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“You think me going out with this guy will accomplish that?”
“No, but helping you find theonewill. We have to start somewhere.”
She didn’t get that there was no “one” in my life, only “two,” and they didn’t leave me much time for sex. “No. Absolutely not.”
“You owe me a favor, remember.”
I could tell by the firm set of her lips that I’d have better luck stapling pudding to a wall than winning this battle. “Fine. Give the guy my cell number and have him call me.”
“I will, but I think he’s leaving soon for some comic book convention, or something along those lines, so don’t expect him to call right away.”
Neverwould be too soon. I sucked down the last of my latte.
“How did your date with Old Man Harvey go last night?” Natalie asked.
“It wasn’t a date, just a picnic.”
“Did he try anything funny?”
“No, not with three kids present.”
In spite of the biting flies and the sweltering heat rolling off the prairie, everything had gone well—except for the “dinner once a week until the ranch sells” clause Harvey had insisted upon adding before signing the contract.
“What do you mean three kids? Did you pop out another since I saw you last weekend?”
“Addy brought her new friend, Kelly.”
“Kelly who?”
“Kelly Wymonds. Addy met her at the pool.” I frowned at Natalie. “What’s with the silly grin on your face?”
“I dated Kelly’s dad in high school. He couldn’t focus on anything besides football, even while we were naked in his back seat.”
Natalie had been born and raised in Deadwood. She read through the local white pages like it was theNational Enquirer.
“Exactly how many guys have you slept with?”
She grinned. “Deadwood is a small town. A girl gets bored.”
Another reason for me to send Addy off to a convent—that and the serial snatcher roaming Deadwood’s streets. Which reminded me … “Kelly Wymonds’ best friend was the girl who disappeared last summer,” I told Natalie.
Her eyes locked onto mine, all traces of humor gone. “Did Kelly talk about it at the picnic?”
“No.” Which surprised me. I guess I’d expected Kelly to spill bits of information about the kidnapping in a juicy, more-at-eleven, news-trailer format. “I didn’t ask. But last night, while the twins were getting ready for bed, Addy told me that Kelly talks about her missing friend a lot.”
“Even after all this time, huh? That’s sad.”
I nodded, remembering Addy’s solemn voice as she frowned up at me from her pink pillowcase and prodded me for more information on the kidnappings than I wanted to spill. I had no problem talking to my kids about life’s grim realities, but this was nightmare fodder.
I massaged the back of my neck where tension lingered, tightening. “Kelly told Addy that she and her friend, Emma, had been out riding bikes when the girl disappeared. They’d stopped at the Piggly Wiggly for milk and baby food for Kelly’s little brother. Emma stayed outside to watch the bikes. When Kelly came out of the store, the bikes were still there, but her friend was gone. That was the last time anyone saw Emma.”
Natalie shuddered visibly. “Jesus, that’s creepy.”
“Makes me not want to allow the kids to ride their bikes around town anymore.”
“Understandable, but they’d be miserable stuck at home.”
She was right. As much as I wanted to lock my twins in the house and not let them answer the door, I had to show some trust in their judgment when it came to strangers.
