Falling in Love on Willow Creek by Debbie Mason

Chapter Twenty-One

The next morning, Sadie pulled her SUV alongside the curb in front of a white clapboard house that had seen better days. “I can’t believe you went to visit Payton without telling me, Granny.”

“What was I supposed to do? I can’t rightly bring you with me when she told me not to, now can I?”

“Why didn’t she want you to bring Sadie, Agnes?” Nate asked from the backseat before she could. She’d been warned by both Chase and Nate to let him do the questioning when it came to Payton.

She didn’t think this counted. “That’s what I’d like to know. I don’t even remember her.”

“I suspect it’s on account of the money. She thinks you’re the reason I can’t help her out now and again.”

“You could have told her the truth, Granny.”

“I couldn’t tell her it was Elijah’s fault. He’s the father of her bairn. She might leave him if she were to hear that. Besides, I’m not sure your brother had anything to do with the missing money. Maybe someone hacked into my account.”

“Someone did. Elijah.”

“Sadie’s right, Agnes. You have to stop making excuses for your grandson.”

The hard edge in Nate’s voice brought Sadie’s head up. She glanced in the rearview mirror. His expression was a little scary. Chase might be willing to hear her brother out and see where the evidence led, but Nate had already tried and convicted Elijah.

“It’ll be okay, Granny. Everything will work out in the end. I promise. We’ll turn things around.” Sadie patted her grandmother’s hand. She hated to see her upset.

“You’re part of the problem, you know. You coddle her, and she’s a lot tougher than you think. Devious too,” Nate muttered as he got out of the SUV.

Her grandmother frowned. “What did he say?”

“Same thing as me, Granny.” Sadie opened her door as Finn bounded out of the backseat.

“Do you want to tell me again why Mikey foisted the dog on us?” Nate patted his pocket. “He stole my keys!”

“Finn, come here,” Sadie called after the dog, who had darted away to chase a squirrel. Finn cast her a mournful glance but did as she directed, coming to sit at her feet. “He doesn’t have them now. Check under the seats. He likes to hide things. And in answer to your question, Michael wanted me to have company on my way to and from work.”

“You’re lucky, dog,” Nate said, pulling his head out of the SUV. He wiped his keys on his jeans before shoving them in his front pocket and looked around. “Mikey didn’t just want you to have company. There are too many places for me to watch on my own. I hate when he’s right.” Nate glanced at her grandmother, who’d come around to open the trunk. “I’ve got it, Agnes. That’s why you brought me, remember? I’m your pack mule.”

“Is that why you’re here, laddie? I thought you were Sadie’s and my protection.”

“Told you she doesn’t miss a trick.” There was an irritated but admiring note in Nate’s voice. And while his face was stern, Sadie didn’t miss the amused glint in his eyes or the twinkle in her grandmother’s. Clearly, they liked each other, which was a good thing since they were living together. The thought reminded her of the man currently living under her roof.

They liked each other too. Only in their case, Sadie was afraid of what would happen to their relationship when this was over. She brushed the thought aside and beeped the locks on her fob before tucking her grandmother’s arm through hers.

“Let’s go welcome Payton to the family.” And get an alibi for her brother.

“Your face doesn’t look so welcoming, my girl. You were never very good at hiding your feelings.” She patted Sadie’s arm. “Let me do the talking. I know what I’m about, and I know what Nate’s about. Your new man too. I like him even if he is trying to put our Elijah behind bars. He’s good for you.”

Sadie stared at her grandmother, stunned that she knew who Chase and Nate were.

From behind them, Nate groaned, and it wasn’t because of the ten bags he carried. He’d overheard her grandmother.

Agnes grinned. “Never underestimate the blue-haired ladies, laddie.”

“All right, Agatha Christie, what’s your take on the lady of the house?” Nate glanced at the front window. “The woman who is currently watching us from behind the curtains. Both of you turn around and pretend you’re looking for something in the bags. We need to buy some time.”

They did as he asked, Finn joining them in the huddle.

“I think she’s pulled the wool over our boy’s eyes. She’s been stepping out on him with another man,” her grandmother said, her head half in one of the bags.

