LITMIR.BIZ

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so she wouldn’t be panting when she got to them.

      Joshua was on his feet, glancing at his watch. “Ten minutes early.”

      “I didn’t know anyone was keeping track,” she said, mounting the steps.

      He shrugged. “I was getting ready to worry in case you were late.”

      “Don’t,” she told him. “Worrying about me is a waste of time.” She noted his clothes. “And you’re not running home with me again.”

      “I’m not?”

      She shook her head firmly. “No, you’re not.”

      “And why not?”

      “Because I have the feeling you’re trying to be protective of me for some reason. And I don’t like that. I resent it, in fact.”

      “You do?”

      She nodded. “Good morning, Maude.” She leaned over Maude and planted a kiss on her cheek.

      “Morning, dear. Don’t be angry with Joshua for wanting to watch over you. I was the one who put him up to it.”

      “And since when do you think I need watching over?”

      She shrugged. “That car yesterday spooked me, I guess.” She reached for a pot and poured tea. “Today’s brew is for energy and heat, er, warmth, I mean. It’s going to be too cold for our outdoor tea parties soon,” she said, setting the pot down and rubbing her arms. She wore a heavy fleece sweater and a knit hat.

      Beth sank into her chair and lifted the beautiful china cup, bringing it to her nose and sniffing. “Mmm…cinnamon?”

      “Yes. And ginseng and cloves, with just a hint of vanilla.”

      “It’s really delicious,” Joshua said.

      Beth took a sip. “Mmm, it is. You’re brilliant, Maude.”

      “You may not think so much longer,” Maude said.

      “Why’s that?” Beth was curious, frowning from Maude to Joshua and back again.

      “Well, my kitchen range is on the fritz. Now, I can get by with the hotplate and microwave for breakfast and lunch, but I had such a special dinner planned.”

      Beth set her cup down. “I’ll take a look at it for you.”

      “Don’t bother, Beth,” Joshua said. “I already looked it over. I’m afraid it’s gonna require professional help.”

      “Really?”

      He nodded. Maude nodded, too, very enthusiastically. “I’ve got a call in to Milt Rogers, in town, but he’s working on a furnace over in Pinedale today. Said he could come out first thing tomorrow. Which still brings me back to tonight’s dinner.” She smiled her sweetest smile. “I thought I’d just bring all the groceries over and cook dinner at your place,” she said with a firm nod. “That wouldn’t be any trouble for you, would it, Beth?”

      Beth blinked and knew better than to argue. She couldn’t say she had plans to go out, because she never went out and Maude knew it. She couldn’t say she didn’t feel well, because if she were ill, she wouldn’t be running. And saying no for no reason at all would just be rude. So she smiled right back at Maude and said, “Of course it wouldn’t be any trouble.”

      “I didn’t think so,” Maude told her. “Drink your tea, dear. It’s getting cold.”

      The screen door creaked, and Bryan stepped out onto the porch. He wore sweatpants, a T-shirt, and his feet were bare. He wasn’t skinny like a lot of boys his age, she thought. The tight T-shirt revealed a physique that probably drove the girls his age wild. Not quite as nice as his father’s, but…

      “Morning, Bryan,” Beth called, dragging her unruly thoughts to a halt.

      He frowned at her. “Are you all crazy? It’s freezing out here.”

      “Oh, I like to enjoy the outdoors while I can,” Maude said. “Soon enough it’ll be winter, and I’ll be cooped up in the house till spring. When I think about the snow to come, this autumn chill seems like nothing.”

      “Winters pretty bad up here, are they, Maude?” Joshua asked.

      Bryan reached back through the door and reemerged with a jacket in hand, one he pulled on quickly.

      “We get hammered with snow and frozen with cold,” she said. “If you call that bad, then I guess they are. I think it keeps life interesting. Why, you never know when the first blizzard of the season is going to hit. It’s happened as early as mid-October and as late as mid-December. But it always happens.”

      “Is there a betting pool?” Bryan asked with a grin.

      “There are several,” Maude told him with a sly wink.

      He laughed softly and came out farther, reached for an empty cup and then the teapot.

      “Oh, you don’t want that, Bryan—” Maude began.

      But he was already pouring. “Sure I do. I heard you say it makes you warm. I’m frozen.”

      “Well, the tea might help,” Beth said, “but maybe some shoes and socks would help more.”

      He grinned at her, curling his toes and sipping his tea. He seemed better this morning than he had before, Beth thought. Definitely not as sulky and brooding as he had been. Then again, he hadn’t been sulky or brooding at her place yesterday, either. Only around his father.

      Maybe things were better between them today.

      Beth finished her tea in a single gulp. It burned down her gullet.

      “Well, I’d better go.”

      “Yeah, me, too.” Josh drained his cup and put it down, getting to his feet.

      Beth scowled at him. “Where are you going?”

      “My morning jog.”

      “Josh, I told you, I don’t want you coming back with me.”

      “I’m not running with you. I’m running by myself. It’s a free country, and you don’t own the road.”

      “But—”

      “But nothing. If my morning jog happens to follow the same route as yours, that’s hardly deliberate.”

      “You’re really pushing it, you know that?”

      He smiled and winked at her. Beth hugged Maude goodbye and jogged down the steps, along the sidewalk and out to the road. Josh came right behind her.

      He’d followed her, single file, for about fifty yards, when she finally rolled her eyes and looked over her shoulder. “For God’s sake, you might as well come up beside me.”

      He picked up the pace, drew up beside her. “If you insist. I was enjoying the view from back there, though.”

      “Very funny.” She sighed, glanced sideways at him. “Why are you doing this, Josh?”

      “Look, I care about Maude. And she cares about you. She’s worried, Beth. I mean, it’s not like her to hear noises in the middle of the night and get all nerved up like she did last night, is it?”

      “No. At least, it’s never happened since I’ve known her.”

      “It’s because of that car yesterday. I know it doesn’t make any sense, but that made her nervous. She’s got it in her head that whoever it was, was up to no good, and you know how she is when she gets something in her head.”

      She nodded, her lips thinning. She did know. Arguing with Maude was about as practical as arguing with a bulldozer.

      “So if it makes her feel a little better to have me watching out for you, then I’m willing to do it. Aren’t you?”

      She

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