Chapter 14 Daisy Ann

Daisy Ann had been living with hate in her heart for the last three years. She had nursed it daily, and as it fed, it grew to such immense proportions that it had threatened to obliterate every other feeling inside of her. The hate had one focus: Amber Patterson. The woman who had tricked Daisy Ann's father, Jake Crawford, into marrying her, and then murdered him.

She still missed her father so much. They'd always been close but had grown even closer after her mother's death. He had been the steady influence in her life, the voice of reason when her temper got the best of her, the one who could always right her course. She'd been in her twenties and newly married when her mother, Marylou, had died. She and her father had grieved together, but while she had a new husband and a growing family to distract her, he had floundered. Then he'd met Susannah, a thirtysomething knockout and he fell fast and hard. Despite being suspicious of her intentions at first, Daisy Ann had hoped that she'd provide a respite from his loneliness. Even though Susannah was twenty years Jake's junior, she seemed to be genuinely in love with him. However, shortly after the marriage, her true colors emerged and she walked away with twenty million dollars in the divorce settlement. After his marriage had ended so swiftly and badly, Jake had sworn he'd never marry again. And he seemed happy in those interim years between Susannah and Amber. He worked hard, played hard, and was an involved grandfather to her children. After she'd given birth to her first son, she felt overwhelmed with a paralyzing fear that she was ill equipped, that she had no idea how to be a good mother. She longed for her own mother then, to dispense words of wisdom and comfort, but of course Marylou was gone by then. Daisy Ann would never forget that first night, lying in the hospital bed after Mason had left, staring at the ceiling, feeling so alone and desolate. It was after midnight when she heard footsteps entering the room and was shocked to see her father walk in and take a seat next to the bed.

"What in tarnation are you doing here at this hour?" she asked as she brushed a tear from her cheek.

He gave her his trademark grin. "I may have bribed the nurses to look the other way. I saw that look in your eye earlier. I know you're thrilled to be a mama, but I know my girl, and I'm betting you're lying here listing all the ways you're gonna mess this up."

She tried to smile, but the heaving sobs came instead, and he sat on the edge of the bed, holding her as her shoulders shook and her tears fell.

"Shh, shh now. It's gonna be fine. That little boy doesn't know it, but he just won the mama lottery. You are the kindest, most warmhearted woman I know. And when he needs someone to fight for him, there's nobody better he could ever have in his corner."

"Thank you, Daddy. I just feel so overwhelmed. I want to do everything right. I miss Mama so much."

"I know you do, darlin'. But I'm here. As for doing everything right, you won't. But it'll be okay, because you'll do the most important thing right and that is love him with all you've got. And I promise you, I'll be right there beside you every step of the way." She felt herself well up at the memory. He was supposed to be here now.

Daisy Ann still couldn't understand what kind of witchcraft Amber had employed to ensnare him so easily. Her father had met Amber in the beginning of the summer. She'd been a waitress at the café in Gunnison where he went for breakfast every morning. After knowing her only a few short months, he had married her that September. Two weeks later he was dead. She'd never forget getting the phone call telling her that there'd been a hunting accident. And before that even had sunk in, that his wife had been the one to shoot him. His wife? He'd never even mentioned that he was seeing anyone to Daisy Ann. Amber casually announced she was Jake's new wife and then in the next breath, with no change in tone, told her that he was dead. When she flew to Colorado and met Amber, she'd known the minute she laid eyes on her that she was a stone-cold killer. The blankness in her stare, the rehearsed way she told Daisy Ann what had happened, all rang false. Her father had been hunting for over fifty years with no accidents; he wasn't some amateur. Daisy Ann knew he would have impressed upon Amber the importance of safety. The sheriff told her and Mason that it was officially an accident but she could see in his eyes that he didn't believe it either. There was just no proof. Amber's story was that she had stopped to go pee and Jake was ahead of her in the woods. She claimed she saw movement, thought he was an elk, and shot him in the back. It was ludicrous.

