Prairie Flame

Chapter One

Suzanna tried to shrug the weariness from her shoulders as she reached below the cash register for her purse. Thursdays always felt long because bales of hay were delivered and had to be stacked in the covered loading dock. Today, the forklift had stopped working, so she and the two guys from Barton Farm had to wrestle the heavy bales into place by hand. She rolled her eyes. That supposedly free forklift had been nothing but trouble, and now she’d have to get someone to repair it, again.

She pulled a comb and mirror out of her purse and redid her long, dark blonde ponytail. Thirty-five years sat lightly on Suzanna, and her petite body had a certain strong density. She couldn’t fit into the skinny jeans she’d worn as a girl, but every inch of her short frame was defined muscle from an active lifestyle. She liked to put herself together at the end of a day at the store; it wasn’t that she put a lot of energy into her appearance, but shaking off the demands of the day made her feel ready for shifting gears into the evening. She completed her tidying process by tucking her T-shirt into her blue jeans, then straightening the sweatshirt hem.

The bell on the front door jingled, and Suzanna tensed. Great. Just what she needed. Some customer coming in during the last five minutes of the day. It probably served her right for jumping the gun and doing all the accounting before she closed. She straightened up, prepared to warn whoever it was that they’d have to shop quickly. Please, she thought, let it not be Agnes Averford. That woman found her way almost daily into Suzanna’s store simply to have a chat. Agnes never knew what she wanted until she’d shared whatever was on her mind, and then would eventually get around to buying a few hard candies, or a can of bug spray.

The customer was not Agnes. It was a man Suzanna didn’t recognize, who was obviously not from Grouse Prairie — or anywhere in that vicinity. He had the polished look of an outlander; someone who didn’t need to worry about his clothes getting dirty. He apparently owned a working mirror and had even heard of hair products.

Too weary to be subtle, Suzanna watched him. As he strolled toward her, she took in his slim body and broad shoulders. Jeez. He looked like a model in one of the fashion magazines that her friend Codie kept in the hair salon. What on earth could he want in a feed and general store? Just to ask directions, probably. Zooming through town in some expensive silver-colored car. Or expecting to find lodgings for the night, maybe. As if. Grouse Prairie, population 1202, did not have any need for transient lodgings.

I need a tool to unlock an older pickup truck, he announced, striding up to her. His manner was self-assured, but Suzanna was amused.

That’s usually called a key, she retorted.

He looked annoyed. Look, I rented a 1995 pickup at Harrison Airport. I flew in from Minneapolis because I didn’t want to spend three hours driving.

It’s only about two hours from Minneapolis, Suzanna interrupted.

Whatever. The man wasn’t interested, and his tone was aggrieved. Anyway, Harrison Airport supposedly had a car rental. Turns out, all they had was this twenty-five-year-old pickup. I’m not used to vehicles that were made before the turn of the century. I got out to stretch my legs and buy a cold drink here, and now the keys are locked in the truck.

‘Are locked?’ Suzanna mimicked him. As in, the keys just locked themselves up?

The man focused on her now, suddenly aware of her needling. He heaved a deep, aggravated, and rather weary sigh. If you’re not going to be helpful, can you tell me if there’s anyone I can call? Any locksmith, maybe?

She shook her head. Not at this hour. There’s one up in Harrison, but they’ll be closing right now.

The man digested the information, then gloomily said, Okay, then. I’ll just buy a hammer, if you’ve got one, and just break a side window.

Suzanna pictured him doing that. It was an entertaining scenario, but there were downsides.

I don’t want broken glass all over my parking lot, she told him. Let me have a look.

Outside in the brisk early evening, she looked at his truck. It was a Nissan pickup with a canopy, and its windows were indeed tightly rolled up. Experimentally, Suzanna tried inserting the thinnest blade on her pocket tool set, but it didn’t budge.

The man had followed her out and appeared even more tired and annoyed.

There isn’t any other solution besides breaking the glass, he said, talking to her as if she were not very bright. I don’t want to waste a lot of time.

Suzanna turned her annoyance right back at him. Just hang on for one minute, she said.

