Awakening Veronica (20 page)

Seth opened the door for her and the scent of fresh coffee and pastries made her mouth water. They placed their orders for coffee and she picked out a carrot cake cupcake decorated with cream cheese frosting that looked almost too pretty to eat.

After choosing a booth near a window, Kate quizzed Seth about the holiday events in Divine. She was trying to decide how long to stay, since Jake and Adam had both called to check on her from home. She’d left the time frame open, wanting a sign from Veronica, or possibly Hank or Travis, that things were moving in a positive direction before she left the area. Some of the events Seth mentioned sounded like a hoot and she decided that she needed extra time in Divine.

Seth was across the coffee shop chatting with a friend and she was at the pastry case waiting while her order of cupcakes for Jayne and Toby was packaged up, when a woman rushed past her. She barely avoided being clipped by the woman’s handbag. The scent of housecats trailed in her wake.

Kate followed her progress to the counter where she spoke in curt tones to Cassie, the nice lady who owned Divine Drip. Cassie handed Kate her boxed order with a smile and thank-you, and then began making the woman’s coffee. The woman removed a stack of business cards from her wallet and clandestinely placed them in front of the register, where anyone walking up might see them but where it was unlikely Cassie would notice them unless she came around the counter.

Kate narrowed her eyes as she sidled over to get a look at the cards. She lifted one from the stack and looked at the fine print.

“Keep Divine Pure—Say No to Polyamory! Help us root out the rampant immorality growing in Divine. Follow our blog and like us on Facebook.”

The woman looked down at her and gave her a smile that didn’t reach her eyes as Kate took another card.

Unrepentant and unable to resist, Kate presented the woman with her best I’m-a-harmless-Granny smile and said, “Hello, dear. I’m not even sure what polyamory is. Is it
bad
?” It was a struggle to sound so guileless when she wanted to rip the harridan’s gizzards out. She had a feeling she knew who she was dealing with. “Oh, forgive my manners. I’m Kate Benedict.”

The woman held out her hand. “I’m Tabitha Lester, Kate. I’ve lived in Divine for a number of years and the sexual cesspool it has become is truly disheartening. Polyamory is what happens when three or more people of loose morals get together and all have sex with each other. It’s basically polygamy without the wedding ring. The vile acts they commit are immoral and should be prosecuted. Our own sheriff is friends with many of them and turns a blind eye, allowing them to proliferate their lifestyle amongst the innocent members of our community.” Her cheeks took on a mottled hue and her tone sounded more and more like a televangelist with each sanctimonious word.

“Well, my goodness, Tabitha. Are they out in the streets with it?” She gripped her wallet to her chest and looked over her shoulder as if she was watching out for mother-rapers and father-stabbers running loose in the streets. Seth happened to look her way, and when he saw who she was talking to, he shook hands with his friend and offered apologies before he strode across the shop.

“We’re having a meeting tonight at the Community Church on Crockett Street if you’d like to come.”

“Oh, I can’t drive at night, dear.” She pointed up at her reading glasses.

“I’d be happy to come and get you if you tell me your address.”

“Everything all right, here?” Seth asked in a low, warning tone.

Tabitha looked askance at him and a scowl drew her crookedly penciled eyebrows together before she turned back to Kate. “Do you know him?” Her lips twisted into a pucker like she’d gotten a whiff of the cat box odor on her cardigan.

Kate smiled and took Seth’s arm as he offered it. Patting his vividly tattooed forearm, she said, “This is my grandson.” Tabitha looked a little confused, and Kate was having too much fun to resist. “I’m staying at the Divine Creek Ranch, dear. Do you know where that is? What time should I expect you?”

Tabitha’s lips flapped as her face turned an even brighter hue that reminded Kate of beet salad. “
Divine Creek Ranch
! But you—don’t you know—”

Dropping the act, Kate said, “Yes, dear, I ‘know’ very well, and more than you do, apparently. And you should know that high horse you’re riding makes your ass look positively enormous.” Kate heard a distinct snort of amusement from behind the coffee shop counter but Cassie didn’t look their way.

Kate turned to Seth who wore a smirk and allowed him to lead her giggling from Divine Drip.

“If Gerald and Patrick Benedict were alive today, I’d get a spanking for that. Hee-hee!”

“I’ll bet you kept your men busy, didn’t you, Grandma Kate?”

“Busier than one-armed wallpaper hangers.”

“You were a pistol in your day, weren’t you?”

“I was indeed, sweetheart. Still am, actually.”

Seth’s laughter rumbled in his chest as he helped her put her riding jacket back on and then helped her with her helmet. His piercing blue gaze searched hers for a moment as he adjusted the chin strap and then lifted her into the seat. He climbed on in front of her, taking care to not clip her with his boot and started the motorcycle. “Kate?”

“Yes, Seth.”

“I’m proud to be your grandson.”

Grandma Kate patted his shoulder and waved to Tabitha Lester as they drove off toward his home.

The fact that Seth was quiet didn’t mean he didn’t have anything to say. Unless it involved Jayne or Toby, he kept his feelings to himself.

Kate prayed that if Veronica found happiness with Hank and Travis, that they understood that she also possessed qualities that made her unique and allowed her to be herself.

Remembering the business cards she’d slid into her wallet, Kate’s mood grew somber. “That woman is trouble, Seth. I can’t understand people like that and I feel horrible that any of you have to deal with her.” Appreciation for her beloved Lusty, Texas increased with her words.

“She’s crazy. I don’t give her the time of day because I know she wants attention. She’s also sneaky. She laid into Jayne last fall, in public, but she waited to do it while I wasn’t around.”

“Poor Jayne. That sweet girl—”

“Trust me, my
sweet girl
can handle that crazy-ass bitch. We both know her day is coming. Life’s too short for us to sacrifice our peace or happiness over someone else’s bitterness. Ace and Kemp are already looking at her.”

