A Touch of Passion (boxed set romance bundle)

by Uvi Poznansky

  Murphy stilled. “Oh, God. Let me guess?”

  Kate nodded imperceptibly. “Merle Hagenmeyer appeared out of nowhere. Somehow, Lucy got away from him. She ran to her canoe, and hopped inside.” Kate met Murphy’s eyes. “But she’d lost her paddle in the struggle. There’d been a lot of rain that spring so the current was really, really strong. The current swept her up into the most dangerous stretch of the falls.”

  Kate became silent, obviously reflecting on her memories of the past.

  From the corner of his eye, Murphy noticed Nate was nearly finished with loading up their canoe.

  Kate drew in a deep breath, distractedly returning her gaze to Nate. “Hagenmeyer nearly caught up with her. But then the canoe flipped over and Lucy’s head must’ve been slammed into the seat. Apparently, she blacked out.”

  “Damn,” Murphy whispered. “How in the hell did she even make it out from the river alive, Kate?”

  “Gabe – or, rather, Izzy – saw her. Gabe and his daughter were in the process of moving into their home at Angel’s Way – it’s right on the junction of the lake and river. There’d been a terrible storm the night before. A huge pine had tumbled into the river and Lucy was caught up in the branches. Gabe said that if they’d discovered her even five minutes later, it would’ve been too late. She was close to going over when Izzy spotted her. Luckily, Gabe had rebuilt his dock and boathouse on the river for fishing and tubing. For safety, he’d hung up a rope with a buoy attached. He tied himself to the rope, and let the current sweep him towards her.”

  Murphy shook his head in disbelief. “How did he end up getting her out of the river? Izzy wouldn’t have been strong enough to pull them in.”

  “The pine tree. Apparently it held steady, even with the pull of the current. But it was sticky and oozing with sap. It took Gabe nearly twenty minutes to drag Lucy back to the shore against the current as he gripped and climbed through the branches.”

  “Whoa.”

  “Yeah,” Kate agreed quietly. “So, if Lucy’s behaving strangely when we meet up with her at the rest area – you’ll understand why.”

  Nate gave them a hand signal, confirming he was ready to return to the lodge.

  “Ready?” Kate questioned.

  Murphy nodded grimly.

  Chapter Twelve

  Hearing a sharp rap at the back door, Mike Callahan called out from where he was seated. “Come on in, Jake.”

  Jake Loughlin strolled into the kitchen. “Hey, everyone.” Wearing jeans and a T-shirt, the owner of the Dragonfly Pointe Inn was tall and thin with longish brown hair.

  Kate and Dan remained seated at the kitchen island, while Murphy stood up to be introduced. “Mr. Loughlin.”

  “Nice to meet you, Murphy. Just call me Jake.” They shook hands. “Cal’s told me lots about you. After he mentioned you were an offensive lineman at Northwestern, I figured that I wouldn’t have any trouble picking you out from the crowd,” Jake said dryly. “Heard your team’s gonna be pretty good this year?”

  Murphy was rather startled. Somehow he hadn’t pictured this man, as a multimillionaire and CEO, to be so down to earth and personable. He grinned. “I’d sure like to think so.”

  “I saw a few of your games on TV last year. Hmm. Maybe I’ll join Cal and Dan on one of their road trips this fall.”

  Cal nodded. “You know that you’re always welcome to come along, Jake.”

  Dragging over a stool, Jake took a seat next to Dan. “Seems like every time I’m supposed to come along with you, Cal, some crisis or another comes up.” Besides the Dragonfly Pointe Inn, Jake owned a string of exclusive hotels located in various cities across the U.S.

  “Dan and I were actually out at the inn last night. The place is beautiful,” Murphy added.

  Dan snorted. “I’m surprised that you even remember the inn, Murph.”

  “Sure, I do.” Murphy glared at Dan. “Just because I had a little too much to drink—”

  Dan barked out a laugh. “A little?”

  Kate laughed quietly.

  Jake was clearly amused as he shifted his gaze between Murphy and Dan. “Thanks. I’m pretty happy with the place since we’ve finished all of our remodeling.”

