Dixie Rebel (The Carolina Magnolia Series, Book 1)

by Patricia Rice

  Maya searched for some sign of drugs, but Cleo's eyes were clear and snapping. "That's a legal maneuver. Axell's lawyer says if we have guardianship, then Social Services can't do anything if we let you take care of Matty as much as you like. Otherwise, you can't have Matty until the social worker says you can."

  "Where's my teapot?" Cleo reached for her pockets as if hunting for a cigarette, cursed, then shoved her hands in her jeans waistband.

  Maya didn't need an explanation. Cleo had always smoked, for as long as she could remember. Cutting out cigarettes and drugs both must be driving her crazy. "It's at the school. We almost lost everything when the other building collapsed, so I packed it up and stored it somewhere safe. I'll get it for you."

  Cleo dropped into the wicker chair and curled her legs under her, not looking at Maya. "I want my life back. You've got my kid, my store, my damned teapot. Hell, you've got my town. You married Wadeville's golden boy. What am I supposed to do, crawl off in a hole somewhere and let you have it all?"

  This was the point where Maya was supposed to slink off into the sunset and let everyone do their own thing. She didn't have answers. Never had. But she'd made some decisions that got her into this position, and she didn't see any immediate way out.

  Maya dropped into the other chair. "Why did you move to Wadeville?" Maya kicked herself, but the question was out there and she couldn't think of a better one.

  Cleo shrugged and rested her head against the high back of the chair. "When I left the Creep, I had to go somewhere. I thought maybe I could make it in our hometown, find our roots. I should have known better."

  The Creep, Cleo's husband, the one who'd hooked her on drugs. Maya knew all that from garbled phone conversations over the years. But the Creep hadn't been in Wadeville. Whatever Cleo had done here, she had done to herself.

  "I kind of like it here." Maya was surprised to hear herself say that. She didn't like places. They changed too often. But the people of Wadeville had offered her more opportunities than anywhere else. "Wouldn't it be nice if we could be a real family, raise our kids in a real town?" she asked with a tinge of hope.

  "It ain't gonna happen." Cleo said callously. "I can't keep this place running. The only job I qualify for is waitressing. The rent around here is too expensive to live on tips. Old Man Pfeiffer cut me a break on the other building, but I'm not living off your husband's charity."

  "Pfeiffer? Mr. Pfeiffer owned the other building? I paid the rent to some corporation." There was a topic she could sink her teeth into without disturbing old arguments.

  "Yeah, but he must have owned it. I think the old goat owns all kinds of stuff around here. He says he's our grandfather, isn't that a hoot? He has more relatives than Adam has apples, owns half these doddering buildings, and he wants to own us too."

  "Grandfather?" Maya couldn't take that in. They had aunts and uncles and cousins all over creation, she knew that. But the blood between them had been damned thin. She didn't remember any grandfathers. He'd said he knew their grandmother. Did that fit?

  "He's dead, you know," Maya continued. "He owned the property the school is on, and now Axell says the court will sell it since he didn't leave a will."

  Cleo's head shot up. "Dead? Well, shit, that cinches it. He gave me some cock-and-bull story about how he'd met our grandmother before he married, but he didn't do right by her and he was going to make it all up to us now that his wife was gone and he could admit what he'd done. I figured the old goat was just lonely and wanted someone to talk to. He had nieces and nephews and cousins who never visited unless they wanted something. I kinda felt sorry for him."

  "So did I, but he definitely had a muddy aura. Maybe that's why he gave us such a good deal on the school. We could never have afforded it without his help." Maya dug her fingers into her hair and tried to sort it all out, but she didn't have much confidence in ancient history—although with the names their mother had given them, she supposed she should at least show some interest.

  "Muddy aura." Cleo snorted. "You're as crazy as I am." She shifted uncomfortably. "But he wasn't above muddy deals. It's probably good that he's gone." She sank into glum thought.

  Maya didn't want to hear about muddy deals. She didn't want to know what Cleo had done in her former life. But for Matty's sake, she had to know. "He didn't get you mixed up in anything, did he?"

