Chapter Twenty-One

Kate fluffed the pillows on the couch for the third time. The dinner dishