Falling in Love on Willow Creek by Debbie Mason

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chase followed Sadie and the white horse she led along a narrow trail up Blue Mountain. She walked the path with sure, confident strides in her well-worn hiking boots, clearly in her element. So was the horse. Chase, not so much, although he felt better with Sadie leading the way than going it on his own, much like he had with Hunter.

She dropped the horse’s reins to walk to the side of the trail, checking inside a hollowed-out stump. She’d stopped to check for a note from her brother at a couple of places along the way up the mountain. He didn’t remind her again that they’d come early for a reason. She’d gone quiet when he’d first told her that he intended to bring Elijah in tonight. She’d wanted to retrieve her brother’s note and leave one in its place, asking him to turn himself in.

She glanced at Chase as she returned to pick up the horse’s reins. “You okay back there?”

As unhappy as she might be about his plan to apprehend her brother, he was relieved that it hadn’t created a rift between them. “Yeah, just trying to keep my distance from the horse. I don’t think she likes me.”

“It’s not you. Granny boards her horses and goat at the mayor’s farm. Agnes hasn’t been spending as much time with them as she normally does. Myrtle and Millie don’t seem to mind, but Lula Belle is younger and loves attention. Don’t you, girl?” She patted the horse.

“Is that why you brought her?” He’d been surprised when Agnes and Nate rolled up behind Sadie’s SUV with a trailer hitched to Nate’s truck. But between getting Michaela settled with her babysitter—specifically his partner, who hadn’t been thrilled to be on babysitting duty—and searching for the right way and best time to tell Sadie that her plan and his for this evening were at cross-purposes, Chase had forgotten to ask.

Admittedly, he’d been preoccupied since learning what Agnes had been up to. Sadie too. They were too involved with the case and were putting themselves at risk.

“No. Lula Belle has the starring role in Abby’s unicorn weekend. She’s our elusive and beautiful unicorn, aren’t you, girl?” Sadie gestured at the pack attached to the horse’s saddle. “I won’t put on her golden horn and the circlet of flowers until I’m ready to do the photo shoot. I’ll video her, take some photos, and then Abby will use them to promote the event on her YouTube channel. I thought now was as good a time as any. If anyone sees us, we have a cover story.”

“I remember the part about the cover story. I guess I didn’t put it together.”

Lula Belle nuzzled Sadie’s neck, and she nuzzled her back. “Abby started pimping the event on her channel while we were out for lunch. She says her subscribers seem super excited, so maybe she’s right. Maybe you will make Granny rich, Lula Belle.” Sadie glanced at Chase from under her lashes. She seemed nervous.

Probably because of her brother. Then again, maybe she was beginning to read him as easily as he read her. He couldn’t put it off any longer. “About your visit to Spill the Tea. We didn’t get a lot of time to talk about it, but we need to.”

She nodded. “It would have been helpful to know we were engaged before I had to face Babs and her friends.”

“Like I told you, I wanted them to know you were important to me. That they’d have to go through me to get to you. I thought a fiancé carried more weight than a boyfriend.”

“I get it, especially when it comes to me. My boyfriends haven’t exactly been stand-up guys.”

She deserved a stand-up guy, but now wasn’t the time to talk about it. After last night, he’d been more than a little tempted to offer himself for the position. To turn his lie into the truth. This morning, he’d had second thoughts. Especially after learning what Agnes and Sadie had been up to. He had to stay focused on the case. Not on a woman who made his heart race and turned his brain to mush.

“At the time I said it, I didn’t think Dwight had a connection to the town or to you. The last thing I expected was for him to go to Spill the Tea.” The trail widened, and Chase skirted the back end of the horse, looping his fingers through its bridle to bring their walk to a stop. He wanted to see Sadie’s face. “I’m worried about you, you and your grandmother. You need to back off and let Nate and me handle it from here on out.”

“If it weren’t for me and my grandmother, you wouldn’t know about Payton and Dwight or the life insurance policy.”

“You’re right, and I’m not denying the information that you obtained provided us with the biggest break in the case. But you’re also smart enough to realize the danger you’re in.”

“I’m more worried about my brother. It’s bad enough that the sheriff and his deputies are trying to pin Brodie’s death on him, but to think that they ultimately want to see him dead. Or at the very least, Dwight might…” She trailed off and looked away.

“That has always been their endgame, Sadie. Your brother knows too much. That’s why it’s imperative I take him into protective custody until we get everything straightened out.”

“I know that now. Convincing Elijah will be the hard part. He doesn’t trust law enforcement.” She clicked her tongue to get the horse to walk. “My father made sure of that.”

Except Elijah had trusted Brodie. Then again, maybe he hadn’t. Maybe the deputy had been a means to an end. “Elijah was, what, nine when your father went away?”

