“My daughter was a carefree, fun-loving toddler,” Liam explained, “but very well behaved, of course.”
“That’s right, I was a perfect angel,” Tessa added, relieved that he didn’t seem saddened by the recollection from a happier time.
“Yes, it’s now that she’s a handful.” Liam shook a finger at her. “She loved to play hide-and-seek, but she would get so excited, she giggled when anyone got near her hiding place. I could tell you stories—”
“But he won’t, because you’d just be bored,” Tessa interrupted, becoming uncomfortable. She was an only child and knew her fate in life was to be the subject of all of her father’s “gab and brag” tales, but her instincts told her to keep revelations at a minimum around Gabe McKinley. Even revelations that were twenty-seven years old.
“To be frank, I’m not a kid person,” Gabe said. He barely seemed to notice the heavy load balanced on his shoulder.
“You’ll change your mind when you have a family of your own,” Liam assured him.
“I’m not going to have a family,” Gabe replied. His tone and expression suggested it was a carefully considered decision, rather than a casual bachelor’s attitude.
Liam shook his head. “That’ll change when you meet the right woman. It did for me.”
“I’m also not planning to get married.” Gabe carried the fertilizer to the shed and set it on a pile of other sacks. He immediately went to the truck and grabbed another bag.
Pop seemed at a loss, and Tessa was annoyed. Her father sometimes offered opinions better kept to himself—she thought of it as small-townitis—but Gabe didn’t even seem to realize how curt he’d been. And after all, he was the one who’d volunteered he wasn’t a “kid person.” But kid person or not, he’d better be nice to the children who visited Poppy Gold.
Eyes narrowed, she went to help, but Gabe let out a sharp “I’ll do it” as soon as she reached for one of the bags.
“I may be little, but I’m tough,” she informed him, “and I’m sure your shift ended a couple of hours ago.”
Liam lifted the bag she’d intended to unload. “That’s what I said, but he insisted.”
Gabe shrugged. “I’m new to Glimmer Creek, so I don’t have much else to do.”
“We’ll still pay for the extra time,” Tessa asserted. Pop sometimes hinted that she was too stubborn. He might be right, but she had to be stubborn on fair employment practices.
* * *
GABE DIDN’T CARE about a few extra dollars in his paycheck; for that matter, he wasn’t comfortable about taking any pay since his actions had ulterior motives. As for helping to unload supplies, he’d hoped it would provide another one-on-one opportunity to talk with his new “boss.” The Connor name and the family’s connection to San Francisco had been bothering him. Later he would research it on the internet and see if anything came up, but he’d hoped to learn something in passing from Liam.
“We don’t have much nightlife,” Liam said, “but the library is open most evenings, along with several cafés and a country bar. The Gold Shanty is quite popular with our guests.”
“Actually, I’m going to check out the weight machines at the staff fitness center. It’s available twenty-four-seven, right?”
“Yes. Access it using your employee code,” Tessa replied, giving him a cool look. Maybe she thought he was trying to impress her by mentioning working out.
The sooner he found out what was going on at Poppy Gold, the better. Then he wouldn’t need to worry about other people’s reactions. Ultimately he planned to buy land in the mountains where he’d design and test equipment for the SEALs and other emergency response teams.
Since signing out of work, he’d explored the conference center and learned the location of every feature. It hadn’t taken long—he had ample practice memorizing data for his missions. He now had a mental map of the facility and building floor plans securely established in his brain, along with the details of the operations handbook.
“I’ll help,” hailed a voice as Gabe reached for the next bag in the back of the truck. It was a young man, and he came over with a girl dressed in a Victorian costume.
Gabe gritted his teeth. So much for a private chat with Liam Connor. It was after hours and they weren’t in a public area, yet people were popping out of the woodwork.
“This is Lance Beckley,” Tessa said, “and my cousin Jamie Fullerton. Lance is in Maintenance, while Jamie works in Guest Services. Lance, Jamie, this is Gabe McKinley. He just started today.”
Gabe said hello as Lance jumped into the truck bed and began shifting bags from the front to the back so they could be unloaded more easily. He was probably showing off to his girlfriend, though it hardly seemed necessary since they both looked like lovesick puppies.
It won’t last, Gabe thought to himself.
Love was just a series of chemical reactions that didn’t survive for long.
* * *
JAMIE WATCHED LANCE WORKING, and though they’d been dating for several weeks, excitement went through her. He was the most awesome guy in the world. They got together every afternoon, and on most days she was so anxious to see him that she didn’t wait to change out of her costume.
Lance made working at Poppy Gold even better, and she already loved it here. Though his shift started earlier than hers, they could sometimes have lunch together, or just get a chance to say hi.
“How is your class going?” Tessa asked.
“Um...not so good.” Jamie squirmed. She was taking a night course in early California history down in Stockton, but lately she hadn’t been attending many of the classes. “I might drop it.”
“Your mom won’t be happy about that.”
Her mom wasn’t happy about Lance, either. “She just doesn’t understand what it’s like to have a boyfriend.”
“I don’t want to sound like an old fuddy-duddy, but she understands better than you think,” Tessa told her. “She just wants you to keep your options open.”
