Love Inspired January 2016, Box Set 1 of 2

by Carolyne Aarsen

  “Yes, ma’am. I believe you do.”

  “Good. So if you get a phone call or two from some of my contacts, you need to heed their instruction immediately.”

  “Okay. I can do that.”

  “All right, then. Go stop Anne. I’ll let you know as soon as I have everything set.”

  Matt turned to go and then faced Lily Gray. “What were you going to do if I hadn’t showed up here today like I did?”

  “I always have a plan B. I called Sheriff Sam Lawson.” She smiled. “I was going to have him find you. Oh, I think I hear his patrol car now. He’ll take you to town expeditiously.”

  * * *

  Anne instinctively eased up on the gas pedal when a patrol car passed them from the other direction with the lights on and the siren screeching.

  She couldn’t help but quickly glance over her shoulder in stunned surprise. “I think your father was in that patrol car with Sheriff Lawson.”

  “My father?” Claire, too, glanced behind her for a moment before looking at Anne.

  “I think so.” Anne looked in her rearview mirror. “Wait. They stopped. Are they turning around?”

  Once again Claire twisted around in her seat. “Uh-huh. They are.”

  “I’d better pull over.”

  “Are we in trouble?”

  “I doubt it, but this is Paradise. You never know.”

  Anne eased the truck off the road and unsnapped her seat belt.

  “Stay in the car, Claire.”

  She strode toward the patrol car as Matt and Sam got out. “Is everything all right, Matt?” She looked at Sam. “My aunt is okay?”

  “She’s fine,” Sam said. He tilted back his Stetson with one finger and grinned.

  “Better than fine today,” Matt agreed.

  “I guess I can leave you here, Matt?” Sam asked.

  “Yeah. Thanks, Sam.”

  “Good luck.” The men shook hands and Sam headed to his patrol car.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Anne, don’t sign the paperwork yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well, I can’t actually tell you why not. You’re going to have to trust me.”

  “I don’t follow you, Matt.”

  “I’ve got a plan and I’m going to need a big leap of faith on your part. I’m asking you to give me a little more time before you go in to sign the paperwork.” He offered a sheepish shrug. “But I can’t tell you why.”

  “How much time?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  Anne tipped her head back and looked at him. “Nothing can stop the inevitable. I have an appointment at the mayor’s office at one to sign. Besides, what if your plan doesn’t work? The town will simply file the paperwork and force us to move.”

  “That sort of thing isn’t done overnight. It will require getting someone to serve you. That would be Sam, and since he assured me he’ll be very busy when the paperwork comes through, as will Ed, his deputy, I am thinking you don’t have to worry about that right away.”

  “But your business is going to be losing money. You said so. I’d rather give up the house than hurt your livelihood.”

  A tender smile lingered on his lips. “What did you say?” he asked quietly.

  “Matt, I know how much this project means for your company. You’ve come so far and I’m thrilled for you and Manny. I don’t want to be responsible for its ruin.”

  “Thank you for saying that.” He smiled into her eyes. “But you must realize that I feel the same way. I don’t want to be responsible for you losing your home.”

  “So once again we’re at a standoff?”

  “No. Not if you can just trust me for a little while. There are other things going on that I can’t share with you right now.”

  “Sure, I can do that.” She paused and released a breath. “I owe you that much.”

  “No, I want you to do it because that’s how far we’ve come, not because you owe me.”

  Anne met his intense gaze; her eyes following the firm set of his jaw, the resoluteness there. “I trust you, Matt.”

  He put a hand on her shoulder. “Thanks.”

  She nodded, warmed by the simple touch.

  “I guess I need a ride,” he said, glancing down the road.

  “We were on our way to lunch. Would you like to join us?”

  “Sure. But Claire might not want me along.”

  “I can find something to do, so you two can talk.”

  He shook his head. “The three of us have been through too much to have secrets now.” Matt walked to the passenger door and tapped on the window.

  Claire opened the door and Matt hovered in the door frame, his arm stretched across the roof of the small pickup.

  “Mind if I join you and Anne for lunch?”

  The little girl just sat there, twisting her hands in her lap with her eyes firmly fixed on her shoes.

  “Can you look at me, please?”

  Slowly, Claire raised her chin. Her lips quivered for a moment and then she met his gaze.

  “We are not moving to Denver.” He offered a reassuring smile along with the words he knew she needed to hear.

  “We aren’t?” Hope flickered in her eyes.

  “No. I’m sorry you heard that. But you have to remember that what you were doing is called eavesdropping. And there is an old saying about that. Eavesdroppers seldom hear anything good.”

  “What’s that mean?”

  “It means that you should have come to me right away. The fact is, you didn’t hear all of the conversation. If you had you would know I was only talking because I was frustrated.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “So am I.” He put a finger beneath her chin. “But running away is never the answer. I’m your father and you have to believe in your heart that I love you and I would never do anything that wasn’t in the best interest of our family.”

  He paused. “Us. You and me. We’re a family now, okay?”

