Falling in Love on Willow Creek by Debbie Mason

Chapter Seven

Chase looked from Sadie to her daughter. Knowing she’d named her after him made him feel even closer to the pretty copper-haired baby sleeping peacefully in his arms.

Closer to her mother too, he thought, returning his gaze to Sadie.

She made an embarrassed face. “I was going to name her Isabelle. Then I thought she looked like a Michaela. Okay, so she looked more like E.T. than a Michaela when she was born.” She sighed. “Fine, I named her after you. You were amazing and, for one minute—just one quick minute so don’t freak out or anything—I wished you were her daddy. You were considerate and kind, and I wanted that so badly for her. For her to have a good, honest man in her life. I had second thoughts after you abandoned us but then I looked up the meaning of Michael. It comes from the angel Michael. When I first found out I was pregnant, that’s exactly how I felt. Like she was a gift from heaven. Lately, I’ve begun to wonder if she’s a gift from Satan instead.”

The idea of Sadie wishing he was Michaela’s daddy didn’t freak him out at all. Instead it filled him with a longing that surprised him, and that freaked him out. Just a little. But more troubling was Sadie’s perception of him as a good, honest man.

He had a difficult time working up an amused smile knowing how she’d feel about him when she learned the truth. “No way. Look at her. She’s an angel.”

“You do know that Satan was an angel before he got kicked out of heaven, right?”

The smile that curved his lips now grew with genuine amusement. “You don’t have to be embarrassed you named her after me, Sadie. I’m touched.”

“Really?”

“Honestly. I’m honored.” So much so that, when all this was over, he’d go by Michael instead of Chase if she wanted him to. Except it was unlikely she’d want anything to do with him once this was wrapped up.

And thinking of why he was really there, he had no choice but to take advantage of the opportunity to see just how much Sadie knew. The sooner they found and brought in her brother, the better. Chase didn’t relish the idea of spending any more time in the woods than he had to. As both he and Sadie had discovered, he made a lousy park ranger. He shuddered at the memory of the snake he’d shot. He supposed he should feel bad, but the thing had been terrifyingly huge.

He glanced at Sadie as she fixed the baby’s bootie. She seemed to know more about the wildlife around Highland Falls than he did, which wasn’t hard, but still, maybe they could work something out that benefited them both.

He took in her shadowed eyes and pale face; she was exhausted. Still beautiful though. He pushed the inappropriate thought aside. He was investigating a corrupt sheriff’s department and the murder of a deputy, Black’s friend. He had to keep his head in the game and not on Sadie or her daughter.

It didn’t mean he couldn’t use the situation to both their advantages though. “You know, I’ll probably be here for a few weeks and wouldn’t mind picking your brain about life in the wilds of Highland Falls. In exchange, I could help out with my namesake.” He tried to gauge Sadie’s reaction. “You could catch up on some sleep while I watch her.”

“Sleep.” She sounded like he’d offered her the moon and the stars. Then she rewarded him with a grateful smile that made him feel like she’d given him the moon and the stars. And for the first time in his career, he thought he might be in over his head. As a man who put his job above all else, that was a thought that gave him pause.

“You have no idea how much I want to take advantage of your offer,” she said, “but it wouldn’t be fair. This is just some weird anomaly. You have no idea what she’s really like.”

Apparently, Sadie’s happiness trumped his worry about his feelings for her. “You can take advantage of me anytime. How about now?”

She laughed. “Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you. But while I’d love nothing more than to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head for an hour while you look after my demon child, I have to rescue my grandmother.”

Chase frowned. Buchanan had said everything was a go for Black at I Believe in Unicorns. Then again, Chase’s partner hadn’t met Agnes MacLeod yet. Chase hoped Black hadn’t managed to mess things up. They needed to keep the grandmother and her store covered as much as they did Sadie and the cottage.

“Nothing serious, I hope,” he said.

“Oh, it’s serious, all right. Gabe—he’s the chief of police—pulled a fast one on me. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy. He’s also an amazing husband and father, and I know this because he’s married to one of my closest friends. So I really do trust that he has the best interests of the community and my grandmother at heart, and the idea of giving ex-offenders a second chance is not only admirable but necessary. He just needs to find another local business to launch his pilot project.”

Obviously, Sadie wasn’t on board with Project HOPE. Something Gabe had kept to himself. “How does your grandmother feel about it?”

