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“But it’s the truth, all the same.” She glanced out the window. It was snowing again. “And here I am with a ready-made family.”
His heart jumped and fell. “Abby...”
“I dated a very nice man in Denver, not too many months after my brother and his wife were killed,” she went on without looking at him. “He said that I was a lovely woman, and he’d love to get involved with me. But that there would be no future in it because of Lucy. He didn’t want to raise another man’s child. He didn’t want the responsibility.”
He felt sick to his stomach when she said that. He winced.
“So it’s not a surprise,” she continued, and even managed to smile. “I’m not giving up Lucy for anyone. She and Hannah and I have a good life, a good income, a place to live and a community of friends,” she added. “I’m content. I’m sure that you are, too. You like your own space and a routine that’s familiar. So...well, I mean, I wasn’t planning to stalk you or anything,” she blurted out.
“Abby.” It was almost a groan of guilt.
“Look, there’s Julia, sweeping off the porch,” she said quickly, indicating Horace Whatley’s front porch.
He forced himself to look calm. He felt anything but. “Yes. That’s her,” he said, parking in front of the steps on the newly paved drive.
The house was an old ranch house. It had been in really bad shape when Whatley had purchased it, but now it had a paint job, obvious repairs, and it looked both welcoming and sprawling. The long porch had a swing and several chairs, including a rocking chair. Julia was busy sweeping the last of the autumn leaves, and some stray snowflakes, off the porch.
“Hi, Sheriff,” Julia called as he and Abby got out of the patrol car. “Isn’t that Abby?” she added. The smile widened. “It’s so good to see you! How is Horace, Sheriff?”
“He’s doing fine,” he was quick to assure her as he and Abby went up onto the porch. He drew in a long breath. “Julia, I have to ask you some questions and they won’t be nice ones.”
She grimaced. “I already know that it was my pie that put him in the hospital,” she said in a sad tone. “If you want to arrest me...”
“Good Lord, no,” he said at once.
She caught her breath. “But it was my pie, and you’re here...”
He smiled reassuringly. “I just want to know about how the pie traveled, if anyone had access to it, stuff like that,” he said. “Julia, you’re the last person on earth I’d suspect of trying to poison anyone.”
She let out a held breath. “Oh, thank God. I’ve just been so worried about him,” she added self-consciously. She pushed back a strand of dark hair that had escaped the tight bun she kept it in. “He’s the kindest human being I’ve ever known.”
“Yes, he is.”
“But he’s done some crazy things,” Julia added, frowning. “He’s not deliberately mean, and he only told fibs because he wanted to fit in here so badly,” she persisted. “He’s never had a real home until now or any place where he really belonged. He’s done such a good job with the house and the cattle.”
“You’re preaching to the choir,” he said gently. “I know Horace’s good points. Nobody holds his actions against him. He’s greatly treasured. I can’t tell you how many local citizens have volunteered to act as character witnesses if he needs them.”
“There will have to be a trial, I guess,” Julia said sadly. “Come in and have coffee, and I’ll tell you all I know about my pie,” she added. “It’s cold out here.”
“It will get colder, the weatherman says,” Abby added, smiling. “And more snow is in the forecast.”
“Well, it’s Wyoming,” Cody replied on a chuckle. “Snow and cold sort of winter here.”
“True,” Julia had to agree.
Over coffee at the kitchen table, Julia went over the transport of her pie to the sheriff’s office.
“Nobody touched it except me,” she said, sipping black coffee. “I gave it to the jailer and had him cut a slice of it while I watched.”
Cody’s mind alerted. “Were you there the whole time he was cutting it?”
She frowned. “Well, actually, no. There was this small blonde woman in a uniform,” she added. “She said she needed to tell the jailer something for you, so I went and talked to Horace until they got done.”
Abby’s heart jumped when Julia said that. She was jealous of the little blonde. Ridiculous, because Cody had already made it clear that he wasn’t interested in getting involved with Abby.
Cody saw a path where the jailer and the blonde met; not a nice one. “I’m going to take that testimony down. I’ll have it typed and you’ll need to come in and sign it,” he told her.
“Or I could bring it out here for you and let her sign it with witnesses. I’m a notary public,” Abby added, because she’d never shared that with him.
