Country Storm

by Cheyenne McCray

  Colt’s stunned features said it all. “What the hell?”

  Bear braced his forearms on his thighs, his beer in one hand, and he stared at the tiled patio floor. He bypassed the part about their making love and went straight to everything Rae had told him about the bastard who’d verbally assaulted her and later broke into her home.

  When he finished, he looked at Colt. “She goes on trial next week.”

  Colt blew out his breath. “Hell of a thing to spring on a man.”

  Bear stared at his bottle. “She’s pretty torn up about it. Can you imagine wondering if you’re spending your last days as a free man before you go into the courthouse?”

  “No, I can’t.” Colt spoke in a sober tone. “Where are you going from this point?”

  Bear looked at his brother. “I’m going to see her through this. I know she’s going to beat the charges. She just needs the support of family and friends.”

  “Do you count yourself as a friend?” Colt asked.

  “More than a friend.” Bear stared out at the pool, the crystal-clear water still as glass.

  “Of course, she’d have Marlee on her side,” Colt said. “Anyone else?”

  Bear lowered the bottle he held and faced Colt. “One sister. Rest of her family has passed on.”

  “Friends?” Colt asked.

  “I’m not sure.” Bear thought about Rae’s face as she told him everything, and the memory tore at his gut. “But one thing I do know is that I’m going to be there.”

  Colt turned his gaze toward the pool. “From what I know of her, which isn’t a lot, I tend to agree with you that she’s going to come out of this standing. My gut says the same thing.” He looked back at Bear. “For what it’s worth, she has my support.”

  “That’s worth a hell of a lot.” Bear killed his beer with another swallow. “Are you going to the 4th of July celebration with anyone?”

  Colt shrugged. “Tex Arnold asked me over to a barbeque with him and the family and a few friends. Knowing him, that means half of King Creek.”

  Bear grinned. “I got an invite from his wife.”

  “You going?” Colt asked.

  “Might,” Bear said. “I’m taking Rae to the celebration, so we might go to Tex’s for dinner and then off to see the fireworks.”

  “Sounds like a good plan.” Colt finished off his beer and raised the empty. “Ready for another?”

  Bear thought about having to get up early for work in the morning but figured another beer with his brother wouldn’t be a bad idea. “Sure.” Bear smiled at Colt. “One more and then I’ve got to get home.”

  “And call your woman,” Colt replied with a grin.

  Bear liked the thought of Rae being “his woman,” then wondered what she’d think about that term. It worked both ways—he’d be her man. “Yeah.” He smiled. “And call my woman.”

  * * *

  When Bear got back to his ranch, and after he took care of the animals, he went into his home office and powered up his laptop. He started to do an Internet search on Rae, then hesitated.

  He trusted Rae, but was he being blinded by what he felt for her? Would researching what had happened be a sign he didn’t trust her?

  The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea to look into what had happened. Not that he didn’t trust her, but he needed more information to support her, information she might not have thought to tell him.

  He put her name in the search bar, along with “Lake Havasu City” and got immediate hits. He studied images that popped up with the results, and his chest hurt for her when he saw her mug shot. She looked tired and afraid. She wasn’t redheaded in the photo, but blonde. When he’d met her, it had been easy to see that the red wasn’t her natural color, but it still jarred him to see her as a blonde.

  A professional photo was on the image of a business card, stating she was a real estate agent. Bartending was a long way from her old career, but he imagined it would be difficult to keep clients when one was charged with murder.

  He turned his attention to articles dating back to when the story first broke. The anger he felt was so strong it surprised him when he read about what the man had done to Rae and how resulting actions had changed her life. It worsened as he scanned over social media attacks and several news articles slanted against her.

  Bear continued on. He didn’t see much more than she’d already told him, just more details. When he finished reading what he’d found, he sat back in his chair, his elbow on the armrest as he stroked his chin.

  Rae had been through a hell of a lot, and now her freedom was at stake. He told her he’d be at her side, and that’s exactly where he intended to be when she walked into the courtroom.