  She nodded. “Does that mean that we’re staying in Paradise?”

  “As long as Paradise will have us, we’re staying.”

  His gaze met Anne’s across the interior of the truck.

  He saw the sigh and the silent rise and fall of her chest as she stared at him. Was he imaging it or was her heart in her eyes?

  Family was what he’d said to his daughter.

  From his lips to God’s ears.

  There was nothing he wanted more in this minute than for that to come true.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  When the doorbell rang Matt hoped beyond odds that somehow it could be Anne and Claire. There was a time when being alone was plenty of company for him. Those days had disappeared when he’d moved to Paradise.

  Everything had changed.

  Instead of enjoying the quiet, he had paced the empty house for the past hour, missing them. Missing Stanley, as well.

  He was ready to admit that he even missed Lily Gray.

  Manny had declined his invitation to go to dinner so he could spend the evening with Delia and the baby. Manny was one fortunate guy. Even Sam Lawson had plans that included going to bed early so he could go fishing in the morning.

  It was only five in the evening and he had hours in front of him with nothing to do but watch the clock tick.

  When he opened the door he found not Anne and Claire but two smiling elderly ladies in matching tan slacks and pink blouses. One held yet another casserole from the Paradise ladies’ auxiliary in her hands.

  “Mr. Clark?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m Doris and this is my sister Dee. We’re the Knight sisters. This is your final meal delivery from the auxiliary. Well, unless you
’d like us to have the auxiliary extend your home visits?” They looked hopeful.

  “Oh, no, ladies, you’ve done plenty already. I couldn’t impose on your hospitality any further. Thank you.”

  He opened the screen and took the still warm container from them and placed it on the coffee table.

  “Would you like us to come in and heat it up for you?” one of the women asked.

  “No.” He cleared his throat. “I mean, no, thank you. This is plenty.”

  “All right, then,” a sister said. “We’ll see you in church.”

  “Absolutely.” He moved to close the door.

  “Um, Mr. Clark?”

  He turned back.

  “Yeah?”

  “My sister was wondering if you had met anyone in Paradise. We have a lovely granddaughter...”

  Matt froze. “Thank you for thinking of me, but I’m already spoken for.”

  Their eyes lit up with curiosity. “Anyone we know?”

  “I can’t tell you until I tell the lady in question. She doesn’t know yet.” He winked.

  They sighed in unison. “How romantic.”

  As far as he was concerned it was the absolute truth. He was spoken for. By Anne. She’d realize it sooner or later, but sooner would be a lot better.

  He lifted the foil cover. While it looked good, it had only been a few hours since he and Anne and Claire had shared a big lunch in Paradise.

  What were Anne and Claire doing tonight, anyhow? Girl stuff, he imagined. He walked through the house again, restless. Maybe he could take Stanley for a walk. Except Stanley was with Anne, too. The traitor. The overgrown mutt loved Lily’s house more than he liked his own home.

  Matt grabbed his keys from the counter. He could take a walk by himself.

  As he headed toward Main Street, his cell began to ring.

  “Clark, here.”

  “Mr. Clark, this is Hollis Elliott.”

  “Mr. Elliott. What can I do for you, sir?” And why is the bison baron of Paradise Valley calling me?

  “Actually I’m calling because I want to do something for you, son.”

  “Sir?”

  “I’ve got a nice piece of land that overlooks the valley that I’d like to give you.”

  Matt swallowed his stunned surprise.

  “I’m very appreciative, sir, but I don’t quite know how you came to decide to give me land.”

  “Lily Gray. I’ve owed her a large favor for a couple decades. It’s time to pay that debt. She was clear in her suggestion that you might be in the market for some property and that a donation of land in your name would settle our score.” He cleared his throat. “I like it when my debts are paid, son, so I hope you aren’t going to argue with me on this.”

  Matt rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Sir, did she happen to mention what I was going to do with the land?”

  “You’re going to move a house there is what she said.”

  “Move a house there?” He shook his head. So Lily was moving forward, all right.

  “That’s all I know, except she seemed to think that she in turn owed this to you for something. Said this was her way of giving you a piece of Paradise, a future here in the valley, with roots for your family.”

  Matt could hardly speak past the lump in his throat. “Thank you, Mr. Hollister.”

  “No need to thank me. I’m simply the middleman. This is all Lily’s doing. She’s the one to thank. And while you’re at it, let Lily know we’re all square, will you? Once that woman starts pulling in her favors she doesn’t rest until the job is done. I’d like to be able to sleep some tonight.”

  “I will. I certainly will.”

  “Give my secretary a call and we’ll take a ride up to the property when you’ve got time.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Lily Gray?

  This was beyond his comprehension. He’d been wandering his entire life. Somehow the woman had managed to know what he’d needed before he did. The woman had not only provided him a lasting tomorrow in this valley but she’d given her official blessing to him and Anne.

  “Now all I have to do is convince Anne that she and I have a future together in Paradise,” he said aloud. Matt continued to stare at his phone. “And figure out how I’m going to help Lily move a one-hundred-year-old house.”

