Jackrabbit Junction Jitters (5 page)

“You know I’m right. You said the same thing last week.”

“I did not.”

“Yes, you did. You said that MacDonald seems like a
toe-the-line type of man, and Claire’s toes only touch the line if they are
super-glued to it.”

Kate’s forehead and nose reddened. She’d never quite got
blushing down right. “True, but that’s not even close to what you just said.”

Claire smirked at both of them and leapt into the ring. “Oh,
and you guys are such experts on relationships, what with the ink still drying
on your divorce papers,” she said to her mother before turning on her sister, “and
you dating every other convict in the South Dakota prison circuit.”

Gramps patted Claire on the shoulder. “Claire has a point,
although you probably shouldn’t talk to your mother that way.”

“Claire, honey, you know I love you.” Deborah used her super-sweet
voice—the one that made Claire’s eardrums throb. “I just want what’s best for
you. You should try wearing nicer blouses, maybe some silk, and pleated pants
to hide your tummy. You’d be so pretty with the right accessories.”

Claire looked at Gramps and then Kate with raised eyebrows,
wondering if they’d object to her tackling Deborah and cramming her chandelier
earrings and other “accessories” down her throat.

“That’s it.” Gramps grabbed Deborah by the shoulders and
pushed her toward the back door. “Katie, put your mother’s bags back in the
car. She’s going home.”

“Come on, Gramps,” Kate whined. “That’s not fair. She drove
me nuts all of the way down here. Make Claire drive her home.”

Deborah pulled free of Gramps’s grip. “Nobody is driving me
anywhere. I told you, Dad, I’m not leaving until Claire and you come to your
senses. This foolishness has to stop.”

“If by ‘foolishness’ you mean me marrying Ruby, then you’re
wasting your time here. Nothing and nobody is going to stop me from marrying
that woman.”

Deborah’s nostrils flared. “I didn’t want to have to say
this, but—”

“Mom, don’t.” Kate grabbed Deborah’s arm.

Shaking off Kate’s hand, Deborah continued. “What are you
thinking, marrying some woman who is younger than—”

“Claire?” Jess poked her head through the curtain. Her eyes
shined with curiosity as she gaped at the group of them all clustered in the
center of the room. “Mom needs you to fix an overflowing toilet in the men’s
restroom by the tool shed.”

“I’ll be right there.” Duty called, thank God! Claire couldn’t
wait to answer.

She flashed her mother a fake smile. “Always good to see
you, Mother.” With a nod to Kate and Gramps, she practically sprinted out the
back door.

As soon as she fixed the toilet and checked off all the tasks
on the To Do list Ruby had given her this morning, Claire was history.

She’d call from Tucson with her string of excuses.

* * *

Crack!

Kate awoke to the sound of the sky shattering into pieces.

She sat up quickly, blinking at the digital clock in the shadows
of Gramps’s bedroom—almost dinner time. Her head throbbed, her mouth tasted
like stale cheese, and her shirt stuck to her back. The bedside fan blew hot
air on her skin. Another thirty minutes in this oversized aluminum roasting pan
and she’d be well-done.

Someone sneezed.

She flicked on the bedside lamp and peeked over the edge of
the bed. Henry stared up at her.

“Henry!” Kate giggled as Gramps’s beagle jumped onto the bed
and tackled her with licks. He smelled like dirt and dog breath, but Kate nuzzled
his head anyway. She’d missed the furry little yapper. “It’s good to see you,
too, boy.”

Henry wiggled his body, his tail bouncing and waving.

“Even the dog likes you better,” Claire said from the
bedroom doorway. “It has to be the hair. Dolly Parton paved the way for all you
blondes.”

She reached into the coffin-sized closet and pulled out the
Betty Boop bag Kate had given her for Christmas two years ago.

The pounding in Kate’s head spread to her chest as she
watched Claire open the top drawer of the built-in dresser and throw her
underwear into the bag. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?”

“You’re not leaving me here with her.”

“Watch me.”

“Claire, come on.” Kate placed Henry on the bed next to her
and scooted to the end of the mattress. “Ruby and Gramps need you here. You’re
supposed to watch Ruby’s kid while they’re on their honeymoon, remember?”

Claire stuffed her socks into the bag. “You can watch Jess.
You’re the teacher. You have loads of experience with kids.”

