Reflection Point

chapter THREE





Savannah spent most of her time in the week following her unexpected meeting with the sheriff in her workshop, creating product, ordering supplies, and squeezing every possible bit of buying power from each penny she spent. When Jim Brand presented his under-budget invoice upon completion of the renovations of the retail space, she’d been hard-pressed not to do handsprings. Overall, start-up costs hadn’t been as onerous as she’d anticipated, and as she double-checked the balance in her checkbook, she noted that she had plenty of wiggle room in her budget. The regular pounding of a hammer out in her workshop reminded her that her good fortune was due in no small part to her new Eternity Springs neighbors. They’d all proven quick to offer a helping hand.

At this moment, Colt Rafferty was building the shelves for her workshop. His wife was due to come by any moment with her baby and the balance of their housewarming gift. It felt like Christmas morning to Savannah.

The town of Eternity Springs was an eclectic mix of commercial and residential space with most business properties aligned along one of the four “tree” streets, Cottonwood, Pinyon, Spruce, and Aspen, with most but not all of the houses in town located on the numbered streets, First through Eighth. Apparently zoning had never been a consideration. Since Savannah’s place was on Fourth between Spruce and Pinyon, the retail shop she planned needed something eye-catching to lure tourists down the side street.

Impressed by the signage across the street at Vistas, Savannah had asked for the name of the graphic designer responsible for the art gallery’s logo. After claiming the design as her own, Sage had offered to do the logos that Savannah needed as a gift. What Savannah hadn’t known at the time she accepted her new friend’s largesse was that in addition to being the gallery’s business owner and manager, Sage was a renowned artist with a studio above her shop.

The generosity overwhelmed Savannah. She’d seen so little of it in recent years, and she didn’t quite know how to react. She knew she came across as standoffish and perhaps even unfriendly, and she was working on improving that impression. Maybe in time she could actually make friends with some of these people—as long as they didn’t find out about her, of course. People who knew what she was, where she’d been, wouldn’t want to count her as a friend. The nice people of Eternity Springs would run her out of town.

She was saved from going down that particular dark path by a knock on the door. Sage stood on the front porch with nine-month-old Colton Alexander strapped into a stroller. The boy was a darling little butterball with red hair and rosy cheeks, and he gnawed happily on the handle of a green plastic toy hammer. Savannah couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Her arms ached to lift him out of the stroller.

Determinedly she quashed the maternal ache and lifted her gaze. Spying the sketchbook in Sage’s arm, Savannah’s pulse accelerated. Despite all the planning and work she’d done to get her business up and running, Savannah Soap Company and Heavenscents didn’t seem real to her yet. She suspected that having logos might change that.

“Welcome,” she said, opening the screen door. “Please come on in, you two.”

Sage tucked an errant strand of wavy red hair behind her ear, then gestured toward the porch steps. “It’s the three of us. Snowdrop is hoping that Inny would like a play date.”

“Of course. Inny would love …” Savannah’s voice trailed off as she got a good look at her neighbor’s dog. “Oh, my. What is that dog wearing?”

Sage flashed an unapologetic grin. “It’s her Easter dress. And hat, of course.”

The ensemble worn by the white ball of fur—a bichon frise—consisted of something that looked like a knit sweater with an attached tutu in pastel pink netting. The hat was a little straw bonnet tied with a ribbon. “Okay, then,” Savannah said, amused. “Guess you were hoping for a girl when you had your boy?”

Sage laughed. “No, Snowdrop’s outfits predate my marriage. They started as a joke between Colt and me, but now she wouldn’t be Snowdrop without her finery. Besides, she’s an excellent marketing tool because she draws children along with their parents into the gallery. She’s never as happy as when she is sitting in someone’s lap being petted. Everybody is relaxed, and I end up selling more.”

“Hmm …” Savannah cast a considering glance toward Inny. “I’ll have to keep that in mind. Maybe I could have a T-shirt made for Inny to wear that says ‘Smell me’ to advertise my pet shampoo.”

Interest lit Sage’s eyes. “You make pet shampoo, too?”

“I do. My grandmother loved her pets, and she had one dog that lived to get dirty and stinky. She figured out a recipe that worked to her standards, and she sent it off to the University of Georgia to make sure it was safe.”

“You’ll have to tell Nic. She’ll stock it at the clinic if you’d like. We like to do cross-marketing whenever possible.”

“I noticed the VISIT VISTAS sign beneath the portrait of the Callahans’ boxer hanging in her vet office.”

