Holiday Mountain Conspiracy

by Liz Shoaf

  She felt a pair of thin arms wrap around her and Tinker Bell. Bobby gave her a good hug, then stepped back and pulled her toward a chair at the breakfast nook, gently pushing her into the seat.

  “Come on, sis. You’ve looked out for me all my life. It’s my turn to take care of you.”

  Mary Grace sniffed and lifted her head, staring at her brother with new eyes. “You grew up when I wasn’t looking.”

  He glanced at Fran and blushed. “Yes, well, things change.” He gave her a knowing, gentle smile. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

  Astounded, Mary Grace stared at the two of them as Fran sat down. The question didn’t exactly catch her off guard, but...somewhere along the way, had she fallen in love with the gruff mountain man? A man who at times isolated himself on that mountain of his away from the world. A man filled with pain at the betrayals he had experienced. She looked deep within herself, and realized that yes, she had fallen in love with Ned. But it was an impossible situation, especially after this latest betrayal he’d experienced at the hands of Madeline Cooper. Mary Grace didn’t think Ned would ever fully trust anyone again, especially her because she’d withheld information from him yet again.

  Bobby arched a brow and Mary Grace responded, “Maybe, but nothing will come of it.”

  Bobby reached for Fran’s hand. “Remember what Gram always says, ‘Have faith. God can do anything. Even open the heart of a stubborn man.’” He paused and leaned back in his chair, changing the subject. “Tell us what happened today.”

  Placing Tinker Bell in her lap, Mary Grace shared everything that had happened, including her withholding information from Ned and someone shooting at and ramming their car. They were shocked at the audacity of the director of the CIA.

  At the end of her tale, Bobby wrapped her hand in both of his on top of the table. “Listen, sis, if Ned really loves you, he’ll come around. If he’s foolish enough to allow other people’s choices to stand in the way of love, then he’s the one who will be left out in the cold.”

  Mary Grace closed her eyes and prayed they’d all live long enough to find out if Ned really could learn to trust and love someone.

  TWENTY

  The next morning, Ned announced they were flying to Scotland, and when they arrived at the tarmac, Madeline Cooper’s sly innuendos about Finn still rang in his head, making him more determined than ever to prove his best friend’s innocence. His patience wore thin when Bobby and Fran accompanied them to the airport, only to insist on boarding the plane when they arrived. They promised to stay out of the way and babysit the dogs when he talked to Finn.

  He finally gave in just so they could be on their way. Without inviting Mary Grace to join him, he climbed into the cockpit and revved the plane’s big engine. He’d filed a flight plan the night before, so if anyone checked, primarily the CIA director, they would know where he was headed. He’d be ready for them this time.

  He concentrated on getting them off the ground, and soon they were soaring through the sky. It was going to be a long flight.

  He brooded for the first four hours and no one bothered him, but soon after that, Mary Grace poked her head through the door with a cup of coffee and a Danish in hand. He thanked her curtly and she ducked back out.

  He promised himself that after he proved Finn’s innocence, he would get on with his life, but it was hard to think of the future when someone was trying to kill them.

  He spent the rest of the flight planning what he would say to Finn and worrying about everyone’s safety. Confronting Madeline Cooper had given them some answers, but if she was the one trying to kill them, he’d awakened the sleeping giant. They had given her one more reason to get rid of them all, including Finn.

  He checked his watch after he set the plane down. It was 20:00 hours eastern time, which meant by the time they drove to where he’d stashed Finn it would be about two in the morning in Scotland.

  He debated whether to wait but wanted to get it over with. He also considered whether to call Finn and warn him they were coming but decided against it. He trusted Finn, but his gut told him to make it a surprise visit so he could gauge his friend’s reaction. That would help prove Finn’s innocence to Mary Grace.

  He left the cockpit and herded everyone off the plane. He waved at the guy who had stepped out of the building of the small airport and caught Mary Grace’s small smile at the fact that he didn’t have to handle any paperwork. That was going to change soon because he would no longer be working for the CIA.

