by Nancy Martin
She looked utterly charming with her bright-colored beret on her head and the collar of her camel coat turned up around her ears. Her face, adorned with less makeup than before, looked surprisingly younger to Joe.
“Hi,” he said to her, having gone down the steps without thinking.
“Hi.” Her voice was breathless, and her blue eyes shone with a variety of emotions.
“Liza,” Rose was saying on the veranda, “if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were putting on a little weight since you got back to Tyler.”
“You think so, Mrs. Atkins?” Liza asked indulgently.
“Is Cliff cooking these days or are you?”
“Neither of us is exactly the Galloping Gourmet.”
“You’re looking very healthy,” Rose said with a twinkle. “I wonder if you’ll have some news for us someday soon, my dear?”
“How does anybody keep a secret in this town?” Liza demanded with a laugh. “There’s no truth to the rumor that I’m trying to have a baby.”
Rose whooped with joy. “A baby! Now, isn’t that wonderful? You and Cliff must be very happy.”
“I’m sure we will be,” Liza admitted with a grin. “We’ve been talking about it, anyway. Sometimes Cliff likes the idea. The rest of the time we’re both scared to death.”
“That’ll pass, darling—but not until your children are completely grown, and then the problems just change shape.” Rose gave the tall girl a supportive hug.
Susannah came up the veranda steps and put her hand out briskly. “Hello, I’m Susannah Atkins. I remember you when you were a little girl.”
Liza shook Susannah’s hand. “Hi. I remember you, too. I’ve seen your show and enjoy it. Everyone in Tyler does.”
For the first time, Joe got a glimpse of the professional “Oh, Susannah!”, as Susannah smiled and chatted with Liza in a way that made the younger woman relax and behave as if she met famous television personalities all the time. Joe decided Susannah had the gift of making other people feel important. The questions she posed to Liza were easy to answer and showcased Liza’s best qualities.
At the same time, Joe suspected Susannah was sizing up Liza and making some decisions about her—all positive. In a few moments she had charmed Liza and drawn her out effectively.
That ability would be invaluable in selling a product nationwide, Joe thought. If Susannah had the right thing to sell, she could turn it into a winner, he was sure. He wondered if she’d thought any more about the idea of writing a household-hints book.
“The lodge looks marvelous, Liza,” she was saying when Joe began following their conversation again. “And I hear you’ve done all the design work yourself. Joe says you’re very talented.”
“Thanks. This is the chance of a lifetime, of course. I hope to put all my ideas into the finished product—even though we’re selling the lodge before the renovation is complete.”
“I’m sure the new owner will want Liza’s talent as part of the package,” Joe put in.
“May I have a tour?” Rose asked. “I used to come up here in my younger days and I’d love to see—”
“You did?” Liza asked quickly. “You visited the lodge in my grandmother’s day?”
“Of course. We all came to Margaret’s parties. Why, I remember them distinctly.”
“And you knew my grandmother?”
“Certainly,” said Rose, clearly not noticing how the information seized Liza’s imagination. Blithely, she went on, “All the fashionable people from Chicago used to come in the summers, and Margaret used to invite some of us from town. It was not long after my husband died, and if the truth be known, I was rather popular with Margaret’s friends. I guess they thought I’d be fast.”
“I’ll bet you were very fast,” Joe said with a chuckle.
“I knew how to have a good time,” Rose admitted, smiling. “Liza, how about if you give me a tour while these two take care of their business? Do you have time?”
“Sure.” Liza linked her arm with the older woman and guided her into the house. “Maybe you can tell me about my grandmother, Mrs. Atkins.”
“You sure I won’t bore you with my memories?”
“I’m sure,” Liza said firmly.
They disappeared into the house, leaving Joe and Susannah standing together in the sunlight on the porch.
“What was that all about?” Susannah asked, watching curiously as Liza drew her grandmother inside.
“You noticed, too?”
“I don’t know her well, but Liza seemed...”
“I know,” Joe murmured, also studying the way Liza bent her head close to Rose’s to ask a stream of questions. “I think she’s got a tough job ahead of her. She’s trying to solve a mystery that happened forty years ago.”
