sand131thru144

Dino sat in his vehicle in front of Tallulah’s Boutique. He looked up and down the sidewalk and then eased out of the seat. Of all the things Terry had ever asked him to do, and he’d lay down his life for him, this was the most outrageous yet. Adjusting his sunglasses he walked into the shop.

“Um, yeah, you can. I got a list here. Maybe I could just give it to you and come back later.”

“Not so sure she’s lucky. Will you help me out because I haven’t a clue?”

“I don’t know…I mean…I don’t know. I’ve never seen her in anything but sweats. She’s, um, a good looking girl about your age maybe a little older. Dark hair, petite.”

“Neither.” He glanced at her hands for a wedding ring. She had rings on just about all her fingers including her thumbs but no wedding band. He smiled.

Dino followed her around the store while she pulled out things and piled them on the counter.

“Almost. We will be by the end of the month. We just signed a lease on a condo.”

“If she doesn’t like it I’ll bring it back. If you don’t mind, that is.”

“I don’t mind. You can come back anytime you want to with or without returned merchandise.”

“Oh, yeah?” he grinned. “What if I came back and asked you to go out for a drink?”

“You’re a generous man.” She grinned and moved over looking at belts and scarves, handbag or two.

“It’s not my money. I can afford a drink at the Sandy if you want to meet me there.”

He slid a credit card over the counter while she folded and filled up bags. “Is yours natural?”

“I’ll see ya at the Sandy and thanks for helping me out…in more ways than one.”

Blythe held the door open for him and came into the store. “Who was that with all that shopping?”

“Yeah, remember when I said I was waiting for Mr. Right to come through the door? I think he has.”

Terry took two steaks from the fridge and began seasoning them. Dino had a date tonight so it was just him and Trisha. He knew he couldn’t imprison Dino on the island and the cocky son of a bitch had thrown it up at him. That was all right…he could handle it.

Trisha took a bath and put on real clothes. Everything Dino brought her was nice and only one pair of pants was going back. She’d lost weight during her ordeal. She came down the stairs to look for Terry. She’d been there two days and he’d found things for her to do. He was a nice man, a handsome man and she liked him.

He looked up when she came in, noting the clothes. She looked good. “It’s just us tonight. Dino has deserted us for some lass with purple hair. Steak okay with you?”

“Steak is always okay. I was just thinking about his red head and her purple one. I’ll bet they make a colorful couple.”

“Um, I thought maybe a salad if you want to do that. Stuff is in the fridge.”

“Okay.” Trisha went to the fridge, found salad makings and brought them out onto the counter.

She smiled a little. “I hope so. Hope Dad doesn’t have a heart attack when he gets the bill. Dino spent a lot of money.”

“I think he got carried away with the proprietor. That’s his date tonight. The money is not important.”

“I…I feel like I’m a burden on you guys. I know you didn’t ask for this.”

“I’m keeping you from doing what you’d normally be doing. Somebody had to babysit me all the time.”

He smiled and put his steaks on a platter to sit for awhile before placing them on the backyard grill. “I don’t mind staying home. I’m not a very social person anyway. I get tired of eating out and have taught myself to cook…kinda. And you haven’t kept me from anything.”

She knew it wasn’t true, too. She could tell by the way he looked at her sometimes. She’d tried her best not to lead him into anything. She couldn’t help the natural attraction…it was there. But…

“I’m not good for you. You’re a decent man, a good man…I believe it. I’m not a decent person anymore. I’ve done some awful things.”

“I’ve done some awful things, too, and probably will again if I have to. Don’t set me up as some kind of saint, Trisha. I’m just a bloke.

“You saved my life back in that swamp. You didn’t have to come after me. I never expected to see you again.”

“You’re a very special person.” She turned back around and began tearing up lettuce.

Terry washed his hands and dried them on a paper towel. “I’ll start the grill.”

He went out on the deck and down to the bricked patio where he kept his grill. It was awfully hard for him to keep a professional attitude toward her. Yes, he was attracted to her. Whatever she’d been through was over. She just had to get through the next bit. He didn’t care what she’d done. It didn’t matter to him.

He got the fire going and closed the grill so it would heat up. He’d been alone for too long. He was vulnerable and he knew it. “Just keep it together,” he spoke aloud to the trees.

During dinner she kept him talking about himself. He told her how he and Dino came to be partners, about the deal down in Tecala and how it’d changed him and the way he saw things. He told her how they’d set up shop in the Cayman Islands. It was okay and they still had a compound there. At first they were doing the field work but now they had people working for them.

“We were in Florida bumming around and ran into Robin Longstride. He’s an artist and teller of tales. We met him in a club one night and he and his lady were getting ready to move up here. He’d sold something and made a killing and bought this island sight unseen. Once he sobered up he realized he couldn’t afford it and so he sold us half of it, again sight unseen. We wandered up here to see what we’d bought. It just clicked with me and I found a builder and had this house and office building built. We still go down to the Caymans from time to time.”

“I have been. It lasted about three years. She couldn’t take me being gone all the time. I don’t blame her but it was tough, you know? My divorce was final the day I left for Tecala.”

They were dining on the deck. Terry pushed his plate away and lit a cigarette. “Tell me your story.”

“Do you really want to hear it? I graduated from nursing school and went to the beach with some classmates. Somebody had rented a condo. We were pretty wild, I guess. We met some guys and went to a party one night. That’s where I met Bobby Joey. It was his house and…I never left it. There was something strong there between us. It just happened. I didn’t know what kind of business he was in. He had this great house on the beach, cars and…I was with him for about a year. Of course it didn’t take me long to figure out what he did for a living. I was so caught up in him, I thought it was cool.

“I started going with him to Miami. Two trips I made. The last one was when he was killed. We were sitting in a car and he was shot through the windshield. I went a little crazy I guess. The dealers were trying to get to me and so were the cops. I ended up with the FBI and they gave me a choice. I went to work for them and reconnected with the people I knew. I ended up on Hilton Head living with two of them.”

“You don’t know how scared I was all the time or how much I wanted out of the whole thing. I wanted to run away where no one could find me. I hated the drug scene. The FBI in Miami were going to prosecute me…put me in jail. I didn’t really have a choice but to go to work for them. But you know what? I was a good agent. I did my job until I screwed up and let Sean get away. I knew Sean…well. After that I knew I had to get out.”

“I honestly don’t know where he is and, Terry, I don’t want to know. I thought if I got to Jacksonville I could get lost for awhile.”

This was the first time she’d opened up and talked to him about her ordeal. She trusted him. There was something quiet and strong about him that made her want to lean. It had been a long time since she’d leaned on anybody. She broke eye contact with him.

“When this is over, this last bit of it, then…then, Trisha, we’ll talk.”

Lulu just about had it all set up. Max had been such a help hauling tables up from the basement and setting them up for her. She’d sent him back down there to check the ice maker. Over under the trees next to the river Johnny Devlin and his band were practicing a little while they got their equipment set up. Her cook and housemaid were going to cover the tables in cloths and bring out the cakes, cookies and pies they’d been baking. She clapped her hands with excitement. And here came Sheriff Biebe.

“Hey Sheriff, we don’t have the goodies out yet. What you doin’ workin’ on a Saturday? I thought you were taking weekends off.”

“Not this weekend. It’s my time in the hole. What are you doin’ here, Lulu?”

“Gonna have a bake sale and a little music and fun things for the kids, face painting and sand art. You ought to bring your boys out.”

John Biebe put his hands on his hips and looked around at the spreading festival about to commence on her lawn. “I don’t see your permit posted, Lulu.”

“I most certainly did not know that. This is for my election to the town council. I been putting up notices all over town this week and I know you must have seen them.”

“You coulda called me. So what is it I need to do? This damn thing is about to start in 30 minutes.”

“All right,” she put her hands on her hips, “where do you keep these permits, Sheriff?”

“I don’t believe this…right here at launch time. I suppose it’s gonna cost me money, too, right?”

“People will think I’m being arrested. Wait a minute.” She called out for Max, who’d come up from the basement with a tub of ice. “I’m goin’ to the jailhouse and get a permit. I’ll be back in two minutes.”

“You should have checked it out. You can’t just go having carnivals in town without obtaining the proper permit.”

“Well, I didn’t know.” She played with her skirt. “I’ve never had a carnival before.”

John pulled up at the courthouse and went inside. “Looks like nobody’s here.”

It’s the weekend.” She followed him inside the side door. “Big ole empty building.”

John went into Hoffman’s office, found the permit applications and told her to sit down and fill it out.

“He’s here house hunting for a week and then his fiancé is coming to stay with him.”

Lulu took a good look at him bent over her application. She'd never really noticed anything but the uniform. He was quite delicious looking.

“I’ve always got problems, Lulu. Let’s go find Ed Hoffman and get his signature and then we’re good to go.”

Max sat back in a lawn chair and watched Lulu at work. Her bake sale and mini carnival was going well but he had to wonder about the young crowd sitting in the grass in front of the bandstand. He’d met Johnny Devlin and knew he was doing this as a favor for Lulu. It seemed everyone owed Lulu a favor. Johnny said he this was actually a rehearsal for a show he was doing in Atlanta. Lulu charged $5.00 a head for his free concert. The young heads visible on the grass couldn’t possibly be residents of Sandhurst or even old enough to vote.

It was rock and it was loud. He had to admire Devlin, though. As laid back as he was he knew exactly what he was about. Max wished for the hundredth time he knew what he was about. This separation from Sonya was not going well with him. It had only been three days now but he’d made no headway into real estate. His first attempt had been a failure and he’d retreated. He felt very much like a lost puppy.

Lulu was in her element, talking and laughing and telling jokes with the people who’d come out in support of her campaign for town council. So far she hadn’t seen any of the other candidates show up. You couldn’t count Ed Hoffman’s daughter walking around with her hands in the pocket of her tight jeans. She was over in the grass watching Johnny Devlin perform.

Lulu noticed one of the girls from Tallulah’s was walking around with a photographer. She thought she might ask him for copies of his pictures.

“I sure do, how are you, honey? I’m in and out of your little shop all the time.”

“You know, he’s the nicest man. I just walked over to the theater, bold as brass, and asked him if he’d play for my to-do. He said he’d be happy to. He’s got a surprise coming up in a little while. You’ll need your camera for that.” She laughed and touched Steve on the arm. “I’d love to see the pictures you’re taking.”

“I’d really appreciate that. Now you enjoy yourselves. Eat some of those scrumptious cakes and pies over there.”

