by Anne Barwell
Tiny figures of dragons and other mythical creatures chased each other around one edge of it. The rest of it was still a blank canvas.
Donovan grabbed a cloth and quickly covered it. “Yes, but it’s not finished. It’s… a special commission. For a… friend.”
“He or she is very lucky,” Ethan said softly. He hadn’t missed the shadow that crossed Donovan’s face. There was a story there, something else Donovan didn’t want to share. Ethan hesitated. An idea was forming, but he wasn’t sure he should share it.
“What?” Donovan asked. Now the mirror was covered, his earlier expression had disappeared.
“Nothing.” Ethan decided he’d wait until he had something definite to share. It was never a good idea to raise someone’s hopes only to have them dashed. He’d phone Mitchell in the morning and talk through the idea with him. If he was interested, Ethan would ask Donovan if he could borrow one of the figurines so Mitchell could take a look at it. He was a friend Ethan had met through Duncan, and he owned a gallery. Donovan’s carvings were just the type of thing Mitchell was always looking for.
Ethan heard the noise of an engine. Hopefully it was Heidi, as their other customer wasn’t checking in until tomorrow. Unless it was…. Ethan pushed away the brief hope. It was unrealistic to presume Tomas would turn up on his first evening in Oakwood.
Oh God. What if it was someone else with the kind of news Ethan didn’t want to hear. How was he going to tell Kathleen? Although he’d gone over all the possibilities in his head, it was still one he didn’t want to deal with.
“Heidi’s home,” Donovan confirmed. “That’s her Land Rover.” He flicked the Off switch on the old electric heater in the corner. “We’d better get back inside before she comes looking for us.”
“Thanks for showing me your workshop,” Ethan said quickly, covering his sigh of relief that his fears hadn’t been realized.
Donovan frowned. Had he noticed Ethan’s reaction to the Land Rover? Ethan hoped not. Bad enough he’d just freaked himself out with those thoughts. Sharing would make them more of a possibility, and although he didn’t want to go there until he had to, he didn’t want to lie to Donovan about them either.
To Ethan’s relief, Donovan’s frown was quickly replaced by a smile.
“You’re welcome.” Donovan waited for Ethan at the door, then turned off the light. “I meant to ask you earlier whether you’d like a ride into the village tomorrow? It won’t be until early afternoon because we’ve got a business meeting in the morning.” Donovan lowered his voice. “A word to the wise. You don’t want to be here on a Wednesday afternoon. I always make a point of finding stuff to do on Wednesdays.”
“What happens on Wednesdays?” It sounded very cloak-and-dagger. “And sure, I’d love a ride into town if it’s not too much trouble. I figured I’d check out the village library. They have old newspapers, right?”
“Yeah,” Donovan said, not answering Ethan’s question about Wednesdays. “I’ll introduce you to Phoebe. She’s the librarian. The library is very old-fashioned like the rest of the village. She still uses one of those card catalogues but is slowly being dragged into this century. A couple of years ago, she reluctantly agreed to computerize the borrower records and let a local university student help her start scanning the old newspapers onto microfiche.” He began walking across the yard to the house but paused to glance back at Ethan. “They’ve gotten as far as 1920, so you should find at least some of what you’re looking for, especially if you’re looking for articles before that.”
“What makes you think I’m looking for newspapers prior to 1920?” Ethan raised an eyebrow, although he would have been surprised if Donovan hadn’t worked it out.
Donovan shrugged. “I figured after the comments you made earlier, you’d want to check the research I’d done.” He shoved his hands into his jeans’ pockets.
“That obvious, huh?” Ethan wondered if he should apologize. “Umm, sorry about that,” he mumbled.
Still, Donovan could have missed something.
“It never hurts to double-check your facts and….” Ethan decided he’d dug a deep enough hole already without adding to it. “You mentioned the Worthington,” Ethan said. “Perhaps I could buy you a pint when I’ve finished at the library. Call it a thank-you for the ride.”
“It’s no trouble. I was going there anyway,” Donovan protested. “I need to swap out my library books, and I’ve got a few errands to run.”
