Lisa shook her head. “Hilda will give you hell. You promised socks.”
“That had to be a moment of temporary insanity. There’s no way I could manage those skinny little double-point needles you have to use for socks. And not just two needles, but three of them, for Pete’s sake. Why the heck do you need three needles?”
“Just because,” Lisa intoned in a deep voice, which made Megan giggle.
“I hate it when you say that.”
“Somebody has to give you a hard time, Kelly. No one else will. Except Jennifer and me. So it’s up to us to kick your butt.”
“Excuse me?”
Lisa pinned Kelly with a laser look. “About Steve. He’s waaaay too patient. When are you going to get serious? He’s not seeing anyone else, and neither are you. It’s time for some commitment here.”
Kelly released a huge sigh and reached for her ever-present coffee mug. Empty. Damn. She’d have to endure one of “those conversations” without caffeine.
“How’d we get from socks to Steve? I swear, you’re as bad as Jennifer.”
“Did I hear my name taken in vain?” Jennifer’s voice floated from the yarn room behind them.
Kelly watched her friend approach the table and settle into a chair beside her. Oh, boy. Stereo teasing. She braced herself.
“I take my reputation seriously, you know,” Jennifer said as she pulled the royal blue sweater from her bag. “Lisa’s not even on the radar screen of bad.”
Megan laughed over her yarn, glancing slyly at Kelly. “Lisa was giving Kelly a hard time about Steve.”
Kelly stared at Megan. Supergeek, too-shy-to-date-until-recently Megan was teasing Kelly about moving slowly. Something was definitely wrong with this picture. Kelly resisted the urge to tease back, however, because she and her friends were afraid of spoiling the blossoming relationship between Megan and Marty. Superjocks, both. Marty was brilliantly moving the relationship forward inch by inch.
Kind of like Steve, the little voice in the back of her head whispered. That caught Kelly’s attention. Hmmmm.
“Oh, good. I came at just the right time. Where’d you leave off, Lisa?”
“I asked Kelly when she was going to kick that relationship up to the next level. She’s been dithering about it for months now. What’s the matter with you, Kelly?”
Kelly stared at her friend, incredulous. Dithering? She’d never dithered in her life. How could they say that? She was just . . . taking her time.
“What?” she protested, indignant. “I do not dither.”
“Do, too,” Jennifer said, not looking up from her needles.
“Do not.”
“Yeah, you do,” Lisa chimed in.
“I’m just . . . moving slowly, that’s all.”
Lisa snorted, her fingers working the colorful yarn. “Slowly? Glaciers move faster.”
Megan burst out laughing, then clamped her hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking.
“Kelly’s got ‘issues,’ ” Jennifer said in a theatrical voice.
Kelly rolled her eyes. “Oh, please.” She didn’t think she could get through any more of this without coffee. Noticing Rosa around the corner filling yarn bins, Kelly caught her eye. “Hey, Rosa, could you ask someone in the café to bring me some coffee, please? I can’t take this aggravation without caffeine.”
Lisa peered over at Kelly. “Issues, my ass. So your old boyfriend was a sleaze and dumped you. That happens to lots of people. Get over it.”
Lisa’s and Jennifer’s well-aimed barbs were hitting home. Kelly could feel their words penetrate inside. She’d already said these same things to herself. Why, then, am I still hesitating? She hadn’t figured that out yet, but she was working on it.
“I’m getting there, guys, believe me, I am—”
Jennifer dropped her needles in her lap and turned to her. “You know, Kelly, I’ve known you for nearly a year now. You are scary brave. You quit your corporate job and started a business here, you took on that Wyoming ranch, bought a place in the canyon. Even all those murders you’ve gotten involved in, sleuthing. You don’t back down. I’ve watched you. You’ll get right in a killer’s face if you have to. You’re a risk taker in every aspect of your life, except one. Relationships. Why is that?”
Kelly stared into her friend’s earnest dark brown gaze. She felt Jennifer’s question resonate within. Whoa. Why was that? she wondered. She didn’t have an answer.
“Uhhhh,” was all Kelly could manage at the moment.
“Just something to think about, Kelly.” Jennifer returned to her knitting. So like Jennifer. She would joke and tease, then she’d zero in and hit the target.
