Chapter 19

Laverne plodded out to the firepit and added kindling to the growing pile. "Campfires are fun, but a lot of work."

"How so?" Jo dropped her kindling on top of Laverne's.

"Gathering firewood, dragging lawn chairs all the way over here."

"Dragging lawn chairs?" Jo rolled her eyes. "You stacked them on a rolling cart."

"Still."

"I think it's great." Raylene added her contribution of sticks. "There's nothing like fresh country air on a crisp fall day. Thank you for planning a fun evening around the fire."

Michelle set a stack of paper plates and bags of marshmallows on the table. "And we get to munch on s'mores, campfire pizza pies, roast weenies over an open fire."

Delta bustled across the yard and placed carafes of hot chocolate and hot apple cider next to the insulated cups. "Is Laverne complaining again?"

"Still complaining," Jo corrected. "You don't have to participate. The campfire is completely voluntary."

Nash poked at the embers before adding more pieces of firewood. "We got a good fire going now. Bring on the food."

Toot. Toot. A truck appeared. Right behind it was a baby blue Cadillac Coupe Deville. The car careened into the driveway, narrowly missing the bumper of Leah's Ford pickup.

Jo's half-brother Miles and her former residents hopped out of their vehicles. The women hugged each other, squealing in excitement.

Raylene swiped her hands on her jeans. "Leah's here? And Sherry?"

The residents dropped what they were doing and ran over, all talking at once.

Nash slipped in next to his betrothed. "It's like a mini family reunion."

"Isn't it great?" Jo pressed a hand to her heart. "Friends forever."

"Thanks to Joanna Pepperdine soon-to-be Greyson," he said.

"Will you look at them hugging each other?" Delta swiped at her eyes. "I love it when we're all together."

"Me too."

Miles slipped away and caught up with his sister. He shook Nash's hand and then hugged Jo. "We're down to the wedding countdown."

"It won't be long now."

Another truck turned into the driveway. It was Wayne and Charlotte Malton. Bringing up the rear, the last guests to arrive were Marlee Davison and Claire Harcourt.

Jo ushered them over to the refreshment table, pouring drinks and thanking them for coming by.

Nash ran up to his apartment and grabbed his guitar. He strummed a medley of easy melodies fireside while the sun finished setting.

During a break, the conversation turned to the recent disturbances at Carrie's new farm. Jo filled them all in. "Nash and I are going to camp out there tonight to see if we can catch someone messing around."

"You're leaving us here alone?" Courtney asked. "I mean, I'm sure we'll be fine for one night."

"Delta and Gary offered to stay," Jo said. "They'll keep an eye on you. Carrie will also be staying. I don't want to leave her alone in a strange house."

"Speaking of Carrie, where is she?" Gary looked around.

"She had some errands to run," Jo said. "She should be here anytime now."

"I can't believe someone actually set off explosives." Claire tsk-tsked. "Who would do such a thing?"

"I wish I knew." Jo squeezed Nash's arm. "We're taking Duke with us. He'll alert us if anyone shows up."

"If you ask me, it sounds like a disgruntled customer," Wayne said. "Carrie has no idea who it might be?"

"No. Although someone recently left a scathing review about her taxidermy business on the Better Business Bureau's website." Jo summarized what it said. "The reviewer claims Carrie killed their pet."

"How awful," Charlotte said.

"They posted anonymously under the name MIN."

"I would start looking for customers with those initials," Raylene suggested.

"Carrie claims she has. Maybe while Nash and I are there, we can take a look at her records. She keeps information on each of her taxidermy projects."

Wayne snapped his fingers. "Now I know why Sheriff Franklin was in earlier today asking questions about special purchases."

"Special purchases?"

"It almost sounded like explosive building materials and now that you explained what's going on, I'm almost positive it's the reason he stopped by."

Jo's eyes lit. "Do you remember a customer coming in to purchase those types of materials?"

