Blue as Sapphires

by Constance Bretes

  “What?”

  “I liked to go over to that tree there and climb up in it and read.” Marissa pointed at the tree.

  “Really?”

  “Yep.”

  “Wow. Did you like boys when you were my age?” Katy stuck her hands in her pockets and shifted from one foot to the other. She avoided Marissa’s eyes.

  “Yes, I did. I liked them very much.”

  “I do too. But they don’t like me,” Katy said, her shoulders sagged.

  “I know that feeling. The boy I liked wasn’t even aware that I existed.” Marissa smiled.

  “This boy I like, his name is Jeff, but he likes Lizzie,” she said sadly.

  “Lizzie Benson?”

  “Yes. She’s my best friend.”

  “Oh boy, that’s a triangle, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. Who was the boy you liked?” Katy asked.

  “The boy I liked was Riley McCade.”

  “You mean the sheriff?” Katy’s eyes widen.

  “Yep, he’s the one.”

  “Mom and Dad said something about him liking you. He’s cool-looking. Was he handsome when he was a boy?”

  “He was very handsome then, and he still is.”

  “Did you wish you guys would have been together forever?”

  “Uh-huh. Let me show you something.” Marissa took Katy out to the tree. “See this here? I carved this when I was sitting in the tree one day.”

  Katy traced the carving with her finger. “MS loves RM 4 ever. Wow, that’s cool.”

  “No one knows it’s there, so it’s a secret.”

  “Can I write mine there near yours?”

  “Sure. If you’d like.” Marissa smiled.

  “Okay, then it will be our secret.”

  Marissa and Katy shook hands on it.

  Marissa looked to her driveway as a truck pulled in, and the driver blew the horn. The sign on the side of the truck said Tenecyke Plumbing.

  “Hi, Miles,” Marissa said as he got out of the truck and walked toward her.

  “Hey, Marissa. How are you doing?” He reached out, grabbed Marissa, and pulled her into a bear hug.

  “I’m doing well. This is Katy, Dave and Cindy’s daughter. She’s staying with me for the day.”

  “Yeah, I know Katy. Hi.”

  “Hi,” Katy said.

  “So you have a hot water heater problem,” Miles said.

  “Yes, come on in and I’ll show you.”

  “How long has it not been working?”

  “Years.”

  “Oh.

  “I think it stopped working when my parents were still living in the house the last year before they died.”

  “Okay.”

  “Um, listen Miles, I don’t have a lot of money, and I hope I can get this done as cheaply as possible.”

  “I’ll see what I can do for you.” Miles smiled.

  Marissa led him into the utility room and showed him the hot water heater. She left and went to the kitchen to wait for him. Taking a seat at the table, she looked out the window and watched as Katy sat in the tree, carving her name near hers. Marissa smiled; she understood those awkward teenage years and knew how rough they could be.

  Miles was in the utility room for about fifteen minutes before he came out and sat down across from Marissa.

  “Well, the bad news is that the hot water tank is shot. It’s rusted out. You’re going to need a new one.”

  Marissa sighed. “How much would that run me?”

  “A new hot water heater runs anywhere from three to five hundred. That includes delivery, set up, and labor cost.”

  “Wow! I didn’t expect it to cost that much.” She bit her lip.

  “What price range were you hoping for?” Miles asked.

  “I have three hundred.”

  “Hmm…I could get you a used one for one-fifty to two hundred, and fifty for labor cost. How would that do?”

  “Is there any kind of warranty with it?” Marissa asked.

  “No, but the used brand I have at my store right now is a well-known brand and a good product.”

  “That would work on my budget.”

  “I can go to the store right now and get it and bring it back and install it. You would have hot water by early afternoon.”

  “That sounds great, Miles. I appreciate it.” She smiled widely.

  “Okay, I’ll be back in a half hour.” Miles stood and headed for the door.