“Clarence. He’s so ugly that he’s cute. And he has the sweetest disposition. I can’t say the same about Cam’s Boston terrier, though. Have you crossed paths with Mortimer yet?”

“No.”

“Cam calls him the ‘Boston terrorist’ for good reason. He—”

Sage broke off abruptly when the baby let out a squeal, waved his arm, and the hammer went flying. “Dada! Dada!”

“Alex!” Sage scolded. “Don’t throw your toys.”

“My fault.” Colt Rafferty opened the back door and stepped into Savannah’s kitchen. “He saw me standing on the stoop and he was saying hello.”

Savannah watched with a twinge of emotion she refused to name as envy when Colt greeted his wife with a casual kiss, then bent to release the safety strap on the carriage and lift his babbling son into his arms. “Hey, Racer. Have you been a good boy for Mommy this morning?”

“Racer?” Savannah asked, curious.

“His initials are CAR,” Sage explained with a sigh.

“Racer Rafferty. He crawls at light speed,” Colt added. He nipped playfully at the boy’s fingers, then lifted his voice to speak above the giggles. “Your shelves are finished, Savannah. The paint needs the rest of today to dry, but tomorrow you’ll be good to go.”

“I can’t thank you enough, Colt.”

“Glad to help. We do that here in Eternity Springs. It’s the most neighborly place I’ve ever lived.” He glanced at his wife. “I need to stop by the Callahans’ and talk to Gabe about the rocking chair he wants me to build for one of his sisters-in-law. Want me to take the little man? You know Meg and Cari will want to play with him.”

“The Callahan twins are almost four. Alex is their own living, breathing doll,” Sage explained to Savannah. “I’ll be thrilled if you take him, Colt. I need to do some paperwork this afternoon, and that would make it so much easier.”

While the Raffertys spent the next few minutes making child care arrangements, Savannah led Snowdrop to the backyard. Inny barked an excited hello and the two dogs began to scamper. Savannah returned to the front room just as Colt and his son departed.

“We are still trying to find our way when it comes to balancing parenting and work,” Sage said, watching them go. “Nic and Gabe make it look so easy—with twins—that I thought Colt and I would have smooth sailing. Boy, was I naive.”

“Have you considered putting him into day care?”

“We have a babysitter lined up for him once tourist season starts and I need to spend more time at the gallery. The problem is that the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board has called Colt in to consult about last week’s plant explosion in Ohio.”

“Oh, the one that killed so many people?”

Sage nodded. “It’s just horrible. Thirty-three dead, sixty-seven hospitalized. He’s leaving tomorrow, and I’ll be on full-time mommy duty for at least the next two weeks, which is fine with me—except that I need to spend most of my time in the studio or I won’t be ready for my next show.”

“I’ll be happy to watch this little bit of sugar for you some while Colt is out of town, Sage.” A bittersweet memory washed over Savannah as she added, “I do have some experience with toddlers. My nephew lived with me when he was the same age as Alex.”

“Really? I’ll be thrilled to take you up on it. Thank you.” Sage reached out and gave Savannah a quick, friendly hug.

Instinctively Savannah stiffened. She didn’t like being touched—a remnant of the Emmanuel years.

Luckily, Sage didn’t appear to notice, and Savannah felt a wave of relief. The last thing she wanted to do was to offend her new friend.

“Now,” Sage continued, “let me show you what I’ve come up with for your logos. They’re only sketches, mind you, and if they’re not what you had in mind, don’t hesitate to say so. You won’t hurt my feelings.”

“I love your work, Sage,” Savannah said as the other woman flipped open her sketchbook. “I can’t imagine not … oh, wow.” In front of her were three different conceptualizations of the word Heavenscents done in shades of peach and blue. Each of them was wonderful, but Savannah’s eyes were immediately drawn to one with a halo hovering over the t. “I love them all, but the halo … it’s perfect. Just perfect.”

Sage beamed. “It’s my favorite, too. The font gives it a floaty feel, and the halo is fun. It’s inviting, and it suits a shop in Eternity Springs.”

“It suits me.”

“I figured it would. After all, you named your dog Innocent.” Sage flipped the page and continued, “I went with a different look for the Savannah Soap Company. Clean and natural, feminine but not frilly.”

“Simple. I love it, too, Sage.” The artist had taken her vague ideas and created something special and unique. Excitement swelled inside Savannah. After months—actually years—of planning, her dream was about to come true. “Again, I can’t thank you enough. These are wonderful, and you are wonderful, and your husband is wonderful. Your baby and dog are wonderful. Eternity Springs is the most wonderful place in the world.”

