Tumbling Blocks (10 page)

“Add a comfortable chair, and I’ll not trouble you for two weeks,” Ray said.

I smiled. “That can be arranged.” Ray certainly would be an easy guest. I started out the door, then stopped, remembering my other guest. “Oh, dear, one more thing. I hope you’re not allergic to dogs, Ray.”

“Daphne loves him,” Kathryn said. “Ray’s great with animals. Kids too.”

“Never had any of my own,” Ray said, still jingling his coins softly. “Kids, I mean. Have been owned by a whole array of canines in my life, though I’ve actually sort of been dog-shared with my neighbor, Bob.”

I cocked my head. “Dog-shared?”

“Like a racehorse,” he said, smiling, his hands still now. They came out of his pockets to gesture as he talked. “I was gone for long periods of time. One of my next-door neighbors was a widower, like me. He was a cop who also worked odd hours, so we shared dogs. Three of them, all rescues. The dogs had beds, water dishes, food dishes, toy baskets at both houses. We cut an opening in the fence between our yards. The dogs learned to check both back doors, whichever one was open, that was where they spent the night. It gave two old farts something to talk about.”

“What a wonderful idea,” I said.

Scout, always the perfect canine, picked that moment to trot into the guest room. He must have seen us arrive home and crossed the street from Beebs and Millee’s house. He came up to me for a quick neck rub.

“Kathryn said you had a dog. He’s a nice looking Lab.”

“Yes, Scout is a darling, but I can’t take any credit for that. He was trained before I inherited him. And besides you two, I have another guest these next two weeks. He’s a little doll, but not quite as well-trained as Scout. As a matter of fact, you might have to be careful where you walk, as he is still in the midst of potty training.”

“You have a puppy?” Kathryn said. Her blue-gray eyes, so like my husband’s, lit up.

“Only for two weeks. A friend of mine went with his family to Texas for the holidays and left him with me.”

“What kind is he?” Kathryn asked.

“Corgi. A Pembroke. That’s the kind with no tail.”

“They’re great dogs,” Ray said. “So smart. What’s his name?”

“Boo. Right now he’s across the street at my neighbors’. I’ll go get him before we have dinner.”

I left them alone to settle in and joined Gabe in the kitchen. He already had the soup heating and the biscuits warming in the oven. There was something to be said for irritation getting a man to work.

“Are you okay?” I asked, opening the refrigerator and taking out the butter dish. “What happened when I answered Constance’s phone call? Did your mom tell you when she got married? And where? Why?”

“I’m fine,” he said, his voice stiff. “They made a detour to Las Vegas two days ago. As for why, I couldn’t begin to guess.”

I was without words for a moment, not certain what I should say. “It’s odd,” I finally commented. “I mean, that they sort of did the same thing we did.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” His tone became a little snappish.

I set the butter dish down on the table. “Whoa, pull back on the reins. I was just saying that we didn’t exactly give anyone the heads-up about our wedding either.”

He glared at me. “It’s entirely different.”

How?
I wanted to ask, but decided that it would definitely be wiser for me to keep that question to myself, at least for right now. This was obviously something that he and his mother would have to duke out.

“Okay,” I said, keeping my voice soft. “Let’s just get through the next few hours, and we can talk about it upstairs.”

He took a deep breath, ran a large brown hand over his face. When he looked at me again, his face was no longer angry, just sad.

“Oh, Gabe,” I said, going over to him and putting my arms around his waist. “It’ll be all right. I know it’s a shock, but Ray seems like a nice guy.”

He rested his lips on the top of my head, brushing them back and forth. “We’ll see. But, you’re right, we just need to get through the next few hours.”

“Good,” I said, hugging his waist. “Now, I have to go across the street and fetch Boo. I’ll be back in two seconds.”

When I returned carrying Boo, Kathryn and Ray were in the kitchen helping Gabe set the table.

After the requisite few minutes of puppy fawning, I gave Boo and Scout a biscuit, then put Boo in his downstairs crate and closed the metal door. When Boo started to whimper, I told Scout to stay. Like the perfect dog he was, Scout lay right next to the crate with his nose touching Boo’s nose through the gate.

