Читать книгу Dances Under The Harvest Moon - Joanne Rock - Страница 12

CHAPTER THREE

“THREE, TWO, ONE, SMILE!” Heather shouted the next morning from her cramped position in the photo booth. Her oldest brother had rented it for the wedding breakfast at the farmhouse. She adjusted a tiara on her head, the only prop remaining after her siblings had taken all the other toys to play dress-up for goofy photo-booth pictures.

The flash lit up the space with an accompanying pop!, making it sound like an old-fashioned bulb.

“No fair!” Heather’s niece, Ally, protested as she adjusted a blue feather boa on her neck. “Dad did rabbit ears behind my head.”

“I had an itch on my nose,” Scott argued with his daughter while his wife, Bethany, reset the switch for another series of pictures. “You hit me in the face with that feather duster you’re wearing.”

Four of the Finley siblings were crammed into the booth along with Scott’s family and Mack’s fiancée, Nina. Heather had invited their mom for the photo, but she was keeping a low profile today, tired from the strain of holding herself together over the course of the weekend.

Heather understood that feeling more clearly than ever. Her joints were better today, but she was feeling plenty of strain herself. Health issues were exhausting to manage. Thinking and worrying about hers was draining. Mentally, she’d already left Heartache. But since her car wouldn’t be fixed until Monday at the earliest—and TJ Elliott said in a text he “wouldn’t hold his breath” on that one—Heather was still very much physically present. And that meant being here for Erin today.

“Let’s do a funny photo,” the new Mrs. Remy Weldon suggested from her seat on the groom’s lap.

“Or a ‘kiss the bride’ picture,” Remy returned, his Cajun twang setting him apart from Mack’s and Scott’s voices as they shouted their own suggestions.

“We can flex.” Scott was already showing off his biceps.

“Or stage a brawl.” Mack pantomimed hitting Scott in the face.

Heather took an elbow in the shoulder. And wasn’t that just a reminder of what it had been like growing up at her house?

“Whoops.” Mack quit fighting and steadied her. “Sorry, sis.”

“We should do what Aunt Erin says,” Ally ordered as the booth got stuffier by the second. “She’s the bride.”

Heather took charge. “On the count of three, we all blow kisses at the camera while Remy kisses Erin. Got it?”

The Finleys—thank you, God—fell in line with nods and affirmatives all around.

“Good.” Heather got ready to press the button. “Let’s do that for the first couple and then just—do whatever on the last two. Ready? Three, two, one...”

She hit the button and the family kissed on command.

For a few seconds at least. Things fell apart after that—more elbows flying as Scott pretended to choke Mack, Ally and her mother did a Charlie’s Angels pose. Erin and Remy—surprise—kept on kissing. Their obvious attraction made Heather think about Zach and the surprise of his touch the night before.

When the last flash went off, she blinked and tried to shake off the memory.

“Okay! Done!” Heather sidled her way out of the booth none too gently, needing air.

Stumbling out of the curtain and into the daylight, she searched for a spot to regroup on the sprawling lawn outside her mother’s house. She needed to leave a message with the doctor’s office in North Carolina that she wouldn’t be able to make the appointment she’d set up for tomorrow. She only had a little left of the anti-inflammatory medicine the doctor in Austin had given her and she was anxious to try something stronger. Or an alternative that wouldn’t be quite as draining as some of the other medications that were available for the disease.

Heather’s stomach rumbled as she searched for a quiet spot on the lawn. She’d been too busy greeting guests to eat properly before. The backyard was filled with small tables and chairs, white linen tablecloths fluttering slightly in the warm morning breeze. The caterers had disassembled the majority of the breakfast buffet, but had left the coffee and juice bar along with muffins and fruit. A few kids played underneath a table nearby, heads peeking out now and again to see if anyone would notice them stealing muffins to bring back to their home base.

Obligingly, Heather didn’t notice them even when she went to help herself to a bottle of sparkling water from a cooler.

