5. Delilah
DELILAH
“It’s so nice to meet you.” I held Jasper’s aunt’s hand in mine, the lace netting of the woman’s gloves rough against my palm.
“The pleasure’s all mine. Jasper said you need a place to get cleaned up. Come on in.” Suzy held the trailer door open and gestured for me to go inside.
“Aunt Suzy is a taxidermist by trade.” Jasper gathered my bag from the truck bed and came to stand behind his aunt.
I nodded as I entered the trailer. Eyes peered out at me from the walls. My heart stopped. My palms went clammy. My vision went fuzzy. Deer and other woodland creatures I didn’t even want to know the names of smiled, snarled, and frowned at me, their likenesses forever frozen in time.
“Aunt Suzy’s won awards for her skills.” Jasper’s deep voice came from over my shoulder, drawing my attention away from the menagerie of animals whose eyes seemed to follow me.
“Is that right?” I swallowed a lump of discomfort rising in my throat.
“Sure is. I’ve shown my work in several competitions. Even was featured as a centerfold in a big taxidermy magazine. I’ve got a copy right here.” Suzy brushed past us, making her way to a small sitting area, where a coffee table held dozens of magazines.
Jasper leaned forward, his breath brushing my cheek. “I’m so sorry. I should have warned you.”
I closed my eyes for a moment at the contact.
“It’s fine. Your aunt seems like a lovely person.
” Lovely and just slightly off her rocker.
But I was a professional. I could keep my own feelings and emotions tucked deep down inside.
I’d learned how to do that over the years, and that was something that no amount of pageant training could provide.
My ability to put up a front came from dealing with my mother’s never-ending surprises.
“If you want to go, I can take you somewhere else to get ready,” Jasper muttered.
I turned around, not prepared for how close he’d be in the small space. His nose might have brushed mine had I not stepped back.
“Ms. Stone.” Jasper reached for me as the backs of my legs bumped into the bench of the dinette. I stumbled backward, his hand wrapping around my arm, holding me suspended even as my head tipped back. A bobcat snarled at me from above, its teeth bared, a glint of anger in its glassy eyes.
“Oh my.” My hand went to my chest, and before I had a chance to register what was happening, I found myself chest to chest with Jasper Taylor.
“Are you okay?” One hand clasped me around the waist, the other held my arm . . . the arm that wedged between us . . . the only thing keeping my breasts from smooshing against the hard planes of his broad chest.
“I’m fine.”
He set me upright and immediately released his grip. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
Hot prickles danced across my cheeks. I averted my gaze, desperate to look anywhere but into the eyes of the man who’d just caught me by surprise. “Thank you, um, I think I might need some air.”
“Of course.” He stepped aside so I could get to the stoop.
In the bright afternoon sun, I took in a deep breath. I didn’t belong in Ido any more than they deserved the title of most romantic small town in Texas. It was obvious. At least to me. And probably to Jasper Taylor as well.
“Here it is.” Suzy joined me on the small wooden stoop, a magazine in her hands. “My first centerfold.”
My gaze ran over the spread. Suzy sat in the middle of a virtual wonderland of stuffed animals. “That’s really something.”
“Those were the days.” Suzy ran a gloved finger over the picture. “I suppose I ought to show you where you can get ready. Jasper said you don’t have much time and that something went wrong with your trailer?”
“That’s right.” Relieved to be back on task, I ran my palm over my skirt. “Could I possibly use your bathroom?”
“Of course. Let me show you where it is.” Suzy reentered the trailer and I followed.
Jasper had moved to the sitting area. His large frame barely seemed to fit in the small club chair. He made a move to stand as I reached for my makeup case.
“You need any help?” he asked.
“I’ve got it. I’ll be a little while. Do you need to go take care of anything while I get ready?”
“I need to make sure everything’s ready at the square.” He frowned as he glanced down at his jeans. “And then get cleaned up myself.”
“Oh, I’ll make sure she gets to the party in time.” Suzy pulled on Jasper’s hand. “You go take care of yourself and leave us girls to it.”
Jasper glanced from Suzy to me and back again, his brows drawing down to create a tiny furrow between them. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. But before you go, can we have a moment of silence?” Suzy took Jasper’s hand in hers, then reached for mine. “Go on, join hands, you two.”
I slowly reached out. Jasper’s fingers closed around mine, sending a pulse of warmth up my arm.
He rolled his eyes and nudged his chin toward his aunt. “I failed to mention that September thirtieth is a special day to Aunt Suzy.”
