Dixie Virgin Chronicles: Catherine (Book 7)

by Webb, Peggy

  “Impossible, young lady.”

  “I’m not a young lady, I’m a she-cat from hell, and my baby’s missing, and I’m not leaving.”

  “Well said, Catherine.” Tyler turned toward the mayor. “You heard what she said. She’s not leaving.”

  “Well, she can’t stay here. The rest of the circus is leaving.”

  “Only because of you, you pompous ass,” Cat said. “I can stay and I will!”

  Tyler had never seen a more stubborn look on a woman’s face, nor a more beautiful one. Catherine DeChello in a rage was a woman to be reckoned with, a magnificent woman who could bring kings to their knees.

  The mayor wiped his face again, then looked off into the distance as if he were seeing visions. When he turned back toward Catherine, he was gloating.

  “Well, Miss DeChello, as much as I would like to accommodate you and the rest of your elephants, I’m afraid I won’t be able to.”

  “What do you mean?” Catherine asked.

  “You see... the man who owns this land happens to be my second cousin. If I tell him it’s in the best interests of the people of Ocean Springs that you leave when the rest of the circus goes, I’m sure he’ll be willing to see the wisdom of my advice.”

  Tyler had never wanted to hit a man as much in his life. He was trying to decide whether to use diplomacy or intimidation when Catherine saved him the trouble.

  “He seemed like a nice man when we negotiated to use his pasture. I’m sure he’ll grant me permission to stay.”

  “Not after I’ve finished with him,” the mayor said. “He owes me a favor.”

  Tyler had a revelation. The solution was so simple he could have kicked himself for not thinking of it sooner.

  “Miss DeChello and her elephants are going to stay with me.”

  Catherine put her hands on her hips and stood on tiptoe so she that could see him nose to nose.

  “Miss DeChello can take care of herself.” She was so close he could see the gold tips on the ends of her long dark eyelashes. He wanted to kiss her, and probably would have if she hadn’t guessed his intentions and stepped out of reach. “I’m staying right here. If anybody feels man enough to evict me with an angry seven-ton elephant looking on, let him try.”

  With that, Catherine marched toward her trailer.

  “Bravo. I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Tyler said.

  If Catherine heard him, she gave no indication. She continued moving toward her mobile home like a battleship under full power.

  She had had the last word, and it had been glorious. As a writer, Tyler almost envied her. As a suitor, he admired her. As a potential lover, he lusted after her.

  The mayor was dumbfounded. He stood with his mouth gaping and watched as Catherine slammed her trailer door.

  “Well, Mayor Tittle. The lady stays.”

  “If she’s a lady, I’m a toad frog.”

  “She’s a lady, all right. A magnificent one.”

  Tyler turned toward the trailer just as Catherine emerged, still in pajamas and robe and carrying a sleeping bag. As he and the mayor watched, she crossed the ropes and spread her bag in the sawdust beside her elephants. Then she sat down and crossed her arms on her chest. She didn’t have to say a thing. Everybody within seeing range got her message.

  “She’ll leave,” the mayor said. “I’ll see to that.”

  “I’m here to see that she stays.” Tyler clamped one hand on the mayor’s shoulder. “If anybody in this town harasses Catherine DeChello, he has me to answer to. Is that clear?”

  “It’s clear, West, but I’ve taken you on before. I don’t mind doing it again.”

  “Then prepare to lose.”

  Tyler left the mayor and approached the elephant enclosure. Catherine was sitting on her sleeping bag, as stiff and angry as a bristled cat. Only when he got close did Tyler see the dampness on her cheeks.

  “Don’t cry, my sweet,” he said.

  “I’m not crying.” A big tear rolled down her cheek, but she refused to wipe it.

  “I’ll protect you.”

  “I don’t need your protection.”

  “Then I’ll be your friend.”

  “I’m going to need all the friends I can get. Larry wanted to stay and fight the eviction notice, but a circus this size can’t afford to cancel bookings. I told him I’d stay till Angel is back. He’s already ordered the roustabouts to take down the Big Top.”

  “I won’t leave, Catherine.”

