No Place Like Home (6 page)

“What?” Dottie looked up from adding dry ingredients together in a large pot to follow Cassie's gaze out the window toward a lump of heavy plastic a group had gathered around. “How do you know what that is?”

“Because I helped. I mean, we always had them in— I've seen them everywhere. Hey, Jake's out there.”

And she was gone, just as Dottie opened her mouth to warn against chasing after Jake too hard. The girl was quick on the go, she'd give her that.

Watching her jog across the pasture, Dottie's attention snagged on Sheriff Brady stepping from his truck near the gathering group. He glanced toward her RV and her heartbeat kicked up a notch. A big notch.

Really, Dottie, you're being ridiculous.

This infatuation with Brady couldn't continue. She knew this and yet she had to fight the urge to follow Cassie.

It was foolhardy, this romantic revelation her heart was having. She had an agenda and nothing was going to stand in her way.

She dumped the water into the dry ingredients, which thanked her for dumping on them by exploding in a white cloud that whooshed right back at her. Coughing, she ignored the mess and started stirring with a vengeance. Maybe that was what was wrong with Brady.

She was just too gullible. She really didn't have much experience with men. It wasn't as if she ever dated much. What did she know? Really.

Besides, she couldn't go off and leave candy standing. Candy had to be tended carefully. She started stirring again. She owed him for winking at her the way he'd done—so she needed to come up with some payback.

That was exactly what she needed to do. She snatched the bag of peanuts, ripped it open and doused the mixture with them. There, take
that,
Brady Cannon, ya big flirt—and I hope you choke—

A soft rap on the door interrupted her diabolical plan.

“Dottie, are you in there?” Brady's deep voice called through the screen and she nearly choked.

Forgive me, Lord…I didn't really mean I was going to…well You know—choke him.

Her guilty gaze darted to the counter, for what she wasn't sure, there was no evidence linking her to the peanut assault she'd been engaging in. He wouldn't know that she'd mentally just tossed a bag of nuts on him. Or envisioned him with chocolate dripping down his face.
Or hoped he choked—she was so bad!

“Dottie.”

“Come in. I can't stop what I'm doing at the moment.” She felt sick, suddenly nervous, kind of feverish…
humiliated
was the word. She set the mixture on the stove and stirred like she had a bionic arm.

Like she was getting rid of the evidence.

The fact that she had the hairnet on hit her a little too late.

“I smell chocolate,” he said in that voice that was low and edgy like the bass on the radio turned up just a bit higher than the treble.

She sighed when he stepped into the RV, standing on the lower of the two steps leading up into the cabin. Bringing them to eye level in the cramped quarters…which was just way too agitating for a girl who had been having the crazy angst that she'd been suffering with for the last few minutes! All because of him.

“Don't think you're getting any of this,” she snapped. “Not after what you did.”

“Hey, it was a joke.”

“So you admit it!” She pointed the chocolate-covered spoon at him. “Do you
know
how much trouble you got me into?” His smile told her that he did, and that he was still full of more mischief. His gorgeous smile was enough to send her spinning, but she fought it off. “I'm about to drop hot chocolate clusters into these molds and can't stop at the moment. So, buster, my hands are tied up right now. But you better watch your back, because we are not finished with this subject.” She pointed the spoon at him again.

He spread his hands out open palmed. “Come on now, just think how happy it made them.”

Dottie started spooning the clusters into the mold but paused to give him an annoyed look. “Oh, it made them happy all right. They practically have us married!”

He chuckled. “They are a tenacious lot. But on to the important question of the day… Can a community servant coax a fresh cluster out of the vengeful candy lady?”

Dottie's jaw dropped in disbelief. “Now you think I'm going to give you candy? Have you no shame?”

His grin said “not an ounce” as he stepped up into the room. She arched an eyebrow. “Hey, bud, I didn't say you could come in.” She was flirting with the man. After all that she'd just put herself through, now she was flirting! What was wrong with her?

“But you didn't say I couldn't.” He winked.