“Well, yeah, but …” Kate gulped. Nobody in her family knew
her dirty little unemployment secret—yet.

Lightning flashed outside the window. Thunder rumbled an
encore seconds later.

Henry whined, burying his nose in Kate’s ribs.

Claire tucked a few T-shirts into her bag. “Besides, Jess is
easy.”

An easy teenager? That was laugh-out-loud funny.

“You just need an ear to listen to her troubles and a
shoulder for her to cry on. She’ll take care of the rest.”

Kate grabbed her sister’s hand as she reached for another
drawer. “Claire, you can’t leave me here with her.”

“Come on, Jess isn’t so bad.” Claire’s grin didn’t quite
reach her eyes. “She’s a real sweetheart when she’s not yelling at her mom.”

“I’m talking about your mother, not Jess.”

“My mother, huh? At least she likes the way you dress.”
Pulling away, Claire opened the next drawer. “I’m getting out of here before
she has me wearing frilly dresses and pajamas with footies again.”

“Claire, I need you here.”

“Ha! You just need someone to run interference.”

“No, there’s more to it than that.” Kate squeezed the bridge
of her nose and took a deep breath. She was going to have to spill the beans.

“Let me guess.” Claire turned toward Kate with a small stack
of jean shorts in her arms and a grin on her lips. “You’re engaged to another
klepto, and this one stole your half of the his-and-hers heart pendant you
bought.”

“That’s real funny coming from a woman who can’t even commit
to a hair appointment.”

Henry barked at the rude gesture Claire gave Kate. Kate
patted his head, earning a few licks in return.

Grumbling under her breath, Claire tossed the shorts into
the bag.

A cool breeze ruffled the faded brown curtains covering the
window, sweeping Kate’s hot skin. Two flashes of lightning followed, then a
drum roll of thunder.

Taking a deep breath, Kate laid her cards face-up on the
table. “I quit my job. I don’t want to be a teacher anymore. In fact, I don’t
want to have anything to do with public education at all. But don’t say
anything to Mom; I haven’t told her yet.”

Claire’s brown eyes widened. “You’re kidding me. When did
you quit?”

“Last month. I couldn’t stand it any longer.” It had been
her mom’s dream job, never hers.

“Mom’s going to shit ostrich eggs when she finds out. This
isn’t in the ten-year plan she has mapped out for you.”

Beads of sweat coated Kate’s upper lip at just the thought
of telling her mom. “Well, she forgot to ask me about my plan.”

“So, what job do you have lined up?”

“None.”

“Wow, that’s ballsy for you.” Claire plopped onto the edge
of the mattress next to Kate.

“I know, right? But I don’t want to tell Mom until I figure
out what I want to do. That’s why I need you to stay.”

Claire jumped up like Henry had bitten her on the butt. “No
way. I’m not going to be your fall guy.”

“That’s not what I was thinking. I want to pick your brain.”
That wasn’t entirely true, but it sure sounded legit.

“Pick my brain? You’ve been smoking that weed that grows
behind Gramps’s house again.”

“I’m serious. You have more college credits than anyone I
know.” Claire had more schooling under her belt than most doctorate holders.
Unfortunately, the content of her classes spanned the spectrum, and she had yet
to find a degree program that held her interest for more than a year. Kate had
lost count of the number of jobs listed on her sister’s resume.

“I’m also the family joke.”

Kate sighed. This was going to take some arm twisting. “Please
stay. If not for me, then for Ruby. You know how Mom can be when she’s got her
sights set on something, and she is hell bent on keeping Ruby from becoming one
of the family.”

Groaning, Claire banged her head against the wall. “Fine,
but you have to sleep on the couch—and the dog, too.” Claire pointed at Henry,
who growled in response. “This is my bed, and I’m the only one who gets to
snore in it.”

“Okay.” The couch couldn’t be that bad. Anything was better
than sharing the queen bed at Ruby’s house with her mother.

“And you have to help out at the store for free.”

It wasn’t like she had papers to grade. The only thing she’d
intended to work on this trip was her tan. “No problem.”

“And you have to help me figure out who broke into Ruby’s
place last month and why.”

A little summer mystery could be fun. “Sure, as long as I
don’t have to do anything illegal.”

Claire licked her lips. “Define illegal.”

“As in forbidden by law.” Kate glared at her sister. “I
still haven’t forgiven you for our last trip to jail.”

