Chapter 10 Out with the Old, in with the New

August

Laura gazed out the windows in the cockpit as the Dallas skyline drew into view. "It's never going to get old seeing everything from way up here," she breathed, gazing at the world below them. The buildings were still postcard sized. The cars in stop-and-go traffic on the highways were no bigger than ants. Interstate loops waved and twirled like roller coasters.

Ames looked pleased as he spoke to the air traffic control tower through the mouthpiece on his headset. He banked left and curled around to get the jet into position over the runway. Lowering the landing gear, he started to descend.

It was the third time Laura had flown with him to Dallas after their near disastrous first attempt, and this was fast becoming her favorite part of the trip — the swift, panoramic view of the city, followed by the inexplicable sensation of returning home. She didn't know why she felt that way about Canyon Creek Ranch after only a few visits. Maybe it was because she'd never had a place to call home until her family's move to Pinetop. Or maybe it was because Dallas was home to the man she'd fallen so deeply and desperately in love with. Or maybe it was something else entirely.

Texas was a diverse state in terms of climate and terrain. In her opinion, the Carson brothers enjoyed the best of it all by living on the outskirts of a big city. They could enjoy the sights and sounds of the metropolitan area, then leave it all behind in minutes. They owned more than a hundred very private, wooded, fenced-in acres.

She couldn't wait to be back behind their tall ranch gates. She always felt safer there.

Ames landed the plane on the runway and applied the brakes.

She experienced the pressure of being pushed back in her seat, coupled with the thrill of another successful arrival. After her first harrowing flight with him, she no longer took those things for granted.

Before long, they were rolling their suitcases to his truck parked outside the hangar. Ames gave her cutoff jean shorts and cowgirl boots an appreciative sideways glance.

"I saw that." She chuckled.

"It's your fault for being so beautiful." He unashamedly checked her out again. "Can't take my eyes off you today. Talk about distracted flying!"

"Are you angling for an apology?" She tipped her face up to him as they reached the driver's side of the truck. It was a brand spanking new Ford pickup with dual tires and an extended bed. In true Carson brother style, it also boasted a midnight blue paint job, one with a diamond sparkle finish. Definitely custom work.

He tossed their suitcases in the back. "More like a kiss." He backed her against the side of the truck and swooped in for a very tender, very thorough kiss.

"Wow," she whispered against his lips.

"Exactly what I was thinking." He kissed her again. "I'm so glad you're finally mine." He gently bumped noses with her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thanks for not giving up on me." He'd been so incredibly patient with her while she'd moped through the emotional fallout from her broken engagement. His friendship had been a very big, very important, and very precious part of her efforts to move on with her life.

"Never!" He kissed her again. "You'll always be worth fighting for, darling."

She leaned into his kiss, reveling in the way he always made her feel. "I'm so happy that it scares me sometimes, Ames."

He studied her through heavy lids. "What are you afraid of?"

"Losing you." She shivered, recalling the fuel tank that had been tampered with.

"Not gonna happen." He pulled open the door, revealing that he'd folded down the middle console into a seat cushion so they could sit closer together.

They drove with her hand curled around his arm. Since their respective jobs and his frequent travels kept them apart so much of the time, they tended to snuggle as much as they could when they were together.

The moment they passed beneath the log beam entrance of Canyon Creek Ranch, she relaxed in ways she could only do when they were together like this. "I love it here," she declared softly. "I know I'm not a native Texan, but there's just something about this place." She gazed out the windows at the pastures stretching as far as she could see on both sides of them. Cattle grazed. Horses frolicked across the grassy fields. A pair of butterflies flitted past the windshield as they rolled closer to the main farmhouse.

"Maybe it's because this is where you belong." Ames reached up to cover the hand she had resting on his arm.

She felt her cheeks turn warm as her brain immediately started to analyze what he meant by that. She couldn't help it.

Instead of parking up by the house that Nash and Noelle lived in, Ames kept driving. He circled around to the back and continued on down the paved road leading to the cabin he shared with Flint. But he didn't stop there, either. He kept on driving.

About a quarter mile further down the road, they arrived at a gravel driveway on the left that looked like it had recently been laid. A wooded lot stretched in front of them. Some of the trees had been removed from the middle to form a tidy clearing.

"What's this?" Laura gazed around them, mystified.

"It's where I want to build a house." Ames parked and opened the door. "Want to take a closer look?"

