St. Helena Vineyard Series_Harmony's Mistake

by Jen Talty

  “How’d you know?”

  “Small town and everyone is talking about how you’re dating Mason.”

  Harmony wished the woman sounded like she was bitter, but she actually sounded happy, as if him being with a woman made her thrilled.

  “I wouldn’t say we’re dating.”

  “Really? What would you call attending the neighborhood barbeque together, then?”

  “Convenience, considering I’m renting his cottage.”

  “Yeah, well, don’t tell Lilly that. She’s been trying to get her claws into Mason ever since that bitch Julia ripped his heart out.”

  Harmony wanted to know how what Carol had done was any different, but she refrained. She’d rather learn about his last girlfriend. “I’m surprised Lilly hasn’t moved on to some other bachelor since it’s been years since Mason’s last serious relationship.”

  “What? Are you kidding? He and Julia broke up just a few months ago. Turns out she was married. Well, separated, but she still neglected to tell Mason. He could have gotten past that, but she had a kid and never told him.”

  Harmony narrowed her gaze as she glanced in Mason’s direction. He had his back to her as he chatted with another officer and Jake.

  “I take it he only told you about me and Renee.”

  “He didn’t mention names,” Harmony said, feeling a bit like a fool. Not because he hadn’t told her about his third love. That was none of her business, but because she’d felt a pang of anger that he hadn’t trusted her with the information.

  And that was stupid. He owed her no explanation about any part of his life.

  Lest not forget, her entire existence as Harmony Baker was a total lie.

  “He’s really a good man,” Carol said. “The best, actually.”

  “Then, if you don’t mind me being so bold, why’d you dump him for his best friend?”

  Carol laughed. “He loves to tell the story that way, but I didn’t dump him for Jake. After the senior ball, we realized we weren’t compatible. A couple of weeks later, I started to date Jake, but it seemed that way to everyone in this town, and none of us corrected the story.”

  Harmony didn’t know Mason well, but that sounded like something he’d do. She bit down on her thumbnail. “What about the other girl? The one he brought back after he left the military?”

  “That would be Renee. Nice girl, but she couldn’t handle a small town. She went back to her hometown for a visit and never came back. She married some guy a month later.”

  “Ouch.”

  “I know. I’ve always felt bad for Mason that way. He’s one of the good guys, and he gets stuck with Lilly as the best option in this town—until you showed up.”

  Mason waved her over. She wasn’t sure if that was being saved by the bell, or being summoned to the principal’s office.

  “Like I said, we’re not really dating.” She pulled out her business card. “Feel free to stop by my shop sometime. Half off first event.”

  “I’ll do that, but you should know that Lilly is saying you’re desperate for customers, which is the only reason you’re giving half off. Oh, and that she knows for a fact, you’re not very good.”

  “She’s saying that?” Harmony couldn’t deal with mean girl tactics, but if she were pushed hard enough, she’d be sure to mean girl it back.

  “No one listens to her in this town,” Carol said. “You better go. I hope we cross paths soon.”

  “Me too,” Harmony said, wishing she hadn’t made that admittance. Why couldn’t Sterling have picked out something like a writer or artist of some kind that allowed her to be a recluse in the community.

  No ties.

  And yet, today alone, she met a few people she could see herself inviting over for drinks.

  Wonderful.

  Now off to deal with Mr. Sexy Deputy Landlord.

  Chapter 5

  “SHE’S A LOOKER.”

  Mason glanced over his shoulder. He must have been a gluten for punishment by leaving Harmony with Carol, the woman with no filter. The only woman he’d ever dated who was brutally honest.

  And he valued that.

  But Carol would also be able to tell how much he liked Harmony and little he trusted her.

  All evening, he’d been feeling as if Harmony had a secret. A big one, and not an omission like he’d left out Julia, which he knew Carol would fill Harmony in on, because Carol would also somehow know he and Harmony had slept together.

  There wasn’t much Carol didn’t know, or could surmise.

  Which is why she made for a great school psychologist.

  “You’re a married man, with one kid an another one on the way,” Mason said.

  His mother would call him a coward for leaving Harmony with Carol so she could fill her in on one of the reasons he couldn’t continue seeing Harmony. However, in reality, the sting of not knowing much about Julia, the woman he thought he’d loved still left him with a sour taste in his mouth. If he was being honest with himself, he knew deep down Carol had never loved him, and he knew what he’d felt for her was fleeting. With Renee, he also knew deep down he was pushing too hard and that she wasn’t cut out for his lifestyle, even if they had loved the idea of each other.

  Julia had come from left field, and he’d fallen hard and fast.

  But he couldn’t stay with a woman who didn’t put her child first, and the fact she’d willingly walked away from her kid and didn’t think twice, other than the occasional phone calls, spoke volumes.

  However, what hurt the most, was that he had no idea she was that cold of a woman. She’d known how badly he’d wanted a family, yet she’d kept her daughter from him and not because she was trying to protect her by shielding her from having father figures in and out of her life. No. Julia had been selfish, and he should have seen it.

