Cold Heart (4 page)

Tucker barked. Lexi laughed and threw the stick as far out into the pond as she could. Tucker ran down the dock and leapt into the water swimming as fast as he could to the stick and grabbing it in his mouth. Then he swam to shore and brought it to Lexi and dropped it at her feet and proceeded to shake water all over her. Tucker began barking and backing away. When she picked up the stick, he started for the dock looking back several time to see if she was about to throw it. Lexi moved a little closer to the water this time and let it fly. Again Tucker dove in and retrieved the stick swimming to shore and bringing it right to her. This was repeated about ten times until Lexi was nearly soaked from Tucker’s shaking and her arm felt like it might fall off. She was laughing though and it had been awhile since she had done that.

“Okay Tucker, I think that’s all for now,” she said.

Lexi turned to start walking back to Wildwood and he picked up his stick and trotted beside her. Once they got back she picked up Tucker’s bowls from the porch and went in and filled them. When she returned to the porch he was waiting and started eating immediately. Lexi went back inside and as she passed her phone she unplugged it and noted there were two more missed calls from Michael. She put it down without listening to see if there were any messages. She got herself a glass of wine and took up her usual spot on the bench on the porch. She wondered what Michael had said in the messages, then told herself that no, she didn’t care. It didn’t matter, they were done. He could not be trusted. She had a new life now and she felt good. She realized that she had missed lunch again but it had been a pretty productive day. Tucker came and lay down next to her. She said a silent thank you to Uncle Max for her new home and for Tucker.

4

Lexi was about to go in and cook her dinner when an expensive sports car drove up. She sighed. Not another visitor. She was pretty sure she knew who it was because the winery logo on the door of the car was a dead giveaway. She was a little nervous after her conversation with Carter earlier. Surely they weren’t going to start pressuring her to sell. A tall, barrel chested man in an expensive suit pulled himself up and out of the vehicle and headed for the porch.

“Trying out a sample of our wine?” he asked.

“Well not actually. I already had this one open but I’m sure I will be soon,” Lexi said. “That was very kind of you.”

“Geoff Montgomery,” he said extending his hand to her. Lexi shook it reluctantly.

“Lexi Thomas,” she said.

“Are you settled in?” he asked. His dark hair was greying at the temples and it highlighted his darkly tanned face.

“Getting there,” she replied.

“Good. Well we are having a little shindig on Saturday evening, thought I’d come down and invite you personally. It will give you a chance to meet some of your neighbours and some of the folks from town as well.”

“Well thank you. I’m not much of a partier these days,” Lexi said.

“Well it won’t be anything too fancy,” he said. “Food and wine and a little music starting about seven o’clock, so I hope you’ll think about coming.”

“Thank you,” Lexi said. “I’ll think about it.”

“So you planning on opening up this place to the public?” he asked.

“Yes I am. It was my Uncle‘s dream. I intend to follow through on it.”

“Well he told me he was going to sell it to me. We even talked about a number that he thought he could live with.”

“Well the plans have changed and I’m not interested in selling Mr. Montgomery.”

“Never say never,” he said, “sometimes things aren’t as easy as they look.”

“Thanks for coming by,” said Lexi, anxious to be rid of this man. “Maybe I’ll see you Saturday.”

“Alright then, I hope so,” Montgomery said. He walked down off the porch and over to his car, climbed in and drove away.

“Liar,” Lexi said to Tucker. “I’m definitely not going to any party he’s throwing.”

He was one of those pompous types Lexi thought. He was too darn sure of himself, for his own good. Well wouldn’t he get a surprise when she did get Wildwood up and running which she had every intention of doing just as soon as she possibly could. Her mood now spoiled, she decided on another glass of wine while she cooked a chicken breast and prepared a salad to go with it. To her delight Tucker decided he would follow her in to the kitchen and she rewarded him with a biscuit from the box on the counter.

Lexi took her dinner out to the dining room and sat down. She replayed the conversation with Montgomery. Carter said Uncle Max was not selling the property. Surely if he was there would be some documentation about it. She cleared her dishes to the kitchen when she was finished and put a kettle on the stove to make a cup of tea. Leaving the door ajar to the kitchen, so she could hear it when it whistled, she went into Uncle Max’s office to take a look. His desk was tidy, everything neatly in place. She started with the centre drawer and found just the usual items a stapler, some tape, paper clips, a few pens and a whole lot of keys all carefully labeled. Uncle Max was a man after her heart.