"Absolutely!" Her heart raced with excitement as he assisted her down. "I didn't know you were thinking of building. What do you have in mind?"

"Our future home." He reached for her hands. "It's all I've been able to think about lately, especially when we're apart."

"Ours?" She squeaked out the word.

"Yes. Ours." He took a knee in front of her. "I know you love me, Laura, and I know you love Texas. Will you marry me and build a life here together?"

"Oh, Ames!" She clutched his hands, feeling dizzy.

"Is that a yes?" His voice was pleading.

"Yes, it's a yes," she choked. Oh, my goodness! This is really happening.

"In that case…" He withdrew a small black velvet box from his pocket and popped open the lid.

A huge square diamond glinted back at her. It was mounted on a white gold band. She blinked in amazement. It looked like the same one she and Lucy had admired in the jewelry store window back in Pinetop.

"You didn't, by any chance, ask my sister for ring advice?" Her hand shook a little as she held it out for him to slide on the ring.

He grinned up at her. "She assured me this was the perfect ring."

"It is," she sighed. It was so gorgeous that her heart ached from the beauty of it. And from all the thought and effort he'd put into purchasing it. And from the enormous investment it had taken on his part. Just thinking about it made it her dizzy.

"I'm just glad you like it." He stood and drew her close again.

"I love it," she declared tremulously. "But I love you even more. So much more."

As they kissed, happy tears slid down her cheeks.

He brushed them gently away. "Please assure me you're not having second thoughts."

"Not at all. I'm just a little overwhelmed right now." Her voice swelled with emotion.

"I know how close you are to your family." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "They're welcome to visit anytime and stay as long as they want. If you start to miss them too much between visits, I'll fly you to the mountains for the weekend, you hear?"

"Thank you. I'd like that." So would her family. She rested her head on his shoulder, reveling in his strength and nearness.

He spun with her in his arms to face the clearing together. "Next on the agenda will be for you to help me design our dream home. I've been talking to one of the builders in town. He said we can sit down with one of his architects, and they'll sketch out anything we want."

"That's amazing!" She squeezed her eyelids shut, trying to absorb it all.

"You sure you're okay?" He toyed with a strand of her hair.

"If floating on clouds of happiness counts as okay, then yes."

"It counts." He reluctantly nudged her back toward the truck. "We'd better head to the house so you can say hi to Noelle. Though she never complains, I think she's been missing her friends in Pinetop. Your visit will mean a lot to her."

"Then let's not keep her waiting." Laura walked hand in hand with him to the truck. "I can't wait to share our news with her and your brothers."

"My brothers are going to give me a hard time about taking so long to pop the question." He kept up his cheerful grumbling, making her laugh all the way back to the house.

An ambulance was parked in the driveway when they arrived. Though the siren was off, its lights were flashing.

Laura's smile froze on her lips. "Noelle," she gasped, realizing it had to be close to her delivery date. "I hope she's okay."

Ames hurriedly parked on the side lawn, and they took off running toward the house. Before they could reach the porch, Noelle was rolled out on a stretcher.

"Baby's coming," she announced in a voice that was half exultant and half apprehensive. Her blonde ponytail was pulled loosely to one side.

Laura instinctively reached for her hand and started walking alongside the stretcher. "Where's Nash?"

"He's fetching my go bag." There was a catch in her voice.

"Want me to go with you guys to the hospital?" Laura wasn't sure what made her ask.

"Yes, please!" Nervous tears rolled down Noelle's cheeks. "As difficult as my mother is, I kind of wish she lived closer right now."

"Well, you've got me as long as you need me," Laura assured. She sent an apologetic look to Ames, hoping he didn't mind.

He nodded encouragingly.

"You're future sister-in-law," Laura added shyly.

Noelle's mouth fell open. "Are you guys serious?" Despite her condition, she tried to sit up on the stretcher, eyes snapping with joy. "I'm so happy, happy, happy for you!"

"Whoa, little mama!" The paramedic held her in place.

Moments later, she was seized by a contraction that had her panting with pain. "Our little cowboy is anxious to make his appearance," she wheezed.

Nash dashed out the front door with her bag in hand. "Got it!" There was no hiding his excitement and anticipation. Nor his worry for his wife. "You hanging in there, sweetheart?"

"Yes, but hurry," she pleaded. "I don't think we have much time."

She was right.

While they were wheeling her into the E.R., Nash Dayton Carson, Junior made his noisy entrance into the world.

"My precious little Day!" Noelle reached for her baby with streaming eyes.

