Sherryl Woods - Ask Anyone

But as Jenna talked about a park setting, about family-style attractions, about picnics and concerts and sidewalk cafés that would become gathering places for a community, he began to see a revitalized area along the riverfront that would be absolutely perfect for Trinity Harbor. Not overwhelming, not unmanageable, but ideally suited for the small town atmosphere he wanted to preserve, even while contributing to the area’s economic growth.

“I assume the centerpiece would be an antique carousel,” he said.

She blinked as if he’d pulled the idea out of thin air. “How did you know?”

He chuckled at her pretense of amazement. “I might not be the professional cop that my brother is, but that horse you sent was a definite clue.”

“Isn’t he the most amazing thing?” she said, her eyes lighting up. “You have no idea what I had to go through to find that particular carousel. It’s very rare.”

“I’m sure,” he said. “Thank heavens, though, you got it out of my front yard.”

Her mouth dropped open, and she looked as if he’d just revealed that the blasted thing had been kidnapped.

“It’s gone?” she whispered in a shocked tone.

“Since a couple of hours ago,” he said, watching worriedly as her skin turned pale. “You had it picked up, didn’t you?”

She shook her head. “What happened to the overnight guard? My arrangement was that he would stay right there with it until his replacement came this morning.”

“I have no idea. He was gone by the time I left the house.” He studied her stricken expression. “Are you telling me that someone stole that horse?”

Jenna nodded.

Bobby couldn’t believe it. Who would steal a carousel horse? He turned on her suspiciously. “Is this some sort of scam? Or a publicity stunt? I am not paying for that horse. It was your bright idea that it was down here in the first place. I was never responsible for keeping it secure.”

“I know.” She buried her face in her hands. “Oh, God,” she murmured. “My father is right. I am the world’s worst screwup. That horse is worth a fortune. And the rest of the carousel won’t be worth all that much without it. What was I thinking? I should have known something awful would happen. It always does. How am I ever supposed to convince my father that I can handle anything important when I keep messing up the simplest things?”

Her plaintive tone struck a responsive note somewhere deep inside Bobby. He knew a whole lot about judgmental fathers. “Insurance?” he suggested hopefully.

She shook her head. “The guard was cheaper. I used every last penny of my savings to buy that carousel and hire the security company to watch over the horse for a couple of days. Even if they’re liable, it will take forever to get paid.”

Bobby reached for the phone. “I’ll get Tucker over here,” he said grimly. He wanted that antique carousel horse found and found fast, because the protective feelings that Jenna Kennedy stirred in him had trouble written all over them.

While they waited for Tucker, Bobby brought Jenna a glass of brandy. It was early in the day, but she looked as if she might go into shock at any second. He did not want her fainting on him. If she did, he’d have to touch her, and he knew exactly how dangerous that could be.

“Drink it,” he ordered.

She eyed the glass warily. “What is it?”

“Brandy.”

“No, thanks. I have to drive.”

“If that horse is missing, you’re not going anywhere till it’s found, am I right?”

She sighed and reached for the glass. She took one sip and choked on it. “I really don’t think I’m the brandy type,” she said. “Is there any root beer around?”

It was Bobby’s turn to sigh. “I’ll get it.”

He was on his way back to his office when Tucker arrived, sirens blaring and lights flashing.

“Announce to the world that I’m in the middle of another scene, why don’t you?” Bobby grumbled.

“You wanted me here in a hurry, didn’t you?”

“Not half as much as I want the woman in there gone,” Bobby told his brother.

“So send her home,” Tucker said, as if it were a simple matter.

“I would, but there’s the issue of the missing horse.”

Tucker’s lips twitched. “The carousel horse?”

“That’s the one,” Bobby confirmed. “Gone. Apparently stolen out of my front yard this morning.”

Tucker glanced toward Bobby’s office. “Think she had anything to do with it?”

“The exact same thought crossed my mind,” Bobby admitted. “But no. I saw her face when I told her it was gone. Nobody’s that good an actress.”

“How much is that thing worth?”

“I’m guessing not much without the carousel,” Bobby said. “But then the rest of the merry-go-round isn’t worth a heck of a lot without the missing horse, either. Even if she found a replacement, it would be a miracle if it were a perfect match.”

“It’s quite a dilemma, isn’t it?” Tucker said. His expression brightened. “Maybe someone will call and demand a ransom.”

“Your wait-and-see attitude toward crime is beginning to get on my nerves,” Bobby told him. “Don’t try it with Jenna. She’s in a fragile state.”

His brother looked fascinated by that revelation. “Is that so? And that’s a concern of yours because…?”

“Because I want that woman and that horse out of town and out of my life,” he said. “I can’t believe that twenty-four hours ago I had exactly the kind of peaceful existence I like.”

“You were in a rut,” Tucker countered. “This is good for you.”

Bobby scowled and stalked right past him. He was not going to get into a debate about his low-key lifestyle choice with his brother, not when they had a crisis to resolve.

“Tucker’s here,” he announced as he walked into his office.

Jenna looked up at him with bright eyes shimmering with unshed tears. His heart did an unexpected flip-flop. Probably some sort of fibrillation, he concluded hopefully. He did not want that sensation to be in any way connected to Jenna Pennington Kennedy or her problems or those huge, vulnerable green eyes of hers.

“Thank you for coming, Sheriff,” she said politely to Tucker.

“No problem,” Tucker assured her. “Why don’t you tell me what you know?”

“I don’t really know anything,” she said, regarding him miserably. “I didn’t even know the horse was gone, till Bobby told me just now. I’d paid the security company to keep a guard with it till I picked it up on my way back to Baltimore.”

“What’s the name of the company?” Tucker asked.

Jenna told him. “They’re based in Richmond. They’re very reputable. I made sure of that. My father always expects the worst of me, so I was trying very hard to do this right.”

Tucker pointed toward the phone on Bobby’s desk. “May I?”

“By all means,” Bobby said.

His brother called information, got the number for the security company, then called and asked for the owner.

“Mr. Kendrick, this is Sheriff Spencer over in Westmoreland County. I understand you were supplying security for Pennington and Sons at a private home over here.”

Bobby watched Jenna as she listened to Tucker’s end of the conversation. She looked increasingly dejected as Tucker nodded, jotted a few notes and murmured quite a few completely unintelligible replies.

“I see,” he said at last. “Thanks for your time. I’ll be in touch.”

He hung up the phone slowly, then glanced at Jenna, his expression unreadable.

“What?” she said. “What did he say?”

“That the guard who was supposed to be on duty this morning just got back to Richmond and left on vacation.”

Bobby stared at his brother. “What the hell does that mean? Was it sudden?”