All the Old Lions (A Thea Barlow Wyoming Mystery, Book One) by Carol Caverly

Author:Carol Caverly [Caverly, Carol]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781614177302
Publisher: ePublishing Works!

Nine

When the music stopped we were caught in an impenetrable crush of bodies. Max turned me in the direction of the flow, guiding me from behind with his hands on my shoulders. We began to inch our way through the crowd.

“As we were saying,” I tossed the words over my shoulder, congenitally unable to let anything die on the vine, “what if Minnie doesn’t sell, decides to stay here herself?”

“She won’t—”

“Here you are.” Jim materialized in front of me. “I thought you’d skipped out on me.”

“Heavens no,” I said, denying a twinge of guilt. It seemed like ages since I’d last seen him. He maneuvered me out of Max’s hands, and I caught an exchanged glance between the two men that left me chilled and silent; a primitive wave of communication that unhappily brought to mind Jim’s earlier comment: “I’d hate to see the results if Max Holman gets crossed.”

Max disappeared into the crowd and I felt suddenly tired and claustrophobic.

Jim put his arm around my shoulders. “You look like you’re wilting. Had enough of the Wild West?”

I gave him a weak smile and nodded. He brushed strands of hair away from my damp forehead.

“What you need is something to drink.” We were standing just to one side of the milling crowd that headed down the stairs toward fresh air. “There isn’t a bar here, but they always have a cooler of pop and beer downstairs.”

Private bottles passed freely among the adults, too, I noted. Everyone on the sidelines seemed to have a plastic glass in hand. “Beer would be fine.” I needed a thirst-quencher.

Parson Potts ambled by and nodded to Jim. “Hi there, Parson,” Jim said, and took his arm. “Why don’t you keep Thea company while I get her something cold to drink? And how about a beer for you, too?” He took off down the stairs, and left Potts to stand awkwardly by my side. I didn’t feel the least inclined to make things easy for him.

“How’s Minnie?” he finally asked. His eyes slid away from direct contact.

“Fine.”

“I…You know, I never thought I’d see that young’un again. That Minnie sure was a cute little thing. Everybody thought that worthless old woman would birth an idiot; never took care of nothing in her life, not even herself. If it hadn’t been for Lil, don’t know what would have become of Minnie.” He ducked his head, then after a moment said, “It’s good to see her.”

I suspected there were limits to his friendship with Minnie, so I said, “Why didn’t you bring her here tonight? She would have loved it.”

When he turned his malevolent beady eyes on me, I wished he hadn’t. With an abrupt movement, startling for its quickness, he left and disappeared down the stairs.

I was angry with myself for letting him bother me, and wished I’d told him that Minnie had come to town to report a break-in. I spied some empty chairs across the hall and made for them.

“How about a dance, Thea Barlow?”

It took me a moment to recognize the sheriff out of uniform.

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