“And you know this how?” Nate glowered down at her. “And do not give me some bullcrap story about it being on account of your second sight. Oh yeah, she tried to pull her scam on me,” he said at Sadie’s questioning glance. “She freaked me out with her creepy monotone voice, but I figured out fast enough what she was up to.”

“You didn’t fake it?” Sadie asked her grandmother. “You were able to do a reading?”

“Aye, my gift’s back online. I’d lost it on account of the stress, I think. I’ve never been all that good at keeping secrets, especially from you.” She gave Sadie an apologetic smile. “I didn’t want to worry you. You already had more than your share of worries, thanks to Drew. Good riddance to him, I say.”

“Okay, ladies, let’s stay on track. This was a surprise visit for a reason. We don’t want Payton to have time to hide anyone or anything. Start moving toward the door. Slowly. Agnes, pretend you’re having trouble walking.” When her grandmother did as he suggested, Nate said, “Now tell me why you think she’s involved with someone other than your grandson.”

“I saw it with my own eyes. So did Colin. Colin Murphy. He used to be a spy,” she said with a proud smile.

“Where and when, exactly, did you and Sherlock witness this clandestine rendezvous?”

“Here. A man visited her twice in the dead of night. I can’t tell you when he left. When you get to be our ages, creeping around and staying out of sight is hard on the knees.”

“Granny, what were you thinking?” Sadie whisper-shouted. “You—”

Nate cut her off, a muscle bunching in his jaw. “What nights exactly?”

“The night you were spying on me from across the street. You should have Colin teach you the tricks of his trade,” her grandmother said to Nate. “He spied you right away. We saw Payton’s man sneaking in again last night.”

“What?” Nate said at Sadie’s accusatory stare. “I thought she was in bed. It’s your fault I missed her the first time.”

“How do you figure that?”

“Because just before I could investigate the man I now know to be Colin Murphy going up to Agnes’s apartment, I got called away to rescue you and your brother.”

Before Sadie could warn him not to say anything about the shooting in front of her grandmother, Finn took off barking.

“Great, now he’s off chasing squirrels,” Nate muttered.

“I don’t think so. He has an excited bark when he chases squirrels. That’s the same bark he made when the deputies from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department came to the cottage.”

Nate shoved the bags into Sadie’s arms and took off at a run toward the back of the house.

“Granny, maybe we should—” Agnes was no longer at her side; she was knocking on Payton’s door.

“It’s me, lass. Granny MacLeod. I’ve brought Sadie, the bairn’s auntie, with me. We’ve come to help you set up the nursery for the new addition to our family.” She glanced over her shoulder at Sadie and winked.

Ten minutes later, after getting no response to her knocking or bell ringing, Granny sighed. “It looks like she’s not home.”

“Someone was,” Sadie said as she retrieved the bags from the doorstep. In the distance, she heard Nate calling Finn. “We might as well wait in the car, Granny.” She’d just gotten her grandmother and the packages loaded back in the SUV when Nate appeared at the corner of the house, Finn racing past him with a piece of light-blue fabric hanging from his mouth.

“What have you got there, boy?” She bent to retrieve the piece of cloth he’d dropped at her feet.

“Looks like he might have caught up with whoever left Payton’s place in a hurry. It’s the same color and fabric as the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department’s uniforms.” Nate put out his hand for the piece of cloth. “I’ll send it to my brother-in-law. See if they can get a hit in the DNA database.”

“Aren’t you glad he came with us now?” Sadie asked, giving Finn a hug.

“Yeah, yeah.” Nate grudgingly patted the dog’s head. “Good boy.” He opened the back door, ushering Finn inside. “Now stay on your own side, and don’t even think about stealing my keys or my shades.”

As Sadie drove back to the store, her grandmother texted Payton. Seconds later, her cell phone pinged. “She says she’s sorry she wasn’t there. She had a doctor’s appointment. I’ll tell her we’ll drop by tomorrow if that works for her.”

They were still waiting for Payton’s response when Sadie pulled into a parking spot in front of the store.

“I think we need an extra incentive,” her grandmother said, head bent over her phone. She typed out her message with one finger, grinning at the whoosh of her text being sent.

