A Highlander in a Pickup - Laura Trentham Page 0,1
and get back to you. We may have to cancel.”
“You’uns would be out a fair amount if you cancel. ’Sides, I’m already on my way. Got the paperwork. Can you meet me out at your place to take delivery?”
The background sounds parsed itself into a combination of the radio and road noise. Anna grimaced and mouthed a curse. “How far away are you?”
“Just passed that fancy WELCOME TO HIGHLAND sign. Are you out at the big house now?”
The big house could only mean Stonehaven. “I’m not.”
“I’ll need someone to sign off and take possession of the girls.” It was a statement and an assumption someone would be there to handle the deed.
The girls. Ewell made it sound like they were arriving for a carefree sleepover. “I’ll meet you there in ten minutes.”
“Good enough, then.” Ewell disconnected.
The surprise put Anna’s thoughts into a tumble. Izzy had warned her there would be unexpected hurdles; she just hadn’t counted on stumbling over so many this early in the race. She scrolled through her contacts and hit a name.
Keisha answered in her usual chipper voice. “What’s up, Teach?”
“I need a favor. I have to run out to Stonehaven and take a delivery for the festival. If I’m not back, can you and Gabby run the girls through the routine a couple of times?”
“Sure thing. You know I love to boss everyone around.” The laughter in Keisha’s voice was usually infectious, but Anna was too stressed to join in.
“Thanks, sweetie. Try not to turn into a dancing despot. I’ll buy you a coffee or some ice cream down at the Brown Cow after class.”
She hit the end button then climbed into her black VW Bug and peeled out of the parking lot behind the studio, heading toward Stonehaven. Gareth was going to get an earful. What time was it in Scotland? It didn’t matter. Gareth deserved to get dragged out of bed for this. She hit the call button. No answer. The butt chewing was on hold.
She pulled onto the pebbled lane to Stonehaven. Trees on either side of the lane offered a brief respite from the sun. Her AC hadn’t even had enough time to cool her off when she parked by the row of pine trees between the house and barn next to Izzy’s old truck.
The house’s facade was stone and it had a castle-like feel with a turret even though the inside was straight out of a Southern Living magazine with a comfortable, breezy elegance that epitomized Rose Buchanan. Stonehaven provided the perfect backdrop to the festival that was held on the grounds.
She slid out of her car and paced next to Izzy’s old truck. Pollen muted the tartan-painted hood and stripes down the side. Had it even been driven since Izzy left a year ago? Like a medium, Anna laid her hands on the truck as if she could somehow connect with her best friend a thousand miles and many time zones away.
A pine cone thudded next to her hand and bounced to the ground, making her jump. She gave a little laugh at her unusually whimsical thoughts. Maybe she was channeling Izzy after all, considering her friend was in the middle of writing a fantasy novel.
The rattle of a trailer brought her back to reality. An enormous double cab truck towing a horse trailer approached, passing her and parking close to the barn. Ewell swung himself out of the driver’s seat and hopped to the ground from the running board.
With a weathered, worn face that could have been anywhere between sixty and eighty, Ewell was short and bowlegged and reminded Anna of a cheerful garden gnome.
“You Miss Maitland?” He spit tobacco to the side and offered her a gnarled hand.
She shook it and nodded. “Nice to meet you, Mr.… I mean, Ewell.”
He pushed a sweat-stained Atlanta Braves baseball cap off his forehead with a thumb and grinned at her with tobacco-stained teeth. “Weren’t expecting you to get all gussied up for me.”
Anna looked down at herself and smoothed her tutu made up of lengths of different colored tulle. Her young kids loved the rainbow vibrancy. “I’m a dance teacher, but that’s not important. I only drove out to say that you need to take these animals back with you.”
“Cain’t.” Ewell sauntered to the trailer and lowered the gate to form a ramp.
Musky animal scents hit her like a slap in the thick air. The large trailer rocked with the shuffling of hooves, punctuated by grunts. Were they doing something X-rated