Chapter 45
Forty-Five
J ane rushed around the house, straightening and cleaning in anticipation of Savannah’s arrival midmorning the next day. She wiped down the kitchen counters, dusted the guest room and vacuumed while mentally checking off tasks to complete.
She looked through her pantry and fridge and realized she was short on food. With everything that’d been going on—the fire, the investigation, Bucky in the hospital—grocery shopping wasn’t tops on the list.
Jane grabbed her keys and drove over to the barn. Bucky was getting feed for the sheep. He had a plaid shirt on with his sleeves rolled up, and he looked healthier.
“I’m going into town. Do we need anything for the farm?” she asked. He wiped his brow and thought for a moment, then gave her a short list of items they needed.
First up would be the Feed & Grow. She parked in front of the store and stepped in the front door, the familiar scent of hay and feed greeting her. She waved to one of the cashiers she saw occasionally, a young woman with blue highlights in her hair, who nodded.
Jane found the items Bucky needed and paid before heading outside.
As she walked to her car, a familiar voice hailed her. Jane turned to see Victor heading her way with a confident smile on his face. He had on a charcoal-gray suit with the jacket unbuttoned and a black turtleneck underneath. Jane didn’t know much about men’s clothing, but the outfit he was wearing screamed, “I’m expensive.” When he reached her, he leaned in and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. “Hey, beautiful, how are you?”
“I’m fine, Victor,” she said, giving him a small smile. “Funny meeting you here again. I didn’t know you had a thing for feed stores.”
“Ha ha.” He chuckled and glanced at the items in her hands. “More supplies? How’s everything going on the farm?”
Jane’s mind flashed to the recent fire, but since they didn’t know who set the fire, she wasn’t going to mention it.
“Great. Everything’s great,” she replied.
Victor tilted his head, studying her. “I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch. Business called me away.” His eyes roamed over her, up and down, smiling. “Any chance of getting together this weekend?”
Jane shook her head. “I’m sorry, Victor, I’m with someone now.”
His smile froze, but then he shook his head and gave her a wide grin. “Well, congratulations. I guess I’ll see you around then.”
Before Jane could respond, she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist, pulling her close. She turned to see Ethan standing behind her, his eyes locked on Victor.
Victor smirked at him. It was like a teenage pissing contest.
“Want to introduce us?” said Ethan.
Jane swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m sorry. Ethan this is Victor. Victor, Ethan.” They shook hands, glaring at one another.
Victor looked at his watch, breaking the standoff. “Well, I’m late for an appointment. Jane, it was good to see you.” He nodded at Ethan. “Nice meeting you.”
Victor turned and walked over to his car. Jane stood there for a moment and wondered why she’d thought him attractive. For some reason, the vibe he gave off today was predatory. She shrugged off the uneasy feeling. She was with Ethan and wasn’t going to worry about Victor anymore.
Ethan’s gaze followed Victor until he drove away. “So what is Victor to you?” asked Ethan.
“Nothing.” Jane shook her head. “We had a couple of dates, but there was no chemistry.”
“Humph.” He looked at his watch. “Well, I’ve got to get back to the station. What are you up to the rest of the day?”
“Grocery shopping,” she replied. “Then finish a few things at the house to get ready for Savannah.”
“Have fun.” Ethan leaned in to kiss her goodbye.
Jane watched him walk back toward the station. He looked so handsome in his uniform, but Victor’s sudden appearance had unsettled her.
She pushed the negative thoughts away and got into her car and drove to the grocery store. She arrived home and unloaded the groceries. The afternoon was still young, so she decided to make a couple of sweet breads for the weekend.
Ethan left Jane and made his way toward the firehouse. He’d been headed there when he spotted her car at the Feed & Grow and decided to surprise her. The surprise, though, was on him when he saw the good-looking guy lean in and kiss Jane. The sight stopped him cold, and he resisted the urge to run over and punch the guy’s lights out.
Curiosity got the better of him, so he strolled over to say hello and find out who the guy was. He didn’t look familiar, and it threw Ethan for a loop that Jane had apparently dated him. He’d thought she didn’t date. But that was neither here nor there. What she did before he came on the scene was her business.
Ethan’s first impression of Victor was that he had money—a lot of money. That custom suit alone had to cost over a thousand bucks. He was also too suave. He had to be from a big city.
When he shook hands with Victor, the man’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. As Victor subtly adjusted his sleeve, Ethan noticed a flash of ink—a twisting design. It was brief, and Victor didn’t strike him as the sort of guy to show off a tattoo. The design reminded him of something, but nothing came to mind. At least Victor left before Ethan did.
After kissing Jane goodbye, he continued to the fire station, looking for Scotty, who was out.
Then his radio squawked, and he was called out on a hit-and-run. The rest of the day continued with him putting out one fire after another. At least they weren’t real fires this time.
Ethan was exhausted. He couldn’t wait to get home to Jane, to the comfort of the farm, and forget about the day he had.