service, just a reality of tight budgets. With Cain coming in two days in a row, the new shoes she had been saving for were now a reality.
“Have a good day,” Cain said as she put on her hat.
“Tomorrow the special is pork chops, if you’re interested.”
“How about you make plenty, and I’ll bring my crew in for lunch?”
The waitress smiled and nodded enthusiastically as she pumped Cain’s hand.
“If you eat in here and wink at her one more time, we may have to take her home with us,” whispered Hayden.
The woman had run ahead and opened the door for them.
“If she can cook a pork chop as well as your grandmother could, she might be worth the airfare home.”
Cain maneuvered Hayden between herself and the buildings they were passing, to protect him from any attack from the street. As they neared the corner, she spotted the same guy who had watched her have lunch with Ross the day before. The guy still looked cold and out of place. It was time to have some fun.
“Excuse me, could you tell me where the feed store is?”
The rapid eye movement was a giveaway that the last thing the man expected was for her to speak to him. He pointed in the direction they were headed and cleared his throat. “A few blocks down there.”
“Thanks. Hey, does Bob carry any livestock?”
“Livestock?” The guy looked like he was about to jog down the street to get away from her.
“I believe she means live animals of any kind,” Hayden added, trying not to laugh.
“I guess so, but I’m not really from around here. I’m just visiting friends.”
She wanted to ask who he was visiting but didn’t think the fun of needling the guy was worth the risk, not yet anyway. She wondered if he would bother to go down and find out the owner’s name was Roy, not Bob.
Roy came around the counter and greeted her with a firm handshake, truly glad to see her. The fee she had paid him for the use of his property was more than generous, making the visit from Kyle inconsequential. They talked about Ross’s account briefly, then spent the rest of their time shopping for a new tractor. The new piece of equipment was a gift from Hayden and Cain to thank Ross for his hospitality.
Another man unfamiliar to the storeowner browsed the sparse shelves during his transaction with Cain, declining his offer of help when mother and son left. Roy was about to call after Cain and warn her about the guy, but thought she looked like someone who could handle just about anything or anyone.
A few days after Cain’s arrival, had the citizens of Haywood been responsible for her future fate, Kyle would have been hard-pressed to find anyone willing to convict her of a traffic ticket, much less anything else.
*
When Emma pulled Ross’s old truck into the Verde farm and stopped at the back of the barn, she noticed Cain’s vehicle was gone. Taking a chance she climbed to the loft. Time was running out, and she wanted to know if Kyle had found anything useful.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Kyle told her in a more-than-irritated voice. He had spent the morning on the phone with his supervisor, trying to talk her out of pulling the plug on their whole operation.
“I have a right to know if you’ve made any progress, Agent. I want my son back, and you promised me results.”
Kyle looked at her and found someone to vent his bad mood on. “I can’t demand she start doing business as usual so your helping us bug her room won’t go to waste, now can I? Get your butt back down there and let us do our jobs. You lived with the woman for years, so you know she’s not stupid. Casey isn’t going to suddenly start talking up a storm. She’s too careful to say anything that’ll lead us to a conviction. You and your mother knew going in this might not work.”
“That’s not exactly how you pitched it.”
“This conversation is over, Emma. You are free to leave.” Kyle bowed his head to his paperwork, fully expecting her to be gone when he decided to look back up.
When Cain spotted Emma coming down the loft ladder, something inside of her snapped and she curled her hands into fists. Here was her Judas, and she fought the urge to choke the life out of her. In her mind, helping Kyle was the ultimate betrayal, tantamount to throwing away everything they had shared. Furious, she decided to inflict on Emma the same kind of pain she was feeling now. The game had begun, and all she wanted now was to play it out.
“Hey, guys, I didn’t realize you were back.” Emma scrambled for a reason she had been in the loft, in case Cain asked.
“We went in for breakfast at Mabel’s,” said Hayden.
“You must be full, then.” Emma tried to make a joke as she watched Cain’s face turn more glacial by the second. “Any way I can convince you to finish our talk from yesterday?” she asked Cain, as she tried to find some of the affection the blue eyes always held for her.
“I’m thinking it’d be a waste of time since we have nothing more to talk about. Hayden, though, tells me he has more questions for you. Since we’re leaving tomorrow, why don’t you try answering a few?”
“Is something wrong, Cain?” Emma’s worry was starting to grow, and she heard it add a quiver to her voice.
Cain ignored the question and turned to her son. “Why don’t you try one more walk, and don’t back down from the hard questions. You have a right to know who your mother is and why she’s made the decisions she has, even if it changes the way you feel about me.”
“That would never happen,” Hayden said with confidence.
