“Hmm. Okay, thanks.”
Riley called Jim Olgers, the Fire Chief from Missoula County.
“Hey, Riley. What’s up?” Jim asked when he came on the line.
“Hi, Jim. We got a kitchen fire that happened early this morning. We put the blaze out, and it looked like a grease fire. It toasted the stove, the wall behind it, the counter, and the cupboard that butted against it. I was wondering if you could stop over and investigate. I had the current residents leave the house until it was inspected by you.”
“Sure. I’ll be there at eleven AM, is that okay?”
“Yeah, great. Thanks, Jim.”
Jim showed up at eleven o’clock that morning.
“Hey, Riley. How’s it going?” Jim asked as he came into Riley’s office and shook his hand.
“I’m doing well. And yourself?”
“I’m doing good.”
“Come with me and I’ll take you to where the fire was.”
“Okay.” Jim nodded.
Riley got up and walked out of his office with Jim.
“Got your woman problems resolved yet?” Jim asked.
Riley knew what he meant, he wanted to know if Riley had gotten laid. “Yes, problem resolved.”
“Who is she?”
“Don’t know her name yet.”
They arrived at the house and Jim went inside. He looked over the kitchen, and then came back to Riley and said, “You’re right, it was a grease fire. The family can return home.”
“Okay. Thanks, Jim.”
Riley drove Jim back to the station and before he left, he smiled and said, “Keep working on your woman problems.”
“Yeah. Right,” Riley said.
Riley looked at his watch, it was twelve-thirty. He went to Southerlyn’s Jewelry and Gem store to see if Dave and Cindy wanted to go to lunch. At least they wouldn’t tease him about his date from a few weeks ago. When he walked in, he was surprised to see Marissa standing behind the counter.
* * * *
At noon, Cindy wandered to the back room. “Marissa, would you mind watching the store for us while we run a few errands and grab some lunch?”
She hesitated for a few minutes. When she started the job, she thought she’d be working in the back room, away from the public eye. She didn’t want to do this, but for an hour lunch, she figured she could handle it.
“Of course I’ll watch the store.” She walked over to the sink, washed her hands, took off her smock, and walked to the front of the store. Dave and Cindy left for the next hour while she sat and waited in case customers came into the store.
Ten minutes after they left, Riley walked into the store. She grew tense as she stared at him. Her palms got sweaty, and she could hear her heartbeat hammering in her ears. His gray eyes met hers, and she dropped her gaze, feeling uncomfortable. She didn’t want him to know she still found him sexy as hell.
“Hello, Marissa. How are you today?”
“I’m fine,” she replied in a terse voice. She wasn’t trying to be rude, but she didn’t want to talk to the man either.
Riley walked up to the glass counter. She brought her gaze back to his.
“So, you’re working here now?” He spoke in a gentle tone.
“Yes.”
“What’s your job here?” he asked.
She had to look away from his steady gaze. She didn’t want him to know that she was a gemologist or anything else about her, but she couldn’t think of any way to deflect his question.
“I’m watching the store while Cindy and Dave run some errands and have lunch.”
“Okay, then what do you do?” he asked.
“I’m a gemologist.” Why does he need to know?
“Oh, I see.” Riley jammed his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “Have you contacted the inspector’s office yet?”
She glanced back at him. He had a thin smile on his lips. His smile reminded her of when she’d slammed the door in his face, and she suddenly felt ashamed of her behavior.
“Not yet. I will this afternoon,” she replied.
Riley stood there for a few minutes. He looked thoughtful. “Marissa, after Cindy and Dave get back would you like to go across the street with me to The Lunch Box and have lunch?”
She looked at him suspiciously. Her stomach was growling, and she hoped that he didn’t hear it. She’d love to get something to eat. All she’d had so far today was coffee and a granola bar. She remembered her resolve not to accept help of any kind from anyone, plus, she wanted nothing from him. She didn’t even want to be in the same room with him. She didn’t want to fall under another man’s spell, and she didn’t want her emotions to show in any way how attracted she was to him. Though she was cool and calm on the outside, her insides were shaking and going into overdrive at the sight of him.
“No, I have my own lunch.”
“The Lunch Box has great sandwiches. Are you sure you won’t reconsider and join me? I’d love the company.” His voice was deep and sensual, and it sent a ripple of awareness through her. She could get mesmerized by listening to him talk.
She rubbed her hands up and down her arms then crossed her arms over her chest. “No, thank you. I’m fine. Is there a reason you’re here? Can I leave Cindy and Dave a message?”
“I just stopped by to see if they wanted to join me for lunch. I’ll catch up with them later.” Riley turned and walked out the door.
A few minutes later a customer walked in. Glad to have something to occupy her mind, she smiled and said, “Hello. Welcome to Southerlyn’s Jewelry and Gem store. Can I assist you with something?”
Chapter 4
Marissa thought her day would never end, but finally she left the store and walked toward her old Volkswagen. Every time she looked at the vehicle, she was thankful for it, and for the people who had helped her get it. After being discharged from the hospital she’d taken up residence at the home for abused women, and they donated the car to her. It got great gas mileage, and she knew it wouldn’t be long and she would need to get gas, or start walking to work. As she approached the car, someone called out her name.
