old and having to use someone else’s kitchen if she wanted to make herself a snack.
“Of course we’ll hang out. I’ll miss you!”
“I know, me, too.” She and Lacey had gotten close during a number of late-night talks. Susan had comforted Lacey through a heartbreaking miscarriage, and they’d cried and prayed together.
“And it’s not just me. The cats will miss you!” Lacey said. “You have to come back and visit all the time.”
As if to prove her words, an ancient gray cat tangled himself around Susan’s ankle and then, when she grabbed the bannister to keep from tripping, offered up a mournful yowl.
Susan reached down to rub the old tomcat’s head. “You and Mrs. Whiskers take care of yourselves. I’ll bring you a treat when I come back, promise.”
They went outside and loaded the box of breakables into the front seat of Susan’s car, only to be accosted by Gramps Camden, another resident of the Senior Towers. “Old Sam Hinton caught himself a live one!” he said. “Now you listen here. Those Hintons are trouble. Just because my granddaughter married one—and Troy is the best of the bunch—that doesn’t mean they’re a good family. I was cheated by that schemer’s dad and now, his corporation won’t let up on me about selling my farm. You be careful in his house. Lock your door!”
“I will.” She’d gotten to know Gramps through the schools, where he now served as a volunteer.
“He wasn’t good enough for that wife of his,” Gramps continued.
“Marie was pretty nearly perfect,” agreed Miss Minnie Falcon.
From what Susan already knew about Sam, she figured any woman who married him would have to be. And yet, for all his millionaire arrogance, he obviously adored his little daughter. And a man who loved a child that much couldn’t be all bad. Could he?
“Is that all your stuff, ma’am?” the college-age guy, who’d apparently come with the truck, asked respectfully.
Gramps waved and headed back to the Towers with Miss Minnie.
“Yes, that’s it,” Susan said. “What do I owe you?”
“Nothing. Mr. Hinton took care of it.”
“Let me grab my purse. I want to at least give you a tip for being so careful.”
The young man waved his hand. “Mr. Hinton took care of that, too. He said we weren’t to take a penny from you.”
“Is that so,” Susan said, torn between gratitude and irritation.
“Money’s one thing Sam Hinton doesn’t lack.” The voice belonged to Buck Armstrong, Lacey’s brother. He put a large potted plant into the back of her car, tilting it sideways so it would fit. The young veteran had haunted eyes and a bad reputation, but whenever Susan had run into him visiting his sister, he’d been nothing but a gentleman. “You all set?”
“I hope so. I’m hearing horror stories about my new boss, is all.” And they were spooking her. As the time came to leave her friendly guesthouse in the heart of Rescue River, she felt more and more nervous.
Buck nodded, his eyes darkening. “Sam didn’t use to be quite so...driven. Losing a wife is hard on a guy.”
Sympathy twisted Susan’s heart. Buck knew what he was talking about; he’d lost not only his wife, but their baby as well. That was what had pushed him toward drinking too much, according to Lacey.
“You giving this gal a hard time?” The voice belonged to Rescue River’s tall, dark-skinned police chief. He clapped Buck on the shoulder in a friendly way, but his eyes were watchful. Chief Dion Coleman had probably had a number of encounters with Buck that weren’t so friendly.
“He’s trying to tell me Sam Hinton is really a nice guy, since I’m going to work for him,” Susan explained.
Dion let out a hearty laugh. “You’re going to work for Sam? Doing what?”
“Summer nanny for Mindy.”
“Is that right? My, my.” Dion shook his head, still chuckling. “I tell you what, I think Mr. Sam Hinton might have finally met his match.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Susan asked, indignant.
“Nothing, nothing.” He clapped Buck’s shoulder again. “Come on, man, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee if you’ve got half an hour to spare. Got something to run by you.”
Buck was about to get gently evangelized, if Susan knew Dion. He headed up a men’s prayer group at their church and was unstoppable in his efforts to get the hurting men of Rescue River on the right path. According to Daisy, he’d done wonders with her brother Troy.
As Buck and Dion headed toward the Chatterbox Café, Lacey came out to hug her goodbye. “You’ll be fine. This is going to be an adventure!” She lowered her voice. “At least, let’s hope so.”
An odd, uncomfortable chill tickled Susan’s spine as she climbed into her car and headed to her new job, her new life.
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