“Is it?” Dakota asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Sierra said with a laugh. “You sure you want to hook up with a garbage man, sister?”

“No kidding,” he said. “That never crossed my mind!”

“Because you don’t know how to think crazy. Did you have a thing with one or both of them? Like a little fling?”

“Not even a little hand-holding. I didn’t encourage either one of them for one second.”

“Listen, Cody, we know both of those characters a little too well,” Sierra said.

“What do you mean?”

“I was engaged to Alyssa a few years ago,” Connie said. “A couple of years before I even knew Sierra. We lived together in this house. I came home from work in the middle of the day to find her in bed with one of my friends, ex-friends, having some afternoon delight.”

Dakota was speechless for a moment. “Tacky,” he finally said. “I’ve been known to use poor judgment from time to time, but even I never did anything like that. Your ex-friend still around?”

“A firefighter,” Connie said. “Married, couple of kids, still prowling around. We don’t talk. We don’t work together. As for Alyssa...” He shrugged. “Apparently she hasn’t found the right man yet. You made a narrow escape, that’s my opinion. Though maybe she’s changed her ways. It doesn’t matter to me anymore.” He wiped off his hands and picked up Sam, holding him on his hip. “I’m glad you settled on Sid. She’s cool.”

“I can’t wait to hear about Neely,” Dakota said.

“She’s a lot harder to explain,” Sierra said. “She made me a little bit uncomfortable with a rush to friendship. I’d known her for an hour when she suggested we take a trip together. A road trip. I’ll admit, she makes such a good first impression I wanted to be her friend. I was new in town—I didn’t have any friends yet. Then I caught her in a couple of lies. Not little ones, either. She made up a story about a big, fatal accident. It didn’t sound credible and I told Connie.”

“So I checked,” Connie said. “It’s a matter of public record. I just checked the computer for the highway patrol stats—not only wasn’t there a fatal accident, there wasn’t any accident in the vicinity she claimed. And I guess if you had a run-in with her, she’s not done with the lying.”

“Was that it? She invented an accident?” Dakota asked.

“Not quite,” Sierra said. “This dramatic story came up in the beauty shop and it was Alyssa who said she’d never heard of such a thing, a really bad accident happening without everyone in town talking about it. Then Neely also casually told Alyssa that I had wanted to take her on a trip. I didn’t say anything but that’s when I decided I’d be giving Neely a lot of space. That kind of thing creeps me out.”

“She need attention or something?” Dakota asked.

“I don’t have the first idea. Some people just lie all the time for the drama of it, I guess. We’ve all exaggerated. But after that accident story, saying a kid was killed? Saying she was sorry she hadn’t been in touch but she was at this dying boy’s bedside for days? I felt terrible for her. Is that the payoff? Pity? Now I’d never know what to believe from her.”

“You met her at the beauty shop?”

“Not exactly. I met her...” Sierra hesitated. “I met her through friends.”

“I thought you didn’t have any friends?” Dakota said.

“I didn’t have many and none I was close to. I was brand-new in town.”

“You met her at AA?” Dakota guessed.

“I didn’t say that,” she said.

“I know you take your promises seriously so I won’t push you to tell me, but just in case you think she’s sober, she’s not. At least, I know she drinks. I’ve never seen her drink alcohol, but she does. She kissed me, remember. I had to peel her off me. She’d definitely been drinking.”

The surprise on Sierra’s face said it all.

“You don’t have to say anything, Sierra,” Dakota said. Then he looked at Sam, who was busy chewing his fist and drooling all over his bib. He frowned slightly, then reached for the baby.

“Uncle Cody is coming around,” Sierra said.

Dakota rested the baby on his hip. “This brilliant baby gave me an idea,” he said. “I feel the need to install a nanny cam.”

* * *

When Dakota left, Sierra was a little overwhelmed by what she’d learned. Connie went back to puttering in the kitchen while she gave Sam his bottle. “This business with Neely sounds almost scary.”

“I think Dakota can take care of himself,” Connie said.

“Making up tall tales is one thing, but this woman sounds like a stalker.”

“It’s been known to happen,” he said.

“Has it ever happened to you?” she asked.

