The Bourbon Thief(80)

“It should have been. This lady was mad at her husband because he taxed the poor people of the city. Taxed them to death. She begged her husband to reduce the taxes and he was so mean he said he’d only do it if she rode naked through the town on horseback. I can’t remember her name, though. Can you?”

Levi slammed his book shut. “Rotten, I am trying to read—”

He took off his sunglasses and stared at her.

“Lady Godiva,” Tamara said, sitting up straight and stark naked on the back of her horse. “That’s it. Now I remember.”

“Tamara, you are naked.”

She smiled at him.

“Sun’s shining. Nice breeze. Good day for a naked ride.”

“I just polished that saddle yesterday.”

“I’m polishing it again,” she said and danced in the saddle. Rex snorted and she wasn’t sure if he was laughing or confused. Levi looked vaguely horrified, which was one of his standard expressions and one of her favorites.

“Get down off that horse and into the house right now and put some goddamn clothes on.”

“Why?” she asked, tapping Rex’s sides again and leading him in a merry circuit around the backyard. “No one’s around but you. And you don’t care if I’m naked, do you? You’ve seen it before. Doesn’t do a thing for you, does it?”

“Not a damn thing,” he said, staring at her breasts.

“And who’s gonna come by? Bowen? He doesn’t care about naked girls.”

“I don’t care if he cares. I care. The only three people who are allowed to see my wife naked are me, myself and I.”

“What about my doctor? Huh?”

“Doctors aren’t people. They’re doctors. Now get off your horse and get in the house and put on some clothes.”

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll drag you off your horse and turn you over my knee.”

“I’ll take what’s behind door number two, then.”

She didn’t actually think he’d do it. For all the times he’d threatened to turn her over his knee, he’d never once gone through with it. And yet she got a little nervous when Levi tossed his book down, marched over to her and dragged her off the saddle.

Despite all his manhandling, Tamara couldn’t stop laughing for some reason. Laughing and squirming as Levi carried her up to the deck and pushed her down into his lawn chair. Tamara flipped over and came up on her hands and knees.

“I’m ready,” she said.

“For what? Getting a sunburn on your ass?”

“You said you were going to spank me,” she said, kneeling and tossing her hair over her shoulder.

He started to put her on her back, her absolute favorite place to be, when they heard the telltale sounds of popping and crunching, which meant a big truck was driving on their gravel road.

“Goddammit. This is why we don’t run around naked. Go,” Levi said, sitting up on his knees to let Tamara out from under him. She raced in through the back door and into the bathroom, where she’d left yesterday’s clothes hanging. She threw on her jeans and her favorite rainbow-striped halter top, tied up her hair and splashed water on her flushed cheeks. When she looked respectable again, she came out to the front porch and found Bowen and Levi there.

“What’s going on?” Tamara asked, dropping into the porch swing.

“We got mail,” Levi said. “You did, anyway.”

Bowen handed her an envelope. “Came to the shop yesterday. Miss Tandy left it on my desk.”

“Judge Headley,” Tamara said. She and Levi looked at each other, one of them scared, the other excited.

“Well, go on. Let’s see what he has to say,” Levi said.

“Should I go?” Bowen asked.

“You can stay,” Levi said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the house. Tamara’s hands shook with both sets of eyes on her. It wasn’t a letter-size envelope, but a big envelope. She’d heard good things come in small packages, but she didn’t know if that applied to the US Mail. With her stomach in her throat, Tamara ripped open the seal. Something fell out into her lap.

“Keys,” she said, looking at Levi.

“Keys? To what?” Levi took the set of keys from her—there must have been half a dozen of them on one key ring.

Tamara took a folded note out of the envelope, flattened it on her thigh and read.

“‘Congratulations. You are now the proud owners of one distillery and one house named Arden and a whole lot of money. Come home and sign the papers. I’ll have the champagne waiting.’ Signed, Daniel Headley.”

At the bottom was a postscript Tamara didn’t read out loud.

Your mother dropped her objections and the probate court closed the case. But I would keep my eyes peeled for Virginia. Hell hath no fury, after all.

Tamara looked up at Levi. His face wore a mask of shock in comedic proportions. Mouth open, eyes wide, hands in his hair pulling on his face so hard he looked five years younger.

“Well, hot damn,” Bowen said. “Guess y’all will miss my barbecue next week. That’s all right. I’ll save the leftovers.”

“It happened,” Levi finally said. “I’d almost given up thinking about it. But it happened.”