“Marissa? Is that you?” a voice asked from behind her.
She turned around to see who it was, and she recognized Heidi at once. Marissa couldn’t help but smile. Despite her reservations about being near the people in town, it was nice to see her old friend.
“Hello, Heidi. How are you?” Marissa was surprised to see Heidi still lived in town. In high school, both of them had been counting the days until they could leave Frankenburg and go to college. Heidi had planned to go to Montana State University.
“Marissa. My God, it’s good to see you.” Heidi ran up to Marissa, threw her arms around her, and pulled her into a warm hug. “When did you get back in town?”
“I got back a few weeks ago.”
“So, are you married, do you have children?” Heidi asked. She was all bubbly.
“No, and no,” Marissa answered. Heidi’s red hair was still the same, but she’d gained quite a bit of weight, especially in the hip area.
“Where are you staying?”
“I’m staying at my parents’ home.”
Suddenly five kids stood around her, all with varying degrees of red hair and freckles, each having a trace of Heidi in them.
“How about you?” she asked, looking around at the kids.
“I’ve been married three times and have five kids. Right now, I’m not married. These are my kids, Dan, Lizzie, Debbie, Stephanie, and Robbie.”
Marissa said hello to the children, giving them a small smile, then she looked back at Heidi. Heidi still had that chipper personality.
“Are you busy right now? Why don’t you come over for dinner and we can talk and get caught up?”
Another invitation for something to eat. Should she take advantage of it? What excuse did she have for not going to dinner? There wasn’t any, and she was hungry. What about her resolve not to have anyone help her in any way? Somehow, she didn’
t think that having dinner with Heidi classified as being a charity case.
“If you don’t think I’d be imposing ...”
“No, of course not. We’re right over there. We can just walk,” Heidi said with a big smile. “We’re having ham and scalloped potatoes. Is that okay?”
“That sounds great.” Her mouth watered at the thought, and her stomach growled. She couldn’t wait to dig into it.
When they got to Heidi’s house, she watched as Heidi scurried around the kitchen, getting the meal ready. Marissa offered to help, but Heidi waved her off. After Heidi gave each of the kids a serving and sent them to the living room to eat while watching television, she and Heidi sat at the table and ate. It tasted so good she thought she’d died and gone to heaven. That was the first good meal she’d had in over two weeks.
“So, I know you went to Nevada State University. Did you get your degree there?” Heidi asked.
“Yes. I got a degree as a gemologist. Did you go to Montana State University as you’d planned?”
“Yes, but then I dropped out because I got pregnant with Dan, and Hutch and I got married. What did you do after you got your degree?”
“I worked at a jewelry store that specialized in diamonds. I sat and tested the diamonds to be sure they were real, not faked or flawed, and so on.”
“So did you meet anyone, get involved with someone? You were super shy when you lived here. Did you come out of your shell and meet someone to fall in love with?”
“Yeah, I met someone at the university. His name was Mark. He was the owner’s son at the jewelry store I worked at.”
“You said earlier that you’re single—what happened?” Heidi asked.
“We got divorced.”
“Why?”
“Irreconcilable differences.” She was unwilling to go into details about that relationship. No one needed to know those things.
One of Heidi’s kids ran into the kitchen. “Can I have more, Mom?”
“Yes, give me your plate.” Heidi put more food on the plate, and the girl ran back into the living room. Heidi turned her attention back to Marissa. “What brings you back to Frankenburg after all these years?”
“I needed a new beginning. I own Mom and Dad’s old house, and I have a claim along Red Rock River. So I came back here to start over.” She hoped for a quiet life there, doing what she did best, and no one bothering her. To change the conversation, she asked. “Who is still in town?”
“Well, let’s see. Not many of our classmates moved away from here, but some of our parents have passed. Cindy and Dave got married, and Dave now owns Southerlyn’s Jewelry and Gem. Stephen Hawkins is now an inspector, and he married Marigold and they have three kids. Riley McCade married his high school sweetheart, Rachel Langley, but they got divorced a few years ago. They didn’t have any children though. I married Hutch Benson, and we got divorced a few years after I had all the kids. Riley’s brother, Damian, is the city mayor, and he’s still married to his high school sweetheart, Mary Elizabeth.” Heidi continued naming different people they both knew when they were growing up.
An hour later, with her belly full, Marissa thanked Heidi for the delicious dinner and stood, getting ready to leave.
Heidi said, “Marissa, you must go to the Firemen’s Fried Chicken Feed this Saturday with me and the kids.”
“I don’t have time for that.”
“Come on, it’ll be a chance for us to talk more and eat good chicken.”
She didn’t want to waste any time getting involved in the town’s activities. She would rather spend her free time at the river digging for sapphires and gold. But after considering it, she agreed to go; maybe she could get extra chicken for another dinner later on. “Well, okay. I guess I can go.”
“Cool. Stop by at eleven forty-five and we’ll just walk to it.”
