Always the One

by Tara Randel

  “I’d love to see your display,” Derrick prodded.

  “Fine.” The genuine affection in his tone touched a place in her she’d walled off for a very long time. This display had been special to her, the one-and-only time she’d ever been able to work on a museum project like she’d imagined doing since she was a kid. She’d taken Jonathan to see it when she was finished, and while he’d been supportive, he didn’t understand how much the opportunity to work in a museum had meant to her. How could he when he didn’t know her history? He’d praised her eye for detail, but once he’d viewed the display, conversation moved on. Sharing this with Derrick was not only bittersweet, but nerve-racking at the same time. “It’s this way.”

  “You two enjoy.” June waved them off. “I’m headed to my office to put my feet up.”

  Feeling a little self-conscious, Hannah removed the outerwear she’d layered over a lapis-blue sweater, black pants and boots, and led Derrick to one of the side rooms. This area consisted of wearable art and textile exhibits. She stopped at a corner hutch which had been repurposed to fit the theme of the room. The solid doors had been replaced with glass. Inside, the glass shelves shone under soft lighting, featuring the items she’d lovingly collected.

  “Jewelry.” Derrick sounded surprised.

  “Handmade.” She moved closer and surveyed the contents with fondness. “I was surrounded by such beautiful pieces growing up, so when I had the brainstorm, it just seemed a natural fit.”

  Derrick leaned closer, studying the bracelets of hammered metal, sterling silver necklaces and earrings adorned with natural stone such as turquoise, malachite or sandstone. Native American and vintage pieces added to the diversity of the exhibit.

  “Where did you find the artists?” he asked, studying the contents.

  “When Mom and I first moved here, we loved to frequent art-and-craft fairs. I would stop at booths where artisans would create these masterpieces in jewelry. June and I got talking after I’d been to a show and I mentioned how impressed I was with the local artist scene. From there, it fell into place.” Hannah nodded at the hutch. “The artists were surprised and pleased that we wanted to feature them.”

  He straightened. “I’m sure it didn’t take much to persuade them. You do have a passion for art.”

  “I love paintings, but I guess growing up in my dad’s jewelry shop made me more aware of these pieces.”

  The light shone off a bracelet of moonstone and Hannah’s throat clogged. Every artist had been so shocked at her interest in displaying their works. “I was honored to be able to put this collection together.”

  He faced her, meeting her gaze squarely. “And it was a step toward your ambition of working in a museum.”

  She laughed, both sad and excited at the same time. He got her, her old dreams and hopes. “Even though our lives didn’t turn out as planned, at least I got to make a small mark in the art world.”

  “Is Jonathan going to show these pieces at his gallery?”

  Her stomach dipped. “I don’t think so. His clientele goes for more high-end art.”

  “Did he even ask?”

  “Well, no. But then, I didn’t make a big deal about the display.”

  “He has seen it?”

  “Yes. About a week after it was unveiled.”

  Derrick frowned.

  “He was out of town at the time it launched.”

  He didn’t say anything, but Hannah noticed his jaw flex.

  Derrick glanced at the hutch, then back to her. “I’m proud of you.”

  Her heart madly raced. “Oh, please. It’s nothing major.”

  “Don’t belittle your vision. I can see you spent a great deal of time and thought on this exhibit by the way the pieces are situated and how the light hits the gems just so. It’s very professional. I would know, seeing as I’ve spent a lot of time in museums all over the country.”

  Her chest tightened. His praise shouldn’t bring tears to her eyes, but it did.

  A comfortable silence blanketed them as Derrick took in the other exhibits in the room. Afterward, he stopped by her side. Took her hand in his. She held herself stiff to cover her reaction to the shivers tingling over her body at his touch.

  His voice was thick when he said, “I know I’ve apologized, and it’ll never be enough, but I’m sorry I spilled the beans about the gems to my dad. You have a real love for this world, Hannah, and I took that away from you.”

  She squeezed his hand, hating the remorse she read in his eyes. “It was my father’s decision to get mixed up with the wrong men. If it hadn’t been you, someone else could have put us in the very same circumstances. And if no one had said anything, who knows what may have happened to my dad if those crooks hadn’t been caught.” She placed her free hand on his cheek, the faint stubble tickling her fingertips. “I do forgive you, Derrick. Life is too short to hold regrets.”

  Their gazes locked. Heat flushed her cheeks as she saw his eyes grow dark. His free hand cupped the back of her neck and he tugged her so close she could detect the scent of peppermint on his breath.

  “I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I’m going to take it.”

  He moved into her space and his lips closed over hers. With a sigh, she dropped his hand and stepped into the embrace. Memories swept over her, old and new. She lost track of time and place until the sound of loud voices from another room reminded her where she was. Pulling back, she covered her mouth with her hand, her lips warm from his touch.

  “I forgot about the kids,” she mumbled.

  Derrick tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I forget about everything when I’m with you.”

  She shook her head. “We can’t.” She waved a hand between them. “This. It isn’t right. I have Jonathan to consider.”

