brother asked, tilting his head back toward where Doc had disappeared into the shadows.
“He just wanted to see if I needed help.”
He snorted. “I bet he did.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, you stay away from those Sanctuary boys, Bert.”
Tina—or Bertina, as her misguided parents had named her—bristled. She hated being called Bert, which was exactly why her brothers did so at every opportunity.
“I’ll do as I damn well please. And you, you can mind your own business.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I. Where the hell have you been anyway? You were supposed to be here hours ago to cover the stand.”
Rick knew she had difficulty being on her feet for fourteen hours straight, which meant he’d either conveniently forgotten or he was just being a prick. Again.
His jaw clenched. “Something came up.”
“I bet,” she said, throwing his own words back at him, but she did sarcasm a whole lot better than he did. “Like what?”
He clamped his lips shut, and she knew she wouldn’t get an answer tonight. Things had been coming up more and more frequently these days. Rick was up to something, and she had a feeling that whatever it was, it wasn’t good.
She’d find out sooner or later. Keeping a secret in Sumneyville was like trying to hold water in your hands. Eventually, it would start trickling out.
She changed the topic. “Climb in. I’ll give you a ride back to the farm, and you can help me unload.”
“Can’t. I’m supposed to meet up with the guys at O’Malley’s.”
“They can wait. Unless, of course, you want me to call Bonnie and ask if she knows why you didn’t show today.”
Bonnie was Rick’s wife and the mother of their two kids. They’d only been married a decade, but they’d already slipped into the phase where they could barely stand to be together in the same room. Tina knew the last thing Rick wanted was another reason for Bonnie to complain.
He scowled but got in, picking up the takeout container so he could sit. “Zook’s?”
“Of course.”
“Any left?” he asked hopefully.
“Nope.” There was no way she was telling him about the second chicken she’d picked up for later in the week. “Maybe if you’d shown up like you were supposed to, you could have gotten one.”
“Get off my ass,” he grumbled.
Chapter Two
Doc
Doc was still smiling when he returned to the others. The pretty, wholesome-looking blonde who’d caught his eye months earlier was even more attractive up close than she was from afar. Feisty, too.
She had been so focused on her chicken that he’d stood beside her truck for a full minute before she noticed. Should he have rapped on the window like that when, clearly, everything was fine? No, probably not, but he hadn’t been able to help himself. It was the first opportunity he’d had to talk to her without half a dozen people around.
“Everything okay?” Brian “Mad Dog” Sheppard finished securing the handcrafted Amish furniture in the back of his truck with a solid tug.
Knowing how much his wife, Kate, admired the craftsmanship, Mad Dog had commissioned a set from one of the families who had a stall at the market. Each week, they picked up a new piece for their custom cabin. Tonight’s addition was a stunning corner hutch made of cherry wood.
“Seems to be,” Doc answered. “Although I don’t think I earned any favor by going over there.”
“Why not?”
“She was eating.”
Devouring was probably a better word. She’d been attacking that chicken with gusto and single-minded focus. He wondered vaguely if she put that much effort and passion into everything she did.
Kate laughed. “I bet it was a Zook’s chicken.”
“It was chicken,” he confirmed.
“I was never able to make it home without taking a bite either. They’re that good.”
Doc looked back to the older model pickup. A big guy was now leaning against the passenger side, shooting unfriendly glares their way.
Doc’s hackles rose, right along with his protective instincts. “Who is that?”
Kate followed his gaze. “Relax. That’s her brother Rick.”
Doc was sure he’d seen the guy before. It didn’t take long to remember where. “He’s one of the preppers.”
Kate nodded somberly. “All the Obermacher boys are.”
That didn’t bode well for him or his desire to know more about the woman with the ponytail and a penchant for good chicken. The Obermachers were an old and powerful family in the area, owning hundreds of acres of farmland and dominating the local food supply market.
That they were associated with the survivalist camp bordering Sanctuary property wasn’t surprising. Most of the members