“Well, I’m trying to solve a mystery that’s not nearly so old,” Susannah said, turning to Joe and jauntily changing the subject. She pulled a knitted scarf from the deep pocket of her coat. “Can you identify this piece of evidence, sir?”
With a grin, Joe accepted his scarf. “Why, yes, I believe it’s mine, Detective Atkins. Where did you find it?”
Archly, Susannah played out the role. “Around the neck of a woman, two nights ago.”
“I hope she’s still alive.”
“Very much so. Would you care to make a statement?”
“Not without my lawyer present.”
“You must have something to hide.” She looked at him sideways, amused and playful.
“Nothing at all. Except I’d like to see that woman again sometime.”
At that, Susannah gave up the game and turned away. She put her hands into her coat pockets and hunched her shoulders slightly. “I’m not sure that’s wise.”
Joe frowned. “Has something changed?”
She sent him a forced smile. “Not really. I just think it would be wiser if we...well, if things didn’t get out of hand. Saturday night, I let myself get carried away.”
Leaning against the porch railing and folding his arms over his chest, Joe said softly, “That’s what you’re afraid of, isn’t it? Getting carried away.”
Susannah regarded him steadily. “I like to stay in control.”
“But when you’re with me, you’re a little on edge, aren’t you?”
“Joe—”
“Look, Susannah, I’m not a boy, and you’re not a little girl anymore. And neither of us is so old we don’t know there’s something going on between us.” He took a breath. “I’d like to nurture it, whatever it is. I’d like to see what happens. Wouldn’t you?”
“You’ve got other commitments,” Susannah said solemnly. “I don’t want to come between you and—”
“I’m an adult,” Joe interrupted, brusque and impatient. “Don’t worry about my commitments. I can take care of myself.”
If she was worried about coming between Joe and his daughter, Susannah didn’t know him at all. Gina was the most important element in his life right now, and nothing—not even the sexiest lady to come into Tyler in a long time—would ever break the family apart.
But instead of arguing with her, Joe said, “I think we need some time to get to know each other better.”
“What about my vacation in the Caribbean?”
He grinned. “What about it?”
“I promised someone I’d go.”
“Is he as good-looking as I am?”
Susannah smiled ruefully and shook her head. “I’ve got a life in Milwaukee, you know. I’ve got a job—one I don’t intend to leave. If I stay in Tyler to get to know you better, what’s going to happen? I can’t help wondering where this is leading.”
Joe waggled his eyebrows. “There’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?”
He tugged her hand out of the pocket of her coat and drew Susannah closer, until they were pressed warmly against each other. She didn’t resist. Although still leaning against the porch, Joe remained taller than she by several inches. Susannah tilted her head and looked up at him through t
hick, black eyelashes. In her eyes, Joe could see a battle raging. She wanted to give in, but she couldn’t allow herself to. Not yet.
He said, “How brave are you?”
She smiled. “What do you have in mind?”
“Dinner at my house, maybe? I’m a pretty good cook, you know.”
“I’m not ready for that. It’s too fast.”
“Fast?”
“Too intimate, perhaps. Do you understand? In your house, with your daughter...I just can’t do that yet.”
“You have a better idea?”
She seemed relieved that he didn’t push the matter. “Maybe I do. I promised my grandmother I’d take her shopping for a Christmas tree. Why don’t you come along?”
“To shop for a tree?” Joe feigned shock and disapproval. “You mean you don’t hike into the snowy woods with a saw and a flask of spirits to cut your own?”
“My grandmother is in her eighties,” she reminded him. “She likes to go to the Kiwanis Club’s sale down at the church parking lot.”
“How about you and me, then?” Still holding her hand, Joe lifted her fingers to his mouth and kissed them seductively. “I said I’d find a tree for Worthington House, plus I need one for my own place.”
“This is starting to sound like a venture into the lumber business.”
“When can we go?”
With a smile, she lifted her shoulders. “I’m free anytime, but—”
“Afraid to go into the woods with me?”
