Small Town Angel Read online

  SMALL TOWN ANGEL

  A Novel by K’Anne Meinel

  Kindle Edition

  Published by:

  Shadoe Publishing for

  K’Anne Meinel on Kindle

  Copyright © K’Anne Meinel September 2015

  SMALL TOWN ANGEL

  Kindle Edition License Notes:

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  K’Anne Meinel is available for comments at [email protected] as well as on Facebook, her blog @ http://kannemeinel.wordpress.com/ or on Twitter @ kannemeinelaim.com, or on her website @ www.kannemeinel.com if you would like to follow her to find out about stories and book’s releases or check with

  www. ShadoePublishing.com or http://ShadoePublishing.wordpress.com/.

  As the bus pulled into Port Washington she wondered if she should get off at this stop or go further up the coast. The bus was still pretty crowded, they had taken on a lot of passengers in Milwaukee, but Amy decided to wait it out, see where it went. She knew the end of the line for this particular section of her journey would be Green Bay but she was searching. Searching for something. Anything. She wasn’t sure what, but her instincts told her to sit down and bear with the fates, to put up with the smelly obese woman who had gotten on the bus back in Milwaukee and overflowed her seat into Amy’s. This woman apparently hadn’t washed in days and eaten garlic right before she got on the transport. Amy grinned at herself and was polite to the woman. She probably had no idea that she smelled or that she even was taking up part of Amy’s seat on the cramped bus. Amy was willing to put up with it. Something kept her in her seat and not just the fact that she was packed in like a sardine.

  She watched as more passengers got on and off in Port Washington. The large noisy bus took off once again and headed up the Eastern coast of Wisconsin and up toward The Thumb. The appendage of land that stuck out into Lake Michigan and got its moniker from what it looked like jutting off out into the water like that. They headed into Door County and the towns got smaller. The smaller towns enchanted her as they pulled in and out of them, dropping off and picking up other passengers. She didn’t mind the constant starts and stops. It was fascinating to people watch, to see the different sights, the changing of the fall leaves. Occasionally they pulled into a small town where she actually got a glimpse of the large inland sea known as Lake Michigan. All her life it had been a feature on a map and now she was actually seeing it.

  Slowly the bus emptied as more people got off rather than on it. At Sturgeon Bay they crossed a bridge that separated the ‘mainland’ from an island on the appendage. They continued north on Hwy 57 through places like Whitefish Bay, Bailey’s Harbor, and Moonlight Bay. Later she would become familiar with Egg Harbor, Sister Bay, and other such intriguing and unique names. It was at Northpoint that her inner voice said to get off the bus. Her ticket was paid in full for Green Bay but something told her to get up, get out, and the driver obliged her. It wasn’t his lookout where his passengers disembarked and he helped her get her large bag out from under the bus. Northpoint was his ‘turnaround’ point anyway. The northern most point on The Thumb where he would turn the bus and go south once again on Hwy 42 this time and hit those little towns that relied on this service. He watched as she hitched her large backpack and managed to pull along behind her the large bag he had just pulled out from the luggage compartment. Fortunately it was on wheels and had an extendable handle. He wondered if she carried a cast iron kitchen sink in the thing it was so heavy. He shook his head as he began to pack the couple of bags his new passengers handed him and forgot about her.

  Amy headed for a sign she had seen from the bus. The Duck and Swan Inn was charming looking. She knew since it was a Bed and Breakfast that it would be expensive but she was tired, and she was cranky. After sleeping several days in various bus seats, she needed a good night’s sleep as well a nice hot bath. She rubbed her arms at the gate from the coolness of the evening as she looked around wondering if this was it, this was her last destination. Would this be her new home?

  “May I help you?” a pleasant faced woman answered her ringing of the small discreet bell on the counter at the front of the home she had walked into. She had hesitated to just walk in to the inn but an equally discrete sign had invited her in and she hoped it was okay.

  “Hello, I’m Amy Adams and I was hopin’ you had a room?” she asked with a pleasant smile, returning the one the woman was giving her.

  “Oh you timed it right, it’s the end of the season and we have a few open now during the week. Good thing you didn’t come this weekend or there would be nothing in town available, would you like one with a fireplace?” she asked.

  “Oh, a fireplace sounds lovely,” Amy enthused.

  “And how many nights?” she asked as she pushed a registration card across the small counter.

  Amy filled it out quickly and with neat handwriting the woman noted. “A couple of nights?” Amy asked hopefully.

  “That will be fine but we do need the room for the weekend as we are full up,” she replied as she read the details Amy had filled in. “I’ll need payment up front and a picture I.D?”

  Amy was ready for her and handed over both a credit card and a driver’s license which the lady took and processed efficiently. “I’m Sarah Katzenburger, and me and my husband own this house,” she introduced herself as the credit card went through the little pin pad and printed out a receipt for Amy to sign.

  “It’s a lovely house,” Amy commented as she looked around at the homey touches and antique look of the saltbox house. From the outside it was weathered, probably from the storms that must occur due to the lake.