  He tried to prevent Bobby and Fran from getting into the car with him and Mary Grace, but Bobby insisted he was part of this and had a right to be there. Ned agreed with him, but they had a heated discussion when Fran refused to be left behind. Even the dogs hopped into the car.

  Everyone was quiet while Ned steered the vehicle through the crystal clear night on small curvy country roads. The closer they got to the cottage where he’d stashed Finn, the more uneasy he became. He believed in his friend’s innocence, but what if he were wrong? He was risking the life of everyone in the car.

  He pulled to the side of the road a quarter of a mile from their destination and cut the engine. Mary Grace reached across the console and laid her hand on his.

  “Ned, are you okay? We’re in this together.” She went quiet for a moment, then spoke in a soft voice. “For your sake, I pray Finn is innocent. I know how much his friendship means to you. But if he isn’t, I pray God will give you the strength to overcome this.”

  A tumult of emotions clashed and roared inside him. He had always been a man of absolute control. His life had depended on it. He wanted to give something back to Mary Grace, but he was frozen inside. He found himself at a crossroads in life. If Finn were guilty, he didn’t know if he’d ever be able to trust anyone again.

  Slowly, he pulled his hand away and Mary Grace’s warmth left him. He glanced into the back seat. “You two get out here.” He pointed to the side of the road. “You can wait in that old shack.”

  They both opened their mouths to protest, but he placed a hand in the air. “This is not up for negotiation. Get out of the car. We’ll pick you up on our way back.”

  They must have realized he meant business because they opened their doors and clamored out. Mary Grace rolled down her window and handed Tinker Bell to Fran. With a wobbly voice, she made Fran promise to take care of her beloved dog if something happened to her.

  Ned wanted to howl in frustration. Nothing was going to happen to her because Finn was innocent. He just didn’t want Fran and Bobby there to cloud the meeting. They’d pick them back up in an hour or so and everything would be fine.

  Krieger had gotten out of the car and Ned cracked his window and gave a command. “Follow.”

  Mary Grace folded her arms over her stomach and stared out the passenger window at the thick forest and inky black night. “If you think Finn is innocent, why’d you leave them behind and order Krieger to follow on foot?”

  Ned wasn’t in the mood for chatter, but he answered curtly, “I didn’t think it fair to Finn to involve anyone else in this discussion and it’s force of habit with Krieger. He’s always been my front man. He’ll stay in the shadows until I tell him otherwise.”

  Ned knew Finn would be alerted by the security he himself had installed for his friend’s safety. Finn would have a small warning that company was arriving, he just wouldn’t know the identity of his visitors.

  Ned’s stomach churned the closer they got to the cottage, and all too soon, he pulled the vehicle into the short graveled driveway. Lights in the house were blinking on, and soon Mary Grace would know the truth, that Finn was innocent. Dressed in pajamas, Finn rolled his wheelchair onto the front porch, and in that moment, something that had been eluding Ned ever since the conversation he and Finn had had while Ned and Mary Grace were in Georgia crystallized in his mind, but it was too late. Too late for everything. Ma
ry Grace had already slipped out of the car.

  * * *

  Exhaustion weighed heavily, but Mary Grace opened her car door when they arrived at Finn’s cottage. She took a deep breath and said a quick prayer, because whatever happened would most likely determine the rest of her life. She had only known Ned a short time, but after talking to Bobby, she finally admitted to herself that Ned was the only man she’d ever love. The feelings she’d had for other guys she’d dated in the past didn’t even come close to what she felt for Ned. She now realized it wasn’t her dysfunctional childhood that had destroyed all her relationships. She just hadn’t met the right man and her heart had known the difference.

  She took a deep breath and studied the guy sitting in a wheelchair under the front porch light. He was light where Ned was dark. From a short distance, he appeared to be a good-looking man with blond hair and quite a good physique, considering he was confined to a wheelchair. He spotted Ned and waved them forward just as a large man stepped out of the house and stood at Finn’s side.

