Along Came Trouble

by Sherryl Woods

  King studied the preacher with a narrowed gaze. “You after something?”

  Anna-Louise regarded him with an innocent expression. “What on earth could I possibly want?”

  “That’s what I’m wondering,” King said. He turned to Richard. “You have any idea what she’s up to?”

  “All I know is that she was out at Swan Ridge earlier with Liz Chandler, Gail Thorensen, Daisy and Jenna,” Richard said.

  King’s blood ran cold. “Daisy was out there consorting with the enemy?”

  “King Spencer!” Frances protested.

  King gazed into her condemning eyes and backed down at once. “Okay, okay, I won’t get into all that tonight.” He regarded Anna-Louise with an innocent look of his own. “So, how are things coming with that project of yours?”

  “The youth center?” she asked.

  “I don’t know anything about any youth center,” King retorted. “I was thinking about something a little more personal.” He directed his gaze toward Richard. “She talked you into becoming a papa yet?”

  This time the vehement protests came from both women. King winced at the chorus. He refused to back down. If Richard needed a little nudging along those lines, he was prepared to offer it. “Nothing like fatherhood,” he told him. “And you don’t want to wait too late for it, either. Take it from me, parenthood is not something for old people or sissies. It requires a lot of patience and energy.”

  “Especially when you insist on meddling in your children’s lives,” Anna-Louise commented dryly. “King, do you suppose you could leave this particular topic to Richard and me?”

  “Not till I’ve heard what he’s got to say,” King persisted. “So, boy, what’s it going to be? You up to the task or not?”

  Richard rose to his feet slowly and looked King directly in the eye. Anyone else would have backed down under that hard stare, but King didn’t flinch.

  “I know you think you run Trinity Harbor, King, but you can’t control the lives of everyone in it,” Richard said with a chill in his voice. “My personal life is off-limits. Try to remember that the next time you’re tempted to stick your nose in where it doesn’t belong.”

  King was about to respond that he had been consulted on the matter by one of the two interested parties, but one look at Anna-Louise’s drawn expression warned him to stay silent. For once in his life he was smart enough to take the hint.

  “I still say there’s no time like the present to consider an important step like this, especially with a woman like Anna-Louise to be the child’s mother. She’s a born nurturer, and she’s not going to be content with having a bunch of old geezers like me to look out for. She needs a baby.” He nodded at Anna-Louise, satisfied that he’d done his part to help her get her wish. “You two enjoy your evening.”

  He turned to Frances, tucked her arm in his and led her to their table across the dining room.

  “Why on earth would you get into such a personal topic with Anna-Louise and Richard?” Frances demanded the instant they were seated.

  “That’s confidential,” he said prudently.

  She studied him with a narrowed gaze. “And that’s all you intend to say?”

  “That’s it,” he said, scanning the menu. “The veal special looks good tonight. What do you think?”

  “I think you’d be better off with crow,” she said tartly. “I’ll have the pork tenderloin.”

  He chuckled. “I imagine my son could even manage to make crow downright appetizing.”

  Frances feigned shock. “Why, King Spencer, I think that is the very first time I’ve ever heard you say something complimentary about Bobby’s cooking.”

  “That’s not true,” he protested. “I might not understand his decision to make this his life’s work, but I praise his skill all the time. Now let’s forget all about my children, Anna-Louise and Richard, and concentrate on us.”

  She seemed startled by the suggestion. “That will be a first.”

  He shrugged. “Never let it be said that an old dog can’t learn a new trick or two, given the right incentive.”

  “And the incentive would be?”

  He opted for being plainspoken. This was one message he didn’t want her to miss. Looking her straight in the eye, he said, “I want you, Frances. And I’m not going to quit until I get you.”

  She waved her menu to fan her suddenly flaming face. “Well, then, I suppose we’ll just have to wait to see if you’re up to the task.”

  King grinned at the challenge. “You know I am.”

  “I know nothing of the sort.”

  “Liar.” He reached for her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed her knuckles. To his satisfaction, her breath hitched. “That’s just the warm-up, darlin’ woman. You don’t stand a chance.”