  Chapter 14

  Red, white, and blue banners fluttered in the breeze as Rae and Bear walked down King Creek’s cordoned off Main Street. Music filled the air along with laughter and chatter and she smiled at the 4th of July festive feeling in the air.

  A wonderful week had passed since their picnic, wonderful because of what time she’d spent with Bear.

  A whistle came from one end of the street and he gripped her hand. “The parade is about to start.”

  Rae looked in the direction the whistle had come from but didn’t see anything. Bear led her to the sidewalk, and they stood along the street with the crowd. He gripped her hand and smiled down at her.

  She looked into his eyes and marveled at the caring she saw in the depths. After all she’d told him, and he’d accepted it without judging her or looking at her any differently

  Someone’s shoulder slammed into Rae and she stumbled forward. Bear caught her arm, or she would have tumbled into the street.

  She looked up to see a gorgeous brunette standing in front of her. “I didn’t see you standing there.” The taller woman spoke with an English accent as she looked down at Rae. She didn’t apologize and turned her gaze on Bear.

  Rae tried not to frown as the woman sidled in between Rae and Bear, her back to Rae.

  “Bear, love.” The woman rested her hand on Bear’s arm. “I haven’t seen you for a couple of weeks.”

  Bear’s expression remained neutral as he gently removed the woman’s hand and his tone was polite as he said, “Hello, Jennifer.”

  This must be the English woman that Marlee had told her about, the one who had cheated on Bear.

  Bear and Rae seemed to be of the same mind as they reached for each other’s hand. Bear shifted so that they were standing together again, Jennifer in front of them.

  “Jennifer, this is Rae.” Bear gave a nod to Rae as he gripped her hand tighter. “Rae, this is Jennifer.”

  Rae moved closer to Bear, so that she pressed against his biceps. Rae did her best to keep her tone light. “Hi.”

  “Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?” Jennifer’s brown eyes had a malicious gleam to them as she raked her gaze over Rae. “Oh, yes. You were in the papers in Phoenix. You killed your lover in Lake Havasu City.”

  Fire burned up Rae’s neck to her face and she couldn’t get a word out.

  “Rae and I are going to watch the parade now.” Bear’s eyes had a hard glint to them, an almost dangerous look that Rae would never have associated with him. “Have a good day, Jennifer.”

  He gripped Rae’s hand and drew her along with him, closer to where the whistle had come from.

  The backs of Rae’s eyes stung. She wanted to scream and cry and slap that woman’s face. Instead, she let Bear take her to another spot on the parade route.

  Marching band music started up as they stood on the crowded sidewalk. She glanced up at Bear, hoping he didn’t believe the man she’d killed had been her lover. She wanted to tell him that, but she didn’t know how to say it, or that she even should in the current situation. He probably couldn’t have heard her anyway. Did he believe Jennifer?

  Bear released her hand and slid his arm around her shoulders. He leaned down and murmured in her ear. “I’m sorry about Jennifer. She shouldn
’t have said that.”

  Rae exhaled with relief and leaned into Bear. She needed his strength and his support.

  An older model convertible appeared around the curve of Main Street, the flags mounted on each side snapping in the breeze. The crowd cheered as the lead car crawled forward and a marching band followed. Majorettes carried a banner in front of the band that read, King Creek High School.

  The tension that had filled Rae slowly seeped away as she let herself enjoy the parade. She wasn’t going to let a witch like Jennifer ruin her day with Bear.

  A baton twirling team followed the band, then next came a float decorated with red, white, and blue streamers and rosettes. A Miss King Creek banner was draped along the side of the float, and a young woman perched on a throne wore a sash with the same proclamation across her torso.

  Another convertible came by, this one a modern luxury car with a Re-elect Mayor Brown sign on the door, a white-haired man waving from the passenger seat. A pair of clowns rode tiny bikes in circles behind the mayor’s car, the clowns throwing wrapped candies toward children along the crowded sidewalk.

