by Terri Reed
SEVEN
“Heather!” Tyler called out in a hushed tone as he caught up to her and gripped her elbow to stop her from running away.
Heather froze, her body rigid.
“Tyler!” She whirled to confront him. The shadows concealed her expression, but moonlight glistened on the flakes of snow landing in her dark hair, creating little sparks that matched the anger in her tone. “You scared me.”
Contrite, he rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
She let out a trembling breath. “What are you doing out here?”
“I was walking the perimeter and I saw you come outside.” He wished he could see her face. “Are you ill?”
“No.” The stiffness left her body. Her shoulders slumped, and her voice quivered. “Just overwhelmed.”
Hurting for her, he led her back to the bench and eased them both down to sit side by side. He shed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders, keeping his arm loosely around her. The frigid night air seeped through his T-shirt. “You shouldn’t have come outside alone.”
“I know. I wasn’t thinking.” She sat with her spine straight as if to avoid leaning too much on him. She tried so hard to be independent. Was that why he felt such an insane desire to ease her load, to take care of her?
Needing a distraction from his thoughts, he changed the subject. “It must have been hard to look at pictures of your past,” he said softly. His fingertips drew small circles on her biceps.
“Yes.” She sniffled.
He tensed, unsure how to deal with a crying woman. Then something his grandmother said came to mind. “It’s okay to cry. My gran always told me crying was the heart’s way of letting out the bad stuff to make room for the good stuff.”
“She sounds like a smart woman.”
“Gran was my rock. She’d held me together so many times as a kid.”
“Was?”
Sorrow pinched his heart. “She and Gramps are gone now.”
A shudder worked through Heather. He pulled her close. Alarm bells went off in his head, but he ignored them. She needed comfort right now, and he knew she wouldn’t ask for it. It was the least he could offer her, considering he’d scared her. Not to mention upset her life even more than it had been by revealing her brother’s less than honorable actions. Holding her now had nothing to do with opening up to her earlier, revealing his private pain. He wasn’t sure why he’d done that. Maybe because of all the people in his life, she’d be the one to understand. She, too, had been touched by drug addiction. A bond shared was a powerful thing indeed.
For a moment she resisted, and then she melted into his arms. Her silent tears soaked through his T-shirt where her cheek rested against his chest. For a long moment he held her as she cried. Her tears didn’t scare him as he’d thought they would. He doubted she’d let very many people see her break down before. For some reason that made his ego puff up for a moment.
But then reality dawned, and he squashed his inflated ego. Comforting her wasn’t about him. She was so busy being strong for her son, for Liv, for her employees. That she felt safe enough with him to lower her defenses only told him how much she needed to let loose. Bottling up all the emotion couldn’t be good for her or her son.
That was all that mattered.
She shivered and burrowed in closer. “It’s snowing.”
The flakes were bigger now and sticking to the ground.
“Come on—let’s get you inside,” he said as he pulled her to her feet. After he tucked her in close to his body, they walked across the lawn, leaving a trail of footsteps in their wake. Side by side they climbed the stairs to the back porch. She hesitated at the door. He gave her a questioning look.
“Thank you,” she said softly, laying both of her hands on his chest, covering the stain of her tears. The warmth of her touch sank through him, heating his heart, making it feel full. Complete...
“You’re welcome.” Gazing into her lovely eyes, so pretty with specks of gold and green. They made him think of picnics and warm, lazy days. His gaze dropped to her mouth. Full lips, red from the cold. Such a pretty mouth. So kissable.
She glanced up and then made a small noise of dismay before stepping back. He followed her gaze to the sprig of mistletoe hanging from the eave above him.
Without another word, she opened the door and stepped inside, leaving the door open for him. Disappointment engulfed him. He scrubbed a hand over his whiskered jaw and called himself a jerk for thinking about kissing her when she’d been so upset. But the reality was he wanted to kiss the lovely Heather, and he’d be kidding himself if he denied that fact. And if she hadn’t retreated when she had, he might have weakened and given in to the temptation to kiss her.
He filled his lungs with the fresh, freezing air to cool down his blood and calm his racing heart.
Why was it every time he was around Heather, he lost focus on the job?
His fascination with her had to stop.
Now.
Though he knew he should return to the carriage house over the detached garage and create some distance between himself and Heather, he didn’t feel right deserting her when she was so upset. That was all. So instead of beating a hasty retreat he entered the farmhouse and shut the door behind him. Warmth from the central heating chased away the chill from outside. Heather stood at the kitchen counter sipping from a mug, her gaze everywhere but on him. Liv sat at the dining table, surrounded by photographs.
Liv glanced inquisitively from him to Heather and back.
But she didn’t comment.
“I’m going to check on Colin,” Heather said before hurrying from the room.
Rising from her seat at the table, Liv speared him with a hard look that was so different from the mushy mess she’d been earlier. “What are your intentions toward Heather?”
Taken aback by both the question and that Liv was taking it on herself to be Heather’s champion, he sought for a neutral tone as he answered. “We’re friends. Business partners. Nothing more.”
