Chapter Twelve
Linx woke earlythe next morning after staying up late the night before. Cait had called to let her know that she was okay and staying at The Over Easy Bed & Breakfast near Joe’s Diner. Her contractions had subsided and had been caused by exhaustion anddehydration.
She hadn’t heard from Grady, so she put Sam back in the kennel out back. She should get him ready and deliver him back to Grady before he came over to claimhim.
The phone was ringing downstairs, so Linx pulled a robe over her naked body and bounded down the stairs, followed byCedar.
Linx rushed to pick up the phone, but whoever was calling hung up without speaking. Who bothered with landlines thesedays?
Oh, right. She still had one with a vintage nineteen-eighties answering machine. Maybe the person had only wanted to check if she wasin.
Cedar barked and jumped near the door, wanting to go outside for her morning bathroombreak.
Linx opened the door and almost tripped over her own feet as she skidded to a stop in front of a monstrous pile of metallic art sprawled on herporch.
Rusty patches of scrap metal were welded in a rough shape of a grinning skull. A railroad spike pierced one of the eye sockets, and a beckoning hand protruded from the other eye. In the hand was a heart made of rusty wires and scrap twisted together complete with arteries and veins made from ridged toilet connectortubes.
Her absentee mother had left another callingcard.
“Minx!” Linx swirled around and shouted at the empty space in front of the center. “Get this crap off myproperty.”
No wonder the dogs had been restless in the wee hours beforedawn.
“Belongs in a junkyard!” Linx shook her fist and yelled, in case Minx lurked to see herreaction.
Beside her, Cedar sniffed at the heap of scrap and emitted a low growl, as if she also found itoffensive.
“You’re darn right.” Linx petted her dog, glaring at the skull which was embellished by a ring of flame-like shapes. “What’s this thing supposed to meananyway?”
Cedar’s ears perked up at the sound of tires on the gravel driveway. Linx grabbed her before she bolted toward the approachingvehicle.
“Sorry, girl, can’t let you bite her.” Linx yanked Cedar back into the cabin and slammed the door. Her heart pounded and sweat erupted over her forehead. Whatever words they’d have would be bad and nasty—hurtful, and right now, with the fire and Grady in town, she couldn’t deal with another all-out emotionalassault.
Minx Colson was the polar opposite of Grady and Cait’s mother. Where Mrs. Hart was warm and cuddly, like an overeager golden retriever, her mother had the demeanor of a Rottweiler ready toattack.
And she sure knew how to bare herfangs.
Linx lowered the shades and peeked out the corner of the window while Cedarbarked.
The person getting out of the truck wasn’t hermother.
It was Grady, and Grady and Cedar didn’t mix, at least without fallout raining all overLinx.
“Oh, crap!” Linx dragged Cedar back. “I need to get Sam ready. You’re going to have to stay out of sight in thebathroom.”
She shoved her dog, whining and complaining, into thebathroom.
Before Grady could knock, Linx bounded onto the porch and slammed the door behindher.
“Hi! Sam’s out back. How’s Cait? Is she going back to SanFrancisco?”
Grady raised one eyebrow sky-high. “What’s gotten into you? A squirrel crawl up yourass?”
What kind of greeting was that after the hot, searing kiss they’d shared lastnight?
“I, uh, well, let me get Sam for you.” The wind picked up the edge of herrobe.
“Dressed in nothing but a flimsy robe?” Grady’s leer spread across his wide mouth. “And what the heck isthat?”
