Tyler quietly went upstairs to his makeshift office, wanting to sketch what Sarah’s building would look like after the remodel. Normally he used a computer-aided design system, but he could do them by hand when needed.
The sun was coming up when he heard a noise from down the hall. A moment later, his mother appeared at the door.
“Good morning, son. When did you get in?”
“I’m not sure. Nothing happened while I was out?”
“All quiet.” Rosemary walked over and looked at the two sketches he’d done, with watercolor washes to give them more depth and interest. “These are wonderful. You always had so much artistic ability. The one with Sarah is particularly lovely. You really captured her.”
Tyler was embarrassed. Generally when he placed “people” in a drawing he used featureless figures for perspective, but he hadn’t been able to resist putting Sarah into the picture...the way he wanted her in his life.
It was true. He wanted her on any terms, for however long she’d let him stay.
Any terms?
A vision of Sarah holding a baby, smiling the way she’d smiled at the Forrester twins filled Tyler’s brain. Having children with Sarah wouldn’t be a compromise. It would be an adventure. It didn’t mean he was crazy about the idea of changing dirty diapers, but he didn’t love everything about architecture, either.
“Tyler? You have the strangest expression on your face. Is something wrong?”
Tyler stood and kissed his mother’s forehead. “No. I’m just figuring some things out, that’s all.”
His mother nodded and left while he gazed at the sketch. Only a mother’s pride would see it as particularly talented. When a computer-aided design program wasn’t available, he was competent at sketching, nothing more. On the other hand, Sarah’s personality shone through everything, even a prosaic drawing.
Sitting down again, he kept thinking about the ways he’d already changed since coming to Glimmer Creek. And because he’d changed, the direction for his life had to change. It was really quite simple.
Tyler smiled. He was going to stop thinking and look for the right moment to propose to Sarah. Then he’d know if there was any chance of them being together.
* * *
ON SATURDAY ROSEMARY was sitting out in the garden with a cup of tea and her book when Kurt rounded the corner of the house.
“I didn’t expect to see you today,” she said.
“Just taking a break. It puts Sarah on edge when I hover too much.” He sat on the chair next to her and stretched out his legs. “Letting go is hard.”
“I’m sure you’ll get there.”
“Yeah, but I’m not enjoying it. Especially with a stalker on the loose.”
Rosemary shivered. “Let’s talk about something else.”
“Suits me. Yesterday you mentioned telling your sons about their sister, but you didn’t say how they took it.”
“Tyler seems all right. And I think Nathan was able to relate because he expected to get married and start a family last year until his fiancée broke off the engagement.”
“Was it a bad breakup?”
Rosemary shook her head. “I don’t think so. Pamela simply decided she couldn’t handle being married to a soldier. But I think the desire to become a father helped Nathan understand how much Kittie’s death affected Richard.”
“Could be.” Kurt smiled at her. “So, have you made up your mind about moving to Glimmer Creek?”
“Yes. I’ve told both my sons that I’m doing it. And can you believe it? I’ve already been invited to join the historical society, a quilter’s group and the firehouse auxiliary. Your father and brother have called on us, too.”
“We like to think we’re friendly. Just so you know, there aren’t many rentals in town. You may have to buy.”
“That’s what I’ve heard. But I ran into Leah Benton the other day, and she told me I could stay in their garage apartment while I’m looking. Isn’t that nice?”
Kurt bobbed his head. “That’s my sister.”
Rosemary tried to recall if Leah had mentioned being related to Kurt, but she’d met so many people lately and there were so many connections in Glimmer Creek, it was hard to keep everything straight.
“I didn’t remember she was your sister. Sorting out your relatives is challenging,” Rosemary admitted.
“Don’t worry about it. Just assume everyone you meet is connected. You’ll be right more often than not.”
“I’ll do that.”
“Good. Mind if I take a nap while you read?”
“Be my guest.”
Kurt crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. Rosemary smiled. One of the nicest things about him was his ability to relax. She’d spent thirty-six years with a man wound tighter than a snare drum, which meant she’d rarely been able to loosen up herself. A faint flash of guilt went through her before she pushed the thought away.
Moving on didn’t mean she was forgetting Richard or the love they’d shared. And a part of her would always hurt because he wasn’t there. But she had to make a new life for herself. While things wouldn’t always be perfect in Glimmer Creek, the future looked interesting.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“I WISH MY FATHER had talked to me the way your dad talks to you,” Tyler told Sarah a couple of evenings later.
He leaned against a counter, watching her stir a pot on the stove.
“They say getting older makes people assess their lives and relationships. Maybe your father would have done that if he’d had more time.”
Tyler wanted to believe that. He was finally seeing Richard Prentiss as simply a man, struggling with pride and grief and a haunting sense of failure because of something he couldn’t control. Understanding didn’t change anything, yet in a way it did make a difference.
“It’s hard to say,” Tyler said. “He had a lot of mixed-up ideas—more than I ever realized—but I feel sorry for him.”
Sarah’s eyes were warm with concern and Tyler ached, wanting to know if it meant she was in love with him or if she was just being compassionate.
