"What," she said into the receiver. She pulled herself up slowly and sat in the small Queen Anne chair next to the table.
"Is this Anna Hollis?" the voice on the other asked.
She could barely understand the question, the voice was so low and distorted. "This is Anna. Who is this?"
"That's not important. All you need to know is that you'd better stay away from Dylan Maguire or the next time you pass over Paradise Crossing I'll make sure you end up on the rocks below. Is that understood?"
Fear gripped Anna's heart in a suffocating vise, and the color drained from her face. Someone was actually threatening to kill her. Anger quickly replaced fear, that someone would dare to threaten her over something as silly as who she dated.
"How dare you threaten me," Anna yelled into the phone. "I guess you'd better give it your best shot because I'm going to keep seeing Dylan you jealous freak. And you know what? There's nothing in this world you could threaten me with to make me give up the best sex of my life. You must be out of your mind."
Anna pulled the phone back from her ear slightly as it slammed down on the other end. Her adrenaline was pumping full steam ahead and she felt invigorated.
She was a moron. She'd just taunted a madman to come and kill her because she wasn't willing to give up sex. But it felt great to stand up for herself. It had been too long since she'd gotten to do that.
"I've had enough of this," Anna said, dialing her phone. Relief coursed through her when the person she was looking for picked up on the other end.
"Sheriff Haney? This is Anna Hollis." She listened for a few seconds before she felt the flush in her cheeks. "No, I wasn't breaking any traffic laws. I promise."
Damn Mrs. Edgars, the old busybody, Anna thought sourly. All she had to do all day was sit on her front porch and spy on the citizens of Paradise. She should get a citation for butting into other people's business.
She dropped her head on her knees with Sheriff Haney's next statement. "No, I didn't know it was considered public indecency to go into a woman's restroom with a man."
She listened to the set down in acceptance. There wasn't really a whole lot she could do when the Sheriff was scolding her.
"No, Sheriff Haney. I won't do it again."
"No, sir. . .Well it wasn't really my fault. Dylan forced his way in." Her efforts to clear her name fell on deaf ears. She'd apparently been labeled a Jezebel by the entire town.
"Sheriff Haney," Anna interrupted. "I've actually called for a different reason. You see, someone keeps threatening me, and I just got another phone call. I'd appreciate it if you take a statement so I can get everything documented."
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate it."
Anna hung up the phone and put her head down on the table. Why did things like this happen to her? She thought about it for a moment and realized things like that never happened to her when she was a shy nobody. Maybe that was the key.
"Well it's too late for all that now," she said, getting up to get dressed before the Sheriff arrived. She pulled on the strapless sheath of turquoise silk and looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was perfect, stopping mid-thigh, and the exact shade of her eyes. It was sure to knock Dylan dead.
"Okay bad choice of words," she muttered, grabbing her shawl and matching handbag. Sheriff Haney would be there any minute and she wanted to get the interview over with before Dylan showed up.
"Well don't you look pretty," her father said as she came down the stairs.
"Thanks. How's phone duty going? Have you heard anything new?" she asked, crossing her fingers that her name had stayed clear of the lines.
"Nothing about you. Yet," he amended. "It must be pretty bad for people to be afraid to call and tell me, but I'll find out eventually."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Anna muttered.
"I heard that."
"You always do. I'm going out to dinner tonight with Dylan, so I probably won't be home if you do get a call."
"Well, maybe folks have forgotten about you with all the happenings today. I think the heat is starting to affect people's minds," Jack said. "The Shiney's have a new grandbaby, and I'm sure I'll go by for a pint or two tonight to help them celebrate. I think Brian's brother is bound and determined to populate the world. This will be their fifth."
"Maybe he's just trying to make up for Brian not having any," Anna said.
"Brian's been sweet on Veronica Fox since high school. He'll eventually find his way out of the paper bag he lives in and ask her out."
"Brian. . .likes Veronica?" Anna stuttered. "How do you know these things? He's never said a word about her to me or Mel."
"Well, I happen to be a great observer of people. It comes with running a business for so long. Douglas Howard called a few minutes ago to tell me that Norma's son was arrested again for stealing a case of Bud Light from a 7-Eleven. No wonder she's always in a bad mood. The boy just as easily could have taken one of the cases she keeps in her refrigerator and not gone to jail for it. I've always suspected that Norma's first husband was her second cousin, but no one knows for sure."
Anna crinkled her nose. "Ughh." But that put more light on Norma's sour disposition.
She checked the time once again. Where was Sheriff Haney? She didn't have all day to wait on him. What did he think her tax dollars were paid for?
She heard a car door slam and took back her bad thoughts of the man. She kissed her dad on the cheek, told him bye and walked quickly to the door, hoping to head off the Sheriff at the front porch. The last thing she wanted was to worry her dad, and she would make it clear to the Sheriff that she didn't want him finding out about the threats.
"Thanks for coming Sheriff," Anna said by way of greeting. She led him to a white wicker chair and sat down beside him.
"Now what's all this about threats?" he asked, clearly disbelieving of her tale.
Anna had just opened her mouth to speak when she noticed the snappy little car coming up her driveway. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of the black Aston Martin, and a bubble of envy formed in the pit of her stomach. That was one sexy car, and she didn't know anyone in Paradise who owned one.
Sheriff Haney was equally stunned by the machine, but nothing could have hidden their surprise at who stepped out of the driver's side.
"That's your car?" Anna asked Dylan as he slowly made his way up the wide front steps. She didn't notice the expensive Italian suit he wore that made him devastatingly handsome or the yellow roses he held in his hand.
"Yeah, do you like it?" he asked, smiling at her reaction.
"Is it a V-12?" Anna asked, wanting nothing more than to run her fingers over every inch of the car.
"Of course. I didn't know you were into cars?"
"Are you kidding me? My grandfather taught me how to rebuild an engine when I was in high school. I wanted to be a mechanic until I realized it wouldn't help me run Hollis Tools one day."
Dylan looked over and finally noticed the Sheriff standing next to Anna. "Good afternoon, Sheriff. What brings you out here?"
"Well, I was actually just asking that question myself when you drove up. I take it you two are headed out tonight?"
"We don't have reservations until seven thirty, so there's no rush," Dylan said. He could tell by the way Anna was avoiding his eyes she didn't want him to know why she'd called the sheriff, but it was too bad because he wasn't going to budge.
"Now Anna, tell me again about these threats you're getting," the sheriff continued.
"You got another one?" Dylan asked.
"Yes, but this time it wasn't a note. They got my private cell number and called me. I'll start at the beginning sheriff," Anna said, sitting next to Dylan.
"I received the first note a little over three weeks ago, when Dylan and I first met. I found this note under my windshield wipers when I left Dylan's office," she said handing him the slightly crumpled note.
Sheriff Haney read the note and shook his head. "Looks to me like someone doesn't want you two to see each other. What were you doing at Dylan's office that day if you'd just met?"
Anna colored slightly, remembering exactly what they'd been doing at their first meeting. She cleared her throat and said, "Dylan's building my house for me. I was there for the preliminary meeting."
"Hmm. . ." Sheriff Haney said, "I heard you were moving out. I drove by there a few days ago. Looks like it's going to be a grand place."