  Cleo spiked her hair worse than it was. "Anything I did, I did to myself. Pfeiffer might have blamed himself, but it wasn't his fault."

  "Cleo?" Maya asked uncertainly when she didn't continue.

  Cleo sighed. "He let some slimeballs use some of his old buildings. I know dealers when I see them. When things got bad, I sought them out, not vice versa. But if Pfeiffer's gone, they'll have moved on. You don't have to worry. I'm clean, and I'm staying that way."

  Maya nodded in relief. "That's hard to believe of that nice old man. Maybe he didn't know they were dealing."

  Cleo grunted in disbelief but didn't argue. "Your turn to spill. Since you were already knocked up when you came out here, how the hell did you get Superman to marry you?"

  Superman. Maya smiled. "I was thinking in terms of Norse gods myself. Thor, maybe? It's a long story. You really don't want to hear it. But Axell's good with lawyers. Do you think if we could prove Mr. Pfeiffer was our grandfather, we might get part of his estate?" She wasn't really interested for herself, but for Cleo... It might give her a reason for hanging out a while longer.

  "If a collapsed building and a run-down old house is the extent of it, we wouldn't get enough to pay the lawyers." Cleo sipped her coffee and stared around at the sparkling shop inventory. "I kind of liked the place dusty and moldy. It had a certain flavor to it."

  "Yeah, it was called Eau de Rat. It made a profit last month," Maya offered tentatively. "Axell said with all the new growth around here, this town will be seeing a lot of new business, that with the right planning, your shop could be a major asset."

  "If I stay off dope and out of the clutches of idiots," Cleo answered gloomily. "It's not that easy. I owe a lot of favors." She sat up and glared at Maya. "I want Matty back."

  "You want to run," Maya accused her. "I'll be damned if I let you do that to him."

  "He's my kid."

  "He's your responsibility. There's a difference." Maya dug her fingers into the chair arms. She'd never learned to stand up for herself or anyone else, but Cleo was her sister. If she couldn't stand up to her, she couldn't help anybody.

  "You don't understand. Nobody understands. It's just better if I leave." Cleo slumped back in the chair and glared at the glass counter.

  "You can't leave. You're on probation. You have to stick it out and fight whatever it is you're running from. You have family behind you now. It can work. We're not alone anymore."

  "Oh, yeah, and Beaver and his mom will bake cookies and serve lemonade." Cleo struggled with her inner demons for a minute more, then narrowed her eyes and turned her glare back to Maya. "I'll do whatever it takes to get Matty."

  All right. Step One. That's all she could handle right now. "Talk to Social Services. See if they'll give him over to you. If they won't, we'll talk about alternatives." Maya got up. "I'll finish up those shoe paintings. You talk to the system."

  Miraculously, Cleo seemed to accept that order of things. She wandered off to clean up while Maya took her usual place behind the counter. It had been a very confusing few days. She needed the security of her paint and brushes.

  * * *

  Maya glanced up as the door chimes rang. The shop had just opened for the day and nobody came in at ten in the morning. If it was Axell, she didn't know if she was ready to speak to him. They had some issues they needed to sort out, and not the way they had done it last night.

  Her eyes widened as Katherine and the mayor walked in. They stared around as if they'd never been inside a store before. She bit back a grin as they ran into the bumper sticker rack. Nobody could get by that rack without looking and chuckling, even these two starch
ed-up yuppies.

  Ralph Arnold brought a sticker to the counter saying FORGET WORLD PEACE—VISUALIZE USING YOUR TURN SIGNAL. "Maybe we could put one of these on every car in town," he said dryly, laying it down and reaching for his wallet.

  Maya shrugged and waved away his money. "It's on the house." She studied the man on the other side of the counter, looking for the devious aura that would nail him as up to no good, but she could see nothing more than his narrow-minded conservatism. At least, they agreed on the poor driving habits of the local townspeople. "Maybe I could sell you a crystal ball? They're supposed to be real handy in telling the future."

