Down by the River

by Lin Stepp

  “No. I’m going to open a crafts shop.”

  Meredith’s face brightened. “And call it the Mimosa Crafts Shop?”

  “Absolutely. That’s a perfect name. And I’m going to sell my crafts there—and maybe some crafts from other people on consignment. A lot of the boxes we’re going to unpack have my crafts and craft supplies in them.”

  “Oh, boy.” Morgan quickened her pace. “Maybe you’ll teach Mer and me how to make some craft stuff, too. We always wanted Mr. Carl to teach us, but he wouldn’t let us back in his workshop. And he didn’t want us to even touch his tools.”

  Grace grinned. The girls’ enthusiasm was lifting her spirits again already.

  “Maybe we could do a crafting badge with Scouts.” Meredith’s bright eyes looked in Grace’s direction. “Is there one?”

  “Actually there are several; I’ll show them to you in the Scout book later.” Grace smiled at Meredith, purposed to be in a good mood versus a negative one. If she had some family troubles to worry over, they were not the girls’ troubles to bear.

  Besides, on the plus side, one good thing had come out of the day: a new surety about giving the craft shop a real try. Her mother had encouraged her there. Although the other revelations had been painful, Grace was glad for her mother’s honest answers to her questions. How could Grace fix what she didn’t know was broken? Hadn’t she just been praying about that? It grieved Grace to know she’d hurt and neglected her family—in their eyes, at least. But she could work on changing those perceptions. And she could work on developing a friendship with Myra. Already, Grace and her mother were growing closer again.

  The July day grew hot, and by afternoon, Grace and the girls were all sticky and sweaty—as well as dirty—from working in the shop.

  Morgan stopped to fan herself with a piece of cardboard. “Whew, it’s hot. You know, we’ve got on our bathing suits under our shorts. Let’s go down to the river and take a swim and cool off.”

  “Can we, Ms. Grace?” Meredith jumped up and down with excitement. “And will you swim with us? There are nice steps going down from your patio. It’s easy to get down into the creek there. You won’t fall or anything. And we can run across the creek to the house and get our tubes and an extra for you. It’s fun to sit in them and let the stream take you for a ride.”

  Morgan joined in. “Please, Ms. Grace?”

  “Okay.” Grace gave in with little argument. It was hot. “I’ll go put my suit on and join you at the creek. You go get your tubes. And you let your Aunt Bebe know that we’re going to swim. Be sure it’s all right with her.”

  “It will be okay if we have an adult with us. That’s the rule.” Morgan added this as the girls streaked out the door.

  Realizing that a swim sounded wonderful after working in the shop, Grace headed into the Mimosa to find a bathing suit. After greeting the dogs and taking Sadie and Dooley outside for a short walk, Grace picked out an old beige swimsuit she hadn’t worn for a while and slipped into it. Then she scooped her hair up into a ponytail, found a towel, put a few cokes into a cooler, grabbed a box of cheese crackers for a snack later, and headed for the stream.

  A short time later, Grace was whooping and hollering almost as much as the girls as they played on the big tubes down in the river. As a rapid caught her tube, Grace flipped off and into the water. She came up totally drenched and laughing and then looked up to see Jack Teague standing on the patio watching her.

  He was smiling, but his eyes were sultry. Grace could feel his gaze slipping over her wet body—and she suddenly felt oddly embarrassed, even though she knew she was well-covered in the beige one-piece suit.

  Jack had on shorts today with a golf shirt neatly tucked into them. He wore socks and running shoes. If he had been working at the office, he obviously hadn’t dressed up much. Grace found herself noticing the light dusting of dark hairs on his legs.

  “Daddy!” called Morgan. “Come and join us! The water is perfect!”

  To Grace’s shock, Jack grinned and started pulling off his socks and shoes to comply. He took off his watch and unloaded his wallet and keys from his pocket, placing them on a patio table, and then he pulled off his shirt. And he smiled devilishly at Grace the whole time he stripped, those dimples of his flashing. What was that man up to now?

  CHAPTER 10

  Earlier that day there were less appointments on Jack’s calendar. He could relax on slower work days like these, take some time off. Go casual. This morning he’d caught up on tasks around the house and then walked over to the office to check his mail.

