by Cora Seton
Everyone took turns parading through the small house to see the end product, oohing and aahing over it. Even Dell turned up and walked through. Clay wished he knew what his father really thought of the tiny house, but he was a little relieved when Dell didn’t say anything.
But when Nora took her turn he found himself pacing until she’d gone in, looked around and finally come back out again.
“Well, what do you think?” Riley asked her excitedly.
“It’s beautiful,” Nora said. “I think you’ll be very happy there.”
“I know I will!” Riley threw her arms around Nora’s neck.
“It’s Clay you should be hugging,” Nora told her. “He’s the one who built it.”
“I had some help. Including your husband,” Clay said to Riley.
“I’ll hug everyone then!” And Riley did. Clay relaxed. He’d done it. And Nora liked the home he’d built. That meant more to him than anything else.
Jericho clapped him on the shoulder. “Only nine more to go.”
“We’ve already started the next one.”
When Sue arrived that afternoon, Nora was happily waiting for her. So far in their planning sessions, they’d worked to define the scope of the project, and Nora knew Sue wanted textbooks for every grade—and in every subject. They’d agreed to start with the seventh grade Social Studies textbook aimed for use on the reservation, and go from there.
“Why seventh grade?” Nora had asked.
“It’s a transition year,” Sue had said. “Around twelve or thirteen, children make a decision about who they’re going to be. I want them thinking about their culture and people then. We’ll start small and build.” Nora didn’t doubt that Sue could move mountains if she wanted to, and she was grateful to be part of the project.
Today, however, it was clear from the start Sue was in a sour mood.
“Just trouble,” she said when Nora let her into the manor and led her to the kitchen. “That’s what you are, aren’t you?” The lines that framed her mouth were cut deeper than usual. “I should have known.”
“Known what?” Nora didn’t understand what Sue meant. She gestured for her to take a seat at the kitchen table, as usual, but Sue stayed standing.
“That you’d come here and make problems for us. The lot of you.”
Nora felt like she’d lost all bearing in their conversation, but before she could protest, Sue continued. “That… Avery.” She spit out the name. “She isn’t the one for my grandson. He’s been promised.”
“Avery?” Nora tried to keep up. Was she talking about Avery’s crush on Walker? How on earth did she know about that?
Sue clutched the notebooks she held in her arms like a shield against Nora’s perfidy. “I heard all about what she’d doing. My nephew saw it with his own eyes.”
“Who is your nephew?” Nora felt she owed it to Avery to get to the bottom of the matter, no matter how awkward this conversation was.
“Tom Norton. He works at the lumberyard in Chance Creek. He brought a delivery to this ranch. He saw.” Sue leaned in close to make her point.
A number of trucks had been in and out of Base Camp over the past few weeks. Nora supposed Tom could be one of the men who’d brought supplies. Clay was determined to use locally sourced wood whenever possible, she’d learned from working with him in the mornings. They hadn’t had time to cut down trees from their own property and age them, but he’d found local suppliers he’d deemed the best alternative.
“I don’t know what Tom saw, and even if I did it wouldn’t be my business. Walker is a grown man. He can do what he likes, can’t he?” All she wanted was to sit down and talk about curriculum again. She wasn’t used to discussing her friends’ private lives with strangers. Especially not with someone as fierce as Sue.
“He’s promised,” Sue reiterated. “So tell her hands off. We won’t work today.” She retreated as quickly as she’d come, slamming the front door and driving off in her small silver car before Nora could catch up with her. Nora locked the door reflexively and peered out the parlor window after her, watching dust rise along the track with a sinking feeling. Was their project over—when it had only just begun?
She retreated into the parlor and sat on the sofa, flummoxed. What did Sue mean when she said Walker was promised? Was she talking about an arranged marriage?
Did Native Americans do that kind of thing?
Whatever she meant, it spelled trouble for Avery, and that was the last thing her friend needed. Avery wasn’t reserved like she was. She wore her heart on her sleeve, and she threw herself headlong into her passions. She’d be too easy to tear down and stomp on. Nora had a feeling Sue was the opposite: tough, no-nonsense and willing to do whatever it took to protect her grandson.
Not that Walker needed protecting.
Walker could take care of himself. It was Avery she was worried about.
As she sat in the parlor by herself, she became aware of how quiet it was. She’d gotten used to the hubbub down in Base Camp, and usually when she came to the manor, the other women were here, too. This afternoon they’d gone to Alice’s for a fitting of Savannah’s new dress. Nora had stayed behind to meet with Sue. Now she wished she had a car so she could catch up to her friends.
She knew she should get back to work on her novel, but she wasn’t making any progress with it, and she found the project she was pursuing with Sue far more interesting. Maybe she should ask Walker for Sue’s phone number so she could call and try to work things out.
She could imagine how that would go.
Probably better to wait for Sue to simmer down and come back on her own terms.