“Ms. Finley?”

Heather turned to see one of her music students dressed in the catering company’s black-and-white uniform, her long blond ponytail tied with a gray bow.

“Megan! So nice to see you.” Heather had been working with the younger woman for only a few months, but she knew that Megan Bryer was a talented guitarist. “I didn’t realize you worked with the catering company.”

“I waitress at the Owl’s Roost, and sometimes the caterers pick up servers from the restaurant.” She shrugged as she refilled a tub of ice with bottled water. “I needed the extra money.”

“Saving up for that new acoustic you saw online?” Megan had been excited about the upgraded instrument when they first talked about it last spring. She’d told Heather she was making her homecoming dress herself so she could save money for the guitar.

“I wish.” The younger woman’s expression clouded, her mouth drawn tight.

Before Heather could ask her if everything was all right, Zach appeared at her side.

“Looks like you have a thief at work here,” he announced, staring at the wavering white tablecloth that hid the muffin-stealing boys. “Maybe I should call the sheriff.”

Giggles floated from under the table and the tablecloth flapped some more. One scuffed tennis shoe made an appearance.

“I’d better go,” Megan muttered, darting away before Heather could introduce her.

Watching her leave, Heather hoped she’d find time to speak to the girl before the breakfast ended. Now she turned toward Heartache’s intriguing mayor, her eyes wandering over Zach’s perfectly pressed khakis and dark jacket, his white dress shirt with the top button undone—the only nod to the less formal occasion.

“It just so happens the sheriff is right over there.” Heather pointed out Sam Reyes.

More giggles and then three small boys shot out from under the table, trailing muffin crumbs and crumpled napkins in their wake.

Zach laughed as they watched them go.

“Score one for the local Neighborhood Watch.” He turned his brooding, lazy stare toward Heather, his tawny brown eyes warm with a look that hummed over her skin. “Another thing to love about life in a small town.”

Something about his assessing gaze had her mouth going dry. He’d told her last night he wanted her to stay in town and the words had circled around her brain ever since. What she didn’t understand was—why now? His response to her seemed sudden. And while she wouldn’t take him for the kind of guy who found a no-strings relationship appealing, she had to wonder if his interest had to do with the fact that she’d be gone soon.

All the more reason to be cautious, since she was far too curious about him. She had no business daydreaming about his clean-shaven jaw, the strong column of his throat or the fact that she knew if she leaned close, she would smell the scent of bay rum on his skin. The way he’d touched her the night before had really scattered her thoughts.

“I didn’t know we were making a list.” She cracked open her bottle of water and took a long sip.

She peered around the wedding breakfast, where everyone seemed content to visit as the waitstaff circulated with trays of mimosas and Bloody Marys. No live music today, just someone’s iPod plugged into the speaker system the DJ had rented to them for an extra day.

“We are absolutely making a list. I thought I made that clear last night when I briefed you on my future goal of keeping you in town.”

She’d shut down that conversation fast the night before, confused, flustered and not trusting herself to make sense of what he had been saying.

“I think I was a little roadweary from the wedding,” she admitted. “I couldn’t imagine why it would make a difference to you. Unless you were thinking of taking up piano?”

A cheer erupted nearby, distracting her from a question she really wanted answers to. A bunch of teens—her niece, Ally, and her friends—were all playing a video game projected on a pull-down screen under one of the leftover canopy tents from the reception. A few of them were high-fiving and carrying on. Heather’s eye sought Megan, wondering if she would feel sad to miss a chance to hang out with her peers. But the girl was on the other side of the party with her back to the group.

“Do you have a minute to talk, maybe over there where it’s quieter?” Zach pointed at a pair of bright red Adirondack chairs between two old pine trees on the far side of the lawn. They were there for decoration more than anything, marking the property line between her mother’s house and Scott’s place.