It was a grin that made Sadie nervous. “Granny, what did you do?”

“I told her you want to set up a generous education fund for the bairn.”

Nate laughed. “Mrs. M, you missed your calling. You would have made a great agent.”

Her grandmother smirked. “Colin tells me that all the time.”

An hour later, Sadie walked across the road with Abby to Spill the Tea.

Abby nodded at Sadie’s bag from Penelope’s Pet Emporium. “Finn is going to be a happy doggy.”

Sadie smiled at the couple walking by on the sidewalk, waiting for them to pass to respond. “He deserves a reward. This morning’s visit to Payton would have been a bust if not for him.”

“This thing with your grandmother and Mr. Murphy is so freaking lit. Can’t you just picture the two of them skulking around looking for clues?”

“Yes, and unlike you, I don’t think it’s cool. I think it’s dangerous.” But while on one hand she was worried about her grandmother’s nighttime escapades, on the other hand, she was relieved. Now that she didn’t have to keep Nate and Chase’s identity from Agnes a secret, she could find out if her grandmother had any clue who might have taken Sadie’s gun back in February.

As they reached Spill the Tea, Sadie said, “No more talking about my grandmother and Mr. Murphy until we’ve left here.”

Abby waggled her eyebrows and opened the door. “No problem. I’m more interested in why you blushed when I asked you how your night went.”

“I didn’t blush.” Sadie’s cheeks heated.

Abby laughed. “You’re doing it again. Come on, spill the tea to your bestie.”

Knowing Abby wouldn’t let up, Sadie shared her embarrassing tiramisu moment with her and then opened the door.

“So you, like, licked his finger, or did you suck on it?” Abby asked, following her inside.

Sadie cast a nervous glance at the lunch crowd gathered at the tea shop. “If you ask a little louder, maybe everyone will hear you.”

“Sorry.” She lowered her voice, sidling in beside Sadie. “So which was it?”

“Licked it like it was my favorite chocolate popsicle.”

“What were you licking?” Brooklyn’s voice came from behind the small reservation stand. She stood up with a smile and menus in her hand.

Beside her, Abby was having a hard time containing her laughter.

Sadie scowled at her, then smiled at Brooklyn. “It was nothing. Just something stupid.”

“Whatever it was, it sounded like you enjoyed yourself,” Brooklyn said. “Do you want a booth at the back or do you want to sit at the tea bar?”

Sadie looked to where Babs Sutherland was holding court at the tea bar. “A booth would be—”

Babs pinned her with a bright-eyed stare from under her thick, frosted-blue eyeshadow. “Sadie Gray, don’t you dare try to sneak away. We’ve all heard your big news. Come over here and spill the tea. We want the inside scoop.”

She might as well get it over with. It was why they were here. “Abby’s putting together an amazing unicorn event in June. She’ll be sending around advertising options to all the shops on Main Street later in the week. There will be plenty of opportunities for everyone to participate.”

Sadie’s enthusiastic smile faltered when the women swiveled on their barstools to stare at her. “You guys could create a unicorn tea. Something pink and sparkly would probably work.” She was losing them. The women were leaning into each other, whispering behind their hands. “Or you could add those little gold edible things.” She cast a dear Lord, help me look at Abby.

“Trust me, it’ll boost everyone’s business, not just I Believe in Unicorns. But let’s be honest, it’s our civic duty to support Granny MacLeod. This is what small towns are all about, being there for each other in times of trouble. And let’s face it, Agnes and her family are in big trouble. They need our help.” She made an apologetic face at Sadie.

The last thing Sadie and her grandmother wanted was to be seen as the town’s charity case, but right now, she’d agree to just about anything Abby said to take the attention off her. Except Abby’s spiel didn’t seem like it had gone over any better than hers.

“I’m sure the unicorn event will be a big crowd-pleaser, but that’s not what we wanted to hear about. I knew she wasn’t much of a romantic,” Babs confided to the women at the tea bar. Then she said to Sadie, “The ring, darlin’. We want to see the ring.”

“What ring?”

“Your engagement ring, of course!” Babs gave the other women a see what I mean look.

