Undercover in Glimmer Creek

by Julianna Morris

  “All right, what are the names?”

  His eyebrows went up. “I thought you needed to work.”

  “What I need is to make sure you don’t point a finger at somebody for no good reason. Believe it or not, people deserve their privacy. We’ll call Uncle Milt if I agree that something sounds questionable.”

  “I don’t have the list with me. How about taking a drive? That’s a nice thing for people to do when they’re getting to know each other. And there wouldn’t be any chance of being overheard.”

  “Fine,” she agreed. “I’ll get dressed and make a few phone calls. When and where should I meet you?”

  “Let’s say ten o’clock near that Sarah’s Treat place.”

  “Sarah’s Sweet Treats,” Tessa corrected automatically. Her cousin’s bakery and catering business was near the pedestrian shopping street. She could take care of a few things and get there quickly.

  “Whatever. Wear something that looks like we’re going out on a date, not what you normally wear to work.”

  “My clothes are my business. Anyhow, I doubt you know how to have fun. By the way, you had some nerve suggesting I work too many hours the other day. Aren’t navy SEALs a dedicated lot?”

  Gabe looked chagrined. “Yes. But I don’t have a family at home.”

  “Neither do I. So do me a favor and stuff your double-standard attitudes.”

  She saw Gabe out, stepping back quickly when she suspected he intended to give her another kiss at the door. There weren’t any suspicious shadows in the early morning sunlight, and she didn’t want an unnecessary repeat of something that had kept her awake for hours every night since then.

  Drat him, anyhow.

  She didn’t sleep around, but with one kiss, Gabe had turned her into a sex-crazed woman who had trouble thinking about anything except ripping his shirt off. Surely it was just because he was different from every other man she’d met.

  He was mysterious, strong, dangerous, and the darkness in his eyes held a deep pain...

  Furious for even thinking about it, she went upstairs and threw her nightgown on the bed. She looked at herself in the mirror, turning back and forth in the reflection. So, Gabe wanted her to dress for a date. Tessa smiled and decided to accommodate him. She pulled out shorts, a lacy, camisole-style top and strappy sandals.

  The other night Gabe had pulled her against him as they kissed, and there hadn’t been any doubt that he’d become aroused. But he wouldn’t be thinking about sex today...not with so much of her skin an unsightly patchwork of yellowing bruises.

  * * *

  GABE WAITED NEAR the bakery, uncomfortable in the cheerful throng of tourists. He half expected Tessa not to show up, but he still kept looking for her.

  A shapely pair of legs caught his attention, and he watched with appreciation. Not overly long, but shapely. On her feet were the type of ridiculously impractical sandals that women sometimes wore, with a loop over the big toe and a thin band around the ankle. Her naturally golden skin was nice, with plenty of it displayed since she also wore a skimpy top that revealed her midriff.

  Gabe’s gaze moved upward again, and his jaw dropped.

  Tessa?

  “Hey,” she said, smiling provocatively. “I hope you didn’t have to wait long.” Rising up on her toes, she pressed a light kiss on his mouth. “Do I look all right?”

  She turned slowly, and Gabe suddenly understood her transformation. The bruises from her fall were quite evident, and he was torn between wanting to drag her into bed and concern for what she’d gone through.

  He cleared his throat. “You look great.”

  “Why, thank you, Gabe,” she returned in an overly sweet tone. “Shall we go?”

  “Yeah.”

  In his SUV, she put on her seat belt with a satisfied look on her face.

  “Was that necessary?” Gabe asked.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Your outfit.”

  “You wanted me to wear something other than my work clothes.” Her expression was pure innocence.

  “I didn’t say... Oh, never mind.”

  Tessa had a wicked sense of humor, but if she thought a few bruises would turn him off, she was greatly mistaken. Instead, they’d made him start thinking about positions in bed that would put less pressure on her discolored bottom. Well, he didn’t know her bottom was discolored...other than the bruises he could see extending from beneath her very short shorts.

