changed so much since he came back from overseas. He used to be a happy sort of person. He’s not happy now.” She looked up. “He goes out with Misty, but he never touches her.”
Keely’s heart jumped. “How do you know?”
“He never picks up anything,” she said with affection. “He just leaves his clothes lying around in his room. I gather them up and put them in the hamper for Mrs. Johnson. There are never any lipstick stains on his shirts.” She paused, her lips pursed. “Well, that’s not quite the truth. Last Saturday night, there were quite a few lipstick stains on his collar.”
Keely’s face flamed and Winnie laughed triumphantly. Keely knew that Winnie would go straight to Boone and tease him if she guessed what had happened. She couldn’t let her friend know for sure. If Boone were teased about Keely at home, it would all be over before it had time to begin.
“No wonder he’s been like a scalded snake all week,” Winnie mused, watching Keely closely. “And he hasn’t even called Misty. Odd, isn’t it?”
“Just slow down, if you please. I danced with him,” Keely muttered. “Of course I got lipstick on his collar.”
Winnie’s happy mood slowly drained away. She frowned. “Are you sure that’s all?”
Keely gave her friend a speaking look. “Boone can’t stand me. He was just trying to find out why Clark and I had gone to a dance and Clark was missing.”
“Oh, Fish and Chips!” Winnie muttered.
“Excuse me?”
Winnie shifted. “Good Lord, I’m catching Hayes Carsonitis!” she exclaimed.
“What?”
“Hayes Carson doesn’t cuss like a normal man. He says things like ‘Crackers and Milk!’ and ‘Fish and Chips!’ It rubs off when you’re around him.”
“What are you doing hobnobbing with Hayes Carson?” Keely asked.
“On the radio!”
“Oh. Right.”
“He’s not bad-looking,” Winnie mused. “And he’s much friendlier than Kilraven. I should really set my cap at him.”
“You’d break Kilraven’s heart,” Keely teased.
Winnie wrinkled her nose. “Like he’d notice if I flirted with another man,” she said shortly. “He’s trying Boone’s tactics. He’s ignoring me.”
“He’s probably just busy.”
Winnie toyed with her napkin. “Men are not worth the trouble they cause,” she said irritably.
Keely laughed. “No,” she agreed. “They aren’t.”
“And don’t we both lie well?” Winnie retorted.
Keely nodded.
The little café was crowded for a Saturday, mostly with tourists trying to enjoy the last fleeting days of August. Jacobsville had an annual rodeo that drew crowds, because it attracted some of the stars of the circuit. The prize money wasn’t bad, either.
“There are a lot of cars with out-of-state tags,” Winnie murmured. “I guess it’s the rodeo that draws them.”
“I was just thinking about the rodeo.” Keely chuckled. “Great minds running in the same direction.”
“Exactly. I think—” Winnie’s voice broke off. She was staring at the front door helplessly.
Keely glanced toward the entrance. Kilraven, still in uniform, was standing just inside the door. He really was hunky, Keely thought; tall, handsome and elegant with silver eyes and thick black hair. He was muscular without it being blatant.
“Excuse me,” he called in his deep voice. “Is anyone here driving a red SUV with Oklahoma plates?”
A young man in jeans and chambray shirt raised his hand. “Yes. I am,” he called. “Anything wrong, Officer?”
Kilraven walked to his table, spotted Winnie and Keely and nodded politely before he stood over the man. “Did you pick up a deer from the side of the road, sir?” he asked.
The young man laughed. “Yes, I did. It was just killed by a car, I think, because it was still warm and limp when I picked it up.” The smile faded. “I was only going to take it home and cut it up for my freezer. Did I do something wrong?”
Kilraven cleared his throat. “You might want to call your insurance agent.”
The young man looked blank. “Why?”
“The deer wasn’t dead.”
“Wasn’t…dead?” He nodded.
“And it left the vehicle rather suddenly, through your windshield.”
The young man was still nodding. “Through the windshield?” He stiffened. “Through my windshield? In my brand-new truck? Aaahhh!”
He jumped up, overbalancing his chair so that it fell. He almost trampled a couple getting out the door. His scream of dismay could be heard even with the door closed.
Kilraven shook his head as he paused beside Winnie. “The deer was just stunned,” he said with faint amusement in his silver eyes. “We had a man make that same mistake about six months ago during hunting season. But fortunately for him, the deer came to before he could lift it into his truck.”