by Gerri Hill
“Speaking of that, when are you going to show me what you’ve done?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Kate. Maybe I’ll be like you. You won’t let me even peek at your books until they’re finished.”
“And maybe that was a mistake. Maybe the last one wouldn’t have sucked if I’d let you read it first.”
Brenda raised her eyebrows.
“Okay, the last two, then.”
Brenda nodded. “I really hope you’ll be able to write here, darling. I think being out here will allow you to clear your mind.”
“Why do you think my mind needs clearing?”
Brenda lowered her coffee cup, looking Kate straight in the eyes. “Because you’ve not been writing, and because your last few were stinkers. I think you need to refocus, get something fresh going.”
“Stinkers?”
“No offense, darling, but yes, stinkers.”
Kate went to refill her coffee, nodding. “You’re right. They stunk. I just feel like I’m muddling along in their lives, not going anywhere. I mean, I hardly know these characters anymore.”
“And that’s exactly how the last few books have panned out. And as a fan who has read every book you’ve written, I didn’t recognize the characters, either. My only advice, because as you know, I’m not a writer, is to do something with them. I mean, move them along in their relationship or have them end this silly cat-and- mouse they’ve been doing.”
“Silly?”
“Yes, silly. At the beginning, you wanted them to get together and it was cute how they pretended to be married. Even your take on their flirting seemed real, even though I know you have no idea how to flirt with a guy.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean that in a nice way, darling, but you’re gay. And even though you pretend to be straight sometimes, you’re still gay. And I have been around you in straight bars before and you have no clue.”
“I do not pretend to be straight!”
“Darling, your publisher doesn’t know you’re gay. Hell, some of your so-called friends don’t know you’re gay.”
“Brenda, just because I don’t announce it to them doesn’t mean they don’t know.”
Brenda dismissed her comment with a wave of her hand. “As usual, we are talking in circles about this subject. And if you choose to be secretive about it, that’s your business. But we were talking about Jennifer and Paul.”
Kate nodded. “So you’re tired of their flirting?”
“Darling, after six books and they’ve not even kissed . . . yes, it’s time to move on.”
“That’s just it. I don’t know where to go. It just doesn’t feel right to have them as a real couple. I mean a real couple that has sex. You know, I view them almost as a brother and sister, so to make their relationship sexual is just gross.”
Brenda patted her hand. “You’ll think of something, but please don’t keep it going in the same direction. I’m not sure your readers could suffer through another one.”
Kate stared out the windows, the sun now fully over the cliffs, the gentle pinks of the canyons changing to a brighter orange. She couldn’t decide which color was more beautiful.
“I think I’ll take a few days to relax, Brenda, then open up the book again. You may be right. This could be good for me out here.”
“We’ll have a grand time, darling. In fact—”
Her sentence was cut short by a quick knock on the patio door only seconds before it opened.
Brenda smiled. “That’ll be Harmony.”
“Good Lord, it’s barely six.”
A petite woman with long flowing blond hair walked in, her white sundress reaching below her knees. She paused, taking a deep breath.
“Ahhh, piñon,” she murmured, closing her eyes. She then looked up, nodding briefly at Kate. “How are you this morning, Simone?”
Kate’s eyes widened and she quickly looked behind them, wondering who the hell Simone was. Her eyes widened further when Brenda answered her.
“So wonderful, Harmony. Good morning to you. This is my friend, Kate. Kate, this is Harmony.”
Kate stared, trying to force a smile onto her face. “Hello . . .Harmony.”
“Oh my.” Harmony spread her arms. “Such negative energy, Simone. Do you feel it?”
“Oh, yes.”
Harmony held out her hand to Kate. “Here, take this. Squeeze it. Feel the energy.”
Kate opened her palm, seeing the stone that Harmony had placed there. She arched one eyebrow. “It’s a rock,” she said dryly.
The audible gasp from Harmony nearly caused Kate to laugh, but she bit her lip, fingering the stone in her hands.
