Killer Cupid by Laurien Berenson

Author:Laurien Berenson [Berenson, Laurien]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2022-09-26T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

The moonlight hayride was scheduled to start at eight p.m. By then, the sun had set and the air was crisp and cold. The sky above us was filled with stars.

Twenty couples showed up at the meeting place in front of the inn. Two wagons, their long, open beds filled to the brim with a cushion of straw, were waiting for us. With ten couples in each wagon, things were going to be cozy. Maybe that was the point.

Bertie and I were both wearing jeans, long underwear, and thick, woolen turtleneck sweaters. We had on boots, gloves, and scarves. Our parkas were zipped up to our chins. Sam and Frank were similarly bundled up. I hoped it was going to be enough to keep us warm.

Faith, who’d already had more than enough excitement for one day, had stayed behind in our room. She was probably relieved when we closed the door behind us and she was free to hop up on the bed and fall asleep.

Evelyn was supervising as members of the kitchen staff distributed thermoses of hot cider. While Sam, Bertie, and Frank got in line, I walked around to the front of the lead wagon. The two draft horses that would be pulling it were waiting patiently in their traces. Both were chestnut with flaxen manes and tails. Their lower legs were covered with thick feathering. Their hooves were the size of dinner plates.

I lifted a hand and touched a silky muzzle. The horse eyed me with interest. Maybe he was hoping I had a treat for him.

“That’s Jess.” A man walked around the side of the wagon. He was lean and wiry, and had a friendly smile. Reddish-brown hair peeked out from beneath his cowboy hat. He was wearing a flannel-lined denim jacket and heavyweight nubuck driving gloves. “He’s big, but he’s friendly. You can give him a pat if you want to. Joe here”—he nodded toward the other horse—”can get a little nippy sometimes, but Jess is a real people pleaser.”

The description made me smile. “That sounds like a good kind of horse to have. Especially when they’re this big.”

“You got that right.”

“You must be Harley,” I said.

He tipped his head to one side and squinted at me. Lights were on in front of the inn, but it was semidark on the driveway where we were standing. Still, I could see that the man’s eyes were a steely shade of gray, and not nearly as friendly as his smile.

“Who wants to know?” he asked.

“I’m Melanie Travis. I’m staying at the inn for the weekend. Catelyn Hughes told me you’d be in charge tonight.”

“In charge?” He shook his head. “No, I’ll just be driving one of the wagons. You’d better go find your partner. It looks like it’s time to load up.”

I turned away and saw Sam heading toward me with a wool army blanket in one hand and a thermos in the other. “Frank and Bertie have climbed up into the next wagon,” he told me.

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