Holly Grove Homecoming Read online

  “I hadn’t thought of that. Won’t there be any light from the moon?”

  “Probably, but it won’t help much. We’ll set up under Aunt Myrna’s weeping willow. It will be pretty dark back in there.”

  “Oh, that’s a great idea. The limbs of the willow will help hide us, won’t they?”

  “I hope so.”

  “This is wonderful,” Carly announced. “I can hardly wait for tonight.”

  Still fighting a smile, Trooper picked up his glass and finished the rest of his water, then stood. “Well, I’d better be on my way. I need to tell Aunt Myrna what we’ll be doing in her side yard tonight. I’d hate for her to wake up, think she had intruders, and call the police.”

  “Yes, that would be embarrassing. Fine then. I’ll just walk you to the front door.”

  She turned and took a step toward the hallway, then stopped so quickly that Trooper, who’d started to follow, almost ran into her.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  She turned to face him. “I forgot to ask. Did you stop by for some reason?”

  Trooper had forgotten that he’d intended to ask about office supply stores, but he didn’t want to raise the topic now when it could provide an excuse for him to come back another day. “Just basically wanted to make sure you hadn’t suffered any ill effects from last night’s adventure.”

  She smiled. “That was thoughtful of you.” She turned and headed for the front door again, and Trooper fell in behind her again, although with more caution in case she thought of something else she wanted to say to him.

  Fortunately, they made it all the way to the front door this time, where Carly gave him a warm smile before assuring him that she’d be on time for their rendezvous that evening.

  “Great,” Trooper answered her. “See you then.”

  By ten o’clock that evening, Trooper had begun having second thoughts about allowing Carly to join him. He was almost positive he knew who their noisemaker was, and he also felt pretty sure that he and Carly wouldn’t be in any danger. But “almost positive” and “pretty sure” were not the same as one hundred percent certain.

  However, he sure as heck wasn’t going to try to talk Carly out of coming along on his stakeout. For one thing, he didn’t think he’d succeed in deterring her. And for another thing, he was looking forward to spending those hours with her. She was a fun person to be with, and even if they couldn’t talk, just knowing she was there would ease the certain boredom of that type of stakeout.

  He again started having second thoughts when Carly showed up promptly at ten o’clock with an old quilt folded across her arm and the handles of a cooler clutched in her hand. Obviously his and her opinions about the amenities required for a stakeout were markedly different. He’d brought only his gun and cell phone.

  She eased up to him. The full moon shone down on them, illuminating her face with its enthusiastic smile. “Hi,” she whispered. “Ready?”

  Trooper nodded, then looked down at the cooler and raised his eyebrows in a question.

  “Colas,” Carly whispered in response. “I need caffeine to ensure I stay awake.”

  Trooper again nodded. He’d told her not to bring coffee. He’d said nothing about other drinks. He reached to take the handles of the cooler from her and motioned with his head toward the side yard. Carly nodded back, apparently indicating that she understood and was ready to follow him.

  Staying close to the shrubbery beside the house, Trooper rounded the corner and led Carly a few more feet before turning away from the house and heading toward the huge weeping willow that stood several more feet away from the house.

  Trooper was pleased that Carly followed him in silence. When they approached the willow, he pushed his free arm through the slender branches, which came within an inch of touching the ground, and parted them, stepping to one side so Carly could precede him.

  She entered slowly, obviously feeling her way with her feet. The pendulous limbs shut out most of the moonlight so that the darkness within their enclosure was nearly absolute.

  Trooper’s eyes had always adjusted to change quickly, so he reached to take Carly’s arm to steady her as she shuffled into the shadows. A few seconds later, he joined her, allowing the branches to swing together behind him, enclosing them in a muggy world that smelled of damp earth.

  Carly grasped his arm and stood quite still for several seconds, apparently waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. When she finally released him, she turned and shook the quilt out, spread it on the ground, and seated herself.

