Two Hearts Find Christmas

by Tamara Ferguson

  “Michael Murphy.”

  Momentarily, she was puzzled. “Your district attorney friend from Chicago?”

  “No. You’re close, though. That’s Sean Murphy. Mike’s his oldest son. Your mom and I are actually his godparents.”

  “Really?” Turning to her father, she lifted a brow. “Have I ever met him?”

  He considered her question. “I don’t think so. Maybe back when you two were kids? You haven’t tagged along with us on any our family outings to Chicago for a while, have you?”

  “The Murphys haven’t visited Crystal Rock?”

  He hesitated. “Sean Murphy’s first wife was my cousin, Kate – so that’s how we got to be friends. He’s avoided bringing his family here because he spent a lot of time here with Anne.”

  Although Kate sensed there was more to the story, it was clear that her father didn’t want to get into it. “So – tell me more about Michael Murphy.”

  “He’s been a pretty good friend of Dan’s for the past five years. Even though Murphy plays football, he’s also studying engineering at Northwestern. He’s planning on going for his master’s in architecture at U of I in Chicago, so he needs to do an internship.”

  “Architecture? That’s a first for us, too, isn’t it? Most of our interns come from Northwest Community College. Although, I guess we’ve had a few from Wisconsin.”

  Her father nodded. “He’ll learn more about building materials by working with us. Murphy claims the actual quality positions available for interns in Chicago are limited. Supposedly, most of the companies still accepting interns are using them for their most labor intensive work - like hauling materials and shoveling concrete.” He hesitated before continuing, “But there’s a small problem.”

  Kate was instantly leery.

  “He has absolutely no construction experience.”

  She snorted. “Uh, oh.”

  “Exactly,” her father responded, wryly. “I thought I’d start him off at the campgrounds doing drywall and flooring, and then move him over to your crew when you begin installing doors and windows, along with completing your interior finish work. I’d like for you and Dan to keep an eye on him, though. After all – he’s almost a member of the family.”

  Kate sighed, rolling her eyes. “Great.”

  Her father smiled. “Somehow, I knew that you’d think so,” he admitted, dryly.

  An Excerpt From

  In Flight

  (A Tales of The Dragonfly Novel 2)

  Romantic Suspense By Tamara Ferguson

  Pinnacle Book Achievement Award Winner

  National Indie Excellence Awards Romance Finalist

  Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards WINNER

  Tales of the Dragonfly

  In Tandem

  AMAZON

  Tales of the Dragonfly

  In Flight

  AMAZON

  CHAPTER ONE

  Saturday, June 4, 1988

  The golden orb of the descending sun spun out radiant iridescent beams of light, firing the sky ablaze atop the tranquil sparkling waters of Crystal Rock Lake.

  Sam Danielson and Penny Wentworth strolled leisurely under the very arbor where Jake Loughlin and Danielle Reardon had been married earlier that day. Framed by the backdrop of the picturesque Dragonfly Pointe Inn, they both stood mesmerized as they gazed at the glorious sunset from their perch above the steep rocky shore.

  Under the dense shade of the towering white pines, the waterfall spilling wistfully into the lake nearby sounded peaceful and comforting, and added to the enchantment of their surroundings. Providing ambiance for wedding festivities, sparkling miniature lights shimmered overhead and around the inviting wrapped porch of the inn. With glowing radiance fading into dusk, at that moment, the atmosphere surrounding the inn exuded a mysteriously magical quality.

  Still somewhat nervous, pulling her sunglasses from her purse and quickly sliding them over her eyes, Penny snuck a peek at the chiseled profile of the handsome man standing beside her. Once finished with his task of ushering guests in and out of their seats, before and after the wedding, Sam had escorted Penny through the reception line to congratulate Jake and Danielle, the new owners of the Dragonfly Pointe Inn. Despite nine months of chaos and construction on Dragonfly Pointe, they’d managed to pull off an impressive wedding ceremony and celebration.

  Although Sam had remained by her side throughout the entire day, this was actually the first chance they’d had to be alone.

