by Terri Reed
Colin jumped up to drag the trike to the door. Tyler helped him get it outside.
Grateful to Tyler for his care of her son, Heather stepped past a rocking horse to the workbench made to look as if the toy maker were in the process of building a dollhouse. The dust here had been disturbed as if someone had laid something across the bench. Behind the half-made dollhouse she found a leather-bound book.
Excitement accelerated her breathing. Could this be Seth’s mysterious journal? She opened the book to find it was a ledger with the farm’s payables and receivables for the past two years.
The corner of a white envelope sticking out from inside a small cubbyhole in the workbench caught her attention. She tugged the envelope out and found more than a dozen similar envelopes. Curious, she opened one and found an overdue bill dated last month. Her heart beat a frantic tune as she opened each envelope. They were all overdue bills. Some so past overdue that a collection agency had sent notices.
Her stomach sank. She began to understand. So this was why Seth had gone into business with a drug cartel. But why hadn’t he told her the farm wasn’t making a profit? And how long had this been going on?
Tucking the envelopes into her coat pocket and clutching the ledger under her arm, she went outside to find Tyler. He leaned against the railing, encouraging Colin as he rode the tricycle up and down the walkways, his little legs pumping as fast as he could. The tenderness on Tyler’s face stopped her breath.
The man might claim to not have any experience with children, but he obviously had a soft spot for them. Or at least for Colin. An ache of longing hit her so hard she fell back a step from the blow.
She wanted Colin to have a father. She wanted a husband to call her own. She wanted what she’d lost when Ken died.
Guilt for even contemplating replacing Ken in her heart, in her son’s heart, charged through her, setting her nerves on a sharp edge. She fought the urge to steady herself with a hand on the building’s outside wall. She had to get a firm handle on her feelings. Right now.
Tyler looked her way. She prayed he didn’t notice she was upset. Squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin, she repaired the crumbling shield around her heart as best she could. She had too many other things to worry about right now. She didn’t want to have to deal with her uncooperative heart craving something she couldn’t allow herself to have.
“What’s that?” Tyler said, his gaze on the book in her hands.
His eager tone propelled her to his side. “It’s the farm’s accounting records.”
“Oh.” There was no mistaking the disappointment in the word.
“I need to go into town and reconcile the farm’s finances.” She pulled the envelopes of unpaid bills from her jacket pocket. “Seth wasn’t paying the bills. I have no idea where the farm stands financially.”
“Does your family have a safe-deposit box where Seth might have hidden the journal?”
“I don’t know. My parents never mentioned one.”
“Any chance your brother might have opened one?”
She shrugged. “If he did, he never told me about it. But, then again, there seems to be a great deal he never shared with me.”
It hurt to realize how little she actually knew of Seth’s life and the secrets he kept. Secrets that put them all in jeopardy.
And had put her on a collision course with a wonderful man who had her emotions spinning out of control and made her long for things that could never be.
EIGHT
“I can’t believe Seth did this.” Heather clutched the leather-bound ledger with the farm’s bank records inside to her as Tyler started up the engine of his truck. She sat in the passenger seat and stared out the window at the passing scenery. Her stomach hurt; so did her heart.
She and Tyler had just come from the bank in Bonners Ferry where they’d gone over the farm’s financials with the bank manager and were now on their way back home. She’d left Colin with Liv. Blake and Nathanial had promised to keep an eye on the house, so Heather wouldn’t worry.
But worry was such a mild word for how she felt now that she’d learned Seth had put the farm in a precarious financial situation. He’d siphoned a good portion of the farm’s income to purchase personal big-ticket items. The new car that Olivia drove, the down payment on the town house he had intended to share with Liv once they married and the beautiful diamond engagement ring that Liv wore. Not to mention the deposit on a honeymoon package to the Cayman Islands.
“It seems your brother had made more than a few bad decisions,” Tyler commented, taking the turn off the highway onto the road leading to the tree farm.
“Understatement of the millennium. Bad decisions and lying to me. When I asked Seth about Liv’s ring, he claimed he’d been saving up. I had no idea he had paid for her car or the town house. I wrongly assumed those were Liv’s expenses.” Her fingers tightened around the ledger. “If we don’t turn a profit this season, I don’t know what will happen to the farm. To Colin and me.”
The thought of losing her family home was like a physical blow. The nausea she’d been trying to ignore for the past several hours intensified. She swallowed several times to keep bile from burning her throat.
Up ahead the Christmas Village came into view. So festive and inviting. It was late enough in the day that most of the employees who didn’t live on the farm had left for the day and wouldn’t return until Friday morning when the farm opened to the public.
Tomorrow was Thanksgiving.
She let out a groan.
Tyler shot her a glance. “What’s up?”
“I didn’t get a turkey. Or anything else, for that matter. And Thanksgiving is tomorrow. I always fix a meal for the staff who stay behind.” She sighed. “My grandmother and mom both did. Now I’ve dropped the ball.”
He reached over and took her hand. “I’ll take care of it.”
