“Is the Annual Waffle House event the same as the Firemen’s Fried Chicken Feed we had a few weeks ago?”
“Something like that. But the Mill Creek Restaurant opens its doors at five in the morning, and everyone is fed waffles for a donation of five dollars per family. Where the Firemen’s Chicken Feed donations go to cover costs and upkeep for the fire department. The opera house opens soon. They do two or three plays during the summer. Let’s see, we will have the Fourth of July parade, and we will have an antique car show going on in July. In August, we’ll have a live concert and a Shakespeare in the Park.”
“There are a lot more activities now compared to what we had when we were kids,” Marissa commented.
“Yeah, the community felt the need to add more fun events to keep the people here in Frankenburg and to help raise money for certain things.”
“The opera house—is that done by young students, or do they have adults performing?”
“A little of both. Mostly it’s adults, but there are some high school students performing as well. The high school also does a play every year, and they use the opera house to perform in, rather than the gym.”
They finished their dinner, and the waitress came, took their plates away, and refilled their drinks again.
“Would you like to dance?” Riley asked.
“Um, I don’t know how to dance.”
“It’s a slow dance. Just follow my lead.”
“Is this another way of getting close to me?” Marissa asked.
“Is it working?” Riley got up, took Marissa’s hand, and led her to the dance floor.
The warm touch of his hand over hers sent sparks up her arm and made her giddy. When they reached the dance floor Riley brought her hand up close to his heart and wrapped his other hand around her waist. She moved in step with him, but was tense and would not come in closer than the inch space that was already between them.
“Relax, Marissa. I’m not going to bite you,” Riley whispered in her ear.
Marissa relaxed, and he moved in closer to her so that their bodies were touching. She felt a whirlwind of different emotions as she danced with Riley. She noticed that all eyes were on them. She tried to shift her focus away from the prying eyes, and she closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of him.
Another song came on, and he showed no signs of wanting to go back to the table, so they continued dancing. His hand gently caressed her back, and each touch set off its own little fireworks. She had never had such sensitivity and tenderness with Mark. What had she been missing? Did Riley make all women feel this way when he dated them, or was it just her?
Everything was new to her, and yet so pleasant. Yes, that’s the word she was looking for...pleasant. Just as the song was ending, Riley turned his head near her ear and kissed her neck just below her earlobe. It sent a jolt of pleasure through her like she had never experienced before. Too soon, they broke apart to go back to the table. She was conscious of his body near her and could feel his heat. It was intoxicating. She felt safe.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Riley asked.
“No. It was nice,” Marissa answered. She hoped he didn’t notice the tremor in her voice.
Riley held her hand as they sat at the table, and he stared into her eyes. She wanted to look away, but his eyes held hers captive. He leaned over and gave her a light kiss on the lips.
“You have the most beautiful blue eyes. They’re like blue sapphires,” he said softly.
Marissa could hear her heart going thud, thud, thud. She was so enraptured with him sitting next to her, staring into her eyes, his warm, strong hand wrapped around hers.
Soon the waitress broke their spell. “Can I get you anything else?” she asked.
Riley asked Marissa, “Would you like some dessert?”
“No. I’m fine, thank you. I’m quite full.”
He looked up at the waitress. “I think we’re all set, thank you.”
“Then I’ll bring your bill, and you can pay when you’re ready.” She walked away.
“Thank you, Riley, for the delicious dinner and the company,” Marissa said.
“Thank you for agreeing to come with me. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure this night would ever happen. You almost seemed to be dead set against it.” His voice was calm, his gaze steady.
“Yes, well. I haven’t dated in a long time, and I was nervous.”
“So, tomorrow you’re having tea with Mrs. Buell,” Riley said.
“Yes, I’m looking forward to the visit. She’s such a wonderful person. She nurtured my love for reading by giving me books to read that were beyond the fifth grade level.”
“What kind of books did you like to read back then?”
“Oh, all kinds of books.”
“Compared to what’s out on the market now, I didn’t think there were a lot of books available to read back then.”
“Yes, there were all the classics, and I’ve read many of them. You know, Huckleberry Finn, Alice in Wonderland, To Kill a Mockingbird, and so on. I also read practically all of the Nancy Drew books.”
“I always remembered those as books we had to read as part of our reading assignments.”
The waitress brought the bill to the table, and after Riley paid it they got up to leave. He put his Stetson on and helped Marissa with her jacket. She grabbed her purse, and they walked out of the restaurant and to his truck.
The drive back to Marissa’s house was quiet. When they arrived Riley helped Marissa out of the truck and walked her to the door.
“Thanks again for the dinner and the dance, Riley.”
“You’re welcome. I hope we can do it again soon if that’s okay with you.”
“I’d like that.” Her voice was shakier than she would have liked. She hoped he didn’t notice.
“Okay. We’ll go out for dinner and go to the opera house afterward in a few weeks.”
Marissa dug the key out of her purse and unlocked the door then turned around to face Riley.