Daisy Ann had been determined to find out everything she could about the woman who'd breezed into her father's life and within a matter of months had become his wife and then shot him in the back in an alleged hunting accident. Daisy Ann's husband, Mason, had at first been supportive and sympathetic. He'd stepped in with the children to fill the gap, had listened to her go on for hours, updating him on every detail of her investigation into Amber. She'd hired a private detective shortly after Amber left Texas with her tail between her legs. Daisy Ann now had an extensive file showing all of Amber's moves from the moment she'd arrived in Gunnison, Colorado, where Daisy Ann's father owned a summer ranch. The detective had tracked her back to Eustis, Nebraska, where she'd been working as a waitress. No one there knew where she'd lived before Eustis, or much about her background, for that matter. She'd been in Gunnison only for a few months before she'd latched on to Daisy Ann's father. After his death, Amber had moved to Connecticut and gotten a job working at one of the local real estate offices.

The detective had sent Daisy Ann weekly reports, but there was never anything of significance. She had been confident that it would only be a matter of time before Amber set her sights on her next rich target. Daisy Ann would spend her whole week waiting for the email that would update her on Amber's moves, no matter how small. It took a toll. On her marriage and on her children. No matter how hard she tried to move on with her life, the unfinished business of proving Amber's guilt and making her pay, had driven her to the point of obsession. When finally, in desperation, Mason had threatened to leave her and take the children if she didn't stop, she'd reluctantly agreed. She'd let the detective go and forced herself to refrain from any more investigating. She resigned herself to the fact that she'd exhausted every avenue. She was never going to be able to prove Amber's guilt, and she had to stop letting the woman infect her life. She continued to pay the staff to look after the Colorado house, but she hadn't been back since she'd brought her father's body back to Dallas three years ago. Other than that, she'd done her best to resume her life and push everything to do with Amber to the back of her mind.

But now the hatred had returned with a more consuming zeal than ever. The moment she'd laid eyes on Amber, it all came rushing back. She hadn't even planned on attending the trunk show, but at the last minute she'd decided to make a weekend of it with some shopping and a show. When she returned home from New York after the show, the first thing Daisy Ann did was call the detective and put him back on the case. Just as she'd suspected, Amber had married for money again. She'd snagged millionaire Jackson Parrish who interestingly had just been released from prison for tax fraud among other financial crimes. They still lived in their estate by the sea and based on the lavish party she'd thrown for her husband's release, money didn't seem to be an issue. Seeing Amber thriving and living among the elite in her town made Daisy Ann's blood boil. A renewed sense of purpose filled her, and she was determined to find a way to make the woman pay. Her first stop would be Gunnison, Colorado, to personally interview everyone who had known Amber back then. Maybe the detective had missed something. She picked up the photograph on her dresser of Jake and her children at the Colorado house. "I'll bring her to justice, Daddy. I promise."

Mason walked into their bedroom, a frown on his face. "I can't believe you're going down this rabbit hole again. It almost broke our marriage up. Daisy Ann, I can't do this again."

She turned from the suitcase to look up at her husband. "She's up to her old tricks. Married rich and her poor husband just got out of prison. How much do you want to bet she's the one who engineered that? She's a cold, calculating gold digger, and I'm going to prove it. There could be a whole wake of dead husbands in her past. She doesn't deserve to be living in the lap of luxury in her cozy Connecticut town." She continued her packing.

Mason put a hand on her arm. "I know she's a horrible person. But she's already taken enough from you. Don't let her ruin your life. Our life. We've just gotten back to normal. The kids are happy. What good can come of your doing this?"

"Justice. Stopping her. That's what."

"What if it really was an accident? You can't be sure she did it on purpose. Maybe it was a terrible, tragic accident. You can't let it rule your life forever."

She didn't bother responding. They'd had this argument too many times. Her father had spent a lifetime hunting. There was no way that the bullet hole in his back had gotten there by accident. That bitch had shot him in cold blood; Daisy Ann knew it in her bones.

"Please, Mason. Nothing you say is going to dissuade me. I'll be back in a few days."

He shook his head and left the room, muttering under his breath.

As her private plane began making its descent into Gunnison, Daisy Ann felt a growing sense of apprehension. Looking out the window as they landed, she thought back to all the summers they'd spent at their Colorado ranch from the time she was a little girl. She'd always loved it here: six hundred and twenty-five acres of heaven in the Rocky Mountains.