“Ah, yeah, Lulu, I got a complaint from a couple of residents of Sandhurst. The music’s too loud. Gonna have to tone it down a bit.”

“What! Who’s complaining about Johnny Devlin? Why he’s a world-wide celebrity, known everywhere and loved everywhere. How dare somebody complain!”

“Evidently it carries all the way to the other end of Main Street. I’ve been there and it’s too loud.”

“And her sister, Madge Wilkins, says she can’t hear her customers in the newspaper shop.”

“She can’t hear on a clear day anyway. If that don’t beat all. He was only going to play for an hour and there’s only about ten minutes left. Let him finish his set, Sheriff.”

John Biebe placed his hands on his hips and looked around at the crowed thoroughly enjoying themselves. “Go on…get lost for ten minutes.”

“I like the idea of town hall meetings. Let the people speak. After all it is the people whom we will serve, not ourselves.”

“Do not think that I’m a politician. I am a rabble rouser, nothing more.” He placed a hand on John’s shoulder and moved away.

Johnny’s band ended on one ear-splitting note that nearly brought tears to Max’s eyes. “Whoa!” he said aloud. In the midst of the din he hadn’t heard the woman move a chair up beside him. He caught sight of movement and turned.

“Oh, I had enough…I was blasted one time too many and I walked out and left them with a conference and no one to manage it.”

Max had to bite his tongue. He wanted to jump up and down and shout. “Good for you! I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I’m still a little tender but I don’t regret it at all. I made that company what it was. I don’t know what I’m going to do now.”

“I do. You’re going to relax and pretend you’re on vacation, an extended vacation with me.”

Lulu waited exactly ten minutes until the music stopped and she came running back down the stairs. Johnny Devlin met up with her after signing a few of her posters for fans around the bandstand. Lulu clapped her hands and disappeared back in the house with Johnny.

Meantime, Cain Richmond had taken the stage. Johnny’s keyboard man had stayed to back him up and Andy Hoffman mounted the stage with his guitar. Nancy gave him a big smile and thumbs up.

“I’m glad you came with me. I like Lulu. I know she’s rather brash but she has a good heart.”

Cain was taking a break about the time Lulu came running down the front steps, waving her hands and fanning herself. She just had to tell somebody.

“Oh, honey!” She grabbed Mary’s arm and pulled her away from Robin. “You won’t believe what I’ve just done. I dressed a pirate and let me tell you something, whew! He can swab my decks and swashbuckle me anytime he wants to. Look at that!”

Johnny Devlin came down the steps dressed as the legendary pirate he’d made so famous. There were screams and squeals from the younger set.

Lulu watched him move through the crowd. If this didn’t get her a few votes, nothing would.

John Cristofuoro had been sitting on the porch most of the afternoon. He’d eaten a corn dog and a cupcake and they were fighting a battle in his stomach. He’d enjoyed watching some of Sandhurst’s residents down on the lawn. A breeze was beginning to blow in from the river and he turned his face toward it. He still hadn’t gotten used to the heat and humidity here.

The crowd was beginning to thin out and Devlin’s crew was taking apart the bandstand and packing it all into a semi parked off the road on the edge of Lulu’s property. Cain and Andy were now sitting on chairs and picking and singing a little together for their own enjoyment and that of Max and Sonya. Robin and Mary had pulled up chairs to listen to them, too.

Biebe had come back again and this time he was out of uniform. Lulu spotted him sitting on the bottom of the steps.

She sat down beside him. “I’m glad you did. Lord, I’m tired! I’ve been on my feet all day.” She looked down at her high heeled sandals and kicked them off. “Why did you come back?”

“Yeah, he does.” She looked at him sideways. “I haven’t eaten anything but junk all day. Have you had dinner?”

“I’m thinkin’ I’m hungry. You know what I’d like to have…one of them barbeque sandwiches with slaw on it. You know the place. I can’t leave though, not for awhile.”

“Yes, but only if you’ll get one for you, too. And only if you’ll stay for awhile. It’s going to be a nice evening.”

Sandhurst: Lulu's Carnival-135

Ben Wade was strolling around the yard at Lulu's, Kathy Hoffman walking proudly beside him. He was smiling and nodding at people, stopping often to talk with them. He was in full mode as a candidate for Mayor. It helped that everyone in town knew Kathy and she knew them.

Wincing at the earsplitting noise of Johnny Devlin's music, he stopped for a moment to greet the hostess. "Miss Lulu," he said, as there was a lull in the music. "You got yourself quite a turnout here."

"Hi, Lulu," Kathy greeted her as well.

“Why, Ben Wade, I didn’t expect to see you out here. Kathy, honey, how are you? Yes, it’s turned out to be quite a show,” Lulu laughed.

"Wouldn't've missed this for nothin', darlin'," Ben told her with a smile. "Hope you won't miss my barbecue next week neither."

"Yes, you have to turn up for that," Kathy added. "All the candidates are invited."

“I do like barbeque so you’ll probably see me there. Turnabout is fair play, right? You came to mine so I’ll go to yours.”

Ben heard her words with a gleam in his eyes. Lulu was exactly the kind of woman he'd have gone after...if he didn't have a lot at stake here in town and a plan for getting it.

Looking over at Kathy and reaching down to take her hand, he drawled, "Well, Miss Sandhurst, we'd best be talkin' to everyone else here, too. Never let a good campaign opportunity pass you up. Miss Lulu, it's always a pleasure, and we'll be lookin' forward to seein' you next week."

“Pleasure’s mine, ya’ll enjoy yourself now.” She gave them a little wave.

Barth, Libby, and Jason parked a couple of blocks from the Pink House and walked. There was already a crowd there. Libby was still teasing Jason about getting her face painted like Darth Vader. Then, Jason saw other kids and balloons and he took off.

"Slow down!" Libby called after him. "Don't get so far ahead!"

She pulled a face at Barth. "He's just like his father, always taking off somewhere. I can't keep up with either of you."

“Hey, you got me today. Looks like a fun time here.” Barth pushed his sunglasses up on his head, looking toward Jason.

"Yes, it does." Libby was eyeing the cold drinks. It was a hot day.

Taking Barth's hand, she pulled him toward a table full of lemonade and iced tea. It was there she actually saw someone she knew. Laura Richmond was getting herself a tall glass of lemonade.

"Hi," Libby said to her. "We met at the bookstore, but we didn't actually introduce ourselves. I'm Libby Tyler."

"Laura Richmond." Laura took Libby's hand and shook it. "That awful guy who tried to hit on you in the store that day is my brother Lucas." She grinned at the memory. "He's here somewhere, but he'll probably try to avoid you out of embarrassment, just as he ought to."

Libby turned to Barth, who was getting himself and her some tea. "This," she said to Laura, "is my, uh- well, I'm not sure what to call him, but he's mine. Barth Madison."

“Nice to meet ya.” Barth handed Libby her tea and nodded at Laura.

Laura had noticed Barth's accent before. She was about to ask where they were from when two more people wandered up looking for drinks.

"What'll it be?" Richie asked Isabelle in his best, boisterous bartender's voice.

Isabelle couldn't help laughing. Richie always made her laugh, whether they were in the office or out of it. He hadn't been planning to come to Lulu's today, but she'd talked him into walking over with her to keep her company.

"I'll have the lemonade," she told him, still laughing. "And don't you dare spike it with anything!"

Richie picked out a glass and handed it to her. "She's takin' all the fun out of this," he complained to Barth. "Not lettin' me spike the lemonade. Don't believe we've met before. Name's Richie Roberts," he nodded.

“Barth Madison, and this is Libby Tyler. I got a boy around here somewhere.” He smiled and looked around for Jason.

Libby immediately recognized Richie as the man who had looked in the window of the boutique when she'd been buying a dress. He'd nodded to her when she'd tried on the black slip dress. Boldly she met his eyes. "Hi."

Richie had recognized her, too. He never forgot a tall, good-looking blonde. So this was the guy she'd been buying the dress for. Too bad, he thought to himself. "Hello," he said to her with a grin. "This is Isabelle Lawrence, the girl I'm trying to get drunk and take advantage of."

"He is not!" Isabelle punched him playfully in the arm. "He's just always trying to make trouble!"

"Hello," she said, with a nod at both Libby and Laura. "It's good to meet you. I don't know too many people around here yet. Mr. Roberts here," she gave him an eye-rolling look, "is a lawyer and I'm his paralegal."

"I've seen you at the bookstore," she said to Laura. "But I don't think I've seen you around before," to Libby. "What do you do?"

"At the moment, nothing," Libby replied with a smile. "But once Jason," she hesitated, knowing they wouldn't know who Jason was, "once our boy," she looked at Barth to see if he minded her description, "once he starts to school, I may look for something part-time."

Barth looked at Richie. “I may come around and talk to you sometime. I’m what you might call a bounty hunter. I do a little private investigation, too.”

"Come on in, then," Richie said. "I may have some work for you from time to time."

Just then he saw Lulu approaching them. Uh-oh. He wasn't sure why but, for some reason, it made him a little nervous having Isabelle and Lulu in the same place at the same time. He'd slept with Lulu, but Isabelle was his assistant and he didn't date her or anything, so why should it all bother him? At the moment Isabelle was hanging onto his arm, which he rather liked, even though he knew it didn't mean anything to her. How would Lulu read it, though, he wondered.

"Hello, Lulu." He was the first to speak to her. "Nice party."

Lulu didn’t miss a beat. “Hello there, Richie. Good to see you here and who is this lovely thing on your arm?” Um hm, she thought with a wide smile.

She might not have missed a beat, but Richie did, not sure exactly what to say. Isabelle, as usual, came to his rescue. "I'm Isabelle Lawrence, Richie's paralegal," she said to Lulu pleasantly, holding out her hand. "We saw each other at the last town meeting, although I don't think we were introduced to each other." She was a little puzzled about what had Richie tongue-tied. She knew he'd gone out with Lulu.

“Oh, that’s right. I knew I‘d seen you somewhere before.” Lulu shook her hand and glanced at Richie. “Well, ya’ll enjoy the good eats and good times.”

"I'm sure we will," Isabelle said, as Richie was muttering, "Uh, thanks."

"What's the matter with you?" Isabelle demanded of him after Lulu had walked away. "I've never seen you have that much trouble talking to anyone."