After she left Heidi’s place, she drove home with a satisfied stomach. She was glad she got something to eat. It would make her hunger pains bother her less tonight. She changed out of her work clothes and into her old jeans and top and went out to the old shed behind the rickety garage. She had a hard time getting the door open. It was warped and rotted, but she finally got it to move so that the daylight could illuminate the inside of the building.
She found more buckets that her dad had used to bring the gravel to the house for them to go through. She pulled the buckets apart and checked them for holes. After inspecting them, she stepped further into the shed and found the sluice. She pulled it out and looked it over. It was a long box with a sloping trough, and it had grooves on the bottom where water flowed through and separated the gold from the gravel or sand. It looked as if it was still usable. She set it up and went and got the old hose from the side of the house. She ran the water in the sluice, happy to see that it still worked. Great, I can pan for gold!
She found the pick, the shovel that her dad used, and his rubber gloves. She took everything and put them in the car. The sluice barely fit, but she managed to get it in. She got a set of old clothes and packed it in the car, along with her granola bars and her water jug. Tomorrow after work, she would go to Red Rock River to dig for sapphires and pan for gold.
As she closed the door of the vehicle the sheriff’s cruiser pulled up behind it. What did he want now?
Riley got out and walked over to her. She stood next to her car staring at him, her heart hammering hard in her chest. As he approached, he looked into the car. “Figuring on doing some gold panning?” he asked, with a lopsided grin.
“Yes.”
“Were you able to get ahold of the inspector?”
“Yes. He’ll be by tomorrow morning.”
“Okay, good.” Riley came up and stood in front of her.
She smelled the faint, woodsy aftershave on him. She imagined what it would be like to be in his arms, have him hold her protectively, feeling the warmth, and hear his heart beating. God, what would it feel like to have someone love me? She then realized she was staring at him, and she knew her cheeks went red, so she turned her head away from him.
“Where do you go panning for gold?” Riley asked.
“Up at Red Rock River. My parents owned a claim there. I kept paying on it all these years.”
“I heard there was a lot of good stuff coming out of that river and the mountains nearby.”
“Yeah, I heard that too.”
“How long have you been a gemologist?” Riley asked.
“Since I graduated from the university.”
“Which university did you go to?”
“Nevada State.”
“So Cindy and Dave hiring you was a good investment for them and a job for you.”
“Yes.”
“Have you met up with any of your former friends here?” he asked.
“I caught up with Heidi Carmichael today.”
“Heidi Carmichael? Oh, you mean Heidi Sheldon. She’s been married three times.”
“Yeah, so she told me. I haven’t seen anyone else. I’ve been busy working and trying to get the house in order.”
He stood staring at her for a few seconds, his face looking thoughtful. “Oh, I wanted to tell you about some of the activities we have in town. There are a lot more now than there were when we were kids. This Saturday is the Firemen’s Fried Chicken Feed where we help raise money to help our firemen. Everyone comes out of hibernation from the winter and joins in the fun. In June, Mill Creek Restaurant has the Annual Waffle House event where we come up with money for our flowers and flags to display along the streets. Then also in June is the Barbecue Challenge Kickoff. It’s a charity benefit that goes to feed the needy in our community. There are other activities that come up in July and August. The folks have a lot of fun around here during that time. I hope you can take part in the activities too and get involved.”
“Thanks for telling me.” She would be sure not to be around when those activities came up. She didn’t want to be involved with the community. She wanted to be left alone.
&n
bsp; “Marissa, you’re an attractive woman, but I’m concerned for you. You look thin, like you’re-not-eating thin. Are you okay? Are there medical problems, or other things that are bothering and affecting you?” Riley asked. Sincerity rang through his voice, but could she trust it?
“I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong with me. I’ve always been this skinny.”
“Hmm, I don’t recall you being this thin in high school.” She watched his expression closely as he looked her over. His expression softened and he seemed thoughtful. When she didn’t answer he said, “I guess I should get going. You have a good evening, Marissa.”
“Yeah, you too.”
As Riley strolled over to his cruiser she turned and walked back inside the house. It seemed ironic to her that her ex-husband always told her she was too fat and now Riley was telling her she was too thin.
That evening, she sat in the recliner and flipped on the television. She rarely watched TV. Normally she would be in bed by now, but tonight she was restless. There were few channels to choose from and no good reception either. After finding nothing on the television, she let out a sigh and got ready for bed. She drifted off to sleep and had another nightmare.
“Why would you wear something like that on the boat? You look horrible in it,” Mark said.
“I thought you liked my blue bikini. You always did before.”
“Well, I changed my mind. Looking at you in it now is disgusting. Get me another drink.”
“Do you think you should drink any more if we’re taking the boat out tonight?”
“Who are you to question whether I should drink or not?” he growled.
“I’m just concerned, that’s all. I just thought you might like to wait until we get to the island and then have another drink.”
“When I say I want a drink, I want it now, not later, and not you hassling me about it.”
“Okay.”
She fixed the drink and went to take it to Mark. As she walked up to him, she tripped on the rug that bunched up near him. She didn’t fall, but she spilled the drink on him.
Blue as Sapphires Page 4
