Laid Out and Candle Lit (11 page)

“As a heart attack. She called me at two o’clock this morning to give me the news. I’m happy for ’em. They’ve been in love since high school.”

Ridge rolled the beer bottle between his hands. “That’s funny, because I thought Bubba was in love with
you.
”

“With me?” She shook her head. “No way. Bubba’s in love with my
lady lumps
. I’ve known him all my life and I bet you he can’t tell you the color of my eyes.” Quickly she closed them and leaned forward. “How about you, Cooper? Do you know what color my eyes are?”

Without a heartbeat of hesitation, he answered, moving his face closer to her. “They’re like puddles of dark chocolate except when you get excited and they fade to warm honey brown.”

She kept her eyes closed, and her breath became ragged. “That was a good answer, Cooper. A
very
good answer,” she said, her body getting hotter.

“Keep your eyes closed. Now, tell me what color mine are,” he said.

She took a deep breath. “The simple answer would be blue.”

A smile curled at the corners of his mouth. “What’s the
not
so simple answer?”

“They’re really ocean blue. But in the sunlight, I can see little tiny flecks of green, like newborn blades of grass when they first break the soil.” Her heart pounded so hard, she was sure he could hear it. She opened her eyes to find him inches away from her. The vein below his ear was throbbing. She kept her arms on the bar for fear of fainting if she tried to stand up straight. She struggled to think of something to say.
Damn! Why did she flirt with him? Why did she say the stupid stuff about the grass?

“Forget the crap about the grass. They’re blue. Just blue,” she said.

He sat back on his stool laughing, and took another slow sip of beer. “What are you Tizzy, the town temp? You work at the bank, bakery, bar, and now I find out you volunteer at the clinic. Just how many jobs do you have?”

She counted on her fingers as she repeated . . . bank . . . bakery . . . bar . . . clinic. “I think that’s all of them. What can I say? I’m a Jill of all trades.”

Saint walked up and stood next to his daughter. “Hey Cooper, how’s it going?”

“Fine, Mr. McAlister.”

“Please call me Saint. We’re about to announce last call, but you’re welcome to stay if you like. Bubba usually stops by for a beer after his shift. I’m always here for a while after we close. Tizzy and I generally share a dance.” He smiled, draping his arm around her shoulders. “Tonight, sweetie, why don’t you dance with Cooper? I need to go over some receipts.”

Like clockwork, Bubba and Rayann arrived and Ridge called out to him. “Hey, man, I understand congratulations are in order. That was fast.”

Bubba grabbed Ridge’s hand and shook it. “Thanks, Cooper. I know it seems fast to you, but I’ve been in love with Rayann for a long time so I didn’t see any need to wait.”

Rayann stuck out her hand and dangled her ring in front of Ridge.

“That’s beautiful, Rayann. Congratulations.”

“Thanks, Cooper. Now, take off your gun, Dwayne, and come over here,” she said, pulling him toward the dance floor. He handed his weapon to Tizzy and she put it under the counter. Bubba easily lifted Rayann into the air and twirled her around.

Ridge held out his hand, palm up. Tizzy placed hers in his and they made their way to join Rayann and Bubba. When the music started, he took possession of her. She closed her eyes and breathed him in. He smelled like coconut and the shoe department at Dillard’s, a combination she found intoxicating. It’d been a long time since a man held her close and then there was the whole coconut-shoe thing he had going for him. In her mind, she had a little fantasy involving Piña Coladas and four-inch red stilettos. Feeling dizzy, she laid her head on his chest and he pulled her tighter against his body. The music and words of Clay Walker filled her head
.
For a moment, she didn’t hear Ridge speaking.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“
O
kay, listen up everybody, and I do mean
everybody
. If any of you know anything about Marlene’s death, this would be a good time to tell me.” Tizzy paused and gazed out over the graveyard. No flashes, no thoughts, no voices came from anyone.

“Okay,” she said, wringing her hands. “Y’all know the Ranger investigating her murder. Well, he thinks I may have something to do with her death,” she said. “Right now, it’s not looking too good for me.” She closed her eyes and breathed deeply in and out through her nose, waiting for a response. “I really need some help, y’all. C’mon, you tell me useless stuff all the time.”

She hesitated and nodded. “Okay, it’s not all useless. You were right about dating the box salesman. That could have been a disaster, him being married and all. But this is one time I really need help. Point me in the right direction. Give me some idea who would do this.” She started to softly cry, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. “Please, help me. Give me something. Grandma . . . Poppa . . . Paw. . . Boone . . .”

She stumbled backward to the bench, sat down, buried her face in her hands, and suddenly her head began to roar. She jerked her palms to her ears to stop the sound. “Okay! Okay! Not everybody at once. I can’t understand any of you when you’re all talking at the same time.”

“Tizzy? Are you all right?”

She snapped her head up. “Cooper! My God, you scared me.” She looked past him to his car. “I didn’t hear you drive up. How long have you been here?”

She placed her fingertips to her temples. “No, my head started to roar, like my brain was flooded with too many thoughts at one time. That’s never happened before. I got dizzy. What are you doing here?”