All of a sudden Jamie remembered that Poppy Gold had paid her tuition, and her face got hot. “I’ll pay the money back if I don’t finish the class,” she said quickly. She hated studying or sitting through lectures when she could be with Lance, but it also bothered her that she hadn’t been attending. It was the same as breaking a promise.
“I’m not worried about the tuition, but what about having Lance drive to Stockton with you? He could wait while you’re in class, and you’d have the trip down to the valley and back to be together.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Jamie agreed doubtfully.
She was sure her cousin was going to say one of those things like, “If he really cares about you...” but Tessa was looking at Uncle Liam.
Jamie sighed. Sometimes it was sad to see Uncle Liam because he was unhappy so often. Her mom and the rest of the family had worried that he’d leave and they’d never get to see him again. They said it didn’t make sense that in-laws sometimes stopped acting like family when their wife or husband died. It was hard enough without Aunt Meredith; if Uncle Liam was gone, too, it would be awful. She just wanted him to start smiling more.
“Hey.” Tessa nudged her. “What are you looking so gloomy about?”
“Nothing.” It wasn’t true, but Jamie didn’t want to upset her cousin. “Uh, you know, Mom is uptight about Lance. Do you think it’s his motorcycle?”
“Could be. Motorcycles make some people uncomfortable—especially in Glimmer Creek since those two biker gangs got into a fight here a few years ago.”
“Lance isn’t in a gang.”
“I realize that, but take a car to Stockton if he wants to go with you. It’ll make Aunt Emma happier, and I won’t get into as much trouble for suggesting you go together.”
Jamie laughed. “Mom could never get mad at you.”
“I wouldn’t count on that.”
Lance dusted his hands and came over. “We’re all done, ma’am...I mean, Tessa. Are those the new apples for the orchard?” He pointed to the rows of trees that had come off the truck last.
“Some of them. I understand a section of the ground is nearly ready for cultivation.”
“Yes...ma...uh, Tessa. I should be able to start planting by the end of this week.”
“Great. Pop will show you what to do when you’re ready.”
Jamie stepped closer to Lance. He had a hard time calling Tessa and Uncle Liam by their first names, as if he’d get in trouble for doing it or something weird like that. She’d guessed that Lance had gotten into some kind of trouble before coming to Poppy Gold, but Uncle Liam had still hired him. Lance wouldn’t talk that much about the past—he could be moody sometimes—but she was crazy about him, anyhow.
“Let’s go down by the creek,” she whispered. “Unless you’re hungry.”
“Let’s eat later.” Lance put his arm around her waist, and they said goodbye.
“It really is okay to call them Tessa and Liam,” she said, holding up her long skirt as they went to her favorite place along the stream.
“I know.”
She took off her shoes and stockings to stick her feet in the water. Her dresses were hot when the weather warmed up, but she loved the costumes, especially the elegant hats. A lot of Poppy Gold employees who worked in areas such as Guest Registration or giving tours liked to wear costumes. The historical society made them, and she got first pick because her mom was the president.
Lance poked around the rocks in the creek with a stick. “I wish that was real gold down there, not pyrite.”
“If it was real, it wouldn’t be there any longer,” Jamie said practically.
“But it—”
Suddenly he slipped on a rock, pitching forward into the water.
A shriek escaped Jamie, and she splashed to his side. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Dumbass thing to do,” he muttered, rubbing his head. “And you got your costume wet.”
“That doesn’t matter. Let’s go sit down.”
“At least we’re cooler now,” Lance said once they were settled on the creek bank with just their toes in the flowing current.
She laughed and squeezed his hand.
“Does anyone ever find real gold in the creek?” Lance asked after a few minutes. “I know there’s a place where people pan for it, but I haven’t heard that they get any.”
“Sometimes they do. And when I was little I heard that someone in California went hiking and kicked a cow patty—only it wasn’t a cow patty, it was a big lump of gold. Pounds and pounds of it.”
Lance’s eye widened. “Really?”
“Yeah. People in Glimmer Creek started kicking cow patties for a while after that, but it is poop, you know.”
“I wouldn’t care about the poop if I found that much gold, because then I could really take care of you. And I’m going to. Someday I’ll make it big, and you won’t have to worry about anything.”
It wasn’t the first time he’d talked about taking care of her, which was old-fashioned, even in Glimmer Creek, but really cute.
“I’m not worried, so don’t start kicking cow poop for me.” She put her head on his shoulder, so happy she could cry.
* * *
GABE LIFTED WEIGHTS at the fitness center for over an hour before returning to the small studio he’d rented in town. It was actually a cottage, in a cluster that had once been an old 1920s motor court. Despite their age, Glimmer Cottages were well maintained, and they were only a block from Poppy Gold.
In his room, Gabe pulled out his computer and opened his internet browser, linking through his smartphone. Finding the information he wanted didn’t take long, and he cursed as he stared at the screen. Tessa was the granddaughter of Patrick Connor, who owned Connor Enterprises, a huge import-export company, just like the one the McKinley family had started two generations back.