His big warm hand engulfed hers, offering comfort and protection. She wanted to lean on this man. To let him shoulder some of her burdens, her concerns. It had been so long since she’d had someone to share her load with that the weight of her troubles threatened to bury her. But it would be selfish of her to slough off her duties and obligations. Wouldn’t it?
Not to mention dangerous. She couldn’t let herself become too dependent on him; doing so would only lead to more heartache when he left.
“I can’t ask you to do that,” she said, withdrawing her hand from his. “I’ll have the grocery store deliver what we’ll need for tomorrow’s feast.” It would cost twice as much, but what choice did she have?
“Seriously, let the guys and me take care of everything.” He brought the truck to a halt at the back steps of the farmhouse. “You’ve enough to contend with right now.”
“You’re sweet to want to help,” she said. “But I don’t think catering a meal for my employees is in your job description.”
“But it is.” He cut the engine and swiveled to face her. “This will give us a good opportunity to interact with the employees. And while they are all gathered eating, Blake and Nathanial can search the farm without prying eyes.”
He made a good case. But... “Letting you take over doesn’t sit well.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t like the fact that I’m losing control of my life.” And her heart if she wasn’t careful. Two good reasons to say no to his proposal.
“You can supervise,” he said with a smile that had her heart fluttering.
Maybe that would work. And truthfully, the thought of putting together a Thanksgiving dinner completely overwhelmed her given what had gone on in the past few days. She was spent. Besides, as he’d said, it would be good for the investigation, and the sooner the investigation was over, the sooner her life would go back to normal. Whatever normal was anymore.
As much as it ga
lled her to hand this over to him, doing so would be for the best all around. “That would be fine. Thank you.” She dropped her gaze to the ledger in her lap. “What am I going to say to Liv? Seth spent money that wasn’t his to spend. Liv will have to give up the town house and the car at the very least.”
“You’ll find the right words when the time is right.” Tyler lifted her chin with a finger, forcing her to meet his gaze. “You are not alone in this, Heather. I’m here to help you. But more importantly, God is with you.”
How did Tyler do that? He understood what she was feeling when she hadn’t even admitted to herself how alone and lonely she felt. A chunk of her heart melted.
But Tyler was temporary. When this was over, he’d leave. And she and Colin would have to learn to live without him or anyone else. It would be just the two of them against the world.
She didn’t want to think about that yet. Didn’t have the mental fortitude just now. For the time being she was grateful to have Tyler’s stable and calm company. Tyler and his team, that was.
They left the truck and entered the house. Colin and Liv were seated at the dining table playing Candy Land. Seeing them together brought a pang of sorrow. Liv doted on Colin and would have made a wonderful aunt.
“Mommy, I’m winning,” Colin boasted with a big grin.
A rush of love infused Heather, taming the worries about the farm’s financial situation. As long as her son was safe and healthy, nothing else really mattered. Tyler was right—God would protect them and provide for them. She couldn’t let circumstance diminish her faith.
Her faith was stronger than that. She only hoped she was stronger than her attraction to Tyler.
* * *
Nathanial rubbed his hands together. “A real American Thanksgiving dinner.”
The Canadian’s enthusiasm brought a smile to Tyler’s lips. He sat on a rickety chair inside the cabin in which the two IBETs members were staying in.
Two extra-long twin beds took up half the space, while a small table, chairs and kitchenette took up the rest. A community restroom with showers was a few paces outside the door.
Heather was right when she’d said the cabin would barely be big enough for the two men. Since Liv was there with Heather and Colin, Tyler had risked taking fifteen minutes to update the guys on the situation and asking for their help in providing a Thanksgiving feast for the dozen or so people who would remain on the tree farm tomorrow. “You up for the challenge?”
“Better believe it.” Nathanial’s lit-up expression reminded Tyler of a kid in a candy store. “Would we be having the marshmallow yam dish? I had that once years ago.” He smacked his lips. “Yum, yum.”
“You mean sweet potato pie,” Blake drawled, letting his Southern twang out in all its glory. “I will make my mama’s recipe. There’s nothing better.”
“As long as there’s turkey and gravy, I’m sure everyone will be happy.” Tyler opened his wallet and thumbed out several large bills. “This should cover the expense.”
Blake took the money, then eyed him with concern. “You’re getting invested in this woman and her problems.”
He clearly wasn’t referring to the case in his hands. Tyler wouldn’t deny the statement. Instead he deflected the comment. “I’m invested in seeing this assignment through. If that means paying for a fancy meal cooked by you two, then so be it.”
“Be careful, bro,” Blake said with a dose of censure in his tone. “Someone’s gonna get hurt. They always do.”
Tyler studied the other man. “You speaking from experience?”
Blake’s jaw hardened. “This isn’t about me. That kid’s growing attached to you. Not to mention the mom.”
Guilt scratched at Tyler’s conscience. “I’m not making promises I can’t keep. I’ve been straight with Heather. She understands the priority is bringing down the drug ring.”
“And finding her brother’s killer,” Blake stated.
“Yes, that, too.” Though Tyler was positive they were one and the same.
