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Avery laughed. Laz was a bit rough, all right, and he could be as blunt and straight-shooting as one of his guns. But he was generous to a fault and had a heart as true as the steel blade of one of the knives in that glass case. Avery wasn’t sure what she would have done during parts of the last winter if it hadn’t been for Laz.
“How do you like the extra...excitement?” Laz folded up the newspaper he’d been reading.
Avery took a deep breath. “Not a lot. It seems like an invasion, like—like all these people are ruining the wilderness.” She shuddered. “I came to Estes to escape people.”
Laz’s smile was sympathetic. “I know the feeling, girl. I had a special assignment for you today, but if you’d rather hide out here at the store, I can handle it myself.”
“Anything you need.” Laz had always treated Avery with the indulgent kindness of an uncle, and right now, he was the only friend she had. She’d help him any way she could, even if she had to face a mob of thoughtless tourists to do it.
“I’ve always had a booth at the farmer’s market, in Bond Park. Now that you’re here, one of us can man the booth, and the other can stay at the store. I was gonna send you to town, but you pick.” Laz’s eyes twinkled.
“A farmer’s market?” Avery’s attention was hooked now. She hadn’t known Estes had such a thing.
“Yep. Eight o’clock to one o’clock on Thursdays from June through September.”
Avery cocked her head. “But if it’s a farmer’s market, isn’t it eggs and vegetables and such?” Laz was full of surprises, but she’d never noticed that he had any agricultural leanings.
“Naw, not entirely.” Laz heaved a large cardboard box onto the counter. “There’s plenty of arts and crafts there, too. You know, handmade goods an’ such.” He ducked his head almost sheepishly as he opened the box. “I carve these in the winter to sell durin’ the summer. Helps keep me busy.”
Avery pulled back the flap of the box and caught her breath. Inside were rows upon rows of carved wooden spoons. Many had decorative handles, etched with intricate bears or mountain skylines or kingly bull elk. “Oh, Laz! They’re so beautiful!”
Laz’s leathery skin turned a shade darker than normal. “Pshaw...ain’t nothin.’” His tone was gruff, but the light in his eyes showed how much he enjoyed her reaction. Abruptly he changed the subject. “So, yes or no? You gotta be set up in half an hour, if you’re goin.’ I’ll go along to help you get the booth standin’ and then come back to the store.”
Avery took one last look at the lovingly made spoons and closed the box. “Absolutely.” She grinned. “I’ll be a spoon saleswoman for the day.”
“Perfect.” Laz scooped up the box in his bulging arms and marched for the door.
The girl who’d clung to routine as her safety net in New York City now thrived on new experiences and adventures. Avery smiled and closed her eyes for just a second, relishing what her life had become, then hurried after Laz. She loved every minute of living here.
And for a moment—just a moment—the sharp-tongued fear from last night seemed far away. Maybe she’d been imagining things, anyway.
ICAN’T BELIEVEI’m actually in this little Podunk town.Brian Felding looked about in distaste as he stepped out of the car he’d rented at the Denver airport. Ugh.
He didn’t know where she was, but she had to be here somewhere. At least, that’s what the talkative woman at the Hudson Apartments in New York City had told him. He began walking briskly up whatever road he was on—he guessed the main drag of this one-horse town, judging from the amount of traffic and tacky tourist shops. He stumbled over an uneven place in the sidewalk and cursed softly.
Nothing less than his current objective could have cajoled him into this trip.
He chuckled wryly as he eyed the establishments he was passing. About as far from New York City as possible. He rolled his eyes. Whatever was Avery thinking, hiding out here? Was it some sort of penance or something? She was always the weirdly religious type. Maybe she was doing atonement, or whatever people like her called it.
It didn’t matter. In a town this size, he was bound to find her. She was Addisyn’s only blood connection—she was bound to know where her sister was. Maybe, if he was lucky, Addisyn was staying with her. He let the thought dangle in his mind for a moment before dismissing it. No, after the rift that had arisen between the two, it would be a miracle if they were on the same side of the Continental Divide, let alone in the same household. Still, Avery no doubt could give him valuable clues.
Brian paused on a street corner and stepped aside to let a family with three chattering children pass him. There were certainly a lot of tourists here.Guess there are more crazies in the world than just Avery.
The family turned and crossed an expansive green area to his right—probably a park or something. For the first time, Brian noticed orderly rows of white tents lining the edges of the park. The hum of people mingled with the twangy rhythm of country music. What was this?
Curious, Brian stepped onto the brick walkway that formed the perimeter of the park. A large sign met his eyes—ESTES VALLEY FARMERS’ MARKET.
Farmers’ market, good grief. He really was in the boonies. Brian couldn’t hide his sneer. Following the crowd, he wandered from tent to tent. What a pathetic sight. In one booth, a man was selling birdhouses carved out of gourds, and in another, a group of women were in raptures over some fresh tomatoes. Seriously, this was their idea of entertainment?
Well, interesting. It showed him just how pathetic a town he was in. He frowned at a tent where a man was hawking turquoise jewelry and turned to leave.
Wait!A jolt of excitement jerked through him. Right there, in the tent next to the jewelry man—was that Avery?
No, surely not...
Hastily Brian shouldered his way through the crowd until he was screened by a stand of hanging plants. With caution, he peered around the corner. The girl in the booth smiled confidently, seeming relaxed and open as she chatted with customers. Gee, it looked like her, but he’d never known her to be that at ease. He squinted. Had she cut her hair?
A sudden idea struck him. He fished in the breast pocket of his jacket and found a pair of sunglasses. Trying to banish cartoon spy images from his mind, he donned the shades and strolled casually in the direction of her booth, until he was at the next tent but one from hers. Here, an older man was selling farm fresh cheeses and eggs. Brian pretended to study the selection while tuning his senses to the girl who might be Avery.