“She’s seventy-six and gullible, Michael. I don’t care how she feels about it. It’s not happening.”

Michaela startled at her mother’s raised voice, her eyes popping open, her mouth puckering as if to cry. Michael made soft crooning sounds and rocked her, feeling relieved when she stuck her thumb in her mouth and closed her eyes. He needed to get Sadie on board with Project HOPE.

She looked from the baby to him. “How did you do that? I’ve never been able to get her back to sleep once she wakes up. And I mean never.”

There was a touch of hurt, and maybe a little resentment, in her voice. The last thing he needed right now was Sadie ticked at him. It wouldn’t help the case he had to make for Project HOPE. “It’s not me, it’s her.” He nodded at her thumb in her mouth.

Sadie tilted her head. “You’re right. She’s never sucked her thumb before. Wow. Maybe things are finally turning around.” She gave him another heart-stopping smile.

Which meant his answer came out a little delayed. He hoped she didn’t notice. “I’m sure they are. Now, about your grandmother. Maybe having someone helping out at the store is a good thing. Saves you from going in, right?”

“I don’t know. Lately I’ve been feeling like she’s keeping something from me. I need to spend more time there, but it’s been hard with Michaela. Her crying jags are not exactly conducive to a pleasant shopping experience.”

She’d just handed him the perfect opportunity to find out what she knew about her brother. “What about other family members? Do you have any brothers or sisters who can help out and keep an eye on things?”

“I have a brother. Elijah. But as far as him helping out, that would be a big fat no.” She sighed. “Out of any family in town, I guess ours should be leading the effort to give ex-offenders a second chance, seeing as my brother will no doubt end up one.”

“Your brother’s in trouble with the law?” He worked to keep the smile of relief from his face. Whatever Elijah Gray was involved in, given her response, Sadie wasn’t. Chase would stake his career on it.

She pulled a face. “Sorry. The last thing I want is to air out my family’s dirty laundry, but you’ll hear about it anyway so you might as well hear it from me.” She crossed her arms and looked toward a weeping willow tree, its branches swaying and dipping into the fast-moving creek. “Elijah’s been in and out of trouble with the law since he was a teenager. Petty crimes, nothing really serious: stealing a bike, letting someone’s cattle out, vandalizing the town’s water tower. The problem is, other than the chief of police talking to him, there were no consequences. My grandmother made sure there weren’t.”

“Is that why you said your grandmother’s gullible? Your brother was able to convince her to intervene?”

“No, not back then. She just felt sorry for him. He’d started acting out when my parents died.”

“I’m sorry about your parents.”

She gave him a half smile. “Thanks. It was a long time ago, and they hadn’t lived with us for a while anyhow. My grandmother basically raised us.”

He knew why Agnes MacLeod had stepped in to raise her grandchildren but it wasn’t something he could bring up without arousing Sadie’s suspicions. Maybe a week from now—when it was plausible he would have heard the gossip around town—he’d bring up the infamous Jeremiah Gray, world-class hacker, who’d gone to prison for hacking into US retailers and stealing upwards of a hundred and eighty million dollars.

“So I’m guessing, from what you said, that your brother isn’t exactly on the straight and narrow.”

“Understatement.” She toed the stones on the driveway, eyes lifting to a large bird soaring overhead. She smiled. “Beautiful, isn’t it? It’s a hawk, in case you’re wondering.”

“And the thing dangling from his mouth I’m assuming is a mouse.”

“Good job. You don’t miss much, do you?”

“No, I don’t.” He nudged her foot with his. “It bothers you about your brother turning to a life of crime, doesn’t it?”

She nodded. “I feel like I failed him somehow. He’s my baby brother. I felt—feel—responsible for him. Honestly, I blame my grandmother for being too lenient and constantly making excuses for him, but I’m no better. I’ve spent the past ten years bailing him out of his get-rich-quick schemes. Last summer, I nearly went to jail because of him. He’s no longer involved in petty crimes. He’s graduated to the big leagues, and I want nothing to do with him. As far as I’m concerned, he’s dead to me.” She grimaced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to go off like that. It’s just…”

“Just what?” he asked when she trailed off.

