Page 68 of Dairy and Deadly

“Thanks.” What really roasted her turnips was that Martin was on the run from the police and still trying to play the part of a wounded ex-fiancé. Their chances of reconciling were long gone. All the flowers had done was upset her. Again. Johnny was right about that.

A loud yowl rose from the back porch.

“We have company.” Johnny moved across the room to open the door.

Can Opener stalked in, still yowling.

Ashley took a seat on the edge of the sofa so he could push his head into her hands the way he enjoyed doing. “I missed you, big guy.” Oh, how she’d missed him! Her fingers brushed against his raggedy old collar. “Tell you what. We’re gonna go shopping together soon and get you a new collar.”

“Together?” Johnny raised his eyebrows over that.

“He loves to ride in…the car.” Her words ended with a grimace over the recollection that her car would be in the shop for a while.

“He’s a guy. He doesn’t care about stuff like that.” Johnny crouched down beside Can Opener to give him a back rub.

“But he’d look sharp in a bow tie,” she exclaimed. “What do you think, Can Opener? I could use a second opinion since Mr. Soul Crusher here is trying to cancel our shopping trip.” She attempted to hold Can Opener’s head still in order to get a closer look at his old raggedy collar, but it was an impossible task.

Johnny grunted. “Bow ties are way beyond his expertise, babe. And mine. Never worn one in my life. Never will.”

Her eyes widened. “You mean you’ve never worn a tuxedo?” Not even on his wedding day?

“That is correct.” He gave her a piercing look. “I wore jeans to my prom and every other important event in my life.”

She was thoroughly mesmerized by the unspoken questions zinging between them. “Are tuxedos one of those non-negotiable things with you?”

“Yep.” He raised a single eyebrow at her. “Is that gonna be a problem for us?”

She pretended to consider his question. “Can I get back to you about that?”

“Suit yourself.” He returned to petting Can Opener. “My answer on the subject won’t change.”

“Harsh,” she teased.

“Is it?” His voice dropped to a tender note. “I thought you understood you’re hobnobbing with a dairy farmer.” He reached for her hand, curling their fingers together and caressing her bare fourth finger — where a wedding band could easily rest someday.

Can Opener made an irritated sound over being ignored, hopped off the sofa, and stalked toward the kitchen.

“Johnny!” The air in her throat clogged over the way he was looking at her.

A crash sounded in the kitchen, making them jump apart. Can Opener was rummaging through the trashcan he’d knocked over. He backed slowly from the trashcan with one end of the blue velvet ribbon in his mouth. He’d managed to untie it from the vase.

“Clever.” She snickered. “I don’t enjoy sayingI told you so, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say Can Opener might not be as fashion blind as you think he is.”

“Prove it,” he scoffed.

“Gladly.” Can Opener eventually brought the ribbon to her. She rewarded him with chin scratches and head smooches. Then she used her ribbon-making skills to twist it into a new collar for him, complete with a bow tie in the front. “Voila!”

Johnny played along and helped her hold Can Opener down so she could swap out his old collar with the new one. As soon as they let him go, he strutted around the living room in it, making them burst out laughing.

“Well, I’ll be!” Can Opener proved to be a real ham when it came to preening and prancing. “I hereby yield to your superior wisdom on cat fashion.” Then he sobered. “Not to dwell on the negative, but the fact that your ex might’ve been involved in your accident is still rubbing me the wrong way.”

“Me, too.” And now Can Opener’s new collar and bow tie would be a constant reminder of it. “If he thinks this will scare me into rolling myself in bubble wrap, he’s sorely mistaken. Our best defense against whatever he’s planning next is to get right back to solving the case.”

“I second the motion.” Johnny glanced around the cozy cabin. “But not from here. He didn’t hesitate to walk right up to the front door last night. My fault for dropping the ball on getting that new security gate installed.”

“You tried.” Ashley hated that he was beating himself up for it. “You have no control over back orders.” Heart Lake was a small town. Things worked differently here.

“I could’ve shopped around and had the gate shipped from somewhere else.”

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