by Jill Sanders
“Take some time, a few more days won’t hurt.” Rory nodded to Ben. “But there are several things we can decide now.” He nodded to the table. “If you want, we can go over everything once we’re done.”
She nodded. “After I put Aurora down for a nap, I’m all yours.”
He followed Ben into the study. Ben built a fire in the fireplace as Rory filled him in on a few more things he’d found in Crystal’s books.
There had been smaller amounts that had disappeared from her accounts, which had been placed under the categories of office supplies and miscellaneous dues. There were no receipts or other information listed under them.
“So, you think whoever took the money found another way at it?” Ben asked.
“No, there are two distinct patterns. Which leads me to think that there are two thieves.’”
“Two?” Crystal asked from the doorway. “You mean someone else is stealing my money?” She walked in and sat across from him, plopping down in the chair as if defeated.
“Stole,” he corrected. “The last time was over two months ago. I’ve put a few safeguards into effect but changing your accounts would block anything further.” He turned to Crystal.
She took a deep breath, then released it. “Fine, I’ll go to the bank first thing Monday morning.”
“We’ll go together.” She nodded in agreement.
“What else did you find?” Crystal asked. Her eyes had dulled and for the first time since he’d met her, she looked tired.
“Are you okay?” Rory asked once Ben had excused himself to head upstairs to join Serenity and Aurora.
“Yes, just… thoughtful.” Seeing the look he gave her, she sighed. “I’m sad, angry, and disappointed all at once. Sad and angry that someone would do this and disappointed in myself that I didn’t see what was going on right under my nose.”
“It took me several days running through your old software before I caught them myself.” He stood up to move closer to the fire. He bent over and tossed another log onto the burning embers. “I glazed over them several times before I decided to look further. When I didn’t see any more information, I went to your scanned images of receipts.” He glanced back at her. “It was a good thing you had those.”
“What did you find?” she asked.
“The first thing I found was that there were no receipts for some purchases. The second was that small amounts of cash were being pulled from the registers.”
She immediately remembered her deal with Joe.
“I… made an arrangement of sorts with Joe, about being paid in cash.” When Rory stood up and looked at her with a frown, she took a deep breath. “He was having money problems. Said his bank account number had been stolen and he had to shut it down. So, I made an agreement that he could be paid in cash. Most evenings I wasn’t around, so…”
“He opened the drawer and took what he wanted.”
“The agreed amount.” She nodded.
“Who’s to say he didn’t take more?”
She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. It had been years since she’d felt the pain behind her eyes. “No one,” she admitted. “I… think I’m going to head up.” She stood up. He turned fully to her and rested his hands on her shoulders.
“You look tired,” he said softly, reaching up and brushing a finger down her face. Just a little thing, but she enjoyed the touch of his hand on her. Somehow, it eased some of the pain she was feeling. “Would you like me to join you?” he asked softly.
Something deep inside her chest wished for nothing more, but she needed some quiet time alone, meditating.
“I need some rest.” She reached up on her toes and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Goodnight.”
“Night.” He dropped his hands from her and she instantly missed them.
Climbing the stairs that night, she realized that she’d never felt so defeated. She’d done all this to herself.
Allowing Joe into her life, into her business, into her finances, and into her bed. Was Joe the one behind all of this? There was no doubt he was the one who’d destroyed the decorations. No doubt at all.
The man she’d taken to her bed had been kind—self-centered, but kind. He’d talked to her about getting revenge on someone who’d crossed him before. She hadn’t thought much about it, until now.
She undressed, tossing her clothes to the floor, then climbed into a hot shower. Even the hot water couldn’t stop the ache from spreading down her neck to her shoulders and beyond.
When she climbed out, the bathroom was full of steam. Closing her eyes, she decided what she needed was some fresh air.
Drying herself quickly, she grabbed her blanket and tossed it over her still-naked body, then she descended the outer stairs to the garden.
The snow was still quietly falling in the still night. She had rows of lights that lit up the pathways in the garden, and she followed them to the center.
Dropping the blanket, she held her hands up to the night sky and closed her eyes. Instantly, the cold hit her. Snowflakes fell over her face, on her hair as it blew in the night wind. Snow landed on her still-heated skin. Taking a deep breath, she felt all the aches and stress from the day release.
She started to sway with the sounds of the wind around her, letting the snow cool her until all of the aches were removed from her body.
“That’s a pretty sight,” Rory said from behind her, causing her to turn quickly. She lost her footing and would have landed on the cold snow-covered stone had strong, warm arms not reached out and steadied her. “Easy,” he murmured. “Do you always dance naked in the snow?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her more tightly.
Her body had just begun to cool to the point of being cold, but still, she felt renewed.
“Not always. Fresh air is the best way to clear your mind.” She chuckled when he reached down and picked up her blanket and covered her again.
“Or to catch a cold,” he mumbled. “Not that I wasn’t enjoying the view, but your skin is like ice.”