She pointed one red-tipped nail at him. “Don’t play with her affections. She’s been through enough trauma in her life.”
Half offended and half pleased by her concern for Heather, he said, “I wouldn’t dream of hurting Heather. Or Colin.”
“You better not,” Liv stated in a firm tone that didn’t quite match his perception of her. “I’ll be watching you.”
He suppressed a chuckle. “It’s good to know you’re watching out for her best interest.”
Liv nodded. “I am. I was going to be her sister, you know.” She moved back to the table. “Just because Seth is gone doesn’t mean I should stop caring about Heather and Colin.”
“Of course not.” Tyler stepped to the table and stared at the images spread out before him. Heather had been a cute kid and a pretty teen. The happy pictures of her family seared him clean through. She deserved to be happy again. She and Colin deserved so much more than a man like him. Not that he was asking to be their man. But seeing these images brought home how very different their lives had been and how different their futures were.
And how a relationship with Heather was an impossible dream. A dream he needed to put out of his mind.
When Heather returned a few moments later to report Colin was still fast asleep, Tyler took his leave.
“Good night, ladies.” He shut the door behind him and made his way back to the carriage house. He paused at the top of the stairs leading to the apartment door. His gaze swept across the view of the house, the work buildings and rows and rows of trees. All was peaceful, quiet. But for how long?
At some point the people responsible for Seth’s death would surface with their drugs. And when that time came, he and the team would be ready. He could only hope it happened before all his defenses cru
mbled and he allowed the sweet and tempting Heather to breech the barricades of his heart. He could still feel the heat of her touch. He put his hand over his heart as if doing so would be enough to block Heather from getting inside.
* * *
The next morning, Heather had her emotions back under control. She was so embarrassed about her sobfest last night. Thankfully, poor Tyler had endured her tears, and for that she was grateful. But he wasn’t here to be her shoulder to cry on. He was here to bring down a drug ring and find her brother’s killer.
That was reason enough to keep a firm rein on her control and not give in to the need to lean on Tyler, to long for his kisses. And, oh, boy, did she. When they’d been standing there at her back door, the tenderness in his eyes had melted her heart into a puddle, and for a moment she’d been on the verge of rising on tiptoe to close the gap between them. But then she’d spied the green mistletoe with the red ribbon hanging overhead and reality slapped her upside the head.
Kissing him wasn’t something she could allow. Not now, not ever. She had to think of Colin. She had to maintain control of her emotions to be everything her son needed despite how good it had felt to release her anguish. She’d kept all her suffering locked up inside, thinking it would make her strong. Letting it out had had the desired effect. She was infused with renewed strength, energy.
Tyler’s words floated through her mind, and she smiled. She liked the idea of relinquishing the bad to make room for the good. She could use some good right about now.
But freeing her inner torment hadn’t quelled her queasy stomach. This morning was not much better. She prayed she wasn’t getting sick. The last thing she needed was to be laid up with the flu.
After dressing, she checked Colin’s room, but he wasn’t there. A bubble of concern stirred her nausea. Clamping her lips together, she hurried downstairs to find Colin and Liv sitting on the couch watching a kid’s show with the volume low. Relief swept through her like a clean wave, but it did nothing to quell her upset stomach.
“Mommy!” Colin cried when he noticed her. He jumped up and raced into her waiting arms.
She swung him up and kissed him noisily, loving his laughter.
Liv walked past them into the kitchen. “I’ll make French toast. Anybody want some?”
“Me!” Colin pushed at Heather’s arms. She released him, and he ran into the kitchen.
Following at a more sedate pace, Heather noticed the dining table had been cleared except for a stack of photos and a large three-sided display board.
A knock at the back door drew her attention. She pushed the curtain aside and wasn’t surprised to see Tyler. Sunlight bathed him in a soft glow. He’d shaved and changed into jeans and a plaid button-down shirt beneath Seth’s old shearling jacket. Her heart did a little jig in her chest. Remembering what a mess she’d been last night raised her blood pressure.
Stifling the urge to do an about-face and head out the front door, she opened the back door instead and stepped aside so he could enter. “Good morning.”
Though he smiled, there was a determination in his eyes that hadn’t been there yesterday. “Morning.”
“Mr. Tyler!” Colin ran straight at him.
Tyler lifted him high and then set him on his feet. “Little man, how are you today?”
“Good. Aunt Liv is making French toast.”
The shock of hearing her son call Liv Aunt reverberated through Heather and dislodged a shard of grief to pierce her heart. She supposed there was no harm in Colin referring to Liv with the familial title. If Seth had lived, Liv would have been Colin’s aunt.
“Would you like to join us?” Liv called out from the kitchen. “There’s plenty.”
At his questioning glance, Heather nodded her encouragement.
“Sure, I’d love that,” he said to Liv, but his attention remained on Heather.
Suddenly hot, she tugged at the collar of her sweater.