As Richie was mumbling something, Maximus Meridius was walking toward the table of drinks. He wasn't at all happy with seeing Isabelle talking and laughing with Richie Roberts, not to mention holding onto his arm.

Why did she always seem to be smiling and laughing with the man who was her boss? Why didn't she laugh like that around Maximus? She always smiled when she saw him and seemed happy to see him, but never laughed the way she did around Roberts.

But then, Maximus had to admit to himself, he wasn't exactly a happy person to be around. Hadn't been since the death of his wife and son. But he would have given anything to hear Isabelle's happy laugh at something he said. Following their lunch together, he had asked her for dinner next week. He'd make more of an effort then, he vowed to himself.

Back at the drinks table, Barth had finally located Jason's head in the crowd of kids surrounding Johnny Devlin in his pirate costume and pointed him out. As Richie laid eyes on Barth's son, he went quiet and serious for the first time all day. He so wished Michael was here with him now, playing in that crowd.

Isabelle noticed his stillness, as well as the look of longing in his eyes. She squeezed the arm she was holding onto, knowing exactly what he was thinking about. "He'll be here, Richie. He will. You'll get custody and Michael will be here with you. I know it." Richie had talked so much to her about Michael that she almost felt as if she knew his son already.

Looking at her gratefully, Richie laid his hand over the one squeezing his arm. "Thanks, Isabelle. Thanks for all the help you've been and for always keeping my spirits up about him."

Maximus was too far away to hear what the two were talking about, but he saw the look between them, saw Roberts' hand as he laid it over Isabelle's. He'd been about to walk over and say hello, but he thought better of it. He went off in the opposite direction, deciding to have a word with Robin Longstride.

Ben had been in what he privately told Kathy was 'full campaign mode' all day and he was getting tired. He'd shaken every hand in the place and made small talk with every resident he could find. Now, he looked over at Kathy and said quietly, "What do you say we get out of this noisy mob for awhile and go somewhere more private?"

Kathy had enjoyed being with him all day and she thought he'd done a wonderful job as a candidate. No one could turn on the smiles and charm like Ben Wade when there was a need for it. But she was more than ready to be alone with him, too.

Her eyes shining at him, she whispered, "Let's go."

As they walked toward his car, Ben had to grin to himself. It was all still going along just as he'd planned. Ed Hoffman was going to be more than a little bit surprised.

Sandhurst: Jack Pops the Question-136

Jack eased his sailboat back into its berth. Georgia was ready with the ropes and already had the bumper floats off the sides.

“Careful there!” Jack warned when she went to jump onto the dock. A flash of white teeth in the semi-darkness answered for Georgia.

She’d become an old hand at this by now. A weekend sailing with Jack had banished any doubts she had about him. Expertly she wound the rope securing the boat to the dock. He tossed her another and shut off his auxiliary engine. He went below and she soon joined him to gather up her things.

Jack set his bag on the bed and threw in a few things lying about. He couldn’t stand it any longer. The L-word had not been mentioned but everything else pointed to it. She’d slept with him on the boat and he was ready to make that a permanent thing between them.

“Georgia,” he turned to her and took her hands from the bag she was packing, “I realize now what a fool I was to take you for granted. I won’t do that again. I think we’ve found each other…don’t you feel that, too?”

“Yes, I do, Jack. Maybe it was silly of me to take off like I did.”

“I don’t think so. It made me look at things like an adult. And as an adult…I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to say it…damn it, Georgia, I love you! I want to live with you, to wake up with you every morning of my life. You are the most important thing in my life.”

Georgia ran her tongue over her lips. “Jack, I feel the same way. I love you, too. So…I guess we’d better just get married.”

“Married?”

“Yes, because I’m not going to settle for anything less.”

Jack took a breath. “All right, Georgia, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

She smiled slowly, “I thought you’d never ask me…I had to prompt you. Yes, Jack, but the honor is mine.” She put her arms around his neck and they met in a long savoring kiss.

Much to his dismay, she asked to be driven to the Pink House B&B. “I’ve never been married before and I want a wedding. It doesn’t have to be a black tie event but I want a wedding dress and you in a tux.”

“Oh, now, surely you jest, woman.”

“No, I don’t. I want it to be perfect, just like my love for you.”

No way could he deny her the perfect wedding she desired. “How soon can we be married?”

“Well, I don’t know yet. Soon…a few weeks. We have to plan it and invite people.”

“Weeks…oh, well, and in the meantime what are we to do, live apart?”

“I think that would be best, don’t you? And then when I come to you I’ll be your wife, never to be parted again.”

No, he didn’t think that best but he wasn’t going to object now. “If that’s what you want, Georgia. You know how I feel about that.”

“I’d like to get married at our house. It will be ours that day. I think it’s going to be wonderful. I love you so much.”

Jack held her close in his arms and looked over his shoulder at the bed they’d shared for the last three nights. He knew without asking that would have to hold him until they were married.

Sandhurst: Ed, Nancy and John Nash-137

“Hey, Daddy, whatcha doin’?” Nancy Ann Hoffman squatted down beside her father out in the garden shed.

“Trying to tighten up the legs on this chair for your mother. What have you been up to today?”

“I’ve been down at the Pink House listening to the band and-"

“You didn’t have to go down there to listen to it. We’ve had a free concert up here all day. Had to close all the windows.”

“You should have come down. Andy was playing with Cain Richmond.”

“Oh, yeah?” Ed looked up over his glasses. “Pickin’ and singin’ now, is he?”

“Yes, he was. I wish you’d recognize his talent. He’s going to put us all to shame one of these days.”

“I wait for the day.” Ed righted the chair and tested it. “Did she have a good turn out?”

“You’d be surprised. Yes, she did…it was a fun time. She makes things fun.”

“Don’t know much about the woman. That should do it.” He sat in the chair and moved around.

“Something on your mind, honey?”

Nancy Ann sat down on an old milk crate turned upside down. “I guess not…I’m just…oh, feeling kind of lost. With Andy in Savannah and Kathy off who knows where.”

“You ought to find yourself a little summer job somewhere.” Ed smiled and then frowned. “We know where Kathy spends her time.”

Nancy took a breath. “That’s her business. She’s grown, Daddy.”

“You’ve met him now. What do you think of Ben Wade?”

“I don’t know. He…he’s just…not what I expected. He’s older for one thing and I think he’s got some skeletons in the closet.”

Ed grinned, “And you think I need to leave Kathy alone, eh? That man has more skeletons than the graveyard. He’s just damn good at hiding them.”

“He does treat her with respect, Daddy. Can’t fault him for that.”

“I’ll reserve judgment on that one.”

Music began drifting over the high hedges in their back garden. “He’s at it again.”

“Who?”

“That professor over there. If it ain’t comin’ from one direction it’s the other.”

“I might go over and see him.” Nancy stood up and looked toward the hedge.

“You be careful over there…he’s…he ain’t always all there, you know.”

Nancy frowned at her father. “He’s a very nice man. I think he’s lonely.”

“Two very good reasons for you to be careful over there. I’d prefer if you didn’t..." But he was wasting his breath. She was heading for the hedges. He shook his head and was beginning to wonder where he went wrong with his girls.

Nancy went through the hedge and noticed he’d had his back porch screened in. It had been awhile since she’d been over there. She went up the steps to the porch, intending to knock on his door but he was on the porch.

“I saw you come through.”

“Hi, hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. Is the music too loud?”

“I like it. Don’t hear much big band music anymore.” She found a seat on the new porch furniture he’d bought, green cushions with a tropical pattern.

“I have a large selection of CD’s. I like to listen to music. Some days I need to.”

She smiled at him. “I know that feeling. Certain songs for certain days or moods.”

“I’ve been sitting out here listening to the band. They were quite loud.”

“I know, but such fun. You should have come down and watched them perform.”

“I might have…” He thought he might have if he’d had someone to go with. He didn’t do well in crowds of people he didn’t know.

“I wonder if you’d like to go down to the Sandy Conch with me tonight. There’s going to be music there, too, and not loud like Johnny Devlin’s band. My brother is going to be playing.”

“You know, I don’t believe I have ever had the pleasure of the Sandy Conch. I would like to accompany you there.”

Nancy smiled, “It’s a date then.”

“Is it a date…really? I quite like that idea.” John smiled back at her.

Dono O’Brian wiped down the bar for the forty-leventh time. It was going six and the happy hour crowd was already in full swing. Jonathon was cooking and Caitlin waiting tables. He noted Steve walk in with a tall cool blonde. He knew she was Kristen’s sister but she’d never been in the Sandy Conch. He was trying to think of her name. Dono was good with names. He was good with particulars about people, too. He remembered what they drank, a trait always good in a bartender. He figured the blonde was good for a glass of wine. He wasn’t wrong.

“Depends on what ya like. We’ve got a good house chardonnay.” She wasn’t a drinker. He could tell.

“All right.” She smiled and looked over at Steve. He already had his usual in front of him.

Alex had the end of the bar with his new toy, an iPad, in front of him. He’d just gotten back from Hilton Head where he’d been covering the recovery of Paul Woodward. He spoke to Steve and nodded in Blythe’s direction. It wasn’t like Steve to come in here with a girl. He felt oddly betrayed in his single state. He threw his hand up at Andy, who came in carrying a guitar case but he didn’t come to the bar, he went to the corner where a tiny stage would provide tonight’s entertainment.

Andy busied himself setting up. Cain said he might come by later. Andy hoped so. He liked playing back-up. Taking center stage was still new to him. He was in a production at the playhouse in Savannah, but the matinee and tonight was taken over by another company. Johnny had asked him to come down and fill in. He hadn’t known he’d be playing with Cain Richmond. Johnny also asked him if he’d like to go to Atlanta with his band. He jumped at the chance and agreed but it meant he’d have to drop out of the play in Savannah. Still, he thought he’d do better under Johnny’s eye than on his own in Savannah.

Nancy waved at Andy and went to the bar to say hello to Dono. “Hi, I think we’re going to get a table.”

“Yah, well ya best be grabbin’ one then. Top o’ tha chart entertainment t’night,” he grinned.

Nancy laughed and led John Nash to a table near the stage. John was interested in the pub and turned his head this way and that. It seemed a pleasant place. There were pool tables. He hadn’t played pool since he was in college. He used to think himself quite good.

“Good, Caitlin. This is John Nash and he’d like a soda…am I right?” She looked at John.

“Yes, please…Coke.” He couldn’t drink alcohol because of his medications.

