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Nan’s upbeat mood lasted through the busy day as she conversed with her customers, more relaxed than she’d been since returning home almost three weeks ago. By the time the afternoon crowd dwindled, the last patrons waving goodbye as Tamara, Sydney and Avery entered, the lingering discomfort from the previous night’s excesses had expanded into a full-body tired ache. The months she’d wallowed in self-pity and allowed Gerard’s actions to keep her away from home and her friends had taken its toll on her stamina. That would be the next thing she planned to build back up now that Dan had succeeded in breaking through the ice that kept her from the lifestyle she loved for so long.
“I expected you guys much earlier,” she greeted her closest friends, cringing inside at the mixture of censure and worry reflected on all three of their faces. Wiping her hands on a towel, she came around from behind the counter as Sydney flipped the door sign to closed. “So, now you know. Sit down and I’ll treat you to a cappuccino from my new machine.”
“Bribery won’t get you out of talking to us,” Tamara warned with a narrow-eyed glare.
“I don’t want to get out of anything, but I won’t rehash all the sordid details either. Between my brother, the D.A. and lately, Dan, I’m tired of reliving the ordeal.” Carrying a tray with four steaming mugs, she took a seat at their table and passed out the hot drinks. “Please try to understand, and respect that.”
“Well, hell, steal our thunder, why don’t you?” Sydney grumbled, reaching for a mug.
Avery squeezed Nan’s hand, her eyes pooling with tears as she said, “I’m so sorry for whatever you went through. I hope the bastard has paid.”
“Not yet, at least not enough. I have to go back to New Orleans to testify at his trial the first of August. I knew if I didn’t get back here and distance myself from the whole trauma, I wouldn’t make it through the testimony.”
“What are you willing to tell us?” Tamara asked.
Nan picked her way through the week-long kidnapping, touching upon Gerard’s actions, and her own without going into a lot
of the details. From the expressions of shock and outrage crossing her friends’ faces, they were getting a clear picture without them.
“Okay.” Pressing her palms on the table, Nan pushed to her feet and stated firmly, “That’s it, and now it’s time to move on. I have to return my library books and get out to Dan’s.” She wiggled her eyebrows with a wicked grin. “We’re staying in tonight.”
“You and Master Dan, or you and Dan?” Tamara wanted to know as they all rose to leave.
“I honestly have no idea, but I’ll be happy with either. Now, shoo, and thank you. I mean it.”
“No more secrets,” Sydney admonished with a quick hug.
“No, no more.” Nan didn’t pay heed to the twinge of guilt tightening her abdomen. There was no reason to mention the strange mishaps occurring since she’d returned; she would figure them out soon without embarrassing herself by coming across as overreacting to a few misplaced items.
After locking up, she ran upstairs to grab her books and walked over to the library. She noticed there were only a few browsers still inside as she smiled at Alice behind the counter. “Hey, Alice. I’m glad I got over here before you closed. These are due.”
Alice took the books, her brows dipping as her worried eyes ran over Nan’s face. “Thank you. Are you feeling okay? You look a little peaked.”
The older woman’s voiced concern rang loud enough to draw a few eyes their way, and Nan tried to stifle her irritation by reminding herself Alice was just being nice. “I’m fine, just a little tired. It’s been a busy weekend.”
“Maybe you ate something that didn’t agree with you,” she prompted while cataloguing her returns.
Nan clenched her jaw, getting testy, wishing the other woman would let it go. She felt fine and didn’t think she had looked bad at all when she’d glanced in the mirror before coming over. Reining in her impatience, she tempered her tone as she replied, “If so, it wasn’t anything from my refrigerator. I just tossed several things, and all I’ve eaten today is a sandwich from the bakery, and I feel great. I need to get going.”
“Oh?” Alice beamed, her curiosity switching gears. “Do you have a date?”
Nan wasn’t sure what tonight was, but a date? She and Dan didn’t date, but she wasn’t about to reveal that to Alice. It was doubtful the newcomer knew anything about The Barn, or what went on there.
“Just an evening with a friend. Thanks. I’ll come back this week, when I have more time.”
“Goodbye, dear.”
She waved, fishing her keys out of her purse as she exited the library. Walking into the back alley, toward her car, a soft, pitiful mewl snagged her attention, the heart-wrenching cry coming from the trash bin. Peeking inside, Nan sucked in a surprised gasp as she saw the scrawny tabby frothing at the mouth, trying to stand but falling against the metal side on wobbly legs.
“You poor thing.” Unsure if the sick cat was friendly or diseased, she grabbed a towel out of the trunk of her car and wrapped it around him, trying to be gentle as she carried it to her car. The nearest veterinarian was in Billings, thirty minutes away, but she remembered Pete’s medic skills, and the way he used them to help small animals. Making a snap decision to take the cat with her to Dan’s, she settled him on the floor of the back seat and pushed the speed limit, hoping she didn’t get a ticket.
Luck was with her as both Dan and Pete, along with Bertie, were leaving the stable as she drove up. “What do you have there?” Dan asked, strolling up as she lifted the towel wrapped cat from the floor.
Nan thrust the bundle toward Pete. “He was in my dumpster, in the alley. I don’t know what’s wrong, but he looks really sick.”
Pete pulled the towel back and frowned, taking in the foam still bubbling from the critter’s mouth. “That’s a sign of nausea, maybe even poisoning. No telling what he got into. I’ll try, but he’s in bad shape.”
Dan slung an arm around Nan’s shoulders and Bertie offered an encouraging smile. “Don’t fret. If anyone can help the cat, Pete can. Kid’s got a magic touch with animals.”
