by Alison Stone
Becky stood and set her mug in the sink. “Looks like my cue to leave.” She slowed and touched Grace’s arm. “Take care, okay?”
Grace nodded. “Thanks for everything.” The two women exchanged a brief hug.
“You’re welcome.” Becky picked up her overnight bag from the floor and slung the strap over her shoulder. She greeted Heather and Zach as she slipped out the back door.
Heather appeared suntanned and well rested. And happy. She flicked her thumb toward the yard with a confused look on her face. “Booking overnight guests while we’re gone?”
“Long story.” Grace hugged her sister fiercely. “You guys are back early.”
“A few days early,” Zach said with a broad smile.
“Miss this place too much?” Grace asked, confused.
“I was feeling a little queasy on the boat. We caught an earlier flight home from one of the ports.”
Grace studied her sister. Heather glanced at her husband, then back at Grace. She placed a hand on her midsection. “I’m pregnant.” She hunched up her shoulders and a smile crept up on her face. “Morning sickness.” Her happiness was contagious.
Grace hugged her sister again, and a tear tracked down her cheek. “I’m thrilled for you.” She reached out and playfully tapped Zach’s cheek with the palm of her hand. “And you. You guys deserve all the best.”
“So tell me,” Heather said, as she sat down at the table. “How have things been around here?” She glanced around the bed & breakfast, her pride and joy. “Looks like you held down the fort. I hope your stay in Quail Hollow was uneventful.”
“Why don’t you and Zach get settled first? We’ll talk later.” Grace didn’t want to throw a wet blanket over their happy homecoming by telling her sister about her car. Hopefully, the collision shop would have it repaired soon so that her sister wouldn’t be inconvenienced.
Heather pushed to her feet. “Sounds good.” Zach breezed past with the luggage, and Heather followed him upstairs.
Grace turned and stared out the window. A wicked wind sent the top layer of snow into a mini tornado. She shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself.
The sound of another vehicle made her glance toward the driveway. Conner’s patrol car. She had thought they said their goodbyes last night. A lightness sent butterflies fluttering in her chest. She hustled to the mudroom, threw on her coat and opened the door, not caring if she seemed too eager to see him.
Upon noticing her as he walked across the yard, he took off his hat and smiled. Her heart melted a little bit more. He reached the back porch in a few long strides. “Becky filled you in?”
“About the arrests? Is it really over?”
Conner nodded. “Everyone involved has been arrested.”
“Good.” She rolled up on the balls of her stocking feet in the doorway.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I hope we’re not over.”
Grace tilted her head. Emotion trapped the words in her throat. A harsh wind whipped up and blew the hair from her face.
Conner stepped closer. “I couldn’t let last night be the end. I don’t want to say goodbye.”
Tears burned the backs of her eyes. She’d be lying if she claimed they were from the wicked winds. “Neither do I, but I couldn’t find the right words last night.” She met his gaze. “I’ve always been afraid to get hurt, but I’ve never met anyone like you.”
Conner took her hand and stepped into the mudroom and closed the door behind them. “I understand. I promised myself I’d never repeat the mistakes of my parents. That I’d somehow protect my heart if I never risked it.” He reached up and cupped her cheek. “But after thinking I’d lost you last night to that lunatic, I realized I’d been foolish.” He traced her jawline with his knuckle. “You’re too special to let go because I made a promise to myself to remain a bachelor when I was young and naïve.”
Her face grew warm, despite the cool touch of his hand. A smile tugged on the corners of her lips. “Looks like we both had time to reflect last night.”
He ran his fingers through her hair. “These feelings had been growing for awhile. The events of last night jolted me into realizing I couldn’t keep ignoring them. I was afraid you’d leave before I had a chance to talk to you in person.”
Grace reached up and wrapped her fingers around his wrist. “But where do we go from here?”
“I have an idea.” He stepped closer and pressed a kiss to her lips.
* * *
Grace tasted like good coffee and morning sunshine. Conner hadn’t slept much last night after nearly losing Grace. Then, this morning, he had gotten a quick phone call from Zach when they landed. Conner couldn’t risk Grace leaving without knowing how he truly felt.
He stepped back and Grace tenderly touched her lips. Dipping her head, she slipped past him and into the kitchen. “I imagine you have to get back to work? Can I get you a coffee to go?”
“That would be great.” He watched her open and close the cabinets, probably looking for a to-go cup. Sensing her unease, he stepped up behind her and gently touched her back. “How about I stay for the coffee?”
“Oh, sure.” She grabbed a mug, filled it and handed it to him.
He took a sip and decided to update Grace. Give her a minute to settle down, to process everything they shared. “This is great. Hey, I have good news about Katy Weaver. She went home from the hospital yesterday. The doctors feel she’s on her way to a full recovery.” The young Amish woman injured in the crash would get to live her life.