Dottie laughed, instantly defused. “You're terrible. Come in. If you dare.”

He rubbed his hands together and smiled like a kid. His dark brown eyes glittered with good-hearted teasing. He took the seat that Cassie had vacated, but where Cassie had had plenty of room he had very little leeway. He was a very fit man, muscular and tall. Maybe he had a girlfriend! He might not be married, but he could be involved. The women of Mule Hollow might just think they knew everything but maybe they didn't.

Whoa, where did that come from? That is none of your concern. Winks or no winks. Only a few minutes ago you thought something was wrong with him.
She had never been so confused in all her life.

“So how about that candy?”

“It might be arranged.”

“How are you feeling today?”

“That's it!” She held up the wooden spoon again.
“No talking about my health or there will not be any candy for you.” Finished, she plunked the pot into the sink, then carefully stacked the molds and set them to the side to cool. Hoping to settle the rapid thumping of her heart, she took a deep breath before turning back toward Brady.

“I bet you were a terrible patient.”

She dipped her chin and met his eyes and wished she hadn't been hurting the day she met him. But at least she had something else to focus on instead of her infatuation with him. “Actually, I had to endure people hovering over me for months. Thank goodness for them, I loved them all. But I'm good now. Everyone has twinges here and there. You just caught me in the middle of a twinge.”

His lips curved at the edges just slightly as he rolled his shoulder and groaned. “Yeah, I had a twinge here in my shoulder this morning, but I slapped some horse liniment on it and it's gone now.” He rubbed his shoulder. “If you need to borrow it I have plenty. I could trade it for some candy.”

“Funny.”

“No, really. It works great. Smells a little strong.” He made a face, crinkling up his nose and lifting his eyebrows.

Dottie laughed, and slapped his shoulder with the dishrag from hers. “I think I'd better get you a piece of candy before I make you leave.”

“Leave?”

“Yes, for misbehaving.” She pried the top off of a
large candy tin and removed two pieces of chocolate with a napkin and placed them in front of him.

“You know, you might not ever get rid of me if I like this. I've heard rumors that it's unbelievable.”

She smiled warmly, relaxing somewhat. “Then I guess I'm stuck with you because it is very unbelievable.”

He laughed loudly and looked at her in disbelief. “Kinda full of yourself, are you?”

It dawned on her how her statement would have sounded to him and she blushed. “No! Not at all,” she gasped, smiling despite her embarrassment. “The praise goes to my grandmother. This is her recipe passed down with careful training. That tiny piece of candy you're holding has won every blue ribbon it could possibly win at every county fair within ten counties of my hometown, not to mention all the state fairs it's won.”

“Is that so.” He turned the cluster over and studied it, his expression perplexed. “Exactly how old is this particular piece of candy?”

Dottie rolled her eyes, tempted to pop him with the towel again. “Anybody ever tell you that you're a wise guy?”

“You'd be the first.”

“I don't believe that for a second. Wise guy.”

Dottie was a breath of fresh air and he was a crazy man! Brady watched the way expressions played across her face and he was incapable of not teasing her. She'd been on his mind all night, good thoughts. One look at her this morning, with her sparkling eyes and soft smile,
had him wondering how he'd even entertained darker thoughts about her.

Teasing her came naturally. It achieved a reaction that he liked…the way her eyes twinkled when she caught on that he was pulling her leg. He liked the way she adapted to the teasing. He kept remembering the look on her face when Stanley played the April Fools' joke on Applegate. She'd been so sure the two were really fighting. It had been priceless.

He took a bite of the candy. First the chocolate, then the caramel, so thick and rich, melted in his mouth. It was superb. “Okay, so how much for about twenty pounds of this stuff?”

“Find out about Cassie, and twenty pounds of candy is yours for free.”

He swallowed the candy and studied the scene outside the window. Jake and Cassie were helping Esther Mae and Hank Wilcox get the inflatable play gym set up. The rest of the crowd had moved to other duties in preparation for the weekend. As he watched, Cassie placed her hand on Jake's arm and smiled up at the young cowboy, who responded with a smile that made him resemble a lovesick puppy.

