"And it's believed that she pushed it over?"
"That's right."
"Sage, that's crazy. It's silly high school backbiting and nothing more."
She shook her head adamantly. "I don't think so. Some of my friends who have stayed in town and know Susan through clubs and such say she's a viper. If she wants to be the president of this or that, she'll do anything to get elected." Her eyes narrowed. "Now she's set her sights on you. She wants to be Mrs. Lucky Tyler."
"I wonder why?" he asked, honestly puzzled by Susan's fixation on him. They'd gone out steadily for the last few months, had shared a few laughs, smooched a little, but he'd never even breathed the word "marriage."
"That's easy," Sage replied to his rhetorically phrased question. "No other woman has had the distinction of marrying you. Those who keep notches on their bedposts prize the one you make. You're the local stud. It would be a feather in Susan's cap to break you."
"Local stud, huh?" he drawled, leaning far back in his chair.
"Will you stop with the conceit," Sage said with annoyance. "A man with gray chest hairs has nothing to be conceited about."
"Gray!" he exclaimed. He bent his head down to investigate the wedge of chest showing through his parted robe. "Those are blond."
"Susan's determination to have you, coupled with this nonsense about the fire, worries me."
"Those lighter hairs are blond, Sage."
"Will you forget the hairs! I was only kidding, for heaven's sake."
His sister's concern touched him, but he couldn't take her warnings about Susan seriously. Granted, the woman was a schemer. She was unquestionably selfish, and could have taught the green-eyed monster a thing or two about jealousy. But he hadn't exactly been born yesterday. Susan would have to practice some mighty refined chicanery to outsmart him.
Reaching across the table, he patted the top of Sage's unruly blond head. "Don't worry, brat. I wrote the book on how to take care of women."
"You don't—"
Her protest was cut short when a knock sounded on the back door. "That'll be Mother," she said, leaving her chair to open the door. "Oh, Pat!" she said with surprise. "We were expecting Mother back from an early trip to the produce stand down the highway."
"Mornin', Sage, Lucky." Pat stepped into the kitchen and removed his Stetson. "Got an extra cup of coffee?"
"Sure."
He thanked Sage for the cup of black coffee she poured him, blew on it, removed the matchstick from his mouth and sipped it, then stared into it for several silent moments. The coffee was a tactical delay.
If Pat had come in an official capacity to impart bad news, Lucky figured he would make it as easy on him as possible. "Why don't you tell us why you came out this morning, Pat?"
The family friend lowered himself into a chair across the table from Lucky. After glancing uncomfortably around the kitchen, he finally looked directly at the younger man.
"Have you bought anything at Talbert's Hardware Store recently?"
"Talbert's Hardware?" he repeated with puzzlement. "Oh wait, yeah. I bought some railroad flares a few weeks back."
Pat Bush blew out a gust of air. "Where were you storing them?"
"In the—" Lucky refocused sharply on the sheriff. "In the garage that burned."
"They, uh, they've determined that the fire was caused by gasoline touched off by railroad flares. Nothing fancy. Simplest thing in the world."
Sage sank into the chair beside her brother and laid her hand on his shoulder. He plowed his fingers through his hair and held it back by settling his forehead in his palm. It was unnecessary for Pat to explain the significance of that find.
"I shouldn't be telling you this, Lucky," Pat said. "I'm here as a friend, not a law officer. Just thought I ought to warn you. They're preparing a case against you. Looks like now they might have enough probable cause to arrest you."
When the sheriff stood to go, Lucky roused himself. "Thanks, Pat. I know you're going out on a limb to tell me."
"When your daddy was dying, I promised him I'd look after Laurie and you kids. That pledge is more important to me than the oath I took when they pinned this badge on me." He moved toward the door. "Sage," he said, replacing his hat before stepping outside and pulling the door closed.