The moment the door opened, and she started down the airstairs, she spotted Brian, her father's ranch hand, sprinting toward the plane.

"Hey, Daisy Ann. It's good to see you. I'll grab your bag," he said.

"Thanks, Brian." The sun was dazzling, the gorgeous sky clear and blue. But when Daisy Ann inhaled the thin dry air, it felt like her lungs couldn't quite get enough.

"I always forget how breathless I get when I first arrive," she said to Brian as he slid into the driver's seat beside her. He hadn't changed, she thought, maybe a few more laugh lines around his dark brown eyes, but the uniform was the same. Denim jeans, navy T-shirt, and a baseball cap with a picture of a largemouth bass onit.

He chuckled. "Yeah. Big change from Texas."

Brian pulled out of the small airport, and Daisy Ann was quiet as they drove past tidy houses, and through downtown. When they finally turned onto Ohio Creek Road, she rolled down her window and closed her eyes, breathing in the familiar fragrance of sage and pine as they drove for the next fifteen minutes.

"Here we are," Brian said. She sat up when he came to a stop in front of the house.

Daisy Ann swallowed and opened the car door, steeling herself as she looked up. It was odd how the house looked unchanged yet different at the same time. She walked up the steps of the wide veranda and stood in front of the massive double doors. As if sensing her hesitation, Brian waited silently next to her until she reached out her hand, curling her fingers around the long brass handle. Opening the door and entering the house, her mind exploded with memories. Mornings spent fishing in the creek with her father, she and her mother buying fresh fruits and vegetables and sampling homemade pastries at the farmers market on Saturdays, feeling so grown up when they went to Traci's studio together for mother-daughter massages. Standing on a kitchen chair while Brenda, their housekeeper, let her help with the cooking. Hiking Swampy Pass with her friends. And then that last terrible day when she came to claim her father's body and met Amber, the woman who killed him.

"Daisy Ann!" Brenda came rushing toward her. "So wonderful to see you. I've missed you. It's been too long." The older woman hugged Daisy Ann to her, patting her back.

Daisy Ann pulled away and took the woman's hand as she turned to Brian. "You can leave my bag here. I'll take it up later. Let's go sit at the kitchen table. I need to talk with both of you."

Seeing a look pass between Brian and Brenda, she realized they were afraid to hear what she had to say.

"I made some lemonade iced tea. Your favorite." Brenda hustled around the room, taking the pitcher from the fridge and pouring three glasses before sitting down.

"Thank you." Daisy Ann took a sip and put down the glass. She looked from one to the other. "First, I want to tell you how grateful I am to both of you. You've cared for my family and this ranch with love and dedication, and I can never thank you enough. I'm sorry I've been absent, but I just couldn't bear to be here after Daddy died."

Brenda reached out her hand and placed it on top of Daisy Ann's, patting it gently. "We understand, sweetheart. It's been hard for all of us. He was a great man. And your mama was a wonderful woman. How he got involved with that snake, I'll never know." She shook her head.

"Yes, well…" Daisy Ann exhaled. "I've made a decision about the house." She watched their faces drop. "It's been a really tough decision, but I've made up my mind."

Brian cast his eyes down at the table and absently ran his fingers around the rim of his glass. Brenda pressed her lips together, and Daisy Ann could tell she was trying not to cry. "I'm creating a life estate for you. The house will remain in my name, but you will both have the legal right to live in it for the rest of your lives. You two love this place as much as my father did. I know he would want you to continue living here. I can have the papers drawn up right away if you'll accept." She paused, seeing their astonished looks, and then hurried on. "The house is paid for, and I've set up an account to take care of taxes, maintenance, and general expenses, along with your continued salaries."

Brian spoke first. "I don't even know what to say. I mean, it's unbelievable. I figured you were going to tell us you were selling, but this, this is…Like I said, it's unbelievable."

Daisy Ann looked at Brenda, who had been with the Crawfords for almost twenty-eight years, from the time Daisy Ann was eight. She'd been like a second mother, a big sister, and a friend, all rolled into one. Tears were running down her cheeks. "This means so much, honey. But are you sure? I don't feel right accepting."