“Fine, I’ll do the illegal stuff on my own. But it’s going
to cost you a sandwich and a drink at The Shaft. We’ll drop off Henry at Ruby’s
on the way.”

Henry whimpered and buried his snout under his paws.

Kate’s headache dulled at the thought of throwing back
something mixed with alcohol. She slipped on her sandals. “Just one drink?”
That didn’t sound like her sister.

“You’re right. We’re talking about defending Ruby from your
mother. Bring your credit card.” Claire smiled at her from the doorway. “And
grab Gramps’s spare keys from the bed stand drawer. We’re taking his car. He
owes us both.”

* * *

The Shaft bustled—well, as much as a small-time bar in a
two-bit former railroad stop can bustle. With Happy Hour still at full
throttle, miners and cowboys took turns cuing up at the pool table, shoving
quarters in the old jukebox, and shooting at Bambi’s folks with a plastic rifle
on the Big Buck Hunter video game. The artificial plants swayed to the music
and the peanut-shell-covered floor crackled underfoot as Hank “Bocephus”
Williams Jr. sang about giving some guy an attitude adjustment.

Claire tapped her cigarette on the lip of the ashtray,
ignoring the disapproving frowns Kate kept sending her way. If she was sticking
around to deal with her mother, she deserved a reward. Or two. She took a swig
of her Corona.

Despite the thunderstorm that had blown through town a short
time ago carrying cooler breezes in its one-two punch, the air in the bar felt
steamed-towel hot and made everything sticky.

Across the room, a lovesick cowpoke strutted around like a
peacock with its tail feathers spread, casting glances at Kate as he hooted and
hollered over the twang of Hank’s guitar. Claire expected him to start shaking
his ass and flapping his arms any minute now.

Kate seemed oblivious to the mating ritual display as she
sipped her favorite drink, a Fuzzy Navel, and stared out at the rolling sea of
cowboy hats.

“Do you know most of these people?” she yelled to Claire
over the ruckus.

“Nope, just Guillermo over there by the Strip Poker video
game. Oh, and Butch, of course.”

“Who’s Butch?”

“The bartender.”

“You mean the guy behind the bar with the Coke-bottle
glasses?”

“No, that’s Gary. He’s Butch’s pinch hitter. Butch must be
in his office in back.”

Kate took another sip. “When’s Mac going to get here?”

Too soon. “Tomorrow night.”

“What’s going on with you two?”

“Nothing much.” Just some boat rocking, and not the fun,
under-the-covers kind.

“I’m sorry about what I said to Mom about you two.” Leaning
closer to Claire, Kate lowered her voice to a public speaking level. The scent
of peach schnapps was heavy on her breath. “It’s just he’s not at all like the
other men you’ve dated.”

Kate was dead-on there. Mac had not only turned Claire’s
nice little snow globe of a world upside down, he’d shaken the shit out of it,
too. In the four months they’d been together, she’d lost track of which way was
up.

“I mean, for one thing, he’s intelligent.”

“Hey!” Claire sat up straight. “I’ve dated smart guys
before. Remember the chemist?”

“Claire, he mixed paint at Sherwin Williams.” Kate stirred
her drink. “Mac also has a steady job.”

An accomplishment Claire had yet to attain. What was the big
deal with being employed? As if a job defined the person.

“Plus, he has a house.”

He sure did, all set up and ready for a wife and
two-point-five kids. He probably had a timeshare already rented at Disney World,
too, knowing Mac and his organizational skills. Claire finished off her beer
and set the bottle down with a thud.

“And he really cares about you.”

So he’d said Wednesday morning, smack dab in the middle of
back-arching, blow-her-socks-off sex. Claire took a hit from her cigarette,
remembering the icicle of panic that had stabbed her in the chest after he’d
driven off to work.

In the two days she’d been in Jackrabbit Junction, she’d
buried her head in the sand and avoided dealing with the insecurities Mac’s
words had stirred up. But tomorrow night, Mac would be sharing the same bed
with her. She couldn’t hide forever.

Kate finished her drink and pushed it aside. “So, how soon
until you freak out and leave him?”

Claire did a double-take. “What are you talking about?”

“Come on, Claire. I’ve known you my whole life. All of those
things I listed smell of commitment, and you and I know that at the merest
whiff of the “C” word, you run like hell.”

Claire hated how well her family had her pegged.