Page 16 of Cold Threat

“Stop it.” Tony grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes. “Just stop it. Neither one of us felt something was wrong. The fault belongs to one person. Joseph Baker. No one else.”

“He’s right,” Ray said. “Beth and I don’t blame you. Or Tony. I probably would have done the same thing. Let’s not chastise ourselves for the bad deeds committed by criminals.” He looked over at his wife, but Beth was strangely silent. Did she blame River for Tony’s shooting? River tried to read her, but she couldn’t be certain.

As if noticing his mother’s reaction, Tony stared at her for a moment, but when he caught River watching him, he recovered and smiled at her. “No more of that, okay?”

River returned his smile and nodded, but she knew she needed to sit down with Beth and have a talk in private before she went home.

“If you’ll excuse us, I promised River a tour of Burlington,” Tony said, getting to his feet.

“Let me fix you some coffee to take with you,” Beth said. “It’s freezing out there.” She walked over to a cabinet and opened it. Then she took out two thermal cups with cute Christmas images on the sides. “Pumpkin spice creamer?” she asked.

“Yes, please,” River and Tony said at the same time.

Beth laughed. “Glad I bought some. Tony loves it. Seems you two have similar tastes.”

“We finish each other’s sentences sometimes,” Tony said with a smile. “I guess it comes from knowing each other for so long.”

“I’m so glad you’re both here.” Beth’s voice cracked and she turned around, hiding her face. River’s heart went out to her. She was certain her emotion was directed toward her son, not River, but it was nice to be included in the sentiment.

Tony got up and walked over to his mother, putting his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll make it home more often.”

Beth didn’t turn around as she continued preparing the cups, but she reached back and patted Tony’s hand. “That would be great,” she whispered.

“I ... I’m going upstairs,” River said. “I need to get ready to go.”

Tony let go of his mother and turned around. “You look fine.” He stared down at his sweats. “I’m the one who needs to change. It won’t take me long.”

“Okay,” River said. “But it won’t take me long either. I need to fix my hair and put on some makeup.”

“I’ll knock on your door when I’m ready,” Tony said.

“You’re welcome to come down here and visit with me while Tony’s getting ready,” Beth said. “He always takes a lot longer than he says.”

River laughed. “I’ve noticed that too. I’m not certain why it takes him twice as long as it does me. Doesn’t make sense.”

“Smooshy likes to make sure every hair is in place and his outfits are just right.”

“Mother! First of all, quit calling me that. And I don’t wearoutfits.Seriously.”

They all laughed at his reaction. He was clearly embarrassed. River found it rather charming, although she would never tell him that.

She followed Tony upstairs but went to her room while he headed toward his. River didn’t plan to change clothes. She’d dressed in jeans, boots, and a dark blue sweater. She quickly put on her makeup and brushed her hair. She only wore eyeliner, mascara, and a light blush. Her skin didn’t need foundation. In fact, most of them made her face break out.

She used a curling iron in an attempt to give her hair some shape, but it was so thick the curl wouldn’t hold for long. Still, she wanted to look her best today since she’d be meeting Tony’s sister. When she was ready, she put on her earrings. She only had two sets with her. One for daytime, and then another pair for anything that required her to dress up. They were pretty. Cubic zirconia. She wasn’t into diamonds or other expensive stones when something cheaper would do. The earrings sparkled just like diamonds. Why spend money on something else when it wasn’t necessary?

After she was ready to go, she slipped out into the hallway and listened. She could hear Tony in his room. Good. She wanted a chance to talk to Beth.

She walked quietly down the hall, hoping Ray wasn’t in the kitchen with his wife. When she entered, she found Beth rinsing the dishes and putting them into the dishwasher.

“You shouldn’t have to do this,” River said. “After that wonderful meal.”

“Ray wanted to help, but I made him leave,” Beth said with a smile. “I don’t like the way he loads the dishwasher. Too haphazard for my liking.”

“How about I rinse the dishes and you can put them in the way you like?”

“I’d like that. Thank you.”

River gathered up the rest of the dishes on the table and carried them to the big white farmhouse sink. As she rinsed the dishes and handed them to Beth, she tried to find a way to bring up Tony’s shooting without offending his mother. Finally, she said, “I wanted to say again how sorry I am about putting Tony in danger that night in Arizona.”

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