His chest heaving with anger-fueled adrenaline, Morgan rolled back onto his heels and hurried to where Valerie sat holding her knees to her chest. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
Her head shook from side to side. “Mostly scared me.” From the look on his face the last thing she needed to tell them was that there had been a moment or two when she thought she’d never see him again.
The fear, the anguish, the adrenaline whooshed out of her like a deflated balloon the minute Morgan swooped her into his arms. She hated reacting like a little girl, but the tears gushed nonetheless. “I’m sorry.”
His hold on her tightened ever so gently. “Don’t be. You were magnificent.”
That made her chuckle. “I don’t know about that.”
“Are you kidding me? You should have seen the look on his face when you stomped on him and then jabbed him. He never saw it coming.”
“There wasn’t a point sooner. I’d have never gotten far enough away to reach anyone, and with all the sawing and hammering I didn’t think anyone would hear me scream.”
By now, some of the cameramen had arrived. Neil and Jim had the skinny guy hog tied and Ryan stood over Mr. Beefy like a rodeo rider over a roped steer. The exception being that no one at the rodeo held a menacing two by four. “Looks like they’ve got this under control.”
Valerie nodded, but didn’t move.
“Oh my.” Sister came running up. “Oh my, oh my.”
A few feet behind her, Sissy kept shaking her head. “That’s Mabel Berkner’s nephew.”
“Sure is,” Sister confirmed.
“Didn’t he and his mama Lily move far away?”
“Doesn’t look like it, does it?” Sister shook her head.
Valerie figured the two sisters got it about right. Nowhere near far enough away.
Sirens blared in the background.
Neil came up to Morgan’s side. “We texted DJ when we realized we might be out of our league. That should be him or Reed.”
“Thanks.” Morgan nodded at his brother but didn’t let go of Valerie, and that was fine by her, except she couldn’t very well stand here in his arms for the rest of the day.
She remained enfolded in Morgan’s space until DJ pulled up behind the church.
“Well, look what we have here.” DJ shook his head at Mr. Beefy. “You really didn’t learn your lesson, do you? Thought two years behind bars would have taught you to stay on the right side of the law. Want to tell me what this is all about?”
The nephew shook his head.
“You keep quiet,” the skinny guy shouted. “A good lawyer will have us out in a couple of hours.”
“Wasn’t that what your buddy told you about running moonshine?” DJ spoke slow and steady as if any faster and Beefy might not understand.
“You keep your trap shut,” the other guy yelled again as Reed slapped handcuffs on him and reading him his rights, shoved him into his patrol car.
“I’ll meet you back at the station,” DJ called to Reed. His deputy nodded and DJ waited till the dust had settled before turning back to Beefy. “Okay. Do you want to tell me what’s going on now or do you want to tell the judge?”
“We were going to be richer than running moonshine,” Beefy muttered.
“Go on,” DJ urged.
Valerie stepped in closer. She didn’t want to miss a word.
“It all started with some fancy parrot from Mexico. I could transport those wild critters in my car and no one could catch us.” Beefy grinned. “Got paid better than moonshine too, but those stupid peacocks kept screeching at night. Can’t hide from the law if the dumb birds don’t shut up.”
The sisters’ ghosts were starting to make sense. Squawking peacocks really do sound a lot like women crying “help me.”
“I’m still listening,” DJ prompted.
“Turns out people pay a lot of money for those ugly bulldogs.”
DJ followed Morgan’s finger to where a couple of the crew held the wandering French bulldogs.
“So you’ve been stealing dogs and running them like you ran our moonshine.” It wasn’t a question.
Beefy nodded.
“And this place?”
Beefy shrugged. “Cheap rent and no nosy neighbors.”
“What rent?” Sissy snapped, before mumbling she should send a bill to Mabel.
“One more question.” Morgan looked to Beefy. “Why’d you move the furniture around?”
