Jackrabbit Junction Jitters Read Free

hair to the bottom of
his bowed legs.
    Chester lifted a pair of binoculars to his eyes.
    Claire moved out of his field of vision. “What are you guys
doing?”
    “Watching birds,” Chester said.
    Following his line of sight, she zeroed in on his prey.
Across the campground, two women sunbathed in lounge chairs next to a pop-up camper.
    “Let me see those.” Claire grabbed the binoculars from
Chester.
    “Hey!”
    She peered through the eyepieces. Judging from the color of
their hair and the wrinkles under their chins, both women had to be flirting
with retirement. One slept, while the other read a book with an eagle on the
cover. Neither should’ve been wearing bikinis, but modesty didn’t deter them—nor
Chester and Manny from openly drooling over both birds.
    “You two need professional help.” She handed the binoculars
back to Chester.
    “You’re right, Dr. Ruth.” Manny wiggled his eyebrows. “I’ll
cough while you hold my thermometer.”
    Chester wheezed with laughter. “Good one, Carrera.”
    Claire shook her head, grinning. Growing up around Manny had
taught Claire long ago not to take the old flirt seriously.
    Chester lifted the binoculars again. “Shit, Carrera. We’ve
been having our reunion down here during the wrong season all these years. I
always figured bird-watching women wore support socks and hair nets, not
Coppertone and red nail polish.”
    “Speaking of nails,” Manny said, looking up at Claire. “I
hear your madre is coming for the wedding.”
    Claire groaned and fished a cigarette from her pack. She’d
sooner deal with a life-ending asteroid headed straight for Arizona than her
mother’s visit. There had to be some lie that would get her out of this.
    “Well, Lord love a duck, here comes a third little bird.”
Chester handed Manny the binoculars. “Take a look. She’s definitely
Viagra-worthy.”
    “Don’t you two have something better to do than ogle women
this morning?” She stuck the cigarette between her lips.
    Chester settled back in his seat with a cock-of-the-walk
grin. “For your information, we’re working on official pre-wedding business.”
    “Let me guess,” Claire said around her cigarette as she
pulled a book of matches from her back pocket. “You’re picking out bridesmaids
for Ruby so neither of you have to dance alone at the reception?”
    Sighing, Manny lowered the binoculars. “Ah, always the
groomsman, never the groom.”
    “No, Miss Smoker.” Chester snatched the cigarette from her
lips and broke it in half.
    “Damn it, Chester. Those aren’t free.”
    He waved away her scowl. “We’re planning Harley’s bachelor
party.”
    Uh, oh. This couldn’t be good.
    “What do you think of bikini mud wrestling?” Manny asked.
    “Too slippery,” Claire said. “Somebody will break a hip.”
    She fingered another cigarette. If she wanted a hit, she
needed to do it while walking to work. Gramps had forbidden her from lighting
up in Ruby’s place, even though he and the boys filled the rec room with cigar
smoke on a nightly basis.
    “Good point,” Manny said. “How about a wet T-shirt contest?”
    Chester nodded. “Or a game of naked Twister?”
    And that was Claire’s exit cue. “I’ll talk to you two later.”
She glanced one last time at the three women they were wet-dreaming about. “Stay
out of trouble.”
    She headed toward the General Store at an almost-trot. While
jogging to work was a surefire way for her to catch a ride in Yuccaville’s only
ambulance, the scorching sunshine punished dawdlers. Humidity rippled the air
in front of her as sweat soaked into the waistline of her shorts. Any urge to
smoke evaporated under the skin-blistering sun.
    Henry sat in the shade on the General Store’s porch, panting
at Claire as she climbed the steps. He must have followed the creek to the
store. She made a grab for his collar, but he darted out of reach.
    Crossing her arms, she leaned against the porch rail. “I
guess last night didn’t