Tessa hurriedly sent a return text to her grandfather, Gabe and Great-Uncle Milt, then ran down the back staircase and headed for Old City Hall.
* * *
GABE WAS SWEEPING the walkway of the house next to the El Dorado Mansion when a text alert sounded on his cell. He pulled the phone out, and a chill went through him when he saw the message from Tessa.
He took off running for the old town center. The second floor of the historic town hall boasted an elegant ballroom, useful for large meetings, but nobody was scheduled in it that week. He silently ascended the back staircase, reassured to hear the low murmur of Tessa’s voice, followed by another that was loud and shrill.
Cautiously peering around a corner, he saw Tessa with Judy Stokes, a member of the housekeeping staff he’d met only a couple of times. They were alarmingly close together. Tessa’s gaze flickered briefly, acknowledging his presence, even as she remained focused on the other woman.
He stopped and saw Milt Fullerton on the other side of the ballroom, coming in through the front gallery.
“Robert McKinley is so high and mighty,” Judy said with a sneer. “He deserves what he gets. Born rich. He doesn’t know what it’s like to scramble for a living.”
“Is that why you’ve been selling information about TIP?”
“No. My father would be alive today if it wasn’t for him.” Judy’s voice rose higher. “Dad made a little mistake five years ago. Just a single, tiny error in judgment, but McKinley couldn’t overlook it. Instead he made sure Dad was indicted for smuggling.”
“You must have been devastated.”
“That isn’t the half of it. My father killed himself before the trial. Just one little mistake,” Judy repeated, edging toward hysteria. “He’d be alive today if that SOB had a heart.”
“So you decided to get back at Rob by selling information from TIP to his competitors.”
“What else could I do? I just wish McKinley had fallen on that staircase and broken his neck. Dad deserves justice.”
“It was clever getting TIP to use Poppy Gold for their business retreats,” Tessa said casually. As Gabe crept forward, he detected a hint of disgust in her eyes.
“Yeah. I was researching import-export companies that might buy information and found an article about Poppy Gold and its connection to Connor Enterprises. That’s when I got the idea. Now get out of my way. I’m leaving.”
“Surely you realize the police will be right behind you.”
“There’s no proof. I made sure of it.” She strode forward, only to have Tessa kick a chair in her path.
While Gabe got to Judy first and restrained her, Milt was a fast second. He snapped handcuffs on her wrists so fast it was impressive.
“You can’t prove anything,” Judy screamed. “Hearsay isn’t admissible in court.”
“Actually, I recorded your confession on my phone,” Tessa said. “And by the way, you’re fired.”
Judy screamed again, struggling and kicking.
“What do you mean about recording her confession?” Milt asked.
“I activated the sound recorder on my phone before I came in. It was in my pocket, but she’s pretty shrill, so it probably worked.”
No wonder Tessa had gotten so close to the other woman. It had been smart, but additional proof wouldn’t have been any comfort if she’d gotten hurt or killed. Gabe wanted to yell and kiss her at the same moment.
For the first time in his life, he’d been truly terrified. If Tessa died or got hurt...
With abrupt clarity, he understood Liam’s anguish at losing his wife, the wound that could never truly heal.
When two other officers arrived and took charge of Judy Stokes, Milt turned his attention to Tessa and gave her a royal scolding. “Don’t ever do anything like that again,” he concluded, only to have her kiss him on the cheek.
“You’re sweet to worry, Uncle Milt.”
“I’m serious,” he insisted, but his gruff expression had vanished. “Now give me your phone. It’s evidence.”
With the scene quieting down, Gabe immediately rang Patrick Connor.
“The suspect is in custody, and Tessa is all right,” he said as soon as the call was answered, going on to explain what had happened.
“Thank God. We’ll leave for Poppy Gold in the morning. My granddaughter is going to get a blistering lecture. I never would have cooperated if I’d thought she would confront the thief by herself.”
“Do it over the phone before you arrive,” Gabe advised, thinking how Milt had crumbled beneath his great-niece’s charm. “I suspect she has you wrapped around her little finger along with everyone else in Glimmer Creek.”
A bark of laughter came over the phone. “Excellent point. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
Gabe’s next call was to his brother, who showed up at the ballroom within minutes. Judy Stokes promptly began shrieking profanities until the two officers took her away.
“Her father was guilty of a whole lot more than a single lapse in judgment,” Rob explained, his face grim. “Norman began smuggling from China and other countries before I became president of TIP. Diamonds, art pieces, anything he could slip into a shipment. I worked with customs authorities for months to catch him.”