“Didn’t want no movies being made here. People crawling around.” He spit on the ground. “Look what happened.” He pointed his chin at Valerie. “I was right. Messed everything up.”
DJ turned to the folks standing around. “I’m going to need to get statements from everyone. When you have a minute, come on down to the station.”
Heads bobbed, and Valerie slid out of Morgan’s protection and walked up to the sisters. “Did you guys know there’s a tunnel from my bedroom to the church?”
From the way both women’s eyes rounded like a cartoon owl, she was pretty sure the answer was no. Guess she wasn’t going to find out what the story was with Sadie and the church. Then again, maybe not all questions were meant to be answered.
Chapter Sixteen
Drinks in the air, the crowd gathering at O’Fearadaigh’s to celebrate the wrap of the pilot chorused, Sláinte.”
“Job well done.” Aunt Eileen patted Morgan on the arm and he slid his hand atop hers.
“It’s a good team.” Sean Farraday raised his glass again.
“When will we know if they pick up the series?” Finn asked.
“Months.” Val rolled her eyes skyward. “Editing alone will take about six weeks. There’s a long list of steps, from clearing the rights to any music, sound effects, or stock footage and things, to the Rough Cut, Fine Cut, and Lock Cut. Then they’ll go to Color and Mix to make sure everything is aesthetically pleasing and within legal broadcast standards. Yada yada yada.”
“In other words, now we sit and wait,” Neil said.
Valerie bobbed her head. “That about covers it.”
“So,” Jim looked to the fellows, “what do you guys do until then?”
Ryan laughed. “Depends who you ask. If you asked my mother there’s the list as long as Valerie’s for jobs to be done in Oklahoma. On the other hand, if you ask Aunt Eileen, there’s a long list to be done right here in Tuckers Bluff.”
“I’ll be staying here for a little while longer.” Under the table, Morgan squeezed Valerie’s hand. “Or maybe it’s time I took a vacation.”
“I’m with big brother. The business almost runs itself some days. It won’t miss the two of us.” Neil fingered his glass of beer. “Oklahoma isn’t nearly as exciting as Tuckers Bluff.”
His aunt smacked him gently on the arm. “Now don’t you go making fun of us. A little variety in life is a good thing.”
Neil held his hands palm out, fingers splayed. “Hey, I’m on your side. I’m liking the variety around here. If nothing else, it keeps us on our toes.”
“You’re just looking for another chance to hogtie something besides a calf.” Ryan shook his head at his brother.
“You never know.” Neil hefted a single shoulder.
“Atta boy,” Hannah tipped her beer at her Oklahoma cousin. “Stick around and we’ll show you how to have fun!”
Dale squeezed his wife’s hand and with a smile muttered, “Always a firecracker.”
Morgan flipped the O’Fearadaigh’s cardboard coaster in his hand. “Tell me, Jamie, what did y’all decide about the fancy restaurant?”
Jamie cast a quick glance at his wife, who looked over to their aunt, who—no surprise—kept her gaze on her white wine. “I don’t think the town is quite ready for upscale dining.”
“But,” Aunt Eileen looked to Valerie, “it’s nice to know it could be done.”
Smiling, Valerie seemed to get Aunt Eileen’s message. Morgan wasn’t sure all that work had been necessary. With every passing day, Val fit in more and
more with the simple country life. Though she had thrown him for a loop when she showed off a brand spanking new pair of cowboy boots she had ordered online—in pink.
Uncle Sean drank down the last sip of his stout and pushed away from the table. “It’s been a long day, and it’s a long drive home. If y’all will excuse us.” He held his hand out for Aunt Eileen and the two bid a quick goodbye to everyone, then walked out the door hand-in-hand.
“I still wonder what took those two so long to figure out they belonged together,” Abbie mused.
Multiple voices at the table chorused Amen.
Abbie pushed her chair back and stood. “It’s time I go get my son. It’s almost his bath time, and that’s pretty much his favorite activity of the day.” She gave her husband a quick peck and hurried out the door.
