Down Home Dixie (17 page)

Dixie cocked her head in surprise at this unexpected move on Milo's part, but Andrea wasted no time taking Milo up on his offer. “I'll get Twinkle's leash,” she said. She ran upstairs.

“She's not from around here, is she?” Milo asked while Andrea was out of the room.

“No, she's just visiting,” Kyle said.

“She's not—you're not—” Milo cast a puzzled glance at the ceiling, above which they could hear Andrea rummaging in the guest room. “It's okay for me to ask her out, right?”

Thank you, God,
Kyle thought. “Absolutely,” he said.

When Andrea reappeared, she'd changed from her dress into jeans and a checked blouse, and she'd pushed her hair back and secured it with a banana clip. The casual hairdo was out of character for her, but it did change her image to younger and more hip. She no longer looked like a case study in uptight.

“Shall we?” Andrea said to Milo, who seemed to have eyes only for her. Kyle had never seen a woman's personality change so fast; one minute she was an aggrieved party, and now she was walking across the room with a new and enticing wiggle to her hips. Kyle suddenly began to suspect that all along, Andrea's unpleasant personality traits might have been born of her determination to cement him into the relationship. He didn't necessarily like what this said about him, but he wasn't in the mood to contemplate it at the moment.

Milo held the door for her, and Andrea said sweetly to Dixie and Kyle, “Don't wait up for me.”

It was five-thirty in the afternoon. “You're going back to Ohio,” Kyle said.

Andrea shook her head. “I'm hoping to avail myself of Dixie's hospitality for a bit longer. I couldn't get a flight back tonight.”

“Wait a minute,” Kyle said, anger rising to the surface on a mere moment's provocation.

“Kyle,” Dixie said, a restraining hand on his arm.

“She's leaving,” Kyle retorted. Milo's gaze flicked from one of them to the other in confusion.

“Another night won't make that much difference,” Dixie murmured in her most conciliatory fashion. Kyle was surprised, since Dixie obviously wanted Andrea gone as much as he did.

“I'll leave in the morning,” Andrea said chirpily. “First thing.”

Kyle was silent, glowering; Dixie remained gracious. “Fine,” she said.

“Milo? Ready?” Andrea favored him with her most winning smile, and Milo followed her out the door.

Kyle eyed Dixie. “Are you out of your mind?”

“No, but what's one more night? When she was leaving the house anyway? I'm ready for together time, just the two of us.”

Andrea and Milo were disappearing down the driveway, tromping through puddles that would surely ruin her pricey flats. Dixie opened the refrigerator door and took out the ham casserole. “I'll make a salad and you can heat this in the micro,” she said.

“That sounds good to me,” he replied. He slid his arms around her from the back and drew her close. His hands moved under her sweatshirt and circled her breasts. The nipples rose to his touch, and he thanked his lucky stars that she was so responsive.

Dixie swiveled in his arms as his hands slid lower to cup her lush curves. She turned her face upward for a kiss.

“And after dinner, what?” he said, barely able to talk. He was so into her it wasn't even funny. He ate, drank and thought Dixie Lee Smith; she was the dream woman of all time. He'd tell her this right now, but she was talking. What she said next reminded him exactly why she held such an important place in his heart.

“We can take the canoe out and paddle around the lake in the moonlight.”

“I had something far more interesting in mind.”

“My sentiments exactly. I need to ask you something.”

“Shoot.” He grinned down at her, feeling loopy.

“Have you ever tried to make love in a canoe, Kyle?”

“That'll work,” he said, all but moaning with the pleasure of anticipation.

It took them only twenty minutes to heat and eat dinner, both of them wondering why they even bothered.

 

T
HEY HAD NO TROUBLE
dropping the canoe down from its sling in the garage. They encountered no difficulties when launching it into the lake. Making love was a different story, however.

Dixie dissolved in laughter a few times while Kyle was trying to remove her clothes. Once he managed to tip the canoe so far to the right that they almost capsized. When they finally achieved their goal, no lovemaking could have been more beautiful. The stars above reflected in the shimmery surface of the lake, the lights from the house beamed a mellow glow over the dock and beyond, the singsong of crickets resounded from the reeds along the shore. Afterward, they lay quietly in the canoe for a long time, murmuring so their voices wouldn't carry back to the house in case Milo and Andrea had returned.

There was no sign of them when they tethered the canoe at the end of the dock. Milo's manly truck was still parked in the driveway, but the rental car was gone. Twinkle was nowhere in sight when Dixie and Kyle let themselves into the house and hurried upstairs to Dixie's bedroom. They cuddled in Dixie's double bed, falling asleep almost right away.

During the night Dixie kept her ears tuned for Andrea, but she never heard her. She was curious as to what could have happened to those two, but she didn't fear foul play. As she well knew, Milo would let no harm come to any woman under his protection. Maybe they'd opted for a wild night out in Florence. They could have started drinking there and decided not to drive home. Or maybe—

It didn't really matter. She was comfortable in her own bed. Kyle was beside her. And all was right with her world.

The next morning, which was Dixie's day off, Andrea and Twinkle wandered in through the back door as Dixie and Kyle were eating waffles.

“Hello, all,” Andrea said. She was still wearing the jeans and checked shirt of the day before, but she'd lost the banana clip. Her hair needed brushing.

Without saying another word, Andrea continued on upstairs.

“Andrea?” Dixie called. “Are you all right?” What she really wanted to know was Andrea's time of departure so she and Kyle could plan a celebration.

“I've got a pounding headache. Too many melon sours at the Pee Dee Saloon.” This was the in crowd's favorite bar in Florence.

“There's aspirin in the hall bath medicine cabinet,” Dixie called out.

Andrea mumbled something, and Twinkle, released from his leash, came racing down the stairs. He was in full pursuit of Muffin, who hadn't shown her face around the house since Dixie brought her home.

