The Great Jackalope Stampede (49 page)

“What’s with the jeans?” Claire asked Mac from where he had left her spent, sprawled out and naked on the sheets. They had the Skunkmobile to themselves for another half-hour, her family warned to stay out. What was his rush to get back to the chaos? She wasn’t done with him yet.

“I forgot about Dr. García.” He grabbed his shirt from the floor, shaking it out. “Damn, Slugger. You ripped two of the buttons off.”

“It’s your fault.”

“How’s it my fault?” He pulled on the shirt and buttoned what he could, staring down at her chest.

“My eyes are up here, big boy.” She pointed at her face, redirecting his gaze from her bare chest. “It’s your fault because you did that thing you do with your tongue. You know what it does to me.” She pushed up onto her elbows. “What about Dr. García?”

“I asked him to meet me outside his camper this afternoon to talk about securing the dig site.” His focus drifted south again. “I meant to tell you; he mentioned yesterday when Sheriff Harrison was here that he’s pretty sure he knows the origin of the jade pieces.”

“Did you tell Gramps about this meeting?” Knowing how frustrated her grandfather had been lately with taking a back seat to Mac, she could see him getting all growly and pissy over this if not.

“He’s the one who suggested we talk to Dr. García.” Mac’s hand inched toward her breast but she laughed and rolled away before he made contact. “Get back here, woman.”

“No way. Don’t think you can start something and then leave.” She swung her feet over the edge of the bed. “Besides, I’m coming with you.”

“You sure you don’t want to get some rest? You were still staggering around late last night after all that went down and then over inhaling paint fumes at the restroom first thing this morning with the boys. You’re not Superwoman, you know.”

“That’s not what you were saying a little while ago.” She grabbed her underwear from the foot of the bed. “Have you seen my bra?”

“I was overly smitten when I said that.” He walked out into the hall and came back with her bra dangling from his index finger. “I still think we should burn all of these.”

“They’re too expensive to burn. Did you leave a hickey on my neck? I vaguely remember some biting going on at one point.” She peered in the closet mirror, lifting her chin. “As for the good doctor, I’m the one who swam down in the shaft and got that jade piece. If anyone deserves to know the story of its origin, it’s me.”

“I left a hickey on your hip, not your neck, and you were the one doing the biting.”

Oh, right. That was his fault, too. He smelled so fresh and yummy, like the sun-warmed desert in the morning. He should try not to tempt her like that if he didn’t like being bitten.

He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on his socks and shoes. “If you’re coming, we need to leave here in the next five minutes.”

“No problem.” She fastened her bra and then combed her hair with her fingers.

He came up behind her and pulled her back against him, staring at her in the mirror. “Have I told you how crazy I am about you?”

“Yes, in the hallway right after I tore off your shirt, remember?” She stopped his hand as it headed south into her underwear. “When Sheriff Harrison confiscated the camper that belonged to those women, did he mention anything to you about finding something odd underneath it?”

“No.” Mac’s reflection frowned at her. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, nothing,” she said, turning in his arms, pressing into him, making his eyes go all dark and sexy again. “Are you sure we need to leave to talk to the doctor right now?”

Mac pushed her back a step. “Claire, did you snoop inside that camper?”

She couldn’t outright lie to him. “I might have sort of gone inside of it one day when I was patrolling the area after realizing that they had gone off to the dig site and left the door unlocked.” But she could fudge the truth a little.

“Claire,” he said, following it with a heavy duty glare.

She kissed his Adam’s apple. “That’s not important, though.”

“How is breaking and entering not important?”

“Because I had no intent to commit a crime.” She grabbed a clean T-shirt from the closet. “I just looked around and left.”

“Which is illegally trespassing, another misdemeanor to add to your growing record.”

“What Sheriff Harrison doesn’t know won’t hurt anyone.” She pulled her Zombies Love Girls with Big Brainnnsssss T-shirt over her head. “Besides, the Sheriff did inform me recently that he has spruced up the jail cell for me.”

“My anxieties are not at peace knowing that, sweetheart.” Mac crossed his arms over his chest. “Why did you ask if the Sheriff found something odd under the camper?”

“Because I found something under there. Ronnie has it hidden somewhere in here.”

“I thought you said you didn’t take anything when you snooped.”