  “Well, breakfast is from six to nine a.m. and I can arrange a lunch or dinner at any of our fine restaurants around town if you are interested,” she said brightly as she reached for an antique key and handed it with a receipt to Amy. She eyed her guest trying to figure out what a woman alone and with a southern accent would be doing this far north at this time of year.

  “That sounds fine,” Amy answered and ignored the inquiring look. She knew most people wouldn’t ask too many personal questions until they felt more comfortable with a stranger and she hid behind that for now. Tomorrow might be another day and the woman curious. “I’ll need to find someplace tonight to eat dinner,” she commented with a broad hint.

  “Well, the burgers over at Chuckies’ are fantastic but he also does a full meal of steak and veggies,” she added when Amy first wrinkled her nose at ‘burgers.’

  “That sounds good, um where is it?” Amy asked. Grease didn’t appeal after all that time on the bus and only bus stop food to tide her over but a full meal would sit just right. She listened as Mrs. Katzenburger gave her a brief layout of the town and where Chuckies’ was in location to the inn. Thanking her hostess she climbed the stairs to her room that was inscribed on the key and found to her delight not only did it have a fireplace but the wood already laid. She put down her heavy suitcase and looked with delight at the private bathroom. She was looking forward to that deep claw footed tub as she quickly washed up, ran a comb through her thick red hair and lightly freshened her makeup. Looking in the mirror she examined her detested freckles that had mostly faded along with her summer tan. She had smooth skin otherwise, brilliant green eyes, a fine narrow nose, and luscious ‘kissable’ lips. Her eyes were her best feature she felt and her eyebrows deli
cately outlined them along with the double set of eyelashes that made it easy for her not to wear mascara as she didn’t need it. Most redheads had light brown or red brows and lashes but not her. Her’s were dark and clearly outlined her features. She liked how she looked even though she had been teased about her looks her entire life. One more run through with the comb and her hair was neat once again and she headed out of the delightful room she found herself in, locking it behind her and pocketing the key.

  Sarah watched as the new guest headed out for the evening and wondered about her once again. She seemed pleasant enough but a southerner, which was going to create a bit of gossip in this touristy town.

  Amy found Chuckies with Sarah’s excellent directions and was pleased at the selection on the menu which was written above the bar. She ordered a steak, home fries, and a salad as well as a Corona and asked if she could sit in a booth. The bartender assured her she could and her entire meal would be brought to her when it was done. He had frowned when she said she wanted it well done but her pretty smile with the hint of a dimple charmed him. She took her beer and headed for an out of the way spot where she could watch the restaurant/bar and read the newspaper she had purchased.

  Amy started with the want ads and continued on through the ‘for sale’ ones, trying to get a feel for the area. It covered all up and down the coast and the towns were all unfamiliar to her. She’d have to purchase a map of Door County tomorrow when she was well rested.

  “Who’s that?” a tall dark headed woman asked as she sat on a stool at the bar. The bartender didn’t ask her what she wanted as he poured a beer from the tap and slid it down to her where she expertly caught it in her hand and took a sip.

  “Tourist,” he grunted as he wiped the moisture from the well-polished bar.

  She nodded as she glanced curiously at the woman from the reflection of the mirror and then quickly averted her eyes to the other patrons of the bar classifying them by tourist or townie in moments. Her eyes were drawn back to the redhead though as the light above her booth hit the strands of her hair most becomingly. She could appreciate a good looking woman but when the woman either felt herself being observed or just looked up from her newspaper the brunette hastily concentrated on her draft.

  “Eats?” the bartender asked and at her nod he wrote up a tag for the kitchen and picked up the tray that the redhead had ordered and gave it to one of the waitresses.

  “This looks delicious!” Amy enthused as the waitress laid it out for her. It smelled heavenly and her mouth was watering. She cut a few slices of the steak and delicately put down her knife and picked up her fork to eat them along with the fries. She reached across the table and applied ketchup to her plate so she could dip. She carefully cut up her salad so she could eat convenient mouthfuls of it. Her left hand repeatedly returned to her lap where she had delicately put her napkin. She unconsciously showed off her manners and breeding to the establishment and anyone watching her.

  Amy really enjoyed the first sit down meal she’d had in days and when the waitress returned twice she ordered a second bottle of beer as she relaxed over the newspaper reading it from front to back. She glanced up occasionally to look at the other patrons and noticed one or two observing her as well but her eyes glanced over them and kept going.

  She felt delightfully full as she handed over her credit card and waited for the waitress to return with the slip to be signed. She had no problem leaving a twenty percent tip as she filled in the blanks and kept her copy stowing it and the extra copy of the bill in her wallet. As she got up she carefully folded the newspaper back, tucked it under her arm, and headed out of the bar watched by a few people including the brunette who was eating her dinner at the bar.

