A Coldwater Christmas Read online

  In addition to bad art, her mom also had a penchant for experimental furniture. There was the tiger print couch, complete with roaring tiger heads for sofa arms. Odd-shaped yellow-and-green leather accent chairs that looked like blobs of melting butter or the remnants of a bad cold. But the worst were the naked butt coffee and accent tables. All four in the room were the bottom half of torsos, bare round butts extended, and topped with clear glass. Someone had obviously convinced her mother that nudes were signs of good taste.

  Unfortunately, those good taste choices extended to the rest of the house as well. Definitely no home and hearth vibe when it came to Eileen and her domain. Even the Christmas tree in the living room was decorated top to bottom with expensive blown glass ornaments that fell and shattered so often that it made going near the tree a hazard.

  Her mother was at the large bay window, looking out at her pristine gardens that were now decorated with Christmas lights and animated elves and reindeer. This year’s over-the-top addition was an actual gingerbread house. It was six feet high and dripping with icing and huge gumdrops on the roof. Jana suspected it would be a feast for the critters, and there wouldn’t be much of it left by Christmas.

  Eileen was still wearing her yoga clothes, or rather her interpretation of them. She had on a blinding pink bodysuit, complete with earrings, a bracelet and two engagement rings. Yes, two. Eileen had the one Jana’s father had given her on her right hand and the new one from Peter on her left. Eileen was also sipping some kind of smoothie that was the color of cheese mold.

  One look at her mother, and Jana knew that she hadn’t heard about Peter’s car wreck. Too calm, and she wasn’t flitting around as if the world was on the verge of imploding.

  Despite having just worked out, there wasn’t a strand of her mother’s blond hair out of place, and she was still wearing her usual shade of red lipstick. Of course, her tall and willowy body was perfect. If it hadn’t been, Eileen would have fixed that. Jana wasn’t sure if it was vanity or control, but no way would Eileen let age, wrinkles or cellulite get the upper hand.

  “Where’s Marley?” Eileen asked but didn’t wait for Jana to answer. “I told you that I wanted to have a tea party with her.”

  So she had, and Jana had seen the party all set up in the dining room. An antique porcelain pot and tiny antique plates with tiny cookies. Marley could end up breaking something, but she’d love the cookies. Better yet, Eileen would enjoy it. Despite everything, Jana had no doubts that her mother loved her granddaughter.

  “When you look at your phone messages,” Jana began, “you’ll see there’s been a problem.”

  Eileen’s forehead likely would have creased had she had creasing abilities. The frequent Botox injections had given her that frozen look, but she hurried—no, she flitted—to her desk and looked at her phone, which she had likely silenced.

  “What’s happened?” Eileen blurted out. Obviously, there were many more missed calls and texts than she normally would have had after a one-hour yoga workout and meditation session.

  “Peter was in a car accident. He walked away from it,” Jana quickly added. “He’s fine.”

  As expected, her mother didn’t take her word for it. She practically threw the smoothie onto her desk, sending some of the liquid splattering, and she phoned Peter. Jana didn’t have to guess about that because Eileen put the call on speaker, and several moments later, Jana heard the man’s voice.

  “I’m all right,” Peter immediately said.

  “My God. You were actually in a wreck?”

  “Yes, a minor one. I’m okay.”

  Her mother likely hadn’t heard a word after the “yes” because she started to rattle off more of those My Gods while she raced around in a circle.

  “Where are you? I want to see you. I’ll come and get you—Ouch!” her mother yelped when her leg connected with one of the snarling teeth of her tiger couch.

  “Are you all right?” Peter asked. “What happened?”

  “I’m fine. But you’re not. A car wreck. My God.” Her mother’s words were rushed together, and it ate away at Jana to see the genuine concern in her eyes. It also ate away at her that her mother could end up getting crushed by this relationship.

  Something that Jana knew loads about.

