by B. J Daniels
Maggie’s breathing slowed a little. She pulled the covers up to her chin, still shivering, but she didn’t turn off the light. Sleep was out of the question for a while. She told herself that she wasn’t going to let Celeste scare her. She wasn’t going to give the woman the satisfaction.
Unfortunately, it was just bravado. Flint’s ex was obsessed with him. Obsessed with keeping them apart. And since the woman had nothing else to do...
As the images of the nightmare faded, she reminded herself that the dream made no sense. It never had. She was a good swimmer. Loved water. Had never nearly drowned. Nor had anyone ever tried to drown her.
Shuddering, she thought of the face she’d seen through the rippling water. Not Celeste’s. More like a Halloween mask. A distorted smiling face, neither male or female. Just the memory sent her heart racing again.
What bothered her most was that dream kept reoccurring. After the first time, she’d mentioned it to her friend Belle Delaney.
“A drowning dream?” Belle had asked with the arch of her eyebrow. “Do you feel that in waking life you’re being ‘sucked into’ something you’d rather not be a part of?”
Maggie had groaned inwardly. Belle had never kept it a secret that she thought Maggie was making a mistake when it came to Flint. Too much baggage, she always said of the sheriff. His “baggage” came in the shape of his spoiled, probably psychopathic, petite, green-eyed blonde ex.
“I have my own skeletons,” Maggie had laughed, although she’d never shared her past—even with Belle—before moving to Gilt Edge, Montana and opening her beauty shop, Just Hair. She feared it was her own baggage that scared her the most.
“If you’re holding anything back,” Belle had said, eyeing her closely, “you need to let it out. Men hate surprises after they tie the knot.”
“Guess I don’t have to worry about that because Flint hasn’t said anything about marriage.” But she knew Belle was right. She’d even come close to telling him several times about her past. Something had always stopped her. The truth was, she feared if he found out her reasons for coming to Gilt Edge he wouldn’t want her anymore.
“The dream isn’t about Flint,” she’d argued that day with Belle, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a warning.
“Well, from what I know about dreams,” Belle had said, “if in the dream you survive the drowning, it means that a waking relationship will ultimately survive the turmoil. At least that is one interpretation. But I’d say the nightmare definitely indicates that you are going into unknown waters and something is making you leery of where you’re headed.” She’d cocked an eyebrow at her. “If you have the dream again, I’d suggest that you ask yourself what it is you’re so afraid of.”
“I’m sure it’s just about his ex, Celeste,” she’d lied. Or was she afraid that she wasn’t good enough for Flint—just as his ex had warned her. Just as she feared in her heart.
* * *
THE WIND LAY over the tall dried grass and kicked up dust as Sheriff Flint Cahill stood on the hillside. He shoved his Stetson down on his head of thick dark hair, squinting in the distance at the clouds to the west. Sure as the devil, it was going to snow before the day was out.
In the distance, he could see a large star made out of red and green lights on the side of a barn, a reminder that Christmas was coming. Flint thought he might even get a tree this year, go up in the mountains and cut it himself. He hadn’t had a tree at Christmas in years. Not since...
At the sound of a pickup horn, he turned, shielding his eyes from the low winter sun. He could smell snow in the air, feel it deep in his bones. This storm was going to dump a good foot on them, according to the latest news. They were going to have a white Christmas.
Most years he wasn’t ready for the holiday season anymore than he was ready for a snow that wouldn’t melt until spring. But this year was different. He felt energized. This was the year his life would change. He thought of the small velvet box in his jacket pocket. He’d been carrying it around for months. Just the thought of it made him smile to himself. He was in love and he was finally going to do something about it.
The pickup rumbled to a stop a few yards from him. He took a deep breath of the mountain air and, telling himself he was ready for whatever Mother Nature wanted to throw at him, he headed for the truck.
“Are you all right?” his sister asked as he slid into the passenger seat. In the cab out of the wind, it was nice and warm. He rubbed his bare hands together, wishing he hadn’t forgotten his gloves earlier. But when he’d headed out, he’d had too much on his mind. He still did.
Lillie looked out at the dull brown of the landscape and the chain-link fence that surrounded the missile silo. “What were you doing out here?”
He chuckled. “Looking for aliens. What else?” This was the spot that their father swore aliens hadn’t just landed on one night back in 1967. Nope, according to Ely Cahill, the aliens had abducted him, taken him aboard their spaceship and done experiments on him. Not that anyone believed it in the county. Everyone just assumed that Ely had a screw loose. Or two.
It didn’t help that their father spent most of the year up in the mountains as a recluse trapping and panning for gold.
“Aliens. Funny,” Lillie said, making a face at him.
He smiled over at her. “Actually, I was on an all-night stakeout. The cattle rustlers didn’t show up.” He shrugged.
She glanced around. “Where’s your patrol SUV?”
“Axle deep in a muddy creek back toward Grass Range. I’ll have to get it pulled out. After I called you, I started walking and I ended up here. Wish I’d grabbed my gloves though.”
“You’re scaring me,” she said, studying him openly. “You’re starting to act like Dad.”
