“Sorry,’’ I mumbled.

Jeb cupped his other hand to his ear. “Can you speak up a little? I didn’t quite hear that.’’

“I said I’m sorry.’’ I shook off his hand. “This case has got me as skittish as a colt in a pasture full of snakes.’’

I looked down to where he’d held my wrist. I was surprised to see no outward sign of how his touch had affected me. But I did notice the daisies were starting to wilt. “Why don’t we go on in and get out of this oven?’’ I said.

I led the way across the lot and onto a wood-chip trail. We don’t waste much in Himmarshee. If a hurricane or lightning storm takes down a tree, workers with chain saws cut it up, feed it into a chipper, and truck in the chips for pathways. Jeb and I turned at the fork, heading away from Ollie’s pool and toward the office.

“Look at that,’’ I whispered. As we rounded a bend near Himmarshee Creek, a great blue heron startled into flight. The woods were so quiet; we heard his big wings beating the heavy air.

At the office, I went inside to put the daisies into water. Jeb stopped to buy sodas at the vending machine. He didn’t need to ask what I liked. A Coke for me; an orange drink for him. He was just settling onto a bench in the shady breezeway when I returned to join him.

“When did you find out about Mama getting tossed in jail?’’ I asked, as I popped the top on my can of Coke.

“I already knew that night at the diner, Mace. One of my hands at the ranch dates a gal who works at the Dairy Queen. I didn’t let on when you told me. I didn’t want to embarrass you. And I didn’t think it’d be too nice to greet your mama after ten years by saying, ‘Glad to hear you’re out of the slammer, Ma’am.’ ’’

He took a long slug from his soda. Staring at the spot where his lips met the can, I felt memory waves wash over me. Lying on three folded blankets in the bed of his truck, watching shooting stars. The feel of his lips on mine, soft yet insistent. My first time, and how Jeb kissed away the tears that came from the realization that I wasn’t a virgin anymore.

“Can I ask you something, Mace?’’

I nodded, hoping it wouldn’t be “What are you thinking?’’

Jeb said, “They let your mama out of jail. But you said the case is making you nuts. Why are you still involved?’’

Good question, I thought.

“Well, for one thing, someone has made it pretty clear they don’t want us looking into Jim Albert’s murder.’’ I told him about Mama’s stuffed dog, and about my close call in the canal.

“That sounds pretty dangerous. Yet you’re still fooling around, trying to figure out whodunnit.’’

“You’ve known me a long time, Jeb. Tell me I can’t do something, and that’s exactly what I want to do. Besides, Mama’s name hasn’t been cleared.’’ I outlined how her fellow church-goers had stared and whispered. Martinez might be busy right now, I said, trying to build a stronger case against her. I didn’t mention I’d tried to steer the detective off my mother by telling him about Jeb’s troubles with Jim Albert.

I watched a drop of condensation roll off my can and onto my thigh.

“I also want to know how Mama’s boyfriend figures in, Jeb. What if he’s responsible? Mama could be in danger. I’d toss myself into Ollie the alligator’s pond if something happens to her, and I could have prevented it.’’

“It just seems like you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself, Mace.’’

“I’m not alone. Both my sisters are involved. We’re all trying to find the real murderer. You don’t think Maddie would let anything happen to me, do you?’’

He smiled, and put an arm around my shoulder to draw me close. “Your sister Maddie’s like a mama gator with a clutch of babies. She smacked her tail, showed her teeth, and hissed at me. And all I did was invite you to a barbecue.’’

I thought of a gator’s head, with huge gaping jaws, on my sister’s body. It was such a fitting image that I laughed out loud.

“Now, that’s what I like to hear, Mace. I always did love your laugh.’’ He traced a finger around my lips. “It’s not a girly giggle; you bring it up from deep down in your belly.’’ He touched my belt buckle. “I like that in a woman.’’

“Whatever happened to Cindy?’’ I said, shifting away from him.

I’d heard Jeb was involved with a girl we both knew in high school, a cheerleader and homecoming queen. I was pleased when a classmate told me she’d gained forty pounds since senior year.

Jeb took off his hat and began working the brim with his fingers. He studied the pointed toes of his boots. The way he was acting, I hoped he wasn’t going to say she was dead. I’d feel awful after the way I crowed about her putting on weight.

“I screwed up, Mace,’’ he finally said. “Cindy left me.’’

“Were you cheating on her?’’ I figured we two gals could form a support group for women Jeb had done wrong.

“No. I learned my lesson about that a long time ago, when I lost you.’’

I looked at him sideways, not sure whether to believe him. “Well, what happened?’’

“Remember how I told you at the diner that I’d borrowed money from Jim Albert?’’

I nodded.

“I couldn’t pay it back fast enough to suit him. That bastard sent men out to the ranch, and they busted the place up. Cindy was there, alone. They didn’t hurt her. But she was terrified. It happened again, and this time they knocked me around. She packed her clothes and left the next day. Said she couldn’t live like that, wondering what they’d do the next time they came.’’

Jeb looked like a little boy who’d just seen his dog hit by a truck. My heart went out to him. Then I realized owing money and losing his girlfriend gave Jeb a doubly good reason to want Jim Albert dead.

Leaning toward him, I brushed the hair out of his eyes. I wasn’t exactly faking concern. But I did have an ulterior motive. I wanted to see if I could lead Jeb to reveal anything more. I edged a bit closer again, thigh to thigh. His sweat had dried in the breeze from the fans. But he still had the salty, hard-work smell of a man who handles horses and cattle. I breathed it in, remembering the thrill I’d always gotten from watching him ride and rope.

“Do you still have that horse you were breaking when we were going together, Jeb? What was his name? The big bay, with the white blaze?’’

“Cheyenne.’’ The smile returned to Jeb’s lips. He draped an arm casually around my shoulders. “He’s getting old, but he’s still going strong. Why don’t you come out and ride with me, Mace? I’d love to see you on a horse again. I’ll never forget the sight of you barrel-racing in that white outfit with the fringe, your black hair flying from underneath a white hat. You were a sight. Just beautiful. Still are.’’