BIG SKY SECRETS 01: Final Exposure (7 page)

Thick dust still covered the more inaccessible merchandise, some of which appeared to have been in place for decades.
Oh, Gramps…you hung on to this place way too long.

Sentiment over his late wife had probably kept him here, coupled with dread at the prospect of living alone with nothing to do. But the long hours had
taken their toll on him, and the weariness in his stooped posture when Erin had kissed him goodbye at the airport was enough to break her heart.

The bell over the door tinkled.

Charlie, who followed her everywhere and tended to lie down within inches of her feet, rose slowly, his tail thumping against the ladder as she climbed down.

“Goodness gracious, you’re going to land in the hospital, climbing all over the rafters like that!”

Erin laughed. Without looking, she knew exactly who it was, from the voice and the lemony scent of Jean Naté wafting into the store. “Now, Isabelle, it’s not as bad as all that. I was only on a ladder.”

“Humph.”

A good eighty if she was a day, Isabelle Swanson was a short, rotund woman with a flair for clothes in outrageous color combinations, but she was sharp as a tack and one of the kindest women Erin had ever met.

Erin dusted her hands against her jeans and headed to the front of the store to give her a hug. “You look wonderful, as always.” And she did, with her silver curls perfectly coiffed and her bright red coat and lilac dress. “I totally love the silver shoes.”

“Never did think pretties had to be saved for evening. My kiddies love them.”

“You’re still babysitting?”

“Third generation, some of them, bless their little hearts. Not full-time anymore, but it helps fill my days.” She waggled a snowy eyebrow. “I saw you in church, but didn’t get a chance to say howdy.”

“I’m sorry I missed you.” Erin gestured toward the café. “I’m ready for a break. Would you like some coffee, on the house?”

“With a chance to visit? My, yes.” Isabelle followed her to one of the tables. “It’s good to see you back after all these years.”

Erin brought out a tray with cups, some cookies and a pot of fresh coffee. “I’m glad to be here. I stayed away far too long.”

Isabelle gave her a knowing look. “Sometimes a fresh start is best, when there’s been so much sorrow.”

“And then sometimes it’s best to finally face it all head-on and let go of the past.”

“So, do you have a special fella?”

“Nope, and no plans to, either.”

“You’re too young to be saying that.” Isabelle’s eyes twinkled. “You might just change your mind when the right one comes along. Like that handsome man renting Pete’s house, for instance.”

Erin choked on her sip of coffee.

“I’ve seen him with that boy of his,” Isabelle continued. “He seems like a really good daddy.”

“He’ll just be here for a few months, and then they’re going back to Texas.”

“Maybe he’ll decide differently. He could fall in love with this town. Settle down.”

“He’s a nice guy and all, but I learned my lessons early on. You might
think
you can change someone, but that doesn’t mean you can.”

Isabelle chuckled. “I can’t see a lot I’d change about that man.”

“I think he and I are poles apart in our faith beliefs, though. Such different life views just don’t work in the long run.”

“I wouldn’t jump to any conclusions just yet. He hasn’t been up here all that long, has he?”

Erin laughed. “You do keep track of our town, Ms. Swanson.”

“Pays to keep up with things. Now about this young man of yours…”

Isabelle was a sweet old lady, but she was still as determined as a pit bull. “Strictly business. I’d like to ask you about someone who was in here over the weekend, though. Ollie?”

“Ah, yes. Sad thing, really. His mother was quite a drinker. I heard he was dropped as a baby and ended up with brain damage of some sort.” Isabelle shook her head, remembering. “He should have had special schooling back in the day. But either his parents didn’t bother, or he slipped through the cracks in the education system. I’m sure I never saw him in school when I was teaching.”

“So he works for Barry? He seems devoted.”

“It must be a terribly lonely life for him, otherwise. I hear he still lives by himself in the run-down place where he grew up, and that he adamantly refuses to move into a group home.”

“Can’t someone help him?”

“The local churches drop off food for him, but other than doing occasional odd jobs, he’s a pretty reclusive guy. He won’t even open his door to the county welfare people.”