“That is no rock. That is an elestial crystal. It is very powerful.” She then snatched the stone from Kate’s open palm. “Perhaps you’re not quite ready. Your negative energy is very strong.”
Kate opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. She turned to Brenda, eyebrows raised.
Brenda smiled, giving Kate a subtle wink.
“We should go, Simone. The colors will fade soon.”
“I’m ready. My bag is already on the deck.” Brenda turned to Kate. “Time for my lesson. I’ll be back before noon, so make yourself at home. We’ll eat lunch in Coyote, and I’ll show you around.” Kate nodded silently, her frown more pronounced as the two women walked out onto the deck.
Simone? Who the hell is Simone?
Chapter Six
“That’s the only grocery store in town,” Brenda pointed as they drove slowly down the main street of Coyote.
“Why does she call you Simone? Furthermore, why do you answer to it?”
“Will you get over the Simone thing already! It’s just what she calls me, darling. Can’t you leave it at that?”
“But it’s not your name,” Kate said for the fourth time.
Brenda loosened her grip on the steering wheel and squeezed Kate’s leg affectionately. “Perhaps we need to work on your negative energy. Bad karma, Harmony says.”
“Bad karma, my ass,” Kate muttered.
Brenda laughed. “That’s my Kate.” Then she pulled over to the curb and pointed. “The best bakery I have ever been in. Their pastries are out of this world, but it’s the lunch menu that draws most. Green chilies on practically everything, so be prepared.”
“I like spicy food.”
“Yes, but this is not Tex-Mex.” Brenda opened her door, then stopped. “Oh, my,” she whispered. “Look. Have you ever seen a sexier sight?”
Kate followed her gaze, watching long bare legs swing out of a dusty Jeep. Her eyes moved past scuffed hiking boots and up very toned thighs, her mind not quite acknowledging the gun and holster strapped to the woman’s waist. A brilliant white sleeveless shirt contrasted nicely with her healthy tan but it was the hazel, laughing eyes that held Kate’s attention as the woman pulled her sunglasses off.
“Brenda! Good to see you,” the woman said as she walked toward their car.
“Lee,” Brenda greeted. She got out, motioning for Kate to do the same. “I want you to meet my friend, Kate.”
Lee bent at the waist, peering into the car as Kate fumbled with the door. Lee opened it for her, stepping back as an embarrassed Kate crawled from the car. This was the sex maniac sheriff?
“Thank you.”
Lee grinned. “All my pleasure.”
“Kate, this is Lee, the county sheriff. Lee, Kate Winters.”
“I’ve read your books, Miss Winters. Well, I don’t think I’ve managed to get through the last one yet. Very nice to meet you.”
Kate stared at the hand that was held out to her. She was nearly afraid to touch it. But she politely extended her own, surprised at its softness.
“Nice to meet you too. Brenda has told me a little about you.” Kate could hear the distaste in her own voice and hoped this woman wouldn’t notice. She didn’t intend to be rude to the sex maniac.
Again, the laughing eyes captured Kate’s. “She has?” Lee turned to Bre
nda. “Spreading nasty rumors, Simone?”
“Hardly rumors and hardly nasty, darling.” Brenda glanced down the sidewalk. “In fact, I believe here comes a member of your fan club now.”
“Sheriff Foxx! There you are!”
Kate’s eyebrows shot up as she realized the woman was barely out of her teens. Sheriff Foxx? Surely to God that couldn’t be her real name. Foxx?
“What can I do for you?”
“I’m Tiffany’s friend. Erin.”
“Tiffany?”
“From last night.”
Lee nodded. “Oh, yes. That Tiffany.”
“Well, I’m having some . . . some car trouble. I thought maybe you could help me. Tiffany said you were very good with your hands.”
Lee smiled. “Of course.” She turned back to Brenda and Kate. “Duty calls, ladies. Nice to meet you, Miss Winters. Brenda asked me to show you around a bit. I’ll come by this evening to collect you. We’ll do a quick tour before dark.”
