She belted herself in as Michael backed his truck out of the parking space. "Is this your first chance to take in the scenery without driving?" he asked.
"I didn't come up here for the scenery," she mumbled, looking out her window anyway.
"I didn't either, but eventually it got to me." He smiled over at her.
"I'm not easily persuaded," she added. "In case you think otherwise. Skye informed me about your girlfriend."
"You mean Marla Osbourne?"
"Skye wanted to rush in and save me from myself. And save my reputation…" Dixie felt her hand clench. I am now even more certain that I need to be a city cop. Small towns make me sick. Who I date is no one's business.
Michael pointed over her shoulder. "There's a deer."
She couldn't help herself; she looked quickly. "Check him out. Antlers and everything. Looks like he's posing for a Christmas card."
"Arlo told me you were around for the setting up. I can't help but wonder why a tourist would care so much and take her time to get to know the locals by volunteering."
Have I blown my cover? Dixie wondered.
"Just saying thank you to Meadow. She offered me a place to stay for free."
She watched his strong hand grip the wheel as he took a curve in the road, and then she looked straight ahead.
"You ever ride a motorcycle? You drive like someone who has."
"As a matter of fact I had a bike years ago. Then I dumped it and hurt my knee pretty bad. Sold it and bought a truck. All of that before Lily Rock."
She nodded, admiring how he paid attention to the road. She felt safe. Not a usual feeling for her, unless she was behind the wheel.
When the road straightened he looked at her again out of the corner of his eye. "You ask a lot of questions for an insurance person."
You're not gonna catch me, buddy. I got moves you can't even imagine. She began to spin her backstory, relishing every detail.
"Oh, you gotta know about vehicles in my line of work. Motorcycles cause a lot of accidents. They are the bread and butter of the industry. All of you who crash and burn become my problem, until I can prove that you are negligent."
"You don't have to pay out if that happens?"
"That's right. You might want to slow down. You're over the speed limit." She nodded toward the dial and added, "Just sayin'."
He chuckled.
Not exactly the response she'd intended. Be afraid, you crazy overconfident man.
He made a quick right, then a left down a gravel path. The truck bumped along the uneven road. Gravel crunched as he headed toward the woods.
"That's the town namesake, right? Lily Rock." She pointed to where the rock formation was visible through the trees.
"That's it."
"More like an overgrown boulder."
"You don't have to be big to make a difference," he commented, giving her another sly glance.
She snorted.
"This is Marla's place. She's my employer." He pulled the truck closer to a double-wide trailer. It looked bigger than the house Dixie grew up in, with a porch in front and a large picture window. Her eyes drifted to the back of the lot where she could see signs of construction.
"You poured the slab already?"
He nodded. "It took nearly a year to get the permits. I had to cozy up to the Old Rockers and then become indispensable by putting up lights for the holidays and just making myself a general handyman. Eventually I moved up here permanently.
"The people got to know me better. Then I was hired for another project by Arlo and Doc. That's the brew pub. For whatever reason, the rest of the Old Rockers decided to trust me. The permits were signed soon after. Took months."
She heard the pride in his voice. Once he turned off the engine she opened her door. He came around the tailgate to stand next to her as she looked toward Lily Rock.
He pointed. "As you can tell, the back of the house will face Lily Rock and the woods. There will be a hot tub over there and a place for a garden." She followed his gaze.
"Looks like another cabin back there."
"That's my place. I built a small caretaker's unit to stay in while I supervise the project." He scratched the back of his neck. "I like it here. Still kind of surprises me though."
"Swallowed the Lily Rock Kool-Aid," she commented dryly. "Good luck with that."
"Maybe a bit sweet at times." He nodded. "Come with me. I want to introduce you to Marla. She's been waiting. I told her about you last night."
He told her about me. Are they laughing at me, thinking I was dazzled by his handsome good looks? Some couples do that, letting the other one flirt to spark up their love life.
She walked toward the trailer. The door opened and a tall thin woman stepped onto the porch, waving her hand. Her blond hair hung around her shoulders in soft waves. Even from a distance Dixie could see she'd been put together expensively. Leather boots, tight-fitting high-end jeans. Just dressing her costs more than a month of my salary.
A fitted wool sweater showed her curves and the big sapphire ring on her finger doubled down on Dixie's first impression.
"Hello there, you must be Dixie," Marla said in a low sultry voice.
She resisted the urge to say, “What's it to ya?” She cleared her throat before answering, "Yep, that's me, Dixie Jones, and you are Marla. Quite the place you have here."
Marla looked back over her shoulder. "Oh, you mean the trailer. It's only temporary. Michael's building me a fabulous house that will be ready by the end of next year." She stepped closer to him, holding his arm with both hands. "Won't it, sweetie? You promised."
He shrugged.
Dixie watched Marla closely. She's certainly sure of herself and of him. An odd pair. I would have thought he'd go for a more sensitive type. Someone unaware of her own allure. This lady is clever and high maintenance and…
Now that she stood directly in front of Marla, Dixie took the opportunity to look more closely into the woman's face. Something about her eyes, as if she's waiting to be judged. She's trying to be light-hearted but she's afraid of something. I wonder what…
The sound of an alert came from Michael's cell phone, interrupting her assessment.
"An emergency?" Dixie asked. Michael stared at his screen.
"Yes, it is!" He shoved the phone back in his pocket. "Dixie, get into the truck. I've gotta get back to town."
"Should I come along?" Marla sounded frantic.
"You stay here. I can handle this." He grabbed Dixie by the arm, pulling her along. "It's a fire. I'm a volunteer. Got my gear in the back of the truck. Come on. This is your lucky day. You'll get to see Lily Rock in action."