“Okay,” James said. “Until we get some of these background checks to go through, we’re kind of stuck. I’m going to take my wife to town and spoil her … .” He glanced at Ally and Jake. “I don’t want to see either of you looking like you’ve had a bunch of sex. If I do, you’re going to ruin my happy day.”
“Then I would steer clear of our cabin,” Ally replied, guileless.
“Yeah, I think that’s going to be the rule of the day,” James said. “Come on, wife. Let’s go shop until I drop.”
MANDY rethought her demand regarding an expensive Valentine’s Day gift before they hit town. The more she dwelled on it, the more she realized James was trying to do something good – even if he had considered the very real fact of his death before they got a chance to walk down the aisle.
“I don’t need anything, James,” Mandy said, sighing as he pulled her toward the store. “I have you. Can’t we just … I don’t know … find a place to be alone all day? Let’s go back to the cabin and get naked.”
James snorted. “We’re definitely doing that, baby,” he said. “I’m also buying you something.”
Mandy dug her heels in by the front door, causing James to pull up short.
“What, baby?”
“Love isn’t buying things for people,” Mandy said. “Love is … this.” She gestured toward their joined hands. “Love is this.” She pressed her free hand to his heart. “I don’t need a gift.”
James wet his lips, tilting his head to the side as he considered how to respond. “I know that, baby,” he said finally. “Do you think I’m stupid? I know that you don’t need a gift. I want something to commemorate this day. It’s not about buying you something just because I want you to have a gift.”
“Oh,” Mandy said, faltering. “I … why do you want to commemorate the day?”
“Last night I found out you kept a flower I pilfered from my mother’s garden for twelve years,” James explained. “My heart is … full … of love for you. I can’t explain it. The simple fact that you kept that flower makes me believe we were always destined for each other.
“Go ahead and laugh at me if you want,” he continued. “I knew there was something special about the way we love each other even before I found out about the flower. I want to get you … something … for this day. Okay?”
Mandy gave in. “Okay.”
“Thank you,” James said, pressing a sweet kiss to her lips. “Now, come on. Let’s see what they have.”
“WHAT do you think?” James asked, studying the antique silver locket. “You could put photos of us inside of it.”
“It’s beautiful,” Mandy said, lifting the price tag and cringing. “Let’s pick something else out.”
James slapped her hand away. “The price doesn’t matter. Do you like this?”
“I do,” Mandy said. “I wouldn’t put photos in it, though.”
“What would you put in it?”
“Other things,” Mandy said. “Things I want to keep close to my heart. This locket is old. You don’t want to open it a lot. I would put things in here and then close it for good.”
“Like what?”
“I’m not telling you,” Mandy answered. “You’ll make fun of me.”
“I would never make fun of you.”
Mandy arched a challenging eyebrow.
“Okay, I wouldn’t make fun of you today,” James clarified. “Just … tell me.”
“I would put another section of my notebook in here … and I would put one of the tissue pages from the box the shark necklace came from on the day of our wedding.”
“You kept the tissue paper, too?” James was dumbfounded. “You’re a sentimental little thing, aren’t you? How did I miss that?”
Mandy shrugged. “I would also want a little of your hair to mix in with a little of my hair.”
“That’s weird but cute,” James said.
“Have you made a decision?”
James glanced at the perky saleswoman as she returned to her spot behind the counter. “We’ll take this,” James said, taking the locket from Mandy and handing it to the clerk.
“It’s expensive.”
“I don’t care,” James said, pulling Mandy in for a hug. “Wrap it up.”
Mandy and James ran into a familiar face as they left the store twenty minutes later, slowing their pace when Fern popped into view.
“Oh, hey,” Fern said. “It’s weird I ran into you guys. I was just thinking about you.”
“I think she means that she was thinking about you,” Mandy clarified.
James ignored her. “What’s up? Did you run into Nadine again?”
Fern nodded. “She was drunk as a skunk at the bar last night,” she said. “She was going on and on about her husband and his wandering dick.”
Mandy snickered. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny. It’s just … .”
“It’s a little funny,” Fern said. “Anyway, I remembered what you said last night about the Dawkins farm and she said something that I think you’d be interested in.”
“What?”
“Now, I don’t know what this means, but she made it sound important so I’m going to tell you,” Fern said.
James patiently waited.
“She let slip that her husband really doesn’t have a hankering to live on a farm,” Fern said. “I told her that was no surprise because the man doesn’t look like he even knows how to find his way from one side of a farm to the other. She said that he wants the land because of some sort of government contract that could mean upwards of a billion dollars. Yeah, a billion. That’s a million with a B.”
James ran his tongue over his teeth, things shifting in his head. “She didn’t say what kind of contract it was for, did she?”
“She didn’t know exactly,” Fern replied. “Or, maybe she did know and she thought better about telling me. Either way, I thought you should know if they plan on doing something hinky with those farms. The people in this town won’t like it if some industrial factory goes in out there.”
“Thanks for telling me,” James said, smiling at the woman as he tugged on Mandy’s hand. “Come on, baby. I think I have an idea what this may be about. We need to get back to the farm.”
