“I wasn’t referring to Mr. Pye.”
“Oh.”
“Uh-huh.”
Laurel was quiet a moment, gathering her thoughts. “I’m not certain what there is to say, unless you’re looking for accolades. Are you?”
Call had nothing in his mouth but spit and he still almost choked on it.
Laurel leaned over and clapped him on the back. “What happened? Are you all right?”
Call nodded, but he couldn’t speak. Not yet. When she withdrew her hand, he leaned against the back of the swing and caught a deep breath, and when he could finally shape coherent words, he asked with a perfectly straight face, “Do you have any accolades?”
“No,” she said, adopting his demeanor. “Not a one.”
“I reckon I deserve that. I shouldn’t have asked, but sometimes you dangle a worm and I can’t resist snapping at it.”
“You have odd appetites.”
“Maybe, but I’ll never ask you to truss me like a Christmas goose.”
Laurel couldn’t help it; she laughed. “How did youhear about that? You were already riding away when Rooster told us how he found the sheriff.”
“Dillon. I asked him what struck the three of you so funny. Carter and I caught your laughter but we didn’t speculate as to the cause.”
“It’s unlikely Rooster would have breathed a word if Carter hadn’t been so high-handed about taking his horse. Serves the sheriff right.”
Call nodded. “There’s an image that won’t leave me anytime soon.”
“Why didn’t you want Sheriff Carter to know about the greenback you found?”
“And just when I thought there wasn’t anything left to discuss regarding Josey Pye.”
“This is the first time we’ve been alone since this afternoon. I didn’t think you’d appreciate me asking you about it in front of anyone.”
“No, you’re right.” He sighed. “I’ve got no good reason for it, but Rayleigh Carter doesn’t inspire confidence.”
“Well, he didn’t do much in the way of searching for Mr. Pye, and he gave up far too soon. I put it down to laziness. He doesn’t get much opportunity to stretch his law enforcement legs, so they’re fairly useless when something important happens.”
“I think you’re being kind.”
“Perhaps. What I know is that no one else in Falls Hollow was interested in the position. There’s a vote, of course, but since Carter is generally the only one on the ballot, he wins by default. He became sheriff not long after my father and brothers were killed, maybe about five years ago. Folks have gotten used to him.”
“And he’s gotten used to having his way, doing or not doing as it pleases him. By any definition, he’s merely an officeholder, not a lawman.”
Laurel couldn’t argue with that. Call was right. The Booker brothers began to play “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair” and she softly hummed along, sometimes mouthing the words.
Call reached for her hand, gave it a light squeeze. “I need to know that you’re all right.”
Laurel was lifted from her reverie. It required a moment’s thought to understand what he was talking about, but when she did, she blinked. “Ah. We’re back to that.”
“Yes,” he said. “That.”
“Well, set your mind at ease. I’m fine.” She slipped her hand out from under his. “I told you that when you asked me at the pool. Didn’t you believe me?”
“I believed you meant it when you said it, but you’ve had time to reflect. I wondered if you’ve had second thoughts.”
“No,” she said lightly. “No second thoughts.” It occurred to her that she should ask the same of him. “You?”
