Chapter 10
There was something seriously wrong with her, Ashlyn thought as she sat in the parking lot of the Winter Falls Tavern, the upscale restaurant where Jillian worked as a hostess the day she disappeared.
The fact that this was becoming a daily observation was starting to concern her, but something, mostly the fact that she started questioning her sanity after she met the man currently stumbling past her car, told her that he had something to do with it.
She watched as Shayne slapped his hand against an oak tree just as his legs threatened to give out, bent over and took a deep breath before turning an accusing glare on her.
At least he wasn’t dry heaving this time, Ashlyn thought as she reluctantly turned the car off and climbed out in time to watch him try to stand up only to bend back over and mutter, “Kill. Me.” Deciding to take this moment to regroup, Ashlyn made her way to the trunk of her car and went over everything that she’d learned the last time that she was here.
Ignoring the large man that was now hugging the tree and thanking God that he was alive, Ashlyn opened her trunk and grabbed her emergency bag.
After a quick search, she found the fake engagement ring that she used the last time that she was here.
She slid the ring on before closing the trunk and watched Shayne do whatever it was that he was doing and found herself wondering what the hell she was thinking when she agreed to this asinine plan.
She worked alone for a reason.
She didn’t trust anyone.
Not with her reputation, her clients, her business, or her life.
She liked being able to decide which cases she took, how she was going to handle them, and being able to change plans on the fly without anyone slowing her down.
She didn’t like anyone getting in her way, making her second-guess herself, having to worry about anyone screwing up the details, and she didn’t like distractions and there was no doubt in her mind that he was a distraction.
She’d lost count of how many times she’d found herself thinking about him over the past month when she should have been focused on her job. She’d never had that problem before and now, it was a constant battle just to get through five minutes without thinking about him.
She couldn’t understand it, but every minute that she was away from him left her feeling on edge, like something was wrong, like a part of her was missing, and when she was with him...
It wasn’t enough.
She didn’t like this overwhelming need to go to him, to be near him, or the fact that she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about him, and she hated this. But, right now, she didn’t have a choice, not if she was going to give Julia’s family the answers that they’d been waiting for. She just...
Christ, she had no idea why she took this case in the first place.
She normally avoided missing person cases, but there was just something about this case that had her breaking her own rules and she had absolutely no idea why.
She liked cases that had a deadline, paid well, and she knew without a doubt that she could solve.
This case was ten years old, there weren’t any witnesses, leads, or anything that she could work with and the family couldn’t afford her rate, but for some reason, she couldn’t say no.
“This would probably be a good time to go over the rules,” Ashlyn said, slipping back into work mode so that they could get this over with. She needed answers and as soon as she had them, she wouldn’t need the man currently glaring at her.
“There are rules?” Shayne asked, pushing away from the tree as he took in everything, from the lake to the incredibly beautiful waterfall spilling over large rocks into the lake below to the meticulously manicured lawn, hedges, and trees surrounding them before taking in the tavern that looked like it had been frozen in time.
“There are always rules,” Ashlyn said as she stood there, debating how she wanted to play this one out as she ran her eyes over him, taking in everything from his neatly combed jet-black hair, chiseled good looks, incredible build and clothes that fit him to perfection.
The glare was going to be an issue, but then again, she could work with that, Ashlyn decided as she released a shaky breath, nodded to herself, and slapped a smile on her face before she did what she had to do.
“What are ye doing, lass?” Shayne asked, unable to help but frown as he watched her take his hand in hers.
“Lowering my standards,” Ashlyn said as she gave his hand a gentle tug that had him reluctantly following her.
“I thought we were going over the rules,” Shayne said, adjusting his hold so that their fingers were entwined and she had to force herself to ignore just how good it felt to hold his hand.
“There’s really only one rule,” Ashlyn said as they made their way up the beautifully designed stone walkway lined with black pavers and white bricks.
“And that is...” Shayne said, letting his words trail off as she felt his thumb slide across the back of her hand in a soft caress.
“Don’t say anything,” Ashlyn said as the next caress of his thumb caused her breath to catch.
“Ye just want me ta look pretty, is that it?” Shayne asked in a teasing tone that had his brogue thickening and somehow managing to sound even sexier. God, she really was pathetic, Ashlyn thought as they made their way up the stone stairs leading up to the tavern.