“I’d like a pint, and I’d prefer some company rather than drinking alone,” Ethan told him.
Donovan held up his hands in surrender. “Okay,” he said. “If you put it that way…. Can’t have you drinking alone.” He smiled. “Thanks, I’d love to.”
Chapter 4
“PLEASE COME in, Ms. Fitzgerald,” Heidi said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Knowing Heidi, she probably meant it, despite what Donovan had told her about his experience on the phone the evening before. Although she didn’t allow herself to be treated like a doormat, Heidi tended to see the good in everyone. “I’m Heidi Johnson.”
Donovan plastered on a smile. “Good morning, Ms. Fitzgerald. I’m Donovan Campbell. We spoke on the phone yesterday.”
“Ah, yes,” Jane said, following him into the living room. She looked to be in her midforties, but had sounded much younger on the phone. “So we did. It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Ms. Johnson.”
“Would you like some tea before we start, or would you prefer we got down to business first?” Heidi asked.
“Tea with our business sounds wonderful, thank you.” Jane looked around the room before settling down on one of the couches. She adjusted her short skirt and reached into her handbag for a pair of spectacles. “Your inn is quite lovely. Very quaint. I can see why people would like to stay here.”
“If—”
Heidi cut Donovan off before he could continue. “Donovan, would you mind preparing the tea while I ensure Ms. Fitzgerald has everything she needs for our meeting?”
“Sure. I’ll be back in a moment.” Donovan disappeared into the kitchen. They’d already decided that Heidi would do most of the talking until they got down to business.
Ethan looked up from the table when Donovan entered the room. “Would you like me to bring the tea in so you can focus on your meeting?” he asked, indicating the tea tray Heidi had already prepared. “That woman looks like a force to be reckoned with.”
“What makes you think that?” Donovan asked suspiciously. Ethan would have seen her walk from her car to the front door and not much more.
“She reminds me of our office manager at school,” Ethan said, lowering his voice. “It’s the officious tone. I recognized it immediately, and I’ve met several people like our Annabelle, unfortunately. Watch your back, okay?” He shrugged. “I could be wrong of course, but better to be safe than sorry and all that. And sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude, but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation when she arrived.”
“Thanks for the advice and for offering to carry the tea, but I’ve got it.” Donovan added hot water to the teapot. The kettle was already boiling—Ethan must have turned it on. “You’re just confirming what I already thought after I spoke to her on the phone last night.”
He picked up the tray and headed back to the living room.
“Unfortunately,” Jane was saying, “the figures we have in regard to your profit margins don’t exactly match your projected vision for the inn.” She handed Heidi a folder of papers. “You’ve been late with the last few mortgage payments, and while we’re happy to work with you, this can’t be allowed to become a habit.”
“The payments before those were all on time,” Donovan reminded her as he set the tray on the coffee table. “This summer was slower than the previous year, but even so, we still made our payments.”
He’d made up the difference by working on a neighbor’s farm, but she’d been late in paying him because one of her kids had ended up in the hospital.
�
��Yes, you did, but as I said, it can’t be allowed to become a habit.” She tucked a strand of curly blonde hair behind her ear. “This is a business venture, Mr. Campbell. Banks are not charities. Although we do work with our communities, we also do not make a habit of loaning money to customers who cannot meet their obligations.”
“We are meeting our loan obligations, Ms. Fitzgerald,” Heidi said. “As Mr. Campbell said, all the previous payments were on time.” She indicated the tray. “Please help yourself to some tea and a scone if you’d like one.”
“You have customers staying here at present?” Jane consulted her notes. “Two doesn’t seem that many, considering the size of the inn, does it?” She frowned. “I don’t remember seeing anyone here.”
Tomas was still listed as a guest, and Ethan had insisted on signing the guest book. Heidi had pointed out it wouldn’t be a good idea to tell Jane that not only did they not have many guests at present, they’d managed to lose one.