Kate stared, shocked that this young girl was so blatantly flirting with the local sheriff. Not only that, but Sheriff Foxx seemed to be taking her up on it. Kate shook her head. She had no desire to spend time with this woman whose actions she found to be repugnant and repulsive, not to mention irresponsible and immature. “No, that’s okay. I’m fine. Besides, I’m sure you’ll be plenty busy.”
Lee’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, this won’t take all day, trust me. Just seems these girls have a lot of car trouble.”
“Well, lucky you’re available to assist them, then,” Kate said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
Lee laughed. “Brenda, exactly what have you been telling her?” Brenda waved her away. “Oh, don’t mind Kate. Go help the young girl with her car.”
Kate purposefully turned her head as those long legs walked away from her. But as she followed Brenda into the bakery, she couldn’t help but sneak a peek at the local sheriff. Her hair was dark, nearly black, cut in a short, attractive style. Grudgingly, Kate admitted that a young, twenty-something—gay or straight— would have a hard time resisting the attractive sheriff. Animal magnetism was something she’d never used to describe a woman before, but this one was oozing with it.
“I swear, I don’t know how she does it,” Brenda said as she slid into a booth. “They just flock to her. I doubt she has a spare minute alone.”
“Car trouble,” Kate murmured. “Can’t they think of something a little more original?”
Brenda laughed. “I’m sure they’ve used all the excuses they can think of. One friend tells a friend and so on.”
Kate leaned forward. “You don’t think she was taking that girl somewhere to have sex, do you?”
Brenda shrugged. “You never know with Lee. Her reputation precedes her, so it’s assumed, I suppose.”
Kate shook her head. “It’s disgusting. Not to mention, they are complete strangers. You could get as much satisfaction from a hooker.”
“Well, I see you’re doing so well with keeping that open mind, darling.”
“But Brenda, don’t you find it disturbing that the local sheriff is out banging the tourists? My God, that one wasn’t even of legal age!”
Brenda laughed. “Banging? Oh Kate, darling, we have got to get you out more.”
“I’m serious. Isn’t the county afraid of a lawsuit or something?”
“Lawsuit? For what? And it’s not like she’s going to get one of them pregnant, Katie. And trust me, they come on to her, not the other way around.” Brenda patted Kate’s arm, her voice turning serious. “You need to lighten up, darling. Lee has become a friend. What she does with her private life is none of my business.”
Kate frowned. “Do you think I’m being judgmental?”
“You think?”
Kate nodded. “Probably. And after meeting Harmony, the sheriff did seem almost normal.”
Brenda laughed. “Harmony will grow on you.” She pointed at the menu Kate had yet to look at. “Ten lunch burritos to choose from. I’ve tried them all except the portabella mushroom and spinach.”
“What? Too healthy for you?”
“Yes. A burrito should be greasy and spicy.”
“And despite all that, you look like you’ve lost weight.”
“Oh, I’ve shed a few pounds,” Brenda said. “It’s just being out- doors and having activity, I think. And of course, the weekly dinners at Harmony and Sunshine’s place. They are total vegetarians, so it is nothing but healthy there.”
“Weekly dinners?”
“Oh, yes. Most weeks. And you’ll join us, of course. Sometimes it’s only six or eight of us. Other times, there will be twenty or more. Just depends who Harmony meets during the week.”
“Every week?”
“Tuesdays. And if not every week, then at least two out of the month.”
“You don’t do like . . . chanting and stuff, do you?”
Brenda laughed. “I swear, Katie, I never knew you were such a stick-in-the-mud!”
Kate closed her menu, her eyes moving among the patrons in the small bakery. It was then that she realized that she was probably the most conservatively dressed one there, something she would never have considered herself in Dallas. But here, among all these earthy people in their leather hiking sandals and cotton shorts, all looking tanned and fit, she felt a bit old and out of place. Even Brenda, still clad in her baggy khakis and soft moccasins, looked more suited to the atmosphere of this local eatery.
“What will you have?”
Kate smiled. “I think I’ll live dangerously and try the portabella and spinach.”
“Figures.” Brenda waved to a waitress who came over immediately. “Hi Remmy. Meet my friend Kate. She’s from Dallas.”
