Slay in Character Read online

  “You’re going to shame me into writing this week.” Cat fingered the fabric on what appeared to be a leather vest. Glancing at the price tag, she knew it was a real leather vest. “I have been trying to take retreat week off from word count days.”

  “This is working. You’re running this retreat. That can’t be easy.” Kelly picked up a leather journal. “Now, this is cute. I’m going to get one for each of my sisters. Add a nice pen and my Christmas shopping is done.”

  Cat watched as she scooped up ten of the journals and went to the cash register to pay. When she came back, Cat reached for the sack. “Let me take this back to the car so you don’t have to carry it all day.”

  Jessi popped into the conversation. “I’ll do it. I need to make sure I hit my steps today anyway.” She held up her wrist and showed them her Apple watch. “I love this thing. My mom sent it to me at the beginning of term last year.”

  “Nice computer on your arm.” Seth handed Cat the fudge. As she reached for it, he held on for just a second longer. “Don’t think you’re not sharing that.”

  “Give Jessi the keys, she’s going to take Kelly’s package back to the SUV.” Cat took a bite of the chocolate treat.

  He glanced at his own watch. “It’s almost time for the big shoot-out on the street. You sure you don’t want to stay and watch? I can take the bag back so you can enjoy the day.”

  Jessi laughed and held out her hand for the keys. “It’s the guy in the black hat. It’s always the guy in the black hat that dies. Do you know how many times I see Bradley killed during a summer? I think I can miss one show.”

  “Okay, but it’s going to be cool. I hear they use fake blood and everything.” He dropped the keys into Jessi’s hand and put his arm around Cat. “Just don’t go for a joyride. I know what the mileage is on the car.”

  “You’re not such a trusting guy, are you?” Jessi headed to the door, Kelly’s bag swinging in her hand. “I’ll meet you guys at lunch.”

  Cat got the group moving out onto the street so they could watch the staged gunfight. Before the show started, a white cat with black patches ran across the dirt road and jumped up on the railing where residents could tie up their horses. Or at least they could back in the day. The cat blinked its green eyes at her as if to say, You know you want to pet me.

  “What a beautiful cat.” Cora stood next to Cat and stroked the long fur. “Do you think she lives here?”

  “I don’t know.” Cat reached out her hand, and as she scratched under the feline chin, she felt a tag. She leaned down and read the name engraved on the heart-shaped tag. “Looks like Angelica belongs to someone. There’s a vet clinic name here too, Dr. Simon. Maybe I should call them and see if the cat’s been reported missing.”

  As if she’d heard them discussing her, Angelica gave Cat one last rub with her head, then jumped down and ran across the road again. Cat started to go after her, but Seth held her arm.

  “The shoot-out is starting.” He pointed toward the men strolling down the street toward each other.

  Cat searched the other side of the street, but the cat had disappeared. She’d have to be content in calling this vet and letting them know where they could find the wandering Angelica—if she was lost, that is.

  She leaned into Seth’s side and prepared to watch the show.

  As Jessi had predicted, the tall, lanky cowboy in the black hat did a great job of dying on cue. A funeral director’s wagon pulled up to retrieve the body, blocking the crowd’s view, and someone from the saloon called out from the swinging doors. “Grub’s being served. Come eat now or don’t. Not my problem.”

  “What a welcoming invitation,” Cora remarked as the group made their way to the dining area where they would be eating lunch. “Customer service must not be high on their list of values here at Outlaw.”

  “You get the immersion experience. I’m sure our version of customer service isn’t what the Old West was built on.” Seth held the swinging door open. “It was more of a live or die experience, right?”

  “With a love story under every quilt.” Lisa agreed as they gathered around the table with a Reserved sign announcing Warm Springs Resort. “I’m so excited to be here. I’ve always wanted to write an American Western historical. If I have to write another duke I’m going to stab someone with my favorite pen.”

  “A violent group of outlaws we have visiting our fair town.” The waiter grinned as he put mugs of water on the table. “We’re pulling out all the stops for you all. The cook even chipped ice to cool this water we got from the creek.”