“To that end,” Nathanial interjected, “the trucks are scheduled to leave tomorrow, late afternoon. If we’re going to find out how the drugs are being smuggled out, we have a very short window of time.”
“True.” Tyler rose. “So here’s the plan. One of you goes into town and does the shopping. While you’re there, look into Liv’s town house. Find out who holds the loan. Heather’s going to need that down payment back.”
Blake wagged his head. “Man, what are you doing? That isn’t our business.”
“Technically, no, it’s not, but—”
“But nothing,” Blake cut him off.
Nathanial held up a hand. “Time out. I’ll head to town.” He pointed at Blake. “You make a shopping list.” Nathanial opened the cabin door. “Tyler, you get back to the lady and her son. You were tasked with their protection. We’ll do our part.”
Thankful for Nathanial’s level head, Tyler rose. “I appreciate it.”
He left the cabin, but Blake’s words hounded him all the way back to the farmhouse. After checking in on Heather and Colin, seeing that they were safe, Tyler headed to the carriage house to ponder how he’d let himself get so involved in Heather’s well-being, not just physically keeping her safe, but her emotional well-being. He really needed to put the kibosh on the latter because it was wreaking havoc with his emotional well-being.
Blake was right. Any way Tyler played it, someone was going to get hurt. Letting himself care too much would jeopardize his judgment, not to mention set him up for disappointment. Or worse, he would end up disappointing Heather and her son.
He needed to distance himself from the mother and child. Though he couldn’t physically distance himself, he could be more detached, more professional.
That meant no more hanging around her for the sake of being near her, no more touching her and definitely no more thoughts of kissing her.
Unfortunately, he had a feeling detachment would be a harder battle to win than bringing down a drug cartel.
* * *
While Nathanial stayed at the farmhouse with the ladies talking turkey and desserts, Tyler and Blake took advantage of the cover of night to inspect the refrigerated trucks. Tyler knew the Canadian would protect Heather, Liv and Colin. He was a good guy, trustworthy. Yet Tyler couldn’t ignore the bits of jealousy that clung to him as he and Blake made their way to the loaded trucks by the light of the moon.
“You take that one,” Blake said, pointing to the first truck. “I’ll take the other one.”
Tyler acknowledged Blake with a thumbs-up, though he wasn’t sure the other agent could see him. Starting with the cab, Tyler inspected the inside compartment, checking the obvious places first like the glove box, under the seats, in the door panels and in the sleeping bunk behind the captain’s chairs. He pried off the door panels, felt around the headliner and checked under the mats for secret cubbyholes. Nothing.
Using his penlight, he checked the engine, the body panels, the chassis and differential for signs of tampering. No scratch marks, no uneven alignment.
Frustrated by the lack of evidence, he figured the concealed drugs must be inside the refrigerated truck with the Christmas trees. He opened the back doors. A foul odor emanated from inside the box. He faced a mound of trees wrapped in thin netting to condense the size of the trees while protecting them from damage during transport. There had to be at least a hundred trees filling the whole box.
Great. He’d have to unload all the trees to search inside for a hidden compartment.
He grasped the end of the closest tree and tugged. The whole stack shifted. Concerned the whole lot would come shooting out, he let go. His hand came away with a sticky residue that smelled so bad his eyes watered. “What in the world?”
He shone his penlight on the tree and inspected the stem.
A thin cut circled the trunk about a half inch from the butt end.
“Find anything?” Blake asked as he approached.
“Something odd.” Tyler showed Blake the tree trunk.
“That is odd. And smelly.” Blake leaned closer. “Hmm, deer urine.”
Tyler cringed. “Yuck. Did you come across something worth mentioning?”
“Nope. That truck hasn’t been filled with trees yet. I couldn’t find any hidey-holes for drugs inside or outside.”
Disappointed, Tyler shut the box door. “I want Heather to take a look at this tree. And I need to wash my hand.”
“I second that.”
When they reached the farmhouse, pie prep was in full swing. Tyler stopped in the doorway. “Heather, can I see you for a moment?”
They stepped out onto the back porch.
Heather’s nose wrinkled. “What have you been doing?”
“Apparently a deer used a tree before it was cut down.” He hid his hand behind his back, but that did nothing to alleviate the smell.
“Ugh. We do have a whitetail deer herd that comes through when the weather turns cold. You really should go scrub your hand. Deer carry some nasty diseases.”
“I don’t want to smell up your house,” he said.
“I’ll be right back.” Heather hurried inside. A few minutes later she returned with a wet, soapy washcloth, a dry towel and a dish of water.
Taking the washcloth, he wiped his hand, then rinsed in the water she held. Using the towel, he said, “Thank you. That’s much better.”
“If I were you, I’d do another scrub at the sink.”
“I will, thanks.”
She set the bowl aside on the wooden porch. “What did you find?”
“Nothing. Or maybe something. I need you to look at a tree in one of the trucks.”
“Let me grab my coat.” She gathered the soiled cloths and bowl, then headed back inside. When she returned, she’d put on her red parka. She handed him a pair of work gloves. “So you don’t get smelly again.”