Note of Peril

by Hannah Alexander

  “Come on, man!” Blake said. “The police are coming up, but you’re not going to hold on long enough for them to get here. You’ve got to let go.”

  Michael closed his eyes and said a silent prayer, then released the wire. He felt Peter’s firm clasp, and gasped with pain as the two men pulled him to safety.

  He kicked upward weakly and managed to roll onto the flat surface of the catwalk. “Cassidy?” His hands, legs and arms felt numb and rubbery. His head felt filled with helium.

  “He’s dead,” Blake said softly.

  Peter sniffed and wiped at his face with the back of his sleeve. “Broke his neck.”

  Michael stumbled to his feet and allowed the men to steady him. “He killed Henry. He poisoned Grace.” This nightmare had to end. “We need to contact the hospital. Have you heard how she’s doing?”

  Blake guided him back along the catwalk. “Your buddy the pharmacist called the doctor and told him she might have ingested that glyco-whatever. I don’t know what they did, but she’s coming out of it.”

  Michael wobbled on the catwalk, and this time his weakness came from relief.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Grace felt overwhelmed by conflicting emotions as she sat alone on the chilly deck at Lakeside Bed and Breakfast in Hideaway the day after Christmas. On a low note, Cassidy had killed Henry and tried to kill Michael. All else paled in comparison, but he had also tried to ruin her career by poison and bad press.

  On a good note, she’d been released from the hospital on Christmas Eve, at her insistence. She had attended a huge community Christmas dinner here in Hideaway, surrounded by loving and attentive friends.

  On a questionable note, for the first time in her life she’d felt like a third wheel at her mom’s house.

  Malcolm and Kathryn had become good friends as they nudged the threshold of romance. Though Grace cheered for her mother, she couldn’t help wallowing in a little self-pity, and she felt like a heel about it. It was the first time she hadn’t had her mother’s undivided attention.

  She would talk it all over with Michael this evening when he took her out to eat at Chateau on the Lake. She suspected he’d invited her simply to assure himself she was suffering no aftereffects of the drug, but she didn’t care about that, only that she could spend time with him. She would have been content with a bologna sandwich right here on the deck.

  First, however, she had an important call to make. After a long heart-to-heart with her old trusted friend Bertie, she thought she felt ready to take this next step of faith.

  She pulled out her father’s telephone number and spread the paper tightly across her knee to smooth the wrinkles. She slid her cell phone from her purse and punched in the numbers before she could back down.

  Someone picked up after the second ring. “Hello?” The voice of a young child. Laughter echoed in the background, followed by the squeal of an apparently cranky infant.

  “Hello,” Grace said. “Is this Tyrel Babcock’s residence?”

  “That’s my daddy. Who’s this?”

  Grace caught her breath. She was talking to her little sister. “I’m…my name’s Grace Brennan, and I was wondering—”

  “Grace Brennan!” There was a muffled clunk, as if the child had suddenly dropped the receiver, or tossed it onto a table. “Daddy! It’s her! She called!”

  With a sense of the surreal, Grace listened to her sister, Holly, chatter with excitement in the distance. Apparently her father didn’t keep secrets from his new family.

  A new voice came on the line—a deep voice she remembered even after all these years. “Grace?”

  “Yes.” She held her breath, bracing herself for a wash of confusing emotions—anger, fear, bitterness, pain.

  And yet, after a night of sleeplessness and agonized prayers, she felt only sadness for something lost.

  “Grace? It’s really you? What a Christmas present!”

  “I…would have called sooner, but…well, you’ve got to admit this is awkward.”

  “I didn’t want to make you feel that way,” he said gently. “All I really wanted to do was talk to you for a minute. I’ve spent years apologizing to God for what I did to you, unable to apologize to you face-to-face. I’ve been told I’ll have to learn to forgive myself, but I can’t do that until I have forgiveness from the person I hurt the worst.”

  Grace’s hand gripped the cell phone. Her father had always gotten right to the point of a conversation. That, too, might be the reason she’d dreaded this call.

  “Could be you’re not ready for that,” he said. “I probably wouldn’t be if I were you.”

  “You don’t believe in giving a person time to think about things, do you?”

  “Take all the time you want.”

  She leaned her head back against the wall. Shouldn’t there be more fanfare after all this time? Could this kind of forgiveness actually boil down to a simple question and a simple answer?

  And yet, the most powerful forgiveness of all time boiled down to a simple turnaround, a genuine request for forgiveness, and a reply of love from the Father.

  “Grace? Are you there?”

  “I’m sorry. I’ve resented and feared you for so long, I don’t know how we could possibly recover the relationship we once had.” She winced at her own words. She hadn’t meant to sound so harsh.

  “I don’t want that relationship. I’m not the same person I was then, and I’m sure you’ve done some changing yourself. At least, it seems that way when I listen to the words and music of the songs you’ve written, and read about you.”

  “You read about me?”

  “Of course. My own daughter’s been in the Branson news and you don’t expect me to find out all I can? The bad thing about all this is knowing I did nothing to help you. All I did was cause you pain, and nearly destroy your life.”

