Jackie laid on her back in her room at Garvey’s staring at the ceiling. A week had gone by since Jackie saw Nick Dalton in Phoenix. She wondered if she was too hard on him. Nick did try to apologize.No, she told herself. You will not feel regret. Move on. Nick Dalton is gone – for good.Nick and his men had left town yesterday. Jackie knew that because Bonnie told her. Nick had gone to the diner to make peace with her. He gave her a bouquet of yellow roses. He had gone to Jodi’s house and did the same. Jodi loved the roses. Nick had driven to Jesse’s house and gave him an apology along with a twelve pack of beer. Of course, Jesse accepted it.Jackie? She hadn’t heard one word from him. She didn’t blame him. Jackie threw his attempt at an apology back in his face.There was a light tapping on the door. Then, it slowly opened.“Hey, Duchess,” Billy greeted when he peeked his head in.“Hey,” Jackie said as she lifted her head.“We got a surprise for you,” Billy said with a smile.“We?”
Billy had been in Arizona for three weeks. He had only planned to stay a week, two, at the most. Billy’s plans had changed when his angel reappeared. His sweet Gabriella. He had brought his briefcase and laptop. He worked from Garvey’s. However, there was a board meeting he couldn’t miss back in New York.Newman’s Business Consultants and Advisors were in the middle of opening offices in London. Billy’s father was in London overseeing the operation and he couldn’t make the board meeting. As a partner in the firm and one of his father’s sons, it was Billy’s responsibility to be acting chairman of the board until his father returned.Billy explained this to Gabriella.“I understand,” she said with a smile, but there was sadness in her eyes.“I . . . I want you to come with me, love,” Billy said. “I don’t want you away from me. Never again.”Gabriella let out a long breath. Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t belong in that world – your world. We’ve been over this.”“No. You said what you ha
Gabriella got dressed. She wore a flowing yellow dress that buttoned down in the front. Her dark hair hung down her back.It was 9 a.m. when she walked into the bar for breakfast. Jackie, Jodi, Trina, and Barb were sitting at the bar chatting and eating.“Morning,” Jodi said. “I was afraid that you were going to stay upstairs all morning.”“I didn’t fall asleep until late,” Gabriella said solemnly.“I can get Daniel to scramble you some eggs,” Barb offered.“No, thanks,” Gabriella said and went behind the bar. “I just want coffee.”“So . . . what have you decided?” Trina asked.“I’ve decided to stay. I’m not leaving Garvey’s for an unknown future,” Gabriella said. “I’ve taken college classes to be able to pull my weight around here concerning the paperwork. Got good grades, too.”“Yeah,” Jackie squeaked out.“Garvey’s isn’t going anywhere – not as long as Jackie and I are around,” Jodi said. “I know you love this place just as much as we do, but it’s not worth giving up a fabulous fut
Gabriella felt like the biggest fool in the world. She let her fear paralyze her. She had survived her father dying when she was a teenager. She had survived racism in Georgia. She had survived an earthquake in Mexico. She had also survived her brother disappearing when times got tough. Yet, she wasn’t brave enough to get on a plane to be with the man she loved? Gabriella raised her head. “How did I become a spineless wimp?” she asked rhetorically. “I been through a lot and I couldn’t -” She closed her eyes as the mistake she made boiled in her brain.“It’s not too late, Gaby,” Jodi said with urgency. “Go! Go, now!”Matt looked at his watch. “It’s 11:05. Doesn’t Billy’s plane leave at noon? She’ll never make it. It will take her an hour to get to Phoenix. And another thirty minutes to get through the airport.”“No,” Jackie said. “She can drive right to the gate to the private air strip.”“Even so, it will take forty-five minutes for her to get through the lunch traffic,” Matt said sol
Billy stood in his navy suit and matching silk tie at the doorway of the plane. It was 11:50. He couldn’t believe it. She still wasn’t there. He had miscalculated. Billy thought for sure she would have seen reason and come. Jarvis, his butler, came up behind him. Jarvis had been Billy’s personal butler since he was ten years old. Billy wasn’t surprised to see him on the plane. Every once in a while Jarvis would accompany him to or from a destination when Billy took the family plane. “There’s still time, sir,” Jarvis assured him. Billy had told Jarvis about Gabriella two years ago. It was around the time Billy had hired the private investigator to find her. When Billy had called New York last week, he told Jarvis that he found her. When he had called Jarvis last night, he told him about the ultimatum and to stock the kitchen with Gabriella’s favorite foods. That’s how confident Billy was that she was coming home with him. Now, Billy felt
Two months later . . . Sheriff Matt Kirby sat at his desk staring at the resignation letter he was holding. He glanced up at the switchboard operator. Matt placed the paper on his desk and shoved it towards her. “I'm not accepting this,” he said flatly. Patty’s shoulders slumped. “Sheriff, it’s time. I can’t work here anymore.” “Why?” Matt asked. “It’s . . . personal,” she answered. That wasn’t good enough for him. Patty had worked on the switchboard since she was seventeen. Matt stood and rounded the desk. He perched himself on top of it and faced her. “Patty, you’ve worked here for years. Way before I was sheriff. You started off as a summer employee and worked your way up to full-time. You got years of service here.” She looked down. “You suffered Marty Schaffer’s Reign of Terror with us. You went with us to Lynx Lake. You’re more than just an employee, you’re family.” Patty g
Patty has had a savings account since she was nineteen. She had only touched it three times during her years at the sheriff’s office. Now, she’s planning to reap the rewards from her financial discipline. She was going to use some of her savings for a road trip with Rufus, her English Mastiff. Rufus was five years old, but she’s only had him for three years. His first owner was her best friend. She would drive to Phoenix to see Chris and Rufus. Chris had gotten cancer and died six months after she was diagnosed. Before she had died, Chris asked Patty if she would take care of Rufus. Chris couldn’t bear the thought of Rufus ending up at the SPCA. Patty couldn’t either. Chris didn’t trust her extended family to take care of him, so she had asked Patty to take him in. Patty was more than happy to do it. She and Rufus got along and she loved him to death. Her house and yard were big enough for him. During the last few days that Chris was alive in the ho
Patty’s mind had wandered as she rode in the backseat of Williamson’s four-door truck. For a year, she had been in love with Goldman. During that year, Carter had figured it out. He had confronted her. She had denied it to him for months until she had gotten tired of it and confessed. Carter was a sweetheart; he wasn’t going to say anything. He was very understanding and supported her decision to stay quiet.Williamson was a different story. He was a nice guy, but he wasn’t as understanding as Carter or discrete. Four months ago, Goldman was talking to Patty in the switchboard room. When he had to leave on a call, Williamson had walked right up to her and asked why she wouldn’t tell Goldman that she was crazy about him. All the color had gone out of her face. She had begged him to keep his voice down. He had smiled and said, okay. He had kept pestering her about it until she had told him that it was a little crush and it wasn’t a big deal. Williamson had let it go, but deep down he k