7. Delilah #2
I hadn’t talked to my aunt Suzy since last night when she’d delivered Delilah to the kickoff event in a sidecar. “Hey, did you have fun last night?”
“You heard from your brother lately?”
“Which one?”
“Colin.”
My heart lurched. “No, why?”
As far as I knew, my brother was playing by the rules we’d set up. Rules we both agreed to the last time we’d seen each other in person.
“I’ve got a feeling.” Suzy let out a long-drawn-out breath. “I swear I saw his ghost while I was leaving the feed store over in Swynton.”
“Last I heard he was up in Amarillo. You really think it was him?” That’s all I needed—Colin coming back, especially right now. Nothing good ever came from him showing his face around town.
“I don’t know, but if it wasn’t him, he has one hell of a doppelg?nger.”
“Did you try to talk to him?”
“No. I was loading my truck when I saw him drive by. Had to stop and get some of that fox pee they sell. Damn rabbits are eating all of my fall spinach.”
The tightness in my chest eased. “So, you’re not sure it was actually him?”
“Well, no. But it nearly gave me a heart attack. You don’t think he’d actually be stupid enough to come back, do you?”
“I don’t know.” I didn’t want to try to guess what Colin might do. I’d been wrong so many times in the past when I’d tried to anticipate my older brother’s moves. “I’ve got a little time. Maybe I’ll swing through Swynton and see if I can spot him. What was he driving?”
“A truck. A big black Chevy with a gun rack in the window. You sure you don’t want to talk to Deputy Phillips or the sheriff? They’re better equipped to handle him.”
“No.” Maybe if I’d made the decision to turn Colin in years ago, it would make sense to call the police.
But how could I get them involved now without implicating myself?
Having my parents believe Colin left because of a fight between brothers was a hell of a lot easier than letting them know what had really happened.
I’d only confessed things to Suzy when she’d overheard me threatening my brother.
But I’d sworn her to silence and would continue to handle it on my own.
If Colin had the balls to come back to town, it could only mean one thing. He wanted something.
“I don’t feel right about this,” Suzy said.
I cleared my throat and swallowed the regret I’d carried with me for bringing my aunt into my confidence in the first place. “Everything will be fine. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll check it out and get back to you.”
“While you’re over there, why don’t you have a chat with your old girlfriend? Rumor has it she’s been making waves about Swynton being disqualified from that contest.” Suzy clucked her tongue. “Never did figure out what you saw in that girl.”
I never really knew what I saw in Adeline Monroe either.
But back in high school, when she was head of the cheerleading squad and I was the starting quarterback, it had seemed so much more cut-and-dried.
We were supposed to go together, everyone said so, and I convinced myself everyone was right.
At least until we left for college and she forgot about the promises we’d made each other and came home with a fiancé.
Truth was, she’d done me a huge favor, but it sure hadn’t felt that way at the time.
“I’ll talk to her.”
“Be careful there, too. I’m not sure who’s more dangerous—your brother or Adeline with a chip on her shoulder.”
I broke the tension with a chuckle. “I can handle Adeline.”
“For your sake, I sure hope so. Take care now.”
“You too, Suzy.” I disconnected and swung the truck around in a wide U-turn. If Colin was over in Swynton, I needed to know.
An hour later I’d gone up and down the main streets with a dozen sightings of a black Chevy with a gun rack.
I’d figured it would be a lost cause based on the generic description but had to see for myself.
With time running out before I had to go pick up Lacey, I decided to swing by Adeline’s place before I headed back across the river.
She didn’t look a bit surprised to find me standing on the other side of her front door. As my gaze drifted over her, my aunt’s words rattled through my head. What exactly had I seen in Adeline? Whatever it was, it was long gone now.
“Jasper Taylor. To what do I owe this honor?” She stuck her head through the crack in the door, not bothering to invite me inside.
“What’s going on? Rumor has it you’ve been spouting off all over about how Ido doesn’t have a right to be competing in the state tourism board contest.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t believe everything you hear. But in this case, it’s true. Y’all don’t deserve it. Swynton won fair and square.”
“And then cheated. It’s not our fault you got yourselves disqualified.”
“I didn’t know anything about anyone cheating. Somebody did that on their own. Daddy doesn’t condone that kind of behavior and never would have asked someone to reach out on Swynton’s behalf.” With her hand clamped to her hip and a fire burning in her eyes, I almost believed her.
“What’s done is done. If you’ve got a problem with the contest, take it up with the committee.”
“I tried. They didn’t care. And now we’re paying the price.” Her lower lip stuck out, a move I’d actually found cute at one point in my misguided youth.
“It’s a silly contest, Adeline. Let it go.”
“I can’t. You know better than anyone that Swynton is a more romantic place. That’s why we spent all of our time on this side of the river when we used to go out. You do remember that, don’t you?” She flashed a grin.
“As I recall, didn’t you try to get married over in Ido last year? Speaking of, is your husband home? I haven’t had the pleasure of actually meeting the man yet.”
Adeline’s smile flipped upside down into a nasty frown. “I only tried to get married there to help them. But now Swynton has its own wedding venue. And sooner or later the state tourism board will realize their mistake.”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking about doing, but whatever it is, don’t.”