Falling in Love on Willow Creek

by Debbie Mason

  Sadie shook her head as she closed the door behind them and stepped into Payton’s kitchen.

  “You need to watch more TV, and I should seriously think of doing a seniors’ bachelorette event.”

  Sadie pulled on her gloves. “For now, let’s focus on figuring out what Payton is up to. If there were drugs, Colin would have found them already. I’ll take the bedrooms and check out the male clothing.”

  “What else are we looking for?”

  “Anything that proves Payton is expecting, any notes lying around, the life insurance policy, and money.” Thinking about what her grandmother said about her emergency cash going missing, Sadie walked to the refrigerator freezer and opened it. There were three orange juice containers on the side shelf.

  “You don’t think—” Abby’s eyes went wide when Sadie twisted off the lid of the first container. “How much money is in there?”

  “A lot more than Granny’s emergency fund.”

  One of the containers still had the tab intact so she left it alone, opening the other one. Fifties and hundreds were rolled inside. “You count the money, photograph it, then return it to the containers while I check out the back rooms.”

  There were two bedrooms. One had been converted to a workout room. It looked like it had been recently used—a towel was hanging on the end of a weight bar—and it smelled like a gym. There was also a pink balance ball, light weights, and a stationary bike. Nothing screamed evidence of another man in Payton’s life. Her brother liked to work out, and Payton looked like she was in great shape.

  Sadie opened the closet door and went up on her toes to pull one of three blue plastic containers off the shelf. Payton was neat, but Sadie couldn’t hold that against her. It made her job a whole lot easier, enabling her to quickly rifle through each of the containers, which were filled with receipts and tax returns from previous years. Again, nothing stood out. After she’d returned the containers to the shelf and closed the closet door, Sadie stopped to check the bathroom before heading to the second bedroom.

  She crossed to the bathtub, pulling back the shower curtain. The tub sparkled. Containers of shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel were neatly lined up in the back corner. The garbage can was empty. She opened the medicine cabinet beside the sink to find empty shelves except for a bottle of aspirin, a tube of toothpaste, and a toothbrush still in its packaging.

  The cupboard below the sink revealed neatly stacked towels and washcloths, extra packages of soap and cleaning supplies, and a blow dryer and curling iron. She pulled open the drawer in the cabinet and found it filled with a large assortment of makeup. The second drawer contained more of the same. Disheartened, Sadie went to head out of the bathroom when she spotted something hanging on the back of the door: a large white T-shirt and sweatpants that looked familiar but they were generic so it was hard to tell.

  She glanced at the time on her phone and hurried to the bedroom. She could hear Abby opening and closing cupboards. She must have finished counting and photographing the cash. Sadie walked into Payton’s bedroom. No surprise, the room was tidy with nothing out of place. The stark black-and-white color scheme didn’t hold any appeal, at least not to Sadie. It wasn’t her taste or her brother’s. Then again, she didn’t think her brother had spent a lot of time here.

  She went through the chest of drawers first, carefully lifting up lingerie to check underneath. She spied a twenty-one-day birth-control pill pack and picked it up. It looked like Payton had taken today’s pill. Then again, it could have been from months ago. So not exactly a smoking gun. She took a photo anyway and then went through the rest of the drawers, which were neatly filled with women’s clothing.

  The cupboard held more of the same, including lots of shoes. The fact that there was no maternity wear was interesting, but a lot of women wore what they already owned if it was made of stretchy fabric, so, like the birth control pills, it didn’t really shout faker.

  But the lack of baby books, prenatal vitamins, and baby supplies did. Sadie had begun buying diapers when she hit the three-month mark, and she’d had enough baby books to start her own library. She also took her prenatal vitamins religiously. There were no baby ultrasound photos here either; Sadie’d had hers framed.