"Unfortunately, no. If he was checking with me, I bet he's checking other local stores who sell similar items," Wayne said.

"Interesting. Hopefully, he'll get a solid lead."

The evening passed quickly and before Jo knew it, Charlotte and Wayne headed out. Marlee and Claire were next. Sherry, Kelli and Leah were last, lingering a little longer to help clean up.

"Thanks for inviting us." Leah gave Jo a quick hug. "I love these get-togethers to catch up with my friends."

"And family," Jo added. "How are you and…"

"Jase Kilwin, Dave's nephew?"

"Yes. Jase."

Leah's cheeks turned a tinge of pink. "He invited me to the fall festival."

"Did you accept?"

Leah nodded. "He has plans to start his own farm soon."

"In another area?"

"No. It would be nearby. In fact, he was interested in the Gladding property before Carrie bought it."

"Maybe it's a good thing he didn't. I'm beginning to think Delta is right, and the place is cursed," Jo joked.

"Back before Carrie bought it, one of the barns caught fire. Not long after, the outhouse exploded," Delta said. "I'm not sure I would want to spend the night over there. You and Nash are braver than me."

"Cursed land doesn't self-detonate, attach tracking devices to vehicles and spray graffiti," Jo said.

"True enough. Still, I would sleep with one eye open if I were you."

Duke trotted over and Jo patted his head. "We'll know if anyone shows up with Duke on patrol."

The group made quick work of cleaning up. The former residents and Miles headed out, but not before promising Jo they would be there for the rehearsal, which was only days away.

Carrie arrived while Jo and Nash were putting the chairs back in the barn. They caught up with her in the driveway.

"I was wondering if you were coming back," Jo said.

"I had a few errands to run. Charlie invited me over for dinner."

Jo tilted her head. "So, you two met earlier after he texted you?"

"We did. It appears we had a misunderstanding. I thought Charlie was against me opening the sanctuary and rehabilitation center. He thought I was avoiding him. We have it all worked out."

"You're back together?" Nash asked.

"We are, which means we'll be at your wedding as a couple."

"Maybe we could make it a double ceremony," Jo teased. "Nash and me. You and Charlie."

"Let's not jump the gun. Charlie and I agreed we need to set aside time to spend together. We'll see how it goes." Carrie held up a key. "You'll need this to unlock my front door."

"Thanks." Jo took the key.

"How is Mr. Whipple?"

"Fine. Last time I saw him, he was in your bedroom window."

"When are you leaving?" Carrie asked.

"I'm heading inside now to pack my overnight bag."

"I'll meet you and Duke out by the truck." Nash excused himself and ran back to his apartment while Carrie and Jo trekked toward the house.

"Sheriff Franklin called me earlier. He said he's still waiting to hear back about possible suspects linked to the explosion. He said he might have a lead."

"Awesome. Who?"

"He wouldn't tell me, only that he's been checking around at the local stores and online to find out who purchased the materials which could have been used to build the bomb."

"Wayne Malton mentioned him stopping by the hardware store earlier to find out if anyone purchased suspicious materials."

"Hopefully, he'll get lucky and put an end to my nightmare."

Jo and Carrie headed up the stairs—Carrie to her room to check on her cat and Jo to pack an overnight bag.

By the time she returned downstairs, Nash and Duke were already inside the truck, idling in the driveway. Delta followed her to the door, a concerned expression on her face. "You sure you and Nash want to do this?"

"We need to figure out who is targeting Carrie's place. They blew the doors right off the barn, which will now need to be replaced. Who knows what they'll try next?"

"Be careful. I'm getting a bad feeling."

Jo attempted to make light of the situation. "With Duke on patrol, and a Smith Wesson on hand, they're going to be sorry they messed with us."

"I hope so."

"Thanks for holding down the fort tonight."

"You're welcome." Delta held the door for Jo, the anxious look still in her eyes. Was the couple walking into a potentially dangerous encounter?

They would soon find out.