“What a relief.”
“For everyone.”
“How’s Jason’s mom? It had to be excruciating for her to know Bradley was responsible for Jason’s death.”
Conner nodded. “Having answers will go a long way toward providing her peace.”
“I get it. I never thought we’d find my mother’s murderer.” Grace’s eyes brightened. “I can’t thank your dad enough for leading you to the cabin.”
“It brought my dad some measure of peace to know he didn’t let down Sarah’s daughter.” He smiled.
“He didn’t let down my mother either. That’s on Kevin.” Grace squeezed his hand.
Conner gestured with his coffee mug toward the interior of the house. “Your sister’s home.”
“They’re upstairs unpacking.” She smiled brightly and leaned toward him. “They came home a few days early because my sister was getting queasy on the ship.” She lowered her voice. “They’re expecting a baby!”
“That’s great.”
Grace met his gaze. “It looks like things are finally working out for the Miller girls.”
Conner set his coffee mug down and took her chin gently between his fingers. “Things are working out. Remember that. Don’t start second guessing things when I leave here.”
She nodded.
“We have a lot of things to figure out, but we’ll do that together.” He covered her mouth with his. He pulled back a fraction and whispered, “I love you.”
She tilted her head back and smiled. “I love you, too.” She narrowed her gaze, then laughed. “Does that mean I have to move to the great white north?”
Conner raised his eyebrows. “Not if you don’t want to. I could find a job somewhere else, as long as I’m with you. That’s all that matters.”
EPILOGUE
Six months later...
The early morning sun streamed into Grace’s bedroom. She sat on the chaise lounge with her laptop, finishing up the reader letter to be inserted at the back of her book about life in the Amish community. She stopped typing, pressed her fist to her mouth and reread:
My mother lived her entire life in the Amish community. I don’t think ever in her wildest dreams could she have envisioned the lives her three daughters would go on to live after her untimely death. My memories of my mom are vague. Bu
t deep in my heart—despite the Amish caution against pride—I believe she would be proud of all of us.
Proud that we persevered through difficult times.
Proud that we’ve found happiness despite all the sadness in the world.
Proud that we chose to live life with hope. And faith.
With a great sense of satisfaction, she closed the lid of the laptop. Grace was confident she had done everyone justice with this book with her thorough research. She had returned the articles to the library. She was pretty sure the librarian had forgiven her because she had been more than helpful with the follow-up research.
Setting the laptop aside, Grace stood and stretched out all the kinks from sitting too long. Perhaps she’d tweak the letter again later. Writing was rewriting, after all.
Opening the bedroom door, Grace stepped into the hallway of the bed & breakfast. Although Heather didn’t expect her to, Grace had gotten into the habit of starting the coffee and putting out a few baked goods for the guests who were early risers. Emma would prepare a warm breakfast at nine o’clock sharp for the guests. She had taken over now full-time for her big sister now that Ruthie was the mother to a beautiful baby girl.
Heather and Zach had invited Grace to stay at the bed & breakfast while she wrote her book and planned her wedding to Conner. The least she could do was help out here and there.
After getting the coffee and baked goods set, Grace put on her sneakers and headed out for a run, another new habit. It was amazing how easily she’d adjusted to small-town life. It was far easier during the summer than the winter, but she was learning to take it all in stride. And Conner assured her theirs would be the type of relationship where she could travel the world to write her stories. He’d come with her when he could. Quail Hollow would be their home base. But more and more, she found contentment with writing longer features right here at home.
Home. After years of writing stories about other people, to give them a voice, it felt wonderful to have overcome her fears to find a voice of her own.
She paused at the end of the driveway and smiled when she saw Conner’s truck pull up. They had gotten into a routine of jogging on weekend mornings when he didn’t have to be at work.
He pulled over and hopped out of the truck. “Am I late?”
“No, you have perfect timing.” She smiled up at him, and he leaned down and kissed her.
A light twinkled in his eyes. “Good morning.”
“Let’s get moving.” Grace stretched her arms over her head.
“I still can’t believe you’ve taken up jogging.”
“I’m full of surprises.” She jogged in place as Conner checked the laces on his running shoes.
“Do you think you’ll take up skiing this winter?”
“One sport at a time, buddy.” She shook her head and laughed.
“The key is to wear the right clothes.”
“So I’ve heard,” she said, sounding skeptical. “Hey, did you see? Zach put out the sign last night on the front lawn.”
“I did.” They both glanced over to the Conner Gates for Mayor sign.
“Are you having second thoughts?” she asked.
“I never have second thoughts. Are you?” he asked teasingly.
