Cat Killed A Rat Read online

  Fu Manchu’s name was Horis, and the poor guy didn’t realize there was no such thing as “dress overalls”, or that he had dating potential under the dorky exterior.

  Horis was a farmer who loved Ponderosa Pines and would presumably fight to keep Evan from rising to power. So that was one vote, but there was something about Priscilla's flutter nature that made her harder to read.

  Weaving through the small crowd, avoiding eye contact and putting out the I’m-not-here vibe, Chloe lingered near the pair until she caught enough of their conversation to conclude that neither would favor Evan as mayor. Nothing to worry about there.

  As she peered across the room, she noticed a couple around her age who were fairly new to the community: David and Rhonda Erickson. Both nondescript in appearance, they seemed like nice people who, judging by what appeared to be a baby bump, would become a family of three within the next six or seven months.

  I’ll keep quiet about that, Chloe thought, don’t want to put my foot in my mouth in case Rhonda’s just been sampling too many whoopie pies from The Mudbucket.

  David’s arms were wrapped around Rhonda’s shoulders, his head bent toward hers with a worried expression on his face. They were so deep in conversation they didn’t notice as Chloe slowly made her way close enough to catch a few snippets.

  “That woman seems like she cares, David. We moved here to get away from the materialistic world, not to deal with some dictatorial mayor.”

  “He’s the one who sold us on this town in the first place. We could tell he cared about it. Now, because of the words of one whacked-out hippie chick we’re going to crucify him?”

  “That ‘whacked-out hippie chick’ was behind the grant that helped us buy the coffee shop.” Rhonda’s eyes flashed heat.

  “How did you find that out? I thought the grant came from the town.”

  “That woman is the town. From what I can tell, she’s very low key about it—well, except for maybe tonight—but she’s had a hand in every good thing that has been built here. Evan may have talked up the town but it was to make the sale. I could tell that from the beginning.” Something about him had given Rhonda the tingle since the first time she’d heard his smooth voice on the phone.

  “Don’t you think we’d get more business if we were technically located in Gilmore?”

  Rhonda cocked her head and stared at her husband. “How do you figure? Is there some invisible wall between here and Gilmore that would come down once the two towns combine? Don’t you think it’s more likely our taxes would increase and we’d have a bunch of new regulations to follow?” Rhonda was the more business-minded of the two while David was an artist in the kitchen.

  “All I’m saying is, let’s learn as much as we can about both of them before we take sides. We have more here to think about than just us.” Rhonda confirmed Chloe’s theory about her waistline.

  As usual, the two ‘weird sisters’—who were neither weird, nor sisters, according to EV—watched with great interest but said nothing. So rarely did they speak up at a town event, Chloe wasn’t sure she had ever heard either of their voices. Their reputation for being witches was also something she had yet to confirm. EV said they were, but Chloe had her doubts. They would follow EV, though.

  Having learned enough to see the majority supported the town remaining a singular entity, Chloe left the hall and headed home for some much-needed rest.

  Chapter Two

  As she ambled down the tree-lined path that led away from the “downtown” portion of Ponderosa Pines and headed in the general direction of her house, Chloe met the daily mindfulness goal she set for herself. Each day since she’d moved back home, she tried to take at least a few moments to feel present in her body and appreciate her surroundings.

  After traveling for so long, even beautiful, majestic scenery seemed so commonplace that Chloe no longer paid attention to the world around her. Tunnel vision threatened to infect other areas of her life, threatening her overall well-being. When she realized she felt trapped in her own life and body, Chloe decided it was time for a major change.

  Coming back to the Pines, finding home again, was the first step in shrugging off the been-there-done-that rut she had fallen into.

  Tonight, Chloe’s one mindful thought was merely how beautiful the town of Ponderosa Pines had become. The community, named for the trees it was nestled among, committed itself to live gently on the land, to work with rather than against the ecology. Willing residents kept once-dense forest cleaned and thinned to make room for natural paths running throughout the town.

  This section of the woods, her favorite, was frequently traveled. Twinkly lights festooned the path leading to a decorated area appropriately deemed “The Fairy Garden.” Fairies of all sizes, shapes, and artistic media peeked out from beneath rocks or from their perches inside hollowed trunks and hung shimmering from every third or fourth tree limb Chloe passed. Each Ponderosa resident had contributed a fairy or two to the garden over the years—at least every resident except Chloe.

  She was saving her fairy for the moment when she finally stopped holding herself back—when she let go of being an outsider and finally embraced her place in the Pines. Years of being “the new girl” at school segued seamlessly into becoming “the new girl” at work while Chloe moved from job to job looking for fulfillment that never came.

  Ponderosa Pines had accepted Chloe; it was just that kind of place. The fact that she was a member of one of the founding families cinched the deal. But being accepted was different from feeling fully at home, and that was something Chloe had struggled with for most of her life.

  Was the restless urge to run hereditary? Her mom certainly had it in spades but for Lila, it was a case of always running toward the next exciting adventure, whereas Chloe’s desperate urge often carried the flavor of running away.

  No more.

  Something about this place had woven through her subconscious, whispered in the corners of her mind, called her back with the promise of home.

