Free On Pins and Needles by Victoria Pade Page A

carpet of industrial blue.
    He did have a big window, though, that Megan guessed would look out onto Center Street if the blinds hadn’t been pulled—probably to keep the gathering of towns folk from watching what was going on in the office today.
    Josh finally turned away from the filing cabinet.
    He was freshly shaved and Megan caught a whiff of his after shave. But she tried not to notice how nice it smelled. Just as she tried to stick to her guns about so many other things when it came to him. Like how exception ally well put-together were the sharp angles and planes of his face. Like how tall and straight he stood. Like the fact that his eyes were piercing, and that merely being in that small room with him—even for the reason she was in that small room with him—made her feel more alive, more centered, more content, more complete…
    Back to being crazy, she thought, working hard at regaining some semblance of her sanity.
    â€œGood morning,” she said in belated greeting then, her tone business like.
    â€œIs it still only morning? Feels like I’ve already been here for hours.”
    â€œHave you seen that many people?” Without me, she wanted to add but she didn’t.
    â€œHalf a dozen or so.”
    â€œHave they told you anything I should know?”
    â€œMost of them were more interested in what they could get out of me in the way of gossip than in telling me anything.”
    â€œAnd the ones who had some thing to say?” Megan persisted.
    He gave her a sly smile and answered with a question of his own, “Are you sure your parents are alive and well and the same people they were before you left Elk Creek?”
    â€œExcuse me?”
    â€œSo far some of the theories I’ve heard are that your mother did in your father and ran off with another man, and that your father did in your mother and ran off with another woman.”
    â€œNo, they’re definitely alive and well and the same people they’ve always been.”
    â€œAnd seeing as how the skeleton is human we can rule out Merle Sutter’s claim that your folks stole his blue-ribbon-winning horse Matilda, killed her in some heathen ritual—his words—and buried the bones in the yard.” Josh scrunched up his handsome face, scratched the nape of his neck and said, “You can see how my day’s gone so far.”
    â€œAnd there are so many more waiting to talk to you.”
    â€œDon’t remind me. I think somebody declared today a holiday and forgot to tell me. Half the town seems to have taken the day off just to come in and solve this mystery for me.”
    â€œOnly half?” Megan joked.
    â€œMaybe two-thirds.”
    Josh seemed to actually see her for the first time then, giving her the once-over from top to toe to top again. “But you’re looking like a little ray of sunshine,” he said with a note of appreciation in his tone.
    Okay, maybe she had paid particular attention to her appearance today. But not because of Josh, she’d assured herself. She’d opted for the bright yellow jumper that went over a white, long-sleeved under-dress because she hadn’t wanted to meet her neighbors for the first time in so many years not looking cheery and put-together. And yes, she’d coiled her hair into a knot on the back of her head and jabbed two ornate chop stick-like skewers through it because she thought it gave her a somewhat more professional look. It hadn’t had anything to do with Josh.
    Even if he had popped into her mind a time or two—or three or four—along the way…
    â€œI didn’t want to look sloppy,” she said in answer to his ray of sunshine comment.
    â€œYou definitely don’t look sloppy. You look nice.”
    â€œThanks,” she said, wishing that didn’t please her as much as it did. “Shouldn’t we get started?” she asked when he went on studying her as if he’d for got