before you know it your face is going to swell like rising bread, and you’re going to start coughing. You know how that phlegm tends to gag you. Did you bring your inhaler? Of course you didn’t.” Garth looked at Wolfe. “She’s always in denial about this. Her doctor tells her to bring her inhaler everywhere, but does she listen? Noooooo.” He pinched her cheek. Melb looked a little dazed. “Wolfe, will you do me a favor?”
“A favor?”
He stood and motioned for Wolfe to do the same. His hand guided Wolfe aside. “Listen, it’s the cat. Melb unfortunately loves cats and wouldn’t ever mention it, but she’s allergic to them. And if she has a full-blown attack, she might have to go to the hospital.”
“You’re kidding.”
“No, I wish I were. Would you mind seeing if you can find Thief and putting him out in the garage?”
Wolfe shifted. “Me? Why me?”
“Well, I have a slight history with this cat. It hates my guts because I neutered it. They sense these things, and it’ll claw the crud out of me if I go anywhere near it.” He flashed a mild looking scar on the underside of his forearm.
“I just wouldn’t feel right about that without asking Ainsley or Sheriff Parker first.”
“No, no. Bad idea.”
“Why?”
“Thief is practically a kid in this household. The thought of putting that cat out in the garage would break their hearts. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, there’s a cat door in every room of this house, except the garage. That’s the only place for him to be where he won’t bother Melb.”
“I don’t think Ainsley’s as fond of Thief as you think.”
“Well, she’s fond of her father, who thinks that cat hung the moon or something. And Butch gave it the name Thief, so there’s that attachment.” Garth shook his head. “I’m a vet, and I tell you, I’m not as attached to animals as these people are. It’s a sickness, but I guess everyone has their quirks. Anyway, if we don’t get this cat out in the garage, Melb’s going to get puffy as a pastry, swell like a water balloon, so what do you say?”
Wolfe sighed. “I’ll see if I can find him.”
“Great,” Garth said with a wink. “Melb and I thank you for it.”
“Here, kitty-kitty-kitty.” Wolfe had seen a streak of black cross the den and gallop upstairs. He’d followed quietly, hoping not to draw too much attention to himself. From the top of the stairs, though, he had no idea where the cat had gone. “Thief! Thief!” He tried to keep his voice down. “Come here, kitty.”
Wolfe strolled the upstairs hallway, peeking into each room carefully, listening for any sound of padded paws on hardwood floors, or perhaps the jingle of collar tags. But all he could hear was laughter from downstairs. He shook his head at the absurdity of the fact that every door in the house had a cat door so Thief could roam about as he pleased. Even the bathrooms! Every door but the one leading to the gar
age.
“Here kitty—” There he was, sitting casually on Sheriff Parker’s queen-size bed, purring, his eyes slits, as if he were about to fall asleep.
“There you are,” Wolfe said, opening the bedroom door a little wider.
The cat hardly regarded Wolfe but toppled over onto a pillow and lovingly licked his paws. Wolfe tried to get a good look at how long Thief’s claws actually were.
“Hey there, Thief.” He tried to act casual, though he didn’t know whether a cat would pick up on such body language as hands in pockets and head tilted to the side. “What do you say you and I go for a little walk?”
The cat blinked but then went back to licking his hind legs.
“Come here. Come to Wolfey.”
“What are you doing?”
Wolfe startled, spun around, and found Reverend Peck standing in the doorway. “Oh, I’m, um …”
The reverend stepped into the room, a concerned look on his face. “I saw you head up this way. This is Sheriff Parker’s bedroom.”
“Is it? Goodness, I was just looking for, um … for, the uh …”
“Bathroom?”
“Yeah.”
The reverend frowned, and Wolfe knew he wasn’t buying it. Wolfe also knew that in the Bible God emphasized being honest, and he supposed that meant even when the truth was painful to tell. “No.”
“No?”
“No, I’m not looking for the bathroom.”