  “You should have seen the two of them last night,” Bobby reported to Tucker over breakfast at Earlene’s the next morning. “Daddy and Frances were making eyes at each other all evening long. And she was wearing this dress—this bright red dress—that just about had his eyes popping out of his head.”

  Tucker laughed. “Good for her.”

  “I’m telling you, if those two don’t announce an engagement soon, I’ll grind up the stemware behind the bar and eat it.”

  Tucker shuddered. “Sounds deadly.”

  “Which should prove how convinced I am that Daddy’s fate is sealed,” Bobby said. “So, where were you? I called several times to give you a blow-by-blow report of the events as they unfolded.” He waved his hand. “Never mind. You were with Mary Elizabeth.”

  “Okay, yes,” Tucker admitted defensively. “I did stop by after I left the marina.”

  “And?”

  “And nothing,” Tucker retorted. “We sat down by the river and talked for a while. That’s it.”

  Bobby glanced up just then, and a grin began to spread across his face. “Maybe I’ll try for another version and see if it matches up,” he said, beckoning to someone behind Tucker.

  Mary Elizabeth walked up to the table. Tucker’s pulse began to thud dully. She could make a liar of him in two seconds flat, if she chose.

  “Join us,” Bobby suggested. “Tucker was just telling me all about his visit to you last night.”

  Her gaze narrowed. “Oh, really?” she said, slipping in beside Tucker until they were thigh to thigh. “And what did you tell him?”

  Bobby held up a hand. “No, wait. I don’t want you comparing notes. You just tell me what happened. I want to see how truthful my brother is being.”

  “Watch it, Mary Elizabeth,” Tucker warned, amused despite himself. “Bobby seems to be all caught up in romantic gossip this morning. He’s just been telling me all about our father’s candlelit dinner with Frances last night.”

  “Don’t try to distract her by changing the subject,” Bobby protested. “Come on, Mary Elizabeth, spill everything.”

  Earlene arrived just then, plunked a coffee cup noisily on the table in front of Mary Elizabeth and filled it, grabbed up Tucker’s plate, then left after casting a disapproving scowl at all of them. Mary Elizabeth sighed.

  Tucker promptly took offense at Earlene’s deliberate show of attitude. “I’ll talk to her,” he said grimly. “Let me out.”

  “No,” Mary Elizabeth said. “Let it be. She’ll mellow in time. I’m developing a thick skin and a renewed commitment to the virtue of patience.”

  “You’re a customer,” he protested. “Earlene should know better. Move, Mary Elizabeth. I want to have a few words with her.”

  She refused to let him out. “No, absolutely not. Forget about it, Tucker.”

  “She’s right,” Bobby added. “Let it go. You won’t help matters by getting Earlene stirred up and causing a scene that everyone in town will hear about before nightfall.” Apparently satisfied that he’d made his point, Bobby winked at Mary Elizabeth. “Come on, now. Let’s hear all the good stuff.”

  Obviously relieved when Tucker sank back beside her, Mary Elizabeth propped her elbows
on the table and rested her chin on her cupped hands. “Well,” she began, regarding Bobby intently. “First we got this old blanket, and then we strolled down to the river. The sky was like black velvet sprinkled with diamonds, and the air smelled as sweet as honeysuckle.”

  Bobby made an exaggerated show of fanning himself. Tucker finally felt his tension ease as he listened to her spin her web around Bobby. To be truthful, her version was a whole lot more fascinating than his.

  “And then we stretched out on the blanket, side by side,” she said, her voice little more than a seductive purr now.

  Bobby’s eyes widened with anticipation. “Yes?”

  She grinned. “And then we talked.”

  “Talked?” Bobby repeated.

  She leaned back and poked Tucker in the ribs with her elbow. “Yes, that’s it. We talked. Right, Tucker?”

  “That’s it,” he agreed.

  “Well, damn,” Bobby muttered. “I had a higher opinion of you, bro. Maybe Walker and I need to have one of those birds-and-bees talks with you.”

