FORTY-TWO
Early Monday morning, Jack nursed a hot coffee and waited for Terra in a booth at a local diner. He spotted her vehicle parked down the road and focused on his coffee. He looked up as she entered the diner. His heart rate always spiked when she stepped into view, especially with that smile and those bright blue eyes.
How had he ever walked away from this woman? How many times would he think about what a fool he’d been?
She scooted into the booth across from him. “Did you order for me? I’m starved.”
He kept his tone even. “Um ... I did.”
The waitress approached the table and set several dishes in front of Terra. Pancakes, bacon and eggs, hash browns, a colorful display of donuts.
Terra rewarded him with a smile that he felt to his toes. Appreciation flashed in her luminous eyes. Yeah. That was the reaction he’d been going for. And it tethered his heart to her.
“Now, can I get you anything else?” the waitress asked.
“No, I think I’m good,” Terra said.
“I’ll be back to check on you.” The waitress left.
Terra’s big blues held him captive. “You want to explain this?”
He hid his smile while he salted and peppered his eggs. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted. I could have waited.”
She threw her head back and laughed. A twinge of longing coursed through him. This moment triggered good memories from their past together. The past he’d ruined—or rather, the future he’d ruined.
“Well, thank you. I needed a good laugh today.” She peered at her plate but lifted her eyes to look at him through her long lashes.
His breath caught.
Jack cleared his throat, testing his ability to speak. “In the meantime, tell me what’s new.”
“Since I saw you on Saturday? Not much. I talked to Gramps about meeting with Leif. He just wanted to talk to him about Owen to find out how he’s really doing. He’s worried about his grandson, that’s all.”
And you believe him? But Jack would be overstepping to say the words. She acted like something was bothering her, but then again, so did he. They hadn’t made much progress in solving two murders.
“Anything else?”
“Gramps and I talked about his running for office. I’m just worried about him. He’s excited about the challenge, and I wouldn’t take his happiness away for the world, but I get the feeling he’s trying to fill a hole. Like he never filled the emptiness after losing my mom. And then there’s Owen. He needs Gramps to help him with this new equestrian therapy thing. If Gramps is off campaigning, he won’t have time to help. I guess I’d just like to understand where this is coming from and where it’s going.”
“I get it. Families have their stuff.”
She laughed. “Right. I know you’ve got your hands full with your aunt. How’s she doing?”
“Her wrist is on the mend but still hurts. Fortunately, she has an appointment next week to see her doctor. I’m going with her. I want to talk to him about the dementia. She’s scared. I’m scared for her.”
Terra reached across the table and grabbed his hand. Compassion filled her gaze, but she said nothing. He appreciated that she didn’t offer platitudes. The concern in her eyes was enough.
He cleared his throat. “Let’s get back to the investigation now that we’ve taken some time and stepped back. So, what’s a Middle Eastern artifact doing here in Montana?”
“Well, I’d say we could ask Jim, but someone didn’t want him talking about it.” Terra lifted a chocolate donut and took a bite. She was going for the bad stuff first.
Jack ate a few bites of his omelet. “And since the forest and cabin are ash now, we’re not going to find more answers there.”
He poured more coffee from the carafe the waitress had left.
“That could be why he set it on fire.” Terra set the donut aside after only a couple of bites, then started in on the eggs and bacon. “I still need to pay a visit to the museum. I read through the interview reports your people gathered. Have you learned anything else?”
“I think there’s a possible connection here that we’re overlooking,” he said.