“Only one of the most brilliant minds in the country. Really, he’s genius. Got a little problem though. He’s a little…uh.” Alex touched his temple.

“I’m not very good at it but I’ll give it a try.” Nancy rose from her seat and followed John to a pool table.

“It’s been a long time for me. I may not be any good either.” He racked the balls while she looked for a cue.

Of course he was good. Nancy got one go when he broke the set and then he cleared the table. They played again and a few people crowded around watching him. He affably waved them away when a few wanted to challenge him.

John was enjoying himself. He found Nancy to be good company. She seemed to sense when to take the lead, when he became confused or just needed her to. She didn’t treat him any differently than anyone else.

Andy began tuning up and the noise level lessened. He had a good baritone voice and he sang a few songs he and Cain had played at the carnival. Nancy wanted to stand up and say, "That’s my brother.”

Caitlin leaned against the bar and listened to him. As much as she put him off around the bar she was available to him when he wanted her. She hoped he did tonight.

Alex slid a smile up his cheek, wondering what his old man would think of him singing here in the Sandy.

It was nearly nine o’clock when Kristen and Dino came into the Sandy. She’d arranged to meet her sister there for the drive back to Savannah.

“Gosh, I hate to break you guys up,” Kristen grinned tapping her sister on the shoulder. Blythe and Steve had found a corner table to hide behind.

Blythe broke from the kiss and looked up at Kristen. “Hey, ya’ll have a good time?”

“Excellent!” Dino grinned widely. They’d had pizza delivery at his house and…

After the girls left he slid into Blythe’s seat. “Don’t get amorous with me.”

“Night, everybody.” Nancy Ann waved at the crowd and John threw up his hand, too.

“Well, Miss Nancy, I must thank you again for inviting me out on this date tonight.”

“Yes, it was. I spend so much time alone, I forget how to relax and be around people other than students.”

“I realize I’m not good company, Miss Nancy. I appreciate your asking me to join with your friends.”

Nancy stopped on the sidewalk. “Stop doing that. I couldn’t have asked for better company tonight. I believe you think you can’t function anywhere except in a classroom. That’s not true. You were fun to be with.”

He walked her to the drive of her house. “Would you like to come in for awhile?”

“No, no, thank you, Nancy. I’d better get on home. It’s been interesting and you’re good company, Nancy Ann Hoffman.”

John had been wanting to do that all evening. He caught her hand, holding it in place and with his left arm going around her waist, he pulled her in for a proper kiss.

“Yes…I would.” Her arms went around his neck this time and he pressed her to him before releasing her.

Sandhurst: Maximus, Isabelle & Richie...Lunch Date-139

It was 11:30 in the morning and Isabelle was checking over Richie's trial calendar, making sure everything on it was updated. She smiled as she heard Richie swearing back in his office. He was on the phone with an investigator he'd hired for a case.

The front door of the office opened and, automatically, she looked up with a smile saying, "Good morning, may I help you?"

Her smile widened when she saw Maximus Meridius walk through the door. "Dr. Meridius," she added softly. "It's so good to see you."

"Miss Lawrence." He returned the smile with a brief one of his own. "Please- now that you are no longer a student, you must feel free to call me Maximus."

Isabelle had risen and come from behind her desk. His eyes took in the sight of her in the pretty yellow dress she wore, her long, dark hair falling nearly to her waist. She looked like sunshine, he thought to himself.

"Well, Maximus," her voice was slightly hesitant, "then you must call me Isabelle. Mr. Roberts is on the phone, but please have a seat. Could I get you something to drink?" She noticed how handsome he looked, in slacks with a blue shirt this morning. The top two buttons were unbuttoned, showing off the strong, tanned column of his throat.

"To be truthful, Isabelle, I am here to see you."

"Me?" She looked at him questioningly.

"I had only one morning class to teach today. I was on my way to my home and I thought, perhaps, you might do me the honor of having lunch with me." His look at her was hopeful.

Her heart skipped a beat. "I would like that, Maximus. I'm not due to leave for lunch for a half hour. I will need to ask Mr. Roberts first..."

"Ask me what?" Richie appeared at the door separating his office from the outer office where Isabelle sat.

For a moment, he simply stared. It was obvious to him the way that Meridius and Isabelle looked at each other. He'd noticed it before and it irked him. The fact that it irked him irked him even more.

"I would very much like to take-Isabelle-to lunch," Maximus told him, not taking his eyes from Isabelle.

Richie noticed the way he put it, almost as though asking him for permission. He was tempted to say 'no', but he didn't have any valid reason.

"Sure. Go ahead, Isabelle. Leave now and take an extra half-hour. Hell, take an extra hour. You've more than earned it with everything you do around here." Richie smiled at her.

Giving him a smile in return, she got her purse out of her desk drawer. "Thank you so much, Mr. Roberts. I promise I'll work twice as hard when I get back."

Richie chuckled, even though he didn't look particularly happy. "If you do that, there won't be any need for me to be here. She already practically runs the place for me by herself," he said to Maximus. "See you guys later."

He watched as Meridius and Isabelle went out the door together, the almost-regal man placing one hand on Isabelle's back as they exited. As they walked down the street together, he saw them look up at one another and smile.

Seeing how interested they were in one another, Richie Roberts felt a stab of something that he didn't even recognize as jealousy. He forced himself to think about his date that night with Lulu.

Richie pulled his SUV up in the driveway of the Pink House B&B on Friday night with a little squeal of brakes. He was 45 minutes late, just the kind of thing Laurie had always complained about when they were married. He hoped Lulu wasn't as nitpicky about things like that as Laurie had been.

He also hoped she'd believe him when he told her he'd been working late. It was true. Kinda. He'd been working right up until 6:00 when Isabelle had stuck her head into his office to tell him the time. There was a clock on the wall straight across from his desk, but he'd been known to go days without even looking at the thing. Isabelle knew this and was always reminding him about appointments, lunch, and when it was time to go home.

Isabelle. He was thinking about her even as he walked up on Lulu's front porch. That girl had been a godsend. She kept track of his schedule better than he, himself, had ever been able to do. After she'd reminded him of the time this evening, he'd sat down in her office and they'd discussed their plans for tomorrow.

Isabelle was coming over to his house early on Saturday morning to help him clean, and to finish unpacking and arranging all the things that he hadn't managed to unpack and arrange in the weeks he'd been in Sandhurst. He was preparing for a social worker's visit on Monday to check out the fitness of his house for Michael's custody. Knowing how important it was to him-and how bad he was at arranging anything-Isabelle had offered to come and help.

On the porch of the B&B, the door was open. Not knowing exactly how things worked at a B&B, Richie wasn't sure if he should just walk on inside. He knocked at the screen door a bit hesitantly.

Lulu had been ready for over an hour. She didn’t like to keep a man waiting unless there was a reason for it. To be on the other end of that, to have been sitting there looking out of the window for all that time and no word from him had pissed her off royally.

She called from the front parlor hearing his knock on the door. “You’d better be on crutches, Richie Roberts!”

Opening the screen, he walked inside saying, "I could go back and get some, but that'd take me longer."

He gave her his widest, most charming smile. "I've been seeing to it the citizens of Sandhurst get justice. That's a noble reason for being late. Right?" He looked hopeful.

She moved into the light. She’d taken particular care of her appearance. It wasn’t often she went out on a date. Hardly ever, in fact. She was trying very hard not to acknowledge that he’d hurt her feelings.

“It’s not a good way to start an evening, is it…to be nearly an hour late? It’s very obvious to me that you were not thinking about Lulu or you would have called me or had someone call me to say you would be late. I was beginning to think I’d been stood up.”

"I wouldn't have done that. Honest." Richie walked toward her, taking in her outfit and everything else about her. Knock-out.

She let him kiss her but she was not mollified, not at all. She thought he looked gorgeous, too, in that slightly rumpled way that men have when they don’t spend all day looking in the mirror. But looks aside there were warning signals going off in her head about him.

She looked down, adjusting the neckline of her silky dress, a new purchase from Tallulah’s. “I’m starved to death. I purposely did not eat since my lunch salad because I knew I was going out to dinner. I shoulda had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to tide me over until you got hungry enough to think about me.”

Richie was looking down at the neckline of that silky dress, too, and loving the view. He had the grace to look a little shame-faced when she said she was starving. "Believe me, Lulu, I've been thinkin' about you all day. I just- it's like there's been a crime wave here in Sandhurst lately and I've had a lotta cases on my desk."

He ran a hand up her bare arm, loving the feel of it. "There's this one that looks like it might turn out to go to federal court. It's turnin' out to be more work than I thought, and that's the one I was workin' on. Sorry I didn't call you. I'll be honest, honey, I'm one 'a those guys that gets to working and my idea of time goes right out the window."

Lulu was very familiar with guys like that. She’d been married to one. Once again those warning bells were ringing, but she smiled sweetly and looked up at him, tilting her head. “Are you going to take me to dinner or stand here apologizing for being a thoughtless, inconsiderate bastard all night?”

Richie grinned at her. "I was plannin' on taking you to a nice restaurant in Savannah but, since I let you starve so long, if you'd rather we eat at Ivy's, we can go there. Your choice."

She didn’t believe for a minute that he had planned anything. “Ivey’s is fine with me.”

"Ivey's it is then." Richie wasn't a man who really cared where he ate, as long as it was food.

Sitting quietly in the opposite smaller parlor, John Cristofuoro put down his newspaper. Lulu had already asked him if he’d look after things while she went out. He’d watched her agitation mount while she waited for her date. He wasn’t eavesdropping but he’d heard what was said in the hallway.

“No, Richie, I have a detective on duty tonight.” She walked to the hall table and picked up her handbag and a light wrap.

"A detective, huh?" Richie grinned as he took her wrap and put it around her shoulders, letting his hands caress her as he did so. "Getting ready to send somebody out to look for me?"

She shook her head. “No, he’s looking after my interests.” She lifted her chin, trying to shake the feel of his hands on her shoulders. “Shall we go?"

Cristofuoro smiled and fingered his mustache. He was glad he wasn’t Roberts tonight.

Richie dropped his hands reluctantly. He knew Lulu was still mad, but he was hoping she was getting over it,would be completely over it by the time he brought her home.

Lulu could use a steak, too, something she could get her teeth into and chew. “Let’s walk.” She looked up at him. “If you don’t mind. It’s nice out tonight.”