“I’ll take another hot shower.” She wrapped the blanket more tightly around her. “I love the fresh snow.” She glanced around. The white stuff was sticking to the ground and had accumulated almost an inch on the pathways.
“I tend to enjoy watching it from inside, by the fire.” He nodded to the back door, which stood wide open.
He must have been sitting in the study still and had been watching her from the large windows that overlooked the gardens.
“My headache is gone,” she said as they made their way back inside.
He glanced down at her and nodded. “Your eyes are clearer and brighter.”
“You’re starting to sound like me.”
“Common sense.” He shut the door behind them. He moved closer to the fire as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “You’re frozen.”
“It feels wonderful.” She smiled. “Like I can think for the first time in hours.”
“Why didn’t you try some of that oil stuff before stepping outside naked in the snow?” He frowned down at her.
“Because sometimes the best medicine is nature itself.”
“You amaze me,” he said, his hands slowing on her shoulders. “The way you look at life.” He shook his head. “I’ve never known anyone to look at things like you do.”
“How?” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, feeling a little drunk on life. She wanted more than anything to drop her blanket and enjoy his hands on her, here, in front of the fireplace in her den.
“You look at everything as if you’re seeing it for the first time. Enjoying every detail, no matter how small.”
“Like fresh falling snow?” she asked, letting the blanket slip slightly. When his eyes moved to the newly exposed skin, she smiled and let her blanket drop even further.
“Yes,” he said under his breath as his eyes roamed over her skin. She could see the heat in his eyes as she let the blanket drop away once again. This time, the heat from the fire and Rory warmed
her.
“Crystal.” Her name was a whisper before his lips covered hers.
Chapter 15
The next morning, they watched Ben, Sarah, and Aurora head back to the resort from the front porch. He watched Crystal carefully and noticed when her eyes grew sad for a moment. Then she turned to him and smiled.
“Care for a walk in the snow?” She tucked her white winter coat closer to her.
He threw his scarf around his neck and held out his arm. “Lead the way.”
There was almost four inches of fresh powder on the ground as they made their way down the street. They talked about the weather, the town, about her daughter and granddaughter.
Rory listened to every word she said, hanging on them as if they were the best things he’d ever heard.
When they walked into the center of town, there were more people than he’d seen since he’d left the city.
“What is all this?” he asked, looking around as someone handed both of them red holiday hats.
She took his and plopped it on top of his head, then put her own on.
“It’s our holiday celebration. Tonight, we’ll light the tree.” She nodded to the massive Christmas tree in the middle of the square. “But today, we celebrate. There’s food, music, vendors.” She motioned around to each of the booths. “And fun.” She moved closer to him. “So, let’s have some.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the ice rink.
They ice-skated for almost an hour, children and townspeople rushing around them as they circled the small rink over and over again, laughing, falling, joking with one another as Christmas music played from speakers and more snow fell.
They ate lunch from a street vendor and had turkey legs and corn on the cob on paper plates along with everyone else in town. Then they strolled around the booths and looked at some local art and canned and baked goods.
For Aurora she bought a wooden toy car and train set made from a local artist who chiseled them out of local trees.
He lost track of her on several occasions, but always found her talking and laughing with people from town as if she’d known them her entire life. And, he had to admit, she probably had.
Once, she seemed upset when he found her talking to a younger auburn-haired woman. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t place where he’d seen her before. When he asked Crystal about it, she shook him off and said it was nothing.
When he persisted, she answered that the girl was Nichole, Joe’s latest project. She felt sorry for her and when she’d tried to warn her away from Joe, Nichole had gotten angry.
He remembered the girl from the day Crystal had fired Joe.
“She actually blamed me.” Crystal sighed. “Like I wasn’t giving her what she wanted because I was jealous of her relationship with Joe.”
“Are you?” he asked, half-joking.
She rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around him. “Not in the least.” She went up on her toes and kissed him, right there, in the middle of the town square for everyone to see.
When the sun started sinking lower in the sky, everyone gathered around the large tree and held candles, singing as they waited for the sunset and the lighting of the tree.
He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close as they waited. He felt her shiver, but knew it was from anticipation instead of the chill in the air.
“This is my favorite part,” she said, right before a quiet hush fell over the crowd. Then a low sound started somewhere in the crowd. “Silent Night” was being sung softly, and soon after, everyone else joined in.
When the lights came on, their brightness was almost blinding, and everyone cheered. Once again, music played from the speakers.
He gathered her close once more, and she reached up on her toes and kissed him. “Happy holidays,” she said. He spun her around and they began dancing, along with several others around them, as O Holy Night played.
When the crowd started to disburse, they walked slowly back to the house.
“Today was amazing.” Crystal leaned against his arm as they walked.
“Yes, your little town is starting to grow on me.” He wrapped his arm more tightly around her.