  “I’m about to leave the hospital. I got checked out as a precaution,” he said, interrupting Eileen’s gasp. “My car’s going to the shop for repairs, but Deputy Cassaine’s giving me a ride to your place. I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes. Just stay put and I’ll see you soon. I love you, Eileen.”

  “Oh, I love you, too,” her mother all but purred. When Peter ended the call, her mother just stood there and pressed her phone to her chest. Or rather to her heart.

  Jana wasn’t immune to that symbolic gesture, either. Maybe Eileen did love the man. Or rather she loved the man she thought he was.

  “Someone put a stink bomb in Peter’s car,” Jana explained. Best to get into the bargaining/wake-up she needed to do. She gave her mother a chance to let that sink in, but Eileen only gave her a blank look. “The stink bomb went off and caused the accident.”

  That erased the blankness, and Eileen’s eyes widened as much as her nearly frozen face would allow. She moved her phone, no doubt to call Peter again, but Jana took hold of her hand to stop her.

  “Someone obviously doesn’t like Peter,” Jana went on. “In fact, someone might hate him so much that they want to do him harm.”

  Eileen frantically shook her head. Then, she huffed. “Are you trying again to make me think badly about him?”

  Jana couldn’t exactly deny that. “You texted me and said you were having second thoughts about marrying him,” she reminded Eileen.

  “Second thoughts about having the wedding here.” Eileen huffed again. “I considered maybe having the ceremony in the church instead.”

  So, not the right second thoughts. That meant Jana had to spell this out for her mother. “Someone wants to harm Peter,” she repeated.

  “Do you mean one of his former girlfriends, the ones you keep telling me about?”

  Jana had indeed told her mother about Peter’s previous relationships, including one with an exotic dancer and with Kace’s mother. Ditto for telling Eileen about his failed business ventures and spelling out in the nth detail about him running out on his family. None of that had put a damper on Eileen’s feelings, but maybe this would.

  “If someone’s trying to harm him,” Jana went on, “then you could be hurt, too. You could become this person’s target. That’s why I’m asking you to put the wedding on hold until we can figure out what’s going on with him.”

  Eileen stared at her a very long moment, and then when she huffed, Jana made a huff of her own. Her mother definitely wasn’t buying this.

  “Honestly, Jana, when will you give up this witch hunt about Peter?” Eileen asked, and she managed a frown.

  “When I’m convinced that he’s the good and decent man you believe he is. He abandoned his family,” Jana pointed out for the umpteenth time.

  Another long stare from her mother. “That’s really what this is about. Kace and his brothers. But specifically Kace. I swear if I didn’t know better, I’d think you still had feelings for your first ex-husband.”

  Jana hadn’t missed the condemning tone that went with first and ex. Eileen abhorred divorce as much as she did wrinkles and gray hairs. But Jana had to admit—privately—that she still got a punch of lust whenever she was around Kace. That definitely didn’t happen with ex number two, Dominick. However, that probably had something to do with the hurt and betrayal still being so fresh with him.

  At least Jana hoped that’s all there was to it.

  While she was hoping, she added that she wished the images of a naked Kace would quit popping up like a jack-in-the-box into her head. Images of them kissing, too. And yes, of them in bed.
br />   “Peter’s first marriage was a long time ago,” her mother went on. “They didn’t divorce, and now that she’s dead, that makes him widowed, just like me.”

  “No,” Jana argued. “He and his wife were separated for years before she died. You and dad were together right up until the time he disappeared.”

  “Died,” Eileen corrected. “Your father is dead. When are you just going to accept that?”

  Jana refrained from her usual response of when pigs fly. That was always a trigger for more arguing.

  “I can accept a lot of things.” Jana chose her words carefully. “But I’m surprised you can accept falling in love with Kace’s father. You certainly didn’t accept my marriage to Kace.” Okay, that obviously wasn’t the way to go about this because it caused her mother to give her a frosty look.

  “Kace is not his father.” The frost made its way into her words, but then Eileen’s expression softened. “We might not see eye to eye on this, but Peter’s a good person. A successful businessman who’s overcome his past.”