Twenty
“I need to run inside and talk to Ben for a minute,” James said, glancing over from the driver’s seat of Jake’s rental and watching Mandy as she studied the locket. “If you don’t like that, we can take it back.”
“I love it,” Mandy said. “You can’t have it back.”
James smirked. “Good. I don’t want it back. Do you want to sit out here and stare at the locket or go inside with me?”
“I’m going to meet you back at the cabin,” Mandy countered, reaching for the door handle. “I have something special planned. I want to get it ready while you’re in talking to Ben.”
“What do you have planned?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Tell me,” James pressed.
“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you,” Mandy shot back, leaning over to smack a playful kiss on his lips before hopping out of the vehicle. “Give me ten minutes to get ready. Do you think you can manage that?”
“Wife, for you on Valentine’s Day, I can manage almost anything,” James said. “It looks like another storm is rolling in. I’ll see if I can scrounge up some food to take over to the cabin so we don’t have to leave for the rest of the day. How does that sound?”
“It sounds like your plan and my plan are going to love one another,” Mandy said.
James watched her go, an added spring in her step as she clutched the locket. For a brief moment he was tempted to find a meadow to chase her through. Instead, he left her to her plotting. Whatever she had planned would be something they both could enjoy. He had no doubt about that.
He knocked on the door, offering Mary a smile when he saw the quizzical look on her face. “Is Ben here?”
“He’s in the kitchen,” Mary said, ushering James inside. “I’m su
rprised to see you. I thought for sure you and Mandy would be … otherwise engaged … for the day.”
James chuckled. “I’m sorry if we’ve been a little … .”
Mary cut him off. “You’re young and in love,” she said. “Everyone wishes they could be you and your wife right now. The way you two look at each other is downright adorable.”
“So you’ve told me,” James said, following Mary into the kitchen. “I just wanted to alert Ben to something a woman told us when we were in town.”
Ben shifted his eyes from the newspaper he was reading to James. “What woman?”
“Her name is Fern,” James replied. “She works at … .”
“The diner,” Ben finished. “Everyone around here knows Fern. What is she up to now? That woman, I tell you, she’s a pip.”
“She is,” James agreed. “We asked her some questions when we were out to dinner last night, and she gave us an earful about Nadine Nixon going to the bar every night and getting sloshed. I was a little surprised because Nadine only had the one drink here, but I didn’t think too much about it even after Mandy snapped the photo of Mark and Jessica.
“We ran into Fern when we were leaving the store today,” he continued. “She said Nadine was at the bar again last night. I guess she was drowning her sorrows.”
“She must know Mark is running around on her,” Mary said. “She’s hard to take, but I can’t help but feel a little sorry for her.”
“I do, too,” James said. “Fern also said Nadine let it slip what Mark really wants to do with the farms. It’s not about some nostalgic yearnings.”
“Big shocker there,” Ben snarked.
“Apparently Nadine mentioned government contracts,” James said. “She didn’t go into detail, and Fern had no idea what those contracts would entail, but I happen to know a guy who might be able to help us. I’m going to shoot him an email and see what he can find.”
“That could mean anything from a new railroad line or highway to an industrial plant, for all we know,” Ben mused. “That’s mighty interesting.”
“It is,” James said. “I just wanted you to know what we found out. I promised my wife a day of solitude for Valentine’s Day, so I should hopefully know more tomorrow morning.”
“I’m sure you two will do fine on your own today,” Mary said, causing Ben to snicker.
“I’m sure we will, too,” James said. “Speaking of that, I don’t suppose you have any leftovers in the refrigerator I could take back to the cabin, do you? I don’t think either of us is keen to leave the cabin once I get back.”
“Actually, I planned on dropping picnic baskets off for you and Jake in about two hours,” Mary replied, her expression mischievous. “I was going to knock and run. I’m making fried chicken and potato salad. I thought that would keep you guys in food for the night.”
“You don’t have to do that,” James protested. “It’s too much work.”
“I’m dropping pies off, too,” Mary said, her tone firm. “It’s not too much work. You’re out here helping us. I like to cook – and my husband gets fresh pie every Valentine’s Day. Do you want blueberry or apple?”
“Oh, wow, you’re even taking requests,” James mused. “Well, if you’re adamant, Mandy loves blueberry pie.”
“Blueberry it is,” Mary said. “I’ll have everything out there in a little bit, so you guys don’t have anything to worry about.”
“Thank you,” James said. “I’ll catch you up on anything new we get tomorrow morning, Ben.”
“Have fun,” Ben said, waving his hand. “You only get your first Valentine’s Day as a married couple once. You should make it count.”
“I plan to make it count,” James said. He moved toward the door, pausing when something occurred to him. “I don’t suppose you know anywhere I could find a daisy around here, do you?”
“A daisy?” Mary knit her eyebrows together. “Well, as a matter of fact I do.”
James beamed. “Can I pick one?”
“Absolutely,” Mary said. “You can pick a whole bouquet of them if you want.”
“I just need one,” James replied. “I want to start another memory for my wife.”
“Then we should go and get that flower and make sure it’s a good memory, shouldn’t we?”
“Oh, it’s going to be a good memory,” James said. “I can guarantee that.”