“I'm expecting a fax from Austin. There was a report filed yesterday about a missing nineteen-year-old. She's been missing for four days.”

Dottie's expression saddened. “I just don't get it. What would make a kid like Cassie leave her home?” Twisting the dishrag with both hands, she sat down
carefully across the table from him and watched the kids through the window. “She's a great kid—young woman. I mean, at first I thought she was going to be a pain, but I think that was just her fear of being picked up by the wrong person on the highway. I mean, she was fascinating, the way she talked about Mule Hollow all the way here. She adores this place, but surely the girl didn't run away from home just to find a husband. Look at her. She's as cute and fresh as they come.”

“Hey…Dottie…” Brady reached and covered her increasingly agitated hands with his. Immediately she ceased wringing the life out of the towel and looked at him. “She's a good kid. It's easy to see that. I've seen kids in the city run away for all kinds of reasons. The stories don't always turn out to be bad. Believe me, this may be nothing.”

He prayed he was giving her encouragement that had merit.

“When do you think you'll know more?”

“The information may be in my office now. Why don't you ride over there with me. It won't take long. I'll also be getting a rundown on names, too. Bates is a fairly common name and I have a feeling that Cassie is a nickname.”

She glanced over at the counter that was covered with ingredients and bowls. It was a small space, but she'd managed to make it work. He could see her mind churning.

“Okay, I can start packaging the candy I've made so
far after we check on this. Finding out about Cassie is a priority.”

“Then let's go.”

He watched as she stood up, placing her hands on the tabletop then pressing firmly with her palms to give support as she rose. She removed the green apron she wore and pulled the funny net off her head. Her silky hair flowed about her shoulders as she smiled sheepishly up at him.

“I forgot I had this fancy hat on.”

“I thought you looked pretty cute in it.”

“A wise guy and a fibber.” Her cheeks grew pink.

“Let's not be spreading that about. Most folks believe everything I tell them.”

She followed him into the midmorning sunshine. “Is that so?”

He laughed. “Well, I am the sheriff.”

“Precisely why I'm not holding my observations against you.”

He was about to throw a teaser back at her when Esther Mae saw them.

“Hello, you two.”

“Hello, Esther Mae, Hank,” he said, reaching into the cab of his truck and retrieving his hat. He'd removed it earlier thinking he was going to be tussling with the inflatable. Settling it back on his head, he felt complete again.

“It looks like everything's going along really well,” Dottie said. Her shoulder touched his arm as she paused
beside him, instantly distracting Brady. She smelled of vanilla and chocolate and that was a combination that would do any man in.

“It's going great,” he heard Esther saying. Brady glanced down at Dottie's shiny black hair then back to Esther. It wouldn't do to feed their speculations.

“And how is our good sheriff treating you today?” Esther's eyes widened and she lifted an eyebrow and he realized the older woman hadn't missed anything. At least Dottie wasn't aware of anything.

Or was she? Watching color seep into Dottie's pale skin again, he wasn't sure if it was embarrassment or just the warmth of the morning sunshine. She had been through a terrible ordeal and he had to pull back his infatuation and remember she needed some looking after. He had to remember to try and get her out into the sun a little bit. After going through such a rigorous recovery, she needed the outdoors to finish her therapy. There was nothing like a good hike to strengthen stamina and give a healthy glow. The glow she was wearing now was
not
normal.

She looked up at him and caught him red-handed staring at her.

“I think he studied the manual last night. Sheriff Brady is treating me in strict accordance with the Mule Hollow hospitality regulations.”

Esther laughed and gave them both a funny squinty-eyed going-over that made Brady more nervous.

“Of that I was pretty certain,” she said. “Our Brady is a very smart man. Remember that.”

Brady tugged at his collar. “Dottie, I think we'd better go over there and look at those ideas—”