  She went down on her knees, not expecting to find even a dust bunny under the bed given how tidy Payton was. She was surprised to discover a black duffel bag. It wasn’t her brother’s. She took a photo of the bag before undoing the zipper. Inside, she found more men’s clothing and toiletries. None of it belonged to Elijah. She was sure of it. She took a photo before carefully examining the contents to check for anything that identified the owner. Nothing did. She patted everything into place, zipped up the bag, and put it back where she’d found it under the bed.

  She moved to the nightstand and spotted a file folder between the bedside table and the bed. It was receipts for this year, neatly filed, and right there under L was a life insurance policy.

  Brooklyn had been right. The policy was for a quarter million dollars, to be paid to Payton Howard in the event of Elijah’s death. There wasn’t a policy for Payton. Sadie narrowed her eyes at the signature. Positive it wasn’t her brother’s, she took a picture.

  After a quick search of both nightstand drawers yielded nothing else of interest, Sadie headed back to the front of the house, where she found Abby on the floor searching under the couch. “Anything interesting?” Sadie asked, scanning the room for the missing baby books and baby supplies. Nothing there either.

  “Other than the two thousand dollars residing in each of the orange juice cans, no.” Abby sat up and pushed her long, curly red hair from her face. “What about you?”

  Sadie told her about the birth control and life insurance policy. “Did you find any prenatal vitamins?”

  “Nada. Did you find any vibrators?”

  “No.” Sadie laughed. “Why?”

  “Because unless—”

  Colin walked into the house. “Time to leave, ladies. Payton is on her way home. She got a phone call and hightailed it out of there. No idea who from.”

  They told him what they’d found and promised to send him pictures as they ran for the back door. “Thanks for this, Colin. And thanks for taking care of Granny.”

  “Trust me, your granny can take care of herself. Now you two get going and be careful.”

  “You too.” Although she didn’t think they had to worry about Colin. She ran after Abby. “I wonder who Payton got the call from,” Sadie said as she hoisted herself into the truck.

  Abby went to start the engine. “I know how you could find—”

  Sadie caught a glimpse of an approaching vehicle and pulled Abby down just as lights filled the interior of the truck. She peeked over the dashboard. “It’s Payton. She must have broken every speed limit to get here.”

  “Do you think Colin got out in time?”

  Sadie glanced at the backyard. “I think so. He seems really good at what he does or whatever he used to do. She’s inside now.” Sadie watched as the lights came on in the living room.

  “Do you think she saw us?”

  “She didn’t slow down when she passed. But I think she knows someone has been there.”

  “Why?” Abby inched up to look at the house.

  “Because she’s turned on every light. Let’s get out of here.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice.” Abby started the truck and turned off the headlights. “Just until we’re off her street.”

  They both released sighs of relief when they turned onto Main Street. “I’m not cut out for this spy gig,” Abby said.

  “Me neither. From now on, I’m leaving it up to Chase and Nate. And Colin.”

  “Maybe if you tell that to Chase, he won’t want to throttle you. It’s what I’m going to tell Hunter.”

  “Thankfully, we won’t have to say anything. We can credit Colin with finding out about the money, the forged life insurance, and the possibility Payton is faking her pregnancy. What’s wro
ng—” She followed Abby’s gaze to where Chase and Hunter stood outside I Believe in Unicorns with their arms crossed.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  You don’t have anything to say for yourself?” Chase asked Sadie once they’d left I Believe in Unicorns in the rearview mirror.

  “I tried, but you said not now.” He’d said it in a coolly clipped tone she’d never heard him use before. At least not with her. “What good will it do me anyway? You’ve already tried and convicted me.” She crossed her arms and looked out the window.

  “So it’s my fault now.”

  “Of course not, but you told Hunter you couldn’t have asked for a better partner at Lover’s Leap, and today you said you trusted me to look after myself. Neither of which must be true, given how you’re acting.”

  Headlights filled the car, and she glanced over her shoulder. A Highland Falls police cruiser pulled in behind them, flashing its lights twice. Chase raised a hand in acknowledgment. She’d heard him talking to Gabe while she got Michaela and Finn settled in the backseat. He’d requested two cars be placed on surveillance duty tonight at the cottage.