  Trooper set the cooler to her right, then lowered himself to the ground at her left side. He wanted to ask if she was okay but knowing how far a mere whisper could carry in the quietness of the night, he hesitated to speak. Instead, he grasped her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

  She squeezed back, which he took as a good sign. Then, because this was, after all, a stakeout, he stood again and moved to peer through the branches toward the side of Myrna’s house.

  “See anything?” Carly asked in a loud whisper. Trooper bit back a sharp retort. Fortunately, he hadn’t seen anyone. If he had, whoever it was would no doubt have heard Carly and taken off.

  He dropped back beside her on the quilt and placed his mouth up next to her ear. Damn, but she spelled good. It must be her shampoo, he decided. The scent reminded him of honeysuckle with hints of something more exotic that he would never be able to name. Whatever, the fragrance was so enticing that he had to sit on himself to keep from running his tongue along her earlobe instead of murmuring into her ear.

  “Don’t whisper so loud,” he told her, his voice as soft as he could make it. He figured, considering how softly he’d spoken, he’d be lucky if Carly had heard him at all. But obviously she had because she immediately nodded. Then she placed a hand on his cheek to gently rotate his head so she could whisper back.

  “Sorry,” she said, breathing the sibilants of the single word so directly into his ear that the resulting chills chased themselves down his spine and around his pelvis until he feared he would melt into a puddle of desire at her feet if that happened again. He pulled back sharply but reached to pat her hand lest she think his abrupt action meant he was upset with her.

  Apparently she wasn’t concerned. She turned to the cooler, then slowly and quietly pried off the lid. When she reached inside, her actions led to the sucking sound of a bottle being pulled free, followed by the clatter of crushed ice rushing to fill a newly created void. The noise filled the night like a small avalanche.

  “Shhh,” Trooper hissed, then mentally chastised himself for sounding like an overzealous librarian.

  “Sorry,” Carly whispered again, and although her lips weren’t practically touching his ear this time, and although her breath wasn’t close enough to warm his skin, Trooper still felt quivers of desire race through his system. Maybe bringing her on this stakeout had been a bad idea for more reasons than he’d first considered.

  Carly touched his upper arm with the cold bottle, and when he turned to her, she held the drink out as though to offer him a sip. He shook his head, hoping her eyes had adjusted enough that she could see his movements. Apparently she could. She pulled the bottle back, slowly unscrewed the cap, and took a long drink.

  Trooper decided it was time to take another look outside their hiding place. He got to his feet and pushed the willow branches open an inch. The moonlight still shone brightly enough that he could tell he and Carly were alone.

  Well, no sense in spending too much time looking for their noisemaker. Whenever their pest started making that god-awful noise again would be time enough to intercept him.

  He eased back over to Carly’s side and dropped down beside her on the quilt. A breeze stirred the willow, creating a languid movement among the branches and a soft rustle as the leaves brushed against each other.

  Carly started, and Trooper quickly placed his hand on her arm to calm her. Her quick sigh was followed by a soft laugh, just before she fell
backward onto the quilt.

  Darn! Was she mad at him or was she just tired already? Trooper lowered his body until he was lying on his side. He propped himself up on his elbow and tried to gauge her attitude from the expression on her face, but he couldn’t see well enough to make that determination. He leaned in closer, and when he did, she turned her face toward him. Suddenly, their lips were within a couple of inches of each other. Trooper still couldn’t see her very well, but he could feel the warmth of her breath on his skin.

  That warmth increased rapidly when Carly lifted her arm, placed a hand on the back of his head, and pulled him toward her until their lips brushed.

  Trooper’s heart kicked into overdrive just as a corner of his mind warned him that this wasn’t a particularly wise way to behave on a stakeout. At the same time, yet another portion of his brain informed him that wisdom was a highly overrated virtue and he should loosen up and go with the flow.

  He made no move to break the contact between his and Carly’s lips, nor did he attempt to deepen the kiss. Carly had initiated it, and he decided to let her determine just where they were going with it.