“Drew and I aren’t together. We—”

“Not him!” Babs waved an impatient hand, her thick, bejeweled bracelets clinking. “We’re talking about Park Ranger Michael. Your knight in shining armor. The man you’re living with, you sly devil, you. Getting your hooks into him before my Brooklyn had a chance.”

Brooklyn groaned. “Momma.”

“What? You’re as gaga over him as half the other single girls in town. Although a few of them dropped out of the running after the bear episode.” Babs motioned Sadie closer with her long, bright-pink fingernails. “Tea’s spilled. Now show us the ring. And don’t try and deny it. That sweet boy with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department told us you were engaged when he dropped in yesterday afternoon.”

Abby glanced at Sadie, who was standing there in stunned silence, and asked, “What sweet boy would that be?”

“Deputy Dwight, that’s who. You wouldn’t know him. He grew up here but he lives over in Jackson County now.”

At the mention of Dwight, Sadie pushed all thoughts of her supposed engagement aside. This conversation was too important to miss even a single word.

“What a brat, sharing your secret like that,” Abby said to Sadie before turning back to Babs. “Did he happen to share any more of my bestie’s secrets? If he did, I’m going to have to have a word with him.”

“Now that I think about it, he was more interested in what I knew about Sadie’s new fiancé. I shouldn’t be surprised. Everyone has been coming to me, asking what I know about him. Help a gal out. Tell me everything.” Babs propped her elbows on the sleek, white bar and cupped her face in her hands.

“Oh, Momma, stop. They came in to eat. Sadie, Abby, follow me. Sorry about that. You know how she hates to be the last to know.” Brooklyn ushered them to a quiet booth at the back of the room. “And about me being gaga over your fiancé, I’m really not.”

Sadie ignored Abby waggling her eyebrows at her as Brooklyn continued. “He’s just hot, and I’m looking, and he checks all the boxes, if you know what I mean. Except maybe the steady income box. Momma says his boss at the forest service is thinking about firing him. If you ask me, he’s lucky he broke his leg.” She smiled, placing the menus in front of them. “I’ll give you a minute.”

“Should I know who Deputy Dwight is?” Sadie asked Brooklyn, hoping to find out what the other woman knew about Dwight and Payton. “Did he date someone we know or—”

Brooklyn gracefully lowered herself into a crouch beside the table. “I hate to tell tales out of school, but I think Payton might be stepping out on your brother.”

“Oh, really. With Dwight?”

“Mm-hmm, but I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s probably just a passing fling on account your brother is on the run from the law. It has to be hard for Payton knowing she’ll be raising the baby on her own. I overheard Dwight tell Momma that Elijah would never see the light of day with the evidence they have against him. Momma said, for Payton’s sake, you understand, she’d be better off if your brother died. On account of his life insurance and all.”

“My brother has life insurance?” Sadie blurted without thinking. But honestly, it was a little shocking to hear Brooklyn talking about Elijah’s death like it was already a done deal. Maybe in Dwight’s eyes it was, which meant Brooklyn had just revealed another motive. Chase was right. She had to convince her brother to turn himself in.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. But you asked, and I—”

“It’s okay. I’m just a little surprised, that’s all. Buying life insurance isn’t exactly an Elijah thing to do.”

“I know what you mean. It’s the responsible thing to do, and Elijah was always quick to duck out of any and all responsibility. I guess becoming a parent changes how you look at things. But Payton’s a smart girl. She’d want to take care of her baby’s future in case anything happened to one of them.”

“I’m glad Elijah stepped up. It’s just too bad he wouldn’t be able to afford a large policy to give Payton peace of mind. If something happened to him, I mean. Which it won’t. My brother always lands on his feet.”

“Oh no, she’d be very comfortable. The policy is for a quarter of a million dollars.” Brooklyn waved a hand and stood up. “But you’re right. Elijah has gotten out of more scrapes than anyone I know. Although that was because you and Agnes always stepped in. You wouldn’t step in this time, would you, Sadie?”

“No. I’m done with my brother.”

Brooklyn pressed a hand to her chest. “I’m so glad to hear that. Dwight was saying to Momma how you’d be in big trouble if they found out that you knew where your brother was or were helping him in any way.”