“Son, what are you doing then? The sheriff’s a pretty private person, and if he found you snooping around in his bedroom, things might get dicey.”
“I’m not snooping … I’m just …” Wolfe sighed heavily. “I’m trying to kidnap Thief.”
“Why?”
“Just to the garage. Apparently Melb Cornforth is highly allergic to cats.”
“She is?”
“She has trouble breathing, needs an inhaler, and can swell up pretty badly.”
“Oh my.”
“She’s bashful about it, doesn’t want to cause any trouble.”
“I see.”
“And I guess Sheriff Parker wouldn’t be too fond of putting the cat in the garage himself, so I offered to sneak him in there for a couple of hours.”
“Poor Melb. I had no idea. I’ll have to add that to the prayer list.”
Wolfe nodded and decided he’d better make his move on Thief while the cat was sitting still. He started to reach out and grab him when the reverend said, “Be careful! That cat’s got claws like knives.”
“Really?”
“Oh yes. Killed a dog once that got into his territory. At least that’s what Sheriff Parker says.”
Wolfe stared at the passive cat.
“It was just a little Yorkie, but if you ask me, I think Sheriff Parker may sharpen those claws just to scare people.”
Wolfe swallowed. “Well, is he fond of strangers?”
“Couldn’t say. I doubt the cat’s used to seeing too many strangers in this town. Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have to find a bathroom.” The reverend was gone.
Wolfe sized up the cat, especially the claws. They did look rather sharp, but the cat looked fairly harmless. Wolfe approached him slowly, then pet him, and finally decided it might be okay to pick him up. But as soon as he did, the cat’s paws spread dramatically, and he issued a slight hiss, too.
“Why did I volunteer for this?” Wolfe said out loud. Then he had an idea. The cat was sitting on a pillow. He could get another pillow, place it on top of the cat, and hurry downstairs to the garage door, which was just off the stairwell. So without further hesitation, scared to death of turning around to find Sheriff Parker in his face, Wolfe took the other pillow, placed it gently on top of the cat, and picked both pillows up. Surprisingly, the cat hardly flinched, so Wolfe hurried downstairs and rounded the corner. He was just about to the garage when he ran into someone coming out of the small half-bath underneath the stairs. It was Alfred.
“Wolfe! What are you doing with that cat?”
“You don’t want to know,” Wolfe said with a half-laugh and quickly went into the garage, shutting the door behind him. He released Thief, who looked around the garage and then decided to hop on top of the sheriff’s car. It was a little chilly in the garage, but not bad for a cat, and Wolfe decided he’d be fine for an hour or so.
He went back into the house, and Alfred was still standing there.
“Pillows?”
“Long story. Where’s your date, by the way?”
Alfred’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know. I’m not her nurse. Anyway, I’ve been looking for you. We’ve got a lot to talk about, Wolfe. We need to sort some things out.”
It was true. Wolfe couldn’t avoid talking to Alfred forever, and he did want to run by Alfred some ideas for a book of short dramatic stories about small town life, but this wasn’t the time or the place. For one, he had to take Sheriff Parker’s pillows back upstairs. Second, he needed a little time alone to decide if now was a good time to ask Ainsley to marry him. When he thought about it, fear pierced his heart. But the thought of not asking her hurt him more.
“Not now. But I do want to talk to you, Al.”
“You do?”
“Yes, I’ve got some ideas.”
“Ideas? Ideas! Ideas are good!”
“Excuse me,” Wolfe said and hurried back upstairs. He placed the pillows neatly on the bed, smoothed the covers, and rushed out of the room just in time to see the reverend emerge from the bathroom.
“Where’s the cat?”
“In the garage, safe and sound.”
Reverend Peck smiled. “Good. That was an awfully nice thing you did for Melb.”
“Well, she’s a nice woman. I just hope she can enjoy the rest of Thanksgiving and not get too sick.”
