âAnd the key.â
âKey?â Wide-eyed innocence. She could be a professional actress with those skills. Maybe the whole time sheâd let him babble on about Andi, sheâd known exactly who he was and what happened. Getting him to sell his property might not even be her end game. She might be planning to sell his story to the tabloids.
âThe key to my house. You have one, donât you?â
âOh. Yes, I do. Iâll get it.â She left him standing beside the door and disappeared into her kitchen, returning a few minutes later carrying a key and a slip of paper. âNineteen ninety-five. Hereâs your key.â A paper tag attached to the key identified it as âBettyâs House.â
Mac nodded. âIs this the only copy?â
Ursula narrowed her eyes. âAs far as I know. I only have it because I used to water Bettyâs plants when she visited her granddaughter in the lower forty-eight. I donât know if she gave keys to anyone else.â
Mac nodded. âIâm having the locks changed anyway, so if you find other copies, you can throw them away.â He put a subtle emphasis on find. She noticed, judging by the way she stiffened. He opened his wallet and pulled out a twenty. âThank you for picking up the lamb wire.â
âIâll get your change.â She turned.
âThatâs okay.â
She ignored him and crossed the room to fish a coin from a pottery bowl on the mantle. She returned and handed him a nickel. âI pay my debts, too.â
âIâm sure you do.â He slipped the nickel into his pocket. He should go, but he had to ask, âWhat happened with the eagle?â
âThey think heâll make a full recovery and theyâll be able to release him eventually.â
âThatâs good news.â
âYes.â She stood perfectly still, watching him. The girl looked back and forth between them, her eyebrows drawn together as though she couldnât quite decipher what was happening.
âI appreciate you both taking care of the dog.â Which he did. Even if Blossom had never been in any real danger, at least they had cared for her. And the little girl had no way of knowing what her godmother was up to. With a smile for Rory and a curt nod for Ursula, he stepped through the door. Blossom cocked her head and stayed where she was, obviously reluctant to leave. He had to call her twice before she came and jumped into the SUV.
He glanced over at the inn before he put the car in gear. Ursula stood on the porch with Rory in front of her, her arms wrapped around the girlâs shoulders. He couldnât quite read the expression on her face, but what should it matter? If he had his way, heâd never see either of them again. Mac shifted into gear and drove away.
MAC SAT IN his living room, holding his knife in one hand and a piece of birch in the other, but he wasnât carving. Instead, he stared at the flames dancing behind the glass window of the woodstove. Was he missing something? Ursulaâs reaction when she handed him the key didnât quite fit. Sheâd looked...hurt.
He shrugged. Of course she did. She was an expert manipulator. She knew exactly what buttons to push, what expressions to adopt. Heâd learned a few things in the little over half a century heâd been on earth, much of it from sad experience. Fame and money attracted con artists and moochers like ants to a picnic. He seldom even wasted the energy resenting them, just wrote it off as an occupational hazard.
So why was he so disappointed in Ursula? Maybe it was because sheâd seemed real. She was attractive, but not in an obvious way. Just classic bone structure, healthy skin and an infectious smile. He liked her hair, the way sheâd left in the natural silver, short but still feminine. She was a good listener. And she seemed to care. Of course, that was stock in trade for people like her. Listen, learn and take advantage.
Blossom rose from her bed and stretched, head low over her front paws, tail poking into the air. She padded into the kitchen and took a long and sloppy drink from her bowl. Her nails clicked across the vinyl floor into the laundry room beyond, where she made a scratching noise.
Mac stood and followed her without bothering to slip on his shoes, wondering why she didnât scratch on the front door. When he got to the kitchen, enough light filtered into the laundry room to see her on her back legs, pawing at the back door latch. What was she up to?
Heâd noticed the levers on the doors looked much more modern than the rest of the house. Probably easier for arthritic hands to operate than the original doorknobs. Within a minute, Blossom had managed to catch the lever with her paw and pull it down. The door swung open, and she ran outside. When the heck did she learn to do that?
He flipped on a light and went to examine the door. Before he reached it, a gust of wind banged it shut. Just as he thought, the latch was turned to the lock position. What he hadnât realized was the inside lever still operated. He reached outside without letting the door shut and tried it. Sure enough, from the outside, it was locked.
Blossom pranced to the door, head held high. Mac let her inside and locked the door behind her, this time using the deadbolt. He hadnât bothered with the deadbolts before, since he didnât have a key, but that was before he realized he had a canine Houdini on his hands. Tomorrow, heâd call a locksmith. And fix that hole in the fence.
He followed Blossom into the living room. âYou have some âsplaining to do, young lady.â
She wagged her tail, reminding him of Andi when she was five and had just learned to tie her own shoelaces. Blossom seemed so pleased with herself, it was almost a shame he had to shut down her new game.
And it was an even bigger shame heâd jumped to conclusions. There wasnât much he hated more than the taste of crow, but he was going to have to eat a big helping.
* * *
âTHEREâS ANOTHER EXTENSION cord in the hall closet if you need it.â Ursula held a folding table steady while her friend Catherine folded out the legs.
âThanks. Iâm sure someone will need it. Youâd think after doing this so many times, weâd have it down, but someone always forgets something.â Catherine grabbed the far end of the table and together they set it in place. âThere. Thatâs the last one.â
Ursula checked her watch. Four oâclock. Some of the quilters would no doubt take off work early on a Friday afternoon. âTheyâll be arriving soon. Iâve got a big batch of brownies in the kitchen.â
âThe girls will love that.â The doorbell rang. âIâll get it. Itâs probably our guest speaker. Sheâs going to talk about wool appliqué.â
âOkay. Iâll put those brownies on a platter.â Ursula started for the kitchen.
Catherine