“Hello, Kate. You must be the one with writer’s block.”
Kate glared at Brenda. “I’m the writer, yes.”
“Well, I hope you like it here as much as Simone does.”
Kate ignored the quiet laugh Brenda gave her and pointed at the menu. “I’ll have the portabella mushroom and spinach, please.”
“Of course.”
“Remmy, make mine the black bean and beef, extra cheese.”
“The usual tea?”
“Oh, yes. For both of us.” Brenda grasped Kate’s hand as soon as Remmy walked away. “The most fabulous herbal tea you’ll ever taste.”
Kate leaned forward. “Does anyone here call you Brenda?”
“Mostly just Lee. She doesn’t quite get Harmony.”
“Well, at least we have that in common.”
“Is this your car?” Lee asked. They stopped next to a candy apple red sports car. It looked like it was fresh off of a showroom floor. Lee couldn’t imagine that it wouldn’t start.
“Yes. You like it?”
Lee nodded. “Nice. Looks fast.”
“Oh, it’s very fast,” Erin purred. “Maybe you want to take it for a spin?”
Lee’s lips twitched. “I thought it wouldn’t start?” She smiled as the young woman had the grace to blush.
“Well, I mean if you can get it to start, then you’re welcome to take it out. I mean, maybe we could take a drive this evening or something.”
Lee studied her. It would be so easy. A quick drive in the sports car, then take her back to the house. And like her friend Tiffany, she would be eager and willing to try anything. All because their young boyfriends didn’t have a clue as how to please them.
But for some reason, Lee wasn’t in the mood. No, tonight she craved some normal, adult conversation with a woman who wanted nothing from her. She just didn’t have the energy to repeat the night she’d just spent with Tiffany.
“You know, as much fun as that sounds, I’ve already got plans this evening,” she said quietly. The stricken look on the girl’s face almost made her change her mind. Almost.
“Oh.” The girl shifted her feet. “Well, maybe some other night, you know, when you’re free.”
Lee nodded. “Sure, Erin. How long will you be in town?”
“Until the end of next week.”
“Okay. Well then maybe we’ll hook up.” Lee pointed at the car. “Let’s see about getting her started.”
Chapter Seven
“Promise me you’ll be nice to her.”
“I just don’t know why you set this up. I don’t need a babysitter or someone to show me around.”
Brenda had just gotten off the phone with Lee who was on her way over. Kate remained adamant that she did not need a tour of the county.
“I told you, she’s knowledgeable of the area and you’ll enjoy it. It’s so beautiful out there, darling. I think you just need to relax a little and open your mind.”
Kate pointed a finger at Brenda. “Do not mention my so-called negative energy again. I have no negative energy,” she stated loudly.
Brenda only smiled. “Of course not, darling.”
“And I’m not entirely convinced that you’ve not been brain- washed by this cult of earth fairies.”
Brenda laughed and dismissed her with a wave of her hand. “Think what you like, but I’ve never felt better in my entire life. So if they are brainwashing me with positive energy and meditation, all the better.”
Kate sighed. “You’re right. In the eight years I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you more relaxed. Maybe I do have a little negative energy,” Kate admitted.
Brenda nodded. “It’ll be good for you here, Katie. Take a few days to relax, then find you a cool spot outside to sit and write. It’ll flow for you here, darling. You watch.”
Kate stared out the windows to the cliffs. The colors in this early evening light were almost as brilliant as the mornings were. Yes, she could imagine taking her laptop out and sitting in one of the many nooks of their multi-leveled deck. Of course, she wondered how much writing she would get done with the view of the cliffs distracting her. A quick knock on the side patio door brought her out of her musings.
“That’ll be Lee. No one ever uses the front door and Harmony and the girls always come around to the deck,” Brenda said as she moved to open the door. “For some reason, Lee has taken to using the side patio.”
It was with annoyance that Kate acknowledged the sexual magnetism the local sheriff exuded—and this just from walking into the room. A twenty-year-old wouldn’t stand a chance. Yes, this woman was nothing but trouble.