Riley rested his hands on her shoulders. He leaned over and tenderly kissed her lips. Then he gradually increased the pressure of his lips until she parted hers. His tongue dipped inside her mouth, which startled her a little, but she quickly relaxed. She moved her hands around his waist as he pulled her into him. He placed his hands on her back and held her firmly against him. She could feel her breasts pressed against his hard, muscled chest, and her nipples were hard.
He lifted his mouth from hers and stared down at her lips. He smiled. “I better go now. I’ll talk to you sometime this week,” he said, barely whispering.
“Okay.” She reluctantly pulled out of his embrace, turned, walked into her house, and closed the door. A second later, she heard his truck back out of the driveway.
When she went to bed that night, she reminisced about the evening. Riley had acted as a true gentleman and was gentle with her all evening. He didn’t do anything out of bounds or anything he knew she wouldn’t enjoy. She was happy. Something she hadn’t been in a long time. But was it real? Did he really mean everything he said to her tonight? How was she going to overcome all these self-doubts?
Chapter 12
Riley backed out of Marissa’s driveway and drove up the road to his home. He pulled into his driveway and parked behind his house. He walked in the back door and walked through the house to his front porch. He looked down at the house he’d just came from. Something told him he needed to go slow and gentle with Marissa. She was ultra-sensitive, and it wouldn’t take much to scare her away. Something happened to her, and she didn’t trust easily. He had to build her trust in him. He didn’t understand why it was so important to him that she trusted him, or why he was so interested in her. All he could think was that she was beautiful, and there were no barriers between them except the barriers she had erected.
He loved the feel of her in his arms when they were dancing. He loved the scent of her hair—it smelled of honey. Her body was lithe but strong when he could get her to rel
ax. She wouldn’t talk about her divorce, which indicated to him it was a messy affair. Maybe even abuse in the relationship? He wasn’t sure, but he had resources to find out, and when he had a few minutes, he would certainly investigate the situation. Especially her tie to Heartland Diamonds. He wondered if she got caught up in a bad way and was trying to get away from it. Too many questions, and not enough answers, and he knew that right now, those answers would not come from Marissa.
He didn’t believe that she was a mole or was involved in Heartland Diamonds’ downfall, but he sensed that she was hiding something.
He had an unusual fondness for kissing. Sometimes he wondered if he could kiss everything in sight. Her lips were so soft and gentle. He noticed her lower lip was fuller than her upper one. He could be in a lip-lock with her for hours. At least that quirkiness was something the guys didn’t know and could razz him about.
* * * *
Marissa called Campbell on his cellphone Sunday morning.
“Hello?” he answered.
“Hey, Campbell, this is Marissa. I’ll be out at the site around four this afternoon. I have a prior engagement at one.”
“Another date with the sheriff?”
Marissa laughed. “No. I’m meeting my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Buell, for afternoon tea.”
“How did your date with the sheriff go last night?”
“It was good. We had a nice time. We went to Rock Creek Inn.”
“That’s a fancy restaurant.”
“Yeah, it is. They had this deejay who played country music from back in the fifties.”
“I’m glad you had a good time. Don’t worry about getting out to the site on time. I’ll be there most of the day, and I’ll get a few of your buckets filled. You enjoy your tea.”
“Thanks, Campbell. I’ll see you later.”
She arrived right at one and knocked on Mrs. Buell’s door. A few minutes later, Mrs. Buell answered the door.
“Hello, Marissa! You didn’t forget. Come on in.” Mrs. Buell opened the door excitedly for Marissa.
“Hello, Mrs. Buell. Of course I didn’t forget. How have you been?” Marissa asked as she leaned over and gave her a hug.
“I’ve been doing fine. I’m so glad you’re here. Let’s have a seat in the dining room. I’ve got hot water for our tea.”
Marissa sat in the chair at the dining room table. Mrs. Buell went to the kitchen and returned with a tray that had a teapot on it, two antique flowery cups, tea bags, petit fours, and spoons.
“Do you take cream and sugar with your tea?” she asked as she set the tray on the table.
“No, just plain for me.”
Mrs. Buell sat, and they both put the tea bags in their cups of hot water.
“So, my dear, what have you been doing since you left Frankenburg?”
“Not too much. I went to Nevada State University and got my degree in gemology. I worked for Heartland Diamonds until earlier this year.”
“Heartland Diamonds. I think I’ve heard of them. Are they in some sort of trouble? Or am I thinking of something else?”
“No. Heartland Diamonds is in trouble right now. They were accused of smuggling diamonds from Africa and are under investigation by the US Attorney General’s office.”
“Were you involved in any way?”
“No. I didn’t know where the diamonds came from. All I did was test each one and grade them based on quality.”
“That’s good. They can’t come at you then.”
“I hope they can’t.” Marissa pulled the tea bag out of her cup and placed it on the saucer.
“Did you work only there, or did you work at other places?”
“Just there. Mr. Simpson, my ex-father-in-law, hired me right from the university. I don’t know if he saw someone stupid he could control and manipulate or if he actually thought I could do something.”
“I doubt they saw anything stupid in you, my dear. I think he knew exactly who he was hiring—someone very competent and capable.”
“Thanks.” Marissa took a sip of her tea.
“Do you still like to read?” Mrs. Buell asked.