He laughed at that, wondering how far from the truth it was. “At least I didn’t see any aliens near the missile silo.”
She groaned. Being the butt of jokes in the county because of their father got old for all of them.
Flint glanced at the fenced-in area. There was nothing visible behind the chain link but tumbleweeds. He turned back to her. “I didn’t pull you away from anything important, I hope? Since you were close by, I thought you wouldn’t mind giving me a ride. I’ve had enough walking for one day. Or thinking, for that matter.”
She shook her head. “What’s going on, Flint?”
He looked out at the country that ran to the mountains. Cahill Ranch. His grandfather had started it, his father had worked it and now two of his brothers ran the cattle part of it to keep the place going while he and his sister, Lillie, and brother Darby had taken other paths. Not to mention their oldest brother Tucker who’d struck out at seventeen and hadn’t been seen or heard from since.
Flint had been scared after his marriage and divorce. But Maggie was nothing like Celeste who was small, blonde, green-eyed and crazy. Maggie was tall with big brown eyes and long auburn hair. His heart beat faster at the thought of her smile, at her laugh.
“I’m going to ask Maggie to marry me,” Flint said and nodded as if reassuring himself.
When Lillie didn’t reply, he glanced over at her. It wasn’t like her not to have something to say. “Well?”
“What has taken you so long?”
He sighed. “Well, you know after Celeste...”
“Say no more,” his sister said, raising a hand to stop him. “Anyone would be gun-shy after being married to her.”
“I’m hoping she won’t be a problem.”
Lillie laughed. “Short of killing your ex-wife, she is always going to be a problem. You just have to decide if you’re going to let her run your life. Or if you’re going to live it—in spite of her.”
So easy for her to say. He smiled though. “You’re right. Anyway, Maggie and I have been dating for a while now and there haven’t been any...
incidents in months.”
Lillie shook her head. “You know Celeste was the one who vandalized Maggie’s beauty shop—just as you know she started that fire at Maggie’s house.”
“Too bad there wasn’t any proof so I could have arrested her. But since there wasn’t and no one was hurt and it was months ago...”
“I’d love to see Celeste behind bars, though I think prison is too good for her. She belongs in the loony bin. I can understand why you would be worried about what she will do next. She’s psychopathic.”
He feared that that maybe was close to the case. “Do you want to see the ring?” He knew she did, so he fished it out of his pocket. He’d been carrying it around for quite a while now. Getting up his courage? He knew what was holding him back. Celeste. He couldn’t be sure how she would take it—or what she might do. His ex-wife seemed determined that he and Maggie shouldn’t be together, even though she was apparently happily married to local wealthy businessman Wayne Duma.
Handing his sister the small black velvet box, he waited as she slowly opened it.
A small gasp escaped her lips. “It’s beautiful. Really beautiful.” She shot him a look. “I thought sheriffs didn’t make much money?”
“I’ve been saving for a long while now. Unlike my sister, I live pretty simply.”
She laughed. “Simply? Prisoners have more in their cells than you do. You aren’t thinking of living in that small house of yours after you’re married, are you?”
“For a while. It’s not that bad. Not all of us have huge new houses like you and Trask.”
“We need the room for all the kids we’re going to have,” she said. “But it is wonderful, isn’t it? Trask is determined that I have everything I ever wanted.” Her gaze softened as the newlywed thought of her husband.
“I keep thinking of your wedding.” There’d been a double wedding with both Lillie and her twin, Darby, getting married to the loves of their lives only months ago. “It’s great to see you and Trask so happy. And Darby and Mariah... I don’t think Darby is ever going to come off that cloud he’s on.”
Lillie smiled. “I’m so happy for him. And I’m happy for you. You know I really like Maggie. So do it. Don’t worry about Celeste. Once you’re married, there’s nothing she can do.”
He told himself she was right and yet in the back of his mind, he feared that his ex-wife would do something to ruin it—just as she had done to some of his dates with Maggie.
“I don’t understand Celeste,” Lillie was saying as she shifted into Drive and started toward the small western town of Gilt Edge. “She’s the one who dumped you for Wayne Duma. So what is her problem?”
“I’m worried that she is having second thoughts about her marriage to Duma. Or maybe she’s bored and has nothing better to do than concern herself with my life. Maybe she just doesn’t want me to be happy.”
“Or she is just plain malicious,” Lillie said. “If she isn’t happy, she doesn’t want you to be, either.”
A shaft of sunlight came through the cab window, warming him against the chill that came with even talking about Celeste. He leaned back, content as Lillie drove.
He was going to ask Maggie to marry him. He was going to do it this weekend. He’d already made a dinner reservation at the local steak house. He had the ring in his pocket. Now it was just a matter of popping the question and hoping she said yes. If she did... Well, then, this was going to be the best Christmas ever, he thought and smiled.
CHAPTER TWO
EVERY DAY THAT Maggie didn’t run into Flint’s ex in the small town where they both lived was a great day. In fact, it had been so long since she’d seen the woman that Maggie was beginning to think that either Celeste had left town or become a housebound recluse.
So it was no surprise when her luck gave out. She was starting down the produce aisle at the only grocery store in town when she smelled the woman’s perfume and made the mistake of looking up.
