Fool's Gold Collection Volume 4: Halfway There / Just One Kiss / Two of a Kind / Three Little Words. Susan Mallery
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Barns, please. It’s Fayrene Hopkins.”
“You’re calling the police?” he asked, thinking his grumpy uncle had been right. No good deed went unpunished.
“Hi, Alice,” Fayrene said with a smile. “I need you to run a background check on someone.” She explained about Misty and the kittens and his offer. “His name is Ryan Patterson. He’s from Washington State.” She gave Alice his date of birth and license number, then glanced back at him. “Nice picture.”
“Thanks.”
She covered the mouthpiece. “I dated Alice’s oldest when I was in high school. We went to prom. She’s always liked me.”
He couldn’t decide if Fayrene’s actions impressed him or made him want to recant his offer. He supposed a little of both. He respected her need to protect herself, even as he was uncomfortable being investigated by the police. Not that he had anything to hide, but still.
Fayrene pointed to the bowl of jelly beans on her desk.
“Want one?”
“No, thanks.”
She picked out a couple. “Green apple. I haven’t been eating much fruit lately.”
He stared at her. “That’s a jelly bean, not fruit.”
“Uh, no. It’s a Jelly Belly.”
“There’s a difference?”
“Duh.” She uncovered the mouthpiece and listened for a minute. “Uh-huh. Okay, thanks. I’ll tell him. No, I haven’t heard from Jim. Alice, you have to let it go.” She paused, then smiled again. “That’s sweet. I’ll let you know if anything changes. Bye.”
She hung up. “Alice says I’m her favorite of her Jim’s girlfriends, and she would like us to get back together.”
“That going to happen?”
“No. We had fun, but we outgrew each other a long time ago.” She tucked a loose strand of blond hair behind her ears and grabbed more Jelly Bellys. “You have no arrests, but you have two speeding tickets on your record. Police Chief Barns wants me to remind you that local law enforcement takes the speed limit very seriously here in Fool’s Gold.”
“Good to know.”
She studied him for a second. “If you’re serious about staying with me tonight, that is not going to happen. However, I would appreciate you stopping by for a few hours, just in case more kittens arrive. But I want to be clear I’m inviting you over as a friend. I’m not sleeping with you.”
Ryan laughed. “Thanks for clarifying. I wasn’t planning on more than cat sitting, by the way.”
She flushed. “I realize you hadn’t asked, but I’ve learned it’s best to get everything out in the open so there aren’t any misunderstandings.”
“A wise philosophy.”
“Now you’re making fun of me.”
“Maybe a little.”
She was an interesting combination of hysterical and capable, he thought. She might not be comfortable around Misty in labor, but she was willing to call the local police chief and check on him.
He shrugged into his jacket. “How far’s your place? I left my car at the hotel.”
“I drove because of Misty.” She picked up her purse. “I wasn’t planning on company for dinner. Is pizza okay?”
“Pizza is my favorite.”
* * *
FAYRENE DROPPED HER skirt to the floor and slid into her jeans. She’d left Ryan in the living room with Misty and the kittens. He didn’t seem the type to snoop, but it had been so long since she’d brought a guy home, she felt strange leaving him alone. Who knew you could forget how to date?
Not that this was a date—he was a friend, helping her out. But he was also a man and nice-looking and there was the whole zap thing.
She pulled on her sweatshirt and shoved her feet into flats. Her curly hair was a mess, but then it usually was. She’d learned to ignore it. Less than two minutes after she’d left him to get changed, she was back in the living room. Where Ryan wasn’t.
She stared at the empty space. His backpack was still on the floor by the door, and his coat was on the small rack. She paused and listened, then heard a distinct meow from the alcove that was her kitchen.
She followed the noise and found Ryan opening a can of cat food. Misty was out of the box and tracing a figure eight around his ankles.
He looked up and smiled. “I thought she might be hungry,” he said. “She’s had a tough day.”
He scooped food into a bowl and set it on the floor. Misty hurried over and started eating. He poured out some dry food, then filled her water bowl.
“You’re good,” Fayrene told him. “You’ve taken care of pets before.”
“I grew up on a farm.”
Fayrene stared at him. “Seriously?”
He covered the rest of the canned cat food and put it in her refrigerator, then closed the door and leaned against the counter.
“Why is that surprising? You live in a small town.”
“But not on a farm.”
She led the way into the living room. The coffee table had a small drawer where she kept her favorite takeout menus. When they were both seated on the sofa, she handed him the stack.
“I owe you, so you get to pick. It doesn’t have to be pizza. Other places deliver.”
He chuckled. “You sure know how to spoil a guy.”
He flipped through the various offerings before choosing pizza. Fayrene phoned in the order, adding a six-pack of beer to the pizza. Because all she had in her refrigerator was a jar of mustard and Misty’s breakfast.
“So where is the family farm?” she asked, angling toward him.
“A place you’ve never heard of. Colville, Washington. It’s north of Spokane. My dad runs a few hundred heads of cattle and twenty acres of hay. We raised chickens, goats, rabbits. The usual.”
She laughed. “The usual? Not for me. No wonder you were comfortable with Misty’s delicate condition. Nothing you haven’t seen before.”
He shrugged. “I’ve had my share of birthing babies.”
“How did you get from there to here?”
His dark gaze settled on her face. “Why aren’t I still that farm boy?”
She nodded.
“It’s a hard way to making a living. There are a few manufacturing jobs in town, but I didn’t want that, either. I’d always been interested in how things worked. I would take things apart and try to put them back together.” His mouth curved up. “When I was younger, I wasn’t very good at the putting them back together part. My parents were really patient with me.”
“So you always wanted to be an engineer?”
“Pretty much. When I was fifteen, my dad bought a wind turbine to generate electricity.” The smile widened. “That’s a windmill for you city folks.”
She laughed. “Thanks for explaining. So that’s what you studied?”
“My degree is more general. Alternative energy sources, but I’ve specialized in wind turbines. I’ve been working on some designs of my own, and I’ve modified existing designs. Efficiency is significant. Getting an extra kilowatt may not seem like much, but over time, it adds up.”
He spoke with enthusiasm and got technical pretty quickly. In a matter of a minute, she had no idea what he was talking about.