  “Hi, Jake.” Jenny Callahan slipped into the kitchen, pulling a pitcher of iced tea from the fridge. She turned to her husband, “Honey. Would you like another beer? Can I get a beer for you, too, Jake?”

  “Sure, Jenny,” Jake answered.

  After making sure everyone had refreshments, Jenny returned to the family room to watch a movie with her youngest daughter. Jeff was busy in his own separate corner of the room with a video game, while Kelly was munching on some microwave popcorn, waiting on the couch for her mother to begin the movie.

  Jake took a sip of his beer. “So. I hear we’ve got a problem at the campgrounds?”

  Cal’s expression suddenly turned grim. “I’ve told you about our missing materials?”

  Jake nodded.

  “This is different, Jake. Now they’re actually stealing from you.”

  Jake raised a brow.

  Cal went on to discuss, in detail, the situation that Kate and Murphy had outlined to him and Dan only minutes before.

  When he heard the entire story, Jake absentmindedly fiddled with his beer. “They’re not stealing from me, Cal. They’re stealing from all of the individuals who’re meant to benefit from this facility. If that lumber’s as valuable as you say, think of the additional improvements that could be made with the income from that lumber. Not to mention adding to the fund we’ve created for building the residential and vocational center we hope to be able to include out there someday.”

  The rest of the group murmured their agreement.

  Dan asked, “So. What’s most important? Do we halt the construction and excavate the remaining lumber? Or do we continue to search for the thief?”

  Kate turned to her father. “Maybe, if we’re lucky, our thief hasn’t had a chance to unload the lumber yet?”

  Thoughtfully, Cal nodded his agreement.

  Murphy had a suggestion. “Maybe we could contact potential distributors operating in the area? See if our thief has already attempted to unload the lumber? There can’t be that many companies prepared to handle reclaimed lumber. Can there?

  Dan grimaced. “More than you think, Murph. But I’ll make a few calls to some of our local lumberyards, first, and then work my way through the state if I don’t discover anything relevant within the vicinity.”

  Cal turned to his daughter. “Where’s Luke Arnett with all of this crap going on, Kate? It’s hard for me to believe he’s not involved,” he added sharply.

  Kate shook her head in frustration. “I don’t know, Dad. Why would he hand over the keys to the cabins if he was? Besides – would he really understand the significance of this find? To him, a two by four is just a two by four.”

  Cal sighed. “Yeah. I see what you’re saying, Kate. Luke’s great at overseeing the construction and supervising the crew – but that’s why we have guys like Gus to do the plumbing and Al Jacobs to take on the woodworking details. Even before I promoted Luke, his primary specialty was framing along with door and window installations.”

  Kate nodded.

  Dan shifted his gaze between Kate and his father. “We do agree, then – it has to be someone with woodworking knowledge?”

  Both Cal and Kate nodded their affirmation.

  Cal turned to Murphy. “Murph, you’re going back to the campgrounds tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, Cal.”

  “Good. Now that you know what to look for, we’ll give you a week or two on your own. If you don’t see anything suspicious, we’ll need to come up with another plan of action.

  Chapter Thirteen

  With her hands on her hips, Kate studied the kitchen of the Ivers’ home with immense satisfaction. The entire ground level had been converted into an open concept plan. After finally locating matching flooring from a demolition site further downstate, the original
wood flooring had been refinished, and then stained and extended into the kitchen. Blending in with a few of the original pine paneled walls, which she’d chosen to preserve and refinish, brand new hickory cabinets had just been installed.

  “This place looks absolutely beautiful.”

  With a start, Kate turned, suddenly noticing the stranger stepping in through the sliding glass doors.

  “I’m Jeff Ivers,” he said, moving forward and extending his hand. “I presume that you’re Kate?”

  “Mr. Ivers. I’m so glad to finally meet you.” Kate shook his hand.

  “Oh. Just call me Jeff, Kate.” Jeff’s eyes were intensely blue in his cleanly-shaven face. His hair was dark and somewhat shaggy. But Jeff Ivers had a face that was etched with sadness – his eyes appeared haunted.

