Bluegrass State of Mind(45)

“Nonsense. You are important to me and therefore anything that affects you is important to me. Is the man okay?”

Will gave a clipped nod. “Yes, after a lot of stitches and a big tetanus shot, his wife was able to take him home. So, no need for you to worry. I’ll get to the bottom of this soon. I have someone watching the border between my farm and the sheik’s. I think if we protect that area, the attacks will stop.” Will looked out the front door and shook his head. “I just don’t understand why such a rich man would do something like this. He could just buy some more property on the other side of his land. It must be plain revenge motivating such acts.”

Kenna knew she had to tread carefully with this topic. Will was so sure it was Mo, just as she was sure that it wasn’t. “Will, I know you think it’s Mo. But maybe you should consider who else it could be. You know, in case it’s not Mo.” She knew she had said too much as soon as she saw a red line literally climb from his neck up his face. She saw him look away and take a deep breath. Ugh, men… Why couldn’t they look at all the scenarios instead of zeroing in on one and refusing to let go?

“I know you like the sheik, but your infatuation with him has to stop. Of course it’s him. The accidents started just after I turned down his offer to purchase my farm. I think that’s a little too coincidental even for a lawyer to ignore.”

She knew there was little chance at getting him to change his mind so she figured she’d change the subject. “We will have to agree to disagree. How about we just head down to the cafe?" Obviously relieved, she saw him blow out a breath and relax. It was a problem, but there was plenty of time for her to work on it, she thought to herself with a quick smile. After all, she wouldn’t be very good at her job if she couldn’t persuade people.

The party was already in full swing when Will and Kenna arrived at the Blossom Cafe. She was happy to see the Rose sisters in their element. They were flitting from group to group, their white hair perfectly helmeted and they in their Sunday best. They were so very close to being adopted grandmothers. She had to smile to herself as she watched them fuss over John Wolfe. They had been welcoming but with old school beliefs and mannerisms that reminded her of her own nana. Along with Paige and the Rose sisters, she spotted Pam, Henry, Tammy, Roger, and his nephew Paul, all of whom had called Tom to say he needed to hire her. She thanked every one of them, and her heart grew a little more with each person she talked to.

Will was by her side the whole time, with either a supportive arm slung over her shoulder or a hand resting lightly on the small of her back. But now, he had been cornered by John wanting to know the details of the latest accident. Kenna had excused herself, no longer being able to tolerate the speculation, and walked across the room toward Paige. However, once she was no longer with Will, she had been ambushed.

Kenna first saw Violet Fae head toward her coming from the kitchen. Lily Rae converged from the front door area and Daisy Mae closed in from behind her. It was a well-planned attack, she thought, as they surrounded her before she could reach Paige.

“About time we got you alone. We thought he was never going to leave your side,” Daisy complained. “We wanted a chance to talk to you. Alone.”

Kenna managed to suppress an eye roll as Daisy turned to Violet for part two of the confrontation.

“We know Will is a good young man, and you've been seeing him for a while now. Well, we wanted to give you our approval.”

This time Kenna skipped eye roll and went straight for open mouth.

The group looked toward Lily. “You see, we know you don’t have any family to look out for you. Well,” Lily gestured toward her sisters, “we kinda feel responsible for you. We know that from your neck of the woods, you probably don’t care much for approval from anyone. But down here, family is important and approval from them clears the path toward a happy relationship. When things are going well, you'll have us to share those times with. When things get hard, you’ll have us to lean on.”

Kenna felt her eyes start to tear up and turned to look away for a second to stop herself from crying. She saw the Rose sisters’ eyes were similarly affected, their wrinkled eyes filled with love for practically a stranger. Kenna took a deep breath and turned back toward the sisters. She didn’t say a word. She didn’t need to. Instead, she just opened her arms and the elderly sisters filled them.

Kenna pulled back from the group hug when she heard the tinkle of the bell over the door and heard the collective gasp of the crowd. Knowing only two people could elicit such a response, Kenna said a quick prayer that it was Mo and not Whitney.