  Penny sighed. Regrettably, she was pretty sure that’d been Danielle’s idea for Sam to keep her company today.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Turning away from the glorious sunset with his mouth tipped up into an appreciative smile, Sam was obviously focusing his eyes on her.

  She nodded her agreement rather numbly.

  Unreal. To be here with Sam.

  The obsession of every single one of her teenage fantasies.

  Amazingly, up until she’d met Sam, Penny’s heart had remained relatively intact. With her family transplanted from state to state because of her father’s calling as a minister, she’d been especially depressed when she’d been forced to relocate from Minnesota to Crystal Rock, only a few months shy of her eighth grade graduation.

  “Remember the first time we met?”

  His voice sent shivers down her spine. Startled to realize that Sam’s thoughts must’ve been echoing hers, she laughed softly. “You almost ran me down.”

  While babysitting for a young couple the summer she’d arrived in town, Penny had been maneuvering the little girl’s stroller along the sidewalk. Sam had been driving his turquoise-blue Comet rather recklessly down the usually deserted, dead-end street. Fortunately, he’d been able to pull his car to a screeching halt before turning into his driveway.

  Sam grimaced. “I loved driving that car. Every time I had a chance to crank up the speed, I would. But I was damned lucky that I was able to stop just in time that day. I could’ve killed the two of you.”

  Sam had rushed from his car to apologize, most definitely stunned by his own negligence. Suddenly, his voice had cut off into a stammer when he’d glanced up from the baby at her. After a long quiet moment, Sam had finally smiled, gazing deeply into her eyes.

  And time had stood still.

  Along with the beat of her heart.

  Just like that, she’d fallen for Sam.

  Sure, he was great-looking. At eighteen, Sam was tall and beautifully built with broad shoulders and narrow hips. His job as head lifeguard at the Dragonfly Pointe Beach had left his handsome face deeply tanned; accentuating the crinkles at the corners of his eyes when he’d smiled.

  And she’d melted, gazing into those eyes, the color of creamy dark chocolate.

  Penny had spent the entire summer babysitting newborn, Sophia Barelli, whose home just happened to be immediately across the street from the Danielson’s.

  So it was pretty hard not to be aware of Sam.

  While other kids his age were either enjoying summer on the lake or cruising around the countryside, barely escaping trouble, Sam was handling the maintenance and upkeep of their home for his mother. Apparently, around five years earlier, Sam’s father had tragically passed away.

  After hanging out that summer with a few new friends at the Dragonfly Pointe Beach, Penny had instantly recognized that Sam was not only well-liked, but tremendously respected. As the head lifeguard, he’d been wholly attentive to his job.

  She’d had such a crush on him.

  And then, that August, tragedy had struck Crystal Rock. A six-year old girl was brutally assaulted and murdered at Dragonfly Pointe. An ongoing investigation was initiated, and business at the Dragonfly Inn began to decline. It’d only been three short months since Penny and her family had arrived in town.

  Penny cleared her throat. “That ended up being an awful summer.”

  Sam frowned, and slanted her a side glance. “That’s for sure—in more ways than one. The Dragonfly Inn fell into a decline
, and Crystal Rock practically turned into a ghost town after that little girl’s murder.”

  Despite the upheaval in the community, one week later, school had still begun. Penny hadn’t been sure what to expect when she’d entered Crystal Rock High that fall as a freshman. Although, as a senior, Sam had been much older than her, building up foolish hopes, Penny had obviously misinterpreted his interest in her over the summer.

  She’d been so sure he’d been hitting on her.

  And in one single day, she’d suddenly realized her romantic expectations had been totally misguided. Penny had been heartbroken when she’d noticed Diane Malloy, a popular senior and cheerleader, all over Sam.

  But, surprisingly, even though he’d remained slightly distant during that first week of school, Sam had continued to single Penny out. So it’d been difficult setting aside her fantasies.

  Until the following weekend, that is, Sunday night at dusk. Penny and her mother were cleaning out the cabins from the previous week’s summer camp activities, at the deserted Crystal Rock Campgrounds. With a large trash bag in hand, Penny had been circling the picnic area and scoping out the beach, searching for missed debris.

