Conversation for another day, I thought. I wasn’t entirely convinced that she wasn’t pulling all of our legs.
Blinking, Dana shook her head. “I have lived a sheltered life, and I’m from California—birthplace of hippies, Hollywood, and a great deal of other things hallucinogenic.”
As she returned to experimenting with different melodies, I mused, “Think of how I feel. Maggie always says she lives vicariously through my kids, and I guess she does, but more than a little of my sexual education has come through anecdotes about her love life.”
Groaning softly, Carly muttered, “As far as I’m concerned thinking about sex these days is a double-edged sword.”
Although she looked repulsed at first, Maggie quickly pointed out, “I can guarantee you there will be gossip if you get back into the game too soon.”
Dana paused, only to study Carly’s profile. “Mercy, I get you. The one thing I’m grateful for is Jesse isn’t here to experience what’s going on in my mind because if there’s one thing I know—he wouldn’t be attracted to a wife turned land-whale.”
Sybil made a throaty sound and purred, “It’s all about the man, little girls. My Elvin was small built and I always outweighed him by a couple of slabs of bacon, but he called me his Brown Sugar from the day we met until the day he died. There wasn’t a male rabbit born more ready for a romp than Elvin.”
Lowering her head over the piano keys, Dana swayed from side to side as she began to play something bluesy. With as close to a baritone as her feminine vocal chords would allow, she offered a throaty, “I feel a Barry White song coming on.”
Sybil purred her approval. “Bring it on, baby.”
Dana laughed softly. “And here I used to think of you as Miss Church Lady.”
I never expected to enjoy myself so much. My concerns that everyone would panic under these conditions were eased and we continued to chat and sing for almost two more hours, until it struck me that it was time for the dogs to go out again. Thinking that it would also be a good idea to bring in another armload or two of wood, I said as much to Carly, who reached for more sensible boots and a jacket, while I got into mine in the back room. I whistled for Rosie, intending to go out from that side of the house.
Then, up front, I heard Maggie declare with a little too much enthusiasm, “I want to check how deep the snow has gotten.”
I suppose with her not being able to join in on the singing without embarrassing herself, she’d been feeling a little left out. That’s the only excuse I could think of when I heard her swinging the front door wide open. By the time I made it back to the living room, Rosie and Wrigley were halfway across the porch, flying like bottle rockets shot into the night.
Carly screamed in fear for her dog’s safety which only had Maggie laughing. “Where’s it going to go?” she chided. “The snow is already deeper than the squirt is tall.”
“You . . . bitch.” Seething, Carly could barely get the words out. “You did that on purpose.”
“Oh calm down,” Maggie replied. “I’ll help you get it back. Here, Snow Bunny!” she called into the darkness.
I yanked the door shut behind me to protect Sybil and Dana, as well as to keep from losing any more heat. Then I followed Carly and Maggie to the edge of the porch, shining my flashlight out into the yard. It was easy to spot Rosie, dark against the snow, but of Wrigley we saw nothing.
Carly sobbed in despair, “The coyotes are going to get him.”
“He couldn’t have gone that far,” I assured her, scanning the area again with my light.
“Not even that far,” Maggie said, pointing not three feet off the end of the stairs to an indentation in the snow.
I found the target with the beam of my flashlight. Carly launched herself off the steps. In the midst of a small drift, Wrigley stood ear-deep and shaking in horror. As Carly lifted him up, we could see him relieving himself, the stream as powerful as if he’d ingested a gallon of apple cider.
Maggie burst into laughter. “See? He just needed to go. No damage done.”
Anyone could have figured out that the tiny dog’s reaction was a reflex of sheer terror. Wholly incensed, Carly didn’t even bother to look at Maggie as she strode past her with her precious bundle to return back into the house.
As the door slammed, I said to Maggie, “Just for that, you can help me bring in more firewood. From out there.” I pointed toward the edge of the porch and beyond into the storm.
Maggie began to sputter. “Are you nuts?” She pointed to her own genuine suede-leather boots. They weren’t the high-heels she’d arrived in, but considering all of the buckles and chains, it was clear they were no less expensive. “Unlike some people’s apparel, these aren’t made from old tires or discarded snap-and-seal containers.”
I knew that, just as I knew full well that Maggie had three more pair in other colors, and could afford dozens more. However, considering what she’d pulled on Carly and Wrigley, I wasn’t in the mood to cut her any slack.
“The electricity is out, Maggie. Things are getting serious now. You can start bringing some of that dry firewood on the porch inside and pile it onto the hearth, or help me add to our supply from the stack out there. Both will have to be done because, between you and me, I don’t think the electric company is going to get us back online anytime soon.”
With a sigh Maggie said, “At least let me borrow a pair of your rubber boots. Besides, I left my flashlight inside. Who knows what all is out there.”
If I’d really been concerned about wildlife in these conditions, I would have told her something more than a flashlight was needed. However, I was too angry to explain, and I wasn’t about to put any ideas in her head, let alone tell her where she could find a gun.
“You know where the boots are,” I said tersely.
Minutes later, we trudged silently through the storm toward the side of the barn where I had two more cords of wood stacked. Neither Maggie nor I had said a word since leaving the house. The storm made conversation a foolish endeavor anyway.
Just as we reached the wood piles, she suddenly exhaled in frustration. “Get it out of your system,” she declared above the wind.
While I was glad she wasn’t going to play me for a fool, I was exasperated that from her perspective I was the irrational one. “Just stop!” I exploded. “You’ve been acting like a shrew. Carly is here for the duration. Dana cares for her. They’ve become close. Where’s the problem?”
“She’s a fake.” Maggie spat out the words like an angry cat. “So soft. So cuddly. She’s as annoying as her idiotic dog. And just like him, she’s nothing but hair and piss.”
Unable to forget the image of the leaking dog I could barely stifle a laugh. In hindsight, it had been funny. “Mercy, Maggie. How you’ve stayed such an influence in this town, I don’t know.” Actually, I did. It was all about money. The more you had, the more you could abuse everything—people, laws, whatever was in your way, or irked. “When you dislike someone, you’re about as subtle as a prostate exam.”
That was a low blow considering what poor Hollis had endured, and Maggie drew herself up, resplendent in her indignation—at least as much as Charlie’s old felt western hat allowed. “Hell, I should be an influence! The town’s named after my ancestors. If I don’t care about who and what goes on here, who will?”
I tried to soothe her with a gently reproving look. “Mags,