  “Then consider him. Think about whether you should marry him when you can so easily kiss me.”

  And wasn’t that the truth? He wasn’t telling her anything she hadn’t already agonized over herself. Jonathan was steady. Safe. Derrick stirred up emotions she’d thought she’d buried long ago. He came searching for the gemstones that had the potential to stir up chaos in their lives again. Yet she wasn’t a bit sorry she’d kissed her first love.

  Not willing to discuss this with him, she said, “We should get back to the students.”

  Derrick touched her arm before she could leave. “Thank you for showing me your exhibit. And for your forgiveness.”

  She nodded. “I may have forgiven you, but you can’t ever do anything that’ll cause my family harm again.”

  * * *

  DERRICK NODDED, wondering if he could carry out her request.

  Hannah was beautiful, with her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright. She hurried from the room, eager to get back to the children. Or eager to get away from him? Either excuse worked. Had he scared her? Made her question her commitment to Prescott? And her warning? Valid. He couldn’t do anything to cause her or her mother pain again.

  He took one last look at her display, his chest warm at the sight. She had a real talent for highlighting the most interesting aspects of the pieces. Guilt nudged him along as he realized once again that he’d kept her from the career she’d had her heart set on.

  By the time he joined the others, the boys wrangled him into sticking with them for the remainder of the tour. Keeping the young boys’ attention was tough until they came to the Kids Craft room. A table was set up for the students to hammer sheets of metal, twist leather into bracelets or fashion long strands of raffia into a basket.

  Hannah had done her best to keep her back to him, which was okay. He’d pushed her; he knew it. She had to decide on her own, which direction her life would take, no matter how much he wanted to meddle. For a guy who liked to interfere in the lives of the people he loved—just ask his family—not taking control of the situation was excruciating. May
be he could look at it as character growth.

  “Over here, Mr. Fields.” Tommy’s voice pulled his thoughts from Hannah. “We get to use hammers!”

  And who thought this was a good idea?

  The older man behind the long table, whose name tag read Mason, chuckled, explaining the art of metalwork to the excited boys and girls. The hammers laid out on the table had short handles. The striking end, rather than being flat, was rounded in a ball-peen shape designed to leave deep and even impressions. A pattern was engraved in the metal. Beside the tool, small steel blocks provided a solid and compact stamping surface for the kids to pound away on.

  Mason handed Derrick a hammer with a longer handle and a narrow sheet of metal, about the size to wrap around a wrist. “This’ll actually form a shape.”

  Derrick took the hammer, looked at the textured end, but still came up short.

  “Watch,” Mason said. He took a narrow strip of metal and placed it on a block. Then he hammered the material until indentations formed. “The metal moves with each strike, forming a pattern.”

  Derrick watched, enthralled. He’d never taken the time to consider how jewelry was made. Intrigued now, he started hitting the metal, making a pattern of his own. He was so caught up in the task he didn’t notice the children had gone quiet while watching him. After a while he stopped and picked up the metal. His fingertips moved over the surface and he was impressed with his first attempt at this kind of art.

  Art had always been Hannah’s domain.

  Mason produced another rounded block on a stand. “Now we curve it.”

  Following suit, Derrick curved the piece and with Mason’s help, rounded off the edges. Mason announced he had created a cuff. Or a bracelet, Derrick soon learned.

  Mason took hold of it and examined Derrick’s work. “Not bad for a rookie.”

  “Thanks.”

  The older man winked when he handed it back. “You can give it to your honey as a gift.”

  He doubted the woman he wanted to be his honey would accept a gift from him.

  Tommy frantically tugged on his arm. Derrick leaned over so the boy could get close to his ear. “You could give it to Miss Rawley. Up your game.”

  Was he that pathetic that a ten-year-old was seriously giving him romance advice?

  “My mother is getting married. I think I’ll give it to her.”

  Tommy rolled his eyes as if to say, Sad, dude.

  Derrick concurred.

  Hannah’s voice rose over the others. “Everyone gather up your projects and hand them off to Mrs. Lewis. She’ll hold on to them until we get back to school.”

  One by one the students put their creations in the plastic box, then hurried off to lunch in an empty workshop room which contained long tables. Derrick slipped the cuff he’d made into his pocket, mentally debating giving it to Hannah as a gift, when his cell phone rang. When he saw it was Dylan’s name on the screen, he caught Hannah’s attention, pointed to the phone, then went to the lobby of the museum to talk to his brother.

  “What does Mom need now?” he asked, getting right to the point.

  “Nice to talk to you, too,” Dylan answered with a hint of humor.

  “Sorry. I’m on a field trip with fourth graders so I can’t be gone long.”

  “Field trip?”

  “Yeah. My undercover job.”

  “Right.” Derrick could have sworn he heard a snicker on the other end. “Just checking in to find out if you have any more information.”

  “I read the Rawlings file. Pretty cut-and-dried. The father testified against a jewelry supplier who turned out to be a black-market fence and afterward the family went into hiding.”

  “Where’s the dealer now?”

  “Still serving time in a federal penitentiary.”

  “So you’re not sure who, exactly, was following the family?”