One by one the family dispersed, heading to their own homes.
“So it looks like it’s just the three Farraday cousins.” Ryan tipped his glass at Valerie and smiled. “And company.”
Neil bobbed his head. “Next round is on me.”
“Sorry, fellows. It’s been a long week, and I’m ready to crash,” Valerie said.
Still holding her hand, Morgan pushed to his feet. “I’ll walk you home.”
“That’ll be nice.”
On purpose, Morgan didn’t look at either of his brothers. He knew he’d be teased mercilessly when they all got back to the Farraday ranch, but he didn’t care. Outside the pub, he tugged her a little closer as they walked.
“So you’ll be staying here for a while?” she asked.
Morgan nodded. He’d been meaning to tell her about his project, but there never seemed to be a moment when something else wasn’t happening. “At least six weeks. Maybe more.”
“Is this that project y’all were talking about at dinner my first night back?”
He wondered if she’d heard herself say y’all instead of you guys. It sounded really pretty from her. “Yes, that’s the one. Do you remember the house down the street from Meg?”
“The one with the missing library ladder?”
Somehow he knew that would be the part she’d most remember. The library. “Yep, that’s the one. I bought it from the owner.”
Her eyes popped open wide. “Really?”
“I knew whoever bought it at a bargain wasn’t going to restore some of those old rooms. Especially not the library. With the growing popularity of ereaders and internet search engines, folks simply don’t keep as many books around as they used to. Even public libraries are dying in some cities.”
“I know. So sad.”
“Anyhow, I thought if it were fully restored, maybe it would attract the right buyer. So, she and I came to an agreement. We settled on a fair price in the current condition, and for a small down payment, she’s carrying the note.”
“Oh. So you’re planning on flipping it?”
That depended on so many things. “Maybe.” He drew to a stop. “Want to come in and see?”
Her gaze darted about the front yard. He’d barely had time to do much more than attack the overgrowth but that alone had made a huge improvement to the curb appeal. “I’d love to.”
Climbing the front steps to the wide veranda made Valerie almost giddy with delight. A person would think it was her house she was about to get a glimpse at.
Morgan drew the key from his pocket and turned the lock. The large wooden door with a typical glass window swung open.
“It’s only primer.”
“The ceilings look so much taller without the dirty walls.”
“First thing I did was rewire the first floor, then scrape off the crud, sand and patch the rough spots.”
“Wow. That’s a lot. How long ago did you buy it?”
“The week you went back to California.”
She nodded. So he’d had several weeks to work on it before she’d dragged him away again to film the pilot. “It really does look nice.”
“It’ll look even nicer with a fresh coat of paint. Something bright but not so institutional as solid white.”
“Yeah. I think you’re right.”
Slowly, she perused different rooms on the first floor, and just like the first time they’d seen the house, the library was the last stop.
Morgan opened the double doors and stepped aside.
“Wow.” She knew her mouth was hanging open but couldn’t bring herself to snap it shut. Every inch of wood gleamed against the overhead lighting. “Just wow.”
“It took quite a bit of sanding. There’s three coats of polyurethane. This sucker should stay this beautiful for generations to come.”
Slowly she ran her hand along the smooth, empty shelves. “This is magnificent.” Standing in front of another shelf that held several books, she took a minute to read the spines. Biography of the Windsors, Paul Newman.
“I thought since you like romance and biography, you might want to borrow a book or two of some real life romances.”
She quoted Paul Newman, “Why go out for hamburger when you have steak at home.”
“Smart man.” Morgan smiled.
Another shelf had mysteries and cozies and she wondered how did this man know her so well. Obviously she’d told him her taste, but he’d filed the data away to be retrieved when needed. She continued to circle the room while reading the sporadic spines of the occasional shelf of books when her arm bumped into the wall. Looking left, it wasn’t a wall. A ladder. “I hate to keep repeating myself, but wow. I feel as though I’ve died and gone to book heaven.”