“I came to check on you. You’re usually home from your run before I leave each morning, and today you weren’t. I was worried something had happened to you. You’re pale as a ghost. Maybe I should take you to the doctor.”

Her tone became bitter. “What? So now you’re watching me?”

“No. Not watching you, watching
out
for you. Besides, you’re way too trusting, Tizzy. You seem to think nothing bad can happen to you.”

A whispered laugh escaped her lips. “This from a man who keeps telling me to
trust him.
”

He smiled. “Well, the smart ass in you is still intact, so I guess you’re all right. You said your head filled with thoughts. What were they?”

“I couldn’t understand them because they were all coming so fast. I asked about Marlene and I think they were trying to tell me something, but nothing was clear.”

He cupped her elbow with his hand. “Do you feel like you can stand up?”

“Sure.” She attempted to stand, but wobbled and reached back for the tree. Ridge caught her around her waist and pulled her to him.

“I’m sorry. I need another minute.” She rested her head on his chest. She liked the way her body fit against his. In his arms, she felt safe and as if nothing
could
happen to her. Neither of them spoke and she could hear the rhythm of his heartbeat. It was pounding, the same as hers. Finally, her head stopped spinning and she pushed away from him. “I’m better,” she said.

“You look a little better. You’re beginning to get some color back in your cheeks. Are you sure you’re okay? Do you think you can walk?”

“Okay.” She hooked her arm in his and they walked to Boone’s grave. “Well, you’ve met Boone, but over here is my Grandma and Poppa Perry.” Making their way up two rows, she stopped in front of a large polished black headstone. “This is Paw McAlister.”

“Okay.” He took her hand and led her up and down the rows, then stopped at two stones with the same last name. “What about these?”

“Stanley and Leo Watkins. Bless their hearts. They were both simple. Couldn’t read, write, or tell time, but cussed like sailors. The men in town teased them unmercifully. All in fun, of course, but kinda cruel when you think about it. Anyway, Stan and Leo had an older brother who got killed in World War Two, and since he wasn’t married, they received his benefits.”

She laughed, and noticed Ridge was smiling. “It was probably more money than they’d seen at one time. Anyway, they took the cash to an auction, and spent every penny on phonograph records. Understand, they didn’t own a record player. Well, they pulled into town with the back of their pick-up full of the records and parked in front of the grocery store.”

Tizzy stepped from side to side as she told the story, now in full-swing. “The men congregated in front of the store, jokingly asked Stan and Leo for some of the records, since they had so many. Of course, they refused. But the men wouldn’t give up and kept badgering them until the brothers became agitated. Finally, Stan couldn’t take anymore and shouted, ‘If you want some records, let your own goddamn brother get killed in the war!’”

Ridge laughed. “How do you know that story?”

“My daddy. All the men in my family are good storytellers.”

Ridge pulled his brows together, and his voice took a serious tone. “Most people think a cemetery is depressing, but the whole idea of death doesn’t seem to bother you. Why not?”

Tizzy gazed out over the graves. “Have you ever thought someday, every person who knows and loves you will be gone? When that day comes, when no one remembers you, it’ll be like you never existed. That’s worse than death, to have never existed. That’s why I like coming here and remembering the stories. As long as we remember and pass them down, these people won’t be forgotten.”

He wagged his head. “I’ve never met anybody like you.”

There was a tone to his voice she’d not heard before. His eyes were warm, his expression soft, his lips slightly parted as if ready for a kiss. Her cheeks began to burn. Suddenly conscious of her breast pressed against him, she slid her arm from his.

The clouds shifted and the sun disappeared. “I think there’s rain in the forecast. We’d better get going,” she said.

Once inside the car, Ridge fixed his eyes on her. “So, Boone was the love of your life?”

Her heart stopped for a moment. She hadn’t expected the question. She took a deep breath, and stared out toward his grave. “I thought he was.”

“What do you mean
thought?”

“I tried to blame Marlene for Boone’s death, but it wasn’t her fault. The truth is, he loved her more than me.” She closed her eyes and tears rolled onto her cheeks.

Ridge quickly scrambled for his handkerchief. “Oh God, I’m sorry.”

It’s okay.” She pulled herself together. “First, you must understand how important appearance is in a town this size, especially for a woman like Marlene. She wanted her life to appear perfect. Perfect wife. Perfect children. Perfect husband. Perfect house. Perfect, perfect, perfect. Boone knew that. He also believed if he didn’t come back and help run the bank, his refusal would be a direct slap in her face. So, he did the one thing that wouldn’t hurt her image. He chose to serve his country.”

Tizzy tried to draw a deep breath, but only managed to partially fill her lungs. The memory of Boone, and his decision, caused a bitter taste in her mouth. She swallowed hard. “Marlene would still be perfect and she could boast how perfect her brother was for being a patriot. So, you see, he didn’t love me enough to stand up to her. It was more important for him to spare her feelings than to make a life with me. Besides, she’d cared for him since he was twelve and he
owed
her, and she never let him forget it.”

Tizzy tried for another breath, this time with some success. “I’ve never told anyone that. Even saying it out loud hurts. I guess the answer to your question is . . . no. He wasn’t the love of my life. I wanted him to be. But the love of my life has to love me more than that.”