“Good advice, Kelly,” Lisa added. “I’d be curious—”
Kelly was saved from further interrogation or perceptive analysis by the jangle of her cell phone. She flipped it open while a café waitress placed a large mug of black coffee in front of her. Saved at last. Kelly took a big sip, ignoring the burn, as Jayleen’s voice came on the line.
“Kelly, I’ve got a question for you.” Jayleen jumped right to the point in her usual no-nonsense style. “A rancher friend of mine is looking to expand his herd, and he remembered that Geri Norbert had some fine alpaca females. I told him you bought her herd, and he’s wondering if you’d be interested in selling any of them. I told him I’d ask and take him up there for a look-see if you agree.”
It took only a second for Kelly to switch into accounting mode, grateful for the diversion. “You know, Jayleen, if you’d asked me that a month ago, my answer would have been an automatic no. But now I’ve got way too many expenses and not enough money to pay them. I checked with the business office at the veterinary hospital this morning, and Carl’s vet bills are two thousand dollars and still climbing.” She noticed her friends’ shocked expressions and nodded.
“I kinda figured that,” Jayleen said. “That’s why I called. When life throws you those curveballs, it kinda changes your perspective.”
“It sure does,” Kelly said, leaning back into the curved wooden chair. “I’m getting pretty tired of catching them, too. How many females does he want to buy? I don’t want to lose them all.”
“I can drive him up there tomorrow morning. Let’s see which ones he’s interested in, and then you and I can talk, okay?”
“Sounds like a plan, Jayleen. Call me tomorrow. Oh, by the way, Burt’s throwing a little get-together here tonight, to celebrate the reopening of the café and the shop. He’s just inviting close friends, and that means you. I think Curt’s coming, too.”
“Awwww, I sure wish I could come, Kelly, but I’ve scheduled tonight to start sorting through tax stuff. I’ve gotta get everything in order before I dump it all on your desk. I don’t want you to drop me as a client the first time out.” Her warm chuckle sounded.
“No hurry, Jayleen, it’s still February,” Kelly said, glancing at her watch. It was time to leave if she wanted to see Carl during visiting hours. “Give me a call after you and the guy take a look in the canyon. I’ll let Bobby know you folks will be there.”
“Will do. I think we’ve got a couple of days yet before the next snowstorm hits. Talk to you later.”
Kelly shoved the colorful scarf into her bag. More snow, huh? Boy, she definitely wasn’t used to these Colorado winters. It had been snowing nearly every week since before Christmas. Sounded like she’d need that knitted hat after all.
“What? Pepperoni is gone, again?” Steve cried as he reached toward the open pizza boxes scattered across the littered library table.
“Marty ate it all. I saw him,” Greg said before demolishing the last bite of a pepperoni-laden slice. Removing the evidence.
“Naw. I only ate half,” Marty replied with his good-natured grin as he leaned back in his chair. “Besides, what’s that you’re shoving into your mouth?”
Kelly noticed the casual way Marty draped his arm on the back of Megan’s chair as she sat beside him. Atta boy, Marty, Kelly thought with a grin. Earlier in t
he evening, Marty caught her eye and winked. Kelly gave the amiable redhead a surreptitious thumbs-up in encouragement.
“Folks, there are four more boxes of pizza, so not to worry,” Burt said from his spot at the end of the table next to Mimi.
Kelly was relieved to see Mimi relaxing around the crowded knitting table with shop family and friends. Burt was right. This was exactly what Mimi needed. She had even laughed out loud when tall, skinny Marty grabbed the first pizza box and started racing around the shop, Greg in hot pursuit.
“How many pizzas did you bring?” Lisa asked.
“Ten. Two for Marty, and the rest for us.”
“Two? That’s just an appetizer,” Marty said, playing along.
“Dude, you make a move toward those boxes, and I’m gonna pound you,” Greg threatened, reaching for a slice of double cheese.
Marty cackled, arms behind his head in a trademark pose. “Gotta catch me first.”
“You couldn’t catch him before you started eating, Greg. What makes you think you can catch him now?” Megan said with a laugh, cheeks flushed.
