Laura laid her hand on his chest. “Whoa, the floor’s moving. Give me a second.”
When she drew a deep breath and moved back, he held her elbow and escorted her to the bathroom. At the door, she gave him a sideways glance. “I can manage the rest on my own.”
He didn’t want to leave her, but he understood she needed privacy. “I’ll be right outside. Be sure you hold onto something.”
“Yes, sir,” she mumbled under her breath.
“And keep the door cracked.”
Her lips pursed, but she did leave the door cracked an inch once she was inside.
“I’ll holler if I need help,” she called out.
Which was code for “move away from the door.” “Gotcha, I’ll be over on the bed.” He strode back and sat on the edge of the mattress. “I stopped by Deadly Delights. Katie was there. Told you not to worry.”
“She’s a sweetheart,” Laura said. “That makes me feel so much better. I’ve been worrying all day about the doors being closed. I’m going to have to give her a raise.”
In the distance, he heard the doorbell ring. “Think you have company.”
“I heard,” she said.
He heard the toilet flush and then running water. A few minutes later, the door widened, and she stood in the opening. She’d removed the bandage from around her head, placed a smaller, fresh one over the wound, and her hair was brushed. He wished she’d let him help her with that.
“Not that I need the help, but I do know how to follow orders,” she said, holding out her hand as she gripped the doorframe.” She glanced down at her pajamas. “Maybe I should change.”
“No, you’re just going to be climbing back into bed. But I will get you a robe,” he said, reaching behind her to snag a silky pink robe off the hook on the back of the bathroom door.
Once he helped her put it on, he led her from the room and into the kitchen.
Bob Updike was there, holding a bouquet of flowers. He was accompanied by his warehouse girl, Edna. Dagger, Lacey, and Elaine were there, too.
Bob’s gaze went to Laura, and his expression softened. “Glad to see you’re getting around, Laura. We were worried about you.”
Edna bobbed her head. “Yes, we were worried.”
Preacher’s gaze locked on Edna’s expression. She didn’t look particularly worried. No, her gaze moved from Laura to Bob, and a tiny frown formed a vee between her eyebrows.
He was glad he’d added her to the list of folks to check out. Someone with a motive—jealousy.
“It’s so sweet of you to both to drop by,” Laura said.
Bob thrust his bouquet forward into Laura’s arms.
She smiled. “Peonies. I love them.”
Lacey stepped toward Laura. “Let me get them into water for you.”
Laura swept her hand toward the table. “Would you like to sit?”
Bob glanced around at Preacher and Dagger. “No, I…we just wanted to make sure you were recovering. And I wanted to bring you flowers…” When his voice trailed off, his cheeks reddened. He turned to gaze down at Edna. “We should go.”
Edna gave the room a crimped smile. “Looks like you have all the help you need.”
When they’d gone, Elaine was frowning. “That was a little strange.”
Preacher glanced at Lacey. “I already had Fig look into her background. She’s got misdemeanors for stalking.”
Lacey gave him a brief nod.
Preacher guided Laura to the table and helped her into a chair.
“Edna? Seriously?” Laura shook her head. “I hate this, seeing bogeymen all around me.”
Preacher agreed full heartedly, but he would leave no stone unturned.
Lacey flounced down in the seat beside her. “So, you’re looking better today. Preacher must think so too, or he would never have let you make the trip to the kitchen on your own two feet.”
Laura chuckled. “I put my foot down.”
“How’s the head?”
“There’s still an ache, but the pain meds are helping. If I don’t shake my head too much, it’s tolerable. However, now that the pain here,” she said, pointing at her bandage, “isn’t killing me, I can sure feel the bruise on my shoulder.”
Preacher frowned. She hadn’t mentioned it before. He’d known she’d been struck there, but all his worry had been about the damage to her brain.
“I made chili,” Elaine said, waving a serving spoon.
“Oh Lord, you’re spoiling me,” Laura said. “I can’t wait until you have that baby so I can return the favor.”
“Well, I’ll let you,” Elaine said.
With the exception of Laura, everyone filled their own bowls and settled around the table. Preacher filled hers and set the pico in front of her so that she could decide how much spice to add. Preacher’s eyes widened when she added several heaping spoonfuls.
Elaine chuckled. “You might want to take a little bite first to make sure you don’t burn your tongue off. I added three large jalapeños, and they made my fingers burn when I chopped them up.”
“I love heat,” Laura said. “My parents moved around a lot with the Air Force, and my father was stationed in West Texas for a couple of tours. Mom took Mexican cooking lessons through the Wives Club.”
“Is your father still in the service?” Elaine asked, sparing Preacher from having to admit to the group he didn’t have a clue.
She nodded. “This time in Germany. They’re having a blast. It will be his last assignment, and then they’ll be looking for some place to put down roots here in the States.”
“Think they’ll come to Montana?” Lacey asked.
“As long as they’ve been in Germany, neither of them minds the snow. For sure, they’ll come for a long visit.”
For several minutes, they ate in companiable silence. Preacher watched Laura for signs she might be tiring. When she began squinting at her bowl, he knew her headache was worsening. “Let’s get you back to bed.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s time for another pill anyway.”
“So bossy,” she griped.
The women grinned.
“Better get used to it,” Elaine said. She glanced at her own watch. “I have to head home. If Cage catches me here this late, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“I’ll give Laura a hand,” Lacey said, holding out her elbow for Laura to grab.
When Laura nodded, Preacher conceded gracefully. “I’ll see Elaine to her car.”
Preacher walked her out to her car. “Let Cage know we have everything locked up tight.”
“I will.” She paused before sliding into the car. “You saw that, too, didn’t you? The way Edna looked at Laura…?”
“Yeah, something’s not right with that woman. Stalking charges, a restraining order. Sure, they were a few years ago, but I still don’t like her being anywhere near Laura.”
“Are she and Bob dating?”
Preacher shook his head. “I don’t know, but I also don’t think he notices her. He seems kind of fixated on Laura.”
“Well, if she drops food by, toss it. Women like poison, and she does work in a hardware store with plenty of access to rat poison.”