  Marissa and Katy were sitting on the porch, searching through the rocks for sapphires, when Miles returned. As he unloaded the hot water heater, Marissa asked Katy, “Are you hungry for lunch?”

  “Yeah,” she answered.

  “Let’s go in and have soup and sandwiches.”

  Katy and Marissa had just finished their lunch when Miles came into the kitchen and said, “Your hot water tank is hooked up and running. You should have hot water in about an hour.”

  Marissa smiled. “Thanks so much.”

  Marissa paid Miles, and he left.

  “It will be so wonderful to be able to take a shower in the mornings,” Marissa said to Katy.

  “You’ve been without hot water all this time?” Katy asked.

  “Yep. I had to wait until I got money saved up to get it fixed, but he couldn’t fix the one I had, so he installed a used one for me.”

  “How did you get by without hot water?” Katy knitted her eyebrows together and had a puzzled expression on her face.

  “I boiled water on the stove.”

  “Oh. Good thing your bathroom isn’t far from the kitchen.”

  The rest of the day went by quickly, and Katy’s parents returned from Missoula to pick her up.

  “I hope she wasn’t too much trouble for you,” Cindy said.

  “She was no problem at all.”

  “Would you like to go out for dinner with us?” Dave asked.

  “Oh, no. I have plans,” Marissa answered.

  “A hot date?” Dave asked.

  “Hmm, don’t think you’d call it a hot date.” Marissa smiled.

  “Dave, really. It’s none of your business.” Cindy gave him a frosty look.

  “Well, if it’s with Riley, I fully approve of the relationship,” Dave quipped.

  “Dave!” Cindy glared at him, and he laughed.

  Marissa smiled but didn’t say anything. After Dave, Cindy, and Katy left, Marissa went into the bathroom and took a nice, long, hot shower, then got ready for her date with Riley.

  She wasn’t sure that she agreed with Dave and approved of this evening she was spending with Riley. Her mind was telling her to run the other way from him, but her heart was secretly excited about the idea of a date with Riley, the boy of her dreams when she was a child.

  Stop. You’re not a child anymore, and neither is he. You need to grow up and stop thinking like a child.

  She decided she’d wear her hair down and put on a nice top and a pair of jeans. She wore flat shoes, something she thought she could dance in, and hoped she didn’t fall on her face, making a fool of herself.

  Chapter 11

  Riley stepped out of the shower and dried off. He walked into the bedroom and put on a western shirt, a pair of jeans, and his western boots.

  He was excited at the prospect of going out with Marissa. She was reluctant to go out with him, and he wondered why. Each time he saw her, his feelings tipped on the emotional scales. He had to admit that he liked a mystery, and she was a mystery. He hoped he could break through the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers and dig a little deeper to find out more about her. He knew there was something that had deeply affected her, something she wasn’t willing to talk about. He could see by the way she conducted herself that she was fiercely independent yet withdrawn and quiet.

  He started to investigate Heartland Diamonds but got sidetracked by other work priorities. Maybe he’d get back at it this week. He wondered if she knew more about the smuggled diamonds than she was letting on, or perhaps she was covering up for someone else. He
didn’t get the impression from her that she would do anything illegal. He wanted to check her story out because she had brought it up when they went to lunch.

  Riley left his house and pulled into Marissa’s driveway. He got out of his truck, walked up to her house, and knocked at her door.

  Marissa opened the door slightly and peeked out. “Hi,” she said, opening the door wider.

  “Hello, Marissa.”

  “I’ll be ready in just a second. I want to grab my jacket.”

  “Okay.” He was glad she’d left her hair down. The soft blonde curls cascaded down her shoulders and her back.

  When Marissa came out of the bedroom with her jacket on, Riley looked her over appreciatively.

  “You look nice, Marissa.”

  “Thanks.”

  “It looks like you got the house fixed up good here.” Riley looked around the inside of the home and noted that everything looked squeaky clean.

  “It took a couple of weeks, but I finally got it all cleaned and got rid of the dust and dirt.”

