It occurred to her that both the furnace and her stove were gas fueled. That was the good news. The bad news was that her propane tank was probably empty.

The chickens were still chirping their complaints about the cold. She dashed into the bedroom and brought back the quilt, which she draped over the box, being careful not to cover the ventilation holes.

She picked up her phone to call Ezra Wheeler to ask about having the propane tank refilled. Which was when she noticed she’d missed a call during her basement expedition.

The caller, Acme Movers, who should have been pulling into her driveway right about now with her furniture, had left a voicemail:

“Uh, hi. This is Jenny from Acme Movers Dispatch. Just wanted to let you know we’ve had a little mix-up down here in Atlanta. Seems like your load got sent down to Fort Myers. Your new delivery date is Wednesday. You can call our office if you have any questions. Sorry about that!”

Ivy buried her face in her hands. She was cold and hungry and pissed. She needed caffeine. She trudged into the bathroom, turned on the taps, got undressed, and stepped into the shower.

She was sure her shriek could be heard all over the county. Apparently, her hot-water heater was also propane fueled. She dressed with lightning speed.

Her call to Ezra Wheeler went directly to voicemail. She was having that kind of morning.

Punkin met her at the door with his leash in his mouth. “Okay, boy, we’ll warm up walking into town.”

“Stay here and be good, and I’ll bring you a treat,” Ivy said as she tethered Punkin loosely to the bike rack outside the café.

The Coffee Cup had hot coffee, grits, biscuits, bacon, and eggs and Ivy ordered it all. No sign today of the ponytailed waitress she’d encountered the previous day. She was sitting at a table by a sun-soaked window, clutching her coffee mug in both hands, when her new friend Phoebe walked in.

Ivy waved her over to her table and Phoebe sat down.

“What brings you to town so early? I thought you said your movers were coming this morning?”

“I thought so too,” Ivy said, her expression grim. “No movers. No heat, no hot water. Seems like my propane tank is empty.”

“Ohhhh,” Phoebe said. “You poor thing.”

The waitress appeared. “Hi, Phoebe, whatcha having?”

“Just coffee, Angela. Black, please.”

“No biscuits? Or doughnuts?”

“Just the coffee,” Phoebe said firmly.

When their server was gone, Phoebe leaned in to whisper, “Everybody in here is lookin’ at you.”

“Yeah, I kind of noticed that,” Ivy said. “Must be a slow news day.”

“Every day is a slow news day in Tarburton. You’re kind of the talk of the town. Folks are wondering why a gorgeous city girl like you wanted to buy a falling-down farmhouse in a hick town like this way off in the mountains.”

Ivy laughed. “Days like today, I wonder that myself. But I can assure you, it’s nothing sinister. It’s peaceful here. No crime, no traffic like Atlanta. No … memories.”