  Frustrated, he headed out of town, taking the shortest possible route onto the small highway.

  “Not that I want to be a backseat driver, but you’re driving as if the hounds of hell are chasing us,” Tessa advised.

  Gabe lifted his foot off the accelerator, but it was too late. Lights flashed behind him, and he pulled over to the side of the road. Pain instantly throbbed in his temples.

  The cruiser stopped behind him, and an officer got out, walking up to the driver’s window. He looked inside, and his face split into a smile. “Whoa, Tessa, you’re dressed to kill.”

  “It’s a hot day, Howie. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. I heard your mother’s sciatica is acting up. How is she?”

  “She’s back on her feet and should be at the ice-cream social later. Are you going?”

  “Unless you arrest me.”

  The deputy grinned wider. “The way you’re dressed, I ought to bring you in for something, but I’ll let you off with a warning.” He sobered when he looked at Gabe. “Sir, may I have your driver’s license, vehicle registration and insurance card?”

  Keeping his expression as neutral as possible, Gabe dug them out. Howie examined each carefully before taking them to his cruiser.

  Gabe glanced at Tessa. “Another cousin?”

  “High school boyfriend.”

  Of course.

  Howie came back a few minutes later and returned the documents. “I won’t give you a ticket today, Mr. McKinley, but please stay within the speed limit from now on.” He tipped his hat to Tessa. “Nice to see you, Tessa.”

  “Same here, Howie.”

  Gabe waited until the cruiser had U-turned and was driving back toward Glimmer Creek. “Don’t say anything,” he warned.

  Tessa gave him a smug smile. “You know that isn’t going to happen. Now everyone will believe we’re out on a joyride. Howie will make sure of it.”

  “We had to run into your old boyfriend.”

  “There are worse things—it could have been Uncle Milt. Not that he won’t hear about it. Speeding with his great-niece in the car won’t endear you to him.”

  Sheesh. Gabe checked for traffic and pulled onto the road again.

  “So, who are your current suspects?” Tessa asked after they’d driven several more miles.

  “The first is Cheryl Clark. She’s low on the housekeeping staff but recently bought a new Mercedes. She isn’t married and doesn’t seem to have a rich boyfriend.”

  From the corner of his eye, he saw Tessa shake her head. “Cheryl inherited money a few years ago from her grandparents. She probably could quit but seems to prefer working. She’s dated our local pharmacist for years. They have a very unusual relationship. Quite inventive, as a matter of fact.”

  “That sounds like an interesting story.”

  “Let’s just say they enjoy creative role-playing and don’t mind going public with it.” Her voice was amused. “Who else are you suspicious about?”

  Gabe spotted a historical marker at the side of the road and pulled off again to park under a tree. He took his list from his pocket and reviewed it. “Nate Dixon on the maintenance crew has paid off the home he just bought two years ago. He also just purchased a new truck, loaded with every possible accessory.”

  “Let me guess, Pablo Garcia, Pen
ny Cox and Wes Sunderland are also on that sheet of paper.”

  Gabe nodded, hoping he was finally making progress.

  “Sorry,” Tessa said instead. “They won the lottery together ten months ago. It was a nice payout, even after taxes. Who else?”

  Losing his best suspects was exasperating, but on the other hand, he wouldn’t waste any more time on the wrong people. Perhaps Tessa was going to be more help than he’d thought...and drive him to distraction in the process.

  “Jodi Wilcox in Housekeeping. She was talking in the employee break room about going on a cruise this autumn. Frankly, she’s the nondescript sort nobody would notice going in and out of guest rooms.”

  “Jodi isn’t a saint, but she works hard and will turn in a dime if she finds it on the street. Her daughter and son-in-law are taking her on a cruise to Alaska for her birthday.”

  Tessa wiggled in her seat and stretched out her legs. It hiked her shorts even higher, and Gabe nearly lost track of the conversation. She really did have nice skin, bruises notwithstanding.