  When he’d been in Harmony’s bedroom earlier, while getting dressed, he noticed a box on the nightstand and in the box, a half-finished cross-stitch. It looked almost identical to the one his mother had made for her oldest grandchild.

  “I’m allowed to take a glance now and again,” Jake said.

  “I’m going to tell Carol you said that.” Mason waved to Harmony. He’d asked his boss if he could walk through her business with her, checking to see if anything had been disturbed, or stolen.

  “Hey, she’s the one who told me to check her out,” Jake said with a laugh. “Your sister thinks Harmony is perfect for you.”

  “My sister thinks any woman who isn’t Lilly or Julia is the one.” Mason had given up on the idea that the perfect woman existed for him.

  Then Harmony waltzed into his life, turning his world upside down, making him think he wanted things he’d tossed in the trash the moment he’d found out about Julia’s lies.

  “By the way, Lilly is trashing Harmony all over town.”

  “Shocking,” Mason said sarcastically. “That might actually drum up more business for Harmony than if Lilly used her for her parents’ wedding anniversary.”

  “I don’t understand why you don’t just tell Lilly to fuck off,” Jake said with a bit more venom than required for the situation.

  That said, Mason understood where it came from. Lilly once tried to cause trouble for him and Carol before they got engaged.

  “Here comes Harmony. Don’t be an ass,” Mason said, glaring at his longtime friend.

  “Who me? Do something that might embarrass you? Never.”

  Mason pulled his lips tight, wishing he hadn’t said anything. “I mean it, man.”

  “Relax.” Jake pushed himself from the fire truck. “Hi, Harmony,” he said with a grin. “I’m Jake.”

  “I’ve heard about you,” Harmony said as she stood at Mason’s side. “Your wife told me not to believe anything you say.”

  Mason laughed. “Carol is one smart woman.”

  “Yeah, she married me, didn’t she?” Jake said, puffing out his chest.

  “Come on.” Mason slid his arm around Harmony’s waist. “We need to wal
k through your shop. Catch you later.” He nodded to Jake as he guided her toward the front door.

  “Do we know what happened?” she asked as she stepped inside, flicking on the main light.

  “The back door was shimmied open.”

  “What?” She paused, wrapping her arms around her middle. “It wasn’t an alarm malfunction?”

  “Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The back door to the building, the lock was broken.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “We’ve had the place dusted for prints and my boss, Jonah, is talking with everyone who was in the area at the time the alarm went off.”

  He studied her facial expressions. Her blue eyes were wide with concern. Her brow crinkled, and her lips parted slightly before drawing into a tight line, in anger. That concerned him. Most victims of robbery or vandalism might start with anger, but would quickly move to fear.

  “I need you to walk through and see if there is anything missing. We don’t see any damage, but a few drawers at your desk were left hanging open.”

  “I always close them. I’m weird that way,” she said with tension dripping from each word as they slowly left her lips.

  “Take your time,” he said.

  “Will I contaminate anything by touching things or moving them?”

  “No. We’ve collected all we can.” He hated his next question. Not because he disliked asking it, but because there was a tickle in the back of his mind telling him she was hiding something. He wanted to believe he was being gun-shy. Lord knows he had good reason, but a few things she’d either said or done over the course of the last week, and now her reaction to her store being broken into, sent his investigative instincts into hyperdrive.

  And there was the fact that there wasn’t anything of much value in her shop. Mostly display books, samples, and pictures. She did have a computer on her desk in the back office.

  “I need to ask if there is anyone who could be mad at you or would want to cause your business harm?”

  “You mean besides Lilly,” she said, glaring at him.

  “Yes, besides her. She’s got a rock-solid alibi.”

  “Then, no.” Harmony walked through the store. The longer they stayed there, the more angry she became.

  “I need you to check your computer. See if it’s how you left it.”

  She pushed back the door, glancing once over her shoulder. “Who else had their business broken into?”

  “The animal shelter. One dog is missing.”

  “So this might have nothing to do with me.”

  He nodded. “But someone did break in, based on the lock.” Not much made sense to him right now. Kids stealing a puppy he could see, but they’d get caught pretty quickly. “The break-in next door could be a diversion.”

  “Don’t you think that’s a little over the top for a small town?” she muttered as she disappeared into the back room.

  She had a point. Everyone in this town knew everything about their neighbors. Privacy wasn’t something that came with living in St. Helena’s. At least not the kind of privacy where people didn’t know your name, who you were dating, and what kind of ice cream you ordered at the local shop.

  He made his way to the back room and leaned against the doorjamb. She leaned over the desk, tapping at the keyboard.

  “Anything?”

  She shook her head.

  Liar.

  He frowned. The computer had definitely been used by whoever broke in, and he knew this because Jonah, his boss, had said he’d checked the timestamp of when someone last logged in and it had been one minute after the alarm went off. Five minutes before the animal shelter’s silent alarm had been triggered.

  Why did all women have to be liars? Well, not all, just the ones he decided to have feelings for.

  “We’d like to take the computer to have a specialist look at it.”

  She popped her gaze over the screen. “Why?”

  “Someone might have done a search or tapped into one of your files that you can’t tell at first glance. It might help find out who broke in.”

