She rolled up her window and turned her keys in the ignition. Thankfully, her car didnt choose this moment to act up and coughed to life. She stomped on the gas pedal and her car leaped backward. Finn was forced to jump back, too, or else risk getting his toes run over. It might have been petty, but satisfaction coursed through her.
She pulled out of the parking lot with a squeal of tires that had heads turning up and down Main Street. How she got home, she had no real recollection. But a few minutes later, she became aware that she was sitting in her driveway with her head resting on the steering wheel
again.
Finn Colton. Why, oh why, did he have to come back to Honey Creek after all these years? Why couldnt he just stay in Bozeman with his perfect job and a perfect wife, two point two perfect kids, and a perfect life? Heck, knowing him, he had a perfect dog and drove a perfect car, too.
All the joy had been sucked right out of this day. And shed been so excited to cash her first paycheck and have a few dollars in her pocket to start doing some desperately needed repairs around the house. Cursing Colton men under her breath, she dragged herself into the house and got to work fixing the toilet.
The gossip network took under thirty minutes to do its work. Shed just determined that, although shed miraculously managed to get the right-size gasket, her toilet was officially dead. She was going to have to replace all the tubes and chains and floaty things that made up its innards.
Her phone rang and she grabbed the handset irritably. Hello.
Hi, Raych. Its me.
Carly Grant, her sometimes best friend, sometimes pain in the ass, second cousin. Theyd been born exactly one week apart, and theyd had each others backs for their entire lives. Carly had stuck by her when no one else had after Finn dumped her, and for that, Rachel would put up with a lot of grief from her scatterbrained cousin. Rachels irritation evaporated. Hey. What are you doing?
Im wondering why my home girl didnt call me to tell me she ran into the love of her life down at the hardware store. Why did I have to hear it from Debbie Russo?
How in the heck did she hear about it? Rachel demanded.
Floyd Mason told his wife, and she had a hair appointment at Eves salon at the same time Debbie was having a mani-pedi.
Rachel sighed. Telephone, telegraph, tell a woman. Sometimes she purely hated living in a small town. Actually, most of the time. Ever since shed been a kid shed dreamed of moving to a big city. Away from nosy neighbors and wide open spaces and cows. Far, far away from cows.
Shed have left years ago if it wasnt for her folks. Well, her mom, now that her dad had passed away. A sharp stab of loss went through her. It had been less than a year since Dads last, and fatal, heart attack. Sometimes his death seemed as if it had happened a lifetime ago, muted and distant. And sometimes it seemed like only a few days ago complete with piercing grief that stole her breath away. Today was one of the just-like-yesterday days, apparently.
So. Spill! Carly urged.
Finn Colton is not the love of my life!
Ha. So you admit that you did see him!
Fine. Yes. I saw him. I was crawling on my hands and knees, my rear end sticking up in the air, trying to make a break for it, and he walked right up to me.
Carly started to laugh. Youre kidding.
I wish I were, Rachel retorted wryly. I can report with absolute certainty that his cowboy boots are genuine rattlesnake skin and not fake.
Oh, my God, thats hilarious.
Rachel scowled. She was so demoting Carly from BFF status. Im glad I amuse you.
What did he say? Carly asked avidly.
Not much. He said my name, and I said his. Then I got the heck out of Dodge as fast as I could. She added as a sop to Carlys love of good gossip, He did knock on the window of my car to tell me that I looked like crapand that if I was going to faint, I shouldnt drive.
What a jerk! Carly exclaimed loyally.
Okay, shed just regained her status as best friend forever.
Youll have to fill me in on the details while we drive up to Bozeman.
Rachel groaned. Shed forgotten her promise to go with Carly to shop for a dress for the big celebration of the high schools hundredth anniversary, which was scheduled for next weekend in conjunction with the schools homecoming celebration.
You forgot, didnt you? Carly accused.
No, no, Ill see you at three. But right now I have to go back to the hardware store and get more parts for my toilet.
Hoping to see your favorite Colton brother again?
When theyre having snowball fights in hell, she retorted. She slammed the phone down on Carlys laughter and snatched up her car keys in high irritation.
Finn threw his car keys down in high irritation. He remembered now why he hated Honey Creek so damned much.
His older brother, Damien, finished off his sandwich and commented, Funny how you can want worse than anything in the world to get back home. And then you get here, and in under a week, youd do anything to get away.
Finn rolled his eyes. Nothing like being compared to a recent ex-con and the analogy working. Especially since hed been working like crazy for the last fifteen years to recover the family reputation from