  The mayor looked at her suspiciously, but Katherine sauntered up and distracted him. She was wearing red, as usual, but a little more modestly tailored for a change. The skirt only rode half way up her thighs.

  "Pfeiffer's heirs want to sell the school property." Katherine dived right into the issue at hand. "We thought we could offer alternative properties to expedite the sale."

  Axell had taught her one or two things over these last months, and one of them was to beware wiggling bait. Maya gestured toward her high-backed chairs. "Have a seat, if you like. Dazzle me with your knowledge. But remember, the house and the lease are in the court's hands, and there isn't a lawyer or judge in the state that will break my lease. I have three years."

  She watched the mayor's complexion turn purple and Katherine's eyes narrow to slits. Maya settled on her stool behind the counter and picked up her paintbrush.

  "I thought Axell had explained to you that we need that property now. We can get a judgment from the court allowing the road to go through there while the estate is pending. We just need your release."

  "Axell explains lots of things to me. I don't remember him telling me I had to move or sign anything. Actually, if I remember correctly, someone mentioned that if anyone wanted me out of there early, they'd have to buy off my lease."

  Selene had actually mentioned that. Maya wasn't entirely clear on what it meant, but it had sounded good. Not that she had any intention of giving up the lease, but she liked shocking people.

  "Axell promised!" Katherine all but shouted. "He said if we scratched his back, he'd scratch ours. He's supposed to help you find a new place."

  Well, that was an entirely new perspective. Add one more issue to discuss with Mr. Axell Holm. But Maya was accustomed to keeping her mouth shut in the presence of civil servants. She smiled patiently. "So, scratch your own itches. They have nothing to do with mine. I have a lease and the school stays. There's an old depleted tobacco field just down the way. Why don't you buy it if you have to have a new road?"

  "It's two miles out of the way!" the mayor argued. "It would cost a fortune to run that road through there. The Pfeiffer property will save the state hundreds of thousands. If you won't cooperate, we'll have to proceed with the land condemnation."

  Maya shrugged. "Aside from the cost of building a bridge over the flood zone, moving the school should make you real popular with the parents of my students. They like the school where it is. And the ladies of the Garden Club are planning a fall tour of the landscaping. They've been working hard at it. Apparently, Pfeiffer has some plants in there that date back to the settling of the colony. Come to think of it, the Historic Society might get interested. There aren't many sites like that left."

  "It's just a damned piece of land!" Arnold exploded. "You can't deprive the public of their right of access or the heirs to their rightful inheritance. We'll take it to court. Axell will be damned sorry he let you get into this."

  Probably, but Axell would be damned sorry about a lot of things, and the Pfeiffer property was the least of them. Maya shrugged. "Whatever. I'll give you a good price on the crystal ball."

  "There's no point arguing with her," Katherine pointed out, taking the mayor's arm. "She'll be reading your cards next."

  "Remember the Fool in yours?" Maya called out as they hurried toward the door. "Keep him in mind when you think of me!"

  Katherine was too literal to catch the reference. As the pair hurried out, Maya sighed and stared at the unhappy dragon she'd just created. The cards played tricks with the mind, but she could tell she was the Fool in Katherine's woodpile. Even the Death card had been literal. Pfeiffer had been a relative of Katherine's, she remembered Axell saying.

  August, 1946

  I have taken my savings and purchased a lucrative rental property. I cannot tell Dolly of my child or use her money for the child's support. She does not know about the property. I have found a lawyer who will send the proceeds to Helen's cousins. I will pray they will raise my daughter to be stronger than I am.

  Chapter 30

  Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

  "Shit." Swinging his chair to face the window as he hung up the phone, Axell glanced out in time to see Katherine and Ralph Arnold scurrying from the building next door. He couldn't think of anything good coming from a conversation between Maya and the mayor.

  He was probably better off letting Maya simmer in peace until she'd had time to cool off. But he'd held her naked in his arms just hours before and the memory of that closeness still warmed the long-empty hollows of his heart. He didn't want to lose the tentative ties they'd begun to form. If marriage was anything like a business, it had to be tended carefully. With that kind of rational outlook instead of a sentimental one, he should be able to make this marriage work.

