Leroy carried Candy into Baby Cakes. The bakery wasn’t designed for lounging, so we propped her in a seat.
I’m not the best help in emergency situations, but I needed to do something. I looked around and then grabbed a platter from behind the counter and fanned Candy, careful not to hit Leroy in the head.
April finished locking up the coffee shop and dispersed the crowd that had gathered to gawk. The scene that had just unfolded was about as exciting as things got in sleepy little New Bison. When she was finished outside, April came in and assessed the situation. Her first move was to take away my platter. “Give me that thing before you hurt someone.” She set the platter aside and shoved Candy’s head between her legs.
Within a few moments, Candy gasped and then sat up. “What happened?”
“You fainted,” I said.
“I’ve never fainted in my life.”
“Well, there’s a first time for everything. Today, you fainted.”
“Get her some water,” April ordered.
Leroy hurried to the kitchen and was back in seconds with a glass of water and a wet compress.
April smiled, and a flush went up Leroy’s neck. He quickly turned away and became exceptionally attentive to Candy, but it was too late. I wasn’t the only one who had noticed. Clayton Davenport’s brow furled, and his eyes narrowed. For one moment, a look flashed across his face that sent a shiver up my spine.
“Mr. Fancy Pants looks like he’s ’bout ready to spit nails,” Hannah said.
I had forgotten she was there until she spoke.
Everyone turned to see who Hannah was talking about, but I knew. By the time everyone turned back to Davenport, he had control of his face.
“Interesting bunch of people you have here in New Bison.” Davenport chuckled, but I saw a vein throbbing against the side of his head. He wasn’t as nonchalant as he wanted people to believe.
“These are my friends, so don’t even go there,” April warned.
Davenport raised one eyebrow and feigned surprise. “I wouldn’t dream of mocking your new friends. Like always follows like. You were always rather . . . common. I should have known that your true nature would come out sooner or later.”
April scowled. “Clayton, don’t.”
“I offered you the world, and yet . . .” He turned and scrunched his nose up as he glanced around. “You prefer this . . . hovel. Your father was nothing. Your mother was nothing. And you . . . well, they say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
Leroy looked like a teakettle ready to boil over. He clenched his fist and seethed. He was seconds away from punching Clayton Davenport, and probably would have if Baby hadn’t taken that moment to snap out of his lovesick funk.
A low rumble was the only warning we had that trouble was brewing. By the time I turned, Baby was galloping like a pony toward Clayton Davenport. The scene felt like a nightmare in slow motion, but the drool and the laser-focused look in Baby’s eyes were real. Teeth bared and two threads of drool dripping from his jowls, he charged toward Davenport like a bull.
“Baby, no!” April and I yelled together.
Thankfully, Leroy did more than yell. He hurled himself in front of Baby and caught him as he prepared to rip out Clayton Davenport’s throat.
It took all of us working together to gain control of Baby and convince him that he didn’t really want to take a bite out of April’s obnoxious husband. Leroy tugged from the front, and April and I shoved from behind. Fortunately, convincing large, stubborn animals to move was a skill I’d mastered in recent months. In addition to pushing, I also used my voice to coax my stubborn mastiff. He was normally well behaved and listened, but he was also two-hundred-fifty pounds, muscular, and as stubborn as any camel I’d ever met in my travels. It felt like it took hours to get Baby under control, but it was mere moments. Hannah opened the door leading upstairs, and as soon as Leroy and Baby crossed the threshold, we slammed the door closed.
