Falling in Love on Willow Creek

by Debbie Mason

  “Sadie, stop. It’s fine. But from what I overheard the woman in Spill the Tea saying, business at I Believe in Unicorns isn’t fine.”

  She blew out a long, frustrated breath. “Granny’s friends must have run right over there after my little scene with her and Mr. Teller. Honestly, you can’t keep anything in this town a secret.”

  But she couldn’t put the blame entirely on her grandmother’s friends and Babs Sutherland. Sadie knew better than to air the family’s dirty laundry in the middle of the store. She might as well have taken out a billboard on Main Street.

  “So it’s true? The store is in financial trouble?”

  She nodded, taking a minute to regain control of the panic welling up inside her. “If I don’t figure out a way to turn things around, the bank will foreclose. I promised Mr. Teller, the bank manager, that I’d come up with a business plan by the end of this week.” Afraid she’d start blubbering any minute, she pressed her fingers to her lips.

  “Hey.” He gently took her chin between his fingers, getting her to look at him. “You don’t have to hide your tears with me, Sadie. Let them out. It might help.”

  Her laugh caught on a sob. “Just what you need, another Gray crying all over you.”

  He smiled, but it didn’t reach his intent blue gaze. “You were worried your grandmother was hiding something from you. Was this it?”

  “Yes, it was exactly what I was afraid of, and for the past three months, I’ve put off confronting her, because I didn’t want to deal with it. I buried my head in the sand while my brother bled this business and my grandmother dry.” She blinked back tears. “She could lose the store and her home because of me.”

  “No. Don’t take the blame for this. Put it where it belongs. On your brother.” He grimaced at the snuffling sound coming from the cradle and came to his feet. He walked to the cradle, rocking it with one hand while stroking Michaela’s copper curls with the other.

  “You’re right. It is Elijah’s fault. But it’s not like he can bail out Granny.” She kept her voice low so as not to wake her daughter. “It falls on me, just like it always does. Only this time, I don’t have a clue how to solve the problem.”

  He kept an eye on Michaela as he stopped rocking the cradle. Then, seemingly satisfied that she was once more in a deep sleep, he came over and leaned against the desk, crossing his arms. Distracted by the bulge of his biceps, it took her a minute to realize he’d been talking to her. “Sorry, what was that?”

  “I offered to help. I don’t know anything about operating a retail business or selling unicorns, but I can act as a sounding board.”

  “That’s sweet of you to offer, but for you to act as a sounding board, I’d actually need ideas to bounce off you, and I’ve got nothing.”

  “Because you’re exhausted.”

  Her phone pinged. She glanced at the screen and groaned. “It’s Abby with a list of bachelors.” She blinked. “She even put Nate on there. Why would she—” There was another ping. “Of course, he’s hot too. She thinks the two of you will not only attract a lot of attention from her subscribers but also from the single ladies in this county. She obviously doesn’t care that he’s gay.”

  “Is he?”

  “Is he what? Gay?”

  “No. Hot?” He shook his head. “Never mind. Forget I asked. Just tell Abby you don’t want to do it.”

  “I should. In fact, I think I have. I guess I wasn’t firm enough. It’s not my forte. I have a problem saying no to people. Don’t you?”

  “Not at all.”

  “So if someone asks you to do something you don’t want to do, you just say no? No excuses, no nothing?”

  “That’s right.” He nodded at her phone. “Call Abby and tell her you have too much on your plate if you don’t want to do it. You don’t, do you?”

  “Gosh, no. On top of everything else, the last thing I need is this. Honestly, I’d want no part of it even if my world wasn’t imploding.” She handed him her phone. “You tell her. I’m sure the last thing either you or Nate want is to appear on a reality dating show.”

  “It won’t matter if Nate and I say no. You’re the star of the show. Trust me, Abby will have no problem finding guys who want to date you. You need to call her and say no, Sadie. Not me. You. Do it now. You’ll feel better.”