  If she substituted lawman for businessman, then her mother could be talking about Kace. Of course, that wouldn’t make a difference because Eileen would never see Kace as a success.

  “Can you at least consider the possibility that it could be dangerous for you to be under the same roof as Peter?” Jana asked, forcing her mind to get back on the right track.

  Her mother’s chin came up. “We’re not under the same roof. He’ll be staying in the guesthouse until the wedding.”

  Now it was Jana’s turn to frown. “I was going to stay in the guesthouse with Marley.”

  No frown this time. Nope. Her mother got that dismissive this-is-a-done-deal look. “Sorry, but I’ve promised it to him, and besides, it wouldn’t be proper for Peter and me to share a house before we’re married. I don’t want to give the gossips anything to talk about.”

  Jana wondered if her mother had even heard what she’d just said. “Just you being with Peter is gossip fodder. Mom, people know what he did, and his being here in Coldwater is like rubbing salt into his sons’ wounds.”

  As she’d done every other time that Jana had brought that up, Eileen dismissed it with a wave of her perfectly manicured hand. “That was years ago, and Peter’s now a respected businessman.”

  The jury was still out on that, but Jana heard the footsteps heading their way that let her know this conversation was about to end. Once again, she’d failed to convince her mother to be wary of the man making those footsteps.

  “Peter,” Eileen greeted when he stepped inside her office. She hurried to him and pulled him into her arms.

  Peter brushed a kiss on Eileen’s cheek, but his gaze went straight to Jana. He smiled at her, a kind of I-know-something-you-don’t-know smile.

  “I’ll be staying at my grandmother’s house for a while,” Jana remarked, heading for the door.

  That got her mother’s arms off Peter. “Of course, you won’t. You’ll be staying here. I’ve already had your and Marley’s things taken to your old room.”

  Then, Jana would just have to move them. “We’ve been through this,” Jana reminded her. “We don’t do well under the same roof, either.”

  Though they still wouldn’t be that far apart. Her late grandmother had left the place to Jana, but the house was on the grounds. It didn’t have internet—that was the reason Jana had intended on staying in the guesthouse—but her grandmother’s house would have to do.

  Jana stepped around Peter and her mother and headed out of the office and toward Bessie’s quarters. However, she hadn’t made it far when she heard Peter’s voice.

  “Wait up, Jana,” he called out to her.

  Jana looked back, expecting her mother to be with him, but Peter was alone.

  “I’m not staying here in the house,” Jana insisted. “And I’m sorry my mother sent you to try to convince me to do that.”

  “She did send me,” he readily admitted, “but that’s not why I wanted to talk to you.” He glanced back over his shoulder as if to make certain they were alone. “This is about the stink bomb.”

  Jana had been about to keep walking, but that got her attention. “What about it? You know who put it in your car?”

  His eyebrow rose, and he stared at her—as if he expected her to blurt out some kind of confession.

  “Are you accusing me of doing that?” she demanded.

  “Yes.” He didn’t hesitate, either. Peter took out his phone, hit a play button on a recorder, and Jana heard her own voice.

  “I don’t know what you want from my mother, but I won’t stand by and let you hurt her or take her for a ride. If I find out you aren’t who you’re claiming to be, then you’ll be very sorry.”

  Jana had indeed said that. However, she hadn’t known he’d been recording it. And hearing it now gave her a very uneasy feeling.

  “FYI,” Peter continued. “I’ve let Kace listen to this so he knows what’s going on.”

  Oh mercy. Kace thought she had planted that stink bomb? Great. Just great. “Did you put that stink bomb in your own car to set me up?” she demanded.

  “Peter?” her mother said, making her way toward them. “Did you convince Jana to stay here?”

  “No,” Peter answered, his voice sweet. It wasn’t so sweet though when he whispered to Jana. “I want you to back off and accept the inevitable—that I will be marrying your mother. If you don’t, then I’m sorry. I’ll be forced to press charges against you.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  KACE READ THROUGH the report he’d just gotten from the crime lab, and he frowned. Hell. He’d hoped to get a break on what folks were now calling stink-bomb-gate, but this was the opposite of a break.