  Kate offered him a warm smile. “Jeff, then.” She waved her hand towards the completed renovations. “I was just thinking about how happy I am with the transformation of this entire lower level.”

  “I definitely agree.” He shook his head with amazement. “I never knew this place could look so great.”

  “Would you like to have a look around?”

  Jeff grinned. “Sure.”

  Forty-five minutes later, as they stood upstairs on the final leg of their tour, Kate was hesitant. Only one room remained. “I haven’t touched a single thing in there.” She motioned to the door of the bedroom that was located next to the master suite.

  Closing his eyes, Jeff sighed. Taking in a deep, shaky breath, he twisted the knob. “I haven’t even been inside here since my daughter was killed,” he whispered unsteadily. “Sandra and I just could never do it – go through Anna’s stuff.”

  Despite the healthy coating of dust covering the surface of every item in the room, the room was in surprisingly good shape. Most of the interior water damage had occurred on the opposite end of the house where a tree had fallen onto the roof during a storm almost ten years before. Kate had discovered that the repair work on the roof afterwards had been shoddily done.

  Jeff blinked back tears as he strolled through the room. “Her favorite colors were pink and green,” he muttered. “And she loved flowers.” Reminiscent of the decades gone by, a chenille bedspread was embroidered with dainty white daises and leaves of green.

  “Well.” Kate studied the oversized canopy bed, along with the matching bureau and nightstand. All were painted in creamy shades of white. “I know that it might be difficult for you to make this kind of a decision – but you may want to hold onto Anna’s furniture. This bedroom set is really lovely.”

  He nodded. “Maybe, I will. Surprisingly, being in this room is bringing back a lot of good memories,” he added, moving over to the window. “We had a huge garden at home. I kept promising Anna we’d have a garden here, too.” Jeff’s voice was unsteady as he continued, “But, as always, I was way too busy with work. Anna and her mom spent most of the summer here by themselves.” He sighed wearily, as he turned in a circle to study the contents of the room. He stared at the long row of shelving, still lined with Anna’s favorite dolls. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to do this by myself.”

  Kate started, suddenly recalling another conversation she’d had years ago. What was it, Christina had said? Anna’s...unsettled. Her parents were divorced only a few years after her death. Kate was hesitant to make the suggestion. Had Anna’s mother ever remarried? According to Kate’s father, Jeff Ivers never had.

  “I...I know it’s none of my business. But maybe your ex-wife might want to help you go through some of Anna’s things?” Kate shrugged. “It might bring closure to your situation – especially since they’ve finally caught up with Anna’s murderer.”

  Jeff appeared startled when he met Kate’s eyes. “Actually, that’s a great suggestion, Kate,” he said quietly. “Sandra and I haven’t kept in touch. But ...maybe?” His eyes searched the room in silent contemplation.

  Moving over to stand before the bureau, Jeff studied some snapshots which had been slipped into the frame of its mirror. Absentmindedly, he nodded, seeming to make up his mind. “Yes. I’ll call Anna’s mother.” Moving over to the bed, he ran a hand over a teddy bear, which was tucked in between the pillows. “I remember this,” he said. “I brought it for Anna the last time I saw her.” With a shaking hand, he brushed a few tears from his eyes.

  Kate could feel the enormity of Jeff’s grief. Giving him a moment of privacy, she turned to stare at the clearing, visible through the window.

  After taking a final look around the room, Jeff sighed, and cleared his throat. “Well. Why don’t you show me what you’ve got going on in the kitchen, Kate?” he asked, gruffly.

  Kate nodded, understanding his desire to escape from this room and the memories it invoked.

  Fifteen minutes later, she and Jeff were standing next to a makeshift plywood table set up in an area near the kitchen.

  “I’ve chosen this material for your countertops.” She pointed out a sample of quartz, patterned with an interesting swirl of jades and creams. “I’ve tried to modernize but incorporate a lot of the original features of the home that made it unique. After all, this place is almost a hundred years old.”