Ethan chose that moment to poke his head around the door. “Good morning, Miss Johnson, Mr. Campbell,” he said cheerily. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you had company, but I’d forgotten to say thank you for the wonderful breakfast this morning.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it, Mr. Leavitt,” Heidi said, following Ethan’s lead, “and thank you for letting us know. Is there anything else we can help you with?”
“No, but thank you for asking.” Ethan inclined his head toward Jane. “Sorry again for interrupting,” he said and carefully closed the door behind him.
His actions hadn’t exactly been subtle. Donovan trusted Ethan wouldn’t have listened in deliberately, but he knew from experience that noise traveled on the ground floor. If they’d wanted privacy, they should have held the conversation behind closed doors. As it was, he couldn’t help but wonder how much Ethan had overheard.
Jane added milk to one of the empty cups and poured herself a cup of tea. “It’s good to see your customers appreciate the service you’re providing. That’s important.” She sipped her tea. “It’s just a shame you don’t have more of them.”
“It’s coming into winter, which is a slow time,” Heidi said, “but I’m telling you something you already know. All of this is reflected in the guest book I showed you. We also have someone else checking in this afternoon.”
“Ah yes,” said Jane. “So you do, and I’m pleased to hear it. So… are future payments going to be a problem, or were the past few merely a glitch? I’m sure you’re doing what you can to promote the inn, though I notice there is still some maintenance that needs doing.”
Heidi and Donovan exchanged a glance.
“The late payments were a glitch,” Heidi said firmly. “Don’t worry, Ms. Fitzgerald. Your bank’s money is safe here. I apologize for the late payments. It won’t happen again.”
“Don’t worry,” Donovan added. “I’m onto the maintenance. It’s a work in progress. Now we’ve got the website set up, we’re hoping it will make a big difference.”
“That’s good to hear.” Jane put down her still half-full cup of tea. “Thank you for your hospitality, but I must be on my way, as I have other customers to see.” She collected her papers and put them back in her briefcase. “Please don’t hesitate to call me if there is a problem. I’m here for you if you need me.”
“I’ll see you out,” Heidi said. “Thank you for coming, Ms. Fitzgerald. Mr. Campbell and I appreciate it.” She turned to Donovan. “Don’t we, Donovan?”
“Oh yes, we do.” Donovan held out his hand and shook hers for as brief amount of time as was deemed polite. “Good day, Ms. Fitzgerald.”
“Mr. Campbell. Ms. Johnson.” Jane followed Heidi from the room but paused in the hallway to look around at the carvings that decorated the banister at the bottom of the staircase. “The inn was built in the mid-nineteenth century, wasn’t it?”
“At the turn of the twentieth, actually,” Heidi said. “The original owner commissioned it after he returned from the Boer War and then gifted it to his daughter when she came of age.”
“Fascinating,” Jane said. “Oakwood has such an interesting history, doesn’t it?”
“No more so than any other village in the area,” Donovan said, coming up behind them. As tempting as it was, he couldn’t leave Heidi in Jane’s clutches without backup. They worked together, and always had. “It’s quiet here.”
Mostly. Recent events aside, but he wasn’t about to tell her that.
“Of course it is.” Jane smiled. “It was one of the reasons I asked for the temporary transfer here. I’ve only been here a few days. I don’t suppose you could give me some pointers about any places I should visit while I’m here? I’m staying at the Worthington. Lovely place.” She laughed. “I almost booked a room here but then decided it probably wasn’t a good idea, considering we’d be doing business together.”
“No, it probably wasn’t a good idea,” Donovan agreed. He usually didn’t take an instant dislike to someone, but Jane was proving the exception. It wasn’t just her manner, but something else he couldn’t put his finger on.
“If you talk to Patricia at the Worthington, she’d be able to tell you about the area,” Heidi said. “Her great-grandfather used to be the manager of the bank you’re working at, but that was a long time ago of course.”
“Oh, how interesting,” Jane said. “Thank you. I’ll be sure to ask her about it.” She waved to both of them before climbing into her car and driving away.
“You owe Tricia, big-time,” Donovan told Heidi. “That woman is going to give her the third degree about her family now.”