  “Mickey volunteered to stay, but I wouldn’t let him. The circus is heading south toward Biloxi. They usually have a good audience in a tourist town. I couldn’t let them go without their best clown. It’s bad enough that the circus has to do without its elephants. I don’t need anybody, Tyler.”

  “I want to help you, Cat.”

  “You don’t have to do this, you know. You have a wonderful, peaceful life, and I don’t want to be the one who turns it upside down. Just go home. I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.”

  “You misjudge me. I may be many things, but I’m not the kind of man who leaves a woman in distress.”

  “Don’t say that. I’m not in distress.”

  “Yes, you are.” He struck a pose, hoping to make her smile. “You’re a damsel in distress and I’m your knight in shining armor.”

  When she grinned, he knew she was going to be all right.

  “You’ve let your imagination get way out of hand. Please, just leave. It’s bad enough here already, without you goading that pompous mayor.”

  Tyler propped one boot on the wooden stake that held the ropes and leaned toward Catherine.

  “I’m going now, but not for long. I’ll find your baby elephant. I promise you that.”

  “I wish I could believe you.”

  “Believe me. Believe in me.”

  Catherine watched him go. She didn’t need a knight in shining armor. Anyhow, she didn’t believe in that romantic myth anymore. But it was just like Tyler to use such a ploy to get what he wanted. After all, he was a novelist, a teller of tales, a spinner of fantasies. He probably imagined himself the hero with every woman he chased. And she guessed he had chased plenty.

  What she believed was his promise to find Angel. He was very convincing. But then, she supposed it was the job of a writer to be convincing. His books were certainly evidence of that. When she had read Man of Steel she had believed that one man in a white Stetson and steel-toed boots could take on a whole town.

  Tyler had worn steel-toed boots and a white Stetson when he’d come calling with his guitar. Come to think of it, the hero in that book hadn’t been able to carry a tune, either. Tyler West was acting out a role, one that he had created.

  Sitting on her sleeping bag with her arms crossed, chuckling at Tyler’s outrageous antics, Cat realized he’d saved her from worrying about Angel for the past fifteen minutes. Maybe he was a hero.

  o0o

  From: Bea

  To: Catherine, Clemmie, Molly, Janet, Belinda, Joanna

  Re: TV News

  Dang, Cat! You’re TV’s latest reality star! Calling that stupid mayor a pompous ass on TV has made you a bigger celebrity than Angelina Jolie! Of course, it helped that you made those cute pajama slacks and that tee shirt with Big Bird on the front look like the latest fashion craze!

  A sit-in! Absolutely brilliant, girlfriend! I wish I were there to join you!

  Bea

  From: Molly

  To: Catherine, Clemmie, Joanna, Janet, Belinda, Bea

  Re: Sit In

  OMG, Cat! You’re famous in Florence! Everybody’s talking about your sit-in to save the elephant, and there’s a run on Big Bird PJs! And that Tyler West is a hunk! I’m dying to join you!

  Molly

  From: Joanna

  To: Catherine, Clemmie, Janet, Bea, Molly, Belinda

  Re: Organize

  Cat, you were PRICELESS on TV. I nearly fell off the sofa laughing when you called that ridiculous mayor a TOAD! And Tyler West is
TO DIE FOR!!!

  Bea, you HAVE GOT to organize a Dixie Virgin Sit-In Brigade. We all need to be there with Cat!

  Joanna

  From: Belinda

  To: Catherine, Clemmie, Janet, Bea, Molly, Joanna

  Re: Ready to Pop

  Cat, you were magnificent on TV, and Joanna, that’s a very good idea, but I’m so big I can barely get out of the bed without assistance. I’d never make it in a car to Ocean Springs, and even if I did they’d mistake me for the elephant!

  Belinda

  From: Clemmie

  To: Catherine, Joanna, Janet, Bea, Molly, Belinda

  Re: Brigade

  Cat, I think that mayor is just plain mean! And that poor baby elephant – oh, I hope he comes back to the herd soon. You’re so brave to be staging a sit-in, and I’m so glad you have that very handsome Tyler West to help you. The way he stood up that silly preacher was impressive! Everybody in Peppertown is talking about you and Angel and Tyler West. It’s better than a soap opera!