  “But she’s so excited about it. I hate to disappoint her. And the thing is, Abby’s channel has been a boon to Highland Falls. She promotes the heck out of the area, and local businesses have benefited big time. So in a way, I wouldn’t just be letting her down. I’d be letting the whole town down. I can’t win.”

  “What if you come up with something better? Something that benefits I Believe in Unicorns and Abby. She seems to have a good heart, and there’s no doubt she cares about you and Michaela. If you told her the truth—”

  “I can’t. I can’t tell her what Elijah’s done or that we could lose the store. I’ll figure out something.” She always did. But it had never been this bad. Her stomach pitched like she’d gone bungee jumping at Deadman’s Gorge, twice, on a full stomach. She eyed the garbage can.

  “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think the town already has a fairly good idea what’s going on.”

  “How could I forget? My fight with Granny went viral.” She winced, remembering the stricken look on her grandmother’s face. Until Mr. Teller had shown up, Agnes hadn’t known how deep in the hole Elijah had put her and the store. They’d both been burying their heads in the sand—Sadie by not asking the questions that needed to be asked, her grandmother by filing her bank statements unopened.

  “Now that she knows, you can work together. Come up with a plan to turn the store around. Is there anyone your grandmother can ask for a loan?”

  “My uncle Bryan. But he’s the last person my grandmother would want to find out that she’s in financial trouble.”

  “Maybe Mr. Teller will let you take out a second mortgage based on your…your credit. Sorry, I forgot. You mentioned your ex had tanked your credit when you were in labor.”

  “Yes, and I also don’t have a job that pays a living wage. Unless you count my contract work with Abby, which she probably won’t have to give me when I pull the plug on her bachelorette idea. As to my grandmother working with me, that won’t happen anytime soon. She wouldn’t even speak to me after I laid into her about bleeding the store dry for Elijah.”

  Her comment was met with a loud thunk from the apartment above. She sighed and lifted her chin at the ceiling. “Granny’s probably listening in through the vent.”

  Michael pushed off the desk and cocked his head. Sadie thought he was holding his breath waiting for Michaela to wake up, but he looked more interested in what was going on in the apartment upstairs than in the cradle. She heard it now too, the sound of heavy footfalls followed by lighter footsteps. Agnes wasn’t alone.

  “Sadie, you don’t think your grandmother has been hiding your brother all along, do you?”

  Chapter Ten

  Sadie reacted to Chase’s question by jumping from the chair and heading for the door.

  “Wait. Let me go with you, Sadie. You could be walking into a dangerous situation.” While he no longer believed she was involved in her brother’s crimes in any way, Chase didn’t trust that her anger at Elijah outweighed their family ties.

  “Michaela is more dangerous than my brother,” she scoffed, nodding at the gun in his holster. “And you have a twitchy finger.”

  “I don’t have a twitchy finger. I’ve been in situations far more dangerous than…” He trailed off. Chase had but Michael hadn’t.

  He wasn’t very good at undercover work. He had a difficult time lying. But he knew exactly what had to be done in this instance. They couldn’t break cover. If Agnes MacLeod had been hiding Elijah all along, they couldn’t take him down in the apartment. It would be better if he ran and they grabbed him without anyone the wiser.

  Chase pulled his cell phone from his back pocket and glanced at th
e screen, acting like it had been on vibrate. “Just give me a second. I have to respond to this.” He shot off a quick text to a man who had no problem lying.

  Strong possibility Elijah Gray in upstairs apartment. Will investigate. Keep an eye on exits. Let Gabe know.

  The police station was on Main Street. The chief wouldn’t alert his officers but he’d keep an eye out on his own. He knew the importance of keeping Elijah’s capture on the downlow. The last thing they wanted was the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department knowing they had him in custody.

  “You shot a snake, Michael.”

  He raised his head. She’d never let him live that down. “Trust me, navigating office politics in DC is far more dangerous than dealing with the wild animals of Highland Falls. And while you may not consider your brother dangerous, you don’t know how he’d react if cornered. The best move is for you to call your grandmother. Tell her you need to speak with her. Once she’s out of the apartment, I’ll go up and take a look around.”