  “Had to be the guys who weren’t sent away. Still on the payroll of the supplier, would be my guess.” Derrick paused, visualizing the file. “As far as I can tell, all parties believed the feds had the gems, but they’re not listed in evidence.”

  “Who has them?”

  “I can’t answer that question, but I bet Mr. Rawlings can.”

  “No way the guy hid them from the agents.”

  “Well, someone has them because they sent one to me.”

  Doubt tinged Dylan’s voice. “You said Rawlings is in the wind.”

  “Doesn’t mean we can’t find him.” With the information they had managed to piece together, Derrick could start an investigation that might uncover Hannah’s father’s whereabouts.

  “Are you going to ask Hannah?”

  Derrick thought about it for a minute. His initial answer was a firm no, but in light of what the family had gone through and his part in it, he decided being up front was a better idea. Hannah and her mother needed to know what they were up against. For now, he would continue to keep the two of them safe until he discovered who had the other gems.

  “Once I come up with a game plan, I’ll let them know.”

  “Are you going to keep the Bureau involved?”

  “At this point, I’ll have to. My boss wants a location on those gems.”

  “Good luck with that,” Dylan said. “Keep me in the loop.”

  “I will. And Dyl?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thanks for listening.”

  “You owe me big-time, brother.”

  Derrick heard something off in his brother’s tone and said, “We always help each other out.”

  “Yes, but we don’t always get wrangled into swing dance lessons by our mother so we can participate at her wedding reception.”

  Derrick frowned. “Swing dancing?”

  “Google it.”

  “I’ll get right on that.”

  “You do that,” Dylan said, then ended the call.

  Placing his phone back in his pocket, Derrick rejoined the children, who were finished eating. There were still a few more exhibits to view. In the final room, featuring Native American crafts and a few pieces of art, the kids started to get loud. Hannah, sensing the mood change, rounded the kids up to head back to the bus and then to school. He watched her count heads two by two, asking the children to help her keep track. Honestly, she had a way of making any situation fun.

  Just before the students were ready to file out, Tommy and another boy started a scuffle. They moved out of line and bounced up against the wall, right under a framed painting. Tommy’s hand accidently slapped against the frame and the piercing screech of the alarm bombarded the room. The kids covered their ears with their hands and raced out of line to huddle together. Before long, June, waddling as fast as she could given the late stage of pregnancy, hurried into the room, opened a box next to the painting and punched a code, allowing blessed quiet to calm everyone down.

  Derrick strode up to the museum director at the same time as Hannah, nearly colliding on the way. He grabbed Hannah’s shoulders to keep her from falling. She nodded in his direction but focused on the director.

  “I’m so sorry, June. One of the students accidentally touched the frame.”

  June patted Hannah’s arm. “It’s partly my fault. I forgot to tell you about the active alarm for this piece.” Her face turned red. “Pregnancy brain.”

  Relief swept over Hannah’s features. “There’s no damage, and I promise the students involved will get a stern talking-to.”

  June nodded as Hannah returned to the line of silent students. At the director’s frown, Derrick moved closer and asked in a low tone. “Anything wrong?”

  “No. I just can’t believe I forgot to mention the alarm.”

  “Why a separate alarm on this particular piece? I didn’t notice others specifically protected in any of the areas we walked through today.”

  Sh
e looked at him in surprise.

  “Security. I notice things like that.”

  “Of course. Sorry, the alarm rattled me.” June placed a hand over her heart. “This is a special piece, on loan from a highly regarded collector. The Native American artist only painted a few of these beautiful scenes before passing away. We were lucky enough to show it here for a few months, with the promise of strict security, so the alarm stays on.”

  Made sense. The artwork was part of a well-known series and would be expected to have maximum protection.

  “The boys didn’t mean any harm.”

  “And I need to have this baby before I completely forget how to do my job.”

  Derrick chuckled.

  June sighed and ran her hand over her belly. “I wish Anna was available to fill in for me. She’s so knowledgeable and has a way with the artists.”

  “I don’t see how that’s possible since she’s a teacher.”

  “True. Don’t get me wrong—Anna’s wonderful with the children but I got the feeling that her heart belonged here. Or at a museum, anyway.”

  Derrick knew why, but asked, “She’s really that talented?”

  “Oh, yes. She’s very knowledgeable about art and crafts featured here. Art was her minor degree in college.”

  She hadn’t told him about her degree, but he wasn’t surprised.

  “It’s no wonder Jonathan loves having her help with his gallery. They’ll make a great team after they’re married.”

  He didn’t want to think about that. “Tell me about Anna’s exhibit.”

  “When she set up an appointment, I knew something was up, just by the excitement in her voice. She came in, pitched her idea and I couldn’t say no.”

  “The display is very appealing.”

  “Her attention to detail is amazing. The artists were so excited when she asked them to participate, but even more so when they viewed the finished exhibit. She even threw a small reception on opening day. Everyone adores her.”

  How could they not? She was generous with her time, caring and most of all, passionate about art. It made him fall in love with her even deeper.