“Yes, I do. But I don’t have time to right now between my work with Southerlyn’s and my digging at the river. In addition, everyone’s suddenly wanting to be friends with me again.”
“Well, we all remember what a dear, sweet person you were, so it’s only natural we want to see you. Have you found any good gems at the river?”
“Yes, I found some very good gems. I’m going to contact my buyer this week and arrange to meet and sell them.”
“Who’s your buyer, if you don’t mind my being nosy?”
“Of course not, but I’m not at liberty to reveal my source right now as the person wishes not to be mentioned.”
“Is there any truth that you’ve been seen with Riley McCade a few times since you’ve been back?”
“I went to lunch with him last week and had dinner with him last night.” Who is starting all these rumors?
Mrs. Buell smiled. “That’s wonderful, dear. He’s a great sheriff and a very good man. Handsome too. I think you two make a wonderful couple.”
“Oh, we’re far from being a couple, Mrs. Buell. I’m not interested in getting involved with anyone.”
“Why’s that?”
“I’m just not interested right now,” Marissa said.
“Nonsense. Of course you’re interested. What woman wouldn’t be interested in a man like Riley?”
Even Mrs. Buell thinks highly of Riley. Could I be wrong in my view of him?
“So what do you do with your time now that you’re retired?” Marissa asked, changing the subject.
“I’m one of the directors for the opera house. I help with the acting and singing part. That’s usually every morning. I joined a ladies group that gets together two afternoons a week to have tea and talk about what we’ve been reading. Then I have my tea social times on Sundays. And I go to church—I’m a part of the Bible study group there. We donate our time to various social events, such as the Annual Waffle House event that’s coming up at the Mill Creek Restaurant. We help seat the people and serve coffee, water, tea, and stuff like that. It helps the waitresses so all they need to do is keep the food coming.”
“Sounds like you’re quite involved in the community.”
“Yes, I am. I think you should be too.”
“I’m too busy right now, but maybe later on, down the road.”
Marissa and Mrs. Buell continued to talk about different things until it came time for Marissa to leave and get ready for digging at Red Rock River.
“It was wonderful to meet up with you, Mrs. Buell. Thank you so much for the tea.”
“You are welcome, my dear. We will do this again, and I know I’ll be seeing you around town here and there.” She smiled at Marissa.
Marissa headed home, where she changed her clothes, and then headed out to Red Rock River.
She pulled her car up beside Campbell’s truck and parked it. “Hey. How’s it going?” she asked as she walked up to him.
“Pretty good. Did you talk to the sheriff about them boys over there?” He pointed at the trommel where the Ferguson boys were standing.
“Yes, he told me they were dangerous. Have they been bothering you?”
“No. Just shooting off their guns and their mouths. You don’t have to do this. We can suspend our work until these men are done, or the sheriff is able to get them to leave.”
“Are they shooting over here at you?”
“No. It looks like they’re target shooting. I was told by the sheriff that they use this as a way to intimidate people so they can get to other people’s land or get their gold, gems, and stuff.”
“Well, I’m not going to let them chase me away. As long as the bullets don’t land here, I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” Marissa said, looking over to where the trommel was.
“Let’s go to your property and work there first. Maybe they’ll get bored and leave by th
e time we get back to my property.”
“Okay, that sounds good,” Marissa agreed.
They drove their vehicles and equipment over to Marissa’s property. She set the sluice in the river, then came back, and they dug and shook the gravel and dirt for about an hour. They took a break and then moved everything back to Campbell’s area. The men who were at the trommel next to Campbell’s property had left, so Campbell and Marissa worked the rest of the afternoon there.
While they were working, the men came back to the trommel and fired off their guns, target practicing again. One bullet hit the dirt near them and ricocheted off a rock in the ground.
“That was just too damn close. I’m calling the sheriff.” Campbell’s expression clouded in anger, and he pulled out his cellphone. While he was on the phone, Joe Ferguson walked over and gave Marissa the once-over.
“Hello there. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I accidently fired a shot off this way.”
“Mmm-hmm. I’m sure it was an accident,” Marissa said, raking her gaze over him as he came closer until he was standing next to her.
“Who’s he calling?” Joe asked.
“The sheriff,” Marissa answered.
“Oh, well. We’ll be taking off now. Sorry again,” he said as he turned to walk away.
“The sheriff will be here in a few minutes, Ferguson. Sure you don’t want to wait around and give him your excuse for firing your gun over here at us?”
Joe stopped and spun around to face Campbell. “I didn’t fire my gun at you.”
“Hell you didn’t. Or are you admitting that you don’t know how the hell to fire a gun?”
“I have a hard time swallowing that too,” Marissa added.
“There’s no evidence of a bullet fired over here.”
“Hell there ain’t, and you ain’t going near it. We’ll let the sheriff collect it and use it as evidence against you,” Campbell said, agitated.
Joe laughed. “Evidence for what? I said it was an accident, and it won’t happen again. There was no harm done.”
“Shooting at people ain’t no accident,” Campbell said.
“The bullet was not even near you. It went way over there!” Joe said, trying to act as if it was an incredulous claim.
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