“I didn’t. Not then. But a few days later, Henry’s leash got caught up under their camper. When I crawled under to unwrap him, I found a little box tucked up in the back bumper. I just wondered if the Sheriff found that box.” She went out in the hall, where Mac had peeled her jeans off and given her the hickey, carrying them back to the bedroom. “Now that I think about it, the Sheriff had Deputy Dipshit with him yesterday. That incompetent fool wouldn’t know where to find his ass if it weren’t attached at his waist.”

Mac watched her tug her jeans up over her hips. “Did you open the box?” He didn’t even let her react to his question before saying, “What am I thinking? Of course you did. What was in it?”

Her Mighty Mouse cap hung on a hook inside the closet. Claire could tell Ronnie had been in the bedroom cleaning. Her older sister had always picked up after them when they were kids. Time had not changed some things. She grabbed her cap and pulled it on her head. “Eyeballs.”

Catching her arm, Mac turned her in his direction. “Eyeballs?” When she nodded, his brows wrinkled. “Human?”

“You’ve been watching too many horror movies with me.” She looked around for her flip flops, not seeing them, and grabbed a pair of canvas slip-ons. “They were round glass eyeballs, I think. A bit smaller than human eyes, but not small enough to be doll’s eyes.”

He dropped onto the edge of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees. “That’s weird.”

“And creepy.” She walked over to him and tipped his chin up. “You ready?” She kissed him on his wrinkled brow.

“I worry about you, Slugger.”

“Don’t let the eyeballs mess with your head.”

He pulled her closer, resting his forehead on her sternum. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, and I can’t always be around to keep you out of trouble.”

“Is this about you leaving tomorrow morning?” She tugged him to his feet. “I swear, I’m just gonna paint the restroom and help Ruby with some stuff Gramps can’t do right now until you get back Friday night. No chasing gun-toting older ladies or harassing Deputy Droopy.”

He followed her down the hall. “Promise me you won’t go up in the mines while I’m gone.”

“I promise. It’s way too spooky when you’re not there with me.”

Holding the door open for her, he caught her hand on the way outside, kissing her knuckles. “I can’t wait until you come home to Tucson with me. It sucks there without you.”

She smiled at him. She missed him, too, but she wasn’t looking forward to returning to her job search and rattling around in their big house all day, waiting for him to come home. Life here in Jackrabbit Junction had much more to offer—only it didn’t have Mac. Looking away before he could see that struggle in her eyes, she dragged him outside with her into the afternoon sunshine. “Time will fly until you’re back here again.”

She kept hold of his hand as they strolled along the drive toward the new restroom and the archaeologist crew’s setup beyond it, not quite ready to leave the land of bliss they had slipped away to enjoy. Reality had way too many barbs and left a mess in its wake. Take her mother, for example, and her bitterness toward just about everything.

Deborah appeared in front of them, as if she’d stepped out of Claire’s thoughts onto the scene. Damn it. That’s what Claire got for even thinking about the woman.

“Claire,” Deborah said.

Claire couldn’t look at her mother, the scene with Manny still too fresh. “What?” she asked her mother’s feet.

“Oh, would you stop with this silly business and look at me.”

Wincing, she did as her mother demanded. Deborah had forgotten to put on lipstick this afternoon.

Or maybe Manny had kissed it off.

Oh, blah. Claire’s stomach curdled at the image that thought brought with it, along with all of the others that tumbled after. There had been so much whipped cream—ugh.

“I’m human, Claire.” Deborah said, shoving a plate of cookies into her hands. “I have physical needs, just like you and MacDonald. Manuel was able to … to help me find some release for the time being.”

“Jesus.” Mac covered his face. “Somebody please wake me up.”

Claire tried to focus on the cookies and not remember the sight of Manny’s naked stress reliever. “Is this thing with you two going to keep happening, Mom?”

“Well,” Deborah hem-hawed. “Manuel is a very generous lover.”

A sickly sounding groan came from Mac. “This isn’t happening in my world,” he said and left them in his dust. Claire watched him go, surprised he didn’t break into a sprint.

“And,” Deborah continued, “he makes me feel attractive again for the first time in a long time.” She tittered. “You should hear the things he says to me when he—”

“Mother, stop!” Claire interrupted before her stomach turned inside out and dumped her lunch on the ground. “It was a simple question to help me prepare mentally for future visuals.”

