He glanced away, then back at her. “It’s just . . .” His mouth tightened. “I think I should come first once in a while. Just once in a while, Rachel. And I can’t help thinking . . .”
“Thinking what?”
“That you’re having second thoughts about marrying me.”
“We talked about this.” She grasped his hand, looking up at him. “No, Evan. I’m not having second thoughts. I can’t wait for our wedding. I want to marry you.”
“Then why . . .” He pulled away from her. “Just do whatever you do to make yourself beautiful. I’ll call Mom and tell her that we’ll be there soon.”
“I’ll make it up to you,” she said. “And to her. But let’s put this aside. I don’t want to argue with you, today of all days.”
“Me, either,” he said gruffly. “So get a move on.”
“Yes, sir, Officer,” she said teasingly. But Evan didn’t laugh, and Rachel groaned inwardly. It was going to be a long day and she had no one to blame but herself.
* * *
“Yes, I had a nice Thanksgiving. How about you, Bella? With your family?” Rachel leaned her pitchfork against the wall of her garage/goat barn and spoke into her phone. It was Friday evening, and she was late getting the animals fed and cared for. It had been one thing after another all day, and she’d never gotten around to calling the florist back. And now Bella had caught up with her. Sometimes Rachel wished she didn’t have a phone, at least not a cell phone. Her mother’s life was so much more peaceful without one.
“Yes, Bella,” Rachel said. “The wedding is still on and we still want the flowers. No, I understand. I’m not particular. Whatever you think best. Nothing over-the-top. No, no orchids. I’m not really even a roses girl. Can’t you get something simple from your supplier? Daisies maybe?” She sighed, listening to Bella chew her out. Rachel knew she was at fault here, but she really wasn’t in the mood to be called on the carpet.
“I know, and I apologize. Everything has been hectic. I know I promised to come in, but really, I trust your judgment. Just a nice bride’s bouquet, flowers for the church, and a few arrangements for the house. I’m not having attendants.”
Rachel paused. Listened. “Yes, his mother will want a corsage. My mother will be there, but she wouldn’t want one.”
Bella’s voice buzzed in her ear. “Yes, I’m absolutely certain. You can send her a bouquet to her house on the Monday after the wedding, but nothing at the wedding.”
Rachel tucked the phone under her chin and used both hands to toss in a fresh block of hay. The goats crowded around, bleating and shouldering one another, trying to snatch choice pieces of the hay. She leaned against the stall rails and smiled at the goats’ antics. One had gotten down on her knees and was crawling in underneath her mother, while a young kid reared up on his hind legs and bleated pitifully.
Bella went on for another minute, and then Rachel said sweetly, “Talk to you soon. I’m sure the flowers will be beautiful. Good night.” She ended the call and slipped the phone into her coat pocket with a sigh of relief.
It rang immediately, and this time Rachel didn’t hesitate. It was Evan. “Hey, you,” she said warmly.
“Hey yourself. What are you up to?”
“Feeding the goats. Hay.” She laughed at her own silly joke and he chuckled. “You?” she asked.
“Highway patrol.”
“You’re calling your girlfriend while you’re on duty?”
“No, I’m not. I’m on my officially approved break. Stopped at the Starlight Diner for a quick burger.”
“With cheese, I suppose. And fries.”
“You know me too well,” he admitted.
“I wouldn’t think you could eat anything after all you ate at the restaurant yesterday.”
“I hope it wasn’t too bad for you,” he said. “Mom can be overbearing at times. But she’ll love you. I promise.”
“No,” Rachel said. “It was half as bad as I was afraid it was going to be.”
“I couldn’t leave her alone on Thanksgiving.”
“Of course you couldn’t. But next year, I’m cooking. She’s invited to our house.”
“You’re cooking or Ada’s cooking?”
Rachel smiled. “Maybe a little of both?”
They were both quiet for a moment, but it wasn’t a bad quiet. It was the comfortable kind that two people who love each other can share.
“I called because . . . Rachel, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for being a jerk yesterday.”
“You weren’t a jerk. I was late, and I’m late a lot. It was my fault.”
“And you said you were sorry. I should have accepted your apology and moved on, but I didn’t. I need to get better about that.”
“We both have a lot of adjusting to do.”
“Yeah, I suppose we do. Friends?”
“You bet.”
“Good. Got to go now,” he said. “Time to put on my cape and defend the world against the forces of evil.”
“Be safe out there,” she murmured, suddenly serious. “I love you.”
“And I love you. More than you’ll ever know.”
A few more sweet words, and they ended the call. “God keep him safe,” she prayed under her breath.
The bleating goats dragged her back into the moment.
Rachel laughed. “You’d think you didn’t get fed twice a day,” she said. “You are so spoiled.” But she broke off another section of hay bale and tossed that into the stall.
As she reached for another, she heard the squeak of the door hinges and felt a gust of cold wind on the back of her neck. She turned to see the outline of a man in black, looming in the shadows. Then, he twisted, pulling the door shut, and slammed the wooden bar into place.
Rachel let out a small gasp as the ghostly figure stepped into the light, revealing a craggy, bearded face camouflaged with streaks of black paint.
It was Chuck Baker.
Chapter 14
Rachel stared at the hulk of a man, her thoughts racing. Her mouth went dry as prickles