  “She won’t want to talk to me now that I know that she’s been helping out Elijah this entire time.” Sadie shook her head. “I’m so mad at her right now. I get the whole standing-by-your-family thing, but she’s gone too far this time. My brother was moving drugs for a gang, Michael. I still have a hard time believing he got himself mixed up in something like that. He…Anyway, I have to deal with it.” She glanced at her daughter sleeping in the cradle and then back at Michael. “I promise, I shouldn’t be more than twenty minutes. I know I’ve already taken up too much of your time…” She frowned. “They can’t fire you, can they?”

  “Technically, they could. They don’t know I’m undercover for Fish and Wildlife. I’m supposed to be looking for a moose on Main Street.”

  She laughed. “They’re pulling your leg. We don’t have moose here.”

  “Yes, you do.” He swiped the screen on his cell phone and showed her the photo from the front page of the Highland Falls Herald. “Look, it says so right here.”

  “It’s an elk. They look similar but a moose is a lot bigger. They can weigh as much as eighteen hundred pounds. The newspaper owner’s granddaughter wrote the story. She was doing a spring internship. She’s from New York City and obviously as well acquainted with wildlife as you are.”

  His phone pinged. He checked the screen. It was a message from Black.

  No sign of him. Gabe’s patrolling Main Street. What’s your status?

  Trying to stall Sadie. Text her grandmother. Tell her Sadie’s gone and that you need her help.

  “You should head out. I don’t want you to get fired. I’ll take Michaela with me,” she said, taking a step toward the cradle.

  “Are you kidding me right now?” He caught the surprise in her eyes at the anger in his voice. He was a little surprised himself. Even his colleagues, who were far from his number one fans, credited him with being unshakable, calm, and level-headed in any situation. Although they’d follow up the compliment with a comment about him having a chunk of ice where his heart should be.

  He rubbed his jaw. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have used that tone of voice with you. I’m just afraid you’re underestimating your brother and what he’s capable of, Sadie.”

  “I know my brother, Michael. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. I mean that literally. Elijah is a pacifist.”

  “A pacifist who moved drugs for a gang. Sorry, but come on. Drug dealers aren’t exactly singing ‘Kumbaya’ and roasting marshmallows in the woods.”

  “Okay, you’ve made your point. I’ll call Gran—” She turned at the sound of the door opening at the end of the hall. “That must be her now.”

  Obviously, Black had done as Chase asked and told Agnes that Sadie had left, which he’d hoped would be the case at this point. But Sadie had distracted him, and she was now one step ahead of him.

  “Sadie, wait,” he said when she went to open the office door. “I’m not sure confronting your grandmother is the best—” He sighed when she opened the door and rushed into the hall.

  “How could you, Granny? How could you be hiding Elijah all this time?” she called to her grandmother’s back.

  Agnes whirled around, looking sweetly innocent in a pink sweatshirt, white pants, and pink sneakers. She pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh now, you just about gave me heart failure. Nate said—”

  Sadie cut off her grandmother. “We’re even then. My heart has just about stopped twice today thanks to you. Is Elijah in the apartment now? Don’t lie to me, Granny.”

  While the two women were distracted, Chase moved to the door at the end of the hall. He had his hand on the knob when he heard the sound of sirens, and not just one. Something big was happening in Highland Falls. He hoped that something big didn’t involve an Elijah Gray sighting and the entire police department wasn’t about to converge on the store.

  Black appeared behind Sadie’s grandmother and met Chase’s questioning gaze with a negative head shake. He hadn’t seen Gray.

  “No, of course he’s not in my apartment. Whatever gave you that idea?” Sadie’s grandmother protested, frowning when she spotted Chase. “Whoa there, laddie. Where do you think you’re going? Sadie, stop that young man.” The older woman’s voice followed Chase as he disappeared up the stairs and into the apartment above the store, accompanied by his partner buying him time.

  “There you are, Mrs. M. I couldn’t get the cash register to open, and one of your customers thought I was robbing the place. I hope she hasn’t gone and called the police on me.”