  He looked at the boxes stacked on the wall. “Are you moving or something?”

  “No, just clearing stuff from the house I no longer need or want. I’ll give it to Goodwill. Are you ready?”

  “Yes, let’s go.”

  They got into Riley’s truck, and he backed out of the driveway.

  “Where are we going?” Marissa peered at him with a sidelong glance.

  “Rock Creek Inn. They have great food and a nice area to dance to slow country music. It’s rustic-looking and old-fashioned, but I enjoy it.”

  “Okay.”

  Riley pulled his truck out on Highway 17 heading north past Frankenburg. “How was babysitting Katy today?”

  “It was fine. She’s a good, sweet girl,” Marissa said. “She enjoys going through the rocks to look for sapphires, reminds me of myself at her age.”

  “What do you intend to do with the sapphires you find?” Riley asked.

  “I’m faceting them so I can sell them.”

  “Do you have someone in mind to sell them to, like maybe Dave?”

  “No. I have someone I deal with exclusively.”

  “Really, and the gold too?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who is the person, or what is the name of the company you work with?” he asked.

  “I’m not at liberty to share any information about this person. They want anonymity.”

  “Was that a faceting machine you have on your dining room table?”

  “Yes, I bought an old used one from Dave.”

  “Do you get more money for faceted stones?”

  “Yes.”

  Riley pulled into the parking lot, and they climbed out of the truck. He came over to the passenger side and put his hand on the small of her back to guide her to the entrance. They walked into a small alcove that led into a huge red barn. Riley remembered when the barn was converted into a restaurant shortly after he returned from doing his time in the military.

  Inside the door was a podium, and a hostess stood there to seat the customers. “Hello, Sheriff. How many tonight?” she asked with a knowing smile.

  Riley knew the hostess was remembering the last time he’d brought someone there, and he gave her a don’t-go-there look. “Just two of us.”

  The hostess looked at the chart on the podium and then said, “Okay, follow me, please.”

  She led them into the barn and across the dining room to the opposite end. The table she seated them at was in front of the window and next to the fireplace. Riley pulled out the chair for Marissa and as she sat, he pushed the chair in for her, and then he sat next to her.

  “It’s been a while since we’ve seen you, Sheriff,” the hostess said as she handed both of them a menu. “I believe the last time you were here you were—”

  “Yes, it has been a while,” Riley said, cutting her off. “I’ve been busy lately.”

  The hostess smiled at him, a twinkle in her eyes. “Well, we’re glad to see you again. Your server, Anne, will be here in a few minutes.”

  “Thank you.” Riley eyed her as she walked away giggling softly.

  “Is there something going on that I don’t know about?” Marissa asked.

  “No, just an embarrassing incident that happened the last time I brought someone here,” he said in a quiet voice.

  “Oh. Well, I’ll try not to embarrass you.”

  “You won’t. Not like that anyway.”

  They looked over the menu, and Marissa asked, “What do you recommend?”

  “Their steak dinners are great. They have ribs and great salads too,” Riley answered.

  “What are you going to have?”

  “I think I’m going to have the twelve-ounce Angus steak. Marissa.” Riley reached over and grasped her hand. “You can have anything you want.”

  “Okay, I think I’d like the six-ounce Angus steak.”

  Riley smiled. “The beef here comes from the ranches right here in Montana.”

  The waitress came by the table and asked, “Can I start you out with something to drink from the bar, or fountain drinks, coffee, or tea?”

  “Iced tea with a lemon for me, please,” Marissa said.

  “I’d like iced tea too,” Riley said.

  “I’ll be right back with your drinks.”

  The waitress brought back their drinks and took their orders.

  “Help yourself to the salad bar. It’s all you can eat,” she said and went to put their orders in.