“Not just me. It’s a big day for all of us Deaners.” Suzy nodded.
“What’s a Deaner?” I was almost afraid to ask. For all I knew, it was a group of taxidermists who practiced some strange ritual on the last day of September.
“Fans of James Dean. He tragically lost his life on September thirtieth, and at five forty-five local time we share a moment of silence.” Suzy glanced at the clock on the wall. A chipmunk popped out of a small log as a chime sounded. “If y’all will bow your heads.”
I snuck a look at Jasper, who appeared to clench his jaw before dropping his chin to his chest. I closed my eyes and focused on the way his hand felt in mine. That moment when he’d caught me . . . just thinking about it had my heartbeat ratcheting up and my pulse thundering through my ears.
Suzy squeezed my hand, then let it go. “Thank you. I normally honor him by myself. It’s nice to have friends and family take part.”
Jasper let my hand drop from his. “You sure you’re okay riding to town with Suzy?”
His aunt dabbed a tissue under her eyes. “What do you think I’m going to do to her? Stuff her?”
I gulped in a breath. It diverted down the wrong pipe and I coughed, sputtering in an attempt to catch my breath.
“Suzy, was that really necessary?” Jasper guided me to the edge of the dinette bench. “You know she’s joking, right?”
Nodding, I pressed a hand to my chest, then cleared my throat. “Of course. We’ll be fine. I’ll see you at the kickoff.”
He hesitated.
“Go on, get out of here. Leave us girls to get ready. Of course she knows I was joking.” Suzy dismissed his concern with a wave of her hand. “Besides, I don’t have the equipment to work on something her size out here. You know that.”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Hopeful that Suzy was just a tough old bird who liked to get a rise out of folks, I grinned up at Jasper. “Go on, Suzy and I will get along just fine.”
He gave his aunt a final long look, and some unspoken message passed between them. Then he adjusted his baseball cap and grabbed his keys from where he set them on the counter. “You’ve got my number?”
I nodded.
“Call me if you need anything?”
I nodded again.
“Anything.”
“Got it.” I stood and picked up my makeup case. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
“All right.” He pressed a kiss to his aunt’s temple, then turned and walked out the door.
I waited as the truck engine turned over and the sound of his retreat crunched over the gravel drive. Suddenly the trailer seemed so much bigger without Jasper Taylor taking up all the space and sucking in all the air.
“Bathroom’s right this way.” Suzy covered the length of the trailer in just a few steps. “You can change in the bedroom if you’d like. You’ll have more room in there.”
“Thank you.” I smiled at the woman as I stepped inside the small bathroom.
“You’re more than welcome. I’m always happy to help out my kinfolk. Any friend of Jasper’s is a friend of mine.”
“Oh, we’re not exactly friends,” I tried to explain. “He’s the hospitality host.”
“We’re all friends around here, sugar.” Suzy propped her hands on her hips. “You need a towel to take a shower or anything?”
“No thank you. I’ll just change into my kickoff outfit and redo my makeup.”
“Suit yourself. You hungry? I can make you something to eat right quick before we have to go to the party.”
“I’m fine, thanks.” No telling what kind of meat Suzy might have sitting around in her freezer. The thought made my stomach roll.
“Best get to it then. I’ll be ready whenever you are.”
“Thank you.” I pulled the bathroom door shut behind me, enclosing myself in the small space. Two chipmunks sat on a log suspended above the toilet. I shook my head and focused on my reflection in the mirror.
My arrival in Ido hadn’t gone exactly as I anticipated. Hopefully the evening celebration would go well. I lost track of time as I brushed and dabbed and highlighted, my fingers expertly applying the makeup in a routine I’d perfected over the years.
Suzy said something, then a man’s voice reverberated through the trailer.
A knock sounded on the bathroom door. “You about ready? We’ve got a visitor and he’s got a special ride to get you to the party tonight.”
Jasper
I checked my list once, twice, three times.
This afternoon had been such a mess, tonight needed to go off without a hitch.
We’d already pushed Delilah Stone to the edge.
I could tell by the way her wild-eyed gaze had darted from beaver to bobcat at my aunt Suzy’s place.
If she fled before she had a chance to pass judgment on our tiny town, I’d never hear the end of it.
“You ready?” Lacey joined me in the gazebo, baby P in her arms.
“As ready as we’ll ever be.” I turned in a circle, doing one final check-in to make sure all was going according to the plan.