“The feeling I was mentioning to you. That something was going on with my grandmother. I think that something is my brother. She knows how I feel about him, so if he’s come sniffing around for money again, she won’t tell me. Sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into me. You’re easy to talk to, I guess. Thanks for listening. I’d better get going and see what Agnes is up to.”

“Don’t apologize. You can talk to me about your brother anytime. I understand more than you know, Sadie. My brother got mixed up with the wrong crowd. He ruined not only his own life but several others’.” It wasn’t true. Although if you asked his grandfather, he’d say it was. Chase’s brother was a venture capitalist.

“So you probably think I’m terrible, not being more supportive of Project HOPE.”

“I wouldn’t say that. But maybe you should give it a shot. Let things play out and see how it goes. You never know, this guy might be able to give you some insight into Elijah that will be helpful.”

“If he can convince Granny not to send money whenever my brother asks, I’ll give him a raise. Then again, I might be worrying over nothing. Maybe my grandmother isn’t sending Elijah money like I suspect, and Gabe’s protégé will take one look around the store and head for the door.”

She picked up the baby’s carrier and moved to the back passenger-side door, glancing at him as she opened it. “Doesn’t it seem strange to you that a man would want to work at I Believe in Unicorns? I know I’m being sexist, but it’s beyond me why he’d choose my grandmother’s store over Highland Brew or the hardware store. I know for a fact they’ve both signed up for the program.”

She was right. It did seem odd. They should have thought about that. They couldn’t risk her getting suspicious. “He’s probably gay.”

He smiled, thinking of how Black would react to the news.

“I’m definitely a unicorn in this here town.” The dark-haired man offered Sadie a winning grin as he pointed to the unicorn stretched across the triple-XL pink sweatshirt he wore. Thankfully the sweatshirt said I’m a unicorn and not I’m horny, otherwise the three seventy-something female customers eyeing him hungrily from the children’s furniture section might have rushed him.

The man was charming and very good-looking. From her grandmother’s preening smile when she introduced them, Nate had won her over in the short time he’d been there: two hours, according to Sadie’s cell phone. Good luck trying to get rid of him now.

It was her own fault, she thought, swinging the carrier to avoid another crying jag. Michaela had started wailing the moment she’d strapped her into her carrier in the backseat. She hadn’t stopped until Sadie pulled into the parking spot beside the store five minutes ago, when she promptly fell into an exhausted sleep.

That would teach Sadie to think her luck was changing. It was Michael. He’d imprinted himself on Michaela the night she was born. He’d bonded with her before Sadie had, and somehow her daughter remembered him. Maybe it was his low, sexy voice or his pheromone-inducing cologne.

No, that would be what she remembered, not her three-month-old daughter.

“Isn’t she a little beauty,” the man said, looking down at Michaela, who was snuffling in her sleep.

Sadie frowned. There was something familiar about Nate’s voice. She couldn’t quite put her finger on who, but he reminded her of someone.

Before she could ask whether they’d met before, her grandmother beamed up at him with a speculative gleam in her eye. “My granddaughter’s single, you know.”

Sadie should have known that’s where she’d go. Granny was as bad as Abby. God help her if her grandmother found out about Abby’s bachelorette idea.

“You can’t kid a kidder, Granny,” Nate said. “No way someone hasn’t snapped up this stunning woman.”

“You can save your charm for the customers, Nate. I’m immune,” Sadie said, heading toward the office.

He followed her. “You’re not my type, if you know what I mean. I prefer tall, dark, and handsome to long, lean, and gorgeous.”

So Michael was right. That made her feel a little better at least. She would have been more concerned that Nate had an ulterior motive for choosing a unicorn store run by a gullible old lady if he were straight.

“Good to know. Now let’s get your paperwork filled out, and you can tell me a bit about yourself.” She glanced back and caught his grimace, which she would have commented on if she hadn’t spotted Mr. Teller, the bank manager, walking into the store with a grim expression on his face.

Sometimes it sucked to be right. She’d known her grandmother was up to something, and she was sure that something had to do with Elijah. Even more so when her grandmother looped her arm through Mr. Teller’s and yelled over her shoulder, “I’ll leave you two to mind the store. Fred and I are going to Spill the Tea.”

“Oh no, you’re not. Don’t take another step toward that door, Granny. You either, Mr. Teller.” She handed the carrier handle to Nate. “Keep swinging if you value your hearing.”