For Cassie, the day with Heath had been a blast and if she received more than usual amount of teasing at the salon afterward, she didn’t care. She was into friendships, not romance. Take the mayor, for instance. Good friend. They had dinner often, went to events together, but they were nothing but friends. Same with every man before and since Darrell. Friendships lasted longer than romance. And in her case, even marriage.
Driving home in the new SUV, with Heath tailing along in Tommy’s clunker, had been fun, as well. She’d never felt as swanky as she had in that fancy new vehicle with all the bells and whistles. They’d had a great day together. So, Cassie was not the least bit surprised when Heath arrived on her doorstep the next evening.
“Hey,” she’d said when she opened the door.
“Hi. Am I intruding?”
“Of course not. Come in.”
“Sorry I didn’t call first.”
“Friends are welcome anytime. We aren’t formal.”
He stepped inside the living room where Annalisa and Austin sat cozied up on the couch, going through a baby name book for the umpteenth time. When they spotted Heath, Austin and Annalisa exchanged speculative glances. Cassie wanted to thump their love-struck heads.
After he’d exchanged greetings with the others, Heath turned to Cassie and said, “Mind if we take a walk? I’d like to talk to you about something.”
“Let me change my shoes.” She hurried into the bedroom and put on sneakers, curious to know what he wanted to discuss. Was he going to ask her out? Her goofy stomach fluttered at the thought, and she didn’t understand why. Heath was her friend. Like Mayor Fairchild, they could hang out together. No big deal. But the more she thought about the upcoming conversation, the more nervous her belly.
From the living room, she heard the rumble of male voices as the men talked weather and Heath’s new vehicle. When she returned, the living room was empty. She looked outside to see her brother with his head under the hood of Heath’s sparkling new Expedition. The butterflies settled down. Heath was showing off his ride.
Laughing, she jogged out to them. “Nice wheels, huh?”
“Amazing.” Bent at the waist, her brother turned his head toward Heath. “You have GPS?”
“Yep.”
“Satellite radio?”
“Your sister said it was essential.” He flashed her a grin. “And the engine has power like you wouldn’t believe.”
“Man.” Austin straightened. “Towing package?”
“Yep. That, too. Want to take her for a spin?” Heath dug in his pocket and dangled the keys.
“You sure?”
“I wouldn’t have offered otherwise. Go ahead. Enjoy.”
“Thanks.” Austin’s expression was as excited as a kid on Christmas. “Come on, darlin’,” he said to Annalisa. “Let’s test drive this baby.”
Annalisa cocked her head, a twinkle in her blue eyes. “Does this mean we’re buying an SUV?”
Austin grinned and patted her tummy. “You never know. Babies need plenty of room.”
“Well, since you put it that way...” Annalisa waddled toward the passenger door.
With tenderness, her brother assisted his pregnant wife into the vehicle, waved and drove away.
“That was nice of you.”
Heath shrugged. “It’s a guy thing. No big deal. Now, about that walk?”
The butterflies returned and brought their cousins. “Have you seen Whisper Falls yet?”
“No, but you told me about it yesterday. The place where people pray.”
“Among other things.” She still felt a little foolish about her own trek behind the falls. She wasn’t sure why she’d done it. A person could pray anywhere, and the death-defying climb hadn’t done her a bit of good. “It’s a gorgeous area for picnics and swimming, hiking, too. Let’s walk that direction. Even if we don’t make it all the way, you’ll hear the water and smell the river. These woods are beautiful.”
Spring had exploded into full bloom with tiny yellow and white flowers carpeting the ground. Birds dipped from earth to tree and fence post, courting. The evening was cool, but not cold, and the sky a blue-gray with building clouds in the southwest.
“More rain tonight,” Heath said.
“Probably. The ground is a little soggy in spots. Watch your step.”
They crossed the backyard and walked through the pasture leading out of the small valley that cradled the ranch and up into the mountain. The grade was a long, easy incline she’d ridden or walked many times, particularly in the days after Darrell’s death when she’d needed to be alone, to cry and ask the questions God never answered. She’d never understand some things in life, but she’d learned that God’s love was there to guide her through any storm.
“Are those Austin’s cattle?” Heath asked, pointing to a large herd of black Angus.
“Yes, and his horses, too. Except for the buttermilk-colored one. She’s mine. Do you ride?”
“City boy, remember?”
“Oh, that’s right. Bless your heart.” And then she laughed. “Sorry, didn’t mean that in a derogatory manner.”
“No offense taken. I rode a pony at the fair when I was a kid. One of those that goes around in a circle. Does that count?”
“Everybody has to start somewhere.” She laughed again. She had done that a lot the last two days.