Nothing there so Lexi moved on to the drawers on the right. The top drawer yielded nothing but a bunch of printer paper and the next was some telephone books. The bottom drawer had hanging files and all were carefully labeled and contained personal tax information, bills for Wildwood plus receipts for purchases he had made but nothing about selling the property and no clues to the identity of this mystery woman.

The kettle whistled and Lexi hurried to make her cup of tea then brought it back with her to the office and tackled the drawers on the left. While she did find more hanging files with warranties and instruction booklets there was nothing else that would help. Disappointed, she went back out to the great room.

Lexi had hauled Tucker’s bed in from the porch earlier and she found him lying on it but as soon as she entered the room he rose and headed for the door.

“Want to go out buddy?” she asked. The wagging tail was her response.

Lexi decided since it was still fairly light out she would take a walk outside and then see if maybe she could coax Tucker to come back in with her. She opened the door for him and followed him out. He headed straight for the barn and after relieving himself on his favourite fencepost he nudged the door and went inside. Lexi followed him in. She looked around the barn. There were several stalls but no indication that animals had inhabited them for a very long time. She could remember a couple of old horses, one she had ridden. She thought Uncle Max may have had goats at one time when she was really small.

The stalls were certainly large enough to accommodate horses but she knew nothing about caring for them. Still it might be nice to offer trail rides and Carter apparently had horses maybe he could give her some instruction on how to care for them. No, put that thought out of your head Lexi, you don’t need to be involving Carter in your business. Still, he did seem willing to help and she was basing her assessment of him on the impressions of a smitten twelve year old girl.

Lexi decided to have a look in the loft and climbed the ladder. There were some boxes in the corner of the loft. She should have a look in those one of these days. She walked to the edge and looked over. It was a long drop probably sixteen feet, onto a concrete floor. She could see why Max had been fatally injured. The railing seemed low and she wondered why he would have been so close to the edge. She decided to get down from there now. Tucker was waiting when she stepped off the last rung of the ladder and began wagging his tail.

“It’s okay Tucker,” she said. “Were you worried about me? I sure wish you could talk cuz I bet you could tell me exactly what happened to Max, couldn’t you?” The dog just looked at her.

“Well I think it’s bedtime for me Tucker, are you going to come in with me?” she asked.

As she headed to the barn door Tucker lay down in his spot so when Lexi returned to the house she put his bed out on the porch again. She turned off all the lights, locked the door and headed upstairs. She wandered down the hall and into Uncle Max’s room. She looked around at the photos that covered the dresser and a shelf under the window. It seemed so sad that he would look at these everyday and yet never saw his family again for all those years, well except her and only for that brief visit. If only she had come up here like she planned to.

Lexi switched off the lights and went to her room. It wasn’t that late but she was tired. She got ready for bed and then she got a pen and paper from her briefcase. She climbed in and began making a list. Tomorrow she would tackle the rooms upstairs and figure out how to work the big industrial washers and dryers that were in the laundry room. She needed to wash all the sheets that had been used as dust covers. She would probably employ them again since it would be several months before Wildwood actually opened for business.

Lexi was dozing a little when she heard the pounding of the big knocker at the front entry and Tucker barking. What the...? Could a woman get no peace in this place? She climbed out of bed and started for the door then remembering she was in her pajamas, went to her suitcase and rummaged through it until she found a robe. She really must unpack.

She headed downstairs, switched on the outside lights and peered out the window beside the door before opening it. It was Michael. When he saw her he began yelling.

“For heaven’s sake Lexi, open the door.”

Lexi supposed she had to open the door but she really didn’t want to. Reluctantly she did but stood in the doorway so he couldn’t come in.

“What the hell are you doing, Lexi?” Michael said throwing his arms in the air. “Why aren’t you returning my calls?”

“Because I have no interest in talking to you Michael, no interest in being with you anymore and no interest in what your lame excuses are.”

“Lexi be reasonable, please,” he implored. “It was one time, I made a mistake. I love you. I was planning to ask you to marry me. She means nothing to me.”

