Tail of Two Hearts. Charlotte Carter
the farmer. If the farmer lifted that shotgun again and pulled the trigger, Chase could be dead in minutes.
Please, God. Don’t let anything bad happen to him. She pulled out her cell phone, ready to call for help.
“How about I try to bring Marshmallow back where she belongs? Then you and I can brace that fence back up. What do you say, Mr....?”
“Mahnken. Amos Mahnken.”
“Good to meet you, Amos.” He extended his hand. “Chase Rollins.”
Switching the shotgun to his left hand, Amos took Chase’s hand. “You’ll need a switch. Marshmallow needs a little flick now and again to get her moving. Brownie usually follows along all right.”
Vivian exhaled the breath she’d been holding. Chase was either crazy or extremely brave. Maybe both, she thought, hysteria threatening.
“I’ll get her.” Reaching for a dry weed stalk, Chase broke it off. “You go find us some wood and a hammer and nails. This shouldn’t take long.”
Shaking, Vivian waited in the truck while Chase rounded up the cows, then helped Amos restore the fence to some order.
Finally, Chase told Amos goodbye. They shook hands like old friends, and Chase returned to the SUV.
“Sorry for the delay,” he said, climbing behind the wheel.
“Sorry?” She nearly choked. “You could’ve been killed!”
“Naw. Old Amos didn’t want to kill anybody. Just wanted to scare me off.”
“Well, he certainly scared me. Right out of ten years of my life.”
Looking at her, he cocked his head. A little smile played around his lips. “Thanks for worrying about me.”
He tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear, then he shifted the SUV into gear and pulled back onto the road.
Her cheek tingled with the residual warmth of his fingertip. Her heart beating hard, all Vivian could do was gape at the man. Maybe she was the one who was crazy.
Because she was thinking about crazy, exciting possibilities and dreams that could come true.
Chapter Four
With Amos Mahnken’s farm well behind him in the rearview mirror, Chase glanced at Vivian. Sitting next to him, she had her hands clasped tightly in her lap, and she was staring out the windshield. Slight grooves creased her forehead.
“You all right?” he asked. Viv looked as tense as someone staring down a bull on a rampage, his big horns leveled right at her.
“I’m fine,” she said too brightly. “I think my heart rate ought to slow down by tomorrow afternoon or thereabouts.”
He grinned, wondering if her reaction had been to his impulsive touch of her hair. Or the fact that old Amos had fired his shotgun. Poor guy had probably scared himself as much as he had scared Chase.
“I have no idea how you had the nerve to face him down with a gun in his hands,” Viv said.
“I don’t know. I guess I figured the guy needed help, and it didn’t look like there was anyone around to bail him out of trouble. He’s too old to be digging postholes on his own. It seemed natural to try to give him a hand.”
“You’re a true gentleman, Chase Rollins. And very kind.”
He snorted, embarrassed by her compliment. “While we were fixing the fence, I spotted something that bothered me. There were tire tracks by the fence. Looked to me like someone had intentionally pulled that fence down.”
Viv’s head swiveled toward him. “Why would anyone want to do that?”
“I don’t know. But there’s been some vandalism going on around Bygones. I’m sure Allison told you about the last meeting of the new shopkeepers. Everyone was talking about an increase in someone breaking things and spray painting stuff. I think Amos could be the most recent victim.”
“Allison and I did talk after the meeting about how Elwood was quite upset about what happened at The Everything, with picnic tables being tossed around in the wee hours of the morning and a window broken.”
“Right. And Brian Montclair had some tools stolen, even though they were eventually found. Maybe it’s getting more serious. If a vandal pulled down Amos’s fence, and Marshmallow or Brownie got hit by a truck, it would’ve cost the old guy plenty.”
Chase turned at the intersection of Bronson, heading into town.
“Maybe your friend Amos could use a big dog like Buster to run off vandals and trespassers.”
His lips crept into a smile at her suggestion. “You’re right. Like I said, you’re one smart, clever lady.” Pretty, too, but he didn’t want to embarrass her more than he already had. “Maybe I’ll run out there after Saturday’s adoption day to see if I can talk him into that.”
“Finding a home for Buster would be great.”
Chase thought so, too, as he pulled up in front of Happy Endings Bookstore. “Back to the ol’ grind, I’m afraid.”
“Working in a bookstore would never be a grind for me.” She popped open her car door. “Thanks for taking me to the shelter and to lunch. I enjoyed it.”
“We’ll do it again sometime. I take all my dates to an animal shelter. It’s my favorite thing to do.” He nearly bit his tongue when he realized he’d referred to their outing as a date. He really didn’t want her to get the wrong idea.
“Oh, you...” Laughing, she got out of his SUV, waved goodbye and hurried into bookstore.
Chase drove slowly away, around the block to park in his enclosed backyard. He’d enjoyed Viv’s company a lot. Probably more than he should. As long as he kept thinking of her as a friend, there’d be no problems. He didn’t want to risk a deeper relationship.
For about a year in Wichita he’d been dating a woman he had liked a lot. But then she had laid down the law: either they get married and start a family or it’s over.
He chose to break off their relationship.
Because he was never going to take a chance on being a father himself. With the genes he carried, those terrible traits handed down by his own abusive alcoholic father, he knew that was a deal breaker. For the woman.
And for any child he might father.
* * *
Not long after Chase opened the pet store, Elwood Dill, the owner of The Everything store and Chase’s contact with the Save Our Streets committee, showed up.
The moment Elwood stepped in the shop, his scraggly beard showing touches of gray and his tie-dyed T-shirt sporting what looked like ketchup stains, Pepper had a fit.
“Bad Birdie! Bad Birdie! Polly’s not here! Polly’s not here!”
Laughing, Chase told the bird to hush up.
“Hey, Elwood. What’s up?” he asked.
“What’s up? What’s up?” Using his beak, Pepper jingled like crazy the string of tiny silver bells in his cage.
Boyo trotted over to see what was going on.
“Stop showing off, Pepper.” Chase waved Elwood toward the back of the store. “Let’s get away from that crazy bird. Unless I can talk you into buying him?” Although, given Pepper’s vocabulary, he had to be pretty smart. A real prize for someone.
“He sure would liven up my store, but I think I’ll pass. Thanks anyway.”
“Pity. I think Pepper would fit right in with your customers.”
Elwood shot him scathing look. “Nothing’s wrong with my customers.”
“Of