  Bea, if you organize a Dixie Virgin brigade, I’m all for it!

  Clemmie

  From: Janet

  To: Catherine, Clemmie, Joanna, Belinda, Bea, Molly

  Re: Dark Ages

  Reverend Dunwoody is from the Dark Ages, and that mayor is not much better! I’m so mad at the way that town is refusing to rally around the circus to find Angel that I’ve fired off hot letters to the City Council and the Chamber of Commerce.

  I’m sorry you’re having to fight this battle, Cat, but you’re more than equal to the task. If the TV keeps up it’s coverage of you and the indomitable Tyler West – and I’m certain they will – the tide of public opinion will sweep everybody in Ocean Springs out of office, including the mayor you so correctly called a pompous ass!

  Joanna, I’m not sure racing down for Cat’s sit-in is the answer, but I do think we can bring pressure to bear with letters and phone calls!

  Janet

  From: Bea

  To: Clemmie, Janet, Molly, Catherine, Belinda, Joanna

  Re: Publicity campaign

  Ditto, what Janet said! Furthermore, we can stir up a firestorm of publicity by giving interviews about Cat and the great work she’s doing as a circus veterinarian! It’ll make good press, and start such a groundswell of support for Cat and Angel, that Neanderthal throwback of a mayor won’t know what hit him!

  Hang in there, Cat! Email when you can.

  Bea

  Chapter Seven

  The first thing Tyler did after he left the circus was call his friend Jay.

  “Anything new, Jay?”

  “Yes. It seems our man Billy Joe has a nasty habit of beating up women.”

  Tyler gripped the phone so hard his knuckles turned white. Catherine had been engaged to a monster.

  “Are you there, Tyler?”

  “Yes. Go on.”

  “He’s spread his money around pretty well to try and cover his trail, but I picked it up without much trouble. A broken arm here, a cracked rib there, one face messed up pretty bad.”

  Tyler’s chest felt tight. The thought of Catherine in the hands of such a man congealed his blood. No wonder she was skittish about being touched.

  “I’m listening, Jay. What else?”

  “He has a distinct preference for women with dark hair.”

  “Like Catherine.”

  “I suspected as much. There was nothing much on him until the last few years—just the usual young buck’s brawling. It was only after Catherine broke up with him that our Billy Joe began to come out of the closet and show his dirty side.”

  “Transference. All the women he’s abusing are Catherine.”

  “I would expect so, Tyler.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “Nobody knows.”

  “Find the snake. If he’s anywhere near Ocean Springs, I want to know.”

  “Done.”

  “One other thing, Jay... There’s a thousand-pound baby elephant missing from Catherine’s circus. I want to find her.”

  “What about the Ocean Springs authorities?”

  “They’re about as effective as mice on a tiger hunt.” Jay chuckled, then Tyler added, “You might start by checking out Bill Henderson. Owns a circus of his own, I think. He was nosing around the elephants a couple of days ago. Said he wanted to buy Angel.”

  “Will do. Tyler, are you involved with this woman?”

  “Yes.”

  “How deep?”

  Tyler pondered Jay’s question for quite a while, then gave a lighthearted answer. “The usual. I’m on the prowl and she’s on the run. It’s going to take a lot to catch her, that’s all.”

  “Be careful. That former boyfriend of hers is a nasty customer.’ ‘

  “I’ll watch my back. Thanks pal.”

  After Tyler had hung up, he sat for a long time staring out his window. Two of his beagles were lying belly-up in the sun, their tongues lolling out with happiness. One was sitting under the shade of an oak tree, letting his ears blow in the breeze. The fat stray tomcat that graced his farm from time to time was on the prowl, his head up and his tail waving like a flag. It was a peaceful scene. Tyler realized he had become complacent in the last few years, expecting his life to always be steady and serene, punctuated by bright moments of passion, passion for his cars, passion for his horses and passion for his women.