Tessa looked sad. “She believed his story, but why didn’t her name raise a flag for you? Stokes isn’t that common.”
“Because her father’s last name was Chambers. I remember he had a married daughter, but not much more. It never occurred to me to add him to any of our lists since he’s deceased. I’m sorry you got caught in the middle of this.”
“Hey, it wasn’t your fault.”
Rob still looked guilty and Gabe understood how he felt. He might be furious with Tessa for taking chances with her safety, but she was still an innocent bystander. While Rob could repay the financial losses Poppy Gold had suffered, he couldn’t make up for her fall on the staircase.
Tessa talked briefly to her father, giving him an explanation and reassuring him, while Milt finished processing the scene. Gabe silently apologized to the white-haired giant. Despite his age and lack of big-city law enforcement experience, the police chief was efficient and knowledgeable.
The formalities took a while, but finally they all agreed to come the next morning to sign their statements. Tessa left to call her grandfather with a more in-depth explanation.
“What now, big brother?” Rob asked when they were alone.
“What do you mean?”
“Where are you going from here?”
It was a good question; Gabe just didn’t have an answer. What he wanted and what was best for Tessa were two different things.
* * *
TESSA HAD JUST gotten home when Gabe pounded on her door.
“How could you do such an insanely dangerous thing?” he demanded when she answered. “Confronting that woman alone was crazy.”
“I couldn’t take the chance of her getting away.” The scolding didn’t bother her; she was just glad they’d caught the guilty party. The call with her grandfather, on the other hand, had been slightly more upsetting. She’d reassured him over and over that she was all right, but he and Grams were still coming to Glimmer Creek to see for themselves.
“You’re impossible,” Gabe declared.
“I’m just me.” Tessa had expected him to be angry, but he looked even more upset than she had anticipated. “Have you found out more about Judy Stokes?”
He glared. “She got divorced after her father’s suicide but kept her married name. Apparently she was more interested in getting revenge than in discarding reminders of her ex.”
A thought occurred to Tessa, and she cocked her head. “Why aren’t you giving me a hard time about blind loyalty? That’s what Judy is guilty of...in addition to everything else.”
> “Because you aren’t capable of plotting revenge for years and breaking the law to get it.”
Gabe’s reply was a curious compliment.
“Don’t think I’m done,” he added. “You weren’t supposed to risk your life. What if she’d had a gun? Chairs won’t protect you from a bullet. I thought you had brains, but that was the most idiotic stunt I’ve ever seen.”
“Imagine, I didn’t think you cared about me.”
“Of course I care,” Gabe snarled, without seeming to realize what he’d just said. He went on ranting and she sighed. There was probably just one way to stop him.
Tessa started unbuttoning her blouse and Gabe’s gaze was suddenly riveted on her. She moved closer and put her arm around his neck.
“Don’t think you can distract me,” he said hoarsely.
“Wanna bet?” She rose on her tiptoes and kissed him.
He didn’t say another word the rest of the evening.
* * *
TESSA WOKE ALONE the next morning.
It was what she’d expected, but a flash of anger went through her.
She was certain that Gabe loved her as much as she loved him, and if she was willing to risk getting her heart broken, that was her decision. Anyway, her heart had already made the choice.
Tessa threw her clothes on and marched to Gabe’s studio. She found him outside packing his SUV.
“I wasn’t going to just go without saying goodbye,” he said quietly.
“What difference does that make?” she demanded. “You’re riding off like the Lone Ranger, but just like the Lone Ranger, you’re your own best proof that people have good in them.”
“Tessa, I’m older than you.”
“Eight years,” she scoffed. “You’re being ridiculous. If I was eighteen that might mean something, but it doesn’t at our ages, as you well know.”
* * *
GABE SIGHED.
She was right, the years didn’t matter, but the experience did. He’d seen more terrible things over those eight years than Tessa would see in a lifetime. But they weren’t sights that had made him wiser or stronger...just older. He’d tried to convince himself that it would be all right, but how could he be with her and not destroy her spirit?
An inner voice jeered at him.
How could a force of nature be destroyed? If Tessa’s mother had been anything like her, the two of them together must have been overwhelming.
“Tessa, it’s best for you if I—”
She crossed her arms and stuck her chin up in challenge. “Don’t try to decide for me. I’ll decide for myself, thank you. Maybe if you stopped leaving, you’d discover something worth staying for, or something worth taking with you.”
Gabe wished it was that simple.
Yet as he looked into Tessa’s eyes, he wondered if it was that simple. The problem with being the one who rode to the rescue was that all the villainy became overwhelming. Tessa was a lifeline in the darkness, but was reaching for it worth the chance of hurting her? Because if there was one thing he was certain about, he’d cut off his arm before he would cause Tessa pain.