“Pretty much,” Ashlyn said as Shayne released her hand so that he could open the door for her.
With a murmured, “Thank you,” she stepped inside only to be forced to bite back a soft groan when she felt his hand settle against the small of her back.
Needing to put some space between them so that she could think clearly, Ashlyn smoothly stepped out of his touch and focused on the sitting room that looked like it belonged in a nineteenth-century Victorian mansion.
In every corner, there was an oversized leather chair with a cast iron lantern on a small side table next to it, a fire burned low in the stone fireplace to her right and to her left was a built-in bookshelf lined with everything from Huckleberry Finn to Treasure Island.
An antique podium stood by the door to her left, leading to what appeared to be a casual dining room with a bar taking up the far right corner of the room and to her right was a dimly lit hallway leading to the coatroom and the restrooms.
She noted the loveseat across from her before she focused her attention on the framed pictures lining every wall.
The first few frames held sketches of the old tavern, the original blueprints for the main tavern, the official postings about town meetings, and old newspaper articles.
Old photos of the McClellan family quickly followed along with pictures of the staff over the years, starting from the 1860s.
As she moved around the room, the pictures began to tell the story of the tavern.
Ashlyn watched as stoic employees wearing drab clothing slowly changed, became brighter, and employees began smiling.
There were photos of every holiday event, pictures of smiling children sitting on Santa’s lap, Easter Egg hunts, Mother and Father’s Day brunches, Fourth of July celebrations, fall festivals, Thanksgiving meals, customers bringing in the New Year, weddings, graduations, and big celebrations.
There were also framed menus showing the changes over the years from simple meals like lamb stew to filet mignon and caviar.
She took in the framed awards, the letters thanking the McClellan family and the staff of the Winter Falls Tavern for everything they did for the community only to stop when she came across the large picture in loving memory of Jillian Mathers smiling down at her.
“I still can’t believe she’s gone,” came the softly murmured greeting that drew her attention to her right to find a man with warm brown eyes and a sad smile standing next to her.
“Did you know her?” Ashlyn asked, quickly noting that Shayne was nowhere to be found before running her eyes over the man standing next to her and taking in everything from his neatly combed dark hair, tailored suit and silver name tag, letting her know that he was none other than Caleb McClellan and focused back on the memorial plaque in Jillian’s honor.
“She was a few years older than me. I think she was sixteen, maybe, seventeen when she came to work here,” Caleb said as he reached over and straightened the plaque.
“She was too damn kind for this world. She always had a smile on her face and spent hours humoring my grandfather, listening to his stories about the war, the Depression, and his love for a good cigar.”
“She sounds wonderful,” Ashlyn said as she moved to her right, taking in the news article about the memorial scholarship set up in Jillian’s honor.
“She was,” Caleb said, joining her. “I don’t think anyone ever got over her loss.”
“Did they ever find the man who did it?” Ashlyn asked, keeping her tone sympathetic as they continued slowly making their way around the room.
“Patrick Stevenson, a hitchhiker who helped my father with a flat tire and later became our groundskeeper. He stayed in one of the old lodging rooms upstairs,” Caleb said, taking her by surprise.
“He worked here?” she asked as they made their way past the fireplace, taking in the collection of muskets and bayonets secured to the wall above the mantel.
“Unfortunately,” Caleb said, his tone laced with regret. “The police kept that part out of the report, believing that they were protecting the reputation of the tavern. Most people believe that he was just a hitchhiker passing through town who happened to come across a pretty girl in the woods.”
“But that’s not what happened,” Ashlyn said as they came to the hostess’ podium.
“No, it’s not,” Caleb said with a sad smile as he pulled a thick white envelope from the podium and handed it to her. At her questioning look, he said, “Maria said that we ran out the last time that you were here,” with a pointed look at the engagement ring on her finger.
“She has a good memory,” Ashlyn said as she glanced down at the thick envelope in her hands marked, Winter Falls Tavern Wedding Planner.
“Yes, she does,” Caleb said with a fond smile as the woman in question joined them. “Please let me know if you need anything,” he said as he made his way into the dining room, leaving her standing there, unable to help but wonder where Shayne went.