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“How long until that wears off, and I’m not an outsider anymore?”
The woman shrugged. “Might take a couple of generations.”
Great. At that rate, her great-grandchildren might finally be at home here. Not that she had any intention of staying that long. At least, she hadn’t planned on it.
“Speaking of shirts, have you seen this one here with a photo of baby Wilbur?” Maisie held out a T-shirt, encouraging the customer to touch the soft jersey.
“Oh, my goodness,” the woman exclaimed. “He’s adorable.”
“They come in three colors, and we’ve got him on a mug, too.”
The woman nodded as she ran her fingers across the fabric, clearly impressed by the quality. “I’ll take a blue shirt and a mug. My sister’s birthday is next week, and she just loves calves.”
“Thank you so much,” Maisie said, totaling up the purchase and putting the items in one of the branded paper bags she’d designed. “I’m Maisie, by the way.”
“Agnes.” The woman took her bag, beaming with pleasure at the purchase. “You sticking around at the Lazy C for a while?”
“Not sure,” Maisie answered truthfully. “Stranger things have happened.”
“You’re right about that.” Agnes’s tone suggested she was about to impart a juicy piece of gossip. “The Tide Ranch has been visited by UFOs every Christmas.”
“Just on Christmas?” Maisie’s eyes widened, unsure where the conversation was going.
Agnes gave a crisp nod. “They’ve even documented it with video.”
“Well.” Maisie paused, not knowing how to react to this revelation. “That’s a long way to travel for midnight mass. I didn’t know aliens were so devout.”
The woman burst into laughter. “Religious aliens. Wait ’til I tell Earl that one tonight. Well, Maisie, I hope you do plan on sticking around for a while because Earl and I have been married forty years, and I need all the help I can get when thinking of something to say at suppertime.”
“Happy to help.”
It occurred to Maisie that perhaps that could be another side hustle, providing conversation starters for taciturn ranchers. Goodness knew she’d been getting plenty of practice with Drew and the rest of the family.
As if she’d conjured the woman by thinking her name, Maisie spotted Drew making a beeline for the table with an expression on her face that hinted at a storm coming.
“What’s got you hot and bothered?” Maisie asked when Drew was close enough to hear her. “Please don’t say aliens.”
“Aliens?” Drew frowned, confusion overtaking her for a moment before she shook her head. “Never mind that. Have you seen Claire?”
“Claire from Bob’s funeral?” Maisie scouted out the area around her, but there was no sign of the woman Drew was seeking. “I think she has a table down the next row. What do you need, to buy some gourmet roasted coffee beans?”
Drew didn’t even attempt to laugh at her joke, and Maisie felt a prickle of unease. Something was bothering Drew, and Maisie needed to find out what. But before she could try to get to the bottom of the problem, Drew had taken off, leaving Maisie alone with her worry.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
“Hi there, Drew.”Claire picked up a bag of coffee beans and held them out with a smile. “Can I interest you in my new morning blend?”
“Not right now.” Drew fought to keep her expression neutral so as not to alarm any bystanders or alert Claire to her state of mind. “Have you talked to anyone from Rock Creek today?”
“Earlier, but there’s not much of a turnout from the locals this time around for whatever reason. Probably too busy moving cattle around ahead of branding time. Why do you ask?” Claire raised an eyebrow, leaning forward in an almost conspiratorial manner. “Is this about Jolene Davis coming back to town?”
Bingo.Drew had known if anyone could confirm the rumors, it would be Claire. The woman was a living, breathing gossip mill. It had nearly stopped Drew’s heart to see her trying to get to know Maisie after Bob’s funeral, although it shouldn’t have been a surprise. Claire could sniff out information with the skill of a truffle pig.
Claire was a good person at heart, and ten years of marriage to Mike had made her as close to being a local as a person could get without being born in the valley. However, there wasn’t much that got past her eagle eyes. In a town without its own newspaper, all anyone had to do was go ask Claire for the inside scoop. The last thing Drew wanted was for Claire to go sleuthing around Maisie. But Jolene Davis was a whole other bag of coffee beans.
“What’s this about Jolene?” Drew asked, playing it cool. The less she pretended to know, the more Claire would be likely to tell her.
“Oh, you haven’t heard?” A look of pure glee livened up Claire’s face, and Drew knew she had the woman where she wanted her.
