The night two months ago hadn’t sat well with Deputy Hank Walker. The evidence against the woman in the wedding dress was flimsy at best. While he’d been forced to follow protocol at the time, he’d never stopped investigating what had happened. The smell of sausage, hash browns, and coffee hit his nose, and his stomach grumbled as he opened the door to Debbie’s Diner where he was meeting his friend the local sheriff for lunch. The town of Kerrville had at least five more stoplights and a bigger main street than his hometown of Hunt.
Kane and his wife sat in a booth near the window. Whistling, he strolled to the table. Kane stood and held out his hand. “Howdy, Hank. Good to see you. You remember, my wife, Lilibet?”
Having learned the hard way once or twice how protective Kane was of his wife, Hank slid into the booth quickly and kept his eyes focused on his friend. It wouldn’t do to be caught staring at Lilibet like a lovesick puppy. Up until two months ago, he would have said there wasn’t another woman as beautiful as Kane’s wife, but now he couldn’t stop thinking about a feisty blonde who wore white lace. “Nice to see you both again. Thanks, for meeting me for lunch.”
“Always good to see friends.” Kane held out the menu. “We’ll let you take a look. We come here often and already know what we want.”
Hank grasped the menu and scanned the choices. The regular all-day breakfast foods filled one side, but other home-cooked treats were displayed on the back. Spying one of his favorites, Hank laid the menu on the table. “I wanted to thank you again for the help with that domestic terrorism case. I knew she probably wasn’t guilty, but when the tip came in, I had to follow procedure.”
Kane nodded. “I was happy to help. Did you ever find out who called in the threat? It seemed to be more than an ordinary high school prank or angry teenager.”
Hank angled his head. “I’m still following up on leads. In fact, I asked you here—”
The waitress arrived at the table. “Hey, Sheriff. Howdy, Lilibet. What can I get you to eat?”
Lilibet angled her head around her husband and beamed at the older woman. “Hi, Miz Debby. We’ll each have the egg salad in pita sandwiches with tomatoes and lettuce. The sheriff here will also have some chili cheese fries, even if he shouldn’t.” Lilibet winked at the waitress.
“Drinks? Shall I bring you both sweetened iced tea?”
This time, Kane spoke. “Thank you. We’d also like some lemon wedges for the tea.” Kane gestured across from him. “This is my friend, Hank Walker. Hank, this is Miz Debby, the owner and best darn waitress this side of the Mississippi. Her husband, Duane’s, a great cook.”
Hank gawked at the gray-haired woman. He hadn’t realized some women still knew how to tease their hair into a beehive. “Wonderful to meet you, Miz Debby. The delightful odors which hit my nose when I entered told me right away, this was my new favorite lunch place. I’ll have the mac-n-cheese bake with a small Greek salad.” Hank swore he saw the woman blush as she patted her hair.
“Coming right up. Did you want tea as well?”
“No thank you. Might I trouble you for some cola? I do like my caffeine cold.”
She tapped her pencil on his shoulder then whispered in his ear. “Anything for you.”
His face must have been as red as the ketchup bottle, yet his grin never faltered. “Thank you again. I’m sure I’ll be back.”
Kane’s laughter filled the booth as Miz Debby walked away. “You wouldn’t have this problem if you’d get yourself hitched.” He wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders.
Hank felt a twinge of jealousy. His friend was right. He wanted a woman to look at him with as much love as Lilibet bestowed upon Kane. “You got lucky. I hope someday a beautiful woman will drop into my lap.”
“Oh, honey. If I was fifteen years younger…” Miz Debby’s footsteps had been so quiet, he hadn’t heard her approach. She placed the two iced teas and a cola on the table.
Hank wiggled his brows. “If you were single, I’d take you up on it.” She giggled, her wrinkles a light pink as she powerwalked back to the kitchen. Hopefully her husband understood the teasing. He didn’t need a man with a cleaver coming after him—or worse, messing up his order.
“Seriously,” Lilibet chimed in. “My friend read about this guy in People Magazine. A doctor—no, that’s not it. I’ll remember. Anyway, he’s a matchmaker and always finds a person’s perfect mate.”
“That’d be easier than dating. I hold the doors, I bring flowers, I always call the next day, and I’m still single.” He brushed his hair back.
“Your problem is you’re too nice. Nice guys finish last. You need to use your bad boy charm.” Kane bent over and nibbled on his wife’s neck, causing her to giggle and swat at him.
Suddenly, Lilibet sat up straight and yelled, “Draikoh San—Master Draikoh San. He’s the matchmaker.”
Hank glanced up at the ceiling. “Seems, I have heard of him. Something about him finding Britain’s younger prince a wife.”
“They aren’t married yet. But Master San’s record at matches is 100 percent.” Lilibet’s eyes filled her face. “He’s expensive but worth it since he always finds your true love.”
Is there such a thing as true love? He thought of his parents, who’d been married for forty years before they passed then glanced at how Kane watched his wife. Yep. True love is possible. But is it for me? Hank shrugged. “Maybe if I can’t convince Miz Debby to run away with me, I’ll have to give him a try.”
The lady in question and a teenage boy brought the food to the table. As soon as the plates were in front of them, they dug in, silencing the talk of dating and marriage. Hank hadn’t gotten up the nerve to ask Kane about Jeannie Hall, the jailbird bride. He hoped his friend would know the word around town, something he couldn’t find out in a records search. His gut was telling him there was more to her story and a hapless mistake. Her background had no indication she’d ever even spoken to a terrorist group, let alone someone from the Middle East. Her claims of dating a Hollywood hotshot didn’t seem as farfetched, but he couldn’t place what was bugging him about the incident, nor was he ready to let it go.
Hank rubbed his stuffed belly then looked down at his still half-full plate. Kane hadn’t been pulling Miz Debby’s leg. The cooking was amazing. Good thing he didn’t live closer, or he’d need to do more laps at the pool.
As Lilibet excused herself to the bathroom, he seized his chance. “Kane, I need to ask a favor. The woman involved in the terrorism incident from a few months ago, lives in Kerrville. She’s been cleared of the whole deal, but I’ve got a feeling. Can you do a little investigating? Being local, you might be able to get some information not available online. She might be innocent of terrorism, but things don’t add up.” His voice lowered. “I’m worried she could be a target.”