whoever it was, then relaxed when she recognized Walt, the man she’d met the day before.
“Hey, it's my favorite girl!” Walt said.
Jolene laughed. “Favorite already? We just met.”
“Well, anyone who buys me a round is my favorite.” Walt chuckled as he slid into the seat next to Jolene and Kyle automatically served him a full shot glass and mug of beer.
Walt downed the shot, coughed and turned to Jolene. “I remembered something else my grandmother told me that you might be interested in.”
Jolene’s brows rose. “Really? what?”
Walt leaned closer to her. “Seems there was this beautiful woman … Miss Lily, I think my grandma called her.”
Walt paused and his eyes got a faraway look.
“Go on,” Jolene prompted.
Walt’s eyes sharpened and he looked at her. “Well, Grandma was just a little girl back then and I guess she idolized Miss Lily, you know, like girls do.”
Jolene nodded, waiting patiently as he paused to take a sip of beer. “I guess grandma used to try to be like her … you know, follow her around and such. So, she said one day she’d followed Miss Lily to the coach house where they kept the horses. Grandma snuck in the side and hid behind some bales of hay.”
“And?” Jolene’s brows shot up as she sipped her beer.
“Lily was arguing with the Sheriff. Grandma thought it was strange they would argue seeing as they were getting married and all.” Walt laughed and winked at Jolene. “ We know that’s to be expected when you’re married, but Grandma was a little girl with romantic notions.”
Jolene noticed that Kyle had his elbows on the bar, leaning forward to hear the story. He snorted. “That’s for sure.”
Jolene snuck a peek at his ring finger. Was Kyle married?
“Anyway,” Walt continued, “she said they were arguing about a key and she said it sounded mighty important. The Sheriff said Lily would never find it and that it was buried right in Dead Water.”
“A key?” Jolene asked. “What kind of key?”
“Grandma didn’t know but she figured it must have been pretty valuable. Said she looked all over Dead Water for this key. She thought it was made of gold.”
“Or opened something full of gold, maybe,” Jolene suggested.
Walt tilted his head. “Maybe. ‘Course she might have heard it wrong or be remembering it all wrong.”
Kyle leaned across the bar. His hand brushed against hers sending a spark of electricity up her arm. He reached for her beer mug. “Another beer?”
Jolene frowned at the mug, noticing it was empty already. “Umm … no, I think one is enough.”
Kyle’s hand moved from the mug to her wrist, encircling it and making her pulse flutter.
“You don’t have to leave, do you?” His gray eyes drilled into hers and Jolene felt like time had stopped. She did have to leave. In fact, all her senses were telling her she should leave as fast as she could. So why was she still sitting there, staring at him?
She heard the door behind her swing open, saw Kyle’s eyes darken and then felt a heavy arm drape itself across her shoulders.
“So there you are,” Jake said, shooting what Jolene took to be a warning glare at Kyle. “Are you ready?”
Kyle straightened and took an interest in rearranging the glasses under the bar.
“Sure, I was just talking to my friend Walt here,” Jolene said. “Walt, this is Jake … Jake, Walt.”
The two men shook hands while Jolene pulled some money out of her pocket and tucked it under her empty beer mug.
“Where are you people off to?” Kyle looked from Jolene to Jake.
“I’m taking my little sister to the old mines,” Jake answered, taking Jolene’s arm and pulling her out of the chair like an overprotective big brother.
Kyle narrowed his eyes at them. “Old mines? What would you want there? That place is dangerous … and some say haunted.”
“Just part of our history research,” Jake said. “Plus, I gotta keep Jolene here out of trouble. I would hate to
“Hey, it's my favorite girl!” Walt said.
Jolene laughed. “Favorite already? We just met.”
“Well, anyone who buys me a round is my favorite.” Walt chuckled as he slid into the seat next to Jolene and Kyle automatically served him a full shot glass and mug of beer.
Walt downed the shot, coughed and turned to Jolene. “I remembered something else my grandmother told me that you might be interested in.”
Jolene’s brows rose. “Really? what?”
Walt leaned closer to her. “Seems there was this beautiful woman … Miss Lily, I think my grandma called her.”
Walt paused and his eyes got a faraway look.
“Go on,” Jolene prompted.
Walt’s eyes sharpened and he looked at her. “Well, Grandma was just a little girl back then and I guess she idolized Miss Lily, you know, like girls do.”
Jolene nodded, waiting patiently as he paused to take a sip of beer. “I guess grandma used to try to be like her … you know, follow her around and such. So, she said one day she’d followed Miss Lily to the coach house where they kept the horses. Grandma snuck in the side and hid behind some bales of hay.”
“And?” Jolene’s brows shot up as she sipped her beer.
“Lily was arguing with the Sheriff. Grandma thought it was strange they would argue seeing as they were getting married and all.” Walt laughed and winked at Jolene. “ We know that’s to be expected when you’re married, but Grandma was a little girl with romantic notions.”
Jolene noticed that Kyle had his elbows on the bar, leaning forward to hear the story. He snorted. “That’s for sure.”
Jolene snuck a peek at his ring finger. Was Kyle married?
“Anyway,” Walt continued, “she said they were arguing about a key and she said it sounded mighty important. The Sheriff said Lily would never find it and that it was buried right in Dead Water.”
“A key?” Jolene asked. “What kind of key?”
“Grandma didn’t know but she figured it must have been pretty valuable. Said she looked all over Dead Water for this key. She thought it was made of gold.”
“Or opened something full of gold, maybe,” Jolene suggested.
Walt tilted his head. “Maybe. ‘Course she might have heard it wrong or be remembering it all wrong.”
Kyle leaned across the bar. His hand brushed against hers sending a spark of electricity up her arm. He reached for her beer mug. “Another beer?”
Jolene frowned at the mug, noticing it was empty already. “Umm … no, I think one is enough.”
Kyle’s hand moved from the mug to her wrist, encircling it and making her pulse flutter.
“You don’t have to leave, do you?” His gray eyes drilled into hers and Jolene felt like time had stopped. She did have to leave. In fact, all her senses were telling her she should leave as fast as she could. So why was she still sitting there, staring at him?
She heard the door behind her swing open, saw Kyle’s eyes darken and then felt a heavy arm drape itself across her shoulders.
“So there you are,” Jake said, shooting what Jolene took to be a warning glare at Kyle. “Are you ready?”
Kyle straightened and took an interest in rearranging the glasses under the bar.
“Sure, I was just talking to my friend Walt here,” Jolene said. “Walt, this is Jake … Jake, Walt.”
The two men shook hands while Jolene pulled some money out of her pocket and tucked it under her empty beer mug.
“Where are you people off to?” Kyle looked from Jolene to Jake.
“I’m taking my little sister to the old mines,” Jake answered, taking Jolene’s arm and pulling her out of the chair like an overprotective big brother.
Kyle narrowed his eyes at them. “Old mines? What would you want there? That place is dangerous … and some say haunted.”
“Just part of our history research,” Jake said. “Plus, I gotta keep Jolene here out of trouble. I would hate to
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