“Hey, I’m gaining my strength,” Greg replied, before gobbling the cheesy slice.
“Boy, I hope you guys saved some for Pete,” Jennifer said as she returned to the table.
Mimi glanced over her shoulder. “Where is Pete, anyway? Oh, dear, is he still working?”
Jennifer nibbled her half-eaten pizza before answering. “He kept promising to come and then he’d find something else to do. So I finally enlisted ‘Sheriff’ Curt’s help.”
Kelly drained her soda and leaned back against Steve’s arm, which was draped around her chair. “What’s Curt going to do, lasso Pete and drag him in?”
“Whatever it takes . . . hey, here he is,” Jennifer said, pointing toward the archway leading to the main room. Pete approached, Curt Stackhouse close behind. “You can remand him into my custody, Sheriff Curt. I’ll keep an eye on him.” She pulled out the chair beside her.
“Sorry, folks. It’s hard for me to get away sometimes,” Pete said with a sheepish grin as he sat down.
“Did you have to lasso him, Curt?” Kelly teased the silver-haired rancher.
“Nope, Pete was real cooperative. I told him everybody was waiting on him to start eating.” He cast an appreciative eye about the empty pizza boxes. “Looks like you folks just made a liar out of me.”
Pete laughed and reached for a slice. “I know this crew, Curt. When there’s food around, they wait for each other like one pig waits for another.”
“Hey, don’t get personal,” Jennifer said, giving Pete a gentle poke.
“Looks like we need more,” Steve said as he retrieved two additional pizzas from a corner table that had been temporarily cleared of winter yarns.
“Pete, you’ve gotta learn to relax,” Curt advised as he helped open the boxes. The heady aroma of oregano and cheese and pepperoni floated through the air.
“Well, I had promised myself I would, but that was before the chaos happened.” Pete accepted a can of soda.
“You, relax?” Jennifer looked askance. “That’ll be the day.”
“Hey, I was going to, honest.” Pete’s genial grin spread across his face as he brushed that wayward lock of blond hair off his forehead. “Incidentally, I want to thank you two again for all your help cleaning the café.” He held up his soda. “To Jennifer and Kelly. Cleaning supersquad. We couldn’t have reopened as soon as we did without you.”
“That’s what friends are for, Pete,” Kelly said, acknowledging the lifted soda cans.
“Kelly had even more incentive, Pete. The thought of doing without your coffee for another day struck sheer terror into her heart,” Jennifer said.
“Well, I want to thank all of you, too. For everything you did to put the shop back together again,” Mimi said when the laughter died down. “I cannot tell you how much it means to me.”
Kelly listened to the outpouring of affection directed toward Mimi, who sat, flushed with pleasure, as her friends spoke up. Draining the last of her soda, Kelly was about to ask Pete to hand her one from the box behind him, until she saw the look on his face.
Pete was watching Jennifer. But that wasn’t what caught Kelly’s attention. It was the expression on Pete’s face. It didn’t last long. Only an instant. But Kelly saw it. She’d seen that look on Pete’s face before. She’d caught him staring at Jennifer before with that same look. An unmistakable look of longing.
Fleeting and camouflaged well, it was gone in a second. Pete turned his attention to someone else around the table, joining in the fun.
Kelly reached for another slice of cheesy pizza and smiled to herself. Well, well, well.
Burt’s voice broke through. “I guess this is as good a time as any to bring in dessert.”
“Please, no, I’ve gained enough already,” Jennifer said, before taking another bite of pizza.
“Dessert? Where’d you put it? We only cleared off that table,” Rosa said, pointing to the corner.
Steve grinned. “It’s outside in my truck, staying safe.”
“It’s freezing outside,” Kelly said, astonished. “What’d you bring, ice cream?”
“Nope. I brought our favorite. Chocolate raspberry torte from the French bakery.” He gave her a wink.
“Hel-lo!” Marty said, springing from his chair. “I’ll bring it in, Steve. Don’t lift a finger.”
“The hell you will,” Greg countered, dropping the pizza slice and scraping back his chair. “There’s no way we’re letting you within ten feet of that chocolate cake.”
