“Can’t wait to tell Ronnie you said that.” Roger leaned on the counter with one elbow.
“You will, too.” Xavier feigned mock horror.
Roger put his other elbow on the counter.“When we played football in high school, Ronnie was fast and tough. Always had the girls around him. Dressed better than the rest of us.” Roger shrugged. “Guess you just are what you are, but Ronnie has made me ask a lot of questions. Funny, I’m grateful to him.”
Shaker simply said,“I don’t get it.”
“You wouldn’t.” Sister raised an eyebrow.
He raised the palm of one hand.“I’m not looking to pick a fight. I just don’t get it. How can any man not go crazy for a woman? Look, Xavier, I like the heck out of you, but I don’t want to kiss you.”
Xavier laughed.“Dee says I’m a good kisser.”
“Braggart.” Sister now laughed.
Tedi stubbed out her cigarette, feeling mellow from that delightful hit of nicotine.
“Gentlemen, I’m old enough to be your mother. By virtue of that, I can say what I think. What I conclude from my long and eventful life is that our knowledge is constricted by ideology and religion. We don’t know why anyone is heterosexual, much less homosexual. But I know this: to deny love is to deny life.”
Everyone looked at her.
“You’re right.” Lorraine smiled at her.
“Tedi, I’ve never heard you speak like that.” Xavier put his arm around the lovely lady.
“Well, for one thing, Edward isn’t here—not that he reins me in, but let’s just say he guides me away from controversy. Oh, when we first married, and he was running the company, we’d have to entertain, and, well, I was raised a Prescott. Prescotts speak their minds. Poor Edward. He’d say after one of those affairs, ‘Honey, I don’t think they’re ready for you.’ ” She grinned. “I just smoked a cigarette and now I feel glorious. Glorious!”
They laughed.
“Shorten your life.” Roger winked.
“Aren’t you sick of it?” Xavier smacked his hand against the counter. “Everyone tells you what to do and how to do it! Bad enough the government robs us at every turn, but now we have the health Nazis.”
Lorraine, a more serious type and not a foxhunter, demurred.“But Xavier, it has been proven that cigarette smoking can cause lung cancer.”
“And caffeine will put you over the edge,” Xavier replied.
“Sugar rots your teeth. I could go on. Given Sari’s young years, I’ll leave out all the sexual fears and propaganda. I mean, bad enough we got off on Ronnie.”
“What was that?” Roger cocked his eyebrow. “Got off?”
“You are twisted.” Xavier punched him.
Roger shied away from the second punch.“Hey, who’s twisted? But I’m with you, X. People gotta do what they do. If smoking eases the nerves, hey, smoke. If bourbon at six takes the edge off a rough day, sip with pleasure. We all need a little help.”
“Foxhunting,” Sister firmly spoke.
“That’s her answer to everything.” Shaker laughed.
“But it’s true.” Color flushed her cheeks. “When are you most alive? Hunting.”
“That’s true,” Tedi agreed.
“For us,” Xavier amended the sentiment.
“Everyone needs something that pushes them physically and mentally. Safety numbs people.” Shaker, having seen a fair amount of danger in his work, believed this.
“That’s why you see people in their eighties and even nineties in the hunt field. Not only did they stay healthy from the sport, they get up in the morning and can’t wait to get out there. Unless the good Lord jerks my chain, I intend to go to my nineties.” Xavier patted his girth. “Better lose a little weight first. Dee keeps reminding me. She works out. I intend to, but, well, those donuts look so good. You know the rest.” Xavier laughed.
The phone rang.“Roger’s Corner.” His head came up; he looked at the gathering. “Thanks.” Roger hung up the phone. “Clay Berry’s warehouse is on fire. That was Bobby Franklin.”
“Jeez,” Xavier’s mouth dropped. “The water will turn to ice. Oh, Jesus. Guys, I’ve got to get down there.”
“Is he insured with you?” Shaker asked.
“Yes. Maybe we can help get stuff out of the warehouse.”
Shaker turned to Lorraine. He had planned to make supper for her and Sari, just to prove he could.“Lorraine, I’d better go.” Then he asked Sister, “Will you take Lorraine and Sari home?”
“Of course. Then I’ll come down.”
“No.” Shaker’s voice deepened. “I mean it, boss. We need you in one piece. I’ll call you.”
Tedi called Edward on her cell, then she, too, left.
Driving down the snowy road, Lorraine asked,“Sister, would you mind taking me back to the farm? Alice is home, so she’ll be able to feed her cats and chickens. Shaker will be exhausted when he gets back. I’ll fix supper.”
“I don’t mind a bit. It’s a wonderful idea.” She was grateful Clay had brought her her silver fox fur coat. In the great scheme of life, that coat was a paltry thing, but she loved it. It’s funny how one becomes attached to objects. Big Ray bought her that coat for her fiftieth birthday.
“I hope they can stop the fire. There’s so much in those warehouses,” Lorraine fretted.
“Let’s hope it’s in one of the small satellite buildings. Poor Clay.” Sister felt a creeping dread, but she attributed it to the fact that she’d just driven past Hangman’s Ridge. In this tempestuous weather, she thought she heard a howling from atop the ridge. The wind plays tricks on you like that sometimes.
CHAPTER 23
Flames shot into the night sky, an eerie sight with snow falling. The heat was so intense that Shaker and Xavier couldn’t get within fifty yards of the small brick building.
As the firemen worked in both bitter cold and searing heat, Shaker found Sheriff Ben Sidell.“Sheriff, anything I can do?”
“No. They’ve contained it. Thanks to George’s quick thinking, they saved the big warehouse,” Ben said, referring to Fire Chief George Murtagh.
“Bad night for it.”
Ben pulled the collar of his coat up higher around his neck.“Don’t guess there’s ever a good one. They keep coating the big warehouse with water on this side; ices right up and then melts again. Weird.”
“Any idea?”
“No, George said he won’t know much of anything until he can get the fire out. The building passed inspection, but the wiring is old. All it takes is one mouse to bite the wrong set of wires.” Ben stared at the men holding the hose. “You know, it’s warmer nights I dread the most. There are more fights, stabbings, and murders in summer when it’s so bloody hot out. I know if I get a call on a bitterly cold night, someone’s kerosene stove blew up or someone hit a patch of black ice.” He sighed. “Either way, usually someone’s dead.”
“You can smell the furniture burning.” Shaker wrinkled his nose.
“This one closest to the railroad tracks has furniture being shipped out. Clay said it was loaded. Next shipment was Tuesday.”
“Anything I can do for you?”
Ben’s eyebrows rose for a moment. “No. Thanks for asking.”
Shaker walked over to Clay and Xavier.
“Sorry, Clay.”
“Shaker.” Clay’s eyes welled up. “Thank you for coming on down.”
“X and I kind of hoped we could pull stuff out.”
Clay shook his head.“Wooden crates, wooden furniture, upholstery, pffft.” He threw up his gloved hands. The furniture and valuables had been packed in wooden crates.
“Sister wanted to come down, but I told her to go home.”
This made Clay’s eyes tear up again. “God bless her.” “Is there anything I can do?” Shaker asked.
“No.” Clay shook his head. “This stuff will smolder for days.”
“Izzy okay?” X asked.
“Crying her eyes out. I told her we’d be fine.”
X’s deep voice deepened more. “There will be a lot of upset people, but we’ll do all we can. As soon as I can, I will cut a check to replace the building. I don’t anticipate problems with the carrier. They’ll send someone down, but that’s protocol these days.”