The paramedics gently placed her son in her arms before they finished wheeling her into the triage bay. As soon as all vitals were checked for mother and baby, they were pronounced fit to transfer upstairs to the delivery ward.

Her OB-GYN doctor rushed into the room, still gloving up. "Talk about an entrance," he complained good-naturedly. "I feel like I'm late to the party."

Flint joined them at the hospital within the hour, and they all took turns visiting with Noelle and holding the baby.

Laura had never seen three grown men so ecstatic. Nash was over the moon about being a new father, and his brothers were equally over the moon about becoming uncles. It was clear that family was very important to them.

Nash and Flint welcomed Laura to the family, as well, with crushing bear hugs.

"Got myself another sister-in-law to annoy and a new nephew to spoil rotten." Flint planted a noisy kiss on her cheek. "Best day of my life!"

Behind his joking, though, she picked up on a hint of loneliness. She imagined a guy who enjoyed being the center of attention as much as he did was starting to feel a little left out. She also couldn't help wondering where things stood between him and her sister.

Was Lucy right about him? Now that he was back in Dallas, would he simply move on like a buzzy bee to the next pretty flower? He was more complex than a lot of people gave him credit for, which made him hard to read.

Laura secretly hoped he wouldn't give up his pursuit of Lucy just yet. Maybe if he tried a little harder, he'd finally wear her down. She sure didn't mind the idea of having her sister join them in Texas. Eventually.

As soon as she had a moment alone, she dialed her sister so she could share her news.

It took several rings before Lucy picked up. "You finally remembered you had a sister, huh?"

"Giiiiirl," Laura scolded. "What kind of question is that?"

"A fair one," Lucy snapped. "You landed hours ago, and I'm just now hearing that you made it safely. Thanks a lot!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Laura hadn't thought about it that way, but she should have, everything considered. "I truly am."

"You'd better be." Lucy's voice shook. "I almost lost you not too long ago."

"Well, you didn't." Laura wasn't sure where her sister's uncharacteristic burst of worry was coming from. "You're not getting out of being my sister that easily."

Her younger sister sniffed. "So? How are things in Texas? Details, details!"

"Oh, wow! Where do I start?" Laura pushed back a handful of hair. "So much has happened already."

"I said details," her sister reminded tartly. "As in the nitty gritty?—"

"Ames proposed," Laura blurted, unable to keep it to herself a second longer.

Lucy gave such a loud shriek of elation that Laura had to hold the phone away from her ear. "Well, keep talking," she commanded after she stopped shrieking. "What did you say?"

"I said yes." Another ear-splitting scream on the other end of the line made her wince. "Right afterward, Noelle went into labor, and Nash Dayton Carson, Junior arrived into our lives. They're calling him Day for short."

"That's so precious," her sister moaned. "I'm assuming he came out of the oven as good looking as all the other hunks of burning Carson?"

"Lucy," Laura spluttered, blushing.

"Hey, you know it's true. Otherwise, you wouldn't be marrying one of ‘em."

"That's not the only reason." A giggle of happiness bubbled out of her.

"But it's one of them," her sister insisted.

Laura glanced around the nearly empty waiting room and shielded the mouth piece before responding. "Pretty sure Flint is feeling a little left out. He's happy for everyone. Don't get me wrong, but a little sad at the same time, if you know what I mean."

Her sister was silent for a moment. Then she sniped, "He would try to make it all about him."

"No, I think it's more than that." Laura wasn't sure how to make her understand. "Maybe you could give him a call tonight and try to cheer him up."

Lucy made a huffing sound. "Pretty sure he's forgotten all about me already."

"Pretty sure you're wrong." It was just a gut feeling, but it was a strong one.

"I'll think about it." Lucy sounded noncommittal.

Disappointment flooded Laura. She heard the no even though her sister didn't come right out and say it. "You do that. I love you! Gotta call Mom and Dad now."

Her parents were beside themselves with happiness for her and Ames.

"Oh, Laura, honey," Ayaka Lee sighed. "He's the right one this time."

"I know." Way down deep, she knew it was true.

September

Pinetop was reverberatingwith excitement again. Autumn was a new season, so it ushered in the next wave of festivities across the small mountain town. First, they hosted the Harvest Hop down at the Civic Center. It was followed by their annual Back to School Bash, a carnival that lasted a full weekend. Soon afterward, Bear Mountain Ranch opened its cornfield maze and pumpkin patch.

