She got the kids tucked into bed, went into the living room, and curled up on the love seat. With the day off tomorrow she could turn her full attention to the children and her parents. All of them, including Karen, needed to get over the Slash Z fiasco and put things back together again.
While Mom had sailed through surgery, she needed help at home during the recovery and adjustment. Dad, still in shock over killing Eugene, hadn’t purged all the guilt he felt, although going public on Luis Padilla’s murder had certainly helped.
Karen sighed. And then there was Cody, who had become more emotional and wired since the Slash Z debacle. He would need a lot of attention.
Only Elizabeth—dear, sweet, beautiful Elizabeth—seemed able to take everything in stride. Karen had watched her daughter closely since arriving home from work, and could find no trauma or suspended reaction to the events they all had witnessed. She hoped it was true. She needed someone in the family besides herself to be on an even keel.
The thought of stability turned Karen’s attention to Kerney. If anyone was solid as a rock, he was. She had liked Kerney when she first met him, and over the past week she had added feelings of respect and an appreciation of his abilities. Mingled in with it was a pleasant feeling of arousal that passed between them every now and then during their long days together. Nothing had been said, but Karen knew it was mutual.
She smiled as the thought of some well-deserved, healthy lovemaking crossed her mind. She had arranged for Kerney to draw a salary through the DA’s office until everything was wrapped up. Maybe she could organize a way to keep Kerney around for a while longer, just to see what developed.
INSTEAD OF a traditional bachelor party hosted by the best man, Jim asked Kerney to organize a picnic. The guest list would be limited to Molly and Karen. The destination was Elderman Meadows, and it would happen on everybody’s next day off.
Kerney agreed. The day before the event he made a special run to Silver City, where he bought every picnic delicacy he could think of, and an expensive hamper complete with utensils, plates, and all necessities—which he planned to leave behind for Jim and Molly when he moved on.
They rode in on the horse trail and reached the meadows just in time to see an elk herd moving into the trees. Nobody spoke until the last animal disappeared from sight.
“It’s too early to eat,” Jim announced.
“What do you propose as an alternative?” Molly asked.
“Let’s find Mexican Hat,” Jim answered.
“Let’s!” Molly exclaimed.
“Find what?” Karen inquired.
“That’s where José and Hector Padilla were going when they came to the meadows,” Kerney explained. “I know where it is.”
“How do you know that?” Jim demanded.
“Instinct.” It was a better answer than bringing up the events at the Slash Z again.
“This I’ve got to see. Lead on,” Jim ordered.
He took them up the middle finger of the meadow and into the forest. Jim sniped that he was lost, until they broke cover at the edge of a crater that slanted into the mountainside.
Sunlight poured into the hollow. The sheer drop-off was shallow, rocky, and barren, but the cavity glistened with the color of mahogany-red and yellow coneflowers.
“This is it?” Jim asked, shaking his head in disbelief. “It doesn’t look like a hat to me. Not even an upside-down hat.”
Molly and Karen started laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“Tell him, Kerney,” Molly said, still giggling. “If you know, that is.”
“See how the flowers are shaped?” Kerney replied. “Like a sombrero. Mexican Hat.”
“I knew that,” Jim said sheepishly.
They tethered the horses and climbed down into the hollow with the picnic hamper, the cooler, and a blanket. Kerney acted as host and served up lunch, which was greeted with delight.
When the meal was finished and the conversation lapsed, Jim and Molly disappeared for a walk in the woods. Karen stretched out on the blanket, her head propped up in her hand. In jeans, a pullover top, and boots, with her hair loose around her face, she watched Kerney as he repacked the hamper.
He closed the lid and looked over at her. On the blanket next to her was a small gift-wrapped box.
“Open it,” she said.
“What are we celebrating?” he asked.
“New friendships.”
Carefully, he unwrapped the present. Inside was an exact duplicate of his rodeo buckle, accurate right down to the inscription and the date.
“It’s wonderful. How did you manage to do this?” he asked, grinning like a kid.
“I tracked down the manufacturer. They keep all their molds of official award buckles. After I explained the situation, they were very happy to oblige.” She handed him a business envelope.
“More?”
“Maybe.”
Inside was an offer from the county manager asking him to serve as the sheriff until a special election could be held. The contract would pay Kerney a nice chunk of money.
“Is this for real?” he asked.
“You bet it is,” Karen replied. “And you get additional fringe benefits to go with it.”
Kerney turned over the letter. It was blank.
“Such as?”
“For one, free housing. You can stay at Jim’s place.”
“Molly and Jim know about this?”
“As do my parents and Jim’s. It was a group decision.”
Kerney smiled broadly and stuck the letter into his shirt pocket. “I’ll see the county manager in the morning. What else?”
Karen smiled shyly. “Dating privileges. Can you two-step with that knee?”
“I can.”
“Can you hold a decent, intelligent conversation with a woman in a bar over drinks?”
“It’s been known to happen.”
“And eat an occasional home-cooked gourmet meal?”
“I believe so.”
“Need I say more?” She held out her hand.
“Are there any more benefits?” Kerney asked as he took her hand in his.
“It all depends on how you define the term,” Karen answered, pulling him closer.
Mexican Hat Page 27
