The little bell at the top of the door dinged, and Jill pointed to Verdie. “Right there.”
Verdie started talking the second the door shut behind her. “Hey, y’all, looks like it’s a slow day. I figured more folks would be in town, what with all the gossip flyin’ around. I heard that the pig war tried to do something else over the weekend and failed. Some folks saw Tilly out with two unidentified people in the back of his wagon. It’s bein’ rumored that a Gallagher was shot, or else that a Brennan and a Gallagher were up to hanky-panky and got caught.”
“And what would Tilly have to do with that?” Sawyer asked.
“He’d be bringin’ them into town for a price. Gladys done told me the real story, but I ain’t breathin’ a word of it. Let them think a Brennan shot a Gallagher if they want to.” She pushed a cart toward the meat counter. “I need three pounds of shaved ham, a pound of bologna, and a pound of summer sausage. Got that?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jill said.
“What brought you out in the cold this Tuesday afternoon?” Sawyer hung his hat on the rack and headed to the meat market. “I’ll take care of your order back here. Jill can help you with the rest of it.”
“Lunch makings for the kids. I’m going to pick them up at school while I’m in town. Y’all hear about the new kink in the pig war?” She put three loaves of bread in the cart and added two five-pound bags of apples.
“I think that idea of calling it a pig war is funny, but I bet those two families that think they’re better than the rest of us don’t think it’s a bit humorous,” Sawyer said.
“Don’t matter what either one of those families like. They shouldn’t have started this thing. They act like children, and this new thing is really childish. Pork rinds were delivered to the Brennans this morning, and ‘oink, oink’ was written on the gift card.”
“Oh, really. Pork rinds, huh?” Sawyer chuckled.
“You think that’s funny?” Verdie asked.
“Yes, I do. Don’t you?”
Verdie nodded. “Laughed my ass off when I heard about it. The Gallaghers thought they were rubbin’ in the thievin’ of those hogs.”
“So you think they really did steal them?” Jill asked.
“Yes, I do, but proving it is another matter, and until there is proof, there won’t be no arrests made. Sawyer, put three of those ten-pound bags of potatoes in my cart, please.”
“How about I put them on the counter, and then when you’re done, I’ll take them out to your van?” he said.
“Thank you. Now, I was saying, the Gallaghers got their comeuppance a few minutes later when they got a bunch of some kind of dog treats called Chicken Chips delivered to them.” She chuckled and then guffawed.
“And that’s funny?” Jill asked.
“Hell, no, but the note was. It said it was for ‘the Gallagher bitches.’ Dogs. Bitches. Chickens. I think that’s funnier than the pork rinds,” Verdie said.
“And the Gallaghers?” Jill asked.
“The Gallaghers have been plannin’ something for sure. This added fuel to their plans. I’m wonderin’ how in the world both of them got things delivered the same day. Oh, well, never a dull minute in Burnt Boot.”
“Depends on who you ask,” Jill said. “I talked to my mama, and she said this place was boring. She said to tell the aunts hello. I expect that includes you, Verdie.”
“I’m not blood kin, but I appreciate being remembered. I always liked your mama when your dad brought her here to visit, but there never was a doubt about her liking this place. She hated every minute she spent here. Now if you’ll check out my purchases, Jill, I’ll take Sawyer up on loading it for me. Kids will be out of school in fifteen minutes.”
Kinsey breezed into the store while Sawyer was outside helping Verdie. She snapped her fingers and pointed toward the meat counter. “Granny needs fourteen pork chops and two pounds of thinly sliced ham.”
Jill slowly meandered through the store to the back, taking time to turn a couple of cans of corn around to show the picture better. Be damned if she’d hurry, when the bitch had snapped her fingers at her.
Kinsey tapped her high heel on the wooden floor. “I’m in a hurry. I’m running this errand on my lunch break.”
“We’ve got a sale on pork rinds. You want to pick up a few bags?” Jill asked.
Kinsey’s mouth set in such a firm line that it disappeared. Didn’t she know that her face could freeze like that? Aunt Polly used to tell Jill that all the time, and she believed it with her whole heart.
“That is not funny. I guess Verdie told you about our delivery?” she said through clenched teeth.
“She might have mentioned it. Fourteen pork chops, or was that fifteen?”
“Fourteen and two pounds of ham,” Kinsey said.
“You bitch!” Betsy Gallagher came in like a whirlwind with a tornado pushing it.
“Me? Your damn family is the one who sent the pork rinds.”
Betsy got right up in Kinsey’s face. “Well, that note you sent to our family with those chicken-flavored dog treats was damn sure rude.”
Sawyer hurried inside. “Hey, what’s going on in here? I’m tired of telling you that this is neutral territory. I think Jill is taking care of Kinsey. What can I help you with, Betsy?”
“Grandma wants ten pounds of flour and five pounds of sugar, and this is not over, Kinsey Brennan. You think you are so cute. Well, you tell that family of yours to be careful, because you’ve done pissed off the wrong Gallagher.”
Kinsey leaned forward, nose to nose with Betsy. “If you ever send another thing to River Bend, I’ll personally burn down Wild Horse and enjoy watching the fire.”
“That is enough,” Sawyer said. “Betsy, I’ll get your flour and sugar and carry them out to the truck for you.”
“Will you go home with me for supper?”
“No, I will not. I’m not taking sides or being a pawn in your games either,” he said.
Betsy flipped around to follow him to the counter, and Kinsey stuck a foot out. Trouble was that when Betsy was going down, she reached for something to hang on to and got a firm hold on Kinsey’s leg, taking her down with her.
The screaming and hair pulling began in earnest, and Sawyer started to wade in to stop it, but Jill put a hand on his shoulder. “Let Piggy and Chick alone. They need to fight and scream. Take this meat order to the front, and I’ll bring the flour and sugar. We’ll get it all rung up, and if they haven’t finished scratchin’ and yanking at each other’s hair by then, or if one can of food hits the floor, we’ll stop them. Can’t have the store wrecked, can we?”
“Little retail shopping, huh?” He grinned.
“It sure helped my mood,” she said.
They were still throwing punches and screaming obscenities after Sawyer put their orders in the right vehicles and returned to the store. “I don’t think they’re going to get tired and lie down together to sleep,” he said.
“Been at it five whole minutes. I reckon they’re tired and waiting on us to stop it so neither one of them will lose face,” she said.
“You care if they lose face?” he asked.
She shook her head.
He sat down in the chair, picked up his hat from on top of the cash register, and adjusted it over his eyes. “Call me if they start throwing cans of corn. Don’t want the front glass of the meat counter to suffer damage.”
Jill picked up her tablet to see if there was anything else of interest concerning chickens or hogs. She stole sideways glances at Sawyer as the fight wore on another two minutes. Sawyer was the man she’d waited for her whole life. The one who eased her fear, made her laugh, and stood beside her. Leaning back in an old metal folding chair, boots crossed at the ankles on the countertop, hat down over his eyes, he didn’t fool her one bit. That cocky little grin said he wasn’t sleeping or even dozing.
Two very rich men vying for my attention, and I’m interested in a rough old cowboy that I’ve known less than a month. Am I certifiably crazy?