Laughing, Sage said, “Tell me what you really think.”

Savannah gave a bashful smile. “A little over the top, hmm?”

“Maybe a little. That’s okay, though. We are pretty wonderful, if I say so myself.” Sage glanced around the room and added, “Speaking of wonderful, I love the colors you’ve chosen to represent your business. Peach is so warm and inviting—it looks great on the walls. The complementary shade of blue you’ve used is the perfect accent color. With the fresh scents … I predict that people will come into your shop and linger. And buy.”

“Thank you. I’m glad you think so. That’s the idea.” Savannah couldn’t contain her enthusiasm as she outlined her plans for the store. “The entire downstairs will be open to the public. Most of my space will be devoted to the mail order portion of the business, since that’s where I’ll have most of my sales, but I’m not going to segregate the two aspects. I want retail customers to be aware of the mail order operation.”

Sage nodded thoughtfully. “For repeat business. The tourist who purchases your bath soap while on vacation and falls in love with it at home will know it’s easy to replenish her stock.”

“That’s the idea.”

“An excellent one. How do you intend to set up your displays?”

“I’m going to keep the look and feel of a residence, with home products displayed inside the home. I’m in the market for Victorian antiques, so if you know of a source …”

“I might. Have you been inside Cavanaugh House yet?”

“Is that the big mansion on the grounds of the spa resort?”

“At Angel’s Rest, yes.”

“I visited yesterday. It’s fabulous. The furnishings just in the lobby are enough to make me green with envy.”

“They’re original to the house. The owner, Celeste Blessing, has heaps more in storage. When she bought the property, the contents of Cavanaugh House were included. She’s away at an innkeepers’ conference now, but when she returns, you should talk to her. I’ll bet she’d be happy to sell you some things for Heavenscents.”

“It’s a lovely thought, but I’m sure I couldn’t afford them.”

“Talk to her. You might be surprised. Celeste has a way of working miracles for people. Knowing Celeste, she might commission some business from you, too. Angel’s Rest already has a signature line of lotions and soaps, but Celeste does like to stir things up fairly regularly. She may be ready for a change.”

The two women discussed that possibility and Savannah’s plans for a few more minutes, then Savannah presented Sage with the huge basket of lotions and soaps she’d prepared as a thank-you gift. Sage sifted through the contents, then beamed with delight. “Ooh, a lavender bath melt. That will be my reward for sitting through the Chamber of Commerce planning committee meeting tonight.”

“Are they that boring?”

Sage winced. “Oops. You are still planning to attend, aren’t you?”

“I was, but now I wonder …”

“They’re not horrible, I promise, and we really can use some new blood on the committee.”

“New blood? For what … ritual sacrifice?”

“Don’t be silly.” Sage crossed to the back door and called for Snowdrop, and after the dog bounded to her, she affixed the leash to her pet’s collar. She scooped up the gift basket, shot Savannah a grin, and added, “Although I’d think twice about bringing your pet chicken along.”

Zach strode into the Eternity Springs sheriff’s office with a dozen different problems rattling through his brain. Since his last day off a week ago, he’d dealt with one firestorm after another. He had a list of follow-up issues as long as his arm, and while the good citizen in him was glad to see Eternity Springs grow, he couldn’t deny that he missed the good old slow days. Spying his dispatcher, a sixty-eight-year-old salty-tongued wonder woman named Ginger Harris, he asked, “Have we heard back from Judge Landry about that warrant?”

“Not yet.”

Zach sighed. “I’ll call him again.”

Ginger held up a stack of yellow slips. “The phone has been ringing off the wall since Jeremy Paulson posted his video of a bear on his backyard trampoline online and it went viral. You have half a dozen interview requests from radio talk shows and cable news. They’ve made the connection that you won the Governor’s Award for heroism, so they’re wild to talk to you.”

Zach groaned as he hung his hat on the rack beside his desk. “I’m too busy for nonsense like that.”

“Mayor Townsend called with a special request that you at least give a couple interviews and mention that Eternity Springs is safe and we don’t have bears roaming the streets of the town. He’s afraid this publicity will hurt tourism.”