“I have a minute.” Even though she was wary of wherever this was headed. “But I’ll warn you—my own family tried their best to talk me out of leaving town. I feel like I’ve put off my own dreams for too long.”

“I get that.” He greeted a few people as they edged away from the crowd. “I felt the same way after school—I needed to leave Heartache. Remove myself from the family drama.”

She wasn’t about to throw her family under the bus and admit to any problems there. Even now, her mother remained inside, her tolerance for so much company having worn off the night before. In fact, Heather hadn’t gotten a goodbye from her when she’d knocked on her door the night before.

Not that she’d ended up getting far out of town anyhow.

“I earned my degree online.” She’d been trying to balance helping her mother with helping Erin launch her online business. Since there were no colleges nearby, taking credits online had seemed logical at the time. “I learned a lot, but I missed a chance to see someplace else. Meet other people.”

“It’s good to see what else is out there.” When they reached the chairs in the small clearing, he produced a handkerchief from his pocket and ran it over the wooden slats of one red seat. “But that doesn’t mean you need to move permanently.”

“It’s hard to say that with any certainty when I haven’t seen what else is out there. Up until last spring, Erin did all the buying trips for the store.” She settled her water bottle on the wide arm of one chair as she sat down.

A scuttling in the bushes nearby caught her attention and she saw her mother’s black Lab, Luce, wagging her tail from a spot in the shade. Like a windshield wiper, the tail swiped over dried leaves, clearing a half circle around the dog.

“I’ll tell you what’s out there.” He frowned and ticked off items on his fingers. “Congestion, pollution, noise, corruption and no sense of community. Here you have clean air, hassle-free traffic, easy parking, a short commute to work and your whole family.”

She took another long sip of water and then tossed the empty bottle to Luce to play with. The old dog gnawed happily with the bottle pinned under one dark paw.

“You’re really good at these campaign speeches.” She smiled. “I feel like you could win Heartache some kind of ‘best small town in the US’ award, you make it sound so good.” She studied Zach’s strong profile, his skin deeply tanned above the white collar of his shirt. “But I’m still not sure why you’re trying to sell me.”

His expression became serious, the flirtatious glances nowhere in sight now.

“You should be running this town.”

The words took a moment to sink in.

“Excuse me?” She wondered if it was too late to bolt from this conversation.

“You realize who tied with me for most write-in votes when no one wanted to run for mayor after your dad’s death?”

She’d heard, but she’d been hurting at the time. And something about the news had felt like an ironic slap in the face since the Finley patriarch had never wanted his family involved in his public life. For Dad, the town meant everything—including an escape from a home life that overwhelmed him between five kids and a demanding wife with serious health issues.

So many times she’d tried to be a part of his world, to help him with things related to the mayor’s duties. But unless he needed a cute kid for a ceremonial ribbon cutting, he kept his family far from his work.

“You can’t seriously be suggesting I...” She shook her head. “I can’t even guess. You run the town, Zach. And you do a great job at it.”

He nodded. “I took the job because the council didn’t want to approach you so soon after your father died. But you’ve lived here all your life and you know the demands of the job. You have experience building a successful business from the ground up—”

“Whoa.” She stiffened in her chair, unable to absorb what he was saying. “I’m going to stop you right there. I’m flattered, and I think this is kind of you—”

“It’s not kindness, Heather. It makes sense.” He sat forward on his seat, too, his knee brushing hers briefly.

The warmth of that small contact stole through her, reminding her of the confused mix of feelings from the night before. Had he only been nice to her to talk her into this? Taking over the mayor’s duties?

She’d suspected him of romancing her for some kind of short-term fling. She sure hadn’t expected a political proposal.

“Maybe to you it makes sense, but it doesn’t to me. And I don’t want to be guilted into yet another reason to stay here.”

He frowned. “Guilted?”

She swallowed, wishing she’d kept that thought to herself.