  He stood, ready to go out to Eileen’s place, but he’d just reached for his hat when Judd came in. “DeeDee Merriweather,” Judd said, reading through his own report. “She’s Peter’s business partner, and she’s got a sheet.”

  Kace didn’t have to ask why Judd was running such info. After the stink bomb/car wreck two days earlier, he’d asked Judd to dig into Peter’s background, and an association with someone with a criminal record could be a red flag.

  Kace took the report, but his “red flag” notion fizzled when he saw that it was a reckless driving charge and a shoplifting arrest when she’d been nineteen—over twenty years ago. Hardly enough concern for some people to exclude doing business with her.

  “Yeah,” Judd said after looking at Kace’s expression. “Not exactly on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list.”

  Kace made a sound of agreement. DeeDee’s record definitely wasn’t worth mentioning to Eileen or Jana. “Anything else on the woman?”

  “It’s hard to pick through financials without probable cause or a warrant, but it appears that DeeDee ponied up the money for What-Knots. Peter helps run the business and is listed as co-owner.”

  Interesting, and having a chat with the woman might shed some light on things. “Why don’t you give DeeDee a call?” Kace said. “Just tell her that someone tampered with Peter’s car and that we’re investigating. See if she volunteers anything useful.”

  Judd nodded, then tipped his head to the hat that Kace had just put on. “Going somewhere?” he asked.

  “Yeah, to Eileen’s to have a chat with Peter and her.” Kace handed Judd a copy of the report from the crime lab.

  Judd read through it, and his gaze came back to Kace’s. “Jana’s staying there at her grandmother’s house.”

  “I heard.” And Kace left it at that.

  Judd, however, didn’t leave it. He huffed. “I have very clear memories of you after your breakup with Jana. Lots of booze and a really bad attitude. Bad,” he emphasized. “Just remember that before you start things up with her again.”

  Kace pulled back his shoulders and didn’t have to muster up looking offended. He was. “I’m
not starting up anything with Jana.”

  Well, nothing more than the stuff he didn’t want to feel, but there wasn’t anything he could do about that other than use the willpower he knew he had. Along with relying on those memories Judd had touched on. There’d been booze. There’d been attitude. There’d been hurt. Kace really didn’t want another dose of that.

  “Besides,” Kace went on, “the ink’s barely dry on Jana’s latest divorce, and she’s got her hands full with the baby and her mother. I doubt she wants to go for a second chance at screwing up with me.”

  Judd stared at Kace as if his nose had had a sudden growth spurt. “Just don’t do anything with Jana that you wouldn’t do in front of her mother.”

  Well, that seriously limited activities since he didn’t especially want to do anything in front of Eileen. Still, Kace didn’t have any trouble nodding in agreement because he was going with the no-touching rule when it came to Jana. If he kept his hands and mouth off her, then nothing else could happen.

  Judd was still giving his cautionary warning glances when Kace headed out. His trek to Eileen’s didn’t get any better though because the moment he stepped outside, he practically ran right into Belinda.

  “Kace,” she said on a rise of breath. “I was just dropping by to see you.”

  That was obvious, not only because her hand was literally reaching for the door to the police station but also because she was dressed to the nines. Black jeans, high-heeled shoes and a green sweater that was almost the same color as her eyes. She was wearing makeup, and her dark brown hair tumbled over her shoulders.

  It immediately occurred to him that this was how she usually dressed for a date. With him. She worked at the bank and normally wore business clothes.

  “Sorry, I was on my way out,” he told her.

  Her smile wavered a little, and he wanted to curse because suddenly he knew what this visit was about. Jana. With his ex-wife back in town, Belinda had likely wanted him to clarify where she stood with him. That was probably why she’d sent him three “thinking of you” and smiley face texts over the last two days. The timing wasn’t a coincidence since that had been when Jana had arrived.