Thanks to his injury, Mitch was forced to take the next three weeks off work. He chose to spend them with Jill and the children, much to her delight. Tim was still acting as if he didn’t trust any adult to care for his siblings but there were times, like now, when his unnecessary concern came in handy.
She and Mitch were able to meet with Harlan and talk openly about the Pearson case because Tim was busy in the living room, showing Megan and Paul how to use the new teaching video Mitch had bought them.
“More coffee, Sheriff?” Jill asked, holding up the carafe.
“No, thanks. I’m fine. I just stopped by to fill you in on the latest.”
She came to stand behind Mitch and touched his shoulder. He covered her hand with his and left it there while they both listened.
“Natalie was the instigator. And the embezzler, just like we thought. She’d lost piles of money gambling and was doing everything she could to blame it on others.”
“Like the men Rob fired, you mean?”
Harlan nodded. “Particularly one of them. She’d cooked the books to make it look as if Vernon Betts was so old and addled that he’d made a bunch of costly mistakes. Now that it’s all been sorted out, Thad’s given Vernon his job back and says he’s the best worker he’s ever had.”
“Wonderful.” Mitch closed his fingers around Jill’s and smiled up at her. “The kids are doing well, too.”
“Looks like you all are,” Harlan said knowingly. “Are you interested in hearing more about who took Megan and where she was all that time?”
“It was the gamblers, right?” Jill said, glancing toward the doorway to make sure the children weren’t eavesdropping.
“Yup. It all made sense once I got the details sorted out. The woman who was babysitting Megan had no idea we were turning the town upside down looking for her. She’d been hired by Natalie’s crooked buddies to take care of the little girl for a few days. As soon as they got the forged papers they needed, they were planning to ship the baby out of the country just the way Natalie said.”
Jill felt Mitch’s shoulder quiver beneath her touch. She knew how he felt. The thought of that innocent little girl being sold like an animal was enough to unnerve the strongest person.
“Thank God we found out in time,” Jill said.
“Yeah.” Harlan nodded sagely. “I know a lot of folks claim there aren’t any more real miracles these days but this sure felt like one. Too many odd things came together just right for me to believe it was an accident that we figured everything out before it was too late.”
He drained his coffee cup and pushed away from the table. “Well, I guess that’s about it. Any other questions?”
“Only a couple,” Jill said. “What about the man who chased me through the forest?” She felt Mitch’s fingers tighten over hers as she added, “I’d hate to think he’s still out there.”
“He’s not. I convinced the gamblers that the DNA in the lost stocking cap matched one of their samples and they couldn’t wait to confess and blame each other.”
“You didn’t really have a match?”
“Not yet. Those tests can take months, especially if there’s no threat to life involved. Now we won’t have to worry about it.”
Mitch was shaking his head. “Okay, we know they were responsible for the bomb, too. But what about the second set of arson fires? Why did they set those?”
“They didn’t,” Harlan said, looking at Jill. “Remember a teenager you fostered about a year ago? His name was Gilbert.”
She nodded, thoughtful. “Of course. He had an unhealthy fascination with fire. That was one of the reasons I finally had to give him up.”
“Well, it turned out he was the one who snuck around and lit those little fires. He said he was jealous when he heard you’d taken in a couple of younger boys and he just wanted to make trouble.”
“So, all the threat is gone?” Mitch asked.
“Yup. Serenity has returned to Serenity.” The sheriff levered himself to his feet. “So, when are you two gettin’ hitched?”
“News travels fast in this town,” Jill said, grinning back at Mitch when he smiled at her. “I guess we shouldn’t keep everybody wondering. We’ve talked to Brother Malloy and it looks like he’ll be able to perform the ceremony before Thanksgiving. We’re looking forward to spending the holiday here, together.”
“The kids too?” Harlan asked.
Mitch answered, “Yes. We’re already like a family. If things work out the way we hope, we’ll be adopting them real soon.”
A collective squeal came from the direction of the doorway. Tim, Paul and Megan had overheard.
Mitch held out one arm toward them while Jill crouched next to his chair and did the same.
As the children gathered around her and the man she loved and they shared a mutual embrace, she realized that her fondest dreams had come true.
There was nothing more to say. They were a family.