JAKE pressed his lips to Ally’s, pulling her close as they moved toward the front door of their cabin. After the best picnic ever, the far-off rumble of thunder forced them to pack up their things and head for cover. It looked like it was going to be another big one, and he didn’t want to risk being caught out in the open when it hit.
“We should go inside and finish what we started on our picnic,” Ally purred, playfully nipping Jake’s chin. “I was hoping to be able to finish our game out in the open, but no matter where we finish, I still want to play nonetheless.”
Jake grinned. “Oh, you’re going to finish a couple of times tonight, Angel,” he murmured, picking a weed from her hair. The running in the meadow had turned to rolling in the meadow. If not for the thunder, Ally would’ve gotten her wish to finish the game outside.
Jake was initially reticent about going at it out in the open with his family and workers so close, but Ally had a way of wearing down his inhibitions. Only the threat of a storm – and worry about his angel’s safety – could’ve forced Jake inside once they started to play.
“Come on,” Ally whined, tugging him toward the door. “I need you to help me with something.”
“And what is that?”
“I think my panties are on when they should be off,” Ally replied, not embarrassed in the slightest at the suggestive talk.
“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” Jake asked, kissing her again before reluctantly pulling away. “I have to take this basket back to the main house and grab some food so we have something to eat tonight,” he said. “Once we’re in, I want to be in for the long haul. It’s going to be a big storm, so I need to do it now. Are you okay waiting here for me, or will you cry from loneliness?”
Ally made an adorably pathetic face. “Can’t we live on love instead of food?”
“We’re going to do both,” Jake countered. “I have a feeling I’m going to need sustenance to keep up with you tonight.”
“I have a feeling you’re right,” Ally said, playfully swatting Jake’s butt. “You know what? This actually works out well for me. You take the basket back and get us food and I shall get ready to give you a Valentine’s Day you’ll never forget.”
“You’ve already done that, Angel,” Jake said, kissing the tip of her nose. “Whatever else you’ve got planned sounds fun, though. I’ll hurry. I don’t want to be caught out in the rain. I’ll stop by James and Mandy’s cabin and see if they need food, too.”
“How do you know they’re back?”
“The rental is back,” Jake said. “I saw it when we were walking to the cabin. Hopefully they’re not engaging in their own Valentine’s Day celebration yet so I won’t be interrupting anything when I knock.”
“Yeah, make sure you knock,” Ally cackled. “James doesn’t think it’s funny when you interrupt his rhythm.”
“How would you know?”
“Grady told me,” Ally replied, nonplussed. “He’s interrupted them a few times. Once it was even on a pool table.”
“Nice,” Jake said, giving Ally one more kiss. “Go and get your surprise ready. I’ll bring back food and a bottle of wine, and then after you give me your present I will have about eight to give to you.”
“Somebody is feeling awfully sure of himself,” Ally teased.
“One of those presents will even be wrapped, Angel,” Jake said, winking. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
JAKE hummed to himself as he skipped – yes, skipped – between the cabins, fantasies about Ally, her hat, and whatever else she had planned for their evening sw
imming through his head. He was lost in thought when he knocked on James’ cabin door.
“Come in.” Mandy’s voice was high and teasing.
She must think I’m Ally, Jake internally mused, turning the handle and throwing the door open. “Hey, I’m running up to the main house to get enough food to get Ally and me through the night. Do you want me to pick you guys up something?”
“Omigod!”
Jake’s eyes widened when he realized his mistake. Unfortunately, it was too late. Mandy obviously wasn’t expecting Ally when she offered the teasing greeting. No, she was expecting James. That’s why she was naked and sitting on the chair in the middle of the room, completely bare except for her boots.
“Oh, holy hell!” Jake cursed, turning so fast he slammed his face into the doorjamb. “Son of a … !”
“Are you all right?” Mandy squeaked, desperately trying to cover herself. “Oh … I thought you were James and he was playing a game.”
“What’s going on?” James asked, bounding up the porch steps with a daisy in his hand. “Why are you holding your nose?”
“Because I think I broke it,” Jake snapped, doubling over at the waist.
“I don’t understand,” James said. “I … .” He glanced inside the cabin, his eyes flashing as Mandy curled herself into a ball on the chair. “Hello, wife. I love the boots.”
“James!”
Despite himself and the surreal nature of the situation, James could do nothing but laugh. It started as a throaty chuckle and grew to an outright guffaw. He laughed so hard he had to bend over to keep his balance.
“This is not funny,” Mandy shrieked, bolting for the bathroom. “This is not funny at all!”
“Don’t you dare get dressed,” James ordered. “Keep those boots on, too.”
“What’s going on?” Ally appeared on the neighboring porch, nothing but a sheet clutched to her body.
“Oh, gross,” James muttered, his laughter dying on his lips. “Go back inside. I can’t see that.”
“Oh, but it’s okay that I saw your wife naked?” Jake asked, rubbing his nose.
“You saw Mandy naked?” Ally was horrified. “Did she look better than me?”
“No one looks better than you, Angel,” Jake shot back. “That’s not the point, though.”
Deadly Desperados Page 15