“My town?” She turned and walked backwards as she smiled up at him. “Anything else?”
He grabbed her shoulders, his hands running down until he held her hands in his. They were standing at the end of her driveway, the new decorations and lights causing more holiday cheer, which spread through him.
“I rather like the diner.” He saw her smile grow.
“And?” she teased.
“The hardware store wasn’t half bad.” He moved closer to her then bent down and kissed her. “This isn’t half bad either.”
“I would agree.” She smiled. “How about I break out the rest of the apple pie and some hot cocoa, and then we sit before the fire and watch the snow fall.”
“I’d like nothing better.” When they climbed the stairs towards the front door, he knew instantly that something was off. Her front door stood wide open.
“We shut that,” she said under her breath as she pulled out her cell phone.
“Stay here.” He took a step closer, but she placed a hand on his arm, stopping him.
“I’m calling the police.” She punched a number on her screen.
“I’ll just take a look…” He took a step forward, only to be jerked off his feet as pain shot through his shoulder. He landed on top of Crystal, his body covering hers as he tucked her tight, shielding her.
He saw a dark figure rush past them and thought for a moment to take off after it. He placed his hands on either side of her to get up, only to fall back down in pain.
“Help!” Crystal cried out into the phone. “He’s been shot.”
Who was she was talking about? He’d fallen onto the front porch and she was looking down at him with concern.
“Me?” he asked.
Her red Christmas hat had fallen from her head and her hair landed on his face as she pushed on his shoulder. Pain spread throughout his entire body.
His eyes met hers and at that moment, he realized she was talking about him. He was the one that had been shot.
So many things came to his mind at that moment. So many things he wanted to do, to say. He held onto his focus as long as he could, his eyes searching and locking onto Crystal’s blue ones.
“Crystal.” She was talking into her phone as she held onto his shoulder. When she heard his voice, she stopped talking.
“I’m here,” she said softly. “Help is coming.”
“I want you to know…” His vision was growing gray at the edges and the urgency was growing to say what he had to. To tell her what he was feeling inside.
“Hold on,” she urged him.
“I love you,” he said, just as the darkness took over.
Crystal held onto Rory’s hand as he was rushed into the emergency room. She tried to keep up with the gurney as his pale skin glowed under the bright white lights.
She’d never been more afraid in her life as she’d been when she’d heard the shot ring out and felt Rory’s body fall heavily on her own. When she’d seen the blood, sheer panic had set in. Once, when Serenity had cut her arm on an old fence wire, she’d panicked, but nothing compared to the way she felt watching them wheel Rory into the ER.
She was pushed aside and asked questions. What blood type, how old was he, what kind of insurance did he have, who was his next of kin. So many questions.
She sat in the waiting room, filling out forms as best as she could.
When Rowan and Kayla showed up, she stood back as her nephew took over for her. He disappeared down the hallway and didn’t return for two hours.
“We’ve removed the bullet,” he said, sitting next to her. “He’s in ICU. We’re watching over him for the next twenty-four hours. His blood pressure is a little higher than we’d like to see.”
“It was high to start with,” she said as she looked down at her hands.
“I’d gat
hered,” Rowan added. “Still, he’s going to pull through and there shouldn’t be any permanent damage. If you want, you can see him in about an hour.” His hands took hers.
For the next hour, it felt like she held her breath in anticipation of seeing Rory. People came and went in the waiting room. She didn’t give them any attention until someone took her hand.
“Mom?” Just seeing Serenity’s blue eyes had tears flowing from her own.
“He… he was shot.”
“I know, Rowan called us.” Serenity hugged her. “Did you see…” she started to ask, but when Crystal shook her head, she sighed. “I didn’t think so, but… Well, they want to ask you some questions.” She nodded to the doorway where Tom stood looking down at them.
Just then, the other door opened and Rowan stepped in.
“You can see him now.” He moved over and helped her up. “Five minutes.”
Crystal followed him into the ICU, where lights blinded her eyes as machines buzzed and beeped. She hated this room. Hated being here, hated that Rory was stuck here.
When she noticed him, she held in a cry as she rushed to the side of his bed. Her hand reached for his, but stopped short when she noticed the tubes sticking out of them.
“Rory,” she sighed as a tear slid down her cheek. “I’m so sorry.” Her heart hurt when she thought of the fact that he was lying in the bed, unconscious, shot, fighting for his life, because of her.
Chapter 16
He could hear someone crying and knew instantly he was in a drug-induced state. He’d been put under plenty of times before. Basic knee operations, two of them, an appendix removal, and a simple medical procedure. But this time, for the life of him, he couldn’t remember what he’d had done.
Was that his mother? He tried once more to open his eyes, but they were glued shut. That, or taped. He focused all his attention on just getting one eye open and when he succeeded, groaned when everything was too fuzzy to see clearly.
“Damn it,” he tried to say, but it came out as just a loud mumble.