Laura's newest toy designs had been an instant hit when her family had first unveiled them last summer. She was preparing to roll out a whole new autumn version of it, complete with scarecrows and cats to clip to the fences.

The only thing that dimmed the joy of the season for her was the continued string of thefts being reported by the local shop owners. They'd plagued the town all summer and were showing every sign of continuing into fall. It was a pity that their once peaceful town was grappling with something so sinister.

Though the local news reported them as petty thefts, probably to keep the fear factor down, quite a few higher ticket items were included in that statement — jewelry, figurines, and collectible coins and stamps. Shop owners were securing more and more items inside locked, glassed-in cabinetry. Extra security cameras were installed from one end of Main Street to the other, even at the toy store where she and her family worked.

Laura hated having to be so careful about everything, but it couldn't be helped. This was the new normal in Pinetop.

The entrance bell jangled, announcing the arrival of a new customer. Laura glanced up from her easel. "Welcome to Santa's Toy Factory!" The words died on her lips when she saw who it was.

Brex Morrison moved her way with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his double-breasted blazer. "Is it true?" He searched her features as he drew closer.

"Is what true?" She glanced across the room to gauge how far away her sister was. Lucy nodded at her from the play zone to let her know she was aware of their unexpected visitor.

Brex had been absent from town ever since Laura's engagement to Ames. She'd been sort of dreading their next confrontation. And now she was simply anxious to get it over with,

"Rumor has it that Ames gave you a ring that belongs in a safe deposit box." His mouth twisted in disapproval. "Kind of hard for me to compete with that."

"It wasn't a competition." She spoke through stiff lips. "You and I weren't meant to be. That is all."

"Is that why you kept the ring I gave you?" His dark gaze glinted with anger.

She stared blankly at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Just for the record, I'm not mad that you didn't return it." He removed his hands from his pockets and spread them beseechingly. "All this time, I was hoping it meant you intended to put it back on." He huffed out a long-suffering breath. "That is, after you punished me long enough for my mistake in letting you go."

Laura's insides churned sickly. "You didn't let me go, Brex. You intentionally ended our engagement. I've never understood why, and I probably never will, but it no longer matters."

"It matters to me!" He sounded incensed.

She ignored his impassioned words. "I'd honestly forgotten about the ring. If you'd like it back, I'll try to remember where I put it." She shook her head. It seemed so long ago since she'd taken it off.

"Man!" He snorted. "It must be nice to have so many rings you can't remember where you put them."

She saw no point in responding to that.

His dark gaze fastened at last on her engagement ring. "You really should put that somewhere safe."

"It's insured." She moved her hand so he could no longer see the ring. His scrutiny of it was making her uncomfortable. She wished he'd leave the store.

"Doesn't matter," he growled. "With all the thefts happening around here lately, it's foolish to make yourself a target."

Her lips parted in astonishment. "I'm no longer your concern, Brex." He'd given up that right more than a year and a half ago.

"You'll always be my concern, Laura, like it or not!" With that cryptic comment, he spun around and left the shop.

While Laura stared after him, her sister joined her at the easel. "That was unnerving," she confessed. "I knew he wouldn't be happy about my engagement to Ames, but…" She shook her head.

"His opinion doesn't matter." Lucy's eyes snapped with anger. "Not anymore."

"I almost wish I hadn't offered to give back his ring," Laura muttered. "I was so upset the day I took it off that I have no memory of what I even did with it."

"You didn't do anything with it." Her father moved silently across the room to join her and Lucy. "You left it on the table in the RV. Your mother and I found it and put it away for safekeeping."

Laura pressed a hand to her chest in relief. "Oh, good! Where is it now?"

"With Sheriff Skelton, I'm afraid."

"Why?" Laura was confused.

"Because it was stolen."

"Stolen," she repeated, quaking.

"Yes. And the last thing your mother and I wanted was for you to be accused of having anything to do with taking it — not after working so hard to leave that mess behind us."

Laura nearly toppled off her stool. "What mess? What are you talking about?"

"It's a long story. The short version is, I promised to call the police the next time I laid eyes on Brex Morrison. They're on their way now to arrest him."

A wail of sirens sounded outside the store windows. Laura scrambled down from her stool. She hurried to the front of the store with Lucy on her heels.

Sure enough, Brex was being held spread eagle against the side of a police cruiser.

"It's over, my precious girls." Akaya Lee materialized at Laura's side and slid an arm around her middle. She held out her other arm to Lucy, who quickly joined their huddle.