  * * * *

  Marissa noticed that it was chilly, but the fireplace was lit and the heat filtered the area. She looked around the room. The tables were covered with green linen tablecloths with place mats and goblets with napkins folded like tulips inside them. The chairs were wooden with padded backing and seating cushions. The middle of the room was the dance area.

  Marissa took her jacket off, hung it over her chair with her purse, and got up. She and Riley walked to the salad bar, which was a huge bar that went the full length of the wall. They got their salads, came back to their table, and ate. The lights dimmed, and the disc jockey started the old-time country music, encouraging people to get out and dance.

  After Marissa finished her salad, she realized how nervous she was. Her hands were shaking and her stomach was flipping the food around and causing butterflies. She really wanted to enjoy the evening with Riley, but her nerves were getting the better of her. She fidgeted with her hands a few times and then folded them in her lap.

  “Marissa, why are you so nervous? Calm down.” Riley reached over and took her hand, brought it to the table, and held it. “You’re shaking. Are you chilled?”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “Why are you so nervous?”

  “It’s been a while since I went out with anyone,” Marissa admitted in a low voice.

  “I don’t understand why someone as beautiful as you doesn’t have a line of guys beating a path to your door.”

  “I wouldn’t date them if I did,” Marissa said with a slight smile.

  “After you graduated from the university, you went to work for Heartland Diamonds. How long were you there?”

  “I worked for them for ten years, then I quit.”

  “Why did you quit?”

  “I…uh, per…personal reasons I’d rather not go into now,” Marissa stuttered.

  “Okay. Your dad, didn’t he work for the University of Montana?”

  “Yes, he did. He worked there for thirty years before retiring.”

  “I think someone said that they left after you went off to college.”

  “Yes, they moved their primary residence to Florida and only came to Montana in the summer. It was warmer for my mom, and they had a lot of friends there.”

  “What happened to them?”

  “They were coming home one night from a party, and a drunk driver hit them, killed them instantly.”

  “Wow, that’s got to be hard to take,” Riley said.

  “Yes, it wa
s. I was devastated when that happened. They were all I had to turn to.”

  “Turn to for what?”

  “My problems and heartache.”

  “Mmm, I see.” Riley continued to hold Marissa’s hand gently. The touch of his hand was warm, and almost unbearable in its tenderness.

  The waitress brought their food to the table and then went to refill their drinks. He withdrew his hand to eat his meal, and she had an instant chill.

  They were silent for a few minutes while taking a bite of their food. Marissa looked around the restaurant and noticed people looking over at them.

  “Why are people staring at us?” she asked.

  “Maybe they’re thinking I’m here with a beautiful woman.”

  Marissa rolled her eyes.

  “Well, most everyone here knows me, and they may not recognize you. I had a rather embarrassing situation the last time I was here. Everyone in town knew about it.”

  Marissa didn’t like being under the spotlight where everyone was staring and watching what they were doing. “What happened?” she asked.

  “I brought a woman here for dinner, and she started drinking and got drunk. She would go onto the dance floor and dance by herself if I didn’t dance with her. Then she began doing a striptease. I had a hell of a time getting her to leave. I’m sure folks are looking at me and remembering that more than they are looking at you. So relax, and just pretend they’re not here.”

  Marissa went back to eating her steak. “This is really good,” she commented.

  “How many times were you married?” Riley asked.

  “Just once. Won’t ever happen again,” Marissa said, a trace of bitterness in her voice.

  “What won’t happen again, you getting married or getting involved with anyone?”

  “Both.” I’d love to be involved with you if I could trust a man again.

  “What happened to dissolve the marriage?”

  “Things I don’t want to discuss right now.” Think...what can we talk about to get away from this subject? “You told me a few weeks ago about some upcoming events. What were they again?”

  “Next week we’ll have the Annual Waffle House event at Mill Creek Restaurant where the money donations go to the purchase of flowers and flags on Main Street. Then, the end of June we have the BBQ Challenge Kickoff. A charitable benefit that takes food and money donations to feed the hungry in the winter months.”