Hillbilly yoga

     Dillon was in the barn pitchin’ hay, covered with grit and sweat. “How can I help?” Evie was leanin’ up against the side of his truck grinnin’ from ear to ear.

     He blushed, “how long have you been standin’ there?”

     Teka snorted, “just enjoying the show.” 

     “And you,” he pointed the pitchfork at Teka. “Some guard dog you are.” The horse snorted again. Curling her lips as if she was going to kiss him. “Keep me company,” 

     “I can do that.” Dillon lowered his tailgate and she hopped up. He gave her a playfull look. “Oh,” she put her hand over her mouth. “I forgot.” She hopped back down, battin’ her eyelashes. He slid his hands around her waist effortlessly picking her straight up. “Thank you kind sir.” Teka stuck her head out of her stall for Evie to pet. 

     “Hi my pretty girl,” she kissed between Teka’s eyes. “Are you enjoying the show?” The horse snorted. Dillon lowered his head, blushing as he smiled. “When it gets time to clean the barn, we can put out a message that you’re gonna teach a class of ‘Hillbilly yoga’ and sell spots.”

     Dillon started laughing. “Hillbilly yoga?”

     “This is a great workout. Not only would you be teachin’ a class on proper barn care. But look at the muscles you are working. We could do stretches, proper muscle movement so that you didn’t over exert. Proper ways to store tools.” Dillon just raised an eyebrow. “When we were in school they had FFA, do they still do that?  Would this qualify as FFA?” She questioned before continuing. “This is an amazing off-site learning environment. And with you being the sheriff, everyone knows you. Parents wouldn’t hesitate to let their teens come here to learn.” She thought, “even on field trips.” He just grinned, watching her as he leaned on the handle of the pitchfork. “What?” She blushed.

     “Is this what you meant when you said you ‘sold Doug’s work’?”

     “More or less.”

     “If it excites you, you’re free to try.”

    “Oooh,” she looked him up and down. “At the next sheriff’s department fundraiser, we can auction off a date with the hunky sheriff.”

     He leaned the pitchfork on his truck, strolled over to her, pulling her to the edge of the tailgate. She wrapped her legs around his waist. “Hell no.”

     “Just think of the money you would raise.”

     He kissed her. “If anyone won but you,” he trailed off. 

     “On second thought, I’ll just keep you to myself and make a private donation.”

     When he looked up, her eyes were twinkling with a mischievous expression he didn’t know. But was eager to explore. In between kisses he asked, “don’t you think yoga is a misrepresentation? Isn’t it more a series of poses and stretchs?”

     She giggled, “y sheriff. You never cease to amaze me.”

*I can’t take credit for the term Hillbilly yoga.

Samhain

Sunshine Valley

Brain storm

     Bradley knocked on the sheriff’s office door, “you wanted to see me sir?”

    “Come in, sit. Something to drink?”

    “Pop, I’m a little dusty.”

    Dillon clambered out of his chair returning with 2 cans. “I want your help with something.” He handed Bradley a can as he sat back down.

     “You know, I will do my best.”

     Dillon got up with a folder in his hand, setting beside Bradley. “Evie,” he stopped short, looking at Bradley. 

     He smiled a big smile, “I promise not to call her Evie.”

     Dillon blushed as he continued, “she said at dinner that she had been in the e.r. 6 times. I only have 5 reports.” He pulled them out lining them up on his desk. “And only 2 of them are accompanied by police reports. She said her dad called in a wellness check, where’s that report?”

     “Maybe one never got filed.”

     “It’s standard procedure.”

     “For us.” Bradley remarked. “Do you think she has copies?”

     “She has some.”

     Bradley raised an eyebrow, “you know this how?”

     “When I was helping her move in, a box fell apart and they spewed all over the floor.”

     Bradley picked a random one and started reading, “holy gee.” He hissed. “It’s a thousand wonders she’s not dead.” He continued thumbing through the reports. “Being tied to a bed for a month, was there a hospital report? You know she had to be malnourished, dehydrated and quite possibly needed physical therapy. There is information somewhere.” When he looked up, Dillon seemed lost. “Are you okay?”

     “Not really. I can’t wrap my head around this.” There was a knock at the door. “Just a minute.” They worked together to scoop up the files and put them back in the folder. 

     “Gott’em.” Bradley reassured him. 

     “Come in,” Dillon was putting the file away as Clint walked in. 

