"How have we never heard of this place before?" Kelly nudged the car door closed and took in the view down Main Street. "From the cobblestone paths to the ancient lampposts, this town is postcard perfect."
"It is kind of quaint." Evelyn circled the car to walk beside Kelly.
"Almost like stepping back in time. I bet they have all sorts of annual festivals and fairs with parades and pageant queens and everything."
"Blingy crowns, fluffy chiffon skirts, and all." Evelyn stopped short, tilted her head to stare at the window on her left. "Is that real?"
It took a few seconds for Kelly to realize her friend was focused on the massive cat sleeping in the window. No wonder Evelyn had been distracted. "If it is, it's one huge cat."
The feline in question stretched one paw straight out and then snuggled back into its snoozing position. "You don't suppose it’s a bobcat, do you?"
"It's a Maine Coon." A short older woman grinning like the Cheshire Cat paused behind Kelly and leaned into the two friends. "That window has been his favorite spot for years. He greets all our visitors." Taking a step back, she lifted her arms, waving the bags in each hand and shook her head. "Mustn't let the ice cream melt. Welcome to Romance."
Before either of the friends could say a word, the still smiling lady scurried away.
"Hmm." Kelly did a double take in the antique store window. "Interesting welcoming committee. Bet he's at least three feet from tip to tail."
"At least." Evelyn linked arms with Kelly. "How much do you want to bet there's lion somewhere in that DNA."
"Won't get an argument from me."
Waving bye to the sleeping kitty, the two friends moved on to the next shop and then another until Evelyn came to a stop again, this time pointing to a hand-painted sign in the window. "Ooh, look. I don't know that I've ever had homemade ice cream."
"Me neither." Cupping her face against the single-pane glass, Kelly peered inside. The small shop had old-fashioned, two-seater parlor tables and chairs to one side, what looked like bins of candy on the other, and a big counter and case smack in the middle. "The real stuff is probably super fattening."
Evelyn reached for the handle. "Everything that tastes good is fattening."
"Unfair." Kelly straightened and chuckled. "True, but unfair."
The long-time friends giggled like the childhood classmates they once were when the buzzing of Kelly's phone broke the merriment.
"Don't answer that." Evelyn released her grip on the door handle.
Kelly hesitated. Gnawing on her lower lip, she stared down at the contraption clenched in her hand. Technically she was not on company time, but it was understood that even on her days off, if her phone rang, she'd answer it. Especially with this new client. The guy didn't have a clue about boundaries. Still, she'd given everyone in her office notice that she'd be unavailable for the next couple of days. Sucking in a long, deep breath, she steeled her resolve and rejected the call.
"Atta girl." Evelyn made a soft hand-clapping gesture. "Whatever it is can certainly wait until Monday."
Making an extra effort not to reach for her phone and check for any backlash, Kelly mentally crossed her fingers and hoped her friend was right. This case was driving her nuts and was a big part of the reason she'd escaped the city with her friend for a weekend drive in the mountains. Not since college had they taken off without a plan or a map and just gone where the road took them. Kelly missed that free-spirit attitude. Whoever was on the other end could just wait. "I'm famished. Let's find lunch and save the ice cream for dessert."
"Or the bakery." Evelyn pointed catty-corner across the street.
Kelly grinned. "Or both."
"Now you're talking."
***
"Aren't you going to check that?"
Rick shook his head. Phone in hand, he turned it off. "I should have done that in the first place."
"That's what you get for becoming a top consultant in the big bad business world." Kenny slapped him on the back. "Though seriously, man, we're all proud of you. Putting that mechanical mind of yours to use doing more than calculating how not to get any of us killed."
"Anything is a piece of cake compared to keeping you guys from pushing the limits of that testosterone overload God gave you."
"Pot calling the kettle black." Kenny smiled, holding his hands up, palms out. "Just saying."
Rick had to laugh. Truth was, he loved his time in the Navy and loved working with Kenny and the others on the team, but that was a young man's game. What he really loved was beating the bad guy. And using his brains to do it was way easier on his aging body. It had been purely by accident that he'd stumbled into the legal consulting gig. A neighbor was on the short end of the budget stick fighting corporate America. Not knowing what else he could do, Rick gave his engineering advice to the attorney who'd lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree. Apparently, the broad range of Rick's experiences with the US Navy made his engineering expertise very valuable in a courtroom. Except there was only one of him and a whole lot of messy legal battles out there, and it was hard not to take some of them personally when the good guys lost.
"I'm so hungry I could eat a rhino's behind." Kenny reached for the door to the first eatery they stumbled upon.
Lost in thoughts, Rick hadn't even noticed they'd arrived.
"Whoa, Charley," a high-pitched voice shouted from Rick's right.
The size of a small horse, a Great Dane dog loped toward them. Rick stretched his arm out and, spreading his legs to brace for impact, grabbed hold of the loose leash as it flew by in an effort to stop the stampeding pup.
"Henry!" A shrill squeal sounded on the heels of the first cry and a second monster came galloping after the first. The screeching woman's feet slipped out from under her and, almost in slow motion, waved parallel in the air.
Kenny took off running toward where the woman had come crashing down on the hard sidewalk, practically bouncing from the impact.
Without thinking, Rick handed what he assumed was Charley's leash to the nearest person and prepared to corral the second beast.
Not till the lithe figure at his side lurched forward and back at Charley's strength did he realize he'd handed the animal off to a woman. Too late now. Henry came barreling by, and Rick barely managed to wrap his hands around the leather leash and rein the animal in.
Before he could fully gain control of the dog, the original cause of all the commotion became clear. Dancing circles around him and the stranger with the other leash, a small but fluffy orange tabby flicked its tail high in the air. One dog woofed loud enough to awaken the dead and lunged left as the other lunged right.
Before he knew what happened or could do anything to stop it, two leather straps had entwined around him and the blonde stranger and yanked them off their feet. Instinctively, he braced his arms before landing splat on top of her, managing to twirl her about so that he took the brunt of the fall with the startled blonde draped across his chest.
He supposed there were worse ways to spend an afternoon.