Home to Walnut Ridge (18 page)

“
And I don’t like to
read.”

“
No, Lester,” Buddy said,
chuckling. “See, all she was trying to say was‍—‍”

“
And I don’t have an
online either.” Lester went back to work, turning his back to them.
Apparently, he was through with the conversation.

“
Okay, then!” Buddy
laughed as he turned to go. “Well, I’ve got to skedaddle. Pray for
my meeting with Deacon so I don’t punch his lights out. Noah, you
still have those boxing gloves I loaned you?”

“
Sure thing. Stop by the
cottage if you want to pick them up. They’re on the coffee table
right next to my sword.”

Buddy turned around, walking backwards
toward his bike. “Hey, now‌—‌a sword duel with Deacon. That has
possibilities!”

Alex turned to go back into the shop.
“Bye, Dad. Good luck.”

Just then Gristle rolled up on his
Harley and parked right beside Buddy’s bike. “What’s this? Some
kinda party goin’ on and no one calls me?”

“
You just about missed
me,” Buddy said, putting his helmet on. “You okay? We were
wondering where you were this morning.”

Gristle took off his
helmet and stepped off his bike. “Well, I needed to catch a
class
this morning, if
you know what I mean.” He glanced at Buddy sheepishly.

“
Ah.” Buddy reached over
to grab Gristle’s shoulder. “Good for you.”

Tracey looked at Noah with questioning
eyes.

“
A.A.,” he mouthed with a
smile.

“
Oh,” she said
silently.

“
Mr. Daniels been calling
you again?” Buddy asked.

“
Yeah, he sho ’nuff been
callin’. That dude must got me on speed dial. Called me a
good
six times
’fore I got up and just left. I never answered. I wanted to,
but I didn’t.”

Tracey looked back to Noah for
help.

“
Jack
Daniels,” he mouthed.

“
Oh,” she mouthed
again.

“
But don’t you worry none,
Buddy. I called my girl, and we found us a church service to go to.
Good thing it was a Wednesday night, huh?”

“
Good for you.” Buddy
wrapped his arm over Gristle’s shoulders. “I like this girl
already. When do we get to meet her?”

Gristle looked over at
Noah and Tracey. “That’s what I was wantin’ to ask. Okay if I bring
her along Saturday?” He flashed a goofy smile. “Maleeka, she
loves
my
bike.”

“
Maleeka?” Tracey said.
“What a beautiful name.”

“
Yes it is, Miss Tracey,
but it ain’t half
as pretty as she
is.”

“
Ah, that’s so sweet. I
hope you’ll bring her. I’m riding with Noah, so it’ll be nice to
have at least one other female on the trip.”

“
Tell her we’d love to
have her join us,” Buddy said just before keying his ignition.
“Just don’t be late!” With a salute off of his helmet, he turned
the bike and headed out.

“
I goin’ park my bike out
back and get to work,” Gristle said. “Okay wid’ you if I start
varnishin’ that workbench?”

“
That’d be great,” Noah
said. “I’ll go wipe it down for you. Varnish is already
inside.”

“
Perfect. See you later,
Miss Tracey.”

“
Bye, Gristle. I’m looking
forward to meeting Maleeka on Saturday.”

The goofy grin returned as Gristle
cranked his bike to life again. “Ah, you goin’ like her. She’
sumpin’ else.”

As Gristle took off, Tracey tugged on
the bill of Noah’s ball cap. “I’ve got to get down to the barn and
help Alex. We’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

“
You sure you’ve got time
to go to dinner with me tonight?” he asked.

As Tracey turned to go, she folded her
arms across her chest as a cool breeze kicked up the fallen leaves
around them. “For you? I’ll make time. Dad said we could take his
car. I think I heard him vacuuming it out early this morning. How
funny is that?”

Noah stepped up on the porch. “A man
and his machines. It’s a beautiful thing. Pick you up about five,
okay?”

“
I’ll be ready,” she said.
“Me ’n my boa.”

“
You mean, you and
your
beau
?”

Tracey smiled as he disappeared inside
the shop.

Me and my beau?

Even better.

Chapter 16

Noah still hadn’t told Tracey where
they were going. Taking the long, winding mountainous road heading
east, he’d easily dodged all her questions. They’d been driving
just over an hour when he pulled into the gravel parking
lot.

“
This is it?”

“
This is it,” he answered,
sliding the Buick Regal into an open space. “I promise you’re going
to love it. Welcome to High Point.”

He opened the car door for her then
took her hand as they made their way toward the enormous
three-story stone mansion with the cobblestone roof. “Looks like it
belongs back east. In those old neighborhoods in New
York.”

“
New York, eh?”

“
So what’s the big secret?
Why didn’t you just tell me about this place?”

“
Ah, you’ll just have to
wait and see. This old house has all kinds of secrets to
tell.”

They stepped under the covered
entrance and through the heavy arched front door. Inside, a hostess
greeted them, acknowledged Noah’s reservation, then led them to a
room with lots of windows, low lights, and a large stone fireplace
toward the back. Seating them in the corner beside the hearth, she
left menus with them and said their waiter would be with them
shortly.

“
Interesting place,
Noah.”

He watched as Tracey looked around the
room, taking in the tablecloths, folded napkins standing like
pyramids on plates, candlelight on each table, and the fire
crackling just beside them.

Her face glowed with curiosity. “It’s
positively magical in here.”

After their waiter served their drinks
and took their orders, Tracey crossed her arms and leaned her
elbows on the table. “All right. Out with it. What’s so mysterious
about this place?”

He smiled, reaching for her hand.
“High Point has quite a history. You are sitting in a home once
built and owned by Al Capone.”

“
Right. And that couple
over there is Bonnie and Clyde.”