They walked along in silence for a ways. Heath stopped once to pick a cluster of bright pink flowers—phlox, she thought, but wasn’t sure. Her friend, Haley would know. Flowers were her passion.
“For enduring yesterday’s car hunt,” he said, presenting them to her.
“Nice.” Cassie sniffed the small blooms. “I really didn’t mind. It was actually fun.” Which said so much about her social life.
“For me, too. You’re good company.” He wiped a hand down the leg of his jeans and looked off toward the mountains. She could see he had something on his mind and didn’t know how to start, so she decided to help him.
“All right, now. Let’s get down to business. What did you want to discuss? An appointment for that mani-pedi? Walk-ins are welcome at Tress and Tan.”
She gave him an impish look, surprised when he didn’t respond to the tease. His sense of humor was one of the things she liked about him. “Why so serious?”
“Just wondering about some things.”
“Like what?”
His eyes found hers and held. She tried to read their green depths but came up empty.
“Your marriage, for one. Chief told me your husband died on your honeymoon. I’m sorry.”
The topic surprised her a little. Surprised and jabbed. She hadn’t seen that one coming. She turned aside and gazed into the deep green forest. The woods seemed silent and empty but she knew they teemed with life. “Me, too, but thank you. Losing him so soon was horrible. We just didn’t have enough time, but when we met, I saw forever in his eyes. It probably sounds silly and overly romantic but I knew he was the one.”
“Just like that, huh? Bam! Love at first sight?”
“Exactly.” She smiled a little, remembering. “He walked into the Iron Horse snack shop and ordered a Sprite and a bag of Cheetos. I was sitting at the bar talking to Uncle Digger when he noticed me and ordered another Sprite and a bag of Cheetos, sending them down to me. He grinned and raised his paper cup in a toast.” She sighed. “And I was a goner.”
As she’d intended, Heath chuckled. “Sprite and Cheetos are the way to a woman’s heart.”
“To mine anyway. There was something so easy and carefree about Darrell. I don’t know how to explain love, but I adored him and he adored me. He did so many little things that made me feel loved.”
“How long had you been together?”
“Four weeks and six days.”
Heath stopped in his tracks. “Four weeks?”
She’d expected his shock. Her friends and family had been even more stunned. “Darrell had only been in town a short time to visit his cousin when we met. But those few weeks was all I needed to fall in love. Austin thought I was crazy, but when he saw how happy Darrell and I were together, he gave his blessing.”
“So you got married.”
“Eloped. Well, sort of. We went to the courthouse in Whisper Falls and Judge Olsen married us.”
“Where was the honeymoon?”
“Mexico. I’d never been, but Darrell loved Mexico and wanted to show it to me. The water is so clear you can see the fish, and the beach is glorious.”
“I’ll have to agree. Beautiful place.”
“You’ve been there?”
He picked up a rock, gave it a fling. It clattered in the distance. “Cancun is spectacular. Snorkeling there is the best.”
“Darrell took me snorkeling and I loved looking at the pretty fish. He preferred to scuba dive. I wasn’t ready for that. He dove. I snorkeled and played on the beach.”
“Is that what happened to him? An accident while diving?”
Cassie pressed her lips together. The sun had gone behind a cloud and the air was cooler. She crossed her arms against the chill. “Apparently.”
“Weren’t you with him?”
“I should have been.” Though she’d learned not to feel guilty or responsible, she did have regret. “We’d had the best day together on the water, and Darrell wanted to go out one more time. I was tired and wanted to stay at the hotel, so he ordered room service for me and a massage. So sweet and thoughtful.” She smiled sadly at the memory. “When night came and he didn’t return, I knew something had happened. Darrell wouldn’t have purposely worried me.”
Though she was over the terrible screaming grief, that long Mexican night and the next gorgeous sunny morning were indelibly imprinted on her memory. In a foreign country, she hadn’t known where to turn. She’d contacted the hotel security who were no help at all, saying that her husband was probably drunk somewhere or having a fling. Not her Darrell, not her brand-new husband.
“When did they find him?”
“Later that afternoon. He’d washed up on a remote beach. Drowned.” She shook her head. “I never understood that. He was such a great swimmer and in terrific shape.”
“Do you mind if I ask what Darrell did for a living?”
She pivoted toward him, suddenly aware of a tension in his words that hadn’t been there before. Suddenly wondering why Heath was asking so many questions. “Why?”
“Just wondering.” He shrugged, a look that spoke of nonchalance, but Cassie had a feeling he wasn’t casual at all. There was something going on here that had nothing to do with romantic interest in her or simple curiosity about her late husband.
She studied Heath’s poker face for several long quiet seconds before saying, “He was in sales.”
Heath’s green gaze slid away from hers. He reached in his pocket with one hand. “Did he say what kind of sales?”