“Would he…” Erin carefully chose her words. “Could he be encouraged to do anything illegal? Does he understand the difference between right and wrong?”

Isabelle straightened in her chair. “Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering. I think someone broke into the store one night, and there might have been a prowler outside my house.”

Isabelle shook her head. “Ollie might be easily led, but I don’t think he’d cause anyone harm. Folks around here try to look after him. He’s sort of a town mascot, really. If he got a little mixed up, they’d correct him, not haul him off to jail.”

Which didn’t exactly answer her question. “And what about the florist?”

“Barry?” Isabelle pursed her lips. “He’s been up here for at least ten, fifteen years, but I don’t really
know him. He keeps to himself, but he’s done well with the garden center and flower shop. Not an easy thing these days.”

“He warned me about the dangers around here. Yet he looked more dangerous than anyone else I’ve met since coming back.”

“I suppose so, with all those tattoos and the wild hair. I think he must be a relic from the Vietnam War protest and flower-child era. But,” Isabelle added thoughtfully, “he does have an amazing green thumb.”

The more Erin saw of Jack, the more she was sure that he was an upstanding, honest guy. Thrust into the difficult situation of raising his sister’s child, he was doing his best and had shown himself to be a kind and caring man, despite Erin’s earlier reservations.

Barry was another story.

She thought about the missing keys, and Max’s terrified reaction when he’d been on the porch with Charlie. If Barry was still after Grandpa Pete’s property, could he be trying to frighten her into selling out? He certainly lived close enough to keep watch on the place, so he could plan his next move.

“You trust Barry, then?”

“Well…I guess so.” Isabelle considered her words for a moment. “One day I bought some daylilies there and mistakenly gave him a twenty, instead of a ten. He followed me clear out into the parking lot to give me my proper change.”

Presenting an honest facade could be a cover for other dealings, though. “Would you say this area is safe these days?”

“It’s funny you should ask. Miriam Walker was just telling me that she heard about a breakin on her police scanner last week.” Isabelle’s eyebrows drew together. “I think that was the first bit of trouble we’ve had all year around here.”

“Nothing more than that?”

“This is a safe town, my dear.” Isabelle leaned forward and patted her hand. “Don’t let old tragedies make you so jumpy. Worrying about everything and fretting about the people around you will just send you to an early grave.”

Isabelle’s calm, almost patronizing words continued to play through Erin’s thoughts long after the old woman left. Lost Falls was a safe town?

Erin had felt the opposite was true for the past fifteen years and had resisted the idea of moving back for that very reason.

God—help me just let the past go and trust that I’ll be safe.
She believed in God’s power and mercy, truly she did. The Bible verse she’d memorized after Laura’s death had been close to her heart ever since. How often had she silently recited it, clinging to its powerful message?

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Jesus Christ.

The beautiful words had given her comfort. They’d made her stronger, and they’d given her peace. Now, she firmly shelved the old memories whenever they surfaced, determined to live a full and abundant life just as God wished for all of His children.

Yet, the subtle threats she’d sensed since coming here felt
real,
not like something born of her imagination, even though the deputies had clearly thought she was crying wolf. She’d seen it in their eyes. And Isabelle was certainly nonchalant.

With a sigh Erin went to work in the kitchen, cleaning and sanitizing the work surfaces, then scrubbing the floor until it shone. She glanced at the clock now and then, wondering how Max’s cowboy adventure was going.

By five she started to worry. Had the little guy fallen off? Gotten hurt? Maybe Jack and Max were sitting in the E.R. at the tiny community hospital up in Battle Creek, waiting for X rays or an orthopedic consultation. Maybe—

At the sound of a car door slamming, she hurried to the front window of the store to peer out.

Jack’s SUV was parked in front of the house. Jack and Max climbed out and lingered for a moment, then headed for Millie’s. Max, she saw with amusement, still clutched the stuffed dog as if it might escape.