The sun was over the tall old trees lining this part of the street, sending shadows across to the other side. Lulu wasn’t mad anymore. It was more of a disappointment. She liked Richie and he was a damn good partner in bed but it could never be anymore than that. It gave her a hollow feeling, a feeling something was missing.

As they walked along, Richie could feel the uncomfortable silence. "What's the matter? You still mad at me? What can I do to make it up to you?"

“I’m not mad anymore. Things happen,” she said absently. She walked along a moment and thought she wasn’t being fair to him. Yes, he’d pissed her off but…really, what did she expect.

“So, there’s a crime wave in Sandhurst, huh? Who woulda thought?” She laughed lightly. “Nothing serious I hope.”

Relieved that she was relaxing a little, Richie answered, "Nah. Mostly small-time stuff, but it keeps me busy, being the only lawyer people don't have to call out from Savannah. How's the bed and breakfast business?"

“Keeps me hopping. Somebody’s booked a wedding in a couple of weeks and took all my rooms. I’ve given out rooms I don’t have,” she giggled. “Hopefully Max will have found something by then. And Georgia, oh Lord, that girl! She and the Captain are going to be married, did you hear? It’s probably not all over town yet. Just happened over the weekend.”

"Jack Aubrey?" Richie wasn't really surprised. "Always figured him for the marrying kind. So Max Skinner's still with you?"

“Yes, Max is still there.” She had a soft spot for him. “Sonya is with him now. I’m not so sure about Jack. Georgia says she asked him first,” she chuckled. “Too much love in the air…I shoulda opened a seed store or somethin’.”

Richie decided to change the subject. All this talk about love and marriage was making him nervous. "I've got a big weekend ahead of me," he said. "Gotta manage to get my whole house in order for a social worker that's comin' Monday. Part of my custody case for Michael."

“I wish you nothing but luck on your custody case, Richie. I’ve heard social workers can be real particular about things. But surely you don’t have that big of a mess at your house.”

The smells from Ivey’s hit them as they came through the door. “Gosh, I’m hungry!” She rubbed her arms in anticipation.

When they were seated at a table and had ordered, Richie took a drink of his beer and finally answered her. "My house is still a pretty big mess, actually. I opened the office right about the time I moved and things got busy fast. About all I've ever unpacked is the stuff I just have to have. Clothes, coffee pot, that sort of thing."

Ivey's had muted lighting almost resembling candlelight at dinner. Richie was enjoying the picture Lulu made in the silky dress with her hair falling around her shoulders. Her eyes were shining in the light. He fell quiet and just looked at her.

She finally looked up from the menu and met his eyes across the table. What was behind that look, she wondered. It didn’t do to dwell in those eyes for very long or she just might be across the table embarrassing herself. She smiled slowly at him. “Hi there.”

"Hi," he smiled back. Lulu made him hungry for more than food. He hoped they were in for a long evening.

“A big juicy steak and a big ole baked potato with everything on it.” She took a sip of her wine. Had she decided what she wanted? Right now she wanted him but tomorrow and tomorrow? She shook her head, trying to clear out all those thoughts about tomorrow. She’d think about tomorrow…tomorrow. That thought brought a grin to her lips…Scarlett had a good idea there.

"Sounds good. Think I'll have the same." Richie drained his beer. Right now, he wasn't thinking beyond tonight.

When their food arrived, he watched as she ate. Her lips were luscious, and he could well remember that the rest of her was too. They ate slowly and, as they were finishing, he asked casually, "You want dessert?"

“Not here, no.” She had an idea what he meant but chose not to jump on it. “I’ve still got cakes from the carnival in the freezer. She laughed a little, “I guess this is where I ask if you’d like to join me for dessert back at the B&B.”

She knew exactly what was coming and looked forward to it but a part of her wanted something else. For now she couldn’t put a name to it. The only thing she knew for sure was that whatever it was…it wouldn’t be him. It saddened her a little but she covered it up with finishing her glass of wine.

Richie was unaware of what she was thinking. Around women, his mind worked on a much more practical and physical level. The cakes sounded good, and so did what he hoped would be the longer dessert. "I'd love to have dessert with you," he grinned.

He took care of the check and left a hefty tip, because he was feeling so good at the moment, anticipating what was coming. As they walked slowly back toward the B&B, he was startled to find that he was anticipating more than just the coming evening with Lulu. His mind had actually jumped ahead to tomorrow and he was looking forward to seeing Isabelle. To get that thought out of his mind, he wrapped an arm around Lulu's shoulders.

“I have no idea. I hope I’ll have your vote.” She looked up at him and smiled. “I haven’t made up my mind about the mayor yet. I feel like it should be Ed Hoffman. He IS Sandhurst, you know. I imagine all the old timers will vote for him. I haven’t seen anything from this Wade fella yet.” She walked along, matching her steps to his.

Pushing the thought of Isabelle firmly out of his mind, Richie answered, "Of course you've got my vote," he grinned. "I don't know about the mayor, though. You say you haven't seen anything from Wade but, if you look around you, a lot of what you see's from him. The town wouldn't be doing well enough to even have to worry about holding an election if it wasn't for him."

“I know he’s the moneyman but what does he know about the day to day workings of a town? He hardly said anything at the meeting and kept asking Ed. I don’t think he has a clue what it means to be mayor. But I’ll wait and see.”

As they neared the B&B she looked up and noticed John’s light was off. Did that mean he was still downstairs? What if he was…it bothered her because she was going in with Richie and…she glanced at him sideways and then concentrated on the steps. What to do?

He saw Lulu's quick glance at him. "Something wrong?" he asked, not sure what that look meant.

“When I said I had a detective looking after my interests I wasn’t kidding, Richie. John Cristofuoro is there. I asked him to keep an eye on things while I was gone. There aren’t any lights on upstairs. I suspect Max and Sonya are downstairs, too. It makes things a little…awkward for me.”

"Awkward how?" Richie frowned. "You ashamed to be seen with me or somethin'? 'Cause quite a few people saw us at Ivey's and on the walk there and back."

He couldn't figure out the problem. He and Lulu were both adults and if they were seeing one another, or anything else, Richie didn't see that it was anybody's business but their own. Unless she really was ashamed to be seen with him.

“I’m not ashamed of you, Richie. I’m proud to be seen with you. It’s just that I’d feel kinda funny taking you to my private rooms with everyone else right on the other side of the wall. I don’t know why I worry about things like that, but I do. It’s nobody’s business what I do behind my door.” She was getting herself worked up over it. “It’s an old house, you know, and it’s not sound proof…not by any means is it sound proof.”

The thought of John hearing her moaning under Richie made her want to hide her face. She couldn’t account for it.

"You know-" Despite the fact that she'd said she wasn't ashamed of him, Richie found himself miffed with her. "I still don't see the problem, Lulu. You said Max and Sonya are here together? That must mean they share the same room. Seems like the last time I was here Jack Aubrey and his girl were sharin' a room, too."

He was right and maybe she was being silly about the whole thing. It was her house and she could do as she pleased. She straightened her shoulders and took his arm. “It’s not a problem, not a problem at all. Let’s go in.” She smiled up at him but there was a nervousness inside of her. She hoped they could slip in without notice. She didn’t mind so much about Max…but John.

Her words had changed, but not her feeling about things. Richie could tell that, but he walked in with her anyway. If any of her roomers wanted to give either of them a hard time, he'd set them straight in about a minute. Yet, he still found himself slightly bothered by the fact that Lulu had even hesitated. He didn't know why.

Lulu didn’t often have an attack of conscience and she didn’t recognize it for what it was. She generally went about doing as she pleased, but ever since the night of her carnival when John Biebe had brought her a sandwich and stayed for a few hours she felt a little funny around John Cristofuoro. Not that she and the sheriff had done a thing, only sitting out in the front yard and talking. He had kissed her good night and when she came up the steps she noticed the detective sitting in a rocking chair.

She wasn’t aware he watched over her but she felt something in his presence. He stayed quietly in the background at the B&B. You’d hardly know he was there unless he needed something.

Lulu walked in bright as a penny with Richie. “Evening ya’ll.” She’d been right, her boarders were gathered in the front parlor and Jack had brought Georgia back. She didn’t look closely enough to see if he was still there or if John might be in their company. She held onto Richie’s hand, meaning to lead him past the doorway.

Richie, though, had an urge to stop and say hello. Maybe just for the hell of it, but more because he was still a bit ticked off. Halting in the doorway, his hand still holding Lulu's, he said, "Evening everybody."

"Max. John." He nodded at Skinner and Cristofuoro, who did turn out to be there. Then he turned and looked at Jack and Georgia. "I hear congratulations are in order for you two."

“Yes, thank you, and I understand we are not the only ones.” Jack glanced over at Max and Sonya who were on the sofa.

“We haven’t set a date yet.” A fact that bothered Max as he reached for Sonya’s hand.

“What did I tell you, it’s a regular love boat here!” Lulu laughed. Richie had her hand firmly in his and she got the impression he might be a little upset with her. She looked at him anxiously and trying to avoid looking at the man seated in the blue chair.

"Apparently," Richie answered Lulu. "Well, congratulations to you, too," he said to Max and Sonya.

"How about you, Cristofuoro?" he said to the man seated apart from the others. "Got any ideas about takin' the plunge?" Richie was unaware of Lulu's apprehension about the detective.

John looked at Richie for a moment. Obviously the man didn’t know about his wife dying recently. “No,” he answered quietly, “I’ve already taken that plunge.” He looked at Lulu briefly without any particular expression.

“He’s a widower, recent,” Lulu said to Richie in a low whisper. She pulled on his hand a little. She was ready to leave her boarders to their conversations.

“Yes, yes, we did. I promised Richie a slice of Mary’s cake as dessert. Didn’t see any sense in ordering from there when I’ve got all these sweets here.”

Richie had seen Cristofuoro in the sheriff's office, but he hadn't known about the man's wife. He was unsure how to apologize for what he'd said, so he let it lie. "Yeah, you have got a lot of sweets here," Richie said with his most charming smile, letting his eyes sweep over Sonya, Georgia, and then come to rest on Lulu.

“Well, ya’ll enjoy the evening. I’m just going to feed my lawyer some cake.” She smiled sweetly around the room, holding her smile in place when she met John’s eyes. He smiled at her and she knew he knew about Richie.

Allowing Lulu to lead him off to the kitchen, Richie couldn't help but feel that something had happened in there that he just hadn't caught. Rather than ponder it, he smiled at her and said, "I liked what you fed me the last time we were in this kitchen a lot better than cake." He looked pointedly at the table.