  The festive feeling in the air had Rae smiling, and she waved back at the children riding the next float. Several floats went by and more convertibles with political party banners.

  The parade was surprisingly long for a small town, and Rae found her spirit buoyed by the cheers and laughter around her. She clapped and cheered with the crowd as the parade went on and she ate a piece of candy that Bear caught and handed to her.

  When the final convertible followed the last float and had passed by, Rae turned and grinned up at Bear. “I’ve never had so much fun at a parade. There’s something about being in a small town with an event filled with locals to make it more enjoyable than a production put on by a large city.”

  Bear draped his arm around her shoulders and smiled. “I’ve always thought so.” He released her long enough to take her hand and walk toward a lot filled with vendors. “Hungry for lunch?”

  “Famished.” Rae pointed ahead to the row of food trucks. “The burger that man over there just bought looks massive.” She tilted her head to smile up at Bear. “Perfect.”

  He gave her a teasing smile. “That burger is bigger than you are.”

  She grinned. “Yeah, but I’m up to the challenge.”

  He laughed and they strolled over to the food truck.

  Two huge burgers and large Cokes later, Bear and Rae made their way to the game stalls and dunk tank.

  At the dunk tank, Bear gestured to the man climbing the steps up to the seat above a tank of water. “We made it just in time to see Mayor Brown dunked.” He looked at Rae. “All the proceeds go to a local children’s charity.”

  Rae recognized the man she’d seen in one of the convertibles in the parade. The man, who had to be in his seventies, had wispy white hair and black-framed coke-bottle glasses. He sat on the platform and waved at the crowd, which broke into a cheer.

  “The way everyone is cheering, he must be popular.” Rae ran her gaze over the crowd. “I noticed his re-election sign on his convertible.”

  “He’s well-liked.” Bear rested his hand on her shoulder. “He was known as a sort of prankster before he was elected, and he keeps the rest of the politicians on their toes. When it comes down to it, no one can keep up with the mayor.”

  “He sounds like a good guy.” Rae watched people line up with softballs they had purchased to throw at the lever, which would drop the mayor’s seat and dunk him when struck.

  “He is,” Bear said. “I treat his livestock and pets.” He tugged Rae’s hand. “Come on. You can show me your pitching arm.”

  Rae laughed. “What pitching arm?”

  They stood in line to purchase the use of softballs to try to dunk Mayor Brown. Rae watched as young men and women waited their turns.

  First up was a boy of about ten, who missed with all three of his pitches. A girl who couldn’t have been older than eight, came up behind him and missed each time, too. Next, a cowboy took his turn, but failed to dunk the mayor.

  A young woman of about sixteen threw her first ball with a fast, underhand pitch that told Rae she had to be a pitcher on softball team. The ball struck the lever and the mayor dropped into the tank.

  The crowd cheered as Mayor Brown came up sputtering and laughing. He gave the young woman a thumbs up and she grinned. Bear explained that the rules stated the participant got to dunk the mayor once and had to surrender any additional balls. The girl gave back her two remaining balls and it was the next person’s turn.

  “Doesn’t he get tired?” Rae shook her head as the mayor climbed up the ladder two more times before it was hers and Bear’s turn to throw.

  Bear shrugged. “I would.”

  Rae shook her head and smile. “I doubt that.”

  She threw the three balls Bear had gotten for her and missed each time. Bear missed his first try, but nailed the lever on the second, sending Mayor Brown back in the drink. The crowd cheered once again, this time with someone crying out, “Way to go, Doc McLeod.”

  Bear and Rae moved on to watch the pie eating contest, with about twenty men and women sitting at a line of picnic tables, each in front of a pie and each wearing a large plastic bib. “That’s my brother, Brady, next to Colt.” Bear pointed to a good-looking man who resembled him and Colt.

  A woman announced the pie eating contest and thanked the Parent-Teacher Organization for donating the pies. She gave the names of each contestant and Rae thought the cheers for the McLeod brothers were the loudest.