“I mean—I’ve got everything packed. I’ve put a lot of thought into pursuing my dream. I don’t want to feel like I’m letting you down or letting down the whole town by leaving. This decision came with a lot of difficulties, and that’s before you threw all this on it, too. I feel bad enough I’m leaving so many of my music students.” She remembered one of the articles she’d read online about stress making her condition worse.

She so didn’t need another flare-up because of Zach’s pressure. If she could just get out of town for a couple of months and get things under control, things would be better.

“I’m not suggesting you take the mayor’s seat to pressure you.” He laid a hand on her forearm.

It was a social touch—the kind of touch a person used to convey something heartfelt or important. But coming from Zach, it stirred a fresh wave of warmth that rattled her to her toes.

She stared at that connection. Just a hand on an arm. But the feel of it shook something inside her that she hadn’t felt in her last relationship. Her pulse pounded.

“Maybe not, but that’s the upshot.” She shrugged. “You’re doing a great job. I can’t imagine why you’d want to hand it over. A small-town mayor has lots of perks and prestige.”

“It requires far more time than I realized when I first accepted, and I think you’re really well suited for the job.” His gaze dropped to where he touched her before he slid his hand away. “But I definitely don’t want to pressure you. If you truly have dreams to chase, Heather, you should.”

She sifted through his words, thinking about their conversation. The music piping through the speakers shifted to something slow and romantic, and one of the older couples—Daisy Spencer and her boyfriend, Harlan Brady—stood up to shuffle-waltz in a slow circle. Mrs. Spencer was in her eighties and she had knee trouble, but Mr. Brady moved so carefully with her it made Heather’s heart squeeze to see them.

Would she still be dancing in her eighties? Her diagnosis terrified her. The disease could cripple joints into almost unrecognizable configurations. No doubt about it—these were her dancing years.

She let out a breath. “I’d really love to create music that makes people happy.” She pointed to the older couple swaying on the lawn all by themselves. “You see them? I wish I could write a song that moves people to dance like that.”

She turned to find Zach watching her, something inscrutable in his expression.

“What?” Self-conscious, she wondered if he thought she’d never pull it off. “Is that such a crazy dream?”

“Definitely not.” His expression cleared. “I couldn’t imagine you being happy outside of Heartache, but I guess now I can picture it. I never knew you were so passionate about music.”

“It doesn’t come up at council meetings or softball games.” She paused, thinking about the only places she normally saw him. “The store was more Erin’s dream than mine. I just wanted to help her bring that to life, and I had some good ideas, but now that she’s off and running, it’s time for me to get serious about my own ambitions.”

“Away from your family and friends.” He nodded, as if he was still trying to piece together her true reasons for leaving town.

For a moment, she wondered if she’d given anything away about her condition last night. He’d examined her wrist. Noticed her limp. Anxious to squash whatever suspicions he might have, she rose to her feet, making sure she stood tall and steady on her achy joints.

“Unfortunately, I can’t pursue all my dreams here.” She smiled brightly. “Sorry to cut our chat short, Zach, but I didn’t realize my brother is giving a toast.”

She pointed to a few people gathered around Scott, who lifted a mimosa toward Erin and Remy. The music had been turned down. The moment offered a perfect escape from a conversation growing awkward.

Zach rose. “Of course.”

“I don’t think we’re doing anything formal for a send-off, but I should probably join them.” She realized they stood close together.

Eye to eye, she didn’t move away. Neither did he.

The moment spun out as they stood a hand’s span from one another, Zach’s hand wrapped around hers. Her heart pounded—hard and fast—as she felt the magnetic draw of the man. Then, slowly, he stroked his thumb down the center of her palm, his eyes never leaving hers. The touch made her breath catch, especially when he traced a circle inside her hand.

“We’ll miss you, Heather Finley,” he said finally, his words breaking the spell. She nodded too fast, stepping back to regain some composure. She didn’t understand this chemistry between them, which seemed to have a new edge. Was Zach sticking close to her because of the mayor’s job? Or was there more to it?

