Page 21 of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

“Not too bad. I only had a couple of calls—a flat tire and a disturbance over on Greenly Street,” he said, giving me another kiss. “Bobby Jeppers drank too much beer and ended up in his neighbor’s chicken coop, and his neighbor damn near shot him. How was your night?”

“Meemaw was fit to be tied over Teddy and the organic chickens he’s putting in next spring, and then whining about Dixie living in sin and complaining about me redoing the overseer’s house, so basically, par for the course,” I said with a chuckle.

“I ran out to the farm to check it out yesterday afternoon. Looks like it’s close to bein’ done. Guess you lit a fire under your contractor’s ass after all.”

I grinned. “Something like that.”

His smile faded, and his eyes looked guarded.

“What?” I asked. When he raised a quizzical eyebrow, I said, “I hope you have a better poker face when you’re interrogating criminals.”

“You’re not a criminal,” he said. “You’re my girlfriend, and hopefully wife soon, if you’d ever accept my proposal.”

I rolled my eyes. “Luke…”

I knew he wanted to marry me, but it felt like we were moving at light speed, and I needed to go at a snail’s pace. He said he understood, yet he kept bringing it up, making me wonder if his plan was to try to wear me down.

He held up a hand. “A discussion for another day. I was lookin’ for you to tell you what I found out before someone else told you.”

“Well, hurry,” I said, feeling irritated anyway. “I have a client coming in about five minutes.”

As if on cue, there was a knock on the front door.

“Damn,” I grumbled as I pulled free and headed for the hallway, figuring the woman from the coffee shop had tracked Luke down here. “That tourist is bound and determined to screw you or Teddy before she leaves town.”

“What?” he asked.

But it wasn’t her at the door. Instead, it was a young woman with shoulder-length, strawberry blond hair. Another woman stood behind her.

“She’s early,” I said, heading for the door. I really hoped this was a real case and not another dud.

“Summer,” Luke said. “I really need to tell?—”

I ignored him, instead flipping the lock and opening the door. “Good morning,” I said in a cheery voice. “You must be my nine o’clock appointment.”

The woman gave me a warm smile. “I’m Belinda Steele, and this is my sister-in-law, Magnolia.”

“I tried to warn you,” Luke grunted in my ear, low enough that hopefully they didn’t hear.

“I don’t understand,” I said in a little bit of awe, and if I were honest, a speck of jealousy. The mayor and some of the townspeople claimed Magnolia Steele as a resident, despite the fact that the woman had never set foot within the city limits. But that hadn’t stopped Maybelline from dedicating part of a wall to her. A wall that used to have been fully mine.

“We need your help,” Belinda said earnestly. “Magnolia’s mother left town right after her high school graduation and never came back. We want you to help us find out why.”

Chapter Eight

It took me a few seconds to figure out thattheMagnolia Steele was really standing outside my office door.

While her sister-in-law was wearing a pale pink dress and short nude heels, Magnolia was wearing jeans and a white blouse with tiny pink rosebuds. Her long, dark hair was loose, and her blue eyes were looking anywhere but at me. She wasn’t wearing much makeup, but she didn’t need it. She was pretty, prettier than her photos, and from the look on her face, she didn’t look excited to be here.

I cast a quick glance down the street and saw the woman from the coffee shop headed with her family down the sidewalk toward us. The last thing I needed was for her to realize I was talking to Magnolia Steele.

Taking a step out onto the sidewalk, I ushered them in, keeping an eye on the crazy fan, which turned out to be the wrong move when she realized I was looking straight at her. The fan’s face lit up when she spotted me, and she began wildly waving her hands. “Summer!”

I ran into the office and shut the door, making sure to lock it as I flashed Luke a panicked look.

“Why don’t you two sit down?” I said to Magnolia and her sister-in-law—who thankfully still had their backs to me—steering them toward two comfortable client chairs that faced away from the windows. “I’m going to get us a little more privacy. Luke, you want to help?” I asked, already tugging on the string to lower the blinds.

God love him, he had no idea why I was in such a hurry, but he didn’t question me, just moved past my prospective clients and started to lower the shade on the other window.

---