  They hadn’t noticed her. Obviously unaware of the vehicles belonging to the clean-up crew that were parked in the recreational center parking lot, Sam and Diane were half-naked on the tiny isolated beach, a longstanding make-out place for local teenagers.

  Stupidly, the discovery of Sam’s extra-curricular activities hadn’t completely discouraged her, though. After all, Penny had found out that Sam had no steady girlfriend.

  It’d taken another glimpse of Sam, in action again, with a different female at the same beach only a few weeks later.

  Almost twenty-three years ago, berating herself at her own stupidity, she’d finally accepted the obvious. With every girl at school throwing herself at him, why would Sam have been interested in her, a short, skinny freshman?

  Apparently more mature than his peers, in public, Sam had appeared polite, yet remained isolated.

  He’d definitely hidden a dark side.

  What was it about Sam that’d made her forget her strict and proper upbringing? As a teenager, she should’ve been shocked when she’d found him, twice, on the verge of having sex with two different women. But, instead, she’d been jealous.

  As well as confused. Had she only just imagined Sam’s interest? It’d been an enormous effort attempting to subdue her disappointment and heartache.

  And who had she been fooling? Even if Sam had been the type of guy her father had approved of, her father, being obsessively overprotective, would never have actually let her go out with him. Even at eighteen, when she’d eventually acquired a steady boyfriend, she’d snuck around with Jason rather than risk her father’s disapproval.

  Penny shook her head, snapping back to the present. What was wrong with her? How stupid was she—to keep on dwelling on the past? How could Sam’s obvious rejection of her as a teenager still hurt so much now? She sighed, resignedly. After all, over these past several years, she’d learned the hard way that there was no such thing as happily ever after.

  With these still startlingly sensitive thoughts in her mind, turning away from Sam, Penny attempted to blink back her tears. “You’ve got a lot of friends here. You don’t have to stay with me for the rest of the night, you know.”

  Glancing at her face and quickly gathering her mood, Sam frowned, as his cheerfulness abruptly vanished. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize...

  Studying Sam, she was somewhat surprised to observe a pained, fleeting glimpse of dejection cross over his face. Turning away stiffly, he determinedly strode back toward the inn.

  Like a hurt little boy.

  Suddenly panicking, Penny quickly reigned in her self-control. “Sam,” she called out. “I only meant that you don’t need to stay with me, just because Danny asked you to.”

  Sam turned back, and his eyes met hers. “Asked me to?” With a brow raised, he studied her face, somehow reassured. Unhurriedly, he strolled back, confronting her face to face. “Didn’t Danny say anything?”

  “About what?”

  “That I wanted to be with you. That’s why she sat us together for dinner. You acted like you didn’t mind me tagging along all day, so I thought you knew.” Noticing the subtle trace of tears covering her cheeks, reaching over, Sam gently raised the sunglasses covering her eyes to the top of her head. Hypnotically, his fingers soothed her brow while his hands framed her face. “What’s wrong, Penny?” he questioned softly.

  “Oh. I think I’m just a little tired and I’ve had a lot more champagne than I’m accustomed to. The flowers were a lot of work. And this is the first time I’ve been away from my son, for more than a night, since...I don’t remember when,” Penny responded, dazedly.

  He’d asked to be with her? As his gentle fingertips brushed the tears from her eyes, Penny gazed numbly into his reassuring brown eyes.

  She couldn’t help but wonder—what kind of a man had Sam become? Now divorced, he’d been married nearly fifteen years. Although he no longer appeared to be a womanizer, he’d always easily attracted the eyes of the opposite sex. Even though there’d been quite a few women today who’d, most obviously, attempted to draw his attention, after several opportunities for escape, he’d never left her side.

  Thoughtfully, she realized she’d let the information slip out about her son. Sam hadn’t seemed surprised. How much had Danielle revealed? Was Sam aware of Penny’s never-ending difficulties, as a single mother of a sixteen-year old special needs son?

  “You did a great job with the flowers,” Sam reassured her. “I don’t know much about these things myself, but you wouldn’t believe how many people I heard today—talking about how beautiful your flowers were.”