  “Trust me, I have the birds-and-bees things down pat,” Tucker said. He glanced at Mary Elizabeth, then intentionally held her gaze. “There’s nothing wrong with building a little anticipation now, is there?” He watched the pulse at the base of her neck beat a little faster. She licked her lips, and suddenly his pulse was ricocheting wildly, too. He swallowed hard. “Well, Mary Elizabeth?”

  “Anticipation is a beautiful thing,” she agreed. “As long as a person remembers that there is a very fine line between pleasurable anticipation and teasing.”

  Tucker nodded, keeping his expression somber. “I’ll remember that.”

  Bobby released a deliberately huge sigh. “Oh, my,” he said with another wave of the menu to fan himself. “That was so…so… There are no words to describe it.”

  Tucker laughed. “Good. Maybe you’ll be able to keep your mouth shut.”

  “Don’t count on it. I live to spread tales about you, Tucker. I’ve waited a long time to get even for the way you taunted me about Jenna.”

  “Go for it, as long as Daddy’s not on the shortlist to hear the news,” Tucker said. “After that dinner you described him having with Frances, I’m not sure his heart can take much more.”

  Mary Elizabeth’s expression brightened. “Let’s talk about that. Are things heating up after all? When I talked to Frances, she was totally frustrated that King would never make a move.”

  Tucker stared at her. “You talked to Frances about her relationship with my father?”

  She shrugged. “She was upset. We had a little girltalk. I gave her a suggestion or two.”

  “Did any of them involve a slinky red dress?” Bobby inquired.

  “Actually, no, but I must admit that had to have been a nice touch.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Bobby confirmed. “I definitely think it did the trick.”

  “God bless Frances, is all I can say,” Tucker said fervently. “If she can divert his attention from me for a while, more power to her.”

  “Trust me, bro. I don’t think you were on Daddy’s mind last night,” Bobby said. “I’m pretty sure he was trying to figure out how to get Frances out of that dress.”

  “Please,” Tucker protested. “The concept boggles the mind. I’d just as soon not have that particular image floating around in my brain all day long.” He turned to Mary Elizabeth. “By the way, what are you doing in here at this hour? Were you looking for me?”

  “No, you’re just a bonus,” she said, winking at Bobby. “I’m meeting Gail Thorensen for coffee. She called me after you’d left last night and suggested getting together before she opens the bookstore.”

  “More talk about the youth center?” Tucker asked.

  “Actually, I don’t think so. She was pretty evasive when I asked why she wanted to see me. She just said she’d had a brainstorm on the way home and wanted to run it by me.”

  “Uh-oh,” Bobby said. “When any of these women get evasive, it means trouble, usually for us men.”

  “Especially Gail,” Tucker noted. “I’ll never forget how she maneuvered Andy into buying that property and helping her open a store more than a hundred miles from where they actually lived. The man was retired from the D.C. police force and living down here before he knew what hit him. Watch your step with her, Mary Elizabeth. She’s sneaky.”

  “I doubt she’ll try the same tactics on me that she used on her husband,” Mary Elizabeth said, regarding him with amusement. “Besides, I’m up for anything that gets me out of Swan Ridge and back among the living.”

  “Glad to hear that,” Gail said, arriving just then and nudging Bobby until he slid over to make room for her. “Because what I have in mind will definitely keep you occupied.”

  Tucker didn’t like the gleam in Gail’s eye one bit. “What are you up to?” he demanded.

  “Just a little selfish request,” she said innocently.

  Then, in what Tucker was fairly sure was a deliberate attempt to keep them guessing, she waved Earlene over to ask for coffee and a cinnamon bun.

  “Well?” Tucker prodded.

  “Not till I’ve had my first sip of coffee,” Gail said.

  Thankfully the coffee and bun arrived at once, but then Mary Elizabeth decided she had to have one, too. Only when both women were happily drinking their coffee and eating Earlene’s gooey, iced cinnamon buns did the conversation resume.

  “Okay, here it is,” Gail said, sitting back and regarding Mary Elizabeth with an expectant look. “How about coming to work for me?”

