The Howler was busy, which suited Noah as it didn’t give him time to think. He had a draftsman come in and look over the renovation plans he’d drawn up. They had a wedding reception to host, and the restaurant and hotel were busy.
“Hey there, Mikey. Everything all good with you?”
The boy was walking through reception with his head down. “Sure, not sure why it wouldn’t be.”
“Me either.” Noah took a closer look at him. His face was pale, and he was sweaty. Had he lost weight? “You sick?”
“No. Why would you think that?” The boy took a step back.
“You don’t look so good. What’s up, Mikey? You know you can tell me, right?”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
He looked defensive and definitely not the open, friendly boy Noah knew. Mikey’s home life hadn’t been the best, but Jake and Branna looked out for him, as did the rest of them.
“Okay, well you come to me or any of the others if you need us.”
“I don’t need anything.”
“Sure, hear you there. Just letting you know I’m around. What shift are you on today?”
“I’m on tomorrow.” The boy looked down at his feet. “Can I have my pay early, Noah?”
“Why do you need it early?” Alarm bells were ringing inside his head. Something was off, he just didn’t know what.
“I need to buy mom a birthday present.”
A valid reason, it had to be noted, but Noah had a hunch it was a lie.
“Okay, well I can spot you a twenty if that’s enough. Pay it back when you can.”
“I need thirty.”
Noah pulled out his wallet. When he handed it to the boy, he looked ready to cry. “Mikey, are you in some kind of trouble? Because I’m always here for you, as are the others.”
Shaking his head, he took the money and ran out of the Howler. Noah picked up the phone and rang Jake.
After the call, he decided on a walk, and left the Howler in the capable hands of their manager, Tania. Faith was taking the night off and going into Brook to see a movie with the guy she’d dated after Rose’s birthday. Noah had tried to see his face when he pulled up in his sports car.
“Who drives a car like that,” he muttered, wandering up the street. Must have image issues, as far as Noah was concerned.
Digging his hands into his pockets, he just let the cool air clear his head as he crossed the road. Let the thoughts come and go. He’d visited his mom, and she seemed happy, but then her mind was slipping away, which didn’t affect her but broke the hearts of her children.
He thought about Lucy with that cat. So gentle, her voice soothing the animal. The woman had so many sides, she could be a hexagon. There was the cold one when she wanted to shut people out, and the sexy one just after he’d kissed her. He shouldn’t have done that… again. The problem was, she was hard to resist.
“Shall I arrest you for loitering?”
“You could try, and to be honest a night in the cells appeals. No calls or people pissing me off.”
Cubby Hawker was an old friend and part of his community. Brothers, they called themselves after a few beers, but the truth of it was, that’s how he thought of his friends. Brothers and sisters too. People who saw him for what he was and knew him for who he’d been, black marks and all. They knew his secrets and he knew theirs.
“You on patrol, bud? Walking the streets issuing fines for littering and jaywalking?”
Cubby smiled. It was slow and not overly big, but still a smile. He then touched the brim of the cap he wore. The town’s elders had tried to get him into what they thought was a proper uniform; Cubby had resisted. He usually wore jeans and a sheriff’s shirt, with a black cap with the word Sheriff in gold writing.
“Just stretching my legs. Had some idiots renting the Hanson place, and they decided to get drunk last night and do some target practice on Mr. Dunn’s boat. Turns out they couldn’t hit the side of a barn while inebriated, so not much damage, but a few pissed off residents.”
“Need me to come with you and arrest a few people?”
“Nah, I took Katie with me and she scared them good and proper. It’s my belief they’ll be angels for the rest of their stay.”
“Could have been dangerous though, Cubby, if a bullet ricocheted.”
“Yup, and I told them that too after I’d confiscated their guns.”
“Nice work, Sheriff.”
“I do my best. How’s your mom?”
“Her mind’s going, Cubby, and nothing I can do about it.”
“Hard thing to watch. Sorry that you and Faith are having to go through it.”
“Yeah, but she’s in the best place for her.”
“How about we catch a coffee after the meeting? That is where you were heading, right?”
“Hell, is that today?”
“I thought you were the organized one out of us.”
“You’re the sheriff; sure as shit hope you’re organized.”
“I try, but all that paperwork is enough to send a man crazy. Anyway, surely you got the email HRH sent out about the meeting being held in the town hall. It’s all about the facility that’s been bugging you.”
“It doesn’t bug me, I just want to know what’s in there,” Noah defended himself as they started across the street and fell in beside Willow, who was waddling, and Buster, who was hovering.
“How’s Annabelle and the baby?” Noah asked her.
“Doing great. She and Christie aren’t coming today, but Ethan has to take notes.”
“I like the name,” Noah said. “Me and Faith will call round tomorrow and see them.”
Willow rubbed her belly. “Nothing to worry about with me, Noah. Remember, I was born in a field. It’s in my genes that I can give birth anywhere.”
“Let’s go for a hospital bed this time,” Buster added, looking pale.
“You just take it easy, Willow. Lots of rest.”