"What's over?" Laura still wasn't clear about what they were witnessing.

"Brex is a jewelry thief. So are Oak and Trent Burgess. They'll be going away for a long time. He won't be bothering you anymore."

"I can't believe it." Laura's heart skipped a few beats at the realization that she'd almost married a criminal. A man she'd kissed. A man she'd once trusted with her life.

"I can." Lucy's voice was bitter. "There's always been something about him that rubbed me the wrong way. I just didn't know what it was until now."

"Be that as it may, your father and I were taken in by him at first, too." Their mother hugged them tighter. "You weren't the only one, Laura. He talks a good game. Beneath all of his Old World charm, though, is a very dangerous man."

Laura shivered, unable to deny what she was hearing. However, her horror was accompanied by no small amount of sympathy. "I wonder what's going to happen to his grandparents now that?—"

"There were no grandparents," her mother sighed. "Or any nursing home. He made up that story to keep you from reporting the theft of your toy designs to the police." Her voice turned bitter. "And the reason he stole them was so he'd have a place to hide all those stolen pieces of jewelry."

Laura drew a pained breath. "You mean inside the snowmen nutcrackers?"

"Bingo. It was so much easier to carry and mail the stolen goods around undetected that way."

There were so many layers to Brex's deception that it was difficult to keep them all straight. The one Laura still didn't understand was where she'd fit into all of it. Had he truly fallen in love with her, or had that been just another layer of deception?

"I know what you're thinking, Laura, and I wish I knew what to say to make you feel better." Her mother's voice was soft.

"Do you think any of it was real?" It certainly had been on Laura's part. "Do you think he felt anything for me at all?"

"I do." Regret echoed in her mother's voice. "If he didn't, I doubt the sheriff would've been able to link him to the tampered fuel tank on Ames' airplane."

Laura's knees grew weak at the reminder of just how far her ex had been willing to go to get her back. He'd been willing to kill for her! She drew a shuddery breath. "How many more gypsy craftsmen were involved in the thefts?" She was almost afraid to ask.

"We're not sure, hon." Regret echoed in her mother's voice. "All I can tell you is there were some bad eggs in that basket. That's the real reason we cut ties with the group and moved to Pinetop. For years, we'd suffered break-ins to our cash box. We knew it had to be an inside job, because it continued to happen no matter how many state lines we crossed. When Brex followed us here and the thefts started up again, we realized he must be part of it. The moment Sheriff Skelton approached us, we told him everything." She shuddered. "We should've gone to the law sooner. We thought we were protecting our family by keeping quiet. In the process, we almost lost you." She hugged Laura tighter.

"But God had other plans for us," Laura assured softly.

"But God," her father echoed, joining them in front of the window.

It was a long time before any of them spoke again. They watched in eloquent silence while Brex was handcuffed and driven away, each adrift in their own thoughts.

Laura's mother pressed a kiss to her temple. "Would you like me to make you a cup of hot tea or coffee?"

"Yes, please." She was desperate for something to warm her from the inside out. "I don't care which. Just surprise me."

"I'll help. I could use a shot of caffeine myself." Lucy followed their mother to the break room in the back.

Laura gave her father a grateful look. "Thank you for bringing our family to Pinetop." She could only imagine the number of friendships he'd been forced to sever in the process. For him, the move had been the end of a whole way of life.

"It was the right thing to do." His voice was flat with conviction.

"Was it hard?" She moved closer so she could lean her cheek against his arm.

"At first, but it became easier as we watched you and Lucy settle in." A faint smile curved his lips. "You deserved a better life. Pinetop is everything we wanted for you girls and more."

"What about Texas?" She playfully elbowed him.

"I'm still getting used to the idea." He shook his head woefully at her. "A little patience, please?"

"Ames wants you and Mom there for Christmas." Her voice was beseeching.

"So I've heard."

"You mean he's already asked you?" Laura leaned away from him in astonishment to get a better look at his expression.

Her father treated her to a mock glare. "Every time that boy approaches me, he's got another request." He spread his hands. "May I marry your daughter? Would you like me to build you an in-law suite in our new home? Will you visit for Christmas? Demands! Demands! Demands!"

"Oh, you have it rough, Dad!" Laura shook her head in mock sympathy. "A future son-in-law who keeps you in mind with every major decision he makes. So rough!"

"I know." Her father tucked her against his side again. "Like I said, it's going to take some getting used to."