Homestead

Chapter Ten

They walked half a block in silence before Clay said, “I didn’t know you were interested in farming.”

Ella shot her a glance, her stride never faltering. “Since we’ll be up here for a while, I thought it would be useful to get a sense of the local community. And Tess’s farm is right in the middle of things.”

Fighting off an irrational urge to challenge Ella’s reasons, Clay slid her hands into her pockets where her fingers curled into fists all on their own. She’d been itching for someone to pound on, metaphorically at least, ever since she’d read Ali’s reports and realized she was going to have to go after Tess’s land. Seeing Tess in the tavern with Ella and being pretty much dismissed by Tess hadn’t helped. Her hackles were up and she wouldn’t need much of an excuse to growl. Except Ella wasn’t the enemy. “Are you trying to tell me you’re doing a little covert industrial investigation?”

Ella laughed. “I’m no spy. Besides, you don’t need that kind of help. If there’s something you need to know, you know how to find it out.”

Clay stopped and leaned against an old-fashioned iron light pole with an actual working incandescent bulb shining from behind a frosted oval globe. The lamp cast a pale yellow circle on the sidewalk that slid over the curb and into the street. Clay’s shadow cleaved it in half. “Personal interest?”

The laughter faded from Ella’s face as she studied Clay with a speculative gaze. “I didn’t realize there was an issue here.”

“There’s no issue.”

“History?”

“Not for so long it’s not even this lifetime,” Clay murmured more to herself than to Ella. After the day she’d lied to her father and said her relationship with Tess was nothing serious, she hadn’t disclosed a single minute of what they’d shared with anyone. Tess’s past was hers to tell, if she wanted.

“Listen, Clay,” Ella said evenly, “all kidding aside. I like her—there’s something about her that’s fresh and uncomplicated. Not to mention strong-willed and lovely to look at. She’s different than most of the women I’ve—”

“I know,” Clay said, the heat leaching from her blood as a heavy weight settled in her chest. She didn’t need anyone to tell her Tess was special. She’d known that the first second she’d seen her. “I know she’s all those things. And I don’t have any business questioning you about your motives or your intentions.”

“I don’t mind.”

“You should.” Clay pushed away from the post and started walking again. Her shadow knifed along beside her, eventually fragmenting and disappearing into the dark. Ella caught up to her easily.

“Clay, slow down. You and I—our relationship is unusual. We’re not the typical kind of friends, but we’re more than colleagues. I’m here to do a job, just like you. I’m not immune to the attractions of a beautiful, exciting woman, but it’s not something I need to pursue.”

“No,” Clay said, angry for what she’d already said and what she needed to say now. “Tess is not mine. I’ve got no hold on her, and no designs on her. If you want to see her on a friendly basis or something more than that, go ahead.”

“I don’t want problems between us.”

“There won’t be.” Clay halted at the foot of the walkway leading up to the B&B, suddenly too agitated to face the thought of an empty bed and a silent room. “Go inside and have your dinner. I want to take a walk. I’m meeting Townsend at eight tomorrow. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“It’s getting late.” Ella glanced at her watch and then back the way they had come. “The tavern is about the only thing open, and that will close in a few minutes. You shouldn’t be—”

“Ella.” Clay laughed. “I’m a big girl. I’ve been out after dark before. Hell, I’ve even been out all night before.”

“I know that.” Ella frowned. “And I know this looks like a quiet little town, but all the same, it’s my job—”

“Get your ass inside and eat your burger before it gets cold.” Clay put on a smile. “I just need a little time to unwind—too many hours reading over paperwork. I promise I’ll look both ways when I cross the street.”

“All right, but keep your phone on and text me when you get back in.”

“Maybe we should just get married,” Clay muttered.

Ella gave her a long look. “Let me know when you’re serious, and I’ll consider it.”

Clay’s heart gave a little trip before she laughed. “Ella, you’re way too much woman for me.”

“Maybe,” Ella said lightly, “but from what I’ve seen, you’re a fast learner.”

“Sometimes. Good night, Ella.”

“I’ll see you at seven,” Ella said.

Clay sketched a wave and turned back the way they’d come. She wasn’t planning on returning to the tavern, she just wanted to walk, and if Tess happened to appear somewhere up ahead, well, that would just be coincidence.

She passed the tavern, but the steps in front were empty now. She was alone on the streets, her footsteps falling in a hypnotic cadence on the sidewalk. Occasionally a pickup truck rattled by, and once, in the distance, a motorcycle engine roared as the rider accelerated through the outskirts of town. Striding past the small business district, she hoped the exercise would tire her out and give her a little peace so she could get some sleep. She should have known better.

Ella and Tess. She didn’t want to imagine them together, but she could. Tess was intelligent and curious and beautiful. Ella was intense and magnetic and alluring. Clay didn’t have to wonder if Ella would be able to make Tess laugh, she’d seen the light in Tess’s eyes earlier. Once upon a time, she’d been the one to put that glow in Tess’s blue eyes, but lately, all she’d done was fill them with storm clouds.

Ella and Tess.

She wasn’t really surprised. Ella almost never dated, and when she did, she kept the details to herself. She wasn’t shy, she wasn’t standoffish. She just didn’t seem to be taken by anyone in the casual kind of way that was the norm for the life they led. Brief encounters, a love affair to last a month or two. Tess had obviously touched a chord in Ella. Maybe that’s what fate was—the simultaneous striking of a note that resonated for two people when they least expected to be captivated.

Clay walked steadily, her gaze unfocused, circling blocks aimlessly, heading away from the few places where lights chased the shadows away. She sought the shadows and hoped the dark would swallow the images she didn’t want to see. Ella and Tess.

She’d completed her fourth or fifth circuit around a mostly deserted block of big Victorians set back from the street and shrouded by trees, when she finally turned back toward the center of the village. As she approached the intersection where the tavern was located, the drone of an engine pierced her awareness and she looked over her shoulder. A vehicle—a pickup truck—coasted slowly up the street, shadowing her, keeping pace five yards behind her. The halogen headlights momentarily blinded her, and she couldn’t tell make or model or even how many occupants were in the vehicle.

She debated turning the corner and heading away from the upcoming intersection. Maybe she was imagining that the truck was following her. But the neighborhood in that direction was dark, the houses closed and shuttered for the night. Better to take her chances in a well-lit area if there was going to be trouble. Just one more street to cross and she’d be half a block from the tavern, where lights and people would discourage an altercation.

More than likely she was only imagining she was being followed, but she’d learned to heed warning signs. Heart beating hard, she checked over her shoulder again just as she reached the corner. The truck had fallen farther behind her now. She looked across the intersection to the other side of the street. Empty—but far down the block, lights flickered in the tavern.

Clay stepped off the curb, hesitated, listening, and when the night held silent, she hurried to cross. The whine of an engine revving split the air when she was halfway across.

Turn back or go forward?

She made a decision and spun back the way she had come, lunging for the sidewalk and the cover of darkness. She had a split second to think that might have been a mistake before the truck caromed around the corner on two wheels and she went flying into the air.