  Althea hung up the phone as Jack walked into the office and looked up at him with a strained face. “There was another incident with Crazy Man last night.”

  Jack stiffened. “Did it involve Grace?”

  His mother looked at him oddly. “No, Son. It involved Roger and Samantha’s little Ruby.”

  “Ruby? What do you mean Ruby? She’s only a little kid! What happened, Ma?” Jack, shocked at the idea, snapped out the questions. Ruby wasn’t even five years old yet—a charming, gamine-faced little girl with an adventurous spirit. She was Roger and Samantha’s younger daughter, and they were all foolish about her.

  The worry on Althea’s face was obvious. “Roger and Sam found a note in their mailbox. A clip-out from an old newspaper, about a child being molested and raped, was taped to the top of the paper. Below it were the words: Be careful about your child so she will stay safe.”

  Jack allowed an expletive to slip out before he could help himself, meriting a frown from his mother. “When did this happen, Ma? Have Roger and Sam called the sheriff to report this?”

  “Yes to calling the sheriff, and as to when, Roger and Sam only found the note this morning. Evidently, someone tucked it into the mailbox after the mail ran. Bonnie Bratcher, the mail carrier on Roger’s and Sam’s route, said there was nothing in the box when she passed by earlier at eleven.”

  “So the man put the message into the box in broad daylight this time.” Jack ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. “This is getting serious, Ma. This man is really demented. Do you think he might hurt Ruby or another child around here? My Lord, Ruby is only four years old. She’s just starting kindergarten this fall. What kind of sick person would think about hurting a little girl like Ruby?”

  “We don’t know that the man means he might hurt Ruby.” Althea tapped her pencil on the desk restlessly. “What we do know is that Ruby decided to skinny-dip in the river yesterday. Samantha had a phone call and went in the house for a short while to answer it. She left Ruby playing in the backyard. When she came out, she couldn’t find her. You know how Ruby is about getting into things and wandering off. She’s so different from Daisy, who is so sensible.”

  Jack couldn’t help but grin. “Ruby got the Teague blood.”

  Althea rolled her eyes. “Well, anyway … Sam went searching frantically all over the yard and house, and then started down the street behind their house, looking and calling. She happened to look down to the stream below, and there was Ruby wading around in the river by the bank and trying to catch water flies on the water—without a stitch of clothes on.”

  Jack’s eyebrows jerked up.

  Althea smiled despite herself. “The child had simply pulled off her sun-suit and underwear and decided to wade right into the water. Her reasoning when Samantha scolded her was that she didn’t want to get her clothes wet and get in trouble. She didn’t seem to see any problem with walking out of the yard and across the street and down to the river without telling Samantha—or with being buck naked.”

  “But that was dangerous.” Jack held back his own grin. “The current in the river can be swift. She could have fallen in and even drowned.”

  Althea grimaced. “Believe me, Roger and Sam are both aware of that. And Sam feels awful that she took her eye off the child long enough for Ruby to get into that situation. But Ruby is nearly five now and should be more responsible. Sam and Roger both had a serious talk with her
, of course. But what was done was done.”

  Jack looked thoughtful. “And our resident man of judgment must have seen Ruby in the river.”

  Althea nodded. “The sheriff believes Crazy Man was giving a warning to Sam and Roger about keeping Ruby safer—not threatening that he might hurt her.”

  She paused, and Jack jumped in. “But Swofford’s not sure about that, is he? What do we know about this man, anyway, Ma?” Jack dropped into the chair in front of Althea’s desk. “Very little. We don’t really know what he might or might not do.”

  Althea fidgeted nervously with her pencil again. “No. But so far all his notes have only been warnings. He hasn’t ever hurt anyone or tried to hurt anyone—and this has been going on for a year now.”

  Jack twisted in the chair restlessly. “This man has got to be found and stopped, Ma. I don’t like it when he starts targeting his messages at children. And I don’t like the idea that he was watching Ruby wading around in the creek naked. If he had goodness in him, he would have persuaded her to get out of the water and not left her there in danger, only watching her.”