Susannah shook her head, amused. “You don’t look as much like the wolf as you used to.”
Joe kissed her quickly for that—a soft brush of his lips against her cheek. He wanted more. But he knew better than to press his luck.
Just hold on a little longer, he told himself.
Susannah felt his kiss and closed her eyes briefly as if to sustain the moment. She wished it hadn’t been over so quickly. The gentle kiss promised a lot more, and suddenly she felt that same urge that had swept over her the evening she’d found herself in Joe’s arms. The longing inside nearly overwhelmed her.
For heaven’s sake, she lectured herself. Don’t melt into a puddle of hormones!
As if he’d heard the words, Joe began to laugh, so Susannah hastily composed her face. She managed to look completely innocent when her grandmother and Liza returned to the veranda. As they appeared, she pulled her hand from Joe’s grasp.
“Did you remember the lodge as clearly as you expected, Granny Rose?”
“There have been a lot of changes,” Rose admitted. “But the place is going to be grand.”
“Mrs. Atkins was able to tell me about some of my grandmother’s friends,” Liza said. “What was that one man’s name? The bounder, as you called him?”
“Roddy,” said Rose promptly. “He was Margaret’s special friend the summer she disappeared. I remember him distinctly—such a good dancer!”
“Would you recognize his picture, Mrs. Atkins?”
“Certainly. Do you have one?”
Liza shook her head. “I found a whole packet of old photographs in my grandmother’s belongings. I gave them to my sister, though. I could pick them up and bring them to your house someday soon.”
“That sounds like fun,” Rose proclaimed. “Why don’t you bring them Thursday night? Susannah and I are having our annual Christmas open house, and we’d be delighted if you’d come—and bring your husband, too.”
“Oh, I’m not sure if Cliff’s ready for all these crowds. Mom’s having her traditional Christmas bash out here on the twenty-third—you’re coming, I hope—all of you.”
“I’ve never missed an Alyssa Ingalls Baron Christmas do,” Rose answered. “And it’ll be lovely out here at the lodge. But ask Cliff to my party, won’t you?” she suggested kindly. “He might surprise you. And, Joe, I want you to come, too. Bring Gina.”
Joe looked surprised and pleased. “I’ve heard you throw a heck of a wingding, Mrs. A.”
Rose laughed. “You’re a pistol, Joe Santori. Will you come?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “But I’m not sure about Gina. She’s got an important dance coming up the following night. You know how that can be.”
“Yes, she told me on the phone this morning. But we’d like to get to know her better,” Rose said, glancing at Susannah slyly.
“Yes,” Susannah added bravely. “We’d all like to get to know her, Joe.”
* * *
SUSANNAH WAS RELIEVED when her grandmother declared herself too tired to go tree hunting that afternoon. As she helped Rose into the car, she noticed that she was looking very pale. Susannah wondered if her illness wasn’t more serious than the doctor believed.
“Feeling okay, Granny Rose?”
Rose had put her hand unconsciously to her chest and was sitting with her eyes closed. But at the sound of Susannah’s voice, she opened them quickly. “I’m fine. My heart’s pounding a little, that’s all.”
“Did you take your medicine this morning?”
“Oh, yes. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry, please. It’s passing.”
Susannah made an inner vow to keep an eye on Rose. Although she was accustomed to a lot of activity, the combination of the upcoming Christmas party and all the tensions of the holidays couldn’t be doing her any good.
They were looking forward to a quiet lunch at the old Heidelberg Restaurant. It was one of Tyler’s classier spots—an Old World-style establishment run by the third generation of a German family who had settled in Wisconsin a century ago. The surroundings were elegant and the menu more diverse than Marge’s. Rose ordered a Welsh rarebit, and Susannah opted for a mixed salad with an assortment of Wisconsin cheeses grated on the top. The salad arrived at their table in a bowl made of delicious French bread. Feeling festive, Susannah ordered a carafe of white wine to split with her grandmother, in hopes that a small drink might help to calm Rose down.