Lulu barely heard what he said. She went about slicing up a cake. She felt totally out of herself. This whole evening had been a mistake and she knew it now. It was the why of the mistake she couldn’t quite understand. The last time she’d been with Richie had been wonderful. Now…well, now it didn’t feel right to her.

“Want some ice cream with it?” She set the plate with the slice of cake on the table in front of him.

Stepping close, he slid an arm around her waist, leaned in to kiss her. "What's that old sayin' about havin' your cake and eating it, too? You look a lot better than this cake does right now."

“Ha, ha! Well, thank you.” She pulled away. “Would you like something to drink?”

"Sure. A Coke'll be fine with cake." His look at her was questioning. "Did somethin' in there bother you?"

She went to the fridge for a Coke and stood there looking inside for a moment. Bother her? Yes, something bothered her.

“Oh, I guess it was the fact that there was so much love in the air. Don’t you ever wish some of that was directed at you and you were the center of somebody’s world?”

They were back to that again. Richie took a bite of cake. "I'm the center of the world to my clients," he said with a grin, deliberately misunderstanding her. "I'm the guy that can make the difference between whether they get to go home or go to jail."

“But they don’t love you, do they?” Lulu toyed with her cake, her appetite missing. “I guess, Richie, what I’m trying to say is I’m ready for somebody to love me. I wanna be special to somebody in a way that no one else is.”

This was just the kind of talk that Richie Roberts always preferred to avoid. If he couldn't avoid it, well... Maybe he could meet it head on. "Changed kinda suddenly, haven't you, Lulu. Last time I was here, that wasn't the way you were talkin' at all."

“Well, I ‘m sure you think that’s true, Richie, but it isn’t…not really. Regardless of what you think of me, I’m not a bitch in heat. There has to be…something else. I think we enjoyed each other thoroughly last time. There should never have been a second chance. I knew when you left me that I didn’t mean anything to you. I’m just somebody that satisfied an urgent need you had. I’ll be honest, I had it too, but now I find I need something with that need. Like ice cream with cake…cake ain’t enough by itself.”

He was getting it now, and he knew that meant he wouldn't be getting any later. "Cake is plenty for me, Lulu."

She felt a flush rising up her neck. “I’m sorry…sorry to have wasted your time.” She took the plate out from under his fork and tossed it in the sink. “I’m not just serving out cake here.”

Lulu was becoming emotional all of a sudden. She was angry with him and with herself. She’d been a fool thinking he might care something for her. If he just wanted sex he could damn well find it somewhere else.

Richie was feeling angry with her himself. "That wasn't the impression I got last time was here, Lulu. And I don't think I misled you."

“No, you didn’t mislead me. It’s my own fault for presenting myself as the town slut. You’ve made it crystal clear what you’re here for. You don’t care about me at all. Well, I don’t care about you either and you can just go find someplace else to dip your wick.” She was trembling and walked over to the sink, leaning on it.

Emotional women. He'd always felt awkward and helpless around them. And his own anger was still burning as well. Richie just looked at her back for a long moment as she stood at the sink.

Then, in a quiet and very carefully controlled voice, he said, "I hope you find what you're looking for, Lulu." He walked out the back door, leaving her there.

Lulu turned on the cold water and watched it run for a minute before splashing her face with it and wiping her mascara on the kitchen towel. “I don’t know what I’m looking for,” she said, wiping her eyes.

Sandhurst: Cristofuoro Works the Dead File-141

Detective John Cristofuoro entered the break room at the sheriff’s office, a tiny room with two tables, a few folding chairs and the requisite drink, candy and snack machines. He sat down with a cup of coffee and the folder he’d been studying. In particular, he’d been studying the photographs.

“Morning, John.” Roseanne White entered and dropped a few coins in the Coke machine.

“Hey, Rosey.”

She opened her drink and glanced at the folder he had open in front of him. “Roy said you were opening up that old case. I think it was beat to death years ago. Don’t know what you hope to find now.”

“Find an answer to it.” He looked up and smiled. “I’m surprised you haven’t wanted it solved.”

“Oh, I do…I do. He was my father, after all.” She took a sip of her coke.

“What kind of a father was he?”

“I hardly remember now. He was um, loud…strict. He couldn’t hear good, you know.”

“Do you ever remember sitting on his lap or doing anything in particular with him?”

“He was in Viet Nam when I was real little. I remember him taking me to school one time. I’d been out sick with something…oh, I know, I’d fallen and sprained my knee. I was on crutches and couldn’t catch the bus.”

“How did you fall?”

“I don’t know, probably playing around somewhere.” She looked past him at the window overlooking the parking lot. Roseanne Harrison White was 32 and had been a policewoman since she got out of the army at 28 years of age. She wore her long dark hair up in a sort of twist at the back of her head, covering the knot with her hat when she went out. She looked over at Cristofuoro out of soft brown eyes fringed with dark lashes. A sprinkling of freckles covered her nose.

“You want to know if he was abusive, don’t you? I guess nowadays he might be. He used to whip me.”

“What else do you remember about him?”

“Lord, John, that was a long time ago. I only knew him for a few years. I was like seven when he showed up.”

“How about your mother? How’d she get on with him?”

“I have no idea. I was a kid…who knows what goes on behind closed doors.” She grinned and took another drink.

“I understand your mother is in a nursing home now.”

“Roy tell you that? Yeah, she is. She’s lost her mind. Mama was always a little…strange. I love her and all, you know. It might have been her illness setting in early…she wasn’t always with us when she was with us.”

“Is your Aunt Connie still around here?”

“She is but she’s sick, carries a oxygen tank around with her. She’s not very strong.”

“You lived with her for awhile?”

“After Daddy was killed we did. Mama wouldn’t go back to the house.”

“How was your mother’s hearing…any problems there?”

“Mama’s? No, nothing wrong with her hearing.” Her radio began talking to her. “Oops, gotta go. Good luck, John.”

“Thanks.” John finished his coffee and tossed the cup in the trash bin. It was time to ride out to the old Harrison house and get the lay of the land fixed in his mind.

He was following his GPS off the main road where an old mailbox was still attached to the post. It was open and rusted with a faint trace of Harrison still visible. The dirt road was pitted and overgrown with weeds narrowing to little more than a path now.

The house had a brick veneered front but the eyes of its windows were boarded up with weathered plywood. It was a dead house. John pulled up in front and got out of his vehicle. He looked back down the road. Roseanne would have walked along there after getting off the school bus. She came through the front door. The front door was locked and a board nailed across the doorknob He peered through the fan light window into the gloom. He could see a staircase to the left and the right was open into the living room. He was surprised to see it was still furnished.

Around the back of the house in the overgrown yard was a pile of new plywood. He looked toward the back door. The hinges still hung from the frame where the screened door had been. The door was not in sight. The back door window had been broken out and he availed himself of the invitation and stuck his hand through it, opening the door.

The kitchen table still held a roll of Reynolds wrap and a mixing bowl. The counters had been cleaned off except for an old coffee maker. Dish drainer still in the sink with an aluminum pan overturned. He stopped and looked at the floor in front of the stove. It had been cleaned of blood but he pictured the man lying there, a little over six foot tall and heavy…bloodied. It had been a vicious, violent attack. He thought he would like to see the screened door and turned toward it. He caught a flash of movement and stepped in the opening.

“Hello there,” said a man with a rifle. He was around 5’8 or so, graying, thinning hair, plaid shirt and jeans with suspenders. A pair of glasses were stuck in his shirt pocket. “What can I do for ya?”

“Hello. I’m Detective Cristofuoro with the Sandhurst Sheriff’s department.” John pulled his ID from inside his jacket pocket. His fingertips brushed over the holstered gun under his arm.

The man squinted and noted the badge. “Whatcher doin’ here?”

“The unsolved case of Will Harrison’s murder.” John pocketed his ID and left his hand inside his jacket.

The man lowered the rifle. “I’m Earl Larson. Will was my brother-in-law. I thought the case was closed…done with.”

“It was never solved.”

“Things must be slow at the sheriff’s department to go digging this up again. Ought to let it lie.”

“Well, mysteries always intrigue me.” John stepped from the doorway out onto concrete block steps.

“I been tryin’ to board the place up. Kids come out here and do whatever kids nowadays do. Up to no good. I’se ‘fraid they’d start a fire and burn the place down.”

“Who does it belong to now?” John asked.

“Adele Harrison, but she don’t want nothing to do with this old place. She probably don’t even remember livin’ here. Her mind, ya know.” He touched the side of his head.

“I was talking with Roseanne White this morning. She doesn’t remember much about her father.”

“Probably just as well.”

“What did you think of him?”

“Not much, to tell you the truth. He was from Florida and stationed out at Parris Island. That’s how Adele met him. Her’n Connie was up in Savannah and he was there. Never saw much of him till he left the military. He was injured in Viet Nam. Connie said he changed after that. I don’t know. I know he was mean and I had as little t’do with him as I could manage.”

“Was he mean to Adele and Roseanne?”

“Might a’been.”

John looked at him a minute. “Where was the garden from here?”

“Right this way.” Earl led him through the back yard and past an old falling-apart shed of some kind.

John looked over the garden area or what had been garden. It was now covered in knee high weeds and brush. Here and there wild onions sprouted. He could smell them under his feet. He looked back toward the house. It was possible if she’d been at the bottom end of the garden that she might not have heard anything.

“What was planted here?”

“Oh, corn, beans and tomaters, cucumbers and squarsh…taters, I reckon.”

“What was Adele working in the day of the murder?”

“Um…I don’t recollect.”

“Potatoes have to be dug up…with a hoe, maybe?”

“Don’t have no idea what she was a diggin’ with.” He looked at his watch and twisted it around on his wrist. “I gotta go take Connie to the doctor. I just saw a car turn in here and thought I’d better see to it.”

“Would you mind if I came out and talked to you and Mrs. Larson sometime?”

Earl sighed, “I don’t mind it but don’t go gettin’ Connie riled up.”

“I’ll do my best not to. Where do you live?”

“Next driveway. There used to be a path through there to our place but it’s grown over now. I’ll see ya…I’m gonna lock up that back door.”

“I’ll lock it when I leave…window’s out and it’s not a problem.”

“Yeah…I’ll be boardin’ that up this evenin’.”

John spent a little more time in the house and then turned his vehicle around and drove back into Sandhurst. One thing was quite evident to him. Whoever orchestrated the report had tried their best to cover something up.