Leaning against a wall of books, watching her, his arms and ankles crossed, he smiled.
And that’s when she saw it. Almost the entire wall had been filled with books. The same wall she’d told him she’d want to fill with romances. Her heart did a flip and she eased forward. Almost afraid of what she might or might not find. “You remembered.”
Only his head moved. “I remembered. All the wives helped.”
She pulled out the first spine her fingers touched. “One of my favorite authors.”
“So, you like?”
Holding the book close to her heart, she spun around to face him. “I love it.”
Unfolding his arms, he stepped into her private space and tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. “I’d hoped you would.”
She couldn’t find any words, and could barely nod her head. The intensity of his gaze drilled through her all the way to her toes.
“If I were to say something stupid like I love you, would you turn and run?”
She shook her head and managed to mumble, “Not stupid.”
“Good.” He tucked the same strand of hair behind her ear again. “Because I love you.”
His lips came down on hers with the same warmth and tenderness as the last time. For all the weeks they’d been apart waiting for the approval of the pilot, the memory of that one kiss had kept her heart light and her hopes high. When he gently eased back, her hand engulfed in each of his, she managed to move her lips. “I love you too.”
“Does that mean we get to keep the library?”
Eyes closed, she didn’t have a clue how to make that work, but she was sure of one thing. She desperately wanted to. Dipping her chin to her chest once, she leveled her gaze with his. “Abso-bloody-lutely.”
Chapter Seventeen – Epilogue
“What time is it?” Valerie patted her pockets.
“If you’re looking for your phone,” seated in her favorite recliner, Aunt Eileen raised her arm up in the air and pointed her finger at a nearby table, “it’s over here.”
All through supper Valerie had been as fidgety as the proverbial long-tailed cat in a room full of rockers. Anyone would think she’d never produced a reality television show before in her life.
Morgan stretched his arm out, retrieved her phone, and patted the seat beside him. As soon as Valerie landed on the overstuffed sofa, she curled into his side and rested her head on his shoulder. “The show doesn’t start for almost forty-five minut
es. Believe me,” Morgan reassured her with a kiss to the temple, “no one is going to let us forget the premiere.”
“Someone remind me what name they settled on for the show?” Aunt Eileen scrolled through the on screen guide for live TV.
Val sank deeper into Morgan’s side and called out, “Ghost Town Fixer.”
“Oh, that’s original.” Aunt Eileen rolled her eyes.
The entire clan had descended on the Farraday house to watch the premier of the Construction Cousins fixing up a ghost town show on the new bigger screen, including most of the Oklahoma contingent. Well, except for their mom and dad. Neil still wished he had a hint of an idea what could have been so fracturing to keep the two branches of the same tree apart for so long.
From where he sat, he had a birds-eye view of just about everyone. There was something about this place that seemed to promulgate loving happiness. Not a couple in the room seemed to have a care in the world. Not that he believed all the spouses got along with each other one hundred percent of the time, except maybe for Morgan and Valerie. Not a single minute that those two spent with Neil and the rest of the brothers did either look anything but head over boot heels, wildly in love. If he could bottle all the energy zinging between one cousin or other and their wives, he’d be the wealthiest man alive.
“Oh, look!” Sitting on the loveseat with her husband, Grace pointed at the television commercial for tonight’s first episode. “My, you are a rugged lot.”
Morgan pointed at the TV, but looked at Valerie. “Have I mentioned you look great on horseback?”
Several voices in the room answered yes, rather strongly, moments before the room erupted with laughter.
Brooks leaned forward. “Who remembers painting Meg’s B&B when Adam and she were dating?”
“Oh, good grief, don’t remind us.” DJ rolled his eyes.
Adam raised his brows at his younger brother. “Pot calling kettle black?”
There was no arguing that all the couples in the room, including Uncle Sean and Aunt Eileen, were truly and hopefully permanently besotted with each other. The word was old fashioned but somehow seemed to fit even in this modern world.
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