  Except now there was only one woman, Catherine DeChello. And with her came a host of troubles—a missing elephant, an obsessed ex-boyfriend and a skittishness born of fear.

  The easy thing would be to plunge into his work and try to forget Catherine DeChello.

  Tyler closed his eyes, remembering her with a wilted flower in her hair, seeing her atop her bull elephant, laughing, remembering her in a shimmering red costume, the moonlight caressing her shining face. He could never take the easy way out.

  He left his office smiling. One of the things he loved most in the world was a good stiff challenge. He loved the challenge of negotiating one of his fast cars over a steep curving road. He welcomed the challenge of bringing together the perfect set of characters for each new novel. He reveled in the challenge of pitting his race horses against the best on the circuit.

  Winning Catherine was going to be the biggest challenge of his life. And the most rewarding. By the time he gained Catherine’s trust and had her tucked prettily in his bed, he figured he would be a real hero. Already he was beginning to feel like one. This business of taming the animal trainer—not to mention protecting her—could turn out to be the best thing that had ever happened to him, right up there with getting his first book published. Maybe even better.

  o0o

  Catherine stood in the sawdust and waved goodbye to the last of the circus caravan. Mickey stopped his van, leaned out the window and reached for her hand.

  “Will you be all right, Catherine?”

  “I’ll be fine, Mickey. Don’t worry about me.”

  “I want to worry about you. Gives me something to feel important about.”

  She leaned in the window and hugged him. “Take care, Mickey.”

  He patted her shoulder, then didn’t try to disguise his loud sniffle.

  “I’m staying.”

  “No, you’re not.” Catherine stood back from the van and put her hands on her hips. “And don’t you dare mention it again. Your job is to make kids laugh and mine is to wait until Angel can come back to the herd. We’re professionals. We don’t let emotion get in the way of our jobs.”

  “Shoot.” Mickey pulled out a huge bandana and blew his nose. “I never did think I’d let myself get emotional about somebody, and then you came along. Feels kind’a good. Much better than being professional.”

  Catherine wiped at her own tears. “Goodbye, Mickey. Take care.”

  “You, too.”

  “See you soon.”

  Catherine waved until his van was out of sight, then she returned to her elephants.

  Elmer and Elvira were restless. They missed Ang
el as much as she did.

  “Come, loves. A little exercise will take all our minds off our baby.”

  She unchained Elvira, leading that cumbersome lady from the enclosure. They went through their paces, although Catherine knew that Elvira didn’t need the practice. It was true that an elephant never forgets. Once their routines were firmly established in their minds, neither Elvira nor Elmer, nor even Angel, ever missed a cue.

  Catherine was sitting on Elvira’s back when she saw Tyler West’s car. He was driving with the joyful abandon of a man born to love fast wheels. She was caught off guard and spent three or four minutes admiring him before she remembered that she was mad at him. He was, after all, a man caught up in acting out his own fantasies. She wasn’t about to let him act them out at her expense.

  He parked and got out of his car, but she stayed atop her elephant in order to have an advantage.

  “I’m glad to see you smiling, Catherine.”

  “I’m not smiling.” Catherine put on a scowl to emphasize this, but he looked so jaunty and self-confident that she couldn’t keep the corners of her mouth from twitching.

  “You could have fooled me.”

  “The reason I’m not smiling is that I’m mad at you.”

  “I enjoy a woman with a temper.”

  “I wish you’d stop that.”

  “Stop what?”

  “Stop being charming so I can be mad at you.”

  “Go ahead and be mad at me. In fact, you can get down off that elephant and take a poke at me if you like. I won’t break.” His laughter was easy and uninhibited. She wished she could laugh that freely. A long time ago, she had. Before Billy Joe.

  “Would you like to tell me what I’ve done to deserve your beautiful wrath?” Tyler asked.

  “One of the reasons is that you came back.”

  “I promised I would.”

  “I told you not to. I can take care of myself.”

  “I have no doubt about it. But it’s going to be so much more fun this way, me taking care of you and you pretending not to like it but all the while loving it so much that you’ll begin to wonder how you ever lived without me.”