Celeste made a beeline for her. Dressed in a navy-and-white suit with matching spectator shoes and bag, the blonde looked like something out of an old movie. This was Gilt Edge where no one dressed up except for weddings and funerals.
Maggie, of course, was dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and sneakers since it was her day off. Her long curly brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail. Nor was she wearing any makeup. She hadn’t even put in her favorite earrings, a pair of silver hoops Flint had given her on her birthday.
“I was just picking up a few things on my way home from the park planning committee meeting,” Celeste said, as if Maggie had asked.
Her blond hair was cut in a perfect bob that was short enough it didn’t hide the large diamonds at her ears. She blinked her big green eyes, clearly waiting for Maggie to respond.
Taken by surprise and feeling as if she’d been ambushed, Maggie had no comment. She put the cantaloupe she’d been holding into her cart and simply smiled at Celeste. She’d been raised to not be rude so it was hard for her, even with Flint’s ex.
“Well,” Celeste said in that bubbly way of hers—at least around Maggie. “I thought for sure I’d be hearing you and Flint were getting married.” She cocked her head a little as she stared at Maggie’s left hand resting on the edge of the grocery cart. “But I don’t see an engagement ring on your finger.” She lifted a brow as if to ask, “What’s up with that?”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Maggie said and told herself to leave it at that. But, of course, she couldn’t. “We’re taking things slow, for obvious reasons.”
All the bubble left Celeste’s face. “His first marriage wasn’t that bad, no matter what he says.”
“I was actually referring to your inability to let him go so he can be happy.”
The woman looked taken aback. “Is that what he thinks?”
“It’s what we both think. Why else would you have vandalized my beauty shop or tried to burn down my house?”
Celeste shook her head. “If that were true, wouldn’t I be behind bars? Anyway, your house didn’t burn down.”
“No thanks to you. Lucky you didn’t leave any evidence or you’d be in jail right now.”
Celeste shook her head as if sad. “As I told Flint, I haven’t done anything to keep the two of you apart. Maybe one of you is using it as an excuse. If you wanted to be together, I couldn’t keep you apart no matter what I did. Flint sure didn’t have any trouble asking me to marry him.”
The woman always had to remind Maggie that she’d had Flint first. She bit her tongue, afraid of what might come out and willed Celeste to walk away before it was too late. But, of course, she didn’t.
One of the woman’s finely honed brows lifted. “So if Flint is dragging his feet, it isn’t because of me. Maybe he’s realized what I’ve been telling him, that the two of you are wrong for each other, nothing personal. Then again, Flint has never listened to any advice I ever gave him. Why would he now?” With that, Celeste let out a light laugh and said, “Merry Christmas!” and turned and left, her high heels tapping briskly as she rounded the corner of the aisle.
Maggie stood, shaking violently with rage. Why did she let the woman get to her like that? Because Celeste was determined to keep her and Flint apart, no matter what she said. It wasn’t that long ago that Celeste had stopped by the beauty shop as she was closing and warned her to leave Flint alone. She might act innocent, but she was far from it.
Feeling sick to her stomach, Maggie leaned against her grocery cart and tapped in Flint’s number. For weeks, she’d been the one dragging her feet.
“I want to move in with you,” she said into the phone when he answered now.
He laughed. “Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
“Well, whatever made you change your mind, I couldn’t be happier. When?”
“I think I’ll bring a few
things over today.” She knew if she put it off, she might change her mind again.
“Great. We’re still on for our date Friday night though, right?”
“Absolutely,” she said, feeling herself calm down a little. Flint had that effect on her. She loved this man and had for some time. If it wasn’t for Celeste they would have been together long before this.
As she disconnected, she reminded herself that when Flint had suggested they move in together it was right after an incident at her beauty shop. Maggie had said she wasn’t going to let Celeste run her life and be the impetus that had them living together. Had she just let Celeste force her into this?
She sighed and looked into her nearly empty grocery cart. Her refrigerator was almost as empty. She really needed to shop, but her heart wasn’t in it. She was moving in with Flint. As much as she’d tried, she couldn’t work up any enthusiasm about it because...she’d let Celeste goad her into it. This was definitely not the way she wanted her relationship with Flint to go.
Maggie almost called him back, but stopped herself when she saw Celeste at the end of the aisle. Had the woman overheard her phone call to Flint? She groaned at the thought. Now if she called Flint back, Celeste would still think they were moving in together so the damage was already done. And Flint would think she’d lost her mind for changing it again.
Maybe she had lost her mind, she thought, because she should be happy. She realized a part of her was happy. She wanted to be with Flint. She had let Celeste keep them apart too many times. Moving in was the right thing to do. She took her time shopping, hoping if she dragged it out long enough, Celeste would have left the store. She wasn’t up to another run-in.
It had been months since Celeste had done something to interfere in her relationship with Flint. If Celeste had overheard the call, then now she knew. Better to hear it from Maggie than from the local gossips. Maybe this would all turn out fine, Maggie told herself as she took her full cart and headed for the checkout. She’d bought something special for dinner tonight—at Flint’s.