     “Am I interrupting?”

     “Not at all. Come in.” Dillon closed the file cabinet. 

    Clint had a folder in his hand. As the door clicked shut, he spoke, “this may be nuttin’ but it’s eatin’ at me. I sorta pulled Rebecca Ledbetter over the other day. There is nothing anywhere about her until she moved to Sunshine Valley 12 years ago. That’s when she bought the old Longsworth place.  Before she married. On the deed to the house it was Rebecca Morrison. Do you think she could be in the WPP?”

     Bradley thought out loud, “she did get the job at the school quick fast and in a hurry. My Sarah has a degree in education. Born and raised here, but had to go to Perkinsville to get a job teaching.”

     Clint added, “maybe she was a teacher and the WPP transferred her credentials?”

      “Doubtful,” Dillon answered. There was a few minutes of silence. 

     “I was able to find out, she paid for the property in cash.”

     Dillon locked eyes with Bradley and they both looked at Clint. 

     Bradley whistled, “that’s a chunk of change.”

     “What about Simon?” Dillon ask knowing the answer.

     “He’s an open book. From birth to now.” Clint paused. “Did you know, he’s an electrical engineer?”

     Bradley hissed, “really?”

     “Yeah.” Clint answered with excitement. 

     “What about her is bothering you?” Dillon asked. 

     “Honestly, airthang. She has made my skin crawl since the first day I met her. But,” he shrugged. “I had no reason to check her out.”

     “Trust your instincts.” Dillon reassured him. “But if you find out we are dealin’ with the WPP, tread softly.”

     “Yes, sir.”

Sunshine Valley 

Weak

     On the ride home Simon and Rebecca were quiet. He finally asked, “what did you think?” 

     “The food was amazin’, as always. Della is great.” Rebecca answered, keeping her focus on the road. 

     “About Evelyn’s story?”

     “Fake.” 

     Her answer was so fast, it shocked him. His thoughts wondered. “What makes you say that?”

     “Women know these things.” She said confidently. “Lack of emotion. And I mean; look at her, who would want her? I mean other than the sheriff, of course. He’s love sick and you can see it. It’s written all over his face. I bet she even made her ex husband up.”

     “What would be the point?” Simon was not happy with this side of his wife. In all the years they’d been married, where had this woman been hiding?

     “Make people feel sorry for her. You saw how they fawned over her. That’s probably the most attention she’s ever gotten in her life.”

     “What if you’re wrong?” 

     She shrugged her shoulders and casually reported, “then I’m wrong.”

     “Do you remember how she looked that first day?”

     “More or less.” 

     “Don’t you think she’s gained a little weight?”

     Rebecca slammed on the breaks almost throwing Simon through the windshield. Good thing he had his seatbelt on. He was not expecting that. 

     She whipped her head around, “you’ve been lookin’ at another woman.”

    He was shocked, “what the hell!? It’s not like that and you know it. How many conversations have you and I had about Maggie when she was battling cancer? Or random people at church that looked under the weather? Or when they start lookin’ better after an illness? We’ve talked about the pastor and how sad he’s been since his wife passed. You’ve encouraged me to pay attention so we could talk about it.”

     Rebecca was about to speak when there came a peck on her window, it was a deputy. She screwed on a big smile as she rolled down the window. “Officer, is there a problem?”

     “I was gonna ask you that question. You’ve stopped your car in the road.”

     “Oh, my husband and I were just havin’ a heated conversation.”

     The officer lowered his head to look at Simon, “sir, are you okay?”

     “Yes,” he sputtered. “Yes.” He said confidently, “we are fine.”

     “Driver’s license and registration please.”

     “What?! For what?!” 

     “You are blocking traffic.” 

     She angrily handed her information out the window. Simon looked out the passenger side window so she couldn’t see him smile. As the officer handed her information back, she snapped, “why don’t you go catch a real criminal?”

     He held onto the papers as she tried to pull them from his fingers, “how would you like to do a field sobriety test?”

     “What?!” She screamed. “We are going home after being at the community dinner. If alcohol was served, perhaps you would like to investigate the hostess.” She snapped. 

     “Get out of the road.”

     “Damn!” Simon glared at her as they drove away. He had to add, “did you notice she was wearing an engagement ring.

     Rebecca slammed on the breaks again. Jerking Simon forward again. This time she heard the siren. “What now?!” 

Sunshine Valley