“She’s not Samantha, bud,” Cubby said from beside him. “She’s Willow, just like Bran is who she is, and the same goes for Annabelle. Most women handle childbirth with ease—”
“Spoken like a man who never had to pass a large baby out of their—”
“Okay, all men present get the point, thanks, honey.” Buster cut her off.
“I’m just saying, is all,” Cubby whispered so only Noah could hear. “You need to understand not everyone is a bitch like her.”
“She wasn’t a bitch, Cubby. There’s a lot more to what happened you all don’t know about. We were both in the wrong.”
“Well as you never told us what that ‘lot more’ entails, we had to form our own opinions. You came back a broken man, and she’s got to have played a part in that.”
“I was not broken,” Noah lied, entering the hall. “And why do you and everyone else feel like they can discuss my past like it’s daily news all of a sudden.”
“You discuss ours, and we think it’s time you moved on now. All this brooding Heathcliff shit is getting old,” Buster said, unrepentant that he’d been listening in.
“Wuthering Heights, seriously? She’s got you watching that now?” Cubby asked the baker.
“He cried when Heathcliff went to see Catherine in her coffin,” Willow said.
“It’s a classic,” Buster defended himself.
“Whatever, now shut up,” Noah said as Ethan waved to them from a seat up the front. Beside him were Macy and Billy. In front were the McBrides. Buster nudged him in, and too late he found himself seated beside Lucy and Mrs. C.
“Hello, handsome.” Mrs. C looked around Lucy, who was trying to ignore him.
“Hello, sweet cheeks, looking gorgeous as always,” Noah replied, because it was expected of him.
Lucy made a noise.
“What?”
“What?” She didn’t look at him, just said the word out of the side of her mouth. Her cap was pulled low, and the short curls were showing underneath. She wore the ever-present baggy jeans and top. On her feet were the sturdy heeled boots.
“You made a noise.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Fine, whatever.” He wasn’t arguing with her. “How’s the hand?”
“Healing, thank you.”
Noah wondered if Mrs. C had managed to get her to stay in the room above the Howlery. He been furious when he saw her Bronco pulling out of that unused track this morning. He’d known instantly she’d slept in her car but managed to control his anger enough to tell her it wouldn’t be happening again. He’d then called Mrs. C on his return trip to Howling. He felt no shame in it, and Mrs. C’s outrage had assured him she would do what she could to get a roof over Lucy’s head.
“I shouldn’t be here,” Lucy whispered.
“Why are you then?”
“Mrs. C made me come.”
“She’s like a pit bull when she wants something.”
“I need to go.”
“You’re here, so stay. Unless you have somewhere to be?”
“This is not my business.”
“Everyone should show concern about the environment, Lucy.”
She looked at him, one brow lifting.
“If they’re genetically modifying food, it could affect the environment around here.”
“So, why do you think they’re finally showing their hand?” Hope asked from the row in front of them. Clearly she’d been listening to their conversation too. “I mean, they’ve been in town for months.”
“Bowing to pressure, maybe?” Newman said.
They talked around him and he listened, but also watched Lucy from the side of his eye. She was twisting her hands together. Uncomfortable, he thought. Looking to the stage, Noah watched someone set up a camera to record everything that was said tonight.
He felt Lucy move, and looking her way, saw she was sinking lower in the seat. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
“You look like a teenager.”
“What?” She shot him a look.
“Slouched in your seat,” Noah explained. “Like you’re going to get detention.”
“You do a bit,” Buster agreed. Lucy sat upright.
“You found somewhere to stay yet, or do I need to give you one of my rooms?” Noah decided he’d give himself an alibi. If she thought he’d talked to Mrs. C, it was likely she’d refuse anything offered.
“It’s none of your business.”
“I told you what I’d do, Lucy.”
“I’m staying above the shop, and not because of you, but Mrs. C.”
“Excellent.”
“Don’t smirk.”
“No smirking here.”
Soon the hall was full, and everyone fell silent as two men and a woman walked down the aisle and took the steps up to the stage. Beside him, Lucy slouched again.
What is her deal?
“What’s the problem here?” The seats weren’t wide, and he could feel the length of her thigh down his.
“What?”
“You. You’re tense and behaving weird, and I don’t think it’s just my masculine beauty doing it.”
“Have you always had a monumental ego?” Her eyes were on the stage as she whispered the words.
“Pretty much.”
“I’m not tense, and you don’t know me well enough to understand if I’m behaving weird.”
“Your knuckles are white.”
“Sssh.”
“That was an extremely loud sssh.”
She ignored him. Strangely, sitting here next to her made his mood lighten. No way was Noah examining that thought.
“Ladies and gentlemen of Lake Howling.”
The man who spoke was tall, and if Noah had to use one word to describe him, it would be slick. His hair was perfect, he wore a suit that screamed money, and his leather shoes were polished to a perfect sheen. Looking left, Noah noted the toe of Ethan’s worn trainer that did not scream money, even though the Texan could afford to buy Lake Howling.