  Now it was time to see if that promise was real, or if it was just a mirage.

  At the edge of the wooded path, Chloe emerged into full moonlight and veered toward where her home sat in the oldest part of town. The mindful hike had worked its magic, putting her into a state of hyper focus which she used to contemplate the meeting she had just attended.

  Would the community come together the way they always had in the past? Could she trust them to make the right decision, or would it be time to pack it in and move on? Even if she hadn’t trusted EV as implicitly as she did, it was apparent to Chloe that combining with Gilmore would change the Pines completely. Gone would be the focus on equality, teamwork, and freedom of choice that had always been in keeping with her family’s ideal of what the community should be.

  Warm lamplight shone through the windows of her cottage; it looked like a painting in the deepening twilight. Chloe couldn’t hold back a smile. Dwarfed by the spreading branches of a huge sugar maple, it was unobtrusive and cozy, and Chloe didn’t regret a day spent in her personal paradise.

  Once her mother had accepted her daughter’s desperate desire to go home, she had gifted Chloe with the deed. Though she had never lived there full time, it was the only place Chloe remembered returning to during the years when Lila had carted her around the world like a knapsack. She was grateful for those experiences, but was happier there than she had been at any other point in her life.

  Chloe’s grandparents built what started as a simple, cord-wood cabin, barely finishing it before her mother was born. They were happy there for several years while the commune rose up around them.

  EV, hearing a slew of unexpected curse words coming from Chloe’s backyard about a month after she had moved in, investigated and found Chloe staring at a pile of cut evening primrose she had mistaken for a weed. Looking around the yard, EV realized that Chloe had bitten off a bit more than she could chew and pulled her inside for a pot of tea.

  Together they brought the
garden back to life while forming an unbreakable friendship. Chloe loved to sit in the screen house and survey her little corner of the world. Stone paths curled around dozens of patches of earth containing a plethora of garden art and several hidden places Chloe visited to practice yoga.

  Her Gramps had spent a year with knives, gouges, and chisels carving a Celtic cross into the arched-top front door that Chloe had religiously locked every day until EV chided her. This was not the city; this was a safe place where neighbors worked together, played together and looked out for one another. There was always a helping hand at the ready, and Chloe knew she could knock on any door and receive assistance if she ever needed it.

  “Nothing bad ever happens in Ponderosa Pines” was the town mantra. It drifted through her head and quieted her thoughts as she readied for bed. Chloe relished the notion as she floated off to sleep to the sounds of chirping crickets and croaking tree frogs.

  * * *

  When EV had stalked down the same path half an hour ahead of Chloe, meditative walking had been the farthest thing from her mind. She stomped through the fairy garden, barely resisting the urge to kick one of the winged creations to Kingdom Come. It would feel so good.

  In another forty-five minutes, an hour at the most, the Ponderosa Pines gossip mill would start to kick into full grinding mode. Before that happened, she needed time to think about the possible repercussions of tonight’s meeting.

  Her long legs ate the hike through the woods like a dieter gulping down a midnight binge. Once home, she paced her living room with the frustrated energy of a caged tiger until it became clear it wasn’t enough to provide release. Glancing at her watch to gauge how far along she was in the countdown to gossip liftoff, EV took the stairs to her bedroom two at a time.

  After yanking a tank top and yoga pants onto her lanky frame, she smoothed her hair into a stubby tail at the back of her head. Chloe’s yoga might be the commune-approved method of stress relief, but EV preferred beating the living crap out of something. To that end, she had installed a punching bag in the far end of her bedroom.

  No gloves tonight. Only the force of bare skin against firm leather would do.

  Ten minutes later, coated in a light sheen of sweat, she was lost to the rhythm—jab, jab, kick, jab, kick. She pummeled the bag into submission until her entire body hummed into a Zen state.

  Tomorrow’s bruises would serve as a reminder that letting Evan goad her this deeply into the red had given him power over her.

  When the special ring tone that signaled a text from Chloe sounded, EV heaved a sigh and flicked the touchscreen to open her messages.

  Common sense rules, douchebag drools—Mata Hari

  A second text shot in.

  Looks like he mostly got the bobble-heads and Cruella so far. Maybe one or two others, and the fence-sitters are minimal.

  Thumbs flying, EV typed a reply.

  I’ll be tending the grapevine the rest of the evening.

  I think this is going to die down without much of a fuss, Chloe responded.

  She might be right, but EV suspected the fuss was just beginning.

  Don’t put money on it.

  To EV’s way of thinking, politics and deer ticks were not that far different. They both carried the kind of disease that could make life a living hell; the only difference was that deer ticks were more easily avoided and you could pick them off with just a little tug, while politics dug in deeper.

  Her blood pressure had just settled back into the normal range when the phone pealed with the first call of the night and she sighed. It was well past the witching hour when she finally fell into bed.

  Chapter Three

  Chloe finished dabbing her lips with a bit of fruity gloss, and decided she was as ready as she was going to get.

  It had been months since she'd dolled herself up, but an impending night out had her dressed to the nines. She wore a pair of teal and bright-blue color-blocked (and surprisingly comfortable) wedges, a white, fitted maxi skirt with blue stitching, and a flowing teal tank top that showed off just enough cleavage.

