Moonlight Masquerade (5 page)

Sophie drew in her breath sharply.

A quick frown momentarily creased Russell's forehead. “The sheriff's family owns Frazier Motors,” he explained. “They'll fix your car or tow it or do whatever it needs.”

“My clothes are in it,” she said, looking down at her dirty skirt. On her lap, her hands tight on it, was the tattered envelope. When she saw that her knuckles were white, she tried to relax them.

“Sophie,” Russell said softly, “if you need someone to talk to, I'm always available.”

“Thanks,” she said, “but . . . ” How could she tell a man of God that she'd stolen something that was the backbone of a very large company?

“Whenever you want to,” he said. “How about if I take you to Kim's house tonight instead of Mrs. Wingate's? Kim has closets full of clothes, and maybe it will feel more familiar to you being around her things.”

Quick tears of gratitude came to Sophie's eyes but she blinked them away. “I would like that,” she said softly. The thought of soaking in a tub full of very hot water and putting on clean clothes made her begin to relax.

“Do you have plans for your visit?” Russell asked cautiously as he glanced at Sophie. She was extraordinarily pretty, with hair that looked to be naturally blonde, big blue eyes, and skin as perfect as a camellia petal. As for the rest of her, he'd seen the way everyone in the tavern had watched her walk. She had a figure that people did double takes on.

But her physical appearance aside, he could see that
she was extremely upset. She was holding on to the big envelope with the tire tracks across it, as though it were the key to life. Her clothes were torn and dirty, there was a big smudge on her chin, and one knee was bloody.

Whatever had happened to her seemed to have been caused by Reede Aldredge.

Russell had to work to cover his smile at the sight of this beautiful young woman pouring beer over Reede's head. Russell knew he'd go to his grave with that image in his mind.

Not long before, Reede had entered the restaurant looking like he wanted to murder someone. Russell and Roan had been having an interesting conversation on the religions of the world, but Reede's bellyaching took over.

“He said it was a heart attack so I went running,” Reede said. “Never mind that I hadn't been to bed in two days. It was only indigestion. You know what his eldest daughter did while I was there?”

“Come on to you?” Roan asked. He and Reede were cousins and had a long history together. “She's a pretty little thing and she's not that young.”

“Not interested,” Reede said as the waitress put a clean glass in front of him and a new pitcher of beer on the table.

“Not interested in her specifically or in any woman?” Russell asked.

“If you're implying what I think you are, be glad you're a preacher or I'd deck you,” Reede said.

“I'd like to see that fight,” Roan said. “Russell here is younger than you are and from the look of you, healthier. When did you last take some time off?”

“I think that was when I was in college.”

“Before Laura dumped you?” Roan asked.

Reede groaned and took a deep drink of his beer. “Don't you start on me too. Everybody in this town thinks I'm pining away for a girl I barely remember.”

“They like the romance of the story,” Russell said.

“Believe me, getting told to get lost is no romance,” Reede said.

“And that attitude is the reason everyone still talks about you and the Chawnley girl,” Roan said.

“You know how you could stop the gossip, don't you?” Russell asked. He was a new friend to both men.

“I know this is a trick, but what is it?”

“You should get married,” Russell said.

Reede nearly choked on his beer.

Roan laughed. “Well said, and I couldn't agree more wholeheartedly.”

“What about
you
?” Reede was looking at his cousin.

“I missed out on Jecca.”

“We both did, but at least I didn't nearly lose Tris's friendship over her,” Reede said.

Roan grinned. “Who would have thought that a city girl like her was actually a
woman
?”

“They grow them in the cities too, you know.”

“Maybe.” Roan didn't sound convinced.

“If you two are through with your bromance,” Russell said, “I'm serious, Reede. You should get a wife. You can't cook and you're losing weight. You live in that awful apartment, and your bad temper is legendary.”

Reede gave a one-sided grin. “It keeps the staff in line.”

“Ha!” Roan said. “Those poor girls are in the match-making business, and you're their only client.”