“My name is Dr. Tobias Trask.”
“Congratulations,” someone called. “Now tell us what the hell you’re doing in our town!”
Noah smiled. If Mr. Slick thought he was going to walk in here and be greeted with smiles, he needed a rethink. Howlers weren’t pushovers, nor were they dumb. They wouldn’t be railroaded with a bunch of letters after a name.
“That’s what I’m here for,” Trask said with a smile that reminded Noah of a snake.
Beside him, Lucy muttered something. “You need to relax there, sweet cheeks. The end of your finger will fall off if you don’t stop gripping it.” He reached over and untangled her hand and placed it flat on her thigh. A rather lovely thigh, he remembered. He then tried to focus as Trask talked in detail about what they were doing at the “research facility,” as he’d called it.
“We came to Lake Howling as you have superior soil quality and a wonderful unpolluted lake—”
“And we want to keep it that way!”
Cubby sighed from his place beside Willow, then got to his feet and made his way out of the row and down the aisle. He stopped before the stage and looked at everyone seated. The rumbling stopped.
“I’ve always admired that ability in him,” Buster whispered.
“How he can shut a person up with a look?” Noah said.
Buster nodded.
“It’s impressive.”
“Now you all need to let the man talk. We can’t understand what’s happening in those houses if we don’t listen and get all the facts straight.”
“I know it’s bad, Sherriff. You should just run them out of town!”
Cubby’s expression didn’t change but Noah could tell he’d just sighed again.
“They’ve been there for two months and no one’s said a word, Jed, so simmer down. This is not the Wild West. We don’t run people out of town anymore. Now you shut up and listen or I’ll lock you up.”
“Can he do that?” Lucy whispered.
“Yes, and not many people will tangle with our sheriff.”
“He is intimidating.”
“And a pussy cat. In third grade, he got beat up by Louise Galler. It’s fair to say he’s never recovered.”
Lucy snuffled.
“Must be nice having all your friends around you. Real friends, I mean, ones you grew up with.”
“It has its moments, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
She turned suddenly, and their eyes caught.
“You are a very lucky man.”
“I’ve always thought so. How about you? You miss your friends?”
She looked away. “Of course.”
Noah didn’t know anything about Lucy Sullivan other than she liked to bake and eat peanut butter by the jar. She knew his friends, his sister, and plenty of other things, but wasn’t offering any information about herself. Okay, there was that noise she made when they’d made love, but he didn’t think it likely she even knew she’d made it. He sure wished he hadn’t remembered that right in this moment. Noah thought about the swim he’d taken earlier in the cold waters of Lake Howling. That cooled him off.
“There is a disease that is wiping out the Oregon potato crop. It’s dire, and we have been growing another crop by genetically inserting DNA. I won’t go into detail, but basically, we are giving it new or different characteristics. This could be something life changing to the way the plant grows or making it resilient to disease.”
Trask spoke well, Noah would give him that, but he didn’t like the man. Something was off with him, and he couldn’t pin down what.
“Dr. Trask, what happens when you leave? How can we be sure that what you leave behind doesn’t affect the ecological characteristics of our environment?”
“That’s a hell of a good question from Declan,” Buster muttered.
“He does do a lot a research,” Willow added.
“We will undertake rigorous tests to ensure it is left as we found it. Plus, our facility follows guidelines to ensure there is no impact on the surrounding area. We put our potatoes through strict tests before they are consumed by anyone.”
“Says you!”
Howlers were great hecklers. It was something they relished, if given the opportunity.
“We have a surplus of potatoes and have brought them to town for you all to try.”
“I don’t want to wake up with an elbow growing out of my forehead!”
“For the love of God, Jed. Eating a potato that is genetically modified won’t do that,” Cubby growled.
“I still think they’re aliens,” Ethan whispered. He looked tired and not his usual slick self. But happy, and that was what mattered.
“I think we should have potato day!” Noah searched for the owner of that voice and found Gussie Neeps. She was the local fudge maker and had ties that dated back to the beginning of Howling. “We can have the best food created from potatoes. Potato and spoon races.”
“Is she actually serious?” Lucy whispered, looking torn between laughter and horror.
“Totally. Howlers love parades, carnivals, in fact anything they can put a label on and call a celebration. We already have about a dozen festivals for things each year.”
“I’ve never been anywhere like this place. It’s like a little microclimate of weird.”
“But in a good way, right?” He leaned in and inhaled. Her scent wasn’t anything from a bottle, but it was still sexy as hell.
“Is there a good way to be weird?”
“Totally.”
“If you say so.”
“I’ll judge the competition,” Dr. Trask said with a smile that had a few of the women sighing. Lucy, he noticed, was scowling.
“So how are your potato peeling skills?”
“Why?”
“Because we’re having a potato festival.”
“I thought you were against whatever was going on down there in those greenhouses.”
“I am, but surely you’ve heard the expression keep your friends close, and your enemies closer?”
He wasn’t sure, as she’d turned to face Mrs. C, but thought she said “amen to that.”