“Pharmaceutical. He told me before we married that he would have to travel a lot in his work. He was the sweetest man. He wanted to be sure I could handle the alone time.” She kicked at a rock with the toe of her shoe. “I never got a chance to find out.”
“I really am sorry, Cassie.”
His sympathy defused her defensiveness. Maybe she was imagining things. Friends could ask friends about anything. Right?
“I’m okay now. He’s been gone nearly three years and life goes on. Anyway, that’s what my big brother tells me.”
“A loss like that never goes away. The pain dulls, you move on, but you don’t forget.”
Of course, Heath would understand. He’d been there with his father. Knowing they shared a similar heartache made her feel close to him—in a friendship kind of way. “You were only a little boy. Losing your dad must have impacted your entire life.”
“I guess you could say that.” He cupped a palm beneath her elbow as they started up an incline that led toward the river.
“You should be able to hear the waterfall from atop this rise,” she said. “There’s the Blackberry River below. See it? Like a silver ribbon through the green trees? The water flows down from the falls and winds through this valley past the edge of town.”
They stood atop a ridge with the river below and the forest to their left. Beyond was a wildness of woods and sky and stunning spring landscape, green and blooming. Dogwoods, he thought. “The view’s nice from up here.”
“It’s glorious.” She stretched her arms wide. “The word nice is too puny.”
“I stand corrected.” He gave her a lopsided smile she found charming. Even though a strange heaviness nagged in the pit of her stomach, she found a lot of things about Heath charming.
“Want to climb the rest of the way up to Whisper Falls? We still have another mile to go.”
“No, this is far enough.” He drew in a deep breath and looked up into the sky. The sun was starting to ease toward the western horizon, a giant orange ball against a graying sky. “Listen, Cassie, I need to ask you something important. You may not like it.”
The knot in her belly tightened and grew hot. She’d been right. There was more to Heath’s questions than friendly conversation.
Though his face gave nothing away, his voice and posture were tense, watchful.
“Okaaay. You’re kind of making me nervous. What is it?”
“All right, here’s my question. Straight out.” He thrust both hands in his pockets as if he didn’t trust them. “Did you ever get the feeling Darrell wasn’t what he seemed? Did you wonder if he kept secrets from you?”
“No! He wouldn’t.”
“Are you positive?”
Maybe a few times, but they were still in the early days of getting to know each other. “Why would you ask such a thing? What is going on, Heath? Do you know something about Darrell that I don’t?”
“I’m not going to jump to conclusions. This is a fact-finding mission.” His hands went deeper into his pockets. His jaw was tight and hard.
“You’re investigating Darrell?” Her voice rose in agitation. Her fingers tightened on the cluster of flowers. “That’s crazy. He was a wonderful man.”
“Did you know his cousin, Louis?”
“We met a few times. He didn’t seem to like me much. Why? What does any of this have to do with anything?”
Her knees had started to shake and she wanted to sit down. No, she wanted to run back to the house and tell Heath to take his weird questions somewhere else. What had happened to the charming, funny man of yesterday?
“Louis’s trailer blew away in the tornado.”
Alarm raced along her nerve endings and prickled the nape of her neck. She was becoming more confused by the minute. “Is he okay?”
“We don’t know. He wasn’t there. We were hoping you might know where he would go after losing his home.”
“We? Heath, is this official police business?”
“Do you know Louis’s whereabouts, Cassie?”
“No, I don’t. When Darrell died, he seemed angry, as if I was to blame. We haven’t spoken since the funeral.”
“Did you know anything about Louis’s business interests?”
“No.” She crossed her arms over her racing heart, crushing the scent from the tiny blooms. “Heath, I don’t understand all these questions. What’s going on? Please, I thought we were friends. Tell me what this is about.”
“We are friends, Cassie, and I owe you. I don’t like asking all these questions, but they’re important and you’re the only lead I have.” He stepped toward her, the sun gilding his dark hair, and tugged at her arms. “We have reason to believe Louis may have been involved in the drug trade.”
“No,” she breathed.
“Did you ever see or hear anything that made you suspicious?”
She shook her head. “I went to his trailer with Darrell only once and it was so junky and cluttered, I didn’t want to be there. Louis didn’t want me there, either. He was upset with Darrell for some reason and they went off by themselves to talk. When we left, Darrell was in a bad mood.”
“Could Darrell have been working with Louis?”
“Absolutely not!” she said hotly.
“Okay, okay.” Heath raised both hands in surrender. “No more questions. You’re killing that poor flower.”
Cassie uncrossed her arms and stared at the pink phlox. She felt as wadded and bruised as it looked. “Darrell was a good man, Heath.”
“I hope so, Cassie.” Heath’s warm hand closed over hers. “For your sake, I hope so.”