  After a donation can went around the crowd, Miss King Creek held her hand over a button on a large three-minute timer. The men and women at the picnic tables remained poised, hands tied behind their backs, in front of their pies. A judge blew a whistle and the young woman slammed her hand down on the timer’s button.

  The contestants dove face-first into the pies, which turned out to be cherry. Red coated their faces. The timer counted down as laughter and cheers came from the crowd. Before the timer reached zero, two men straightened, their pie plates mostly clean. One of the men was Colt, and the other she didn’t recognize. Rae thought Colt’s looked the cleanest of the two, but from her angle, she couldn’t be certain. The timer’s horn blew and everyone else stopped.

  Colt’s and the other contestants’ faces were covered in cherry pie filling. Colt and Brady were laughing and talking to each other as their hands were untied. The judges conferred and then the one with the whistle stood.

  “The winner is Colt McLeod,” the judge announced.

  The crowd cheered. Face still coated with cherry pie, Colt stood up and raised his hands like a champion prize fighter before he was awarded a trophy topped with a gold pie. The contestants got up and hosed-off their faces as the volunteers prepared the area for the hotdog eating contest.

  Bill Porter won the next contest. Rae didn’t mind him so much now that he had started behaving thanks to Bear. She congratulated Bill before Bear guided her over to Colt and Brady.

  Colt gave her a big hug when she congratulated him, and Bear introduced her to Brady.

  “Good to meet you.” Brady shook her hand. He had a firm grip, like his brothers. “Colt mentioned you two might be stopping by Tex Arnold’s for dinner.”

  Rae glanced up at Bear, who nodded. “Tex and his family are having a barbeque tonight,” Bear said. “We can go if you like.”

  “Sure.” Rae smiled. She turned back to Brady. “Looks like we’ll be there. Will you?”

  Brady nodded. “So’s the rest of the clan, as far as I know.”

  “I guess we’ll see you then,” she told Brady with a smile. At the same time, she felt a major pang of nervousness. The rest of the clan? She gulped. She was not ready for that.

  Bear and Rae moved on, enjoying more festival activities. Bear bought homemade fudge from a small vendor, and he shared it with Rae as they walked around Main Street.

  * * *

  Later in the afternoon, Bear
slipped his arm around Rae’s shoulders, enjoying the feel of her close to him. “Are you ready to go to Tex’s for the barbeque?”

  She nodded. “I’m getting hungry again.

  First thing, they picked up three dozen assorted cookies from Rachel’s Bakery to take to the barbeque. Once they had a dessert to contribute, they walked to Bear’s truck, which was parked at the southern end of Main Street. He set the cookies on the floorboard of the back of the truck’s cab.

  He helped Rae into his vehicle, then made his way to the driver’s side and climbed behind the wheel. In moments, he was driving toward his friend’s ranch.

  “I have a feeling you’ll like Tex and his wife.” Bear guided his truck onto the two-lane highway, then looked at Rae. “They have several kids, too. Fun bunch.”

  “I’m sure I’ll like them.” She smiled. “They’re your friends, so they have to be nice.”

  He turned his attention fully on the road. “What did you think of the festival?”

  She sounded enthusiastic. “I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun at any festival I’ve been to in Lake Havasu City.” He glanced at her again and saw that her eyes were sparkling. “Thank you for taking me.”

  He smiled. “There’s something to be said about small towns.”

  Rae shifted in her seat. “I never knew what small towns were like until I moved here.”

  He focused on the road. “And your conclusion?”

  “So far, so good.”

  He figured he’d take that as a positive.

  His mind churned over the confrontation with Jennifer. He had no doubt her statement had been malicious, designed to hurt Rae and give him doubts. He didn’t doubt Rae, but he wondered if his judgment was off, like it had been with Jennifer.

  Bear gritted his teeth. He trusted Rae, and his Internet search had made it clear she’d told him everything she could. He had only her word of her innocence, but her word was enough, as far as he was concerned.

  He exited the highway and took a left at the second intersection he came to. “We’re almost there.”