He opened his mouth, then promptly closed it. He’d discovered it was one thing to decide to propose and another to risk rejection.
How did a guy who kept everything to himself learn to open his heart to the one woman who’d made him trust her? He knew it was all right to let Sarah in, yet he was fighting a lifetime of self-protection.
“Do you think my mother would be upset if I ask about Dad and Kittie sometimes?” he asked, his voice husky.
“Ask if it bothers her. If she doesn’t want to talk about them, she can say so. But I suspect she’d love to. Here, have a taste.” Sarah held out a spoonful from the pot she was cooking, and Tyler looked at it suspiciously, remembering she’d been working with oversize green squash.
“What is it?”
“Zucchini relish. Come on, it’s essentially pickle relish. I’ve been tinkering with the recipe to get it just right.”
Tyler put the spoon in his mouth. As a rule he could take or leave pickle relish, but this stuff was delicious. “It’s great, but I might not be the best judge.”
“Oh?”
“It’s hard for me to find fault with anything you do.”
The pink brightened in Sarah’s cheeks. “Smooth talker.”
“Nah, that’s my brother,” Tyler said, remembering she’d said the same thing to Nathan. “When I say something, it’s because I mean it.”
Their gazes locked and her breathing quickened. The expression in her eyes almost looked like...hope? Or maybe that was more wishful thinking.
He was about to ask when the doorbell rang, making them both jump.
“I’ll see who it is,” Tyler told her. “You were going to finishing filling
the jars with that relish, weren’t you?” he added, knowing she’d object if she thought he wanted to answer the door to safeguard her. In this case it wasn’t a problem, Zach Williams stood on the porch.
“Good evening, I need to speak with my cousin.”
“She’s cooking, naturally.”
They headed for the kitchen where they found Sarah putting jars into a boiling water bath.
“Hi, Zach,” she called over her shoulder. “Just give me a minute.” Before long she turned and smiled. “What’s up?”
Zach held up a sheet of paper. “I wanted to tell you about the latest packages received.”
“I’m sure that’s going to be a cheery list.”
“Don’t let it get to you. Whoever this is, they aren’t rational.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, yeah, that makes me feel a lot better.”
Tyler didn’t feel any better about it, either.
Sarah sat down at the kitchen table and read through the list. “More baby clothes. Receiving blankets. A photo album for baby’s first year. Oh...ick...two home pregnancy tests, opened and used. With negative results.” She shuddered.
“I sent an officer to personally deliver this to the state crime lab, Sarah,” Zach explained. “We’ll get to the bottom of what’s happening. In the meantime, just hang tight and be careful.”
* * *
SARAH WALKED HER COUSIN to the front door. For some reason the pregnancy tests bothered her even more than having her tires slashed. Pregnancy tests and broken baby rattles were deeply personal.
“Sarah?” Tyler prompted and she realized she’d been staring into space, lost in thought.
“Sorry. It’s just so creepy.”
“But you’re certain your ex-husband isn’t involved?”
“Zach is reasonably certain. Besides, the baby-related stuff feels more like something a woman would do.”
“Nobody knows what goes on in a disturbed mind, Sarah.”
She shivered and Tyler pulled her to him. “I suppose it would be crass to propose going upstairs to your bedroom for relaxation therapy,” he said suggestively.
“It’s tempting, but I’ve got more canning to do tonight.”
Tyler didn’t look too put out by her refusal, and she wondered dismally if the spark was gone. Then she glanced down at his jeans. Men had a hard time concealing their response and he was no exception. Electricity zinged to the apex of her legs and she gulped.
She hurried to the kitchen and took the jars of relish from the boiling water bath.
“I want to help. Where do I start?” Tyler asked, rolling up his sleeves.
Sarah turned off the stove, walked over and kissed him, deciding the remaining vegetables and fruit would have to wait another day. “With me. I changed my mind. Let’s do that relaxation therapy thing. It sounds intriguing.”
A laugh rumbled through his chest, and he cupped her bottom. “Yes, ma’am. I aim to please.”
* * *
TWO DAYS LATER, Tyler was more sexually satisfied than he’d ever been...and climbing the walls with worry. They’d gotten zero news about who could be stalking Sarah, and it was wearing on everyone.
Actually, Sarah seemed to be holding up better than the rest of them.
Her father was morose and bad-tempered, the bakery staff was jumpy, Zach Williams seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face and Tyler’s mother had called 911 twice because of raised voices in the front of the shop.
Tyler had been there when his mom apologized for one of the disruptions, but she’d sounded more defiant than repentant. Of course, that might be due to the thumbs-up he’d given her from behind Sarah’s back.
Finally he dragged Sarah out for another drive, saying he needed to get a better feel for the SUV he’d rented.
“This was a good idea,” she said, directing him through the back routes she favored. He liked them too, because it would be hard for anyone to follow them without being observed.
“Yeah, you’re making me lazy,” he drawled. “I could be working on ideas to show Luke Forrester, but I’m doing touristy stuff instead.”