  Sadie had a fairly good idea who had called the police, and it wasn’t a customer. It was her brother. It would be just like Elijah to set up a distraction so he could make a clean getaway. She glanced over her shoulder. Michael had obviously gone to search the apartment, exactly like he’d intended on doing all along. She appreciated him being protective of her and Michaela, but this was her problem, not his.

  “Nate, I need to have a word with my grandmother. She’ll be with you in a minute.” Sadie made a mental note to check out his story after she’d grilled her grandmother. Something about it didn’t quite jibe with her.

  “Sure, no problem,” Nate said, but he didn’t move.

  She was about to add in private when her grandmother said, “You told me Sadie had gone home, Nate.” Agnes sounded disappointed in her new hire.

  Sadie narrowed her eyes at the man, feeling like her earlier suspicions about him had just been validated. “You knew I was in the office, Nate. Why would you tell my grandmother I went home?”

  “I didn’t want to disturb you and your friend.” He gave her a broad wink as though he thought she and Michael had been making out. “And you and your gran had just had a falling-out so…” He trailed off as if that explained everything.

  Her grandmother pressed her hands to her chest. “Now is that not a fine piece of news to get on a day like today? You have a boyfriend, and a handsome one at that.” Agnes’s delighted smile fell. “But I don’t appreciate him going up to my apartment uninvited, Sadie.”

  At any other time, her matchmaking grandmother believing she had a boyfriend would have concerned Sadie, but right now she had bigger worries to contend with and couldn’t afford to waste any more time. Obviously, from the lack of commotion overhead, Elijah was gone, as Sadie had suspected he would be. “Granny, give me your cell phone.”

  “Sorry, dear, I don’t have it on me.” Her grandmother’s rubber-soled sneakers squeaked on the wood floor as she tried to make a getaway. “I’ll just check on the cash register with Nate. I won’t be but a minute.” Her Scottish burr had thickened, something it did when she was nervous.

  “White pants show everything, Granny. Including the outline of your phone in your front pocket. Hand it over.” Sadie made a gimme gesture with her fingers.

  “Sorry, but there are things on my phone I’d rather you not see. My friend Mr. Murphy has been getting a little flirty in his texts, if you know what I mean.”

  Sadie rolled her eyes. “Good try. No
w hand it over.”

  “You know, you’ve gotten very bossy since you had a baby. Where is Michaela, by the way?”

  “Don’t try and distract me, Granny. It won’t work. She’s sleeping in the office.”

  “Isn’t that wonderful!” her grandmother yelled as if Sadie had suddenly become hard of hearing.

  Sadie’s eyes went wide at the sound of sniffling coming from the office. “I can’t believe you did that. Is there anything you won’t do to protect Elijah?”

  “One of us has to protect him.” She grimaced at the sound of Michaela crying. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that, but I’m at my wits’ end. Your brother’s in trouble, serious trouble.”

  “Of his own making, and now he’s dragging you down with him.”

  Agnes’s bottom lip quivered.

  Sadie briefly closed her eyes. The sight of her grandmother fighting to contain her tears and fears got to her. “Nate, do me a favor and rock the cradle,” Sadie said to the man listening intently to their conversation.

  “Uh, okay.” He walked past her like he was on his way to the electric chair.

  “Thank you. There’s a bottle made up for her in the mini-fridge if she doesn’t settle right away.” She closed the office door on his God help me expression.

  “All right, I’ll hear Elijah out. But to do that, I need to talk to him. Where is he, Granny?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t,” she repeated when Sadie raised an eyebrow.

  “Okay, if that’s true, then the only way for me to get in touch with him is on your phone.” She sighed when her grandmother looked like she didn’t have a clue what Sadie was talking about. “I know my brother, Granny. I know how he thinks and how he operates. You also know I can easily hack your phone so you might as well hand it over.”

  “Fine.” She dug the phone out of her pocket and reluctantly handed it over. “But you have to promise me you won’t turn him in. Not until you hear him out. He knows he messed up, Sadie. He’s just trying to make it right. He’s scared.”