  “Uh, okay,” he muttered. “The last two are Celina Noble and Lance Beckley.”

  “Why Lance?”

  “He’s new in town and spends a fair amount of money on Jamie Fullerton. He’s also mentioned wanting to make it big.”

  “Ambition isn’t a crime.”

  “No, but someone might try to exploit it. What can you tell me about Celina?”

  Tessa’s face was thoughtful. “Not a great deal. She didn’t grow up in Glimmer Creek and has a reputation for being a loner. It’s no secret that she prefers working the night shift in Guest Registration.”

  “She has expensive taste in jewelry.”

  “Again, not a crime. We can mention her to Uncle Milt, but she could have inherited, saved, be buying on credit or any number of other perfectly innocent alternatives. For all we know, she’s related to someone who runs a large international company and is investigating industrial espionage.”

  Gabe’s headache got worse. “How many times will I have to apologize for that?” he asked.

  “Until I think you mean it.”

  * * *

  ON THE DRIVE back to Glimmer Creek, Tessa reflected that trying to fake a romantic relationship was rather like having rabbits—one thing led to another until you were ankle-deep in bunnies.

  She’d agreed to lunch so they’d be away long enough to look as if it had been a genuine outing, then Gabe had decided she should walk back through Poppy Gold carrying something “fun,” similar to returning from a carnival with a stuffed animal. She’d wryly suggested balloons, and he’d taken her seriously.

  “Where is your brain? I’m not eight,” she’d said in exasperation.

  As a compromise she’d bought a pair of glove stretchers at Beecher’s Antique Mall; their bags were printed with a bold drawing of a gold miner holding up a nugget and yelling, “Eureka.”

  “Under the circumstances, shouldn’t we go to the ice-cream social together?” Gabe asked as he parked near the bakery again.

  “No. We have nothing else to discuss, and you just want to give me a hard time. But don’t let me stop you from going.”

  “It might be a good place to learn more about the locals, but I’m not the kind of guy who goes to that sort of thing alone,” Gabe argued. “It would be better to have people speculating about who I’m with than something else.”

  Tessa pursed her lips.

  The bunnies were now hopping up to her knees.

  If she went to the ice-cream social with Gabe, her father might think that she was starting to look for a serious relationship. Yet if she told Pop about the problems with TIP and the possible connection to her accident on the staircase, he’d worry himself sick.

  Pop would rather close Poppy Gold Inns forever than risk his daughter getting hurt.

  “Tessa?” Gabe prompted.

  “I was just thinking about my father,” she said slowly. “I don’t like lying to him.”

  “Not correcting a wrong impression isn’t exactly a lie, and you’re already trying to avoid telling him about the information thefts.”

  She frowned unhappily. “All right, I’ll tell him we’re seeing each other, but that it’s very casual since we don’t think we’re compatible. Maybe I can tell him that I’m mostly trying to get you to loosen up so you’re more approachable for our guests.”

  “I did okay last night at the wedding.”

  “That’s because one of the bridesmaids wanted to sleep with you and didn’t intend to take no for answer.”

  * * *

  GABE DIDN’T BOTHER wondering if Tessa had been jealous; her tone was too unconcerned. If she hadn’t liked the other woman’s behavior, she was keeping it hidden.

  He parked near the pedestrian shopping street and got out to open the door for Tessa.

  “When should I pick you up this afternoon?” he asked.

  “I’ll meet you. Or we’ll meet you, provided I can talk Pop into going. Four o’clock at the Glimmer Creek Veterans Memorial Hall. That’s up Carson Street on the right.”

  “Gotcha.”

  Tessa slid down from the high seat of the SUV, avoiding the hand he extended to help her. She grabbed her shopping bag and neatly ducked as he stepped closer for a kiss.

  “Just pretend we had an argument about the bridesmaid,” she advised him.

  Damn, she was sharp.

  Tessa walked away, and he watched appreciatively. She packed a lot of punch in her petite frame, swinging her hips with just the right amount of sass.