“Thanks.” Sliding her hand free, she wrapped her arms around herself and headed back to the party with Zach at her side.

She swallowed. What might have happened just now if she hadn’t been so dead set on leaving Heartache? Would he have given her another reason to stay? Her skin still tingled where he’d touched her.

Heather didn’t hurry across the lawn. Her brother’s toast had ended. Sheriff Sam Reyes broke away from the group and headed their way, tugging off a pair of aviator shades and jamming them in his jacket pocket. He was an imposing man with a he-man frame. He had worked in a vice squad on the West Coast before returning to Heartache to take the job in local law enforcement. He and Zach hadn’t seemed to hang out much in high school, so it had been a surprise when they’d both ended up in San Jose after graduation. Heather had heard Gabriella, Zach’s younger sister, had moved there, too.

Zach slowed his steps. “Is it just me or does Sam look like he has something on his mind?”

“Duty calls.” She regretted it as soon as she said it, knowing how much he wanted to hand off the job. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that to sound...flippant. I wish I could have bailed you out of the mayor’s gig.”

“I’ll figure something out.” He stopped walking. “Will you do me a favor and let me know before you leave town?”

“It might be as early as this afternoon if TJ gets my car fixed.” Her eyes went to the sheriff, who had joined them. “But sure, I can give you a shout before I head out.”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Sam said. “Zach, you have a minute?”

Excusing herself, Heather went in search of Megan to see how things were going with her music. She liked the girl and something about her body language had felt off. As if she might be upset. And after Zach’s crazy suggestion that she take over the mayor’s seat, Heather seriously needed to distract herself until her car was fixed and she could head for the county line.

At least, that’s why she told herself she needed the distraction. Because she couldn’t think about those heated moments when Zach’s thumb had sketched a light touch over her palm. She shivered at the memory. Now was not the time to get moony-eyed over a man. She had dreams to chase and a coveted audition waiting for her a thousand miles away.

* * *

“YOU’VE GOT TO work on your timing,” Zach groused, scrubbing a hand through his hair as he scowled at his so-called friend. “Do I interrupt you when you’re with a beautiful woman?”

He turned his back on the wedding breakfast festivities. The music still blasted and there were plenty of teens playing video games under one of the canopy tents, but as it neared lunchtime, the party was definitely breaking up. Only a few guests remained.

Sam Reyes glared right back at him, undeterred. They’d been friends since high school when Sam had rescued his sister from the guy who’d lured her out of the house after stalking her online. Sam had risked a hell of a lot to save her. Zach owed him. Everything. He’d had Sam’s back when he’d helped him leave town and start over again on the West Coast in San Jose. They’d roomed together for a year when they left town, with Zach going into Silicon Valley to learn at the feet of computer industry experts and Sam signing up for the police academy while he worked on a criminal justice degree. Theirs was a friendship forged in fire.

“Heather has lived here forever, and you’ve been back in town for a year,” Sam pointed out. “If you can’t get your act together to make a move in all that time, maybe you don’t deserve a shot.”

“And since I’m sure you’re not here merely to remind me of my dating shortcomings, why don’t you tell me what you found out about police incidents around the quarry over the last few years.” He’d called Sam last night after dropping off Heather at her place, his concern renewed after she went off the road so close to the place his sister had been attacked.

Sam was the only person in the sheriff’s department he felt comfortable asking since he preferred to keep his interest quiet. Gabriella—Ellie—had never filed a police report about her attack and now that she’d changed her identity, they were all the more cautious about drawing undue attention to her or her whereabouts.

“I need to compare the number of complaints against some other sites in town. But on first glance, the number seems high to me, and too often involving young women alone. A high school girl went off the road in the quarry last year because someone had taken down a sign on a turn.” A dark scowl settled on Sam’s face. “Luckily, one of Heather’s brothers was in town and he found the girl and got her out of there. But she was alone and vulnerable—that might have been by design on the part of whoever took out that sign.”

