Met Her Match Read online

  “Pretty much. Actually, that’s exactly right. Please? I won’t be any bother. I’ll carry your umbrella, and who are the Turner Twins?”

  Terri made a face as though she was contemplating his request. “I don’t carry an umbrella and they’re double boyfriends. They’ll be here for Widiwick.”

  “I’ve been meaning to ask what that means.”

  “You get a wish.”

  “Like right now I wish the very kind and caring and really beautiful Terri Rayburn would let me go with her and not leave me alone with a bunch of half-naked women? That kind of wish?” Her eyes widened at his words. “I think I’m an imbecile. Give me a ride back to the clubhouse, will you?”

  Terri laughed. “On the behalf of my former schoolmate, Stacy Hartman, you’re going with me. Do you always get your way?”

  “Mostly.” Nate was grinning. “So where do we go first?”

  “The Mortons leave homemade cookies in the freezer for me.”

  “Yeah? Any game birds anywhere? I invited some people over for Saturday next and I thought I’d stuff a few quail or maybe Cornish hens and grill them.”

  She drew in her breath. “How many people did you invite?” There was horror in her voice.

  He went to the front door and opened a coat closet. “Think Gary would mind if I borrow his rain gear?”

  “It’s Greg, and how many people?”

  “Just three adults and three kids.” He put on rain gear and held Terri’s coat for her. “You see, I have this plan. I’ve found some very interesting retired people here. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my travels, it’s that old people and young ones belong together. I saw a kid was playing with a toy airplane so I want him to meet—”

  “Hugh Evans,” Terri said. “Former pilot.”

  “Yes. Sound like a good idea?”

  “A great one.” Terri was very serious. “But if the word party is spread around, everyone at the lake will show up.”

  Nate opened the door. “We’ve got over a week to plan. How about if we cook something Egyptian? You can help. Or is what your dad said about your cooking true?”

  Terri still wasn’t smiling. “We need to stop this evil word from spreading.”

  “What word?”

  “Party. That’s all these people do. And I’m sure they’re dying to meet you.” She could tell that she wasn’t scaring him off.

  “As you so wisely ascertained, I was in a fraternity. Think I should order some kegs?”

  “How about the Clydesdales pulling a loaded beer wagon?”

  Nate grinned so wide it looked like his face might crack open. “I like it already. Mind if we go where the cookies are first? I need sustenance.”

  “You just ate a whole pizza.”

  “What can I say? I’m a growing boy.”

  Terri smacked her hand against his hard stomach. “This is what’s going to grow.” She’d meant it as a teasing gesture, but the feel of his flesh under her hand made her hesitate. Hand still in place, she looked up into his eyes. The laughter was gone and he was staring at her in puzzlement.

  He gave a quick frown, then ran outside into the rain. When he was several feet away, he turned back and he’d regained his laughter. “Come on! I’m hungry!”

  Terri locked the door, then ran after Nate and got into her boat with him.

  Chapter 5

  “What’s going on with our girl?” Sheriff Frank asked as he entered Brody’s office. He didn’t bother with preliminary greetings. They’d known each other too long, been through too much together, to do anything other than say what they meant. “I hear she’s living with some guy. Cousin of Dr. Jamie.”

  Brody was looking through a file cabinet. “They’re roommates, that’s all. They’ve been working together.”

  “Oh.” Frank plopped down in a chair. He was a short, muscular man in a brown uniform. His badge picked up the light and reflected it. “Della told me about him.”

  Brody groaned. “And you listened to her?”

  “Little old lady snoops are law enforcement’s best friends, and she keeps me well-informed. I guess you know that Dr. Kyle put her in the hospital in Richmond for some tests.”

  “She’s not even here, but she’s telling you about Nate?” Brody put some files on his desk and sat down to look at them.

  “She did, and she told me about the entire hospital staff. I think maybe what goes on there is worse than what’s on TV. Everybody jumping into bed with each other. It’s a wonder they have time to hand out all those lovely pills.”

  Brody’s head shot up. “You aren’t...?”

  “Back on the drugs?” Frank said good-naturedly. “Yeah. I stole six orange bottles while I was there. I had a real happy night.”

  Brody gave him a look to cut it out and returned to the papers.

  Frank was frowning. “What’s made you so mad? You haven’t had any break-ins, have you?”

  When Brody looked up, his eyes were bleak. “Does my daughter’s heart being stolen count?”

  “You can’t keep her all to yourself forever,” Frank said in a patronizing voice. “Someday Terri’s going to meet a nice young man and get married and give us grandkids.”

  Brody grimaced. “Too bad you didn’t listen to Della’s gossip. I want to show you something.” He went out the door, through Anna’s office, to the outside.

  It was a beautiful day and there were several kids playing soccer on the lawn. They were being coached by a man with a limp and sparse gray hair.

  “I’ve seen him before,” Frank said.

  “How about photos in Life magazine? He coached the US soccer team in the Olympics.”

  “Does he live here?”

  “He’s spent ten summers here, but no one asked him what he did before he retired.”

  “So who...? Ah,” Frank said. “This guy Nate asked?”

  “He did. I swear that in the week Nate Taggert has been here he’s learned more about the residents than I know after a lifetime here.”

  “I can believe that,” Frank said. “But then, it was always Leslie who was the social one. She—” He stopped at the look Brody gave him. “Sorry. The forbidden subject. It’s just that she made friends. You and Terri are clones in being workhorses. So this guy helps around here and you said he’s stealing our Terri’s heart? What’s the problem? He’s old and ugly?”

  “There he is, so what do you think?” Brody nodded toward the dock.

  A big, good-looking young man put his hands on the waist of a heavy-set woman and easily swung her out of the boat onto the dock. She was smiling up at him like he was a rescuing knight.

  “He’s built like Billy,” Frank said under his breath, then turned to Brody. “What’s the problem?”

  “Nate’s engaged to Lew Hartman’s daughter.”

  “Wonder why Della didn’t tell me that? But Stacy is a nice girl. She—”

  Brody gave him a hard look, then walked away, Frank right behind him.

  “This isn’t good, is it?” Frank said when they were inside Brody’s office. “How many boyfriends has our Terri had since she dumped Billy?”

  “None that we know of. But then, any boy she looks at, you run through the system to see if he’s ever had so much as a parking ticket.”

  “Give me the stats on this guy so I can find out about him.”

  Brody gave a snort. “Since he worked for Kit Montgomery, you’d have to have the security clearance of the Secretary of Defense to find out about him.”

  When Frank heard a laugh that he’d been hearing since Terri was a toddler, he went to the window to look out. He’d never been married and had no children, so Terri was as close as he was going to get to his own child. In his eyes, she was beautiful and smart and deserving of all the good in the world. Just his unbiased opinion.

  She was sta