“
Now, Tracey,” he chided
like a patient school teacher. “In fact, this was a stopping point
for the famous mob boss as he traveled from Chicago down to
Florida. Capone had it built in 1929. Supposedly there’s a whole
system of underground tunnels beneath us that helped Capone
transport his liquor during Prohibition. I don’t know if it’s true
or not, but supposedly, there’s a layer of sand between the floor
here and the tunnels below to stop any bullets from
penetrating.”

“
So you’re really serious?
This really belonged to Capone?”

“
I’ve also heard he built
the house for one of his mistresses. Which was convenient, of
course, since it was right on his way to Florida.”

He watched Tracey study the room
again, this time with believing eyes. Turning to look out the
windows, Noah noticed the sun had set and the growing darkness
outside had engulfed the back patio area in an eerie shroud of
fog.

She looked back at him.
“Seems like they should be playing the theme from
The Godfather
instead of
Tony Bennett.”

The waiter returned with their
dinners‌—‌a bourbon-marinated rib-eye served with a fully-loaded
baked potato and Caesar salad for Noah; a filet mignon served with
a burgundy mushroom sauce, accompanied by steamed asparagus with
hollandaise and an applewood spinach salad for Tracey.

“
This is
so good
,” Tracey said,
slicing off another bite of her steak. “How did you find this
place?”

“
One day I was out for a
ride by myself, and I pulled off here in Monteagle for gas. When I
asked the guy at the counter where he’d recommend for dinner, it
was either McDonald’s or ‘a real swanky place’ up the road, as he
put it. It was about this time of day, so I decided to check it
out. One of the best meals I’ve had in years. And you can’t beat
the ambiance.”

Tracey touched her napkin to her lips.
“So you just hop on your Harley and go for rides whenever the mood
hits?”

Noah felt a stab near his heart,
unsettled that she’d unknowingly hit so close to home. That was
exactly what he did‌—‌take to the open road whenever the memories
and thoughts threatened to overwhelm him.

“
Noah?”

“
Something like that.” His
smile didn’t feel legit, but it would have to do. Glimpsing the
concern in her eyes, he busied himself with a sip of water.
Change the subject. Quick.

“
What have you heard from
Miss Sadie? Anything new about the Lincoln cup and
saucer?”

She rested her fork back on her plate.
“I can’t believe I forgot to tell you! She stopped by the house
early this morning to tell me she’d contacted the Smithsonian. You
should have seen her, Noah. Her face was wild with excitement
again, just like it was that first day she found out about the cup
and saucer.”

“
What did they tell her?
The folks at the Smithsonian.”

“
They said they’ll send a
team to investigate and determine whether it really is an original.
Apparently, it’s quite common for companies to make reproductions
of presidential china patterns. Sadie said the person she talked to
wasn’t convinced ours were authentic. That’s why she’s so eager for
them to see for themselves. And not just the teacup and saucer, but
the note and letter from Craggie Collins as well.”

“
If they validate its
authenticity, will you donate it to the Smithsonian?”

“
I’m not sure. Alex, Dad,
and I haven’t had time to talk through all of that yet.”

“
I suppose not, with
everything else going on.”

They talked about the progress on the
shop and possible time frames for its opening, what else needed to
be done, and the ideas Tracey and Alex had for decorating once it
was ready. Noah loved the way her eyes lit up when she described
the new business and all the potential it held.

“
I didn’t have a chance to
talk to Buddy after his meeting with Deacon and Faye, did
you?”

The sparkle in her eyes quickly faded
as she relayed Buddy’s comments when he got home.

“
Never mind that our shop
will bring people to town who’ve never been there before. We have
plans to advertise throughout the mid-south. We’ve been working
with a friend to design a website for us, and we’ll use all the
usual social media networks to get the word out, showcase our
pieces, and all that. So you’d think Deacon would be pleased at the
prospect of having folks discover our little town, and visit the
other shops and restaurants. But no‌—‌instead he’s trying every
possible angle to stop us from opening. It makes no
sense.”

The waiter cleared their dishes and
Noah ordered coffee and dessert, though Tracey said she couldn’t
eat another bite. “But wait until you taste this grilled pound
cake. You won’t believe it.”

The waiter returned with an enormous
slice of the grilled confection, a generous mound of vanilla bean
ice cream resting on top, all drizzled with a caramel
sauce.

“
There’s enough here for
four people, let alone two!”

He handed her a fork. “Oh, I think I
can handle it. Here, just taste it.” He held the bite to her
lips.

A moment later, she closed her eyes.
“Oh, that is just decadent.”

“
Told you.”

“
Hand me the other fork. I
think I suddenly found room for this.”

Later, as they finished their coffee,
Noah mustered his courage and took her hand. “This is nice. I’m
glad we came.”

“
Me too.” She breathed in
slowly, then let out a long sigh. “Even though I’ve only been back
a few days, it seems like months now. I can’t tell you how much I
needed an evening like this.” She smiled, her eyes sparkling in the
candlelight. “I’m glad you brought me here.”

Noah rubbed his thumb slowly against
the back of her hand. “Tracey, I need you to know
that . . .” He’d rehearsed this in his mind before
they left Jacobs Mill. Now, at the perfect moment to say what he
wanted to say, the words eluded him.

Tracey leaned forward. “What is
it?”

He gave her a nervous smile and pushed
through the jitters wreaking havoc with his gut. “I just wanted to
say that . . . I’m really thankful we met. I
certainly never saw it coming. Ever since I’ve known Buddy, I’ve
heard about you. I guess you know he’s really proud of both his
daughters. He talks about you all the time.”

“
Really?” she asked,
tilting her head.

“
To listen to him, you
pretty much run Washington.”