Nora gathered up her notebook, thinking that instead of tackling her novel again she’d go over some of the plans she’d made with Sue and keep fleshing out their notes. She had the cell phone today, which meant she could look things up on the Internet if necessary. First she needed a pick-me-up, though. Heading back into the kitchen, she tossed her notebook on the table, grabbed a couple of Avery’s homemade cookies, put them on a plate, pulled out a glass from the cupboard and poured herself some lemonade. She put the jug back in the fridge and ran upstairs to fetch a couple of books Sue had let her borrow to gain more background on Crow history and language.
When she came back down, she set them on the table with a thump, and came to a halt with a gasp. On the counter sat two identical glasses of lemonade.
She’d only poured one. Nora was sure of that. She’d poured one and slid the pitcher back onto the top shelf of the refrigerator. Had Avery and Savannah returned while she was upstairs?
Why hadn’t she heard them unlock the door? The old-fashioned key made a heck of a racket in the lock.
“Hello?” she called, the hairs on her neck standing on end. She crossed to the fridge, opened it and saw the pitcher right where she’d left it. “Avery? Savannah? Hello!”
There was no answer, but then she’d known there wouldn’t be. Nora backed across the kitchen toward the door, relief washing over her when she collided with it. She twisted the door handle and tried to open it.
Locked.
Of course it was. She’d locked it after entering, and she’d let Sue in the front. When Sue had left that way again, she’d locked the front door, too.
She hurriedly twisted the bolt of the kitchen door open, escaped outside and slammed it shut behind her. She fumbled for her key, found it in her pocket and locked it tight.
Even the sunny backyard didn’t feel safe, though. Nora clattered down the porch steps and hurried toward Base Camp.
“Nora?”
She slowed down when she spotted Clay coming toward her. “I think there’s someone in the manor,” she told him as he drew near.
His brows drew together in concern. “Someone like who?”
“I don’t know.” She quickly related what had happened.
“Sounds like Avery or Savannah playing a trick on you. Are you sure they aren’t home?”
“I haven’t see
n them. James is driving them, so it’d be hard for them to sneak in.”
“Okay, let’s take a look.”
Nora hung back when Clay walked toward the manor, then decided she’d rather be with him than alone. Besides, he didn’t have a key.
She let him in reluctantly, and Clay took the lead again. He stepped into the empty kitchen and Nora followed. Both of them halted in the doorway.
“Where’s the second glass?” Clay asked.
Words failed her. Where there’d been two glasses, now there was only one. She pointed, her hand trembling. “Th…there,” she finally managed to say. “It was right there, by the other one.”
Clay moved closer to investigate. “Are you sure? This glass is sweating.” He picked it up and indicated the ring left on the counter. “If there was another one and someone moved it, we’d see the ring.”
“Unless they wiped up after themselves.”
“Maybe. But where did they go?”
“They could be anywhere. That’s the thing!” she cried suddenly, pushed to her limit. “Inside, outside. Who knows?”
He looked like he would say something more, but then he nodded. “You really think someone’s here?”
“Yes.” Would he believe her? Nora didn’t know what she’d do if he brushed her off, so when Clay pulled out his phone and placed a call, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“I need everyone up at the manor, stat. Keep a look out as you come for any strangers on the property. Nora says someone was here. No—no description. She didn’t see him. I’ll explain when you get here.”
Her relief came too soon, though. The next hour and a half was a nightmare for Nora. Men in and out of the manor, searching through all of their things. The cameras following them everywhere, recording everything. Her friends arrived partway through and panicked before Nora explained what had happened. Savannah ran upstairs and barred Renata’s crew from her room. “He’s not here,” Nora heard her yell. “Leave my stuff alone!”
Riley threw away the remaining glass of lemonade and poured Nora a beer.
“Think this will help?” Nora said, taking a long drink.
“I hope so.” Riley moved closer. “You don’t think Renata uncovered information about your stalker when she looked into our backgrounds, do you? Could she possibly be orchestrating things to make a story?”
Nora hadn’t considered that possibility. “If she is, I’m going to strangle her.”
“It’s all clear. If someone was here, they got away,” Boone said finally.
“If someone was here?” Nora’s voice was sharp. She set the bottle down on the counter. “Someone was here, all right. They poured an extra glass of lemonade, remember?”
All the men in the room shifted, and Nora understood. “You don’t believe me!”
“It wasn’t there when Clay got here—”
“I checked the front door and it was locked,” Clay added. “We came in the back. If someone had been in here, where did they go?”
“That’s the whole point. He’s trying to drive me insane. He wants me to doubt myself so I’ll be more vulnerable.”
“Who is?” Boone asked.
“The man who stalked me back in Baltimore.”
She caught the look Boone exchanged with Jericho and her temper flared.
“Where was Sue?” Walker asked before she could say anything. Nora swallowed her fury and answered him. At least he’d asked a reasonable question.
“She walked out on me. She was pissed—about you.”
For the first time since she’d known him, Walker looked surprised. “Me?”
“That’s right.” With a glance at Avery, she subsided into silence. Let him figure it out.
Walker’s features schooled themselves into hard lines.
Renata walked into the kitchen. “Nora? Interview time.”