“It’s beautiful outside.” He shed the jacket and hung it on the back of a chair. “The layer of snow makes everything look so pristine.”
“Hopefully it won’t melt.” Like she was doing beneath his heated gaze.
Heather escaped into the kitchen to gather plates and utensils. She set the table, skirting around Tyler but pausing slightly to inhale his aftershave. A woodsy scent that brought to mind cozy nights curled up on the couch by the hearth. Her mouth went dry.
“Sit down,” Liv ordered. “Breakfast is served.” She carried in a plate piled with thick slices of egg-dipped bread that had been cooked to golden brown on both sides.
Heather hadn’t expected to have much of an appetite, but she easily ate two pieces. Liv kept up a running dialogue of stories about her clientele at the beauty salon she owned. When they were done, Tyler helped Heather clear the table.
“Liv, we’ve got this,” he said when Liv followed them into the kitchen.
Apparently he wanted to talk to Heather alone. She hoped he didn’t bring up last night. She owed him an apology. However, she had no desire to talk about her mini-breakdown.
A frown puckered Liv’s perfectly plucked eyebrows. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Tyler said. To Heather he said, “I’ll wash—you dry.”
Heather opened a drawer and took out a clean dish towel. “Sounds good.”
Liv shrugged and left the room.
As soon as the other woman was out of earshot, Heather said, “Sorry about last night.”
He scrubbed a dish. “No worries.” He handed her the plate. “I’ve been thinking.” He lowered his voice. “What if Seth stashed the notebook in the Christmas Village?”
Placing the dried plate in the cupboard, she contemplated Tyler’s question. “He might have. Though there would be a greater possibility of discovery by just about anyone.”
“Not if he disguised the journal,” Tyler countered. “I remember peering into a couple of storefronts that had bookshelves.”
Why hadn’t she thought of that? “I think you’re onto something there. I remember once he hid a book that my parents disapproved of in the tailor shop.”
“There you go.”
“I did promise Colin we could help Rob some more today.”
“That would be the perfect cover for looking around,” Tyler said in an accent that made her think of Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther movies.
She smiled but didn’t dare try an accent. “Yes, it would.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “Then it’s a plan.”
She laughed, liking his playful side. They finished cleaning up the breakfast dishes, and then she got Colin ready to go outside.
Knowing the polite thing to do was invite Liv, Heather asked, “Would you care to join us?”
Liv waved her hand and sat at the dining table again. “I’m going to work on the memorial board.” She picked up the stack of photos and laid them out on the table.
Afraid she’d tear up again, Heather turned away from the pictures. With Colin between them, she and Tyler walked across the property, through the trees and past the cabins to the Christmas Village.
Most of the decorations had been finished the day before. A few employees swept the wooden walkways. Others had put down sand to smooth out the graveled ground. Today the petting zoo was being assembled. At the back of the large pen where the animals would roam free was a large-scale nativity scene with mannequin Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus in a manger. A large star hung over the baby from a pole that had been attached to the back of the pen.
“You go all out here,” Tyler commented.
“We do,” she agreed.
Rob was standing with a man Heather didn’t recognize near the Toy Shoppe. The outside of the shop had been painted red with white trim. Two large windows flanked the door. In one window an array of china dolls stare
d out at them with unblinking eyes. The other window had various-sized stuffed teddy bears and an assorted display of old-fashioned toys made from wood, some of which her father had crafted.
As Heather, Tyler and Colin approached, Rob broke off his conversation with the young man, saying, “We’ll discuss this more later.”
The young man nodded and sauntered away.
Colin tugged his hand loose from Heather’s to run to Rob. The older man ruffled his hair.
Exchanging a curious glance with Tyler, Heather asked Rob, “What was that about?” Her gaze strayed to the man heading out of the village.
“That is Paul Ambrose,” Rob said. “Dean Ambrose’s kid.”
Though she recognized the name, she couldn’t put a face to it.
“Dean usually drives the sleigh,” Rob supplied. “But he’s having some health issues, and Paul has volunteered to take his father’s place.”
“That’s kind of him,” Heather said. “Does he know how to drive the sleigh?”
Rob shrugged. “Better than I do.” He shifted on his cane. “We’re almost ready here.”
“Yesterday I didn’t get a chance to show Tyler the different buildings.” She gestured to the toy shop. “Is it unlocked?”
“It’s not.” Rob held out a ring of keys. “The red key opens that door.”
“Who, besides you, has keys to the buildings?” Tyler asked.
“Seth had a set.” Rob frowned. “Not sure where they ended up.”
“I didn’t see them in his room,” Heather said. “Could they be in the barn?”
Rob shook his head. “I didn’t see them in the tack room or any of the stalls.”
She unlocked the door and pushed it open. Inside the air was musty and stale. A layer of dust coated everything.
“Look, Mommy, my old tricycle!” Colin sat on the blue trike, his long legs scrunched up to his chin, and rode forward a few inches.
“Hey, buddy, why don’t we take that outside,” Tyler said.