Reede ran his hand over his face. “Do you have any idea what they
do
to me? A few months ago they gave a party and they—”

“Invited every eligible female around,” Roan cut in as he leaned toward Russell. “We'd never before seen such a flurry of dress buying in the history of Edilean. I heard that one of the women bought a dress, changed her mind, and took it back.”

“Is that bad?” Russell asked.

“She did it six times,” Roan said, obviously enjoying Reede's discomfort.

Russell was frowning. “Did you like any of the women?”

“How would I know?” Reede asked. “They were all so disgustingly agreeable that I couldn't figure out any of them. If I'd said I liked to torture baby ducks for a hobby I'm sure all of them would have agreed with me.”

“Whoever heard of an agreeable woman being something bad?” Russell asked. “Did you date any of them later?”

“No,” Reede said. “I don't have time for dating. Besides, I've tried it and it doesn't work. I get called out on an emergency and have to stand her up and she gets angry. Or I see her as a patient and that
never
works out.”

“So you live in lonely solitude,” Roan said.

“Look who's talking,” Reede said. “You want a woman who can discuss philosophy with you and also repair your chain saw.”

“I was sooooo close,” Roan said.

“What does that mean?” Russell asked.

“Too long a story,” Reede answered. “I'm going home and go to bed.”

“Wow!” Roan said as he looked around Reede to the front of the tavern. “Speaking of female bliss, look what just walked in.”

The other men turned to look at the woman who'd entered. In spite of the dirt on her, she was easily the prettiest girl in the place, maybe in the town. She was wearing a simple cotton dress with a pink cardigan, and running shoes, but they didn't hide her curvy figure.

“She looks like a young Bardot,” Roan said.

“She seems to be looking for someone,” Russell said.

Reede turned back around. “With my luck, it's me. She probably bruised her arm and wants immediate medical attention.”

“Maybe so,” Roan said, “but the exam would be a real joy.”

“Not to me.” Reede drained his beer. “Is she coming this way?”

“No, she's talking to Mrs. Garland,” Russell said.

Reede groaned. “Another person who hates me. She's spreading—That's confidential, but I had a stern talk with her, and she put on such a show of misery for my staff that for two days I had to put up with their eye rolling and huffing.”

“They still counting the days until Tris returns?” Roan asked.

“There's a three-year calendar by Betsy's computer. She penciled in
x
's on every day and she erases one
each morning. Each day takes them closer to when their precious, can-do-no-wrong Dr. Tris returns.”

“Uh-oh,” Roan said, “the little beauty is coming this way. I sure hope it's
me
she wants.”

“Some tutoring in Hegel and Kant?” Russell asked. Roan taught philosophy at Berkeley but he was now on sabbatical.

“I'd give that baby whatever she wants,” Roan said.

It turned out that Sophie had wanted Reede, but not for any reasons they had thought of.

Both Russell and Roan had sat there, paralyzed, unable to move, while the pretty young woman poured beer over Reede's head. He'd been wearing his look of dread, that yet another woman was going to come on to him, when he got a shock of cold beer.

Her words of “Next time, watch where you're going” seemed to explain it all. Earlier, when Reede had sat down with them, he'd complained about people littering the highway.

“I glanced down in the seat at some paperwork and when I looked up there was a big white envelope in the road. I couldn't help but run over the thing. I don't know what the hell was in it, but it crunched under my tire. I hope it didn't give me a flat.”

Russell thought that from the look of Sophie's dirty, ragged state, there was more to the story than what Reede had told them—or that he knew. For one thing Russell doubted if Reede had just “glanced” down at some paperwork. In spite of his complaining, Reede Aldredge was an extremely dedicated doctor. If someone was really ill, he'd do whatever was needed to save the person, even if it took days of his time. Reede had
said he hadn't slept in days, then he'd had the frustration of being called to an emergency that wasn't real. It was Russell's guess that Reede had been more absorbed in his caseload than in his driving.