“Not like that, no. I mean, Alyssa was kind of a pest. I had to tell her to give up way too often, but she never did anything to hurt me or my property.” He grinned at Sierra. “I’m making you a treat. Your favorite. Stuffed mushrooms.”

“I love stuffed mushrooms. Sam wants to hold his own bottle,” she said. “He’s taking my job.”

“He’s feeling independent,” Connie said. “That’s good.”

Sierra started to cry softly. “I want to hold him longer.”

“You’re crying?”

“Sometimes I think about the fact that he’ll never know his mother and it breaks my heart a little. I mean, I so want him to be with us, but his birth mother, gone from his life at such a young age. He won’t remember her.”

“Sierra?” Connie asked.

“It’s been such a troubling day,” she said with a hiccup of emotion. “Am I supposed to tell someone Neely is drinking?”

Connie frowned at his wife. “I don’t know. I don’t know all the AA rules. Besides, what does it have to do with anything? Do you think it’s making her act the way she’s apparently acting? Dakota doesn’t even know for sure it was her, he just thinks—Sierra, why are you crying?”

“I don’t know. I find it so emotional. A lot of it, you know? Neely’s a nutcase, I think. And my brother—he’s been alone so long and he has a good woman in his life now, that makes me so happy.” She wiped her eyes. “But poor little Sam will never know his real mommy. That’s sad, don’t you think.”

“Honey, are you about to get your—?” She glared at him and he put his hands up as if he was being arrested. “I didn’t say it! I almost said it but I caught myself. Do you need a nap?”

“Maybe,” she relented. “Having a baby is a lot of work. He sleeps pretty well but he still wakes up sometimes...”

“Why don’t you take a little nap with Sam before dinner,” Connie said.

“Maybe we should. I’ve been a little off today. I might be coming down with a cold.” She sniffed. “Cody’s going to be all right, isn’t he?”

“He’s a big boy,” Connie said. “And we’re going to be all right, too. We’ll get pictures from Sam’s grandma so we can show him some of the family he missed knowing, but don’t cry over it—that kid hit the lotto when he got us because he’s gonna have a great childhood. He’ll have a good mom and dad. He could’ve been bounced all over the state, but we lucked out and found each other.”

“Oh, Connie,” she said, sniffing.

“Go take a nap,” he said.

She cuddled Sam against her and headed for the bedroom.

“Sheesh,” Connie said. But he said it very quietly.

* * *

Dakota stopped by the police department on his way to the bar and grill. With the damage to Sid’s car, he and Stan were becoming much closer than he would have liked—in a professional capacity. When he walked in, Stan smiled from behind his desk. “Get the smell out?”

“Pretty much, but I had to take it to Colorado Springs to get a good detail job and the ride over was grueling. My buddy from the county, the guy I ride the garbage haul with, came by after you took pictures and wrote up your report. He helped me empty that mess into the truck. It was easier to do that wearing our hazmat suits. Nastiest mess I’ve ever seen. Then I filled my sister in on some of the details—she already knew Neely was a nutjob. She caught her in some lies, I guess. Not in vandalism, but very colorful lies. So I took a side trip to Walmart and bought myself a surveillance camera.”

Stan just lifted a brow. “I guess the next time something happens around your place, you’ll have yourself a little movie. I hope there isn’t any more bullshit. Even if you had some proof, she’d probably just get a fine. Oh, and lying ain’t against the law, unless you’re under oath.”

“Just so you know, I have guns,” Dakota said. “A couple of rifles and a .45. I’m going to take the rifles to my brother’s house to lock up and keep the .45. Because... I don’t know... When someone trashes your car while you’re in the house... If I was burglarized, I’d hate there to be guns stolen. Even by some girl.”

“It’s just peculiar enough to get my attention. I’m doing a little of my own checking around. We’ll talk about that another time. For now, I don’t want you to get the idea that just because it’s a woman you suspect of giving you grief that means it’s not a real threat. And I like the idea that you’re storing the rifles at Cal’s for the time being, but lock your doors, anyway. And pay attention. That’s about all I can advise you. I’d hate for you to shoot her. That’d make a mess of paperwork.”

“I didn’t do anything to make her think we had a relationship,” Dakota said. “I didn’t encourage her. And I didn’t do anything to purposely offend her. I was polite. Just not interested.”