“Scout is a miracle dog,” I said, sitting down. “He already has taken his big brother relationship to heart.”

Dinner was more than slightly uneasy. We avoided the real thing we wanted to talk about and discussed Gabe’s sisters, their kids and the activities we had planned for Christmas here in San Celina. Then we all retired to the living room.

“Would anyone like coffee or tea?” I asked.

“No, actually, I’d like to take a walk with my son,” Kathryn said. “If you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” I said. “Take a jacket, though. I know it’s not Kansas, but it can get kind of nippy here after dark.”

“Brought one with me,” she said, standing up. “Let’s walk, son. I’d like to see your neighborhood Christmas lights.”

“Take her downtown, Gabe. The Christmas window contest is being judged tonight.”

“Sounds delightful,” she said.

It was obvious that she wanted to talk to Gabe privately about Ray. More power to her. Straighten this out right off so we could all relax.

After they were gone, I fed the dogs, then Ray took me up on that coffee. We took our cups out on the front porch, where we watched the dogs have one last playtime before bed. When we settled down in the green wicker chairs, I decided to quit beating around the bush and ask Ray about their marriage.

“Were you and Kathryn engaged long?”

He cleared his throat and looked me straight in the eyes. “Benni, I know I was a huge shock to Gabe. I wanted to call from Las Vegas, but Kathryn insisted that it would be better to surprise him. He’s her son, so I couldn’t very well argue with that.”

I sipped my coffee, contemplating his words. Her actions seemed pretty passive-aggressive to me, but what did I really know or understand about Gabe’s relationship with his mother? She probably did know him better than anyone.

“She might be right,” I reluctantly conceded. “As hard as it is on him to be surprised, if he’d known twenty-four hours ago, he might have really worked himself up into a snit.” The minute I said it, I felt guilty, like I was being disloyal to my husband with this virtual stranger. “Not that Gabe isn’t a really accepting and friendly person. He is, it’s just that . . .”

Ray gave a slow smile, causing the deep wrinkles in his face to shift. It occurred to me then who he really reminded me of. The scarecrow in
The Wizard of Oz
. Or rather the man who played the scarecrow. Ray Bolger. Ray, I thought. That’s funny, they had the same first name.

“I understand,” Ray said. “He’s a police officer. Suspicion comes with the job. No doubt, he’ll have me checked out as soon as he can to make sure I’m not some con man trying to take his mother for her pension and savings. I would think less of him if he didn’t use all his resources to investigate me.”

I sighed in relief, because I knew that’s exactly what Gabe would do. If he wasn’t on a walk with his mother now, he probably would have excused himself with the pretense of going to the bathroom and instead called one of his friends who’d left the force and was working as a private detective. Gabe wouldn’t do anything illegal to find out about Ray, but this was his
mother
. He’d find out about the man she married one way or another.

“Question,” I said.

“Feel free.”

“Do Becky and Angel know?”

“We called them last night. We were actually married on Wednesday. Kathryn wanted to wait a day before she called anyone.”

“Why?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I love Kathryn, Benni, but I can’t pretend that I understand her.”

“Welcome to my world. How did the girls take it?”

“A little better than Gabe, because I’ve actually known them for a few months.”

“How long have you and Kathryn been seeing each other?”

He thought for a moment. “About six months.”

He must be the guy that Gabe’s sister Becky said Kathryn was “seeing.” But apparently even she hadn’t realized how serious it had turned. Great, so I sort of knew about Ray and didn’t mention it to Gabe. I wondered if there was a way I could never let him know that.

Oh, well, I’d worry about that later. “You know, I don’t even know your last name. And what your kids think of your marriage.”

“Austin. Like the Texas capital. Never was blessed with children. I’m just a cranky old widower.”

I laughed. “You don’t seem a bit cranky to me. So, did Kathryn take your name?” It was something I would not have the nerve to ask her.

“Actually, she did. Though she kept Ortiz as her middle name. I didn’t ask her to take my name and didn’t expect it. It’s nice, though. A man likes marking what’s his.”

I was taken aback a moment by his borderline sexist remark. Had I read this guy wrong? Was he really a creep? Then one of his watery eyes gave a slow wink, telling me he was pulling my leg.