“Closer to ten. It took almost a year before they caught up to my father.” She glanced at him. “But you knew that, didn’t you? You’ve known all along the part I played in his escape.”

“I’ve known since the day that I met you. It doesn’t change how I feel about you.” He cleared his throat at what sounded like an admission that he was falling in love with her. At least in his mind it did. Maybe because he was. “I mean, I don’t judge you for what you did. You were young, and he was your father. From what I’ve read about him, he was a brilliant, charismatic man, who manipulated people much older than you. People who were trained to know better.”

Two guards had unwittingly aided in Jeremiah’s escape from federal prison. Sadie’s mother had been waiting for him a mile away. They’d been in a motor vehicle accident just hours after his escape. The couple had been pronounced dead at the scene.

“It wasn’t my father,” she said quietly. “I did it because of my mother. She begged me to lie for him and to lead the law enforcement officers far from the cottage so he could get away. I didn’t know she’d planned to go with him. I should have known though. Granny used to say my mother wasn’t just in love with my father, she was consumed by him. She loved him to distraction. I guess she didn’t have enough love left over for us.”

“My mother was the same,” he surprised himself by saying. He only spoke about his mother to his brother and the judge, and it was rare that they spoke about her at all. But he wanted Sadie to know she wasn’t alone, so he continued. “Even when my grandfather warned her that he’d petition for custody of me and my brother if she didn’t leave the man she was involved with at the time, she chose him. Happily, I might add.”

“I’m so sorry. That must have been horrible for you and your brother.”

“No more horrible than it was for you and Elijah.”

“What about your father?”

“He’d never been in the picture. My grandfather hadn’t been either until we moved closer to DC, and then he stepped into the role of father figure.” He smiled. “We were lucky he did. I don’t like to think where either of us would be right now if he hadn’t.”

“He must be proud of you.”

“Not right now he isn’t.” Once again, he surprised himself by opening up to her, sharing what happened in DC and how he’d been demoted to the field office in North Carolina. “The judge always had high hopes that one day I’d end up the director of the FBI, or better still, attorney general. In his mind, I’ve ruined any chance of that happening.”

“Don’t you have to be a lawyer to be attorney general?”

“I am.” He studied her. Something had changed in her expression and not for the better. “What is it?”

Sadie forced a smile. “I just think it’s interesting that we were both raised by our grandparents.”

She couldn’t tell him that everything he’d just shared had dashed the silly fantasy that had been playing in her head. The one where they really were engaged and lived happily ever after, just like in the fairy tales.

He was an FBI agent, a lawyer, a man who lived by the laws he’d sworn to uphold. He’d been demoted because he’d turned in his boss for simply bending the law. He couldn’t be with or love a woman who’d broken the law in the past and in the present.

No matter what he said, it was who he was. She didn’t want to think how he’d feel when he learned it was her gun in her brother’s possession. Something he’d discover within the next hour if Elijah showed. She put that part out of her head. Her brother’s safety was her priority.

Chase smiled. “I have a feeling living with Agnes was a lot more fun than living with the judge. He was pretty strict and regimented.”

“Granny was the exact opposite. To be honest, sometimes I felt like the parent. But we did have fun. A lot of it. Even if we had too much freedom.” She adored her grandmother and would be forever grateful that she’d provided them with a happy home. But there’d been times when Sadie had missed having a mother closer in age to her friends’ mothers.

“It sounds like you and your brother spent a lot of time out here in the woods.”

She nodded. “We grew up in the cottage on Willow Creek with my parents. My uncle Bryan bought it for my mother but kept it in his name. He didn’t like or trust my father.” She looked out over the verdant valley, inhaling the sweet smell of wildflowers, the sharp scent of evergreens, and the clean mountain air. “I’ve missed this.”

“I can see why. It’s beautiful. You’re—” He closed his mouth and nodded at the pack she was untying from the saddle. “Can I help you?”

“You can take off her bridle and saddle.”

He looked from Lula Belle to her, a hand poised in the air. “She won’t bite me, will she?”

“No. She has to get used to you anyway.”

“Why’s that?”

“I need you to take her into the woods. You have to stay out of the camera’s range, so you’ll need to duck down.”

He glanced from Lula Belle’s hooves to the woods. “What are the chances I’m going to meet a bear or a”—he shuddered—“snake in the woods?”

Sadie held back a laugh. “I checked out the forest service app before we left, no bear sightings in this area have been reported. As for snakes, Lula Belle will warn you. She’ll know they’re there long before you.”

“Then you and I definitely need to become friends, Lula Belle.”

By the time Sadie got the video and photos she needed for Abby, forty-five minutes had passed.

“No snakes or bears, and she only nipped me once,” Chase said as he led Lula Belle out of the woods. “I’d say that calls for a celebration.” He smiled and came to look over her shoulder as she scrolled through the photos to find the best ones. “They’re amazing. I didn’t know you were a professional.”