Sandhurst: Kathy and Cassie-142

It was a Sunday morning and Kathy had gotten up early, very restless. She'd cleaned her room, done some laundry, and then thrown on some shorts and a t-shirt, put her red hair up in a ponytail and gone out for a run. Now she was back at home and she was still restless.

Ben Wade had taken her to dinner the night before and then he'd brought her straight back home to Uncle Ed's. He'd given her a goodnight kiss that had set her whole world on fire and then--nothing. His usual grin and a whispered, "Good night, darlin'," and then he was gone. She'd tossed and turned all night.

Now, she sat down in the porch swing. Picking up a throw pillow, she put it on her knees and laid her head on it, deep in thought. She didn't even hear the sound of the screen door when her Aunt Cassie came out.

“You’ve been a busy little bee this morning, Kathy. I wish I had some of your energy.” Cassie had part of the Sunday paper with her and sat down in a porch rocker. “Your Uncle Ed has graciously let me have a few pages of the paper this morning,” she said with a sarcastic smile.

Kathy returned her aunt's smile with a slight one of her own. "It's restless energy," she told Cassie. "I didn't sleep much last night."

"How did you talk Uncle Ed into going to bed before Ben brought me home? I was thinking I'd have to face him when I came in."

Cassie smiled quickly. “It wasn’t that difficult. Andy being home this weekend and Nancy going out with Professor Nash has stolen some of your thunder.”

Kathy grinned. "So Nancy finally went out with John Nash, huh? Good for her." Privately, though, she wondered about Cort down at the stables. Nancy had seemed so taken with him.

"Aunt Cassie," she said then, a little hesitant, "could I ask you about something?"

“Well, of course you can.” Cassie put down the paper and looked at her niece. She could see something was bothering Kathy. “What is it, dear?”

"I'm just wondering-" She hesitated, almost afraid to say the words aloud. "When did you first know you were in love with Uncle Ed?"

Cassie looked off across the lawn. “I think it was when I knew he was going to be shipped out. The thought that I might lose him to Viet Nam. I realized I couldn’t be without him. He was a Marine first, that’s how it had to be. My parents were against the engagement and tried to talk us out of it. ‘Wait until he gets back,’ they said. We didn’t wait. He bought me a ring and that was that.”

"But how did you feel?" Kathy was insistent. "What made you know you couldn't be without him?"

Cassie chuckled, “I remember my mother saying I moped around like a lovesick cow. So I guess there was some of that but what I remember was that he excited me. Inside I was full of butterflies when he was around me. Feverish, you know. I do believe love, until it’s fulfilled, is a sickness. Can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t concentrate properly are all symptoms of love sickness.”

Setting her rocker in motion she looked over at Kathy. “But then I knew he felt the same way about me because he told me so.” Instinct brought forth her next words. “It’s that way with you, isn’t it? He hasn’t declared himself, has he? I know it’s none of my business, honey, but I’ve noticed you lately, especially when you’ve been out with Ben.”

Kathy sighed, putting down the pillow and moving the swing with her toes. "Well, I feel just exactly the way you described, aunt Cassie. Not sleepy, not hungry. All of that. And, no, Ben hasn't 'declared himself' as you put it. That's part of the problem. He makes me feel all crazy inside, but I don't know if he feels the same way!" Her voice had risen with emotion.

“He’s given you no indication of how he feels about you? Women can usually sense these things. Little unprompted things he might do, or things he might tell you that lets you see inside of him. But then some men are afraid of women. They’re afraid to let their hearts go and Ed told me that’s what it felt like to him. Like he’d given me his heart.”

"Well..." Kathy had been always been outspoken, but this was such a personal thing to talk about. "...he- sometimes he talks about what a difficult childhood he had, and I can tell it's hard for him to say those things to anyone. And when he kisses me it's--but he seems to have such a hard time letting me in, Aunt Cassie! When I can tell he's sad or something's wrong and I try to comfort him, he just--pulls away."

“It sounds like he’s not ready to let you get that close to him. Just letting him know you’re there may be comfort enough for him right now. Kathy, I know how your Uncle Ed feels about Ben and I do understand why he feels that way but I’ve seen nothing in the man to make me doubt he’s other than he seems. He may have a past he doesn’t want to reveal, something he’s not proud of. If this is so, as Ed thinks, Ben may be afraid you’ll change your opinion of him. It might affect your feelings for him.”

"Maybe." Kathy's voice was doubtful. She looked at her aunt with anguish in her eyes. "I think he's just bored with me!" It burst out of her suddenly. "He's traveled all over, been everywhere and done everything. And women- I mean, he's older and there's probably been so many women in his life. All of them beautiful and sexy! And I'm just some little small-town girl! That's what it is. I'm just not exciting enough for him."

“Now, Kathy, that’s not true. You’re a beautiful young woman any man would be proud to show off on his arm. If he wanted some worldly excitement I’m sure he’d find it. He seems to come around here often enough. That ought to tell you something.” Cassie raised her brows, giving Kathy a look. She realized just how bad it was for Kathy and she, for one, would like to jerk a knot in Ben Wade for putting her though this.

"I've been helping him plan his big barbecue next week," Kathy said, smiling. "We've pretty much got everything in place. He says he couldn't do it without me. I've just never felt this way before, Aunt Cassie. And he's such a complicated man, hard to understand sometimes."

“Hmm, the barbeque. Well, I hope you understand your Uncle and I will not be attending. Most men are complicated. He’s not unique in that respect. I always thought they should come with a manual.” She smiled and set her chair moving again. "I think it’s quite evident that you’re smitten with Ben. I’m sure he must have an idea of that. Give it some time and he’ll come around. But if he doesn’t…it’s not the end of the world. It just means he’s not the one for you. What is it that makes you think he’s not of the same mind?”

"It's- he's-" Blushing slightly, Kathy gave up the idea of trying to put the issue delicately. "He takes me out and we talk and he kisses me. But he won't go further than that."

She couldn't look at her aunt as she spoke, so she let her red hair fall down to form a curtain around her as she went on. "He's never taken me home with him. There was once, down by the river, when I thought he was going to- but then we got interrupted and he seems to be even more stand-offish since then."

Cassie tried to cover her shock. “Well,’ she laughed lightly, “maybe he’s carrying a little old fashioned respect for you. Taking you home with him doesn’t prove he loves you, it only shows how easy you are. I know things are different now. I’ve had to face that with all of you.”

Cassie frowned a little. “Honey, don’t appear so hungry. Let him come after you. If it’s meant to be, he will.” She ran a hand over her mouth. Ed would have a fit if he knew what she was saying to Kathy.

Kathy laughed a bit. "He does come after me, Aunt Cassie. But only so far."

Suddenly, she got up from the swing and went to the porch railing, leaning over it a bit. "Things are different now and I thought--especially since he's older and he's been around--I thought things would happen more quickly."

She gave her aunt a pleading look. "I don't want you to think I'm easy either. I'm not. But Ben- Aunt Cassie, I'm in love with him."

Cassie sighed. “I don’t know what to say to you, Kathy. I don’t know his mind, don’t know him that well, in fact. Perhaps it is because he’s older and experienced in the ways of women. He may be a little gun shy, you know? He might have had a bad experience last time out. Or…maybe it’s because you’re something special to him. Be patient, honey.”

"I'm trying." She gave her aunt a little smile at last.

"I do wish you and Uncle Ed would come to the barbecue. The whole town's invited, but Ben's sending out special invitations to all the candidates, including Uncle Ed. He wants to give everyone a chance to let the town get to know them."

“Well, my dear, Ben needs to give the town a chance to know him. Your uncle is not the stranger here. Ben’s been sitting in the dark writing checks and he’s not known around town except by name as a benefactor.”

Cassie knew Ed was going to challenge Ben to a debate but he’d not set the time nor place and so she didn’t say anything.

"That's the idea, Aunt Cassie. He wants to give the town a chance to know him better, but he doesn't want to exclude anyone else either. He's doing his best to be fair to everyone and give everyone an equal chance."

Kathy bowed her head thoughtfully. "And I've been meaning to tell Uncle Ed, but I don't want to end up fighting with him- Ben does know a lot more about running things than you'd think. He doesn't just sit in the dark and write checks. He's got companies and he's on the board of directors of some of them. It's amazing the things he's done." She flashed her aunt a smile, obviously proud of Ben.

“Well, that’s fine, dear, if he’s experienced. It’s just that no one knows anything about him. There’s no need for you to sing his praises to your uncle. He’s formed his own opinion about him over the years, whether rightly or wrongly…he has. And you just remember, it’s not up to Ben to give your uncle an equal chance. They are both running for the same office. I can understand his not wanting to participate in a vote getting barbeque for Ben Wade.” As much as she loved Kathy, her sentiments were with her husband.

Kathy could understand what her aunt was saying, how she was feeling. "Aunt Cassie, you love Uncle Ed. You'd stand behind him no matter what."

Pausing, she took a deep breath. "Do you understand that I feel the same way about Ben? I don't want to do anything to hurt you or Uncle Ed. You- you're my parents, the only ones I've ever known. But I have to stand behind Ben."

Cassie smiled, “I believe there’s a song by that name – ‘Stand By Your Man’. I do understand and believe it or not after your Uncle Ed swallowed it, he understands too. He knows you’re infatuated by Ben Wade, although he may not know how serious you are about it. It’s not easy for him to see his girls grow and move away from him. It distresses me sometimes to see how he pushes Andy away and yet won’t let his girls go.”

"That's the old-fashioned Uncle Ed that I know and love," Kathy said with a smile. "The boy should be out in the world making his own way, but the girls should be home, and he should be holding a shotgun on anybody who comes to court them. He ticks me off at times, but I still love him and I know how he thinks. Did he hold a shotgun on Professor Nash when Nancy went out with him?" Kathy tried to picture mild-mannered John Nash with the barrel of a shotgun in his face and failed.

Cassie laughed. “No, Nancy pulled a fast one on him. She went through the hedges out back and met him but he did walk her home. She didn’t know her Daddy was on the front porch when they shared a good night kiss. As far as I know, she didn’t even tell him she was going out with Professor Nash. He had a few words for her when she came bouncing up the front steps. She was home by 9:30 so he couldn’t say anything about that. It was an innocent kiss but you know he didn’t see it that way.”