Heidi shrugged. “Tricia likes talking about it, and she already told me to give Ms. Fitzgerald the tidbit if I wanted to.”
“You planned this?” Donovan didn’t know whether to be scared or impressed by the network Heidi had already set up in Oakwood. “And why do you get to call her Tricia, and she always corrects me and tells me her name is Patricia?”
“We girls need to stick together.” Heidi laughed. “Do you want to find Ethan and see if he wants some lunch before you guys disappear into town this afternoon?”
“How did you know we’re both going into town?”
Heidi gave him a “duh” look. “It’s Wednesday, silly. You’ve been going into town every Wednesday afternoon for as long as Mrs. O’Neil has been coming around.” She sighed. “I don’t know what your issue is with Brenda. She’s a lovely lady.”
“She asks a lot of questions I don’t want to answer,” Donovan said. Mrs. O’Neil was the village gossip. She knew everything about everyone—almost everyone, as Donovan still had secrets he didn’t want made common knowledge. “I trust you, Heidi, but I don’t trust her. If she finds out something, the whole village knows it within a couple of hours.”
“Your secrets are safe with me, like they’ve always been,” Heidi said softly. “I’ve noticed you’re getting nightmares again. Do you want to talk about it? And don’t worry; I have no intention of telling her about our financial problems.”
He wished he shared her optimism. The inn was in deep shit, and they both knew it, despite Heidi’s cheerful demeanor.
“I’m sorry I woke you. I know I can get loud when the nightmares are bad.” Donovan didn’t have to hide from Heidi. They’d known each other a long time—he’d met her around the same time he’d met Lee. The three of them had been inseparable at university, and she’d encouraged his relationship with Lee and been happy for both of them. Even so, he’d never told her exactly what had happened during his last tour of duty. He couldn’t face seeing her reaction when she found out.
“It’s okay, and if you change your mind and want to talk about them, you know where to find me,” Heidi said, although he hadn’t answered her question. “Oh, and Donovan?”
“Yeah?”
“Ethan’s a nice guy, don’t you think? Easy on the eyes too.”
“I’m not looking for a relationship, Heidi. We’ve had this conversation how many times now?” Donovan kn
ew she meant well, but he was more than happy with his own company. He had friends, so it wasn’t as though he was totally alone. “I’m real happy for you and Doug, but just because you’ve found someone here, doesn’t mean I’m going to or want to.”
“It’s been a long time since Lee died. He wouldn’t want you to pine after a ghost.” Heidi put a hand on Donovan’s shoulder.
“I’m not pining, Heidi. I’ve moved on. I’ve told you that.” Not everything was about Lee. Donovan had had a lot of other shit in his life, although he had to admit that the night before was the first time he’d dreamed about Lee in years. “Don’t let Doug hear you say that Ethan’s hot. He might think he’s got some competition.”
Heidi laughed, then sobered. “I know you’ve moved on, but I’m not blind. I saw the way you were watching Ethan this morning over breakfast. I haven’t seen you look at a guy that way in years.”
“I’m not interested, Heidi!” Donovan protested. “Geez, I’m not dead. I’m allowed to admire the scenery. It doesn’t mean I want to….”
“Yeah, I know. I also know that when you are interested in someone, you never risk finding out if it’s mutual either. Don’t worry. I’m not trying to hook you two up. Just get to know him while he’s here. It’s never a bad idea to make new friends, and I think with the way Ethan’s worried about Tomas, he could do with one too.”
“PHOEBE, THIS is Ethan Leavitt. Ethan, Phoebe Gordon, Oakwood’s librarian.” Donovan gave Phoebe a mock bow as he made the introductions.
Phoebe peered over her glasses at Ethan, then smiled. Slim and tall, she wore her hair tucked up in a bun. Although she had the appearance of a stereotypical librarian, there was something about her that suggested she was anything but. “Ah yes, you’re Mr. Kemp’s friend. Donovan mentioned you’d be staying at the inn.” She held out her hand. “Welcome to Oakwood, Mr. Leavitt.”