Zach propped his elbows on his desk, closed his eyes, and massaged his temples with his fingertips. He knew better than to speak the heresy that from his perspective, less tourism wasn’t such a bad thing. More people in town meant more people behaving badly, which meant more work for him. This spring break season was the worst he’d seen since he’d taken the sheriff’s job in Colorado. After four years working undercover infiltrating the methamphetamine trade in Oklahoma, he’d wanted—hell, he’d needed—a nice, laid-back, boring job. He’d had it, too, until Celeste Blessing revived Eternity Springs by opening Angel’s Rest.

Ginger set a stack of mail on his desk and asked, “Did you get any hits on the fingerprints from the burglary out at the Pulaski place?”

“Turns out they belonged to a houseguest who they had forgotten had visited.”

“That’s too bad.”

“Yep.”

“Any other leads?”

“Nope.”

“Well, now, that’s just splendid. Maybe I should call Jeremy and tell him to bring his video camera to the sheriff’s office.”

Zach lifted his gaze and scowled at her. “Excuse me? Why in the world would you say that?”

“Jeremy specializes in bear videos, doesn’t he? I see one great big angry one sitting in front of me.”

Zach bared his teeth and growled at her. Ginger laughed, then asked, “What can I do to help you, Zach?”

“Have we had any resumes arrive that seem promising?”

“I put two into your in-box. They’re the best we’ve received.”

The tone of her voice didn’t sound promising, but as he searched through his box for the résumés, Zach held out a glimmer of hope that at least one of these applicants would do. When he returned to the office following his day off a week ago, he’d learned that his deputy—a navy reservist—had been called to active duty. This, two weeks after his other deputy took a job in Durango. Since then he’d averaged only four hours of sleep per night, and he couldn’t keep up the pace much longer.

With the tourist season bearing down upon him—pun intended—he needed to hire help fast. If they did have an emergency, he’d be deputizing friends in order to deal with it, and that was no way to run a law enforcement office.

He scanned both resumes and remained underwhelmed. However, his in-box was beginning to resemble Murphy Mountain, and since Ginger had a point about his grizzly-bear attitude, he picked up the phone on his desk and called the first candidate. Martin Varney answered on the third ring and was happy to participate in a telephone interview with no advance notice.

Zach made notes on a yellow legal pad as he spoke to Varney. Concentrating on the conversation, he paid scant attention when the front door opened and Ginger rose to greet the man who stepped inside. Ten minutes later, encouraged by what he’d heard, Zach ended the call by inviting Varney to town for an in-person interview. Only when he hung up the phone did he tune in to the conversation between Ginger and the stranger. He frowned when he realized that his dispatcher was cooing.

The man was tall and athletic-looking, with dark hair and a face that Zach recognized, though it took him a moment of thought to place him. “Coach Romano?”

Zach followed college sports. Anthony Romano was an assistant men’s basketball coach for the University of Colorado.

“No, Tony is my brother. I’m Max Romano.”

“Max Romano,” Zach repeated. “So, you’re not the coach at Western State, either.”

“No. That’s Lucca.”

“You share a strong family resemblance.”

“True, but I’m better-looking,” Max fired back with the ease of an oft-stated claim. “I don’t coach basketball, either. I realize I don’t have an appointment, Sheriff Turner, but I’m hoping you have a few moments to spare? Ginger wasn’t certain.”

In fact, Ginger knew very well that he didn’t have the time, but obviously Romano had charmed her. “Is there a problem?”

Following an almost imperceptible moment of hesitation, he answered. “That’s what I’m hoping to find out. I’m on a fact-finding mission for our family. We have some questions.”

“Questions about what?”

This time Max Romano’s hesitation was noticeable. “Could we speak privately?”

Ginger’s eyes gleamed with curiosity, but she took the hint and picked up her purse. “I’ll make the lunch run now, Sheriff. You want your usual from Fresh?”

“That’ll be great, Ginger. Thanks.”

As his dispatcher slipped out the door, Zach gestured for Max Romano to take a seat in the chair opposite his desk. “So, what can I do for you?”

Romano sat, rested his elbows on his knees, and leaned forward, meeting Zach’s gaze with a serious, intent look. He seemed to choose his words carefully as he said, “I’d like to hear your assessment of what life is like in Eternity Springs.”

For this he needs a sheriff? “That sounds like something better suited to the tourist office. You should talk to—”

“You. I’m interested in what you have to say.”

“Why me?”

“I prefer to speak to the man who lives in the trenches, not someone who’s trained in talking points.” Romano pursed his lips. “Listen, Sheriff, I’ll cut to the chase. My family has troubling personal issues, and we think Eternity Springs might help us.”