Kyle and Dixie leaped up at the same time. Muffin stopped, stood her ground outside the sewing room, and hissed and spat. This didn't deter Twinkle, who one-upped the cat by yapping and growling and snapping in a way that would have been cartoonish if it hadn't posed a danger.

“You get Twinkle,” Dixie yelled. “I'll grab Muffin.” Dixie had no idea where the cat, who seemed terrified for her life, had been hiding all this time.

“I'd rather
you
get Twinkle,” Kyle said, lunging for the dog. He managed to curve his hands around the dog's sleek little body, but Twinkle instantly wiggled free and raced full speed around the living room. In the meantime, Muffin had stopped yowling and jumped toward the back of the couch, where her lack of front claws caused her to fall to the floor, scrambled up and rocketed to the kitchen where she vaulted to the top of the counter. Unfortunately, she knocked a bottle of Karo Syrup to the floor, breaking it in the process. Syrup began to ooze under the refrigerator and toward the table and chairs.

“Where is Andrea?” Dixie shouted. “Can't she control her dog?”

“Sounds like she's throwing up,” Kyle informed her, angling his head toward the stairs.

Dixie heard the unmistakable sound of retching. Right now she didn't have time to deal with that. She approached Muffin warily. “Nice kitty. Nice Muffin.”

“Can you name her something else? Like Godzilla?” Kyle asked.

He had a point. The cat's fur was fluffed in the manner of someone who had stuck a finger into an electric socket. Her eyes blazed green fire. Her whiskers stuck straight out like daggers. Dixie would be crazy to pick up an animal who appeared so fearsome.

She picked her up anyway. Immediately Muffin sagged and shrank into a helpless little fur piece with no bones. The cat's eyes closed, and as Dixie hiked her higher on her shoulder, Muffin began to emit a cautious purr.

“I'm taking Muffin into the sewing room,” Dixie said over the Yorkie's barking and growling.

“You're leaving me with
him?
” Kyle said incredulously from the dining room, where he'd cornered Twinkle.

“You bet.” Dixie retreated behind a closed door and listened to the racket while she sat and cuddled Muffin.

“Stop it, you dumb dog!” shouted Kyle. “Get over here. No, not over here, over there.
Stop
it!”

Dixie buried her face in Muffin's long fur. “You must be hungry, you poor thing. You missed your welcome-home meal because of that nasty dog.”

Muffin purred louder and began to knead Dixie's thigh with her clawless front paws. There was something comforting about holding the cat in her lap.
I could get used to this,
Dixie told herself.

“Got him!” Kyle yelled in triumph on the other side of the door. Dixie heard a scrabbling of feet and then nothing else.

“Kyle?”

“It's okay. I'm banishing Attila to the garage.”

“Do that,” Dixie murmured as Muffin butted her head against her idle hand. She figured that was cat language for “keep petting me,” so she did. Frantic barking ensued from the general direction of the garage. Dixie wondered when the next plane left for Ohio and what she could do to make sure Andrea and Twinkle were on it.

Kyle didn't return, and soon she heard the phone in her home office ringing. Hugging Muffin to her chest, Dixie ran to answer it. Maybe it was the airline calling to confirm Andrea's flight. Her heart sank when she heard Milo's voice.

“Hi, Dixie. May I please speak to Andrea?”

Dixie leaned out the door to get a glimpse of what was going on upstairs. Andrea was still in the bathroom, and the water in the sink was running.

“She's indisposed,” she told Milo.

“Will you tell her I called? I'm planning to ask if she'd like to go to the movies tonight.”

“Andrea's supposed to fly back to Columbus, Ohio.” Dixie didn't add the
sooner the better.

“She might change her ticket. We had a good time last night.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“Yes, Andrea's a real partier,” Milo said.

“I gathered.”

“In fact, I hope she stays around a while.”

“Uh-huh.” Muffin was really purring now.

“Have her phone me, okay?” Milo sounded eager, like a little kid.

“Of course, Milo.” She made up her mind,
I am definitely going to have to yank the welcome mat out from under Andrea.

As soon as she hung up, she settled Muffin in the kitchen with a bowl of dry cat food and some water. Then she marched upstairs and rapped on the guest-room door.

“Andrea! I need to talk with you.”

“Come in. Do you have Twinkle with you? Where is he, anyway?”

Dixie opened the door to find Andrea lying in bed with the covers pulled up to her chin. “Kyle took Twinkle out. For a walk.” Maybe this was true. It
could
be true.

“That's good,” Andrea said, closing her eyes. They'd sunk in their sockets, and she was uncommonly pale. The bed, of course, was still not on a frame; mattress and box springs rested on the floor, which meant that Dixie loomed over Andrea. It seemed weird.

“Andrea,” Dixie began.

“I'm coming down with a cold.”

Dixie let the words register for a long moment. She wondered if there was a chance that Andrea hadn't really spoken them. Andrea may have said, “I think my rummy down is sold,” though that didn't make any sense.

“Excuse me?” Dixie said.

“A cold. I probably got it from the people sitting on either side of me on the plane. I was stuck in the middle because all the aisle and window seats were taken. Those guys were coughing and sneezing the whole time.”

“Maybe you just had a little too much to drink last night,” Dixie said hopefully.

“My throat is on fire and my eyes feel hot. Do you have any cold medicine?”

“Not much,” Dixie said. “Wouldn't it be a good idea to get home as soon as you can so you'll be more comfortable?”

If this was ungracious, Andrea apparently didn't notice. “Oh, I can't fly when I've got a cold. It's a bad thing to do. Germs get forced into the eustachian tubes and people go deaf from it. It happened to my friend's mother. Deaf as a post because she flew with a cold.”