“I bought something the other day,” she said unexpectedly. “Don’t ask me why, but something told me to get it for you. Think of it as a going-away gift.”
Gabe took the book she held out, and his mouth twitched as he read the title: Barbecuing for Beginners.
While people barbecued in the city, it seemed the quintessential small-town activity, signifying home and family and everyday life. Nothing had ever sounded more wonderful, though a life with Tessa wouldn’t be calm; she was a one-woman tornado. Perhaps his choice was similar to the one Liam had made.
“What if I admitted that I love you and hope to stay in Glimmer Creek, but still don’t want kids... What would you say?” he asked.
“Is that a test?”
Maybe it was, though the idea of Tessa pregnant with his child was seductive beyond belief. Then Gabe remembered what she’d told him once—that every child represented a shining light of hope. It was true, and Tessa was his own shining light.
“Forget I said that,” Gabe whispered, pulling her close. “I’ve decided I want it all, too. Tell me you love me. I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”
* * *
TESSA KISSED GABE BACK.
“I’ll love you forever,” she promised.
An excited cry startled them both, and they looked around to see Jamie and Lance.
“Are you getting married?” Jamie asked.
“I haven’t proposed yet, but I’m planning to,” Gabe told her. “How about it, Tessa? I happen to know Poppy Gold puts on great weddings.”
“Goody!” Jamie shrieked before Tessa could accept. “I can’t wait to tell everyone.”
“Hold on,” Tessa ordered. “In the first place, yes, I’ll marry you, Gabe. In the second, I’m going to tell the family, Jamie. You’ll just have to wait.”
“Can I at least get everybody to come to the old town square park for a potluck picnic?” Jamie begged. “There aren’t any events tonight and you could tell them then.”
The family was always having impromptu gatherings, but Tessa wondered if it would be too much for Gabe. She glanced at him and he nodded, seeming unconcerned.
“All right,” she agreed.
Jamie and Lance left excitedly, but Tessa had little hope her cousin would resist hinting about the upcoming announcement, at the very least.
“We’d better tell Liam before he hears it another way,” Gabe advised, apparently coming to the same conclusion.
Back at Poppy Gold, they finally found her father in Guest Registration. The elder Connors had arrived, and when they hadn’t been able to reach Tessa, they’d called him.
Pop smiled the first real smile she’d seen from him in over eighteen months.
“That look in your eyes...it’s just like your mother on our wedding day,” he said simply.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Gabe interjected, “I proposed to your daughter without talking to you. We’re getting married.”
Delighted exclamations came from Tessa’s grandparents and the other employees working in Guest Registration, and she soon found herself being hugged by everyone in the building. No doubt the family would know about her engagement hours before the impromptu party that night; good news traveled at the speed of light in Glimmer Creek.
Tessa finally ended up back in Gabe’s arms, and the expression on his face was a priceless gift.
He gave her a long, slow kiss.
Of all her dreams that had come true, Gabe was the best one of all.
* * * * *
Look for the next book in the
POPPY GOLD STORIES miniseries,
CHRISTMAS WITH CARLIE,
available December 2016 wherever
Harlequin Superromance books are sold.
Keep reading for an excerpt from HOME FREE by Claire McEwen.
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Home Free
by Claire McEwen
CHAPTER ONE
WHEN MANDY ALLEN planned her sister’s perfect wedding, she never imagined crying alone in their ranch house kitchen with only the wedding cake for company. But those were definitely tears sliding down her cheeks. And if they didn’t stop soon, mascara would stripe her face like a zebra’s. Mandy dabbed her eyes with the hem of her apron, appalled by the black smudges. Self-pity never looked good on anyone.
The problem wasn’t the cake. That was her masterpiece, despite the anxiety that had almost kept her from finishing it. Anxiety that crackled and fizzed like a bad-reception radio set to her own personal self-doubt channel, reminding her that she’d never done this kind of baking before. What if it was a disaster? What if it tasted terrible? What if it looked terrible?
But thankfully, her anxiety was unfounded. The cake wasn’t terrible. In fact, it was beautiful. The three tiers, cream colored and painted with chocolate icing, delicately detailed scenes of horses, cattle, even the high Sierra peaks that rose behind their ranch.
The problem wasn’t the wedding, either. The old barn looked magical decorated with garlands and fairy lights. The guests had just finished Mandy’s specially seasoned barbecue with all the fixings. Now they were drinking, dancing, whooping it up.
Undercover in Glimmer Creek Page 26