Daisy Ann shook her head. "I've never been more sure. You made this place into a cozy home for Daddy after Mama died. You worked day and night to help him get through. You're family."

The emotional toll of the morning had left Daisy Ann drained, and she'd taken a nap. When she came downstairs later, Brenda had a pot of chicken rice soup simmering on the stove.

"That smells wonderful," she said.

"You sit while I get you a bowl. I have some nice crusty bread heating too."

"Mmm. Will you have some with me?"

They ate in silence for a few minutes, and then Brenda spoke.

"I hope you'll still come and stay and bring the boys. They love it here too. They had such fun here with your daddy. And after all, the house is still yours and will belong to them one day."

An image formed in Daisy Ann's mind, her boys impatiently pulling on Jake's shirt, almost jumping out of their skin, hurrying him from his breakfast so they could go down to the lake and fish. "In time, Brenda. Maybe in time."

Brenda put her spoon down and pushed the bowl away. "Aren't there things you'd like to take from the house? I can help you pack them up."

"Not right now. I can't…I just can't go through his things. I don't even want to go into the bedroom where that horrible woman slept with him." She sighed. "Brenda, I saw her again. She's living in Connecticut. She landed on her feet. She came to my trunk show in New York."

Brenda's mouth fell open. "You're kidding!"

Daisy Ann filled herin.

Brenda shook her head back and forth. "That makes me sick. I knew that girl was trouble the first time I laid eyes on her. Told your father so, but she had him bewitched."

Daisy Ann shook her head. "I'll never understand how she got him to marry her so quickly. She convinced him to fire you, didn't she?"

Brenda nodded. "She didn't want anyone around to mess with her plans. She was clever and cunning. And mean. But with your dad, well, she was sweet as pie."

"Right. I sized her up from the first. She had to be cunning to fool Daddy. He was such a smart man. He could usually spot a phony miles away."

"He was lonely, Daisy Ann. He missed your mama, and he was getting old. When a man gets to be that age, he gets scared. It's too near the end to face it alone. Amber knew that, and she played on it. That red hair of hers was dyed. I know it. She tried to be a copy of your mama."

That part, Daisy Ann learned from the detective. He'd interviewed Tanya, the woman Amber had accompanied on the drive from Eustis to Gunnison. He'd tracked her down after interviewing Amber's employer at the café. She'd listed her prior employment at a restaurant in Crested Butte, and that's when he'd found Tanya. She'd told him that Amber used to be a blonde but had suddenly dyed her hair red before they left Nebraska. That was when Daisy Ann knew Amber had had a plan, long before she met Daisy Ann's father. And the reason why she'd left a more lucrative job at a trendy restaurant in Crested Butte, Colorado, an upscale ski town, to work at the café in Gunnison—the restaurant Jake was known to frequent daily when he was in town.

"She even came over here with your mama's peach cobbler. Made your daddy believe it was a coincidence that she made his favorite dessert; told him it was a family recipe of hers. But I saw the paper in her purse with the recipe from the Junior League of Dallas. She must have found it on the internet."

Daisy Ann's face grew hot. The idea of Amber using information about her dear mother made her want to spit nails. Was there no limit to how low she would stoop? "You never told me that. Did you see anything else interesting?"

"She had a folder in her bag. Motel receipt, some information on fly-fishing. She and your daddy were actually walking back from fishing so I didn't have time to look through everything. But I saw a phone number with the name of a guy next to it. I copied it and called the number after she left. The guy who answered was M something. Martin or Mitchell. When I asked if he knew an Amber Patterson, he said no. I figured it was a dead end."

"Do you still have his number?"

Brenda nodded. "I think so, somewhere. I'm sure I left the paper in one of my purses. I'll check."

"That would be great. It's like Amber had no life before a few years ago. We haven't been able to dig up anything on family or past jobs. Maybe this man can help."

"I'll see if I can find his number. But be careful. That woman is evil and who knows what kind of person this man is."

"Don't worry. This ain't my first rodeo. I can take care of myself. I've got some appointments in town; I'm going to take Daddy's truck for the day."

"I'll go get you the keys."

No matter what Mason said, Daisy Ann wasn't giving up this time. She wasn't going to rest until she found what she needed to make Amber pay.