  She closed her eyes and listened to the lap of water against the rocky shoreline below. She heard Bertie’s pet goat, Mildred, bleating from somewhere past the main lodge of the bed-and-breakfast, and felt the bite of winter air on her skin.

  How many times had she prayed about forgiving her father? And how often had she come away from those prayers frustrated, still overwhelmed by the inability to release her bitterness?

  “I spend a lot more time in music stores these days,” he said. “I look for the names of the songwriters to see if my daughter’s name is there.”

  She could easily recall that day at the beach when Dad had played with her and her friends in the waves…the days he’d taken her horseback riding…the nights when he wasn’t drunk, when he’d stood smiling tenderly as her mom had tucked her into bed.

  “You know, I’d like to meet my sister,” she said at last.

  “She wants to meet you, too.”

  “Branson’s a nice place to play, especially in the winter after Christmas, when the crowds aren’t so heavy.”

  “That sounds like an ideal setting.”

  She closed her eyes and breathed a quick prayer for help. Michael’s words now made more sense. Forgiveness truly was a process of steps. And it was a command straight from the Bible. A person couldn’t make a truth go away just because she didn’t want to see it. It was like glimpsing a rattlesnake in the grass and deciding it didn’t exist. The danger continued to threaten, whether she acknowledged it or not.

  Lord, help me. “You could bring her,” she said at last.

  He didn’t reply.

  “Dad?”

  There was a slowly indrawn breath, then “Yes.” His voice sounded strained, as if by tears.

  Ultimately, forgiveness was a decision, not an emotion. Grace knew that. She could make the decision now, and deal with the emotions as they came. Meanwhile she could pray about it. Jesus would be there to lead her through it.

  As Grace said goodbye and disconnected, she felt a heaviness lift from her shoulders.

  Maybe this hadn’t turned out to be such a bad Christmas after all.

  Delight pulled her Dodge
Viper onto the paved driveway of Denton Mapes’s elaborate stone-and-wood home, and for a moment she couldn’t bring herself to get out of the car. What was she doing here?

  She already had a daddy, and she loved him very much. Sure, he practically demanded perfection from her sometimes, and his rules grated, but she could always trust him to do the right thing, even if it wasn’t popular. Like marrying her mom, for instance, when she carried someone else’s child…and raising that child whom he loved as his own.

  So what was she going to do with two fathers?

  Denton stepped out the front door before she reached it.

  She hadn’t noticed before, but he was really a handsome man—for a father. A little dissipated, maybe, with tired bags around the eyes. Amazing how a different viewpoint could improve a person’s appearance.

  She wouldn’t get a big head and imagine she could have any great impact on his life, but if he really was so hyped about having contact with his only child after all these years, who knew? Maybe he would be more interested in straightening a few things out, like the booze and the one-night stands.

  Of course, she needed to straighten some things out, too. Wow, was Grace having an influence on her after all?

  “Do I smell burning rubber?” He glanced at his watch as he stepped down from the porch. “It can’t have been ten minutes since you called.”

  She glanced proudly over her shoulder at her car. “It gets me where I want to go.”

  He frowned with disapproval, and she grinned at him. “You do the father act pretty well when you want to.”

  He stepped from the shade of the porch overhang, and the winter sunlight revealed streaks of white threading through his longish dark brown hair. “You spoke with your mother.”

  She nodded. “We had a long talk yesterday. I just flew back in this morning.”

  “Does that mean you’re no longer afraid to come into my house?” he asked dryly.

  A flush warmed her face. “You know, you should be glad I freaked. What would you have thought if I hadn’t?”

  He studied her soberly for a moment, and then a slow smile transformed his features.

  Definitely a handsome man. For his age.

  She followed him into the house and glanced up the stairway as she entered the foyer. “How many pictures do you have of me?”

  “As many as I could beg from your father.”

  “My father?”

  Denton gestured for her to have a seat in front of the fireplace. “He’s your father, Delight. He raised you, did all the father-type things a dad does. Nothing’s going to change that.” He settled onto an overstuffed leather chair facing her. “I gave up trying to reach your mother and contacted your dad. We met for lunch one day, and I tried to get him to see the situation through my eyes. He did.”

  “So he’s the one who kept you updated about me?”

  Denton nodded, staring into the fire. “We’ve met a few times through the years. When you quit school, he called me and asked me to make sure you didn’t get into trouble.”

  “I freaked him out when I told him about all the stuff going on at the theater.”

  “He wasn’t happy about the direction of your career, either,” Denton said, shaking his head. “He let me know about it. I don’t quite get church people—all that straight-and-narrow stuff. They don’t know how to have fun.”

  “Well, I’m still having fun, and I guess you’d say I’m one of those church people again. Anyway, I attended services last Sunday, and it felt good to be back. I also promised to start school next month. College of the Ozarks accepted me again.”

  “And the show?”

  “It’ll be a heavy load, because I’ll have to work at the college, too. Remember, it’s a requirement.”

  He leaned back in his chair and smiled at her.

  This relationship might work after all.

  Grace smiled across the table at Michael. The sun rimmed a distant hillside, scattering shaded blues and purples across the surface of Table Rock Lake. The waiters raised the shades in their evening ritual at the Chateau.