  * * * * *

  “Hello, I’m lookin’ for a realtor?” Amy asked the next morning as she presented herself at one of the local offices from the newspaper she had read the evening before. She felt much better after a good night’s sleep and an excellent breakfast made by Mrs. Katzenburger. She had met Mr. Katzenburger and a few of her other guests and chatted amiably with them. She implied she was on vacation but found out a lot more about them than they did about her despite their well-meaning questions and inquiries. She eagerly went out into the early fall weather with the sun shining brightly and realized she would have to get some fall clothes as it was a lot colder this far north than she was used to. The lovely fall leaves were changing on the trees around the town. It was rather picturesque.

  “Well you’ve found one!” the older woman told Amy with a smile.

  Amy returned the smile as she looked around the well-lit office. Almost all of the small office was taken up by windows that allowed a two sided view of the marina and the lake. It was light, airy, and perfect to show off the many pictures hanging on the walls over the windows and around them of properties for sale or already sold by this office. “I’m lookin’ for a year round rental, possibly lease to own,” she told the woman.

  Lenora smiled at the possibility of a sale over just a rental and introduced herself quickly and efficiently. “What exactly do you want in a home, a stand-alone, a condo, a fixer upper? Will your husband be joining you, do you have children?” she asked.

  Only a brief shadow crossed Amy’s eyes but you would have had to know her very well to have seen it. “No, this is just for myself so one or two bedrooms would be fine. I don’t know about a fixer upper but what do you have? Oh, I should tell you I’m thinkin’ of lookin’ into any businesses that may be for sale here in town as I’m thinkin’ of stayin’.”

  Lenora thought she had died and gone to heaven but she was also cautious. Many tourists ‘thought’ they would like to stay in one of the many little towns located in this area of the state but they never stayed, it was all grandiose dreams and ‘what ifs’ and never came to anything. A huge waste of her efforts and time. She began to show the potential client the rentals she had on file but she also surreptitiously noted the woman was well dressed in slacks and a nice blouse with an expensive faux leather jacket that completed the outfit becomingly. Her red hair was a little much and Lenora briefly thought it must be dyed to look that exact color especially with the dark eyebrows and lashes. She did however speak slowly and precisely in her southern drawl which bespoke nice manners and a certain flair. It impressed Lenora who began to discuss the businesses located in the town, both for the tourist trade and for the locals. Most shopped in the larger towns for groceries or even trekked down to Green Bay for the major things. Their town was a jumping off point to the islands that were out on the lake. The ferry, and the fishing trips that were a major income for their little town.

  Amy was intrigued. It had started as a small fishing village and grown to accommodate the tourists and still retained its homey charm. It wasn’t large and yet enough people came through here to make it worth the locals while to maintain the tourist interests.

  Lenora showed her a couple of houses, driving her in and around the town as she shared news and Amy found one she liked. An old hunting cabin that needed some work but was private, discrete, and had no near neighbors. The price was amazingly low even for a rental but she knew it was more because of its location than anything else. She carefully noted as Lenora showed her around how far it was from the town and determined it was a nice walk although with winter not that far off she would have to obtain a vehicle of some sort. She signed the papers to rent with the contingency to make an offer at any time up to a year from the date of the rental. She made sure to read the papers closely first. Then Lenora began to show her some of the empty buildings in town as well as established businesses giving her a little gossip at the same time.

  “This one has been owned by the same family for nearly a hundred years, and I know the current owner has no interest in maintaining it anymore,” Lenora confessed as they went into a little market store with a few fishing reels on the one wall and a little bit of everything. A house was attached to the store with a police cruiser in the drive. Amy could already
see the store was under-utilized and had shrunk from its former glory days, very little of the actual space was used. She could see potential though. It had a wraparound porch that went around the entire building except for the one side against the neighboring house and one side was out over the marina where a gas pump stood on a dock.

  “Hi Lenora, how’s tricks?” a little girl of about six or seven asked from behind the counter. Amy blinked in surprise and tried not to laugh.

  “Heather, that’s not polite,” Lenora hissed reproachfully. “You are to call me Mrs. Watson and not by my first name without permission.”

  “You call me by my first name,” the girl returned sulkily. It was obvious her mode of address had been a repeat of something an adult had said at one point.

  “Where is your …” Lenora hesitated before continuing, “Mother?” she asked cautiously.

  “She’s around here somewhere,” the little girl replied saucily, she wasn’t kept down very long by Lenora’s tone and looked around the place as though to make her mother appear magically.

  “Why aren’t you in school today?” Lenora fired at the little girl.

  Amy watched amused as the little girl handled the prickly realtor effortlessly. “Parent teacher conferences,” she said distractedly as she called out, “MOM!” and the two adults cringed at the ear-splitting yell that came from the small girl.

  “Yeah?” a voice answered from a back room and soon they all saw a brunette swagger into view, it was obvious she had been working on something as she was disheveled and looked like she had just gotten up. Amy was amused as she recognized one of the patrons from the bar of last night and wondered if she had been drinking today.

  “Abby, I have someone here interested in your business,” Lenora began in her best salesmanship voice. She didn’t see the startled look on either of the other women’s faces. Amy because she wasn’t ready to just jump into it like that and Abby because she hadn’t expected to be approached like this.