you’re going to do? I could call in a carpenter.”
“Only one in town is old Zeke Meyer. You remember him?”
Kate shook her head, and then the name Zeke registered. “I remember him! High school dropout, used to drive around in that convertible of his, mullet flapping in the breeze. Wow, I wouldn’t let him near my house.”
“Yeah, well... this probably isn’t a one-day job, so I guess you’d be better off using the back door until you can use the front one.”
“That would be the logical choice.”
Finally, he looked her in the eye. “That is, if you’re not going to be heading out soon. Like today, maybe?”
She gave him a smart-aleck look. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Sorry to disappoint you, Blakey my dear. I may even be putting down roots.”
“Roots.” He jerked his mouth in a sarcastic twist.
She didn’t wait to see what else he might have to say about it.
“Let’s go,” she said. She pulled car keys out of her pocket and shook them.
“Go where?” Blake asked, looking genuinely confused with that steaming mug in his hand. Kate smiled.
“The hardware store, of course. I declare myself foreman of this construction site, Mr. Officer Spanner.”
He stared at her, waiting to be annoyed. It was getting pretty obvious she wasn’t going to leave town any time soon. But for some reason, her grin was contagious. Something in that look was giving him goose bumps. She was staying all right. And he was going to help her, wasn’t he?
What the hell. It wasn’t as if he had anything better to do.
*********
The car trip over to the hardware store and the twenty minutes they spent picking up wood, brackets, along with some pretty little pieces of railing, all came out to seem like just about the longest twenty minutes in Blake’s life. It wasn’t that Kate wasn’t charming in her acerbic way - she was. And not an unpleasant diversion for the eyes, either. But every other word was a barb or a needle or a little undercutting joke. Blake was starting to get fed up.
He was relieved when they met up with Joe Bob Mortimer in the hardware store, and Kate could turn her attentions to apologizing to Joe Bob while Blake helped him cart down some cinder blocks and a couple bags of cement.
Now he was leaning against the cart of their own purchased goods, trying to figure out some good way to get them all into the PT Cruiser. The 2 x 6’s fit when stacked side by side between the driver and passenger seats up front, but they’d need to leave the back open.
“Best bet is to go buy some bungee cords to keep everything from flying out the second you hit the brakes.”
“Mm. Or we could just drive real slow,” Kate offered. Not being serious, of course. Sheesh.
“I’ll go back in there and get some proper supplies for the journey.”
“Hmm,” Kate said. She’d just noticed Allison, the veterinarian, coming toward them on the street, taking one look and turning to hurry off in the opposite direction. “You do that. I’ve got to go see a man about a horse.”
“What? Kate, what are you talking about?”
“It’s just an expression, silly. You do what you need to do. I’ll be right back.”
It was all coming back to her now, and luckily, she knew the streets of this town like the back of her hand. More or less. She ducked down the alley and beat Allison to the parking lot where she’d left her car.
“Hi there,” she said to the older woman, trying to sound jovial. “Fancy meeting you here.”
Allison jumped and looked terrified.
“I…I can’t talk. I’m in something of a hurry and…”
“I just wanted to ask you a little more about my sister.”
“Susan? I told you, I haven’t seen her for years.”
Kate reached out and touched her arm. “What are you scared of Allison? Is it Joe Bob?”
“Joe Bob?” Allison calmed down at that one. She looked a bit severe as she gazed at Kate. “No, now why would I be scared of
“Only one in town is old Zeke Meyer. You remember him?”
Kate shook her head, and then the name Zeke registered. “I remember him! High school dropout, used to drive around in that convertible of his, mullet flapping in the breeze. Wow, I wouldn’t let him near my house.”
“Yeah, well... this probably isn’t a one-day job, so I guess you’d be better off using the back door until you can use the front one.”
“That would be the logical choice.”
Finally, he looked her in the eye. “That is, if you’re not going to be heading out soon. Like today, maybe?”
She gave him a smart-aleck look. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Sorry to disappoint you, Blakey my dear. I may even be putting down roots.”
“Roots.” He jerked his mouth in a sarcastic twist.
She didn’t wait to see what else he might have to say about it.
“Let’s go,” she said. She pulled car keys out of her pocket and shook them.
“Go where?” Blake asked, looking genuinely confused with that steaming mug in his hand. Kate smiled.
“The hardware store, of course. I declare myself foreman of this construction site, Mr. Officer Spanner.”
He stared at her, waiting to be annoyed. It was getting pretty obvious she wasn’t going to leave town any time soon. But for some reason, her grin was contagious. Something in that look was giving him goose bumps. She was staying all right. And he was going to help her, wasn’t he?
What the hell. It wasn’t as if he had anything better to do.
*********
The car trip over to the hardware store and the twenty minutes they spent picking up wood, brackets, along with some pretty little pieces of railing, all came out to seem like just about the longest twenty minutes in Blake’s life. It wasn’t that Kate wasn’t charming in her acerbic way - she was. And not an unpleasant diversion for the eyes, either. But every other word was a barb or a needle or a little undercutting joke. Blake was starting to get fed up.
He was relieved when they met up with Joe Bob Mortimer in the hardware store, and Kate could turn her attentions to apologizing to Joe Bob while Blake helped him cart down some cinder blocks and a couple bags of cement.
Now he was leaning against the cart of their own purchased goods, trying to figure out some good way to get them all into the PT Cruiser. The 2 x 6’s fit when stacked side by side between the driver and passenger seats up front, but they’d need to leave the back open.
“Best bet is to go buy some bungee cords to keep everything from flying out the second you hit the brakes.”
“Mm. Or we could just drive real slow,” Kate offered. Not being serious, of course. Sheesh.
“I’ll go back in there and get some proper supplies for the journey.”
“Hmm,” Kate said. She’d just noticed Allison, the veterinarian, coming toward them on the street, taking one look and turning to hurry off in the opposite direction. “You do that. I’ve got to go see a man about a horse.”
“What? Kate, what are you talking about?”
“It’s just an expression, silly. You do what you need to do. I’ll be right back.”
It was all coming back to her now, and luckily, she knew the streets of this town like the back of her hand. More or less. She ducked down the alley and beat Allison to the parking lot where she’d left her car.
“Hi there,” she said to the older woman, trying to sound jovial. “Fancy meeting you here.”
Allison jumped and looked terrified.
“I…I can’t talk. I’m in something of a hurry and…”
“I just wanted to ask you a little more about my sister.”
“Susan? I told you, I haven’t seen her for years.”
Kate reached out and touched her arm. “What are you scared of Allison? Is it Joe Bob?”
“Joe Bob?” Allison calmed down at that one. She looked a bit severe as she gazed at Kate. “No, now why would I be scared of
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