Chapter 6
Inspiredby his idea to get Mr. MacKenzie out to the old home place where they could talk in-depth about the danger and where the mayor thought it might be coming from, Ian drove into back into town and parked in the square; only to discover that Mayor MacKenzie wasn't in his office.
Frustrated in his attempt to set up an initial private meeting, he drove out toward the MacKenzie house on the edge of town. Spotting a black Mercedes in the driveway, he decided to pull in and have a quick chat with Mr. MacKenzie with no one the wiser. Or wondering why.
Taking the steps two at a time, he crossed the porch and rapped a tattoo on the screen door. As he waited he glanced around the porch that held so many memories of him and Piper. The swing where he kissed her for the first time next to the sweet smelling flowers after scoring the winning touchdown at the Homecoming game their sophomore year in high school still hung at the corner of the porch.
The sound of the door opening drew his attention back to the present, but it wasn't Matt MacKenzie who stood on the other side of the screen.
Piper glared at him, and at her side a big Pitbull growled a warning.
He hadn't realized she was home. An inner voice called him an idiot for coming here. A second inner voice chimed in with the thought that maybe he'd been secretly hoping she'd be home so he could see her up close again. He silenced them both by mentally slamming a door in their faces.
"I was looking for your daddy." He told her, keeping a wary eye on the dog.
From the look on her face, Piper might be growling on the inside herself. Medusa had nothing on this girl.
"Why are you looking for Daddy?" Cool as a cucumber, she quirked a single eyebrow. "Don't you know you're the last person he's interested in seeing?"
Well, she had him there. As far assheknew, he truly didn't have a reason for seeking out her daddy. And he wasn't in a position to enlighten her. Cursing inwardly, he scrambled for a believable reason for his presence on this porch.
The dog continued to growl and Piper put her hand on its head and made soft shushing sounds.
"I guess Ham doesn't like you much." She said through the screen.
"You're guard dog is namedHam?" He laughed.
"It's short for Hammurabi." She snapped back. "You know. The lawyer's code?"
He got his laughter under control, but still had a bit of trouble with a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. She was so darn cute defending her guard dog.
"Look." He said in a conciliatory tone. "I didn't come here to upset anyone. I'm home for a visit because I decided it was high time to do it. And I'm trying to make amends to some people."
"And mydaddyis at the top of the list?" She questioned in an incredulous voice.
"I have to get him to forgive me before you will. Right?" He could not believe that had come out of his mouth. What was he thinking?
"Well, I reckon hell will freeze over before that happens." She said in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "Just last night he was telling me to steer clear of you."
With that, she pulled Ham back by his collar. The dog's feet slid on the polished wood floor as he fought stiff legged to stay in front of Piper. Once she'd manhandled Ham far enough back, she reached to the side, put a hand behind the open inner door and shoved. It slammed in his face so hard the screen door slapped against the frame several times.
He fought the urge to kick the door a few times in a fit of temper. She'd just declared war and Ian Elliott never backed down from a challenge.