“Are you kidding me?” Nora couldn’t believe how smug the director looked. No way was she going to be made into a laughingstock on-screen—again. “I bet it was you who did this,” she asserted. “One of your crew snuck in, didn’t they?”
“No.”
“You like to start scenarios and give us little pushes. I wouldn’t put it past you.”
Renata shook her head. “It wasn’t us. And what I’d like to know is how come we’ve never heard about this stalker of yours? We asked you for details about your lives.”
“I didn’t feel like sharing that one. Can you blame me? He’s only followed me here because your show broadcast my whereabouts.”
“We don’t know that your stalker is here,” Clay said in a placating tone. “There could be other explanations.”
“Maybe it’s someone who’s trying to get a guest appearance on the show,” Jericho said. “Some of the people who comment on the website are definitely fringe elements.”
“He’s right,” Renata said, shrugging. “It could very well be a fan.”
“If it was someone who wanted to be on the show, they’d make themselves seen,” Nora said.
“Maybe they think if they’re clever enough they’ll get hired on,” Boone said.
None of them were taking this seriously. The room was overcrowded, but Nora suddenly felt alone. It didn’t matter how many people were around her if no one believed she was in danger.
“It’s time for dinner, and I bet everyone’s hungry,” Riley said reasonably. “Let’s lock up the manor and go back to Base Camp. From now on we’ll make sure none of us is ever in the house alone.”
“We can’t rent out rooms as a B and B if we have some man running around breaking in,” Nora told her. “He threatened to kill me back in Baltimore, remember?”
That shut everyone up.
“If there’s someone sneaking in, they wouldn’t come when a crowd was staying here,” Savannah ventured.
“You really want to risk it?” Nora stood her ground.
“Let’s go eat,” Riley said again.
“I want that interview,” Renata said.
“Later,” Boone told her.
Nora gave up. She opened the back door and ushered everyone outside, including the cameramen, and picked up the notebook and books she’d left on the table earlier, giving the kitchen one last look before walking out and locking the door again.
Someone had been there.
She was sure of it.
Chapter Eighteen
‡
Dinner that night was rice and beans, with flatbread and lemon broccoli on the side. Dell turned up, and Clay filled him in on what was happening.
“Sounds like she’s working too hard,” Dell pronounced.
“She’s no dummy, Dad.” But Clay wasn’t sure what to think of the afternoon’s events. On the one hand, he knew Nora was far too level-headed to make something like that up. On the other hand, she’d been stressed out since she got here, and she’d just had an incident with Sue, whom she greatly admired. Couldn’t that have caused her to make a mistake? Nora’s stalker was definitely on her mind these days.
He joined her and her friends when he’d loaded up his plate, but Nora didn’t acknowledge him. Was she angry that he hadn’t stood up for her when people cast doubts on her story?
“You never told us why Sue left,” Avery said to Nora suddenly.
Nora shrugged. “She’s as communicative as Walker is.”
Clay sat down next to Nora on a log, but she didn’t look his way.
“Walker’s not so bad when you get to know him. Our riding lessons have been fun,” Avery said.
Nora shook her head.
“What?”
“Maybe you shouldn’t spend so much time with him. You don’t know him very well.”
“Well, if I don’t spend time with him, how am I supposed to get to know him?” her friend joked.
“I just don’t want you to get hurt if things don’t turn out—”
Avery slammed her plate down on the log beside her. “What’s this all about?”
Clay, about to take a bite, stopped, his
fork in mid-air. He wasn’t the only one surprised by Avery’s sudden outburst. He spotted a camera crew honing in on them.
Figured.
“You keep assuming Walker won’t want me,” Avery went on. “Why is that? Boone married Riley, Clay’s obviously after you, Jericho’s all over Savannah. Why couldn’t Walker be interested in me?”
“I never said that. It’s just…”
“Just what? That I’m too ugly? Too short? Too boring? What?”
“You’re making a scene.” Several people were looking their way.
“You’re the one who started this. I want an answer!” Avery demanded.
Nora looked like she wished she’d never brought it up. “I gave you one before—you’re too different. All I’m saying is you should guard your heart a little bit more than you normally do. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I—”
“Everything all right here?”
Nora jumped. So did Clay. He hadn’t seen Walker approach. That damned trick of his.
“It’s fine,” Nora said stubbornly.
“No, it’s not. Nora’s just explaining why no man could ever love me!” Avery said wildly.
Nora wilted under the weight of Walker’s gaze. “That’s not what I said at all. I told her to be careful. I care about Avery and I don’t want to see her hurt.”
“Men might be interested,” he said in his quiet way. Clay was surprised—that betrayed a lot more of his thoughts than Walker normally shared.
“I never said they couldn’t be.”
“Then why are you trying so hard to make me feel bad?” Avery was obviously on the verge of tears.
Nora threw up her hands. “Because Walker’s spoken for, that’s why!”
Walker went so still Nora thought he’d turned to stone. A silence stretched out between the three of them with nothing but the whir of the cameras to fill it. She would’ve given anything to take back the words she’d just said. This was none of her business.