  “It does sound abnormal,” Althea agreed. “And I think you’d better talk to the girls, Jack. Let them know what’s happened. Not to scare them, but to make them be more careful and watchful. They run around here with a lot of freedom.”

  Jack scowled. “Yeah, I know. And they think of Crazy Man as a kind of joke. They don’t see him as potentially dangerous.”

  Althea got up to get a cup of coffee. “I hate to alarm the girls or hurt their sense of trust, but they do need to be careful until this man is found.”

  “I’ll go talk to them right now. I think Bebe said they’d gone over to help Ms. Grace in cleaning out Carl’s old shop. They’re either there or they’ve gone on back up to the house.”

  “Well, go sign those papers on your desk before you go,” his mother said. “And answer your phone messages. There’s one from the Abernathys; they want to drive down to look at that vacation rental again, on the back side of the river. I think they might be ready to buy.”

  Jack flicked a look down the hallway that led to his and Roger’s offices as he got up. He could only imagine how upset Roger must be about this incident with Ruby. “Where’s Roger, Ma? Is he in his office?”

  “No. He’s working over at the house today. He didn’t want to leave Samantha and the girls alone.” She heaved a sigh. “Bless his heart. You can understand how he feels.”

  Jack nodded. “I’ll walk over to see him after I talk to the M & M’s.” This was Jack’s nickname for Meredith and Morgan.

  Althea grinned, Jack’s bit of humor cheering her up as he’d hoped it would.

  Leaving the office a little later, Jack phoned Bebe to see if the twins were back at the house yet.

  “They’re still with Ms. Grace,” Bebe told him. “They came back to get their tubes, and they’re playing down in the river now. Ms. Grace is watching them.” There was a pause. “Jack, if you’re on your way home, I’d like to go down to Roger and Sam’s place now. They’ve had a rough time of it. And I’m sure their girls are upset. I’ve made a casserole, some sides, a salad, and some fresh cookies. I want to take food down so Sam won’t have to worry about making dinner tonight.”

  “Sure, Bebe. That’s nice. I know Sam and Roger will appreciate it. And don’t feel you need to come back and cook for us afterward. I’ll rustle up something for the girls and myself tonight.”

  “Thank you, dear. But I’ve made enough food for all of us. You bring the girls on down about six. Althea’s coming, too. This is a time for a family to be together.”

  Jack rang off and then cut across Creekside Lane to the Mimosa Inn. He walked up the driveway and then started down the path to the river. He could hear girlish shrieks and laughter even before he got close to the stream’s edge.

  As he drew closer and sprinted up the patio steps, Jack heard a woman’s whoop and laugh mixed in with the girls’ voices. Looking down to the river, he saw Grace Conley surface from under the water and struggle to her feet against the stream’s swift current, laughing and pushing her wet hair back from her face. She’d obviously tumbled from the big tube beside her.

  Jack caught his breath. The bright sun was glistening on her skin and glinting off the water streaking down her arms and legs. Mercy. Was she naked? Jack blinked and gulped before realizing Grace simply wore a beige, skin-toned bathing suit. The color of it was so similar to that of her lightly tanned skin that it looked, at first glance, like she wasn’t wearing anything at all. The thought was tantalizing.

  In fact, Jack thought, Grace was tantalizing. Her wet suit snuggly hugged her lush curves, giving Jack a view of her body he hadn’t had the opportunity to see before. Rooted to the spot, he let his eyes drift lazily over her from top to bottom, liking everything he saw. Wishing he could put his hands on her. She was incredible. He wondered if she had any idea how beautiful she was. Or how her body called out to a man like a siren.

  Jack’s blood surged as Grace looked up at him with those silvery blue-green eyes of hers. Water dripped down her beautiful, flushed face and slid down her slicked-back blond hair. Her lips were lush and full. A warm laugh still crinkled the corners of her mouth and danced in her eyes. Lord. A woman like this could drive a man insane.

  “Daddy!” Morgan called, spotting him. “Come and join us. The water is perfect.”

  Jack didn’t hesitate a minute. He wanted in that water and nearer Grace Conley.