She heard Gramps shout and watched Mac veer off toward the new restroom, joining Gramps and Manny who were both holding paintbrushes.

“Yes.”

Claire turned back to her mother. “Yes?”

“I enjoyed having sexual relations with Manuel.” She looked over at the man of the hour.

The old sex god glanced their way. His new hearing aid must have started ringing. When his gaze settled on Deborah, his smile widened, making him look like a lovesick Don Juan. He waved his paintbrush.

Deborah lifted her chin and turned her back on him. “But I’m not going to make it easy for him.”

“Mother,” Claire waved at Manny in Deborah’s place. “That’s rude.”

Deborah patted Claire’s cheek. “No darling, it’s called playing hard to get. You could use a lesson or two. You make it way too easy for MacDonald. Did he even offer to marry you when he thought you were pregnant?”

They were not going to have this discussion again right then and there while Claire held a plate of cookies. “Why am I carrying cookies?”

“Ruby made them for the men.” Deborah glanced back at Manny again, fluttering her eyelashes.

“I don’t think he can even see you do that this far away, Mother.”

“You’d be surprised what a man can see when he wants to. That reminds me, I need you to take me to the beauty parlor in Yuccaville tomorrow for some highlights.” She took a closer look at Claire’s hair. “You could use a haircut and maybe some highlights, too. I see some gray strands poking through. If you want to keep MacDonald coming back for more, you need to work harder on looking good for him. Let’s get a mani-pedi while we’re at it, and then we can see about getting you a pretty dress to make MacDonald pay a little more attention when he comes back next weekend.”

No freaking way. This was not happening. Damned Kate for being too sick to do this shit with their mother. And where in the hell was Ronnie? She used to love this mother-daughter bonding crap. Didn’t she?

Claire grabbed a cookie and crammed it in her mouth to keep from screaming in terror. “Gotta go,” she said, spitting crumbs on Deborah, who frowned, clearly disapproving.

Sidestepping her mother’s reprimand, Claire jogged over to where Mac stood listening to Gramps.

“… so I’ve been a little more crotchety than normal,” Gramps finished as Claire joined them.

Just a little
, she thought, jamming another cookie half into her mouth so her tongue didn’t decide to speak up and agree with him. Ruby had doubled the chocolate chips today. Was there a reason for celebrating Claire didn’t know about?

Manny patted Mac on the shoulder. “This is Ford’s way of saying he’s sorry for being such an asshole lately.”

Gramps glared at Manny.

“Apology accepted,” Mac said, stealing the other half of the cookie sticking out of Claire’s mouth. “If Ruby asks me to help her with something in the future, I’ll refer her to you.”

“Good,” Gramps said, glancing at Claire under his bushy brow.

“But,” Mac continued, “if she tells me something in secret, I won’t break her confidence.”

“Fine.” Gramps took a cookie from the plate. “Same goes for me with Claire.”

Claire gulped down her mouthful of cookie. “What?”

Manny grabbed two cookies. “Your grandfather is promising to keep your secrets from Mac.”

The squint Mac was giving her made her want to go back and discuss more beauty ideas with her mom. She smiled. “I’m an open book, baby. I swear.”

Gramps snickered, not helping her win her case.

“Did your mom say anything about me?” Manny asked, sidling up next to Claire.

He was standing too close, especially now that she’d seen him naked and her mother had talked about his generosity under the sheets. She shoved the plate of cookies at him.

“She said …” Claire thought about how her mother had actually smiled at her—a real, honest-to-God smile—before cutting into her about her hair. Maybe Chester was right, Manny was a hero. He had taken the edge off her mom. “She said that you look handsome in blue, but she didn’t know if you were going to be man enough for her.”

Manny glanced down at his blue shirt covered in paint splotches. His eyes twinkled when he looked back up at her. “
Ay yi yi.
That sounds like a challenge to me.” He walked off whistling, carrying the cookies over to where Chester stood in a holey T-shirt and ripped overalls, painting while a cigar hung out of his mouth.

“You owe me for that, girl,” Gramps said, his whole face scrunched in a scowl. “Now I’m gonna have to listen to the fool moon over my daughter all afternoon.”