Testing the back window of the canopy, she found it open, and once it was raised, she was able to lower the tailgate and climb into the empty pickup bed. Inside the truck bed, she crawled to the front and tested the back window of the cab. It was unlocked, and she was able to slide it open. It wasn’t nearly big enough for her body, but she managed to get an arm inside and almost reach the old-style button lock on the door. However, at five foot two, her arms were not quite able to reach. She climbed out of the truck bed and turned to the man.

Your arm would be long enough to reach, she said. Just climb in there, reach in and unlock it.

The man looked down at his khaki pants. Is it very dirty in there?

Now Suzanna was openly contemptuous and didn’t trouble to hide it. Seriously? You’re stressing about protecting your clothes? Dude, you’re traveling out in the countryside and it’s getting dark, and you’ve locked yourself out of your truck. What exactly are your priorities here?

I don’t need a commentary on my life, the man snapped, brushing past her and climbing into the truck bed. He was able to reach through the small window into the cab and unlock the car.

Suzanna, disgusted and done with him, turned on her heel to go back into the store. She glanced backward once at the door when the man had emerged from the truck bed, and called, You’re welcome! Then she dusted off her hands and went back to closing the store.

Chapter Two

It was only when she was locking the door that Suzanna discovered the man, and his truck, were still there. Feeling that she was somehow responsible for his presence in Grouse Prairie, she went over to him and peered in. She wanted him to leave so she could stop thinking about him.

He rolled down the window and looked at her.

Are you lost? she asked.

He shook his head and held up his phone. Looking for a good place to eat, he said.

Suzanna shook her head. Do you have any idea how crazy that sounds, in a place this size? she asked. We have three roads in town. You could drive up and down all of them in five minutes.

He glared at her. Did you want something? Or are you just here to harass me?

She answered him honestly. I mainly feel responsible for this place. If someone wanders in, we kind of want to help him get where he’s going. So, if you need dinner and you want choices, why don’t you drive back up to Harrison? Why are you even here?

That’s a longer story, he said. Can you just direct me to somewhere with decent food?

What’s your idea of decent?

Oh, God, I’m not fussy. Seriously. I just want something hot. I’d take a roast beef sandwich, or a burger and fries.

Suzanna could see that he was weary, and she guessed he was probably too hungry to keep driving.

You’re not visiting anyone here in Grouse Prairie? she asked.

Nope, no people. Just this place.

That was interesting. She definitely needed to know more. It wasn’t often that people came to Grouse Prairie on purpose when they didn’t know anyone in town, especially not people who looked like this guy. He was obviously a clueless city-type — the question about the truck bed being dirty had clarified that fact — and Suzanna was determined to find out what his deal was. It was her responsibility to make sure he didn’t make some kind of stupid trouble in the town.

She internally rolled her eyes at her own self-justification. Why lie? This man was awfully damn good-looking, and Suzanna was single. Not just single, but small-town-single, which meant she knew every available guy in town, and already had some kind of history with all of them. It might be pathetic, but she welcomed this rare variation in her very constant social circle. Even if he continued to be obnoxious, it would be more interesting than heading back to her tiny cottage and reheating last night’s macaroni and cheese. Maybe she’d eat at the diner with him, if that seemed possible.

I’ll be walking past the Top Notch. It’s a diner, a pretty good one. You can get good home-cooked food there.

I can drive you, he offered.

Nah. I like the walk. Just get out and walk over there with me. It’s about a quarter mile from here.

But it’s dark, he said.

You got a flashlight?

He held up his phone, and Suzanna nodded. That’ll work. Besides, the moon is going to rise in a little while, and it’s just a day from being full. You won’t even need that light.

Suzanna was surprised when the man nodded and got out of his truck. In her imagination, she could hear her friend asking her if she were nuts, heading off across the chill fields after sunset with a stranger.

But you know what, Codie? Suzanna mentally argued back. You have to just go with your gut instinct sometimes.

Her gut told her that this guy wasn’t a serial killer. He was just a handsome, urban dork, who might make for a few minutes of conversation. They were headed into wintertime, and with the early nights and chilly weather, she’d had to restrict her riding time mostly to weekends, as well as the occasional weekday mornings when she could leave the store in someone else’s hands for a few hours. Neither of her horses liked being out at night, and