“Poor baby. Someone is making you have fun instead of working.” Sarah pulled her knees up and rested her bare feet on the dashboard. “Jeez, why didn’t you switch the sedan for a convertible? That would have been nice.”
“Because people in Glimmer Creek seem to mostly own trucks and SUVs, and I wanted to fit in.”
She grinned. “Fitting in isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
They drove around a bend and saw a view of the foothills below, bathed in late afternoon sunlight, but a jarring ringtone sounded from the floor. Sarah scrunched her nose. “We must have gotten a cell signal back. Sometimes I hate modern technology.”
She squirmed in the passenger seat, hiking her T-shirt up to her midriff while retrieving the phone from her purse. Tyler clenched the steering wheel, praying for control.
A minute later, Sarah sighed. “It was a voice mail from Zach. He got the report from the state crime lab and wants to see me. He’ll be at the police station until six and will come by the house if doesn’t hear from me before then.”
“Let’s go to the station,” Tyler said immediately.
Sarah’s mood was decidedly more solemn as she directed him back to Glimmer Creek.
The police chief was talking to a group of officers when they arrived at the station, and he gestured for them to wait in his office. A few minutes later he walked in and closed the door, though he plainly wasn’t too pleased to see she had company. “You don’t have to be here, Tyler.”
“Yet here I am.”
“Please skip the testosterone,” Sarah interrupted, visibly tense. “What’s in the report?”
Zach pulled out a file. “We finally got a decent fingerprint. It belongs to Nell Sheehan, your ex-husband’s second wife. We got lucky. She was arrested for shoplifting years ago, so her prints are on file.”
* * *
SARAH STARED. “YOU aren’t serious. I’ve never even met the woman.”
“That’s what the crime lab found, and it’s their opinion it matches the partial lifted when your tires were slashed. I’ve talked to the LA police. Ms. Sheehan wasn’t home for questioning, but they spoke to your ex. He claims no knowledge of his wife’s actions, stating that she’s often away and that her behavior has been erratic since she learned she can’t have children. That part seems to fit with the baby-related items, especially the negative pregnancy tests.”
“But why would she care about me?” Sarah protested. “It isn’t as if I want Douglas back. The guy is a manipulative creep.”
Saying it was liberating. She wasn’t trying to pretend any longer. She’d made a mistake, done her best to correct it and now was moving on. End of story. And even though Douglas was connected to her present troubles, she didn’t feel the drugging fear she’d known while living with him.
Zach shrugged. “Who knows why these people do what they do? We’re checking to see if anyone has seen her in Glimmer Creek, and my officers are on the lookout. This is her photo. Do you recognize her?”
Sarah looked at the picture. “Not really, but I’ve been living in a kitchen for the past four years. She could have been in the shop a dozen times. Is there anything else?”
“Not for the moment. Just be careful. The vandalism alone is a potential felony, depending on how the prosecutor decides to handle the charges.”
Subdued, Sarah thanked her cousin and left the station with Tyler. “It doesn’t make sense,” she murmured.
“You think Douglas is manipulating his wife to harass you?”
“Except that doesn’t make sense, either. I’m pretty sure he lost interest when my friends promised to cut off his testicles if he ever bothered me again. At heart he’s a coward
.”
Tyler let out choked laugh. “I can see how that might have discouraged him.” He put an arm around her waist. “Tell you what, let’s be couch potatoes and watch Bringing Up Baby. Does Glimmer Creek have a video store?”
“Sure, but wouldn’t you prefer a Gary Cooper film?”
“A little silliness would be better. The jail scene in Bringing Up Baby is always good for a smile. I could watch Katharine Hepburn scold that leopard a thousand times.”
Sarah melted a little more. Tyler was right—silliness was exactly what they needed.
* * *
OVER THE NEXT few days, Tyler and Sarah only heard small snippets of news about the case from Zach Williams.
Apparently Nell Sheehan had stayed at Poppy Gold occasionally, though more often at nearby towns. At the shop, Aurelia had recognized her picture, saying Nell had been there on different occasions, mostly sitting and watching the customers and seeming sad. Aurelia was astonished she might be the vandal, and Tyler grew alarmed when he saw the expression on Sarah’s face—she didn’t need to feel sorry for the other woman, she needed to protect herself.
He’d talked Sarah into letting him use the apartment above the shop during the day to work on the hospital design, saying the speakeasy history made it more creatively inspiring. It put him close, even though the card table he hauled up the steep staircase was a dismal alternative to his drafting equipment.
The fact she’d let him do it gave him hope.
Tyler rolled his tight shoulders. He was actually getting a great deal of work done. He hadn’t called the Forresters, but he liked the idea of becoming the lead architect for the new Glimmer Creek hospital. His early work on medical facilities had been very satisfying and the thought of going back to his roots was appealing.
The situation in Illinois remained a nagging concern, but he was mostly worried about Sarah.
Just then, Tyler heard heavy thumping as someone climbed the staircase—obviously not Sarah, who was so light of foot, she often took him by surprise.
It was Kurt Fullerton.
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