took hold of the doorknob. “Have it your way. But remember—I’m right next door if you need me.”
He left and she dropped onto the bed, struggling to control her racing heart. Great. He was next door. Entirely too close for comfort. He had no idea, but Cody Rankin was a lot more dangerous to Bette’s well-being than Rainey and her son.
Bette couldn’t decide if the dinner of roast beef, potatoes au gratin, green beans almandine and homemade rolls was designed to impress her with Rainey’s prowess in the kitchen, or if it was simply the way the Walker family ate every evening. Add in the gleaming oak table, polished silver and dishes she guessed were hand painted, and the place screamed laid-back luxury. “Everything is so delicious,” she said, determined to give credit where credit was due.
“I wish Travis and Gage could have been here,” Mrs. Walker said, as she passed the dish of potatoes.
“They said they were sorry to miss eating with us, but they think they have a break in the case,” Lacy said.
“I hope that means they’re close to catching the murderer,” Mrs. Walker said.
“And without another woman dying,” Mr. Walker said.
Silence descended on the table, broken only by the clink of ice in glasses and the scrape of forks on china.
“Not the most cheerful topic of conversation,” Travis’s sister, Emily, said, slicing into her roast.
“One of the hazards of living with law enforcement,” Cody said. “Lacy will get used to it.”
“Oh, I am,” Lacy said. “I think it’s interesting, actually.”
Mrs. Walker turned to Bette. “I hope you’re finding the cabin comfortable.”
“Oh, yes,” Bette said. “It’s beautiful. I’m going to really enjoy staying there.”
“Well, if you need anything, just let me know,” Mrs. Walker said.
“Maybe some more cleaner.” Seated next to her, Cody whispered the words under his breath. Bette kicked him in the shin. She had refused his offer to help scrub the painted message off the front door, but it was true she had used most of a bottle of cleaner and probably ruined a bath towel cleaning everything up. Someone looking closely would probably still be able to see the shadow of the words, but tomorrow she planned to make a wreath or something to hang on the door to cover them up. She had gotten to be pretty crafty, all those years behind bars.
“If I wasn’t staying here, you could have had my room,” Lacy said. “Though you’ll probably appreciate the privacy of the cabin.”
“I thought you had a place in town,” Bette said. She remembered Lacy’s excitement over the apartment she had rented from a friend.
“I do, but Travis persuaded me that I should stay here until the wedding.”
“He didn’t like the idea of you living alone while this killer is on the loose,” Mrs. Walker said. “And I don’t blame him.”
“It’s very sweet of you to take me in,” Lacy said. “My room is very nice.”
“We thought about putting you in one of the cabins,” Mr. Walker said. “But we didn’t want to make it too easy for Travis to sneak off to see you. It’s good for young men to have a challenge.”
Lacy blushed bright pink, while the rest of the table burst into laughter.
The door from the kitchen opened and Rainey entered. “Does anyone need anything?” she asked, surveying the table.
“Everything is delicious,” Bette said. “I’ll have to get your recipe for the roast—it’s so well-seasoned.”
“I don’t give out my recipes,” Rainey said.
Bette kept a smile on her face. She wasn’t going to let this old bat get her down.
“My favorite is the potatoes,” Cody said.
“Doug made those,” Rainey said.
“So I guess he made it back in time to help you with the cooking after all,” Cody said.
“I told you, he was just out smoking.” She turned on her heels and left them.
“I’m afraid Rainey’s feelings are a little hurt that Travis and Lacy didn’t ask her to cater the wedding,” Mrs. Walker said. “I tried to explain we didn’t want to burden her with so much work—and that it meant a lot to Lacy to have her friend do the job. I’m sure she’ll calm down soon. In the meantime, I hope you won’t let her bother you, Bette.”
“Of course not.” Bette took a sip of her water, aware of Cody watching her. Honestly, did he have to sit right next to her? She couldn’t make a move without being aware of him. When he reached past her for the rolls, his arm brushed hers and a tremor shuddered through her. So annoying. Tomorrow, she’d suggest she trade places at dinner with Lacy or Emily. Or maybe she could stick Travis next to his friend.
“What’s next on the wedding agenda?” Emily asked.
“The bridesmaids’ tea is Saturday,” Lacy said. “Now that Bette is here, we can finish planning that.”
“It sounds very formal,” Cody said.
“It’s just a chance for us to dress up and eat lots of fancy finger food,” Lacy said. “I wanted something different from a bar crawl.”
“There aren’t many bars to crawl to in Eagle Mountain,” Emily said.
“That’s not going to stop the men.” Lacy looked down the table to Cody. “Gage told me he’s planning to kidnap Travis and force him to attend his bachelor party Saturday night.”
“If the roads stay open, he’s booked a hotel in Junction,” Cody said. “If not, we’ll make do with Moe’s Pub.”
“I’m rooting for Moe’s,” Lacy said. “There’s no way they can get into trouble there, with half the town watching them.”
Rainey returned and began clearing the table. “Where’s Doug?” Cody asked. “Doesn’t he usually help you with that?”
“He wasn’t feeling well,” Rainey said. “I sent him to lie down.”
“Let me help.” Bette stood and began gathering the plates on her side of the table.
“There’s no need for that,” Rainey said. “I can manage on my own.”
“I want to help,” Bette said.
Cody stood and began collecting dishes also. “I’ll help, too,” he said.
The two of them followed Rainey into the kitchen. “Put the dishes in the sink and then go sit down,” Rainey directed. “I don’t like a lot of other people in my kitchen while I’m trying to work.”
“I’m the same way,” Bette said. “You know just where everything is and how you want to do things, and it’s annoying to have to keep stopping and telling other people what to do.”
Rainey glared at her, but Bette kept smiling.
“I don’t think your plan to win her over with flattery and kindness is going to work,” Cody whispered as they made their way back to the table.
“Maybe I’m not trying to win her over,” Bette said. “Maybe I’m trying to drive her crazy. Crabby people hate it when their enemies are nice to them.”
A few moments later, Rainey entered the dining room, carrying a large apple pie and a carton of vanilla ice cream. She set them in the center of the table. “You can serve yourselves,” she said.