“Are we celebrating something?” Rose asked, surprised when the wine was delivered to their table.
“Maybe,” Susannah replied, though she declined to explain what. Her feelings hadn’t changed toward Joe, but she felt as if they’d taken an exciting step.
“I’m going to go hunt for Christmas trees with Joe this afternoon,” Susannah said. “He needs one for himself and one for Worthington House. Shall we look for one for you? Or would you rather pick it out yourself?”
Rose waved her fork. “I trust your judgment, Suzie.”
“I’ll be happy to take you tomorrow if you’d rather—”
“Nonsense, dear. I’d rather stay at home, I think. Besides, looking for three trees today will keep you out late. Why, maybe you’ll even get stuck in a snowdrift with the man!”
“Whose side are you on?” Susannah demanded on a laugh. “Yours, darling. Definitely yours.”
So at four o’clock that afternoon, Susannah dug into a cedar closet and found an old pink parka for herself—obviously an end-of-the-season bargain she hadn’t been able to pass up, for it was trimmed in white fake fur and sported a dancing penguin on one sleeve. In the same closet, she also found a pair of hiking boots she had left at her grandmother’s house, since hiking in Milwaukee usually amounted to getting to the nearest bus stop. She tucked her hair into a tasseled ski cap.
“Are you sure you want me to go out?” she asked her grandmother as she laced the boots. “If you’d rather not be alone today...”
“I won’t be alone. Mrs. Dahlstrom’s coming back,” Rose said. “She’ll be here if I start feeling a little...”
Susannah looked up. “Are you all right?”
“Of course!” Rose said at once, wiping the guilty expression off her face. “Go have fun with Joe and let me finish making my telephone calls about the party.”
“Granny Rose...”
“Don’t worry about me, darling. Mrs. Dahlstrom will be here in half an hour. There’s Joe’s truck. Run along.”
Susannah tried to resist, but her grandmother practically pushed her out the
door. Susannah gave up protesting and went down the sidewalk to meet Joe as he pulled up against the curb.
He leaned across the seat and popped the door open without getting out. “Is that you, Miss Suzie? Or an elf escaped from the North Pole?”
A blast of warm air from his heater struck Susannah as she climbed in beside him and closed the door. “Be a good boy, Mr. Santori, or I’ll see that Santa leaves you a stick and a lump of coal this Christmas.”
“You’ll know if I’ve been naughty or nice?”
“I’m sure I’ll be the first to know, as a matter of fact.”
He laughed in that wonderful musical voice of his. Then he put the truck in gear and drove off with her.
CHAPTER NINE
SUSANNAH’S EARLIEST memory of the Vaughn farm was from the Christmas before her father died, when her parents had taken her there for a sleigh ride.
“I must have been five or six,” she told Joe. “The sleigh belonged to my great-grandparents, and we keep it at the Vaughn farm. They were friends of my parents, and they still let us use a horse once in a while.”
The Vaughn family had suffered the same economic hardships as other farmers in the area, with the result that they’d sold their cattle and leased most of their land to a large farm cooperative. At Christmastime, though, they opened a shop in the old dairy store, and sold wreaths, garlands and homemade decorations and treats. Hot cider was bubbling on the potbellied stove, filling the shop with a crisp, tangy scent. The harness bells hanging on the door gave a cheery jingle when Joe and Susannah entered.
The Vaughns made a fuss over Susannah’s return to Tyler, plying them with cups of cider, then gave Joe permission to go hunting for Christmas trees up in the grove.
“Take the sleigh,” Mr. Vaughn insisted. “Bessie won’t give you any trouble, Suzie. You’re old friends.”
Bessie was the same old pinto mare Susannah knew so well. Even in recent years, she and Granny Rose had kept up the family tradition of driving the old sleigh to church every Christmas morning. The mare dozed outside the shop’s back door, harnessed to a gleaming old red sleigh that had been draped in holly and sported a plaid blanket on the front seat. Bessie cocked her spotted head to look through her blinkers and whickered softly when Joe and Susannah came out of the shop.