  She nodded. “If it will help.”

  If she didn’t mind giving up the computer, then why did she lie about how the computer screen had been left? Did she not know? Not everyone understood computers, even if they were well-versed in using them.

  No. His gut told him the way she handled the machine, as if she were looking for something, that she’d lied for a reason.

  A reason he intended to find out.

  Chapter 6

  THE REST OF THE BARBEQUE had been filled with an uncomfortable tension between Harmony and Mason. Even Coop had picked up on it, but it seemed the dog picked her side.

  Not that there was a side to pick because she didn’t have time to deal with Mason or how he made her feel.

  She had to decide if this was threat enough to call the panic number and relocate.

  Only that made no sense. Lucas was in jail. She should be safe. It wasn’t like he was part of the mafia or anything. He didn’t kill people.

  He just hit women.

  And stole people’s money.

  And ran drugs.

  Who the fuck was she kidding? Lucas could have easily sent someone looking for her.

  “Are you cold?” Mason asked as they turned off Main Street, heading for home.

  “A little,” she said, rubbing her arms with her hands, though the goosebumps weren’t caused by the chill in the air. “What do you think happened tonight?”

  “I really don’t know. It’s not my case, so I haven’t been involved with all the details.”

  “That’s vague,” she said, wondering if he knew she’d lied about the computer. She should tell him the truth. Why she’d opted to pretend she hadn’t seen the last timestamp didn’t make sense for a woman who had nothing to hide.

  Only she had everything to hide.

  He was an officer of the law. She could trust him.

  Trust no one but me and whoever I assign as your handler. Sterling’s words echoed in her mind, rattling her nerves.

  “I’ll talk with Jonah in the morning and see what I can find out. For now, the locks have been changed and make sure you secure your doors tonight.”

  If ever she needed a dog, now would be the time. A big dog. Like Coop.

  “You have to have an opinion or theory about who broke into both stores. I mean, who steals a puppy?”

  “Teenagers. Or one could have just gotten out during the robbery. But right now, without looking at all the evidence gathered, I’m grasping at straws.”

  The night sky filled with bright stars as they turned up the pathway to the cottage. Coop started barking, pulling hard on his leash.

  “Knock it off, Coop,” Mason said.

  “Why’d you give him your last name?” she asked, making clucking noises, trying to get the dog’s attention, who tried to drag Mason toward her house.

  “My mom named him. She said at this point, it was the only way to keep the family name going.”

  Harmony covered her mouth, laughing. “That’s kind of mean.”

  “My mom is all about the grandbabies.”

  “I guess most mothers are,” she mumbled.

  “Coop. Heel,” Mason said, yanking on the leash.

  The dog whined, but relented.

  “How did your parents die?” Mason asked.

  She shivered. She had no idea if her birth father was alive or dead, nor did she care. “They were killed in a car crash. I’d rather not talk about it.” She found it difficult to pull all the pieces of her fake life together and didn’t want to make a mistake and have to backpedal later. She’d already lied to him once tonight.

  Now twice.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t meant to be so short. I’m just tired and a little wigged out by what happened.”

  “I understand.”

  Coop jumped up, barking wildly, his tail wagging back and forth like a tennis match.

  “What is up with you?” Mason asked. “He doesn’t get this
excited unless he’s around other dogs.”

  “I saw that at the park today. Big, old goofball, this one.” She snapped her fingers, and Coop turned his head.

  That’s when she heard the yelp of a puppy.

  Mason whipped his head in her direction. “Did you hear that?”

  She nodded as Coop started barking again.

  “Quiet,” Mason commanded.

  She strained her ear, and the sound of a high-pitched bark echoed in the night air.

  “It’s coming from the cottage.” Mason set off at a brisk pace.

  She raced past him, taking the porch stairs two at a time and fumbled with the keys, but managed to unlock the door.

  “Harmony, stop. It might not be safe.”

  Too late for that warning.

  A small German Shepherd pounced on her feet. “What the hell?” She bent over, picking up the animal. “How on earth did you get in here?”

  “That’s the million-dollar question,” Mason said with a deep scowl as he pulled out his phone.

  She rubbed the dog’s head as she glanced around the room, looking for…she had no idea what.

  “Step outside,” Mason said, handing her the leash to Coop, who tried to jump up to get a good whiff of the puppy.

  “I’m not leaving.”

  “Yes, you are. This is a crime scene, and I need to call it in.” He glared.

  “What?”

  “That’s the missing dog.”

  “Oh,” she whispered, stepping onto the porch. Sitting down on the bottom of the stairs, she held the puppy in her lap. Coop sniffed and licked wildly while the puppy did the same. Fast friends, these two.

  In the distance, a quick burst of a siren rang out.

  That was fast. Well, the police station was only a few blocks away.

  Why the hell would someone steal a dog and put it in her house?

  Her phone buzzed. She snagged it from her back pocket, noticing she had a new email. Only the fifth one in her business email: harmony@harmonysmistake.com.

  She gasped, dropping her phone to the ground when she saw that an email from Lucas’s sister had popped into her inbox.

  “What’s the matter?”