  “In the bookstore?” Tucker asked before Mary Elizabeth could say a word. He tried to envision her working for minimum wage in a tiny little bookshop here in Trinity Harbor after hobnobbing with the elite in Richmond. He couldn’t see it. As far as he knew, she’d never held a paying, nine-to-five job in her life.

  “Of course in the bookstore,” Gail said impatiently. “It’s a respectable establishment.”

  “It’s lovely,” Mary Elizabeth said.

  She emphasized her point by poking Tucker in the ribs again. At this rate he was going to have bruises.

  “Never said it wasn’t,” he grumbled.

  “So?” Gail asked. “Will you consider it? The hours can be pretty flexible. I got my husband down here so I could spend more time with him, but it turns out I’m working all the time. I had no idea retail was so demanding. I could really use someone part-time to relieve the pressure. I have a couple of kids who help out on weekends, but they’re too young and inexperienced to be left on their own.”

  Tucker watched the emotions registering on Mary Elizabeth’s face. First disbelief, then worry, then the first faint spark of excitement.

  “You’re sure? This could backfire,” she warned Gail. “A lot of people haven’t accepted that I’m back.” She glanced pointedly toward Earlene as she spoke. “In fact, I’m sure some are counting on me leaving. If I go to work for you, it will imply that I’m back permanently, and it might keep some of your customers away, especially with this cloud of suspicion hanging over my head.”

  “Oh, no one with any sense seriously believes you were responsible for your husband’s death,” Gail said, dismissing the problem as inconsequential. “I certainly don’t, and neither does Andy. I’ll take my chances. At least we can try it for a couple of weeks and see how it goes. Please. I really want to spend some time with Andy this weekend. It’s our anniversary, and I have big plans.” She grinned. “If you know what I mean.”

  “Then I will most definitely work for you this weekend,” Mary Elizabeth assured her.

  At this rate, she was going to be meddling in as many romantic relationships as his father, Tucker thought grumpily. He also felt a little nagging sense of shame at how readily this virtual stranger was willing to believe in Mary Elizabeth when he’d been fighting doubts off and on from the beginning, despite his instincts telling him she was innocent. Andy’s defense of her, which he’d heard the night before, had also gone a lo
ng way toward reassuring him that his own instincts were sound.

  Bobby shook his head. “See what I mean?” he said to no one in particular. “The woman is clever. Mary Elizabeth never stood a chance.”

  “Shut up, Bobby,” Mary Elizabeth and Gail said in a chorus, then laughed.

  Though he was relieved to see Mary Elizabeth so excited about something, Tucker was worried that she could be exactly right about Gail’s plan backfiring. Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to throw a damper on her enthusiasm. Besides, if she was happy working with Gail, she might really decide to stick around Trinity Harbor. That would make the plans he was beginning to formulate for the two of them go a whole lot more smoothly, once the timing was right.

  Still, he glanced sideways at Mary Elizabeth. “You know anything about books?”

  “Hey!” she protested.

  “Well, as a kid you weren’t much of a reader. You preferred climbing trees,” he reminded her.

  She gave him a coy grin. “Obviously you never snuck up to my tree house,” she said. “That’s where I kept my secret stash of books.”

  “Dirty books?” Bobby inquired hopefully.

  She frowned at him. “Nancy Drew, if you must know. And the Hardy Boys. Louisa May Alcott. All the classics, including Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn—which, by the way gave me great insights into how to get along with you, Tucker Spencer.”

  Gail beamed. “Oh, this is wonderful. You will be so good at this, Liz. I knew my instincts were exactly right. Can you come with me now? I’ll show you the ropes today and you can work a bit the next couple of days before I leave you on your own this weekend.”

  “Perfect,” Mary Elizabeth said eagerly.

  Tucker scowled, vaguely disgruntled by the fact that she was already taking off. “Hey, as long as you’re here, I thought we could talk.”

  She hesitated. “Is there something in particular you wanted to discuss?”

  To his disgust, Tucker couldn’t think of one pressing thing to keep her right where she was. “No, go. I just hope you don’t consider a cinnamon roll to be a nutritious breakfast.”