  “You look wonderful,” Michael said.

  “Thank you.” This evening she’d stepped on the scales in the steamy privacy of her bathroom. She had lost twenty pounds! She still refused to wear the slinky dresses Denton wanted her to wear, and she still had some more dieting to do, but she’d learned her lesson. No more quick weight loss for her.

  “Tell me something,” she said. “Do you think that drug Cassidy slipped into my water might have affected my mind?”

  He leaned forward. “In what way?”

  “I’ve decided to tell Jolene what I did eight years ago. Explain why Cassidy hated me.”

  He nodded. “Because?”

  “It’s time to deal with the past,” she said. “I should have done it a long time ago. People need to understand Christians aren’t perfect. We make awful blunders, we sin, we struggle.”

  “That’s true, of course, but you weren’t a Christian when you did that in the first place.”

  “It was wrong of me to try to hide it.”

  “Henry told you not to talk about it.”

  “You and I both know I’m responsible for my own actions, not Henry or anyone else.”

  Michael sighed and leaned back in his chair as he gazed out at the winter sunset. “I think you’re doing the right thing.”

  “You suggested it in the first place, remember?”

  He nodded, still staring out the window. “I’m not going to miss the petty jealousies and desperate competition of this business.”

  She studied his features in silence as the waiter cleared their table. Disappointment pressed in on her. “You’re not renewing your contract?”

  He shook his head. “I’m taking some classes next semester, and I have a lot of catch-up work to do if I’m going to be a doctor someday.”

  “Have you decided where you’re going?”

  “Back to Kirksville. I’ve never changed my mind about osteopathy. It’ll expand my options in case I want to get more into spinal manipulation someday.”

  “You’re planning to join Cheyenne in Hideaway when you complete your training?”

  He spread his hands. “Who knows? That’ll be a few years. I don’t want to get caught up in the medical rat race and have to fight with bureaucrats and insurance companies and attorneys. I might open my own practice on a cash-only basis.”

  “Then you could probably use some start-up money.”

  Those sultry-dark eyes focused on her. “I’m not accepting handouts, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

  “It isn’t. I need some help.”

  His gaze didn’t leave her face as he reached across the table and took her hand. “Name it.”

  She relished his touch. “I know you won’t be signing a contract for Star Notes, but would you sign a contract with me?”

  His fingers tightened on hers, and for a long moment he didn’t speak. Then he gave her a teasing wink. “Grace Brennan, is that a proposal?”

  She smiled. “Of a sort. You know that contract I’m supposed to sign with Dove?”

  He nodded, and his grip eased. “You want me to sing with you?”

  “Did you ever doubt it? We’re a team, Michael. I’m not a solo act.”

  “You’re the one they want.”

  “They want my songs, and they want my singing, but they’re convinced now that I can’t do this without the right team. To keep you from getting a big head, I’ve also decided to ask Blake and Delight, and Phoebe and Rachel.”

  He chuckled, glancing over his shoulder to beckon their waiter. “Fine. I’ll sign that contract with you if you’ll sign one with me.”

  “Did someone offer you a contract?”

  “Nope.”

  The waiter arrived with a dessert plate, which he set in the center of their table for two. Encircling the rim of the plate were white-chocolate-dipped strawberries. In the center was a tiny but exquisitely elaborate white wedding
cake topped by two sculpted white-chocolate swans in the shape of a heart. Nestled in the crook of the heart was a diamond solitaire engagement ring.

  Grace caught her breath as the waiter discreetly left.

  “I love you, Grace,” Michael said softly. “You already know that. I’ve been in agony as I’ve thought about moving away from here and not seeing you every day. I know you have a career to build, a true calling from God. That’s why I’ve sacrificed so much to save my earnings so I can attend school and commute. I have a friend who will fly me from Kirksville to Branson every weekend.”

  “Meaning you can join us for weekend shows?”

  “I think that might be arranged, but if you don’t mind, I have other things to think about at the moment.” He took the ring from the cake and held it out to her. “Will you marry me?”

  Grace felt the tears well in her eyes and trickle down her cheeks. “Oh, Michael, I’m sorry. I’m doing it again, aren’t I? We can’t have a decent meal without me getting all emotional.”

  He laughed softly. “It’s one of the things I love about you. Please don’t walk out this time.”

  She held out her left hand. “Not a chance.”

  He caught and held her gaze. “No changing your mind?”

  “Never. I love you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You’re my best friend on this earth. And a whole lot more.”

  He placed the ring on her finger, then caught her face between his hands. She saw a promise of forever in his steadfast gaze. There was no turning back. God held their future in His hands, and she wasn’t going to allow any specters from her past to interfere with her future.

  Michael pulled her to him and pressed his lips to hers in the gentlest of kisses, and she felt a wave of pleasure all the way to her toes. Applause surrounded them. They looked up to find three waiters and a crowd of diners beaming at them.

  Michael laughed, then caught her in his arms as if he would never let go. And she didn’t want him to.

  COMING NEXT MONTH

  Be enthralled, moved, thrilled, delighted…and satisfied by exceptional reads from outstanding authors and well-loved series.