  Cool it, he ordered silently.

  Tessa Connor had already proved to be a handful, and she was the wrong kind of woman for a casual affair.

  The bridesmaid on the other hand?

  She’d definitely been looking for a one-nighter, but only to get back at her boyfriend, who hadn’t been able to attend the wedding. Distaste filled Gabe. He might have a dim view of marriage and long-term relationships, but he wouldn’t help someone cheat, for revenge or otherwise.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  TESSA WAS GLAD she didn’t meet anyone she knew well on the walk back to the Victorian Cat. She wasn’t embarrassed about her clothes, but she hadn’t worn such skimpy garments in Glimmer Creek since becoming the manager of Poppy Gold Inns.

  She changed into a T-shirt and pair of capris before heading over to see her father with a container of fruit compote. He’d moved out of the house he’d shared with her mother and was staying in an apartment above the maintenance building, claiming it was best to be readily available for the crew. But he hadn’t fooled either of them; he just hadn’t been able to live with the memories.

  The best thing about the apartment above Maintenance was a rooftop garden that looked across the hills. Liam spent most of his time out there when he wasn’t working. Tessa was glad; as she’d told Gabe, she believed in the healing strength of nature.

  “Hi, Pop,” she said after climbing the outside stairs and spotting him with a watering can in hand. “I thought you had a spigot and garden hose up here.”

  “I do.” Liam kissed her. “But the hose doesn’t stretch this far.”

  She made a mental note to get another hose. He’d never remember to buy one on his own. “Have you eaten?” she asked.

  “I had something earlier.”

  Tessa knew his “something” was probably a cup of coffee. “I’ll fix you a meal.”

  She went inside, first plugging his cell phone in to charge. There wasn’t much food left in the kitchen, but she found cheese, a package of chicken strips and a loaf of bread in the freezer. While the chicken was thawing in a skillet, she threw a load of laundry into the washer and made a list of groceries. Pop was great at nagging everyone else to eat and drink properly, while totally neglecting himself.


  Twenty minutes later, the sandwich was ready, and she carried it outside with a bowl of the fruit compote she’d brought.

  “Come and get it,” she called.

  They sat at the table under the broad pergola that shaded them from the midafternoon sun.

  Lord, Tessa wished the heat would break. Guests who’d expected more moderate weather for this time of year seemed to think it was Poppy Gold’s fault.

  “Aren’t you eating?” Pop asked.

  Tessa opened a bottle of mineral water. “Nope, I ate out. With Gabe McKinley.”

  Liam’s eyes widened. “Gabe?”

  Obviously he hadn’t heard any rumors yet.

  “We’re just getting acquainted,” she said carelessly. “Mostly I’m trying to convince him to be more approachable with guests.”

  Her father swallowed a bite of sandwich. “Don’t you like him?”

  “I’m not sure. He’s good-looking, though to be honest, we’re not finding much in common.”

  “Gabe is a good person. I know you didn’t hit it off in the beginning, but I’ve been hoping you’d see his better points.”

  “Pop, this is just casual. Don’t start hearing wedding bells,” she said bluntly. “If nothing else, you know how much I want kids, and he’s dead set against them.”

  “You might be able to change his mind.”

  Tessa groaned to herself. She did not need her father to see Gabe McKinley as a potential son-in-law. “It doesn’t matter, because I’m not ready for anything serious. By the way, he suggested meeting us this afternoon at the Veterans Memorial Hall. If you’re interested in going.”

  A mix of emotions crossed her father’s face.

  “You don’t have to go, but the family wants to see you,” she said gently. “You haven’t been to any of the Sunday dinners or other family get-togethers.”

  “A lot of them work for us, and I see them here.”

  “It isn’t the same.”

  Liam stirred the remainder of the compote with his fork, and Tessa was glad he’d eaten most of the food already, because he’d probably lost his appetite. She knew how hard it was for him to do the things he’d done with her mother, but she also didn’t know any other way for him to move forward.