“More a hobbyist than a professional, but thank you.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d swear Lula Belle was a unicorn.”

“Lighting and filters help. The video turned out well too.” She returned her camera to the case and then held up her phone to show him. His incredulous smile while he watched the video made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

“It’s fantastic. You’re very talented and have a great eye, Sadie. You should seriously consider doing this for a living.”

“If I could, I would. Photography has always been a passion of mine. I just don’t know how I’d make enough money to provide a good living for me and Michaela.”

“Talk to Abby. I’m sure she can help you come up with something.”

“Maybe I will once this is over.”

He glanced at his watch and looked up at the pink-tinged cerulean sky. “We’ve got about another hour until the sun sets.”

Butterflies danced in her stomach, and it wasn’t a happy dance. “We’ll saddle up Lula Belle and tie her there.” She pointed at a tree to the left of the path.

“Sure. Where will we be?” he asked as he picked up the bridle.

“Sitting on Lover’s Leap.” She shrugged at his raised eyebrow. “Abby suggested we take some pictures of us together. She thought it would make our engagement more believable and maybe stop Dwight from looking too deeply into us, especially you.”

Until they had enough evidence to arrest the sheriff and his deputies, she and Chase had to continue their fake relationship. Sadie hoped Chase was a good actor, because he wouldn’t want anything to do with her once he found out it was her gun involved in Brodie’s murder.

“Will she be posting our photos online?” At her affirmative nod, Chase said, “Okay, just as long as I’m not easily recognizable. I doubt anyone will recognize me—it’s not like I’ve been at the field office that long—but better not to take any chances.”

Sadie retrieved her camera and the long-range lens while Chase tied Lula Belle to the tree. He fed her an apple and then met Sadie on the rock that jutted out over the valley.

“You’re not afraid of heights, are you?” she asked when he hesitated.

“No. I thought I saw something.” He pointed across from them into the valley. The part of the forest he was looking at was thick, making it difficult to see much of anything.

She raised her camera, focusing her lens on the area. “I don’t see anything.”

“Must have been a trick of the light.” He sat down beside her. “How are we supposed to pose for our engagement photos?”

“I think Abby wanted something, uh, romantic.” She glanced at him. He was staring at her mouth.

He raised his gaze to hers. After what felt like a heated moment, she was surprised to see his lips twitch.

“What? Do I have something on my lips? My teeth?”

“No, I was thinking we missed the perfect photo opportunity last night.”

Sadie put down her camera, lifting her phone instead. “Did you really have to mention that? I thought we could pretend it didn’t happen.”

“You seem nervous. I wanted to break the tension.”

“I’m not nervous. We’ve kissed before.”

“I don’t think either counts as a romantic kiss.” He rested one hand on the rock behind her and then tipped her chin up with the knuckle of his other hand, holding her gaze before slowly lowering his mouth to hers. He kissed her like they had all the time in the world and he wanted to savor and explore every inch of her mouth in exquisite detail.

She melted against him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He made a low sound of pleasure and angled his head, taking the kiss from soft and sweet to hot and deep. She didn’t want the kiss to end. She wanted to stay in his arms forever with the light, fragrant breeze ruffling their hair and dancing over their bare skin. She whimpered her objection when he slowly moved back. He leaned in, touching his lips to hers a second and then a third time, as if he didn’t want the kiss to end either.

He stroked her cheek and smiled. “You forgot to take the picture.”

Did he actually expect her to be able to think when he kissed her like that? “I, uh, thought we’d do a trial run first, and then maybe we could turn around so I’d get a shot of the sky and the valley behind us.”

“Should we turn around now, or do you think we need more practice?”

“If we practice any more, we’ll miss the sunset.” Or melt the rock.

He looked around. “I didn’t realize how much time had passed.”

She didn’t know if that was a good sign or a bad sign.

They resettled on the rock with their backs to the valley. “Let’s try this.” Chase scooped her into his arms, positioning her sideways on his lap. “It makes it easier for you to capture the sunset while keeping my face out of the photo.”

But it made it really hard to focus. “Good idea,” she said instead, and slid her arm behind his neck while holding up the phone with her other hand. “Okay, we’ll…What’s wrong?” she asked when he leaned in to look at her phone.

“There.” He lifted his finger to touch the screen. “Do you see it? It’s a flash of light.”

Thinking it was Elijah on his way up the mountain, she handed Chase her phone and scrambled off his lap to grab her camera. Chase turned around, trying to magnify the area on her phone. She lifted her camera to her eye and adjusted her lens.

She gasped, handing her camera to Chase. “It’s someone from the sheriff’s department. I recognize the uniform.”

He stretched out on the rock, moving as close to the edge as he could without falling off. She sat there, hands poised to grab him. He moved the camera slowly from the spot where she’d seen the deputy to the left.