I shook my head and laughed. “You remind me of my daddy. I don’t always know when he’s teasing. I’m going to have to really keep on my toes around you.”

“People have been known to grow muscular calves when being around me too long.”

I shook my head again. “Well, Mr. Ray Austin, you must be tired. I have to get up early to help Daddy tack up our horses for the Christmas parade tomorrow, so if you’ll forgive me, I need to get ready for bed.”

“I am a bit weary myself,” he said. “I think I’ll turn in too.”

“Rest well, Ray.”

“You too, Miss Benni. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I took Boo out for one last potty break, then went upstairs to my bedroom to made a quick call to Dove. Though I’d see her first thing tomorrow morning, I knew she’d throttle me if I didn’t tell her about Kathryn’s new husband as soon as I could.

“I was just settling down in bed with my favorite man,” Dove said.

“I thought Isaac was gone until tomorrow night.” He was speaking at a photography convention in Monterey.

“I meant Father Brown.” Her laugh, a cheerful cackle, reminded me of her chickens when they were complaining at her to be fed. Dove had reread G. K. Chesterton’s Father Brown mysteries probably a dozen times.

“I’ll save you some time; the butler did it,” I said, putting Boo in his crate and closing the metal door.

“Not a butler to be seen in this one,” she said. “How did it go with Kathryn? Did your house pass the white-glove inspection?” She knew how worried I’d been and had teased me about it, telling me that no amount of lemon Pledge or homemade biscuits could make up for the fact that I flat-out stole this woman’s only son.

“It’s been great,” I said, smug in the fact that I had information that would shock her, something hard to do with my gramma, who claimed she had seen everything there was to see in human nature in her seventy-seven years. “She didn’t look twice at the house. She’s been gracious, kind, loving and actually seems glad to be here.” I took a breath, ready to spring my big news.

“Lord, have mercy,” Dove said. “She got married, didn’t she?”

CHAPTER 5

“D
O-OO-VE.” I STRETCHED HER NAME INTO THREE syllables. “That was my big news.” How did she
know
these things?

“What’s his name?” Dove asked. “Is he nice? What does he do? Who’s his family?”

“I didn’t find out much, but he seems like a nice man. His name is Ray Austin. He’s a retired engineer of the choo-choo variety.”

“Good retirement benefits,” Dove said, her voice approving. “He’s probably dependable and has strong nerves.”

“Gabe and Kathryn went for a walk after supper, and Ray and I were able to talk for about a half hour. After his wife died, he dog-shared three dogs with his next-door neighbor, who was a cop, so he’s an animal lover. He’s retired. Scout likes him. So does Boo, though Boo is still sort of indiscriminate in his tastes in people.”

“I still can’t believe you volunteered to babysit a puppy,” Dove said. “Don’t be expecting me to relieve you. I’m busier than a boll weevil in high cotton.”

It didn’t surprise me that she already knew about my four-legged guest. There wasn’t much that happened in my life in San Celina that didn’t find its way to her doorstep, usually within the hour.

“What could I tell Hud? He went to Texas with Laura Lee to her grandmother’s ninety-fifth birthday. Think of it as my way of trying to help reunite a broken family.”

“That boy will never settle down for long. I still think you need to watch him like a hungry coyote.”

“I won’t have to the next two weeks, and I won’t ask you to take care of Boo, except—”

She didn’t let me finish. “I know, I know, you need someone to watch him during the parade. Lucky for you, missy, I’m feeling gimpy and not riding in the parade this year.”

I tickled Boo’s nose through the door of his upstairs crate. “I promise that most of the time I’ll be in charge of his care. I will gratefully appreciate some help for tomorrow, though.”

“So, how is Gabe reacting to his new stepdaddy?”

“The jury’s still out on that one. He seems quiet and a bit standoffish, but that’s Gabe whenever he first meets someone. I’ll find out more when he gets home from his walk with Kathryn. I’ll update you tomorrow morning on the new marriage and my murder investigation.” I hoped to surprise her with the last part of my statement.

“I heard about that,” Dove said. “Who do you think sent Pinky Edmondson to sleep with the fishes?”