“Ace and Kemp? Oh, my goodness. Her ass is grass, isn’t it, Seth?”

“Yes, indeed it is.”

“I heard that Kemp’s quite handy with the duct tape.”

“I heard that rumor, too.”

* * * *

Veronica took the stack of plates Grace held out to her and carried them into the dining room to set on the table while Grace placed fresh white tapers in the candle holders.

Veronica looked over at Grace and smirked. “Candlelight?”

Grace’s secret smile was so obvious, it couldn’t really be called a secret smile. “Well, I figured that since Hank and Travis were coming over you might like the setting to be more…you know.”

“I know? I know what?”

Grace giggled. “You know.”

“Are you matchmaking, Grace? You know I’m only here temporarily.”

“But I thought maybe you were having fun with them. I saw Hank’s truck there last night and then I saw him barreling down the drive like a man on a mission earlier at lunchtime.”

Veronica snickered and had a hard time holding in the urge to sigh with satisfaction. He’d kissed her good-bye at the door, still naked and ready to start her afternoon. She hadn’t put clothing on until right before time to head up to the ranch house.

“You don’t want me to matchmake? You need to tell your face, sweetie,” Grace said with a chuckle as she returned with silverware for each place setting. “You like them, don’t you?”

“I do, Grace, but Hank holds a public office, and Travis may be leaving again. And I’m all twitterpated from seeing him again after so long.”

“That’s right! Kate mentioned that she’d asked Travis how he knew you.”

“I figured she’d give them both a good grilling the first chance she got.”

“Can I point out the obvious?”

“What?”

“If Kate had the feeling that something was off with either of them, she would’ve objected to them spending more time with you. You should trust your instincts more.”

“My instincts where men are concerned have gotten me in trouble before. I’m not even sure I have any instincts.”

“How’s the writing coming?”

“Very well.”

“Hank and Travis didn’t fuss at you about your hours?”

Veronica smiled, recalling the look in their eyes as they’d detailed their wishes to her. “No, actually they were encouraging…downright inspiring.”

She followed Grace back into the kitchen and heard her snicker. “I know all about inspiration. Imagine writing erotic romance and having three men to work all of your pent-up…imagination and energy out on. Whooey, is it getting hot in here or is it just me?”

Blushing to her roots, Veronica imagined exactly that—working out all that saved-up erotic energy on two handsome men. “It must be the oven. Yeah, definitely the oven.”

Veronica saw Grace glance her way as she peeled an avocado and said, “That online chat this afternoon was brutal.”

It’d gone fast and furious as expected, and of course BookAddictedWhore had shown up, only the chat had been in a moderation-free chat room. Since Veronica was the guest, she couldn’t count on moderation when the questions had gone from personal to downright confrontational.

Veronica shrugged. “It’s par for the course, I guess.” She looked up in time to catch Grace shake her head negatively but she said nothing else. “I let them think I laugh it off. What can I do? If I fight back, they would just start a flame war, or portray me as an author behaving badly. BookAddictedWhore will eventually lose interest in me and take her minions along with her to find someone else to pick on.”

With a sigh, Grace said, “I hope so.”

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that new, unfamiliar user who showed up today?”

Grace bit her lip in a lame attempt to hide a smile. “There were so many. Which one do you mean?”

“Duct Tape Dom?”

Veronica very clearly heard a gigglesnort but Grace looked innocent. “Oh, I liked him! He was nice to you! I wish he’d come back on a regular basis.”

Smiling, Veronica nudged Grace and said, “I do, too. Who is he?”

Grace blushed and said, “I know not of whom you speak. He seems like a nice…Dom.”

“All right. Keep your secrets.”

“It looked like you had quite a few readers who were new to your books show up for that chat. I was glad that they kind of balanced BookAddictedWhore and those other troll’s nonsense.”

“It’s a good thing. I was beginning to feel like I bring out the worst in people.”

“Trust me, it’s not you, Veronica. It’s something wrong with them and they see an easy target in you.”

“Like I said, I’m sure BookAddictedWhore will eventually lose interest in me since I won’t engage with her when she does that. Until then, I just focus on the nice readers.”

“Yeah, when they can get a word in edgewise.”

Veronica shrugged nonchalantly and changed the subject. “That’s life online. I should finish writing sometime soon.”

“Good! Then you and I can get some shopping done. I’ve never had such a hard time getting another woman to go shopping with me.”

“I’m sorry, I just—”

Grace put up a hand. “Don’t apologize. I know exactly how it is when you’re writing. My guys know to clear the decks and get whatever needs done, done. I don’t know if I could do it without them.”

Veronica noted the dreamy quality in Grace’s expression and wondered what that was like. In her writing world, she sometimes went without eating, and regularly without sleeping, when she was in the zone. Hank and Travis hadn’t judged the fact that she’d told them she needed to work, not sleep, after they’d left Saturday night, which she’d appreciated. Brent had always snored his way through the night hours leaving her to work in peace with her headphones on.

She thought back to Hank and Travis’s one simple instruction to text them when she went to sleep and when she woke up. It was a simple thing, yet she’d somehow felt anchored by the request. They didn’t try to control when she worked, they only wanted to know when she was resting. And the texts had definitely kept them on her mind.

“You’re thinking about them, aren’t you?”

Veronica looked up to find Grace watching her with a knowing smile on her face.

“Maybe, a little.”

She could fantasize about what it would be like with Hank and Travis but she always came back to the same roadblock. Hank held a public office, Travis might be leaving, and she had a lease in Montana and a recalcitrant ex-boyfriend to deal with, if the growing string of text messages and e-mails she’d been receiving on a daily basis were any indicator.