He started taking pictures, whispering, “Get down.”

She flattened herself against the rock. “Why? What’s going on?”

Shimmying backward along the rock, he gestured for her to do the same, helping her to stand once they were shielded from view by trees and bushes.

“Text your brother. Tell him he has a Jackson County deputy about a hundred yards behind him. I can’t be sure, but I think there’s another one to the left of him. About seventy, seventy-five yards out. Then get on the horse and go. Text Nate the location once you’re sure it’s safe enough to do so.” He looped the camera strap around his neck and then reached for the gun he’d tucked in the waistband of his jeans.

“No. I’m not leaving you.” Her fingers trembled on the keys as she texted her brother. “Let me help.”

“Knowing you’re safe is all the help I need.” He framed her face with his hands and kissed her, hard. “Please. I’ll be all right.” As he went to walk away, he glanced over his shoulder. “Sadie, go now.”

“He hasn’t read the text.” She lifted her gaze from her phone, unable to keep the desperation from her voice. “I need to do something to help. It’s better if there are two of us. You can’t hold the camera and shoot. I can get a line on their locations and relay it to you. I can tell you the best place to shoot from. I know these woods.”

“Okay.” He walked back and handed her the camera. “But the next time I tell you to go, you need to go. No questions asked.”

“I will. I promise.”

He steered her to a boulder between two bushes. “You should be able to see them from here, and you’re not out in the open. Turn the ringer off on your phone.” Once she had, he called her. “Keep the line open.”

She nodded and scrambled to sit on the boulder, raising her eye to the viewfinder. She played with the lens to bring the area into focus. To her left, she heard the snap of branches and the rustle of leaves.

She picked up her phone. “Be careful,” she whispered. “There’s a drop-off almost in a straight line from where I am. About fifteen yards from me. You won’t be able to see it.”

“Thanks. Have you got them in sight?”

“No.” She lifted the camera again. “Yes. I see them. There’s two of them. They must have heard or seen something. They’re moving faster.” She scanned to the left about a hundred yards and then moved the lens slowly back toward the deputies. She nearly dropped the camera reaching for her phone. “They’re almost on top of him.” She pushed the words past a sob.

“Give me a reference point. At least fifteen yards ahead of them.” His calm, quiet confidence steadied her.

“Okay. A tree. There’s a dead tree with its bark completely stripped. You should be able to see it.”

“Got it. Now, as best as you can, tell me how many yards Elijah is ahead of them.”

“Twenty, tops.”

“Another reference point five yards behind him.”

She scanned the area. “Nothing. I’ve got nothing.”

“It’s okay. You did great. Keep your lens trained on the area around the dead tree and let me know if I’m close.”

She’d barely focused on the tree when his shot rang out. One of the deputies had just cleared the woods to the right of the tree. He ducked at the same time Sadie grabbed her phone.

“He’s about six feet to the right of the tree.”

Another shot rang out. A spray of pine needles flew up at the deputy’s feet. He crab-walked backward, waving his hand, warning someone off.

“There’s someone in the woods directly behind him.”

Chase fired again. She heard the crack of the bullet’s impact and then a shout from the direction the deputy had waved. Sadie swung the lens to where she’d last seen her brother. She didn’t see him but the movement of leafy branches suggested he was running in the opposite direction of Lovers Leap and the deputies.

She lowered her camera and picked up her phone. “Elijah’s gone. He’s safe. I think you might have hit one of the deputies.” She turned to see Chase standing behind her and pressed a hand to her chest. “I didn’t hear you.”

He reached back to return his gun to his waistband and then held out a hand to her. “We have to go. How do you think Lula Belle will feel about two riders?”

“You think they’ll come up here?”

He nodded. “How fast depends on how badly one of them was injured.”

“Maybe they’ll think it was Elijah shooting.” She thought of the accuracy of Chase’s shots. “Forget I said that. My brother could never shoot like you. I don’t know many people who can.”

“Nate can.” He smiled, giving her hand a light tug. “Let’s go.”

Her phone pinged as they got settled on the horse. After reading her brother’s text, she sagged against Chase. “Elijah’s okay. He thinks it was me covering him.”

“That’s good. If he didn’t see us, that means they didn’t either.”

She held up her phone to him. “He’s getting rid of his phone. He can’t figure out how they found him.”

“Ask him if he told Payton or if he’s seen her.” He reached around Sadie. “Give me the reins.”

She texted Chase’s question to her brother, sighing seconds later at his response. “He wants to know why I’m asking. I know him, Chase. He won’t believe me.”

“Tell him for Payton’s and the baby’s safety, he can’t visit, see, or call her until this is over. Stress that it’s for her safety.”

“That’s good. That should work.” She texted him. His response was slow in coming. “He says okay.”

“Do you believe him?”

“Truthfully? I’m not sure.”