“She was my best friend Michael and I know for a fact, it wasn’t just one time,” Lexi said. “You are wasting your time. We are done, finished, over. I was very generous in what I left for you. In fact I left practically everything and your rent and all the utilities are paid til the end of the month. After that, you are on your own. You may have to actually go out and get a job.”

“And what about my half of this?” Michael said.

“What?” Lexi yelled. “Are you freaking kidding me? You’d better go Michael before I call the police.”

“Look I didn’t mean that, Lex,” he begged. “Let me come in. We can talk this through.”

“No Michael, no amount of talking is going to change what you did. We are done, there is nothing to be said,” Lexi said very calmly. “Now I’d like you to go please.”

“Come on baby, you don’t mean that, you’re just mad right now. You know how good we are together. You can’t just throw that away,” Michael begged.

Lexi was about to speak when a truck came up the driveway going pretty fast and lurched to a stop. Carter jumped out and sprinted up to the porch.

“Everything okay here?” he asked looking directly at Lexi.

“Yeah buddy, everything is just fine here,” Michael said turning to face Carter. “I’m just having a private conversation with my girlfriend here and I’d appreciate you keeping your nose out of it.”

“You’re not listening Michael,” Lexi said in as calm a voice as she could muster. “We are through. I don’t love you. I’m not taking your cheating ass back and I would like you to leave now.”

“You heard her,” Carter said as he stepped closer to Lexi. “She wants you to leave.”

“Hey, I don’t know who you are mister,” Michael threatened, “But you need to get the fuck out of here and mind your own business.”

With that Carter grabbed Michael by the neck of his jacket and began dragging him off the porch. Michael struggled to get his feet back under him and began yelling obscenities. The two struggled and when Carter had him down off the porch he let go.

“Lexi go and dial 9-1-1,” Carter said. “Maybe the Sherriff will be able to persuade this jerk to move along.”

Michael straightened his jacket and ran his hands through his hair. “Back off, there is no need to get the law involved,” he said. “I’ll leave.”

“Good,” said Carter.

“Lexi this isn’t over,” Michael said. “I know you’ll come to your senses, so I will give you a little time. I can wait. I love you. I’ll even come up here and help you get this thing up and running if you want. I’m sure you could use the help.”

“Michael,” Lexi said taking a deep breath and trying to sound as calm as she possibly could. “I don’t want to hear from you or see you again. If you so much as set foot on this property, I will call the Sherriff and I will have a restraining order drawn up so fast, it’ll make your head spin. Leave now. Goodbye. Have a nice life.”

Michael started to speak and then thought better of it. He turned and walked to his car. The car sprayed gravel everywhere when he gunned the engine as he sped down the driveway.

“So mature,” Lexi said, but she was shaking now and pale.

“Come on,” said Carter, taking her arm and leading her through the door and into the great room. He sat her down on one of the sofas and then released her arm. Tucker had followed and sat on the floor next to Lexi and put his head in her lap.

“How did you ... I mean ...” Lexi couldn’t finish.

“I was just coming back from town and turning into my driveway when I saw him go speeding by and roar up your driveway. Took me a few minutes to get to my truck turned around but I thought I best come over and make sure you were okay,” Carter said.

“Thank you,” she said, sincerely. “I couldn’t get him to leave.”

“Yeah, well he seems like the hard headed type,” Carter said.

“I thought I loved him once,” Lexi said. “Looking back, I’m not really sure why and it was a very long time ago. I think I was just really lonely after my parents died.”

“That happens sometimes,” Carter said. “Relationships aren’t easy. I’ve learned that the hard way.”

Lexi looked at him and thought she saw pain behind his smile. She stifled a yawn.

“Well I’d better get going and let you get back to bed,” Carter said.

“Yeah,” she said. “I’m used to being in bed early as I had to get up so early to be at the deli.”

“Deli?” Carter said.

“I owned a deli in San Francisco. I sold it to come up here.”

“Wow, impressive,” Carter said. “I had no idea you already knew something about running a business.”

“Well I had intended to work my way up to head chef in a restaurant when I graduated from the Culinary Institute a few years ago. When my parents died, suddenly I had the money for a business of my own. The deli seemed to be a good start. The plan was for a restaurant eventually and well then poof I had this.”

“Well, I think Max would have been thrilled to see someone finally make something of this place. Goodnight now,” Carter said and headed for the door. Tucker followed him and scooted out the door.