  Blond hair fell in waves around a pretty, heart-shaped face and almond-colored eyes. Hours spent outdoors had given her natural highlights that would have cost a fortune at any decent salon and a smattering of light freckles across her petite but slightly upturned nose.

  Just before leaving the bathroom, Chloe gave her hair one last fluff and then checked to make sure her underwear wasn’t showing through her skirt. That would be embarrassing.

  The girls were due any minute, and Chloe was excited for an evening that didn’t consist of sifting through gossip and contemplating conspiracy theories. She and her friends had only seen each other in passing lately and hadn’t all been together for weeks. An evening of fun was definitely in order, and she was guaranteed a good time whenever Veronica and Mindy were involved.

  The doorbell rang, and she yelled from the hallway, “Get your asses in here already; you know the doorbell is for losers!” Bounding to the foyer, she flung the door open and came face to face with Nathaniel Harper, the last person she would have expected.

  “So that’s an open invitation then, huh?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

  Chloe put a hand on her hip and stuck her tongue out at Nate before reaching up to hug her oldest childhood friend.

  “When did you get back?” she exclaimed as she ushered him into her living room. The stack of bangle bracelets jangled on her wrist as Chloe handed Nate a glass of the red wine she had been aerating for her friends.

  “Late last night,” he said, taking a grateful sip.

  “And what brings you back to our itty bitty town? I thought you were some hotshot detective in the city. Or has your mother blown your accomplishments out of proportion?” Chloe fiddled with the rhinestone-studded pendant that hung around her neck.

  Everyone knew Barbara Harper thought the sun rose and set on her son, but they also knew it was with good reason, since Nathaniel had always flown the straight and narrow and deserved all the accolades he received.

  “Apparently hotshot detectives aren’t immune to injury. I damaged my rotator cuff swinging off a fire escape to catch a suspect and had to have surgery. I’ve got another month of therapy, and I hate desk duty, so my boss sent me here to keep an eye on his newest deputy and ‘get back to my roots’. Ask me how thrilled I am.”

  Nate rose from the couch and wandered into the kitchen. She knew precisely what he was looking for, and when he returned holding a giant no-bake cookie, Chloe couldn’t help but smile. She had reorganized cabinets and closets, replaced several pieces of furniture, and added her own flair to the decor, but one thing she couldn’t bring herself to change was the location of her Nana’s goody cabinet.

  Though she claimed keeping the old orange and white Tupperware container stocked with what Nana had called “brown cookies” was a gesture meant to satisfy the children who frequently ran rampant through her home, there was more to it than that. Each time she made them, Chloe was carrying on a beloved tradition.

  It warmed her heart to know Nate also remembered the treats, and that he felt comfortable enough in her home to nip one without asking. It also warmed her heart to know that he’d be sticking around for a while.

  “Well I, for one, am glad you’re back.”

  * * *

  They spent a few minutes catching up, then not long after he left, her friends showed up. This time there was no doorbell, just the sound of Chloe’s girlfriends chattering as they pushed through the front door, picked up a glass of wine each, and deposited themselves on her couch.

  Chloe’s two best friends could not have differed more in either appearance and personality.

  Mindy, a lively redhead whose petite stature and ever-so-slightly pointed ears gave her an elf-like quality, had been dating the same guy practically since middle school. Neither had any desire to get married or have kids—a point of view that was not out of place in a community where many couples had ne
ver officially tied the knot, or had been bound by ritual handfasting in place of a traditional wedding ceremony.

  Veronica, on the other hand, was a striking brunette with a husband and a current total of five children. All that childbearing had only enhanced her voluptuous shape, making it the epitome of an hourglass figure and the subject of much envy from the less fortunate women of Ponderosa Pines. Her somewhat dippy nature belied a level of intelligence that continually surprised and pleased her closest friends.

  You could have a highly sophisticated philosophical discussion with Veronica one minute, then spend the next hour convincing her the large bird she saw flying around was definitely not a pterodactyl. This was her monthly kid-free outing; it was unusual to see her without a child attached to her hip.

  That left Chloe as the only one of the three not in a committed relationship, and she was okay with that for the time being. She loved Veronica’s kids like nieces and nephews, but enjoyed being able to hand them back at the end of the day.

  “Was that Nathaniel Harper I just saw coming out of your house? When did Mr. Hottie get back to town?” Veronica asked.

  Every few years when Lila and Chloe would visit the Pines, she and Nate would fall back into a natural friendship. They even tried making out once during high school, but it hadn’t ended well. She didn’t remember who started laughing first.

  “Last night,” Chloe answered. “And he’s not planning on leaving anytime soon, either.” She filled Veronica and Mindy in on Nate’s new position with the police department.

  “You sure you don’t want a piece of that, Chlo?” asked Mindy with a suggestive raise of her brow. “I’m sure he’d happily put you in cuffs anytime you’re up for it.”

  Veronica and Mindy both knew Chloe had no interest in Nate, but they also loved poking fun at her perpetual single status and weren’t going to give up until she had hooked up.