The two of them came into the store, bringing with them the definite scent of horses and hay. She’d never seen the little boy smile with such complete abandon, and it transformed him into the child he’d probably been before his world fell apart.

“So, how did it go, cowboy?” Bracing her hands on her thighs, she leaned down to his level and reached out to brush away the dust on his cheek. “Did you see the pony?”

“Her name was Fireball,” he breathed with reverence. “She was white and brown and had a really,
really
long tail. And she was
fast!”

“She sounds beautiful. Did you get to ride her?”

Max nodded. “And I didn’t fall off.”

Erin straightened and saw the amusement in Jack’s eyes. “Really fast, huh?”

He rested a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Max not only rode at a walk, but at a trot—while being led in the pony ring. He did a great job. So now we’re here because we figured a tired, dusty cowboy might need to mosey over for some ice cream. We’re thinking
sundaes. Mint chocolate chip, with hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry.”

“Sounds exactly right.” She strode over to the soda fountain, washed her hands and began preparing the confections. “There’s a restroom in back if you want to wash up.”

By the time she finished, they were back and in their customary table at the front window, Max’s cheeks and hands glowing pink.

After the first few bites, Max’s eyelids started to droop. Minutes later he folded his arms on the table, rested his cheek on them and fell asleep.

Jack pushed Max’s dessert toward the center of the table. “I guess being a cowboy is hard work. I wish you could have seen him—it was like having the old Max back again. He was so excited, he was even laughing. I haven’t heard him laugh since before the accident.”

There were no other customers in the store, so Erin brought a couple of cups of coffee over to the table and pulled up a chair. “Can you take him there again sometime?”

“Definitely.” A corner of Jack’s mouth lifted. “If I had the right place back in Texas, I’d bring that pony home with us.”

“That would be any little boy’s dream.”

“It seemed to make him genuinely happy for the first time in months. He’s been talking more lately,
but most of the time he still seems so distant—like he feels totally alone.”

At the depth of emotion in Jack’s eyes, Erin reached across the table to cover his hand with her own. “But you do so well with him. Anyone can see that.”

“On the surface, maybe…but I don’t know how to get through to him, not really. Last night he fell over his Lego blocks and scraped his knee. He would’ve run to Janie or Allen for comfort, but he doesn’t ever come to me. He’ll go off behind the sofa to cry until I find him.”

The image of the child, still struggling so desperately with his grief, made Erin’s eyes burn. “He’ll come around in time, won’t he?”

“The counselor back home said this trip would help us bond, but maybe she was wrong. Maybe it won’t ever happen, no matter what.” He stared out the window toward the empty highway and the mountains beyond. “If we head for Texas sooner than planned, I’ll still pay the full three months’ rent.”

Texas.
Erin felt her heart squeeze. “Why would you go back early?”

“I’m trying my best to make him happy, but I’m starting to wonder if he misses being with other kids, since he was in preschool last year.” He gave a deprecating laugh. “And despite the disaster with Ted, I’m still trying to run a business…or what’s left of it.”

“Is anyone in your office while you’re gone?”

“My secretary is more efficient than anyone I know, and she’s keeping everything afloat. But the dial-up Internet connection here is slow, and without everything in my own office at hand, I’m not nearly as productive.” He lifted a shoulder. “Every day she asks me when I’m coming back.”

“And you tell her…”

“Still December….so far.” He leaned back in his chair and studied her. “I just really wish I had some better options for Max. He must get bored, with only me to play with—and I have to work on my computer way too much.”

“So if you had some good alternatives for Max…”

“I wouldn’t think twice about staying if I knew it was the right thing for Max. I never knew Montana was so beautiful.”

“Good.” She grinned. “Then do I ever have a great alternative for you!”

“I
sabelle?” Jack’s heart lifted with sudden hope.

“She’s good with children?”

“The best. She was a teacher for over forty years, and they practically had to drag her out of the building when it was time for her to retire. The kids loved her. Now she does day care, and her waiting list is about a mile long. She’s babysitting the kids and grandkids of some of her old students, even.”