  But he sure wasn’t disappointed when her hand on the back of his head exerted enough additional pressure to increase the intimacy between their lips. He had just decided to become an active participant in that kiss when he heard his aunt calling his name in a loud whisper.

  “Nelson? Nelson? Where are you?”

  He jerked back just as Carly moved her hand. He rolled and pushed himself to his feet in one quick movement, then hurried to shove his head through the weeping willow branches. He could make out his aunt’s form standing a few feet away.

  “Shhhh,” he hissed. “Over here. What’s wrong?”

  She stepped closer. “Nothing’s wrong, dear. I just thought you might get hungry. I made a pan of brownies and brought a few out to you.” She extended her arm. In her hand was a dinner plate covered by a large cloth napkin.

  “Brownies?” Trooper automatically reached for the plate she held out toward him. “Eh, thanks.”

  “You’re quite welcome, dear. Well, I’m pretty tired, so I think I’ll turn in now. I hope your stakeout goes well.”

  Trooper experienced a strong desire to remind Myrna that his activities had, in fact, been intended as a stakeout rather than a tea party. He refrained because there was no sense in hurting his aunt’s feelings, and besides, if any harm had been done, it was too late to correct it now.

  In fact, he figured that any hopes he’d had of catching their nocturnal visitor were totally dashed for the evening.

  Carly had apparently decided the same thing. When he re-joined her under the shelter of the willow, she had already folded the quilt over her left arm, and the cooler sat at her feet. She placed a hand on his arm and spoke in a whisper.

  “I hope you’ll forgive me, Trooper, but like Myrna, I’m getting pretty tired. I think I’ll follow her example and turn in also.”

  Trooper didn’t bother to respond in a whisper. “I think you’ve got the right idea. I’ll walk you home.”

  “No need,” Carly said quickly. “Just watch from this side of the street until I get inside. I’ll flash the porch lights twice when I’m in and all seems well.”

  It seemed clear that Carly was already regretting that kiss she’d initiated and didn’t want to risk him attempting another if he walked her to her door. “Okay, if that’s what you want.” He tried not to sound sullen.

  “I hope I haven’t ruined your stakeout for you.”

  “No, of course not. I don’t think our unwanted guest was going to show tonight anyway.”

  “I hope not. Well, thanks for a very informative evening.” She picked up the cooler and allowed Trooper to part the willow branches so she could step outside. He followed and watched her cross the street. Fortunately, the streetlights allowed him to keep her in sight all the way to her front porch. A few seconds later, her porch lights flashed off, then on, then off again.

  The evening of the stakeout turned picnic turned tea party was over. Trooper just hoped the folks from his office never learned about this. They’d kid him about it until his dying day.

  Chapter 12

  Carly couldn’t believe what an idiot she’d made of herself tonight. Poor Trooper. Obviously he’d just wanted to have a nice, quiet stakeout, and what had she done? She’d kissed the man. Good grief! How unprofessional.

  She stomped through the house to the kitchen, flipped the light on, and slammed her cooler down on the countertop. She was furious with herself. A nice, promising friendship appeared to be developing between her and Trooper, and what had she done? She introduced romance. Or would a man think of it as sex? Yes, that’s no doubt what he had been thinking. If Myrna hadn’t shown up, where would her kiss have led?

  She jerked the refrigerator door open and grabbed one of the beers she kept for guests. She would have preferred wine, but opening a beer was quicker, and she wanted help in forgetting fast.

  She turned the bottle up and downed a few swallows. Yuck! Even forgetfulness wasn’t worth enduring that taste. She walked to the sink and was about to pour the rest down the drain when a tap on the kitchen door sent her heart slamming against her ribs.

  She dropped the bottle in the sink and spun to look toward the kitchen door. The top half of the door was glass, and her back porch light was on, so she had little trouble in recognizing Trooper’s face outside.

  She marched to the door, unlocked it, and jerked it open. “You scared me half to death. What’s going on?”

