“I thought for sure you were dead in a ditch,” Thistle announced, her voice shaky.
If I could’ve grabbed her around the neck and given her a good shake and gotten away with it I totally would’ve done it. There was every chance she can take me in a fair fight – and don’t even get me going on an unfair fight, which she’s prone to engage in regularly – so I wisely kept my mouth shut even as my anxiety doubled.
“It’s nice to be loved.” Marcus beamed as he gave Thistle a lingering hug. He knew very well her mood would shift to snarky and mean relatively quickly, so he took advantage of the situation while he could. “I was a little worried about getting here. The roads are a mess. Even when you’re going slow and know where you’re going it’s a little frightening.”
My stomach twisted as I chewed my bottom lip. “Maybe we should go looking for him.” I glanced at Chief Terry. “Maybe … .”
“Sweetheart, we don’t know exactly where he is,” Chief Terry reminded me gently. “He could be anywhere. Give it some time. If he’s stopped someplace else because he feels that’s the safest thing to do, you don’t have to worry. He’ll call. He wouldn’t leave you suffering all night. That’s not his way.”
I knew that was true, yet … . My heart hopped when I heard the front door open and I ran to the opening between rooms so I could get a glimpse of the action. Landon wasn’t looking at me as he entered, but he said something to my mother that had both of them chuckling, his booming laughter filling the room.
Even though I knew it was ridiculous, I couldn’t stop the relief from washing over me. Landon was here. He was safe. He would probably eat his weight in comfort food before the end of the night, but that was something to rejoice.
I opened my mouth to greet him, something schmaltzy on the tip of my tongue, but that was the moment Aunt Tillie made her presence known.
“What the … ? Thistle! You’d better start running now. I know this was you.”
Ah, the magical ants were doing their work. I spared a glance over my shoulder and locked gazes with Thistle. “That probably wasn’t a good idea now that we’re all stuck here for the night.”
Thistle shrugged. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it all under control.”
That was a frightening thought. “How?”
“Watch.” Thistle winked. “I didn’t do it, Aunt Tillie,” she called out. “It was Bay. You should put her on the top of your list.”
My mouth dropped open as I realized what was happening. “You’re dead to me,” I seethed, my cheeks burning. “You’re so dead they’ll have to think of a new word for dead.”
Thistle merely grinned. “Ah, it’s good to spend time with family.”
Something told me she wouldn’t feel that way by the end of the night.
“HEY, SWEETIE.”
Landon was all smiles when he strolled into the room. I did my best to pretend I hadn’t been panicking about his safety and even managed to pull off a cool smile for about ten seconds … and then I was on him.
“I was worried.” I gave him a fierce hug. “You should’ve stopped at a hotel instead of braving the roads.”
“Where were you?” Chief Terry asked.
“Elk Rapids. They had a big meth bust. I needed to sign paperwork, so I was there later than I wanted. The weather wasn’t that bad when I left. By the time I got here, though, it was terrible. The last five miles between town and the inn took me almost forty-five minutes.”
“Yeah, it’s definitely nasty out there,” Clove agreed. “By the way, we’re all staying here for the night. That includes you and Bay. If you don’t like it … well … suck it up.”
Landon snickered. “You decide to be the bold one at the oddest of times.”
“I have to be the bold one tonight. Thistle and Bay are on Aunt Tillie’s list.”
Landon’s eyes lighted with amusement. “Oh, well, fun!” He kissed my forehead. “You need to unclench a bit, Bay. I’m fine. It was a rough ride, but I’m safe. Everyone is under one roof together, which I think is going to mean that things will get loud before the end of the night.”
“Oh, you have no idea,” Thistle intoned. “I already cursed Aunt Tillie to feel as if she has ants in her pants and then told her Bay did it. We’re just getting started.”
“Sounds fun.” Landon smoothed my hair. “Do you think she’ll whip out the bacon curse as retribution? If we’re going to be snowed in, I can’t think of a better way to pass the time.”
“You want to spend the time sniffing your girlfriend?” Chief Terry’s tone was dry. “I don’t want to see that. In fact, I’m putting my foot down and demanding that no one gets cursed to smell like bacon. It might be a big inn, but it’ll feel small once we’ve spent a few hours together.”
“And we haven’t even started drinking yet,” Thistle added, sliding her eyes to the right when the dining room door swung open to allow Aunt Tillie entrance.
Describing Aunt Tillie isn’t easy. She’s four feet and eleven inches of pure mayhem. Tonight, for example, she wore St. Patrick’s Day leggings, an oversized “I’m Here for the Boos” shirt and slippers with bunnies on them. Oh, and for the record, the bunnies looked stoned. Er, maybe they were meant to represent the rabbit from Monty Python and The Holy Grail. Yeah, that made more sense.
“There’s the woman of the hour.” Landon beamed as he released me. “If you’re going to punish Bay, I want to request something that smells like bacon before the wine starts flowing. I figure if I get my request in early you’ll be far more likely to take it into consideration.”
Aunt Tillie shot Landon a withering look. “She won’t smell like bacon when I’m done with her. I can promise you that.”
Landon wasn’t about to be deterred. “How about pot roast? That might be fun. Or … wait … we’re snowed in.” His eyes lighted with food delirium. No, honestly, he’s a very food-oriented guy. “Chili. I love the smell of chili. Make her smell like chili and I’ll give you three freebies on your pot field this summer.”
Despite herself, Aunt Tillie was clearly intrigued by the suggestion. “Define ‘freebie.’”
“I’ll look the other way and not arrest you for illegally growing pot.”
Aunt Tillie snorted. “You have no proof that I’m growing pot. You have a theory, which you can’t back with facts. You’ll have to do a lot better than that if you want me to make her smell like chili.”
“You could split the difference and make her smell like a Coney dog,” Thistle suggested. “If you add onions to the mix, it’s bound to mess things up.”
I scorched Thistle with the meanest look in my repertoire. “We’re totally going to throw down once the chocolate martinis start flowing. You’d better prepare yourself.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
I slid my eyes to Aunt Tillie and found her tilting her head to the side and pursing her lips. She looked pensive, which was never a good thing. “I don’t want to smell like a chili dog.”
“No one asked you.” Aunt Tillie’s gaze was pointed when it snagged with mine. “You’re in big trouble, by the way. You’ve been nothing but a pain in the keister all afternoon.”
“You spent the entire afternoon here?” Landon’s expression was hard to read as he took a seat. “Why didn’t you go to the newspaper office?”
“You know why.”
Landon’s lips curved downward. “Do you want me to talk to him? I warned him once about giving you a hard time, but he’s clearly not a fan of listening.”
If I thought my relationship with Brian Kelly was testy, Landon’s interactions with the man in question had been downright explosive the past few weeks. He was one insult away from punching my former boss in the face.
“Let it go,” I instructed. “It’s only another week. I can make it until then.”
Landon didn’t look convinced. “I don’t want you suffering through his moods, Bay. It’s not fair or right. You shouldn’t be afraid to go into your own office.”
“I agree with Landon,” Aunt Tillie said, taking me by surprise. “You’re being a big baby. Suck it up.”