“About you running for mayor? That means I’ll be the mayor’s wife.” She held up her chin proudly and gave him a regal smile. Bradley’s father had resigned after all the negative publicity regarding his son. “Why would I have doubts about that? You’ll make a great mayor. It wasn’t exactly your plan. But plans change. You would have made a great sheriff, but that was before this opportunity presented itself.”
“I’m excited about new possibilities.” He paused. “But that’s not what I meant.” He planted his hands on her waist and pulled her toward him. “Our wedding is in less than two weeks. Are you getting cold feet?”
She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Absolutely not.” She patted his chest. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. Except that you’re going to be the next mayor of Quail Hollow.”
“Ah, from your lips to God’s ears.”
She cupped his face in her hands and smiled. God had certainly answered her prayers.
She gave him another quick peck and then spun around and started jogging toward the road. “Come on, slug. Try to catch me.”
Grace didn’t give Conner much of a chase. She laughed as she heard him approach from behind.
“Come on. You can run faster, can’t you?” he asked.
Grace nudged his shoulder with hers. “I could, but why would I want to if it meant leaving you behind?”
* * * * *
Look for the next Amish suspense book from Alison Stone this spring.
And don’t miss some of her previous Amish books set in Western New York:
PLAIN PURSUIT
PLAIN PERIL
PLAIN THREATS
PLAIN PROTECTOR
PLAIN COVER-UP
PLAIN SANCTUARY
Available now from Love Inspired Suspense!
Keep reading for an excerpt from CREDIBLE THREAT by Heather Woodhaven.
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Dear Reader,
Welcome back to Quail Hollow, NY. This time we learned about Grace, sister of Heather from Plain Sanctuary. Grace had spent her life traveling, researching and writing about other people’s lives. She avoided looking too deeply into her own life because it was too painful. However, when circumstances forced her to face her fears, she finally found answers, peace of mind and eventually happiness.
Have you ever avoided something only to discover that facing it head-on was the only way to walk through it? I know I have. This is when I’m reminded that I need to trust in God.
When I start writing a new series, like Quail Hollow, I have an idea where I’m going, but sometimes the creative process of writing leads me off in another direction. Deputy Becky Spoth walked onto the page in Plain Jeopardy to help keep Grace safe, and suddenly I knew she needed a story of her own. Please keep an eye out for Becky’s story next from me with Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense.
If you’d like to keep up with my latest news and releases, sign up for my newsletter on my website at www.AlisonStone.com.
I can also be reached on Facebook under Author Alison Stone. You can also email me at [email protected] or write me the old-fashioned way: Alison Stone, PO Box 333, Buffalo NY 14051.
I enjoy hearing from you.
Live, love, laugh,
Alison Stone
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Credible Threat
by Heather Woodhaven
ONE
Rebecca Linn slid in her socks across the gleaming wood floor, cozy and happy to be in her favorite flannel pajamas. She filled the ceramic mug with hot water and a chamomile tea bag before returning to her grandfather’s desk. She had one more week in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, to finish up an audit for Vista Resort Properties before flying back to Ohio.
Her firm would’ve put her up in the resort and spa, but it seemed like a conflict of interest to audit the company while being pampered in one of their resorts. Besides, her grandfather, a federal judge in town, owned a magnificent house overlooking the lake. Staying at his place was luxurious enough.
She dropped into the desk chair and her empty laptop bag fell to the ground. A black flash drive slipped out of the front pocket, reflecting off the soft glow of the desk lamp. Rebecca leaned forward and squinted. She’d never seen it before and she’d just reorganized her bag that morning before meeting with the accountants of Vista Resorts. She picked up the drive and turned it in her fingers. Other than a scratch on the back, the casing had no telltale markings to jog her memory.
Babette, a Siamese mix with white fur and blue eyes, jumped onto the ornate cherry desk and flopped down onto her side beside Rebecca’s laptop, purring. She absently moved to pet her with one hand, but the cat swatted her away. Figured. She liked only Grandpa. “What are we going to do about this, Babette?”
The cat held up her head for a second but didn’t answer. Procedure would have her send the strange drive into the corporate office for the IT department to scan, but it wasn’t as if she’d found it in the middle of a parking lot. It had been in her laptop bag. So, either one of the accountants had accidentally placed it in her bag or one of them had put it there on purpose.
A few hours earlier an accountant had bumped into her on his way out of the building. There had been plenty of room in the hallway—in fact she’d been standing to the side, admiring the potted plants that resembled mini palm trees—so she knew it’d been on purpose. She’d waited for him to try to hit on her but instead he’d rushed out the front door without so much as an apology. What if she had a whistle-blower on her hands? In that scenario, it seemed more prudent to see what was on the drive than to wait for a few days for IT to sort it out. Sleep wouldn’t come any time soon without satisfying her curiosity.