  Trooper winced. “Sorry. I didn’t see any lights on in the front of the house so I came on around to the back. Can I come in?”

  Carly pulled the door open enough to let Trooper step inside. “What do you want, Trooper?” If he’d come over thinking she’d jump in bed with him just because she’d kissed him, well, she was going to scream or, better yet, kick him.

  He glanced toward the sink. “I thought you didn’t like beer.”

  She shoved her shoulders back and narrowed her eyes. “What business is it of yours whether I like beer or not? Maybe I decided tonight that I wanted a beer. Can’t a woman change her mind?”

  “Ouch.” He winced again. “I was afraid you were mad. That’s why I came over. I wanted to apologize to you before our friendship is damaged.”

  Carly’s anger started deflating as fast as a punctured balloon. “Apologize?”

  “Yeah, you know, for kissing you under the willow. I know you just intended your kiss to be a friendly peck but I started to get a little carried away because, well, really, you’re a very desirable woman. But I want you to know that even if Aunt Myrna hadn’t shown up, I would never have done anything you didn’t want to do.”

  Carly just stood there, her eyes growing wider. Was this man for real?

  He heaved a sigh. “Well, that’s all I wanted to say. If you’re not too mad, I’d like to stop by sometime tomorrow, maybe take you out to lunch by way of an apology.”

  “Oh,” Carly murmured. He was apologizing to her after she’d made such a fool of herself over him. He was either the sweetest guy in the world or one of the most naïve to think she wasn’t hugely attracted to him. She stammered in her rush to answer. “S-s-sure. Lunch would be great.”

  His smile was bright and relieved. “Great. I’ll pick you up around noon if that’s okay by you.”

  “Sure,” Carly said. Well, wasn’t she a brilliant conversationalist?

  “Fine.” He raised a hand in farewell. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Lock up behind me.”

  With a gait that was almost jaunty, he walked to the kitchen door, stepped outside, and then waited on the stoop until she locked the door behind him.

  “Good night,” he called through the door.

  “Night,” she responded. She watched him until he disappeared around the corner of her house and then she made her way upstairs to settle in for the evening, a silly smile on her face.

  * * *

  Tr
ooper awoke the next morning feeling downright chipper. He’d had a good night’s sleep, and he was proud of his foresight from the evening before. Going to see Carly had been a stroke of pure genius, if he did say so himself.

  He would never try to pass himself off as a Casanova, but he liked to think he had enough knowledge of the opposite sex to understand that if he hadn’t gone to Carly and apologized, their friendship could have been mortally wounded.

  So while he showered, he sang, and while he shaved, he occasionally smiled at himself in the mirror while congratulatory thoughts ran through his mind. Yep, he was pretty smart and as a result, he was going to have lunch with Carly today.

  He’d decided to take her to Margo’s by the Lake because he figured she’d never been there and frankly, he was hoping to impress her. He wasn’t quite sure why. He had pretty much decided they should remain merely friends, but on the other hand, he’d certainly enjoyed that interrupted kiss last night. He wouldn’t mind overmuch if he got a chance to try another, complete kiss.

  When he eventually made his way downstairs, he found a note from Myrna saying she’d forgotten to tell him that this was her day to volunteer at the county hospital. She’d be gone all morning, the note said, and he should fix himself whatever he wanted for breakfast.

  Trooper didn’t mind being left alone that morning. He’d lived alone for so many years that he had come to value alone time. After putting a pot of coffee on to brew, he checked the cabinet where Myrna kept her boxes of cereal and decided on one that wouldn’t, he sincerely hoped, taste like cardboard. After pouring a bowl, he checked the coffee, which wasn’t through dripping yet, so he made his way to the front porch to see if the daily newspaper was there.

  His first action upon stepping out onto the porch was to glance across the street. He hoped Carly might be outside, watering her impatiens or maybe just enjoying the cool of the morning before the sun climbed too high, but there was no sign of her.