  Laughter filled the room as they got settled, but Jessi’s chair was still empty when the first course of country beef stew was served. The soup was thick with rustic cut vegetables, but Cat couldn’t eat. She was worried about Jessi.

  Seth sensed her unease and leaned close. “I was kidding about the joyride, but maybe I should go see if the car is still in the parking lot.”

  Cat glanced at her watch, then at the crowded room. “Give her a few more minutes, then go check on her. She might have met up with one of her friends.”

  As if on cue, Jessi burst into the saloon and scanned the room. Cat held up a hand and the girl started making her way to the table.

  “Sorry I’m late. The parking lot was crazy busy.” Jessi put her head down and started eating.

  Cat and Seth glanced at each other. Jessi’s excuse had sounded false. Seth leaned close. “We may want to watch that one during the retreat.”

  CHAPTER 2

  Shauna had set out sandwiches and snacks in the dining room when they arrived back at the house. Seth and Cat were already sitting at the table drinking a beer when she came back into the kitchen. She looked from one to another. “Bad day?”

  Cat shrugged. “I’d call it a weird day.” She went on to tell Shauna about Jessi’s disappearing and reappearing act. Then the rest of the afternoon, the girl had seemed distracted. “She went from the life of the party and perfect hostess to withdrawn, moody, and antsy.”

  “Maybe she ran into someone in the parking lot.” Seth nodded, thinking about the day. “She looked a little upset when she got back.”

  “With college kids, who knows. I remember my years at Ohio State, I was always flitting around about some guy.” Shauna set out four bowls from the cupboard. “I made Italian veggie soup for dinner along with some grilled cheese and ham sandwiches. Or I could make something else?”

  “This isn’t a restaurant. Whatever you made will be fine.” Cat pulled out her planner and opened it to the current week. “Anything we need to discuss for the retreat?”

  “The group has your regular appointment at the library tomorrow at ten. Professor Turner is coming on Tuesday. You’re scheduled for the Life of a Working Author session on Wednesday, and the bookseller is coming in on Friday.” Shauna rattled off the schedule as she set the soup on the table. She went back and got out plates and silverware and gave them to Seth, who took his and set the other two near the soup bowls. She scanned the table. “What did I miss?”

  “For the week? Nothing but our traditional Saturday-night dinner.” Cat tapped her pen. “No issues with air-conditioning up in the attic?”

  “I went up this morning before we left and it seems fine. But I’ll check it midday tomorrow, just in case.” Seth took a sip of his soup. “This is amazing, Shauna.”

  Grabbing a platter from the oven, she put a pair of tongs on the top and set the sandwiches within reach of everyone. “Glad you like it.”

  The back door opened and Uncle Pete strode in. He wore his police chief uniform and he set the wide-brimmed hat on the bench by the back door. “Am I late?”

  Shauna jumped up and filled the last bowl and set his usual place at the table. “I wasn’t sure you were going to make it.”

  “And miss one of your soups? I’d be crazy.” Uncle Pete stopped by Cat’s chair and kissed her on the cheek before sitting down.

  “I didn’t know you were coming for dinner.” Cat studied h
er uncle. He looked happy. Well, as happy as a small-town police chief could get. She loved how he’d started coming by more often. They were the only family they had in Aspen Hills, since her parents had moved to Florida.

  “Your friend called this morning and invited me over. I think Shauna was just missing me.” Uncle Pete reached a hand over to shake with Seth. “I haven’t seen you in days. How’s the fishing down at the creek?”

  “Rainbows are hitting hard.” Seth grinned. “You need to get down there this week before they stop.”

  “I’m knee-deep in paperwork. Who’d have thought me taking a week off could cause such a problem?” He sipped his soup. “Tasty. Shirley sends her best, by the way.”

  Uncle Pete had a new girlfriend. Shirley Mann had been a guest at one of the writers’ retreats last winter. She also was a retired cop, so she and Uncle Pete had a lot to talk about. Now they were doing the long-distance relationship thing, and he’d spent the last week in Alaska on her turf.