"Poor Uncle Ed. We have given him some hard times, haven't we?" Kathy grinned, remembering the time years ago when she, Nancy, and Andy had all decided to run away from home together. Ed had come after them and, instead of dragging them back, had handed them their school backpacks full of food, saying they might need it for the trip. That had ended their little jaunt quickly.

“Yes, but that’s all part of growing up. He’s always been there for you and will continue to be. He doesn’t stop loving you because you do something he thinks is wrong.”

"Aunt Cassie, what do you think it would take to get him to like Ben? To accept him?"

“Oh, my, Kathy, I don’t know. He’s suspicious of him, doesn’t trust him because he senses that he’s not all that he appears to be. With his background in intelligence work he has a pretty good instinct about these things. I imagine he’d like it if Ben was totally honest with him but I don’t see that happening. Ben has something he hides, Kathy. You’ve felt that, too. Now, accepting and liking are two different things. If you keep on the path you’re going he may have to accept him in order to still have you. That doesn’t mean he’s going to like him or necessarily trust him.”

She sighed and smiled at Kathy. “And I don’t think anything a lovesick young woman could say to him is going to change his mind. You know how he is – ‘don’t tell me something, show me something’.”

Kathy looked disappointed. "I so wish they'd get along. Ben hides parts of himself because he doesn't trust people much. He's never had much reason to. He was abandoned as a child. That's enough to make you distrustful of people."

“I suppose it is, but both conduct themselves as gentlemen in each other’s presence. You can’t make someone like another. There has to be a reason for it or not.” She turned, hearing voices inside the door. It was Andy on his phone.

"Thanks for the talk, Aunt Cassie. I'm feeling better. You're always here for me." Kathy gave her aunt a quick kiss on the cheek.

Cassie hugged her back. “Anytime, Kathy. There’s always someone here at home to talk to.”

“What’s all this kissy face stuff about?” Andy stood in the doorway grinning.

“None of your business, dear,” Cassy called over her shoulder and winked at Kathy.

Sandhurst: Cal McAffrey...The Hitchhiker-143

Cal was driving back to Sandhurst, having just left court in Savannah. Richie Roberts had gotten him off with just a fine for being a public nuisance, and he was now on his way home. The whole mess was behind him, he hoped.

That day at the Sandy Conch had left a bad taste in Cal's mouth. He'd hit Cain Richmond, who was the best friend he'd made in Sandhurst. Not only that, but Richie had reminded him that, in a small town, things like this did not get overlooked. Who was going to want to read the Sandhurst Gazette if they thought its editor was some drunken fool?

He had to make a change in his life, Cal had been thinking. But just what kind of change and what was it he wanted? He had no idea.

Changes at work were easy enough to make. He knew he needed to hire someone to man the phones and do some of the routine write-ups like weddings, obituaries, classified ads, and things like that. That would leave Alex Ross free to report and write full-time and Cal himself to report at least half-time and handle the business end of the paper the rest of the time.

It was his personal life that really needed the change and Cal had never been good at even having a personal life. He'd always thrown himself one hundred percent into his job and that had worked out for him. But it didn't seem to be working any more.

Driving and thinking, Cal almost missed the sight of the girl walking alongside the road. He was about ten minutes out of Savannah and this stretch of highway had no buildings, no stores, or anything. He had almost passed her before he saw, out of the corner of his eye, a patch of blue that didn't fit in with the landscape. He pulled over a few yards in front of her and climbed out of his car.

Stacey was walking slowly alongside the highway, head down, trying not to attract attention. Her long brown hair fell over her face and hid it from view. She hadn't been walking that long but already she was tired. The extra weight she was carrying took a toll.

When the car passed her, she didn't even raise her head, but when she heard it pull over and stop, the door opening, she looked up, alarmed. A man was getting out of the car, an older man. He didn't look dangerous or threatening, but then you couldn't go by that. She'd learned that the hard way, she thought bitterly to herself.

Cal looked thoughtfully at the girl walking slowly beside the road. He saw her look up as if in alarm as he approached her. She was young, no more than a teenager. She might have been thin, except for her obviously pregnant belly.

"Miss," he said, "are you all right? Can I give you a ride somewhere?"

Scared, Stacey licked her lips. "Where are you goin'?" she asked the large, bearded man with long hair.

"I'm headed for Sandhurst," Cal answered. "I live there. Did your car break down? Do I need to call someone to help you?"

His glance moved down to her belly. "You shouldn't be out here walking all by yourself in your condition."

Stacey's lips twisted wryly. "Don't have a car. I started out walkin'. And I'm healthy enough for walkin'. Just pregnant."

"How old are you?" Cal couldn't keep the question from bursting out.

"Seventeen," she answered defiantly. "How old are you?"

"Today? At least a hundred, according to how I feel." He grinned, in spite of his concern for her. "Can I give you a ride?"

"That depends," Stacey answered. "What you expect in return for it?" The tone of her voice left him in no doubt as to what she meant.

"From a seventeen-year-old pregnant girl?" he asked, with a touch of indignance. "A little pleasant conversation will do just fine."

She was tired and the more she could ride the better. Stacey settled into his car with a sigh of relief. Her natural curiosity got the better of her as he put the car in gear and drove on.

"My name's Stacey. Who are you?"

"Cal," he answered with a sideways glance at her. "Cal McAffrey. What are you doing out here, Stacey? Do your parents know where you are?"

She chuckled. "Foster parents. And no, they don't know. Don't care either. I'll be eighteen in a few weeks and I know they're real happy to be rid of me a little early."

"What about your--boyfriend?" Cal's glance fell to her belly.

Her chuckle became a laugh. A painful, high-pitched laugh. "Don't have one," she said shortly. "You through playin' twenty questions? Thought I might take a little nap on the ride."

Cal fell silent and watched as the girl named Stacey leaned her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. Just what was her story, he wondered to himself. Should he turn her over to Sheriff Biebe when they got into Sandhurst?

As his passenger slept, her hands resting on her swollen belly, he found himself feeling sorry for her. Maybe this was what he needed. Someone who was in more trouble than himself.

Sandhurst: John Brennan, Laura Richmond, Luke...First Day-144

It was, at 10:00 am, a slow morning at 'Promising Pages'. There'd been quite a few customers between nine and ten, but now Laura saw only two elderly women looking through the local history section and chatting about cookbooks. She wasn't worried. It would pick up at lunchtime and stay busy in the afternoon. They always got more people in then.

Standing behind the counter reading the Sandhurst Gazette, she immediately noticed when a man and a boy she'd never seen before walked into the shop. Laura always noticed kids. She'd always loved them. It was why their children's section was so well-stocked and why she'd scheduled her first children's story hour for this coming Saturday.

The man was tall, solidly built and was wearing jeans and a red and black hoodie. Another University of Georgia fan, Laura thought. There were always plenty of people around wearing red and black. He had brown hair and blue eyes.

The boy looked to be around six or seven years old. He had tousled hair almost the same color as the man Laura assumed to be his father. His eyes were almost the same blue as well, his skin much more fair. He wore the standard kid uniform of jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers. One thing Laura noticed, though, was that neither of them smiled.

Stepping out from behind the counter, she smiled herself and approached them. "Hi. Welcome to Promising Pages. I'm Laura. What's your name?" she asked, directing the question at the boy.

She saw him look quickly and nervously up at the man, as though asking permission, saw the man nod back at him.

"Luke." It was said almost listlessly.

"Luke. Like Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. I like that name." Laura stooped down to his level. She saw a flare of enthusiasm in the boy's eyes at the mention of Star Wars.

"You know, I've got Star Wars books over here in just about your age level," she said brightly. "If it's okay with your dad, " she glanced quickly up at the man, "I'll take you over and show you where to find some."

John Brennan nodded to his son and gave a small, brief smile to the woman. It was the first spark of interest he'd seen in Luke's eyes in quite awhile, he thought to himself. After everything the boy had gone through, he needed something normal in life, something to feel good about.

As the young woman took his son's hand and led him toward a corner of the bookstore, John stood a moment, gathering his equilibrium. When the woman had said her name was Laura, it had hit him like a punch in the gut. So close to 'Lara', his wife's name.

Laura chattered to Luke, who opened up a bit once they started looking at books, although he didn't get as enthusiastic as most of the kids who came into the store did. She piled some books on one of the small tables for him to look through and brought him a cookie.

His father had gone over to the magazines and was looking through them, occasionally picking one up and flipping through the pages. Laura watched the man surreptitiously as she talked to his son. A handsome enough middle-aged man, but there was something grim about him, as though he hadn't had any reason to smile in a long time. She wondered about both of them.

They were there for probably 45 minutes. Luke had chosen two books and his father had picked out a couple of magazines. As Laura rang them up, the man spoke quietly.

"Ah, we're kinda new around here and right now I'm looking for a place to rent. Would you know of anywhere good?"

Laura lifted her eyes to his. "Oh, sure, there's lots of places. It kinda depends on what you're looking for. There's houses, apartments, duplexes. Are you looking for something with a lot of room for kids?" She smiled down at Luke.

"Well, at the moment, probably something smaller." Her smile didn't bring an answering smile from John. "It's just the two of us, although it might be nice to have a bit of a yard."

"Well, then," Laura smiled again, not letting his lack of one get to her, "you might be interested in one of the duplexes or one of the smaller houses next to them. They have yards, although not very big ones. There's a real estate office just a few doors down where they handle rentals for them. Here, why don't you take my paper?" She refolded the Sandhurst Gazette she'd been reading earlier and handed it to him. "There's all kinds of rental ads in it. If you go in the sundry shop down the street, though, please don't tell Madge Wilkins I gave it to you." She lowered her voice conspiratorially and winked at Luke. "She'll kill me if she knows I gave you a paper instead of letting her sell you one."

That did bring out a small smile from both father and son. "Thanks," John said, as he took the paper from her. "You've been very helpful."

"Any time," Laura told him.

"I enjoyed meeting you, Luke. And if you and your dad are moving here, you might want to come to our story hour." She picked up a bright blue flyer from the counter and handed it to him.

Luke gave her another grin as they went out the door.

Laura wondered about both man and boy for the rest of the day, hoping she'd see them again. They seemed to need something. Maybe small-town life would be good for them.

ON TO CHAPTERS 145-147

BACK TO CHAPTERS 119 THROUGH 130

BACK TO CHAPTERS 106 THROUGH 118

BACK TO CHAPTERS 1 AND 2

BACK TO SANDHURST: INTRODUCTION

BACK TO SANDHURST CHARACTER INDEX

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