Troubling personal issues? Zach went on guard, though he made sure to keep his expression blank. Personal issues had a way of becoming public issues, which often became his problem.

“You see,” Romano continued, “my father died earlier this year, and my mother is devastated. They were married thirty-two years, and her heart is truly broken. It’s been suggested to our family that an extended visit to the area might help Mother deal with her grief. Apparently Eternity Springs has developed a … reputation for, well, healing broken hearts.”

Nothing to concern law enforcement, then. Good. Zach cleared his throat. “Our resident wise woman says this valley has a healing energy.”

“Celeste Blessing.”

“You’ve met our Celeste?”

He shook his head. “Not yet. My sister has spoken with her. Apparently Ms. Blessing is quite the ambassador.”

“She is,” Zach replied. She was an uncannily good judge of character, too, and Zach’s concerns eased. “What exactly would you like to know?”

“I’d like you to tell me whatever you think someone moving to Eternity Springs should know. The real story, not the Chamber of Commerce talking points.”

Zach didn’t have time for this, but his job was partially political in nature, and this man’s brother was a minor celebrity in Colorado, so he tempered his annoyance. “And this someone would be your mother?”

“Actually, I have a lot of siblings. It’s very possible one or more of us will join our mother here.”

“I see. Would this be a seasonal stay—you’d be summer residents?”

“Mother is on an extended Mediterranean cruise with her sister, my aunt Bridget. She wouldn’t arrive here until the fall. It’s possible some of us might spend the winter here.”

“In that case, I’ll give you a year-round report. Most important as far as I’m concerned is that we only have one really good restaurant in town—the Yellow Kitchen—and the owner, Ali Timberlake, doesn’t like Mexican food, so you’re pretty much SOL if you crave enchiladas. Eternity Springs residents consider early March the best time to go on a warm-weather vacation, since that’s when winter weighs upon a man. Beyond those two things, I think it’s important to know that the pace of life here is slow, and in the winter it crawls. Not everyone is cut out for it.”

Romano studied Zach. “You like it here?”

“I do, but then I enjoy winter sports.”

“What if you’re not a sports enthusiast? Are there any book clubs in town?”

Zach nodded. “We have a book club and a quilt group and church groups. Honestly, people who live here are not any different from people who live elsewhere. We work, we play, we laugh, we love.…” Movement outside his office window distracted him momentarily and reminded him of that background check he’d yet to find time to make. Savannah Moore sashayed across the street carrying a brown lunch sack. When she took a seat on his favorite bench beside Angel Creek, another observation just rolled off his tongue. “We lust.”

He pulled his gaze back to Romano and found the man smirking. A little embarrassed, Zach brought his chin up. “Eternity Springs is a good place. It’s my job to make sure it stays that way. I hope I’ve been of some help to you, Mr. Romano. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back at it.”

“Of course.” Romano stood and extended his hand. “I appreciate your time and your insight, Sheriff.”

The man’s grip was firm and confident, his smile easy and genuine. Yet, as he sauntered out the door, Zach found himself frowning after him. Something about Max Romano made his trouble radar go off. What was it?

His gaze shifted back to the window and locked on the creekside bench where Savannah sat eating a sandwich. Maybe Romano wasn’t the source of his unease, after all. Maybe the visitor simply had been caught in the fallout from Savannah Moore.

“Barney freaking Fife,” he muttered, the bruise to his ego as annoying as it had been a week ago.

Since Zach had barely had time to breathe since then, he hadn’t found time to follow up on his questions about the Georgia peach. He would take care of that right now. He had asked Ginger to begin the process earlier that week, so he dug around for the note she’d left on his desk with sultry Savannah’s license plate number. He found the paper beneath a stack of faxes, turned to his computer, and went to work. Within minutes, he had confirmed that she was thirty years old and that Georgia was her previous state of residence.

Then a screen popped up that stopped him. “Well, hell.”

He drummed his fingers on his keyboard for a moment as he thought about what to do. Abruptly he deleted the form, then ran a criminal history check through the Colorado Crime Information Center and National Crime Information Center databases.

He got a hit and repeated, “Well, hell.”

Next he ran a QR, a query rap sheet. What came back had his stomach taking a nauseated roll. Son of a bitch. Right under his nose.

Ginger returned to the office with his lunch to find Zach staring blindly out the window. “What are you looking at, Zach?”

He let out a long, heavy sigh and spoke a single, heartfelt word. “Trouble.”