  Mary Grace kept moving but stopped when Ned met her at the front of the car. She saw him make a small movement with his right hand and surmised he knew where Krieger was and had just given him a command. That meant something wasn’t right.

  With a hand on her elbow, he moved them forward but spoke under his breath. “Be ready to move fast if I tell you to.”

  Questions burst forth in her mind, but she did as she was told and walked to the front porch with a smile pasted on her face. “You must be Finn. I’m Mary Grace and I’ve heard so much about you.” Her words didn’t come out as smooth as she’d hoped, and Ned appeared relaxed at her side, but she knew he was wound tight. Tension radiated off him in waves. She didn’t know what was going on, but his grip tightened on her elbow when his gaze swung from the large man standing at Finn’s side to his friend.

  “Why, Finn?”

  Mary Grace’s heart broke at Ned’s pain-filled, gruff words.

  Finn gave Ned a crooked grin. “You always were too smart for your own good. What gave me away?”

  The man standing beside Finn pulled out a handgun and pointed it at them. Ned dropped his hand from her elbow in a seemingly natural manner.

  “You did. When I spoke to you on the phone, you knew Mary Grace’s name. I hadn’t told you her name.” He glanced at the big man standing beside Finn under the bright porch light. “Violet eyes. I saw your henchman’s unusual eye color when he tried to take down Mary Grace on my mountain. Did you have other hired men trying to kill us while your killer made his way back here? Were you behind all the attempts on our lives? Why, Finn? I thought we were friends.”

  Mary Grace readied herself to move when Finn’s lips twisted into an ugly smile. “You have it all, Ned. You’ve always had it all.” Eyes bright with jealousy and bitterness swung toward Mary Grace.

  “Did you know Ned’s a famous painter? He’s known all over the world as the elusive Ned because the public has never met him. His family is rich, but he got even richer with his own paintings and he didn’t even need the money. Did you know his family owns a huge castle here in Scotland?”

  Finn glanced back at Ned. “I always tagged along during holidays—the charity case—and I promised myself one day I’d be as rich as your family.”

  Ned took a halting step forward and Mary Grace wanted to weep at the pain vibrating in his voice. “Finn, it doesn’t have to be this way. We can work things out. I’ll hire you the best attorney money can buy.”

  Finn shook his head and his lips twisted in a parody of a smile. “I really didn’t want you dead, but I knew you’d never give up until you found out who had betrayed us. An admirable trait most of the time, but it was interfering with my plans. When Madeline Cooper and I realized Bobby had left one of the cameras running while our mission was being carried out, we knew we had to cover our tracks and dispose of anyone who might discover us. We figured Bobby would contact his sister, and if he actually knew anything he would share it with her, a well-known reporter. Oh, and we knew you were holed up on your mountain, we were just biding our time, hoping to make your death look like an accident, but then my man followed Mary Grace to your mountain and we had to try to get rid of both of you. I truly am sorry it has to end this way, but that’s life. Oh, and one more thing before we say goodbye forever.”

  Mary Grace gasped when Finn pushed himself out of the wheelchair. Ned didn’t move a muscle, just choked out one word. “Why?”

  Finn’s lips spread in a wide smile. “The bullet did graze my spine, but after I left the hospital and you moved me here, I hired a really good physical therapist. It was hard, but I regained my mobility.” His lips twisted again. “The stupid guy who accidentally shot me is no longer with us.” He shook his head in mock sorrow. “You just can’t find good help these days.”

  “But why didn’t you tell me you could walk?”

  The grief and sadness in Ned’s response made Mary Grace want to throw her arms around him and let him know everything would be okay, but that wouldn’t be right because she didn’t know if anything would ever be okay for Ned after a betrayal that cut this deep.

  “Why, Ned, you wouldn’t believe how many people underestimate a man sitting in a wheelchair. You’re a prime example.”

  Finn glanced over his shoulder at his henchman and nodded. “Make it quick.”

  Everything happened at once. Ned shouted a German command for his dog, pulled a handgun from the inside of his jacket and pushed Mary Grace to the side in one smooth movement.