Russell glanced at Sophie as she sat there in silence, clutching her envelope to her, and she looked as though she were at the bottom of her ability to go on. He'd worked with people who had her look, and too many of them came to a bad end.

Yesterday he'd called his brother and Kim, who were on their extended honeymoon, to tell them the good news that he'd been given the job as pastor of Edilean Baptist Church. He'd start in three weeks. Travis had asked him to look after Kim's friend, Sophie Kincaid, saying that she was staying at Mrs. Wingate's and . . . Russell couldn't remember exactly what else his brother had said. Was there mention of a job? “Yesterday was pretty busy at my house but didn't I hear that you have a job in Edilean?”

“Yes,” Sophie said. “I'm to be a personal assistant to Kim's brother, Reede. Watch out!”

Her statement had so shocked him that Russell had swerved to the right and nearly run off the road. He got the truck straightened out and tried to think about what to do. Tell her that Reede was the man who'd nearly run over her? He looked back at her. She looked so forlorn that he couldn't kick her while she was down. Maybe if he could postpone the meeting for a few days he could find Sophie another job. He wondered what she was qualified to do.

“So you went to school with Kim?”

“Yes,” Sophie said. “College.”

“What did you study, if you don't mind my asking, that is.”

“All three of us roommates got our degrees in fine arts. Jecca went two dimensional, with painting, Kim only cared about jewelry, and I went three.”

“Dimensional? As in . . . ?”

“Sculpting.”

Great, Russell thought. How was he going to find a job for a sculptor in Edilean? He smiled at her. “I bet you're hungry.”

They had reached the town and Sophie was looking out the window at the beautifully restored old houses that lined the streets. Kim had said that Edilean was a town that time forgot, and it looked like she was right.

“It's pretty,” she said to Russell as he pulled into the parking lot of what looked to be a 1950s dinner. “Al's,” she said and smiled for the first time.

“Kim tell you about the place?”

“She said it could give you a coronary at one plateful.”

Russ smiled. “I'm sure she's right, but sometimes grease heals wounds.”

“I'm not exactly dressed to be seen,” Sophie began as Russell went around to open her door.

“This is Edilean, not Paris. No one will notice.” As he ushered her inside the little restaurant he realized how wrong he'd been. Sophie's prettiness caused everyone to look. Even in her frayed attire, she drew attention.

The real reason he'd stopped at the diner was to be able to make some calls before he took Sophie to Kim's house. As soon as they'd ordered, he excused himself
and stepped outside to call his wife, Clarissa. He asked her to please go to the grocery and get enough to fill Kim's refrigerator.

“But I thought her friend was staying at Mrs. Wingate's.”

“She was nearly run down by a car.”

“Is she all right?” Clarissa asked, alarmed. “Should she go see Dr. Reede?”

“No!” Russell nearly shouted, then controlled himself. “It's a long story and I want to tell you about it—and to ask your advice. The gist of it is that Reede is the one who nearly ran over her and she's to start work for him tomorrow. I'm afraid she may take a baseball bat to his head.”

“She'll have to get in line,” Clarissa said. “Half the women in this town want to murder him. I heard that the last meeting of the Edilean Book Club spent three hours plotting ways to get revenge on him. I think the Lifetime channel is interested.”

Russ didn't laugh. “I think Sophie has reason to chair the club. My brother—”

“Is going to be his usual scathing self,” Clarissa said.

“He'll enjoy telling me what I
should
have done.”

“And you'll enjoy telling him his faults,” Clarissa said. “I'll get groceries and flowers and put them in Kim's house. Come home soon and we'll talk about what else to do.”

Russell smiled. He'd fallen in love with her the second he saw her and he still marveled at his excellent judgment. “Did I ever tell you that I love you?”

“Not for an hour or so,” she said, her voice soft. “Come home. I miss you.”

“Me too,” he said and clicked off. He could see Sophie through the window of the diner and he lifted his hand to her. As he walked back into the restaurant, he looked upward. “Give me wisdom,” he whispered, then went inside.