  “Yeah.” Jeff nodded, searching through the samples. “Love the countertops, for sure, Kate. What are you using these smaller tiles for?” The pre-cut sheets of oblong tiles featured extended lengths of assorted shapes and sizes. “You’ve picked out some beautiful colors.”

  “Those are for the backsplash – lots of pops of color in different shades of green. Maybe I’ll install them vertically for a little more interest?”

  With an all-compassing gesture of his hand, Jeff shrugged. “Do what you want, Kate. I’m really pleased with your decisions, so far.”

  “I’ve tried to integrate some modern elements, which complement the original flooring and paneling.” Kate hesitated. “I went with the greens – not only because it seemed to be a color used on several of the original walls in the house – but because I noticed it seemed to be one of your daughter’s favorite colors in her room.”

  Jeff nodded absentmindedly. “My wife and I picked out the paint colors.” He smiled wryly. “Unfortunately, my parents balked at anything Sandra attempted to change in this place – even though my parents rarely spent any time here. Sandra always thought this place was drab. She had so many great ideas about how to turn this place into a home.” Wearily, Jeff sighed. “She always loved it here – we were even planning on retiring here.” He strode over to the window. “It’s great how you’ve opened up the outdoors to the inside, Kate, by clearing all the brush from the lakefront. What a view.” For a long quiet moment, Jeff stood staring out the window, apparently absorbed in his thoughts.

  Until the sudden hammering from the family room woke Jeff from his reverie. “So, I’ll be able to move in at the end of the summer?”

  “It shouldn’t be a problem. We seem to be back on target with our deadline.”

  “Will I be in the way if I move into the guesthouse before then?”

  “Of course not,” Kate responded. “Dad said he worked on the updates there, himself, about eight years ago?”

  “Yeah. I have a friend who actually lived there for a couple of years. I’ve been vacationing here off and on again for the last eight years, though. And then last year, I realized that life is just too short. Why not just retire here, as my wife and I once planned?”

  Kate nodded her agreement. “Personally, I can’t even see myself anywhere but Crystal Rock.”

  “Well. You’re young. If you get the opportunity to travel, you should do it. Don’t do what I did – get so wrapped up in your work that you don’t have a life otherwise.” Jeff’s eyes met hers. “It’s something I’ll always have to live with, neglecting my family.” Once again becoming emotional, Jeff turned his gaze back out through the window. “If I’d have just been here that day, Anna might’ve never been abducted.”

  It was obvious to Kate that Jeff’s visit into the house h
ad dredged up a staggering load of buried memories – as well as an immense amount of guilt. Offering reassurance, Kate covered his hand with hers. “Before long, we’ll have the place looking beautiful. I promise.”

  Jeff answered, hoarsely, “Thank you, Kate. You wouldn’t believe how much I really appreciate that.

  Chapter Fourteen

  After reviewing the surveillance tapes in Jake’s office with Cal at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn, Murphy, Kate, and Dan had adjourned to Kate’s cabin. While relaxing outside on the porch, Dan and Murphy were throwing out their thoughts while Kate flipped the burgers on the grill. Since they’d been going over the tapes on a nightly basis, Cal and Jake Loughlin were now focusing the majority of their attention on Luke Arnett.

  Too much attention as far as Kate was concerned. “I still don’t think he did it guys.” She efficiently scooped the burgers onto a plate from the grill.

  Halting their conversation mid-stream, both Dan and Murphy turned to Kate.

  Dan spoke first. “But we have him on video, Kate, going back and forth to the campgrounds at all hours.”

  Kate frowned. “But if he’s stealing that lumber, when’s he doing it? And how in the heck is he getting it out of there?”

  Murphy raised a brow. “Yeah. I see what you mean. Your dad is a little too eager to put the blame on Luke – although Jake Loughlin seems to be withholding his own opinion.”

  Kate motioned for Dan and Murphy to follow as she carried the burgers into the cabin. Resting the platter of burgers on the kitchen table, she began gathering paper plates and utensils.

  “Anything I can do?” Murphy asked.

  Kate smiled distractedly as she laid out the hamburger buns and condiments. “Maybe grab the potato salad from the fridge?”