“You think there’s a chance someone knowingly preys on people in the quarry?”

What if Ellie’s attacker was a local? Someone who’d been in Heartache ever since? The hairs on the back of his neck rose.

Sam shook his head. “We’re getting ahead of ourselves. All I’m saying is that my initial search—and it was a quick scan through old files that haven’t been digitized—suggests we should dig deeper.”

Just one more reason Zach needed to offload this mayor gig. Digging deeper was exactly the kind of work he should be doing. With his computer forensics company, he was in a good place to analyze data for idiosyncrasies. He freelanced for police departments around the country, analyzing computers for deleted files, web searches or old emails that could help criminal cases. It was a job that called to him since his sister had been lured in by an internet predator, someone using a false identity and befriending Gabriella online.

Old frustration simmered. “I’m making this a priority.”

“So am I. But the real reason I’m here concerns the Finley family.” Sam folded his arms. Even without the aviator shades, he looked as if he could be Secret Service with his linebacker build and dark jacket.

“I hope it’s good news, Sam. I don’t have time for more problems in this town.” Zach didn’t like the vibe he picked up. He’d convinced Sam to come back to Heartache and take the sheriff slot after Zach had been appointed mayor.

Not just because they were friends, either. He’d always hoped they’d find Ellie’s stalker, who’d escaped Sam that night long ago.

Sam hadn’t been tough to convince. Ellie, on the other hand, hadn’t been pleased to be left behind in San Jose.

“You asked me last week to look into the rumblings on the town council.” Sam shoved his hands in his pants pockets, taking in the wedding breakfast festivities.

“I did.” Zach’s gut knotted. “I don’t like rumors and gossip BS.”

“Some of the council members believe there’s money missing from the town coffers. Last month, one of the temporary accounting clerks found an error in a ledger when they were transferring the data to digital formats.”

Zach swore under his breath. Multiple times. His eye shot to Heather as she moved through the party guests, exchanging words with almost everyone she passed.

She would have been a great mayor. And now—after a few heated touches they’d shared last night and this morning—he knew she would have been an incredible date. Or more. The chemistry there had him buzzing from the other side of the lawn.

But he’d thought she’d been hiding something. What if it was something a whole lot darker than he’d imagined?

“That’s not the worst of it.” Sam’s voice yanked Zach back to the matter at hand.

“Worse than missing money from the town’s books and a restless town council secretly looking for answers? Why didn’t anyone come to me?” His head throbbed. He hated scandal and secrets. “And how the hell can things go downhill from there?”

“Apparently, the accounting problem dates back to Mayor Finley’s term. Two of the older council members hadn’t reported it because they feared Mayor Finley knew about the missing money and never reported it.”

Zach’s head shot up. “What are you implying?”

“Not one damn thing.” Sam shook his head. “You know me better than that. I don’t deal in implications. I’m reporting the nature of the whispers you’ve been hearing lately. I spoke to Rodney Baker, the council’s oldest member, at length.”

“Shit.” Zach knew Sam well enough to be one hundred percent sure he had his facts straight. No doubt that’s why his gut sank.

“Exactly. That beautiful woman you were just talking to? Rodney Baker thinks her father knew all about the accounting issues. According to Baker, Mayor Finley was supposed to be ‘looking into it’ before he died. Baker never reported it after the mayor’s death because he never could hunt down any error in the books anyhow.”

“Until last month when the clerk discovered it,” Zach clarified.

“Correct.”

Zach couldn’t sit on information like this for more than a day or two. It needed to be made public so the town could figure out what had happened. Zach was willing to bet the Finley family would soon be embroiled in scandal.

As for Heather? It was a hell of a way to get his wish, but he knew for a fact she wouldn’t be going anywhere to chase her dreams when her family threatened to become front-page news.