  “How’s her book coming?” Cat took a sandwich from the pile.

  “We didn’t really talk about her book.” A flush came on his cheeks. “Speaking of fishing, Shirley took me out on a charter, and we brought in a boatload of salmon. I sent a few filets home in dry ice. I’ll bring some over later this week.”

  “Hmmm, fresh salmon. I’m pretty sure I can make something amazing with that.” Shauna put her hand over the top of Uncle Pete’s. “I’m glad you’re back. I was missing seeing you at the table.”

  After dinner, Cat went to the living room to spend time with the guests. Kelly and Jessi were gone, but the other three sat and chatted. Cora saw her in the doorway and waved her in. “I hope you don’t mind, but we thought we’d talk for a while here.”

  “The house is yours for the week. Third floor is off-limits and second-floor rooms are by invite only, but other than that, treat the house like your home. There’s a study on this floor as well as a large writing area in the attic. Plenty of spots for you to tuck in and get some words in.” Cat sat in one of the wingback chairs. “We’ll have our group sessions in here, just because it’s the largest room.”

  Connie kicked off her flip-flops and pulled her feet underneath her on the couch. “I just love everything about this house. Was it passed down in your family?”

  Cat shook her head. “Actually, my ex-husband and I bought it when we were both teaching at Covington. I loved doing the renovating. When we divorced, he stayed here and I went to California. After he died, I inherited the house from his estate.”

  “Good for you. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a story quite like that. Typically, the wife gets the shaft and doesn’t recover financially for years in divorces.” Lisa sat her wineglass down on the table.

  The women around her broke out into laughter.

  Lisa looked around, confused. “What? That’s what happened to every woman in my family who got divorced.”

  Cora grinned. “In my family, that’s how the women get rich, is by marrying and divorcing well.”

  “And that’s why I write romance, to heal the wounds of the past.” Connie yawned and stood. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m beat. I’ll see you all in the morning at breakfast.”

  As she left the room, Cora sighed. “I guess it’s too early still.”

  Lisa nodded, seeming to understand.

  “Did I miss something?” Cat looked from woman to woman.

  Cora leaned closer. “Connie lost her husband last year. They were high school sweethearts and they adored each other. We used to call them the perfect couple. Then he got sick. It broke her heart.”

  “She doesn’t like talking about people giving up on relationships. She gave me a stern lecture about being happy for what I had when I was griping about my husband and his inability to put his socks in the hamper.” Lisa smiled. “She’s become our chapter matchmaker. She believes in love.”

  * * *

  The next morning, Cat went downstairs to grab some coffee before heading to her office. She’d decided she’d spend the first hour of the day with her new manuscript. Then she could deal with retreat business. That way, Tori and her high school friends that populated Cat’s series wouldn’t be far from her mind when she went back to writing next week.

  The first thing Cat saw when she came into the kitchen was Shauna sitting at the table. Cat watched as Shauna ran her hands over her face, apparently trying to hide the fact she’d been crying. Kevin had been gone for six months, and she was still grieving for her lost love. Maybe Cat could ask Connie to talk to Shauna. Cat had suggested a grief group several times, but Shauna had pushed the idea away.

  “Good morning. Sorry if I disturbed you.” Cat avoided looking at her as she walked to the coffeepot to fill a large travel mug with coffee. “I’ll be in and out. I’m writing this morning for a while.”

  “I’m glad. I worry when you take too much time away from the stories.” Shauna walked over to the stove and took a pan of muffins out of the oven. “You get grumpy.”

  Cat spun on her heel. “I do not get grumpy.”

  Seth walked into the kitchen. “What? Is Cat not writing again?”

  “Is that what you think too? That I get grumpy when I’m not writing?” Cat took one of the muffins and wrapped it in a napkin. Then she changed her mind and took a second one. The peanut butter and walnut aroma was enticing.