  Reluctantly acknowledging that Sam’s awkward compliment meant even more to her than praise from her peers, she gazed at him with a grateful smile. “Thank you, Sam.” Owner as well as lead designer of Sander’s Floral Innovations in New York, Penny had won awards for her specialty wedding bouquets. After flying in from New York on Thursday to supervise her meticulously detailed plans for flowers and décor, she’d worked straight up until the moment of the wedding.

  But right at that moment, all Penny could think about was how much she’d like to strangle Danielle for not mentioning anything about setting her up with Sam. Danielle’s recent manipulations were finally beginning to make sense. When she’d insisted Penny accompany her for her final fitting of her wedding gown last month in New York, she’d persuaded Penny to purchase the lovely, but revealing, teal gown she’d worn today. Penny was decidedly uncomfortable wearing a gown she normally wouldn’t have had the courage to wear otherwise.

  But Penny had been thrilled at the warmth in Sam’s gaze before the wedding as she’d been pinning on his boutonniere. When Sam had suddenly whispered she was beautiful, she’d nearly crushed his boutonniere!

  A couple months ago, Penny had been visiting Crystal Rock to finalize the details for the wedding when she’d accidentally run into Sam. She hadn’t seen him in over twenty years. That day, when Sam had looked into her eyes, all the turmoil she’d experienced as a teenager had come rushing back to haunt her.

  “So.” Sam’s fingers cradled her chin, as he steadily held her gaze. “Are you okay—with me being with you?”

  Captivated by his gaze, unable to utter a response, Penny bobbed her head up and down.

  “Good,” Sam replied, in a voice, low and husky. Only hesitating for a moment, he bent down, and gently touched his lips to hers.

  And what was meant to be light and reassuring turned into something much, much more. As Sam’s mouth lingered over hers, while his tongue gently invaded, Penny discovered she was helpless to resist. Her mouth responded eagerly to each of his subtle searching strokes.

  Somewhat dazed and disoriented, she sighed and gradually began pulling away. While Penny eyed Sam with stunned confusion, Sam smiled with obvious satisfaction, releasing her g
ently.

  He peeked at his watch. “It’s almost six. Are we ready to go inside?” Not even bothering to await an answer, Sam tucked his arm within hers. Although she was hindered by her five-inch heels and full-length gown, Sam matched her steps patiently as he escorted her through the deserted courtyard.

  Pausing at the base of the staircase leading up into the entrance of the inn, Penny removed her sunglasses, folding and slipping them back into her purse. As she anxiously studied Sam, he suddenly winked. With a quick bemused shake of her head, she smiled resignedly, and traveled up the steps with her arm, once again, hooked within his.

  They paused on the threshold before moving inside.

  Sam blinked as he gazed around him. “Wow. It’s like stepping into a fairy tale, Penny.”

  Penny couldn’t help but be pleased by the results of the inn’s transformation for the wedding. The lobby and ballroom had become absolutely enchanting—now that the entire lower level of the Dragonfly Pointe Inn was alit with lights and adorned with greens and topiary.

  Penny smiled at Sam. “You wouldn’t believe how many miniature lights we had to use, since we decided to dis the overhead lighting—it was just too harsh.”

  Penny had been astonished at the beauty of the restoration, when she’d first laid eyes on the inn again this past spring. Although the expansion had been extensive, clever renovations had kept the atmosphere of the inn both warm and inviting. Just stopping short of encompassing the entire shoreline of the lake along Dragonfly Pointe, with its graceful columns and fresh white siding, the exterior of the inn was barely recognizable. There’d been two additional stories integrated above the original two, while elevators had been installed to provide convenient access to the luxurious upper quarters. Elegantly appointed balconies had been extended outdoors, from the most exclusive hotel rooms and lakefront suites.

  Although the entire ground floor of the inn, apart from the lobby and the artisan’s gift shop, had been set up solely for dining, it’d all been utilized for the wedding today. Partitions and walls, equipped to break up the individual dining rooms, had been folded back and stored into pockets, designed specifically for that purpose. Having been kept open as an alternative location for Jake’s and Danielle’s nuptials—just in case problems had arisen due to inclement weather—the solarium was also intended for dining, but tonight, for the reception, had been set up for dancing.