Since the two businesses were in the same field, it could certainly help Connor Enterprises to undercut TIP. One of the major agreements that had fallen through for TIP was a deal to import specialty food items from Southeast Asia. In turn, it had caused the failure of a chain of contracts under negotiation, costing TIP a small fortune. According to the Connor Enterprises website, it also imported comestibles from Southeast Asia.
Gabe quickly connected with his brother on Skype.
“Hey, bro,” Rob answered. He was obviously still at his office at TIP. “Having fun plunging toilets?”
“Very amusing. My duties are limited to grounds maintenance, but I’m volunteering to be on call for anything else.”
Rob’s eyebrows shot upward. “Grounds maintenance? You’re kidding, right? You can’t tell a petunia from an oak tree.”
Gabe winced. “Don’t remind me. Earlier I was going to pull a weed when Tessa Connor objected—turns out it was something called foxglove that her mother had planted.”
“Isn’t that stuff poisonous?”
Poisonous? Gabe tucked the information away. It was interesting but not particularly relevant.
“I’ll have to look it up. What do you know about an import company called Connor Enterprises?”
His brother’s face sobered. “It’s only one of TIP’s biggest business rivals, that’s all. Oh, damn... Connor. Surely there isn’t a connection.”
“Sorry to disappoint you. Tessa is the owner’s granddaughter and worked there until a year or so ago. As far as I can tell, she and her father are Patrick Connor’s only heirs, aside from his wife.”
“I’m surprised Liam isn’t working in the family company. Maybe he’s a rebel like you.”
Gabe ignored the rebel comment. He wasn’t a rebel, but it would have gagged him to work for TIP. The only thing he’d regretted about enlisting so young was not being around to look after his younger brother.
“How did Liam end up in Glimmer Creek?” Rob wondered.
“I’ll try to find out. Tell me why TIP started coming to Poppy Gold in the first place.”
“All I know is that someone in the personnel department recommended it. I’ll look into the details, but I can’t believe Tessa or her father are involved. They just aren’t the type.”
Gabe kept his face expressionless. His brother would be much better off if he developed a more realistic outlook on human nature. “It’s a fairly big coincidence, so we have to consider the possibility. Can you determine whether Connor Enterprises has profited directly from the information leaks? For example, did they get any of the contracts you lost?”
“I suppose. Are you still confident no one there will connect you with TIP?”
“It’s unlikely, provided we act like strangers when you get here. I needed to keep a low profile when I was a SEAL, and the TIP webmaster has never posted my picture or personal history on the company website—”
“Because you refused to allow it,” Rob interjected.
“And all TIP business documents identify me as David G. McKinley Jr.,” Gabe continued. “In addition, you and I don’t look alike.”
“True, I’m much better-looking.”
“Only in your dreams.”
Rob chuckled. He was fair and blue-eyed and possessed a boyishness that charmed women and disarmed opponents. Gabe, on the other hand, was dark-haired, taller, leaner and combat-scarred, and no one had ever accused him of being charming. Yet despite their differences, they’d always gotten along.
“I would have thought you’d crack the case wide open in four or five hours,” Rob told him. “Six at the most. I’m a taxpayer, I expect more from all that training you got in the navy. What does it cost to train a SEAL these days, twenty million bucks?”
Gabe snorted. “Not quite.”
>
“Tessa has a lot at stake here, too, since Poppy Gold’s reputation could be affected. I know we discussed it already, but it might be easier to simply ask for her help.”
“That isn’t a good idea. She and her father are logical suspects with their close ties to Connor Enterprises.”
“I suppose.”
They talked a while longer before logging off.
Skyping had made staying in contact easier over the past few years, though Gabe hadn’t always been able to connect in remote locations or when he was in a communications blackout.
Frowning, he reviewed both the town’s website and the one for Poppy Gold Inns to be sure he hadn’t missed anything in his original research. There was no information about Poppy Gold’s owners on either site, though there were several pages on the history of Glimmer Creek, maintained by the local historical society. The conference center also had a Facebook page with a huge number of “likes” and glowing customer comments. Basically, visitors loved everything from the fresh-baked cinnamon rolls to the distinctive weather vanes on the rooftops.
Gabe absently rubbed his left shoulder where he’d taken a bullet a few months before. It still ached at times, which was partly why he’d retired at thirty-eight instead of staying in the service as a desk jockey. If he couldn’t see himself behind a desk at TIP, it would be almost as distasteful in the navy. The navy docs had cleared him for active duty, but he’d known that his arm wasn’t quite as strong as it used to be. The difference would matter only in a life-or-death situation...but that was the problem. The risk of letting down a member of his SEAL team was too great.
With a frown, he did a long series of push-ups, hoping to clear his mind of everything else.
* * *
TESSA WOKE UP in the middle of the night, a recurring nightmare making her heart race.
“Mrrrooow,” cried Mr. Fezziwig, and she reached out a hand to stroke his fur. A low purr rumbled in his chest, gradually growing louder until it resonated like a motorboat.
She let out a breath and tried to shake off the dream. In it, she fell into a dark, nameless depth, and as always, she’d awakened before she could catch herself.
Undercover in Glimmer Creek Page 3
