Opposites attract.”
No. That wasn’t true. Kari was starting to realize that her relationship with Greg had been more about pleasing her father than about marrying the man of her dreams, opposite or not. But since she was only just now admitting that to herself, she didn’t go there.
“There’s something else,” Kari said.
“What?”
“Well, I kinda had a little accident.”
“Accident? Are you all right?”
“I swerved to miss a deer, and I ended up in a ditch. I don’t know the condition of my car yet. I might not be able to come home even if I wanted to.”
“Do you want me to come get you?”
“No! No. Please, Jill. Please. I don’t want to go back to Houston yet.”
“Kari—”
“I have to go now. Just promise me you won’t tell anyone where I am.”
“I won’t. But—”
“I’ll call you again soon.”
Kari hung up the phone and took a deep, calming breath. She’d go back soon. Just not now. Probably not tomorrow, even if her car was drivable. Past that, she didn’t know. She knew she shouldn’t be avoiding the issue. Maybe it would take a few days to fix her car, and by that time she’d find the guts to jump into it, head back to Houston, and stand up to all of them.
She hoped so, anyway.
Just then the telephone in the room rang. She picked it up to hear Gus on the other end, who told her he could make her a quick bite to eat if she wanted it. Kari had never said yes so fast in her life. Now that she was out of that awful dress, she was hungrier than a bear coming out of hibernation.
She tossed her robe aside and put on a pair of capri pants, an off-the-shoulder summer top, and sandals. She would have preferred a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and a pair of flip-flops, but the honeymoon wardrobe in her luggage didn’t include those things.
On her way out the door, she sidestepped the dirty mound of lace and satin, resisting the urge to give it a good, swift kick. She hadn’t liked it in the first place, but Jill and Hilda had talked her into it, telling her she looked like Cinderella. As always, she’d let herself be swayed by what somebody else wanted.
No more.
Tomorrow she intended to find the nearest Dumpster and hurl that thing over the edge. And she vowed the next time she got married and she picked out a dress, hers was the only opinion that was going to matter. And that applied to whatever man she married, too.
She went downstairs and found Gus in the kitchen. He was creating a sandwich piled high with meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and a whole bunch of other stuff. She climbed onto a barstool at the kitchen island, and when he finally set down the plate in front of her, it was all she could do not to stuff the whole sandwich in her mouth at once.
“This is really good,” Kari said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Jasper walked over and sat at her feet, looking up at her longingly.
“I think he wants a bite,” Kari said.
“Up to you.”
Kari pulled a small piece of sliced chicken from her sandwich and tossed it to the dog. He snapped it out of the air and looked for more.
“That’ll do, Jasper,” Gus said, then looked at Kari. “If he doesn’t stop mooching, he’s going to weigh three hundred pounds.”
“So what’s the deal with animals in this town?” Kari asked Gus as she ate. “The street signs. This place. Marc said you could tell me the story.”
“Yup. It begins with the legend of the Rainbow Bridge. Ever heard of it?”
“No.”
Gus leaned over with his elbows on the bar. “It all started back in the 1930s with a lady named Mildred Danforth. At one time, her father owned all of Danforth County. Mildred was a spinster—never got married. She lived with her father until he died. Then she inherited all his land. With no husband, it was just her and every stray animal she could take in—cats, dogs, horses, wild animals, you name it. Later she deeded most of the land for the town of Rainbow Valley to be built. But there was
No. That wasn’t true. Kari was starting to realize that her relationship with Greg had been more about pleasing her father than about marrying the man of her dreams, opposite or not. But since she was only just now admitting that to herself, she didn’t go there.
“There’s something else,” Kari said.
“What?”
“Well, I kinda had a little accident.”
“Accident? Are you all right?”
“I swerved to miss a deer, and I ended up in a ditch. I don’t know the condition of my car yet. I might not be able to come home even if I wanted to.”
“Do you want me to come get you?”
“No! No. Please, Jill. Please. I don’t want to go back to Houston yet.”
“Kari—”
“I have to go now. Just promise me you won’t tell anyone where I am.”
“I won’t. But—”
“I’ll call you again soon.”
Kari hung up the phone and took a deep, calming breath. She’d go back soon. Just not now. Probably not tomorrow, even if her car was drivable. Past that, she didn’t know. She knew she shouldn’t be avoiding the issue. Maybe it would take a few days to fix her car, and by that time she’d find the guts to jump into it, head back to Houston, and stand up to all of them.
She hoped so, anyway.
Just then the telephone in the room rang. She picked it up to hear Gus on the other end, who told her he could make her a quick bite to eat if she wanted it. Kari had never said yes so fast in her life. Now that she was out of that awful dress, she was hungrier than a bear coming out of hibernation.
She tossed her robe aside and put on a pair of capri pants, an off-the-shoulder summer top, and sandals. She would have preferred a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and a pair of flip-flops, but the honeymoon wardrobe in her luggage didn’t include those things.
On her way out the door, she sidestepped the dirty mound of lace and satin, resisting the urge to give it a good, swift kick. She hadn’t liked it in the first place, but Jill and Hilda had talked her into it, telling her she looked like Cinderella. As always, she’d let herself be swayed by what somebody else wanted.
No more.
Tomorrow she intended to find the nearest Dumpster and hurl that thing over the edge. And she vowed the next time she got married and she picked out a dress, hers was the only opinion that was going to matter. And that applied to whatever man she married, too.
She went downstairs and found Gus in the kitchen. He was creating a sandwich piled high with meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and a whole bunch of other stuff. She climbed onto a barstool at the kitchen island, and when he finally set down the plate in front of her, it was all she could do not to stuff the whole sandwich in her mouth at once.
“This is really good,” Kari said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Jasper walked over and sat at her feet, looking up at her longingly.
“I think he wants a bite,” Kari said.
“Up to you.”
Kari pulled a small piece of sliced chicken from her sandwich and tossed it to the dog. He snapped it out of the air and looked for more.
“That’ll do, Jasper,” Gus said, then looked at Kari. “If he doesn’t stop mooching, he’s going to weigh three hundred pounds.”
“So what’s the deal with animals in this town?” Kari asked Gus as she ate. “The street signs. This place. Marc said you could tell me the story.”
“Yup. It begins with the legend of the Rainbow Bridge. Ever heard of it?”
“No.”
Gus leaned over with his elbows on the bar. “It all started back in the 1930s with a lady named Mildred Danforth. At one time, her father owned all of Danforth County. Mildred was a spinster—never got married. She lived with her father until he died. Then she inherited all his land. With no husband, it was just her and every stray animal she could take in—cats, dogs, horses, wild animals, you name it. Later she deeded most of the land for the town of Rainbow Valley to be built. But there was
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