Dateline Matrimony (Hot off the Press! 3)

“Can’t you file suit against her? Charge her with harassment or something?”

“I suppose I could—but I’d rather not, unless she makes it necessary. She might be bitter and difficult, but she’s just an aging woman who alienated a husband and a daughter and lost her son. I’m not going to inflict her on my children, but I have no desire to be vindictive against her. And besides, since I’ve moved here, I haven’t heard from her. I suppose she’s realized that the children and I are out of her reach, and she’s turned her attentions to harassing someone else. Her neighbors, probably. She loves to file lawsuits against them.”

“You’re more generous than I would be under the circumstances,” Riley muttered.

“I just prefer to avoid confrontations whenever possible.” She drained her coffee.

“Do you mind if I ask how you lost your husband? Was he ill?”

Growing more uncomfortable with the increasingly personal nature of the conversation, Teresa answered briefly this time. “No. He died in an accident.” She glanced at her watch. “The kids will be home soon. I’d better go get ready for them.”

Riley stood when she did. “Thanks for stopping in to check on my uncle and me.”

“Just being neighborly,” she said lightly, moving toward the doorway. “Let me know if you need anything.”

He tagged at her heels to the front door. “I’m sure you must be greatly disappointed,” he said as she reached for the knob.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I had you alone in my house and I was too tired to even make a pass at you. I’ll try to do better next time.”

She was torn between exasperation and a touch of relief that the smile was back in his eyes. His appealingly crooked grin looked almost natural again.

It was nice to think she’d made him feel better by providing a sympathetic ear, but she had no intention of letting him get carried away. He certainly had no shortage of female friends, she reminded herself, thinking of those homemade cookies in the kitchen. “Try anything next time and you’ll be drinking coffee through a straw.”

He laughed, and she was ridiculously pleased that she’d caused him to do so. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

She found herself wearing a faintly bemused smile as she entered her place a few moments later. Riley O’Neal was definitely one of a kind.

R. L. Hightower left town as soon as he was released from the hospital. He didn’t leave word of where he went, though Riley suspected his uncle was in contact with his friend.

“Your uncle knows something he isn’t telling,” Dan said bluntly on Saturday evening, his deep voice rough with frustration. “He won’t admit it, but I think he has a pretty good idea who shot at R.L.”

“If Bud knows who tried to kill his best friend, why wouldn’t he say anything?” Lindsey demanded, looking skeptical. “He would surely want the guy caught so R.L. would feel safe to come home.”

Dan and Lindsey were sitting at a dining table with Riley and their hosts, Serena and Cameron. Usually there was a great deal of laughter and teasing when this group got together, but tonight the conversation was more serious. Dan had been preoccupied since he arrived, and his friends all knew him well enough to understand why. A serious crime had been committed in his town. Dan wouldn’t relax completely until the culprit had been caught.

In response to his wife’s question, Dan shook his head. “I don’t know why Bud’s not talking. Maybe he’s not sure about his suspicions and he doesn’t want to cast doubt on someone who could be innocent. Or maybe he knows too much,” he said with a quick glance at Riley.

“You think he’s afraid to speak?” Serena asked, sounding concerned.

“It’s a possibility,” Dan agreed. “I need your help here, Riley. Bud clams up every time I try to talk to him. Hasn’t he said anything to you?”

Riley took a sip of iced tea, then set the glass down. “He puts me off, too. It’s something he’s never done before. I don’t know how to get him to talk to me if he doesn’t want to.”

“Have you asked him if he has suspicions about the shooter??

?? Cameron inquired from the other end of the table.

“Several times. He shrugs or shakes his head. When I pushed a little harder, he tuned me out. Stared into space like he couldn’t even hear me.”

“That’s pretty much what he did with me,” Dan muttered.

“I hated it,” Riley admitted. “To be honest, it scared me a little. It was so unlike him. So I stopped asking. As long as I don’t mention R.L. or the shooting, he talks to me. He’s still quieter than usual, definitely distracted, but at least he responds.”

“This must be upsetting for you.” Softhearted Lindsey reached out to cover Riley’s hand with her own.

“I’ll just be glad when we find out what the hell’s going on so things can get back to normal.”