Downstairs the sheriff was calling people into the living room. The reverend said, “Come on. It’s time for the toast. This is a wonderful Parker tradition that you won’t want to miss!”
Wolfe smiled and followed the reverend, patting the little ring in his pocket all the way down the stairs.
CHAPTER 28
AFTER GARTH HEARTILY thanked Wolfe for helping Melb, Wolfe found Ainsley near the fire, watching her father gather everyone into the living room, and joined her. She squeezed his arm.
“I’m sorry I’ve been so busy.”
“You’re a terrific hostess.”
“Thank you,” she said, and Wolfe knew that compliment meant more to her than most knew. “Besides, the evening’s still young, and by the way it’s looking outside, I may be here awhile.”
She gazed into his eyes, then glanced out the window. “Quite a snowstorm. I hope people can get home okay.” Her attention was back on Wolfe. “Did you enjoy dinner?”
“More than you’ll ever know.”
“I hope you’ve found some people to talk to.”
“I have. Don’t worry yourself about me, though. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said, smiling and nestling herself into his embrace. She looked up at him. “I’m so glad we’re together.”
“You are?”
“Yes, aren’t you?”
“You have no idea,” he said, squeezing her tightly. He studied her eyes. “Ainsley, I’m in love with you.”
“You are?”
“Definitely.”
She touched his face with her hand. “I’m in love with you too. I’ve never known anyone like you. You’re so genuine, so true. You say what you mean. You have a deep heart. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be in your arms, but here I am.”
He laughed. “You were always in my wildest dreams.”
“Oh?”
He shrugged and was about to say more when the sheriff raised his voice and told everyone to quiet down. In complete obedience the room became quiet and still, the only movement and sound coming from the fire.
“Folks, it’s a pretty bad storm outside. Robby Newirth just radioed me, and they’ve got 31 shut down already.” Everyone moaned. “I’
m afraid we’re all going to be here awhile. I couldn’t in good conscience let any of you travel on these roads, at least not alone. I may be able to get the sheriff’s truck out here to get some of you back home if needed. The weathermen, God bless ’em, said it should start tapering off in the next two hours. If so, we may be able to travel short distances this evening. Mind you, though, these are the same people who said we’d have a few flurries today.” Everyone chuckled. “But folks, we got enough food here to feed an army, so I think we’re going to be okay, and definitely in good company!”
Mayor Wullisworth held up his pumpkin drink. “Here’s to that!”
“All right, it’s time to make some toasts. For those of you who are new, this is a great time to reflect on the year nearly behind us, and the new year that is about to come. It’s another time to express how thankful you are, or just to tell someone how much they mean to you. This is usually how we round out our day, but since it looks like you’re going to be staying awhile, maybe this will just be the beginning of a really fun evening.” Sheriff Parker picked up his drink off the mantel. “Here’s to being stranded!”
“Hear, hear!”
Garth, whose absence no one but Wolfe had seemed to notice, came around the corner and said, “Here’s to hope in true love!” Everyone expected him to look at Melb, but instead he threw his head back and downed the rest of his pumpkin drink without ever taking a breath.
“Hear, hear!”
Melb, in uncharacteristic confidence, stepped forward, raised her glass, and said, “Here’s to great conversations!” She smiled at Wolfe and tipped her glass in his direction.
“Hear, hear!”
Marlee said, “Here’s to the Delta Force and our hero Butch!”
“Hear, hear!”
And on they went, everyone in giddy array, cheerfully toasting the evening away. Every toast caused certitude to grow in Wolfe. With Ainsley in his arms, and a crowd full of witnesses, he knew nothing in the world would make him happier than to ask Ainsley to marry him. And as he gazed down at her beautiful face, he was pretty sure she would be just as happy. The ring seemed to dance in his pocket, and as the toasting died down, Wolfe realized it was now or never. Fear quaked in his gut as he looked at the sheriff. But his love for Ainsley seemed to put it to rest.
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