The man next to him with the shock of silver hair swats the guy.
“Everyone knew Shep could do whatever he wanted and succeed. He’s Maple Grove’s golden boy. He could do no wrong.” He shoots the man next to him a sharp look. “Unlike you.”
Shep shakes the other man’s hand.
“Bowie”—Shep pulls me in—“I’d like to introduce you to my old buddies, Craig Walker and Oliver Kincaid.”
Craig is the handsome walking-talking moustache with the floral printed tie, and Oliver is the one with the premature gray.
“Super nice to meet you,” I say. “I’m his fiancée,” I toss out the matrimonial nugget only because I can. Besides, I have a feeling now that Hilary has been shown the boundary line, Shep might actually forget all about our little arrangement.
Craig inches back. “Fiancée? Did I hear that right?” He mock-socks Shep in the stomach. “And here I thought we were destined to play our cards right for the rest of our lives.”
The three men share a laugh, and I give Shep the stink eye.
The brunette dives over Shep with a warm embrace.
“I can’t believe it. Has it really been fifteen years?” She shakes her head before looking my way. “I’m Kadie.” Her lips lift into something shy of a snarl as she examines me from head to toe.
Kadie has got on a tight-fitting red dress with matching heels. She’s graying at the roots, her skin looks thick and littered with lines as if the years haven’t been all that kind to her, and yet there’s an edge to her, a tough girl vibe which I’m guessing translates into a mean girl vibe, too.
“Kadie.” Shep shakes his head. “What have you been up to?” He looks my way. “Kadie Beaumont and Hilary were best friends.”
“Still are.” She wags a finger at him. “I’ve got kids now, you know.” She shoots Craig the side-eye before elbowing Oliver in the ribs. “This guy is working on an addition for me right now. And at the rate it’s going, it should be buttoned up in about another fifteen years. Now I know why he insisted I pay him by the hour.”
Everyone indulges in a warm chuckle on Oliver’s behalf, but he’s not laughing.
He looks her way. “I’d get a lot more work done if you weren’t distracting me with your shenanigans. Excuse me while I get a drink.” He takes off and Kadie gives a nervous laugh as she glances to Craig once again.
“No shenanigans here,” she declares. “I’m a busy mom of two teenage girls.”
Shep nods. “That’s right. I heard you married Skip Ryan.”
Hilary slings her arm around her old bestie. “She sure did. Fourteen years and going strong.” She tucks one of Kadie’s curls behind her ear. “Fourteen years is an awful long time. She’s entitled to a little shenanigan now and again.” She licks her lips as she looks to Shep.
It’s clear Hilary is up for a shenanigan or two—with my fiancé.
Okay, so Shep may not really be my fiancé, but that’s beside the point. I don’t take too kindly to cheaters, and I’m about to demonstrate it to her firsthand by way of my fist.
A couple of men step into our circle and the air grows icy as Hilary and Kadie quickly decide their palates are in need of a libation.
I bet they’re going to have a quick powwow on how to best snag Shep away and undress him in the nearest dark hallway. I knew girls like that in high school. I didn’t like them then and I don’t like them now.
Shep takes a breath. “Well, if it isn’t the skirt patrol.” He slaps each of the men before us with a handshake. “Bowie, this is Lloyd Jackson.” He nods to the beefy-looking man, bald, sparkling green eyes and a wide, tight smile. “He’s a deputy down at the Woodley Sheriff’s Department.”
“That’s right.” Lloyd sheds an easy grin. “Come this fall, I’m running for sheriff. I’ll expect a few votes from you all.” He gives a cheesy wink while he belts out a laugh.
“Sheriff?” Shep nods. “You got my vote already. Let me know if you need any help with the campaign.” He points to the stalky man next to him with a full head of brown hair and matching dark eyes. “And this is James Palmer. He, too, is a deputy down at the Woodley Sheriff’s Department. It’s like old home week in more ways than one. Boys, this is Bowie Binx.”
“His fiancée,” I’m forced to highlight the point once again. “Nice to meet you both.”
“Fiancée?” Lloyd shakes his head over at Shep. “You do know what that means, don’t you?”
The three of them share a laugh on my behalf.
“Very funny,” I mutter. “So you all worked together, huh?”
“That’s right.” James gives a wistful shake of the head as he looks to Shep. “We sure miss you down at the station. “But don’t worry. We came packing heat.”
Shep nods his way. “So I take it we’re all safe here tonight.”
“We’re all safe. And if you don’t behave”—James peels back his suit jacket and exposes the butt of a gun—“this is what I’m going to kill you with.”
The three of them share another hearty guffaw, and it’s then I realize the vision I had this morning just came to fruition.
Okay, so nobody was actually going to kill Shep, but you can never be too cautious. I’m glad I came. It turns out, he still has a very big target on his back.
Shep leans in. “So what’s going on with Craig and Kadie?” He shakes his head at his friends. “I sensed some tension there.”
The men exchange a look.
Lloyd sniffs as he looks around. “Nothing that I know about.”
James shakes his head. “Me either.
