Glancing around uneasily, she decided she was entirely too jumpy today. No doubt, her nerves were on edge because of the strange situation at the farmer’s market earlier. Too many weird things happening.
As she stood, she glanced through the kitchen window and quietly observed her aunt sneaking a cookie from the stash she thought Harley Ann didn’t know about.
She smiled to herself. And waited until her aunt had enjoyed her cookie before climbing the steps to the porch.
At the back door, she turned and scanned the yard one more time, still feeling like something was not quite right.
“What’s your verdict?” Asked her aunt.
She sighed. “You’re right. A lot of damage out there.” She paused. “Do you think it could have been an animal?”
Her aunt snorted. “No. I don’t think it was an animal. It was human beings. An animal wouldn’t have any interest in those plants.”
Remembering how she’d spied on her aunt only moments earlier. And the uneasy feeling she’d had while out back, she rose and turned the wand to close the blinds on the back window. Then, on the other windows.
“What in tarnation are you doing?” Grumbled Aunt Edna. “I feel like I’m in a cave.”
“If anyone is hanging out in the backyard, they can see right in these windows and spy on us.”
“Spy on us! You’ve been reading too many of those thriller books you’re so fond of.”
“I’m serious Aunt Edna.” She rubbed her hands along her upper arms. “Until we figure out what’s going on, we need to be careful.”
“Nobody can spy on us in broad daylight unless they’re right up on the windows. I saw you out there spying on me a few minutes ago. I guess now you’re gonna confiscate my cookies.”
“They can spy on us if they have binoculars.” She insisted.
“What’s gotten into you girl? No one gives a poop what the two of us are doing. You’re letting your imagination run wild. You open those blinds back up.”
“Let’s go in the parlor. At least in there nobody can spy on us without half the town seeing them do it.”
Aunt Edna got up and stumped down the hall with her walker, mumbling about crazy girls who had too much time on their hands. When she was a girl, she was too busy to come up with fool notions.
Harley Ann ignored the mumbling. When she followed her aunt into the parlor, the flowers caught her attention and she stopped to breathe in the beautiful scent.
“Did you and Piper figure out your plans for the young man?” Aunt Edna asked from her chair, picking up her yarn and crochet hook. Half a baby bootie dangled from the hook. Aunt Edna was knitting a pair for a friend’s grandchild. Or was it great grandchild?
She shook her head. It didn’t matter.
“Piper and I never got around to discussing the flowers.” She replied, carefully refraining from mentioning Jesse had shown up after Piper left.
“She has some concerns about leaving Mercy and moving to Montana.”
“Pish. Tosh.” Said her aunt. “Piper never did want the baggage that went along with being a Mackenzie in this town. Even though she acts like it’s a badge of honor. She’s just worried about her daddy. Like any good daughter would be. I’ll have to have a chat with her and set her mind to rest on that score. Matt MacKenzie will be just fine here.”
“I already told her that. When we met for our chat.”
“Did you, now? Well that certainly shows good sense on your part.” She adjusted her yarn and finished off the tiny bootie. “Too bad you left all that good sense where you were when you told Piper that.”
A knock at the front door kept her from making a rude remark to her aunt.
When she pulled open the heavy, solid wood front door, Jesse Miller stood on the porch. No longer sheened with sweat but still dangerously handsome. And smelling of an enticingly male aftershave that made her pulse hammer.
“Hey.” She said in a casual voice that belied her increased pulse rate. “Come on in and meet my Aunt Edna.”
“So you’re the new hunk in town.” Aunt Edna said as they entered the parlor.
Harley Ann wished the floor would open up and swallow her, but Jesse never missed a beat.