  * * *

  “Can we sleep in here tonight?” Claire asked.

  Anne and the girl stood in the turret room looking out at Paradise. The night sky was illuminated by a full moon and the mountains were visible in the distance. If the pine trees weren’t so tall they could have seen the water on the lake by moonlight.

  “We don’t have beds in this room,” Anne said. She glanced around. The room had been empty for years. The only piece of furniture was a rocking chair and a small wrought-iron table. On occasion Anne came up here to pray and to sip a cup of tea.

  “Did you mean it when you said you’d never been to a slumber party?” Claire returned.

  “That’s right. Aunt Lily was a little strict when I was growing up.”

  “She was your mom?”

  “Pretty much. After my mother died she was my whole family.”

  “Just like me and my dad.” Claire chewed her lip, considering Anne’s words. Then she looked up at her. “I can show you how to have a slumber party, if you want.”

  “Okay, but no sleeping on the floor. This princess needs a mattress,” Anne said.

  “Can’t we bring one from the bedroom up here?”

  Anne laughed. “I suppose we could do that. How about we bring the two twin mattresses from the guest room?”

  “Why are you laughing?” Claire asked.

  “Oh, I was just thinking about a friend of mine who says I’m not impulsive.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that she thinks that I would never drag a mattress up two flights of stairs at nine o’clock at night simply so I can fall asleep under the stars.”

  “But you are. So she’s wrong.”

  “Yes. She is wrong.” Anne smiled at the thought.

  “Anne? Claire? Are you up here?”

  “Aunt Lily?” Anne rushed to the doorway at the sound of her aunt’s voice on the landing. “You walked up all those steps?”

  Lily grinned as she slowly came into the room, leaning heavily on the doorjamb. “Oh, my.” Her breathing was short pants of air. “I haven’t been up here in years, and now I know why.”

  Anne pulled the single rocking chair in the empty room closer to her aunt. “Here. Sit down. You must be exhausted.”

  “Not at all. I took my time. Simply a bit winded.” She eased into the chair and glanced out one of the tall windows. “It was worth it. I’d forgotten what a view there is up here.”

  “Whose room was this, Aunt Lily?” Claire asked.

  “It was mine and my sister’s. Anne’s grandmother.” A wistful smile curved her thin lips. “We were twins.”

  “Twins?”

  “Yes. Identical twins. Her name was Rose. Lily Anne and Rose Anne.”

  “Like the flowers outside.”

  “That’s right, Claire. I grow those roses to remember my dear sister.”

  Claire looked at Anne. “You were named after the twins.”

  “Yes. My name comes from their middle name.”

  “What happened to her?” Claire asked.

  “Oh, the complications of delivery after Anne’s mother was born,” Lily answered.

  Claire stroked the soft, paper-thin skin on Lily’s hands. “I’m so sorry.”

  “You are such a caring child. Thank you.”

  Anne stared out at the night sky, suddenly realizing something about her aunt she’d never dared to consider. Lily Gray h
ad lost everyone who’d meant something to her. It wasn’t that she’d wanted to control Anne’s life, it was that Anne had been the only person Lily’d had. She’d been trying to protect Anne because she hadn’t been ready to lose another person she’d loved. Somehow that eased the sting of her disapproval of Matt ten years ago.

  Anne leaned over and gently wrapped her arms around her aunt’s thin shoulders. “I love you, this much, Aunt Lily.”

  “Why, dear, I love you, too.” Lily reached out a hand to touch Anne’s face. “Are you crying?”

  “Am I? Maybe. But only because I love you so much.”

  “It’s going to be all right, you know,” her aunt whispered.

  “Is it?” Anne knit her brows together, trying to follow the thread of the conversation.

  “Yes. I’ve been praying and now I’ve got it all planned out.”

  Anne stood and looked at her aunt. “What have you got all planned out?” she asked very slowly.

  “Oh, you’ll see soon enough. Soon enough.”

  Anne offered her aunt a weak smile. She had no idea what Lily was talking about, but that was okay. This was a precious evening and she was glad they all were together. Tomorrow she could worry about the riddles of tonight.

  “Go get those mattresses I heard you talking about,” Lily said. “Then maybe you can make us all popcorn, Anne.”

  “Can I have popcorn?” Claire asked.

  “Sure, we’ll check your glucose first and see how you’re doing.”

  “You’ll be okay up here by yourself for a little while?” Claire asked Lily.

  “Of course, I will. No need to worry about me. Go and get everything ready. And when I see you are all settled in your castle room, you can help me downstairs to bed. I’ll sleep well, knowing that there are two princesses up here in the turret room tonight.”

  * * *

  A tapping at the window roused Anne from sleep. Was it raining? She opened her eyes and nearly screamed. Matt stood on a ladder outside one of the turret room windows with his face smashed against the glass. His nose was sideways and his mouth was flat on the pane. When he realized that she saw him, he pulled away and laughed heartily at the expression on her face.