  “I couldn’t have asked for a better partner, and I do trust you. But obviously, you don’t trust me.”

  “How can you say that? Of course I trust you. I trust you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone in my life.” As the words came out of her mouth, she realized it was the absolute truth. She trusted him, completely. With her heart and her daughter. So why was she holding back a key piece of information? Because she was afraid it would change how he felt about her.

  “If you did, you would have done what partners do.”

  “I’ve never had a partner before. I don’t know what you expected me to do.”

  “Call me before you and Abby ran headlong into danger.”

  “I wouldn’t have gone if I thought it was dangerous. Colin had our backs, and he’d planted a listening device so he could hear everything that was going on at Granny’s.”

  “You trusted a man you know nothing about.”

  “Granny trusts him.” She briefly closed her eyes as the words came out of her mouth. It was a weak defense. He was right.

  “She also trusts your brother and believes in unicorns.”

  “I knew you were going to say that.” She sighed. “I’m sorry, okay. I should have called you, but by the time Granny laid out her plan, Payton was at the store. I had no idea she was going to show up. If she hadn’t threatened my grandmother, I wouldn’t have gone.”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “Okay, so maybe I would have. But I don’t know why you’re so mad at me. Nothing happened. We didn’t take anything, we wore gloves, and we photographed the evidence. Really good evidence, I might add. We found all that money. Then there’s Elijah’s forged signature on the life insurance policy and the fact that Payton might not be pregnant, not to mention it looks like she’s playing house with a man who is not my brother.”

  “I agree. The evidence could be important to the case. There’s only one problem. It’s an illegal search so it’s inadmissible in court.”

  “Yes, but you can get a search warrant, and then you’ll legally find everything we told you was there.”

  “It won’t be there. Someone warned Payton her house was being searched. It’s the only explanation for why she left your grandmother’s as fast as she did. And she’ll know exactly who to point the finger at.”

  “She didn’t see us. I’m sure of it.”

  “She didn’t have to. She’s smart enough to figure out you played her. And what she’ll do with that information is what worries me.”

  She leaned back against the headrest. “So I ruined everything, and I put myself and Michaela in danger. Maybe even Abby and Granny.”

  Gravel crunched as he pulled into the driveaway. He left the car running and undid his seatbelt. Then he turned to face her. “You and Michaela are safe. So are Abby and your grandmother. If there’s any fallout from this, we’ll deal with it together.” He took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t beat yourself up. We may not be able to use the evidence in court, but trust me, we’ll find a way to use it.”

  “Are you just saying that to make me feel better?”

  “Maybe a little. But at some point, we’ll have to convince your brother Payton has been playing him, and what you found tonight might be the key to doing that. Stay here while I check the house.”

  She stared at the cottage sitting in the dark on the creek. The shadows from the trees looked menacing now instead of like the old friends she used to climb. Somehow, the enormity of the danger everyone was in hadn’t touched her until now. Maybe because her sleep-deprived brain had finally woken up. She startled at the incoming headlights.

  “It’s just one of Gabe’s officers. There’s a cruiser in the field on the other side of the creek as well.”

  She nodded. “Be careful.”

  He smiled at her warning, no doubt wondering why she hadn’t given it the previous times he’d checked the house to make sure it was safe for them. He’d been putting his life on the line for them since the moment she’d met him. She owed him her full and complete honesty. She couldn’t hold back to protect herself. He wanted her to trust him. She’d seen it in his eyes, heard it in his voice.

  She clenched her fingers when the entrance light went on, slowly loosening the painful grip when the lights came on in the rest of the cottage and Chase didn’t call out. It took him longer than usual. He was on edge too. No matter what he’d said, she’d made the situation worse.

  She released the breath she’d been holding when he appeared in the open door, safe and oh so handsome. Just like he’d done in the cottage moments before, he’d filled her life with light, sweeping away the shadows of the depression that had held her in its grip for all those long months before and after Michaela was born.