  She went down sideways and her shoulder hit the graveled driveway, but she ignored the pain and scrambled to her feet. In a flash she saw Krieger coming up behind the big man holding the gun, but she knew it would be too late if the guy fired. She automatically threw herself in front of Ned just as both men’s guns went off. She watched the large man fall as a burning sensation ripped through her side before she crumbled to the ground. She heard the loud report of a second shot, and from her prone position on the ground, prayed as she watched Ned move around her and charge his best friend. They struggled over a gun in Finn’s hand. Krieger stood guard over the fallen body of the first man, saliva dripping out of his mouth.

  Black dots peppered her vision, but she fought to stay conscious. She prayed nothing would happen to either man, because if Ned had to kill Finn in order to stop him, he would never forgive himself.

  Just as her vision wavered even more, Fran slipped an arm under her head. She and Bobby must have followed them on foot, and Mary Grace was thankful they did. Fran’s voice quaked as she spoke to Mary Grace.

  “You have to be okay, Mary Grace. My uncle loves you and he’ll never leave his mountain if you die.”

  Mary Grace wanted to reassure her, but the black dots were becoming thicker. Her heart jerked in fear when she saw Bobby out of the corner of her eye jump onto the front porch to help Ned, but Fran breathed out in satisfaction.

  “It’s okay. They have both men subdued and they’re tying them up.”

  * * *

  A few moments later, Ned bounded off the porch and kneeled at Mary Grace’s side. He replaced Fran’s arm with his own and leaned close, his heart pounding in fear that she’d been shot. Golden eyes filled with sadness and an expression he hoped was love stared back at him. It was in that moment he knew that all the betrayals in the world didn’t matter as long as Mary Grace always looked at him as she was now. His heart expanded and filled with love for this feisty, beautiful woman, All the negative emotions he’d been clinging to—distrust, anger and betrayal—simply disappeared.

  His Scottish brogue filled with gruff emotion, he said, “Aye, me luv, ’tis my fault this happened to ye. Ye have to hang on, ye hear me. I luv ye and find I canna live without ye.” He pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead. A tear fell from his chin and hit her cheek before he whispered, “Ye saved me life, Mary Grace. I trust ye and I find mese
lf trusting our Lord. I pray ye will live through this so I can shower ye wi’ love for the rest of me life. Please say ye will marry me?”

  Mary Grace’s pain filled eyes stayed on Ned and the corners of her lips curved upward. “I love you back, Mountain Man, and yes, I’ll marry you.”

  He bent down and gave her a warm kiss, then pulled back. “’Tis a happy man, I am, but if ye’d see fit to marry yerself to this mountain man this Christmas, I’d be the happiest fella on earth.”

  “I’ll marry you, Mountain Man, if you’ll rebuild that mountain cabin of yours.” She gave him a shy grin. “I’d love to show our children where we first met.”

  A big whoop, something that sounded like a war cry from times past, filled the air and Ned kissed her again, right on the lips.

  EPILOGUE

  It was good that the bullet wound had just been a graze, because in her wildest imagination, Mary Grace never dreamed she’d be walking down the aisle of a five-hundred-year-old church on the grounds of an ancient castle on Christmas Day. Happiness surged through her as she stood at the entrance of the building, waiting for the “Wedding March” music to begin, and she said a silent prayer of thanks. The stone structure was bursting with people and the decorations were beyond beautiful. Simple but elegant small tree branches were attached to each pew with red bows and a huge Christmas tree stood behind the minister. The handmade ornaments on the tree looked as old as the church.

  Her gaze found Gram Ramsey sitting proudly in the front row. Mary Grace’s heart swelled at the thought of Ned flying her grandmother to Scotland and formally asking for Mary Grace’s hand in marriage. He made a pledge to Gram that her home in Georgia would be in good hands for future generations. She chuckled, remembering Gram’s response to Eli. “You’ll do fine, my boy, just keep to the Word and everything will work out.”