  He pulled off his socks and shoes, unloaded his pockets onto the patio table, and then pulled his shirt lazily up over his head. Jack saw Grace’s eyes following his movements, and he smiled at her as he stripped. That little flush he saw creeping up her neck gave away all her feelings, despite what she hoped she could conceal from him. She was a cool one and not a woman to let her emotions be easily read, but Jack could sense her attraction to him sizzling in the air. A man would have to be a fool not to feel the undercurrents that flowed between them. She pulled at him like an undertow.

  Laughing and jesting with the girls, Jack walked down the patio steps and into the current of the Little River. He was impulsive by nature, and it didn’t matter that he was still wearing his shorts and boxers instead of swim trunks.

  Meredith and Morgan shrieked and paddled over so that he could catch them up and toss them out into the water. It was a game they loved to play with him.

  “Toss Ms. Grace! Toss Ms. Grace!” called Morgan as she came up laughing from the water.

  Jack raised his eyebrows at Grace and started toward her.

  “Don’t you even think about it, Jack Teague.” She gave him a warning look and stepped backward.

  He grinned at her playfully and ignored her, wading over to catch her up in his arms before she could back away farther.

  The girls giggled and whooped.

  Jack enjoyed the feel of Grace’s bare skin against his, relished the feel of his hands under her soft bottom. He jostled her, as though he had tripped over a slick river rock, so she would put her arms around him to catch herself from falling.

  The feeling of her arms wrapped around his neck, her breasts up against his chest was heaven. His face was close to hers now, and he found his gaze focusing on her lips.

  Grace caught her breath and hissed at him softly. “We have young girls here, Jack Teague. Your own girls, if you’ll remember. You need to put me down right now. These girls have eyes.”

  “So they do.” He smiled at her, and then tossed her right out into the river.

  She came up spluttering while the girls shrieked in pleasure.

  At Morgan’s and Meredith’s urging, Jack started playing shark-in-the-water with them next, plunging down under the water to sneak up on them and playfully attack them. He soon had Morgan up on his shoulders, and at Meredith’s urging, Grace let her climb up onto her back so they could have a proper water fight. All of it just gave Jack more opportunities to touch Grace again, to watch her body shift and move, to
thrill at how her wet suit clung to all her curves when she slid under the surface and stood up fully soaked.

  She was a thrilling, fascinating woman, and he wondered when he would tire of her. So far, it seemed that every time he saw her, his feelings and attraction for her just intensified. Of course, he wasn’t able to get his fill of her, and that was probably escalating his hunger. Nice girls had a way of driving a man mad that way. It was one of the reasons Jack had always avoided them.

  “Enough for me,” Grace said at last, climbing up the stone steps from the water to the flagstone patio. She dropped into a chair and draped a towel over her.

  Jack played a few minutes more with the girls and then climbed out to join her.

  “What’s in your cooler?” he asked her, snagging the box of crackers to dig out a handful to eat.

  “Colas. Help yourself. I brought several.”

  Jack picked out a cola and popped the top.

  “Daddy!” called Morgan. “We’re going to paddle upstream to the other bridge and then float back down in our tubes. Is that all right? You’ll be able to see us as we come down if you shift your chair.”

  Jack nodded and moved his chair around so that he could look back up the river to keep an eye on his girls.

  He wiped some of the water out of his hair with Meredith’s towel and then settled back to enjoy the warm July sun, propping his feet up beside Grace’s on a wrought-iron bench.

  His eyes traveled with appreciation up the long expanse of Grace’s legs. “You’re a beautiful woman, Grace Conley. It’s been a real pleasure seeing so much more of you today.”

  “And you’re an insufferable flirt, Jack Teague. Didn’t your mother teach you how to act with more manners and restraint around women?”

  “She tried.” Jack grinned. “But I’ve always had such a deep and sincere appreciation for women, Grace. A man can’t deny his nature.”

  “No, but he can temper his nature.” She pursed her lips. “Which is obviously something you’ve had little practice with.”

  Jack shrugged casually and leaned his leg up against Grace’s. “It’s more fun to follow your instincts.”