  He glanced at her when he opened the car’s back door, a frown furrowing his brow as he snapped the leash on Finn’s collar before he took off.

  “You’re on a tight rein from now on, buddy,” he informed the dog before coming around to her side. “You okay?”

  “I’m good.” She’d be better once she told him about her gun.

  He handed her Finn’s leash. “You take him. I’ll get Michaela.”

  He must have seen the hint of nerves on her face, which was evident from the concern in his voice as he leaned in to unbuckle her sleeping daughter. “Why don’t you take a bath and relax? I’ll change Michaela and put her down. Your grandmother already gave her another bottle.” He handed Sadie the diaper bag.

  A long, relaxing bath sounded wonderful but she couldn’t put her confession off any longer. “It’s okay. I, uh, want to talk to you.” Walking into the cottage, she unhooked Finn’s leash from his collar.

  “Sounds serious,” Chase said as he followed her inside. He shielded Michaela’s eyes from the light with one hand while closing the door with the other, and then he locked it.

  “It is.” She took her daughter from him and got a whiff of his cologne. She should be used to his sexy, intoxicating scent by now, but it still had her wanting to bury her face in his neck. And kiss him, she thought as her gaze went to his lips.

  She glanced at the living room, thinking of the conversation they were about to have, that they needed to have. The couch was out. They’d shared kisses there. The temptation to do so again and avoid confessing the truth would be too strong. Her gaze moved to the red Adirondack chairs in the glow of the patio light.

  “Sadie?”

  “Sorry. I was just thinking it’s such a nice night we could sit outside and talk. If that’s okay, I mean. If you think it’s safe.”

  “It should be fine.” He leaned in to kiss Michaela’s cheek. A line formed at the edge of his eyebrow when he met Sadie’s gaze. “I’ll check it out.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Her stomach jittered with nerves as she walked to the nursery with Finn following behind her. Her sleepy daughter didn’t fuss when
she changed her and put her down. Sadie went to the dresser and turned on the video baby monitor that connected to her phone. They’d be able to hear her through the screen door if they sat on the patio, and of course no one would get past Finn, but these days she wasn’t taking any chances.

  She went back to the crib, leaning over to stroke Michaela’s hair from her forehead. She kissed her temple. “Sweet dreams, baby girl,” she whispered, praying what she told Chase wouldn’t change everything.

  With her phone clutched in her hand, Sadie walked down the hall to the living room. Through the picture window, she saw Chase sitting in one of the Adirondack chairs in the glow of firelight. He’d lit the wood in the fire pit. As she opened the screen door, he leaned over to pull the other chair close to his.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat and lowered herself onto the chair, placing her phone on the arm. “It’s a beautiful night.”

  “Are you going to tell me what’s got you on edge?”

  “Other than me messing up tonight?”

  He took her hand and raised it to his lips, kissing her palm. “I’m sorry if what I said upset you.”

  A heated shiver raced up her spine. It didn’t seem to matter whether they sat on the couch or in separate chairs. The temptation to crawl onto his lap and kiss him would be there no matter where they were.

  She cleared the nerves from her voice. “You have nothing to apologize for. You told me the truth.”

  Watching the creek flow over the rocks and the willow branches dip into the moonlight-dappled water, her tension slowly released. She turned her head to look at Chase, not surprised to find his intent gaze searching her face. “I told you that I trusted you, and I do. You might not realize how big a deal that is for me, but I don’t give my trust easily.” She gave him a half smile. “I can count on one hand the people in my life that I trust. Not one of the men I’ve been involved with belonged in that rarefied group. Until you.” She winced. “I don’t mean we’re involved like that. I—”

  “Yes, we are. You know it, and so do I.” He looked out over the creek. “This is new for me too. I’ve never let my feelings for someone interfere with a case before. I’ve always put my job before anything else. You and Michaela have changed that, and as much as I’ve tried to fight it, I can’t anymore. I don’t want to. So please, don’t downplay what this is between us.”