“Two cakes, actually,” Steve said, egging them on for a second. “But since it’s my truck, I pick who gets to go. And I pick Curt and Burt to guard the tortes.”
“We’re on it,” Burt said as he and Curt headed from the room to the sound of laughter.
“Hey, Kelly, how’s Carl?” Rosa asked.
“He’s doing great. In fact, the doctor said I could bring him home tomorrow.”
“Really? Are you going to keep him inside?” Lisa asked.
“Absolutely. In fact, you may not see me in the shop as much for a while. I want to keep a close eye on him.”
“Why don’t you bring Carl over here, Kelly?” Mimi suggested, arms folded on the table. “He’ll be okay, I’m sure.”
Kelly rolled her eyes. “I’m sure he won’t. This is Carl, remember? He has no manners. He doesn’t know how to behave. He’ll be into the yarn bins, sniffing everything; he’ll jump up on customers with those big Rottie feet. I’m used to it, but other people . . . no way.”
Rosa leaned over the table and gave Kelly a warm smile. “Kelly, I can help you with Carl. I teach dog obedience classes, too. I’ll be glad to help train Carl. Once he learns to behave, he’ll be fine in the shop.”
Kelly stared at Rosa as if she’d sprouted another head. “Oh, I don’t know, Rosa . . . this is Carl we’re talking about.”
Rosa laughed indulgently. “Believe me, Kelly, I’ve trained some pretty difficult dogs. Carl is a sugar bear. He’ll be an easy train.”
“I don’t know . . . ,” she hedged again, trying to picture Carl obeying commands. It wouldn’t come into focus.
“Why don’t you give it a try?” Steve suggested. “Can’t hurt. Give the big guy a chance.”
“Trust me, Kelly, he’ll be fine,” Rosa promised.
Kelly was spared from answering by the arrival of the chocolate raspberry tortes and the chocoholic chaos that ensued.
Ten
“The squirrels have missed you, Carl. See, they’re waving their tails,” Kelly teased, watching the chorus line of squirrels scamper along the fence top, just out of reach.
Carl galumphed through the foot-deep snow in a valiant race to the fence, but the squirrels were quicker. They reached the ground and skittered across the snow, heading for the nearby cottonwood tree by the time Carl made it to the fence.
“It’s hard to chase squirrels in the snow,” Kelly commiserated as Car
l stood barking at the cottonwood branches above. “Don’t worry. Spring will come one of these days.”
Kelly leaned her head back and let snowflakes fall on her face. Big, fat flakes—falling thick and fast. The storm front had moved in overnight, and she awoke to see at least four inches of new snow accumulated on the glass patio table, which served as her measuring stick. Of course, that was on top of the six inches or so of snow already on the ground. And it was still snowing. Kelly’s morning run had turned to a slog along the river trail.
She gazed about the golf course, the trees bordering the Poudre River, the buildings across the street—all blanketed in white. Smothered. She could barely make out the buildings along the edge of Old Town. The low ridge of mountains, or foothills, had disappeared completely. Swallowed up by the snow.
Standing on her patio, Kelly pulled her hood back and listened to the quiet. She barely heard the traffic from the surrounding streets. That was the most fascinating thing about snow. It smothered sound. Everything was suddenly peaceful.
Even Carl had stopped barking. Watching her dog sniff and poke his way around the snowy backyard, Kelly could tell he didn’t have his usual go-go energy. It would take a while for him to get his strength back, the vet had said. Right now, Kelly was simply happy to have him home. And if that meant she’d be standing in the snow, in the rain, and in the freezing cold countless times a day while Carl went outside, it was a small price to pay to keep him safe.
The muffled sound of her cell phone ringing from her coat pocket broke the blanket of silence. “Kelly here.”
“Kelly, this is Bobby. I figured I’d better call right away. I just got here to feed the animals, and I spotted some smoke coming from the barn—”
“Smoke! Oh, no...” Kelly interrupted. “Is there a fire?”
“It wasn’t a big one, so I was able to put it out. Looks like someone poured kerosene on hay inside the barn. It was mostly just smoking when I got there.”
The peacefulness was gone. “Did they leave a gas can, by any chance?” she asked, remembering the developer’s experience.
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