  “Wait, how did I become the bad guy? I just asked what we were talking about.” He poured himself a cup of coffee. “I’m really glad Pete’s back and I’m not the only guy around.”

  Shauna finished putting the muffins into a basket and set it on the table. “I need to check the laundry.”

  After she left, Seth sank into a chair. “She’s still hurting, isn’t she?”

  Cat put her hand on Seth’s shoulder. “Yeah, she’s missing Kevin this morning. Hopefully having a full house will help her keep busy and her mind off him.”

  “I hope so. I really like Shauna. She’s like my little sister. I hate seeing her hurting.” He ran his hand through his hair.

  “Me too.” Cat took a muffin and put it on a napkin in front of him. “Eat. You’ll feel better. I’m going to my office.”

  He reached up and pulled her down into a kiss. When he let her go, he grinned at her. “You’re a good friend, and honestly, you are never, ever grumpy.”

  “Keep it up and you’ll be in the running for boyfriend of the year.” Cat took her muffins and coffee and headed up to her office to write.

  At nine thirty, she’d gotten in more than an hour of writing and was pleasantly surprised at the progress. These new characters were going to be a great addition to the series. A knock pulled her out of her thoughts, and she turned around to see Shauna standing in her office.

  “Sorry, I should have waited, but you know me.” Shauna smiled and glanced out the window. “I bet you don’t even notice the gorgeous view you have of the mountain range from this window.”

  “Every now and then I stop and look out and realize how lucky I am. What brings you to my tower?” Cat shut down her computer. She was back on retreat time. More words would wait until tomorrow.

  “Just checking in to see if you’re taking them to the library or if Jessi is taking them. She’s a chatty one. Did you know she’s from Boston?” Shauna straightened a pile of books Cat had left on the coffee table in front of the couch where she’d been reading last week.

  Again, she hadn’t had the investigator run the Covington student’s background. She’d felt foolish enough when all the historical romance writers had come back squeaky clean. What had she expected? Maybe she needed to talk to Uncle Pete about stopping the process. “Uncle Pete might know more about her family history. After I take the group to the library, I’ll stop to see him on my way back.”

  “I’ll make up a treat bag for you to take to him. He looks like he’s lost a little weight.” Shauna started to go through the doorway, then stopped. “I’m sorry I’m a witch right now. It will get better.”<
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  “You miss Kevin.” Cat stepped closer to her and put her hand on Shauna’s shoulder.

  Shauna barked out a laugh. “Yes and no. I just realized I haven’t been riding since his death, and you know Snow is just standing around in that stall. No one in that family likes her, probably because she was mine.”

  “Maybe Paul would sell her to you?”

  “And where would I keep a horse, the backyard?” Shauna laughed. “I’ll get over it.”

  “Actually, the backyard is bigger than it looks. But yeah, Mrs. Rice would have a cow if you stabled a horse here.” There had to be a place to board horses somewhere in town. Cat decided she’d talk to Uncle Pete about that too. Maybe having her horse around to ride and care for might pull Shauna out of this funk.

  As she made her way down to the lobby, she made a mental to-do list for the day. Everyone was in the lobby except two. “Where’s Kelly?”

  “She’s still working.” Cora shrugged. “I tried to get her to take a break, but the woman is like a machine. She’s determined to finish that book by the end of the week. I don’t think we’ll see much of her.”

  “I wish she’d take advantage of some of the perks we have set up for you. Like access to the Covington Library.” Cat knew the joy of researching at the library since she’d gone to college here. Besides, sometimes a good research session filled in a hole you didn’t know you had.

  Cora glanced around at the other ladies. “I don’t know. Kelly can get pretty set when she’s writing. We tried to do a writing camp with her last month, and she stomped out because Lisa mentioned we might want to break for lunch. Kelly is insane about her process sometimes.”

  “Well, I’ll drop her library card off with a carafe of coffee and a few muffins when I get back. I don’t want her starving herself while she’s here.” Cat glanced up the stairs. “What about Jessi? Is she coming?”