  Not knowing whether he'd meet the newly confrontational Maya or the fey one, Axell took the stairs two at a time. If nothing else, life with Maya would never be boring. He'd never realized he had such a strong streak of curiosity in him, or that it thrived on constant nourishment.

  The sound system was ominously silent as he entered the shop. Belatedly, he realized Cleo was in charge now, but he'd seen Maya arrive earlier. The mayor wouldn't have gotten far with Cleo.

  Fog still hid the sunshine this morning, and no one had turned on lights in the back of the shop. Axell smacked the switch and discovered Maya curled up in her wicker chair, cuddling a cooing Alexa in her arms. The empty chambers of his heart clanged hollow as he read her look.

  "All right, what did the mayor have to say?" Axell asked in resignation as he took the other chair. He wished she would offer him a cup of tea. She still hadn't brought the damned cups back.

  "I'll scratch my own back, thank you very much," she said coldly.

  That should make no sense at all, but he'd learned to look past Maya's words to the convoluted path of her mind. He didn't have far to go for this one. "I never said that, and at the time the mayor suggested it, I had to get him and the alcohol board off my back," he reminded her. "I figured I could find you another property if I had to."

  "I don't want another property." Stubbornly, she refused to look at him. "The school is mine and you have nothing to do with it."

  Definitely not the tack he'd hoped to take. "Maya, I hate to say this," he began cautiously, "but it's possible Mr. Pfeiffer died over that land. The mayor and the developer are pretty heavily involved in that shopping center. I'm not laying any blame, just pointing out the danger. I don't want anything happening to you or the kids."

  "You think someone murdered poor Mr. Pfeiffer over that old house? That's crazy! You're more paranoid Scorpio than I thought. He didn't even have a will."

  "That just means the land goes into escrow until the court sells it and divides the proceeds between the heirs, which is what the mayor wants. If you produce that lease and fight the sale, you're in his way."

  The more Axell thought about it, the more nervous he became. He couldn't believe the mayor guilty of murder, but he knew little or nothing about the heirs and the developer.

  "It's still a stupid place to put a road." Maya set her small chin at a determined tilt. "It's a flood zone. It's historic property. If it's sold, they'll turn the land into tacky boxes and condiments."

  "Condominiums," Axell corrected with a grin.

  "Cheap condiments for hiding ba
d taste," she insisted. "The tobacco field down the road is a better alternative."

  "Look, Maya, I don't want to argue with you—"

  Her eyes flashed with pleasure. "I am arguing, aren't I? Are you mad at me yet?"

  She peered at him from beneath thick long lashes and Axell almost forgot the question. The knowing slant of her lips returned him to the moment. He kept forgetting that even if she looked like somebody's fairy godchild, Maya was no damned innocent.

  "I'm not mad at you. I just want you to see sense."

  "Then don't call my sister names. I'm still furious at you for that one," she responded irrelevantly. "Cleo's made mistakes. She's had a rough time of it. But with a little help—"

  "Dammit, Maya!" Axell tried not to shout but he didn't think he was succeeding. "Drug addiction is not something that goes away. Your sister will always be an addict. I was just stating facts. Maybe she's reformed. I don't know. That's not the point—"

  "It is the point!" she said loudly enough to startle Alexa into a surprised cry. Calming her voice, Maya continued. "You want to control our lives, and I won't let you. They're our lives, to mess up as we will. The school is mine, Axell. It's my dream. You can't tell me what to do with it."

  There was something wrong with this argument, but Maya had his mind twisted in so many directions, he couldn't pinpoint where they'd strayed from the path. If she weren't holding Alexa like a shield, he'd lean over and kiss her until their heads spun in the same direction. Axell derived some satisfaction in knowing he had that much influence.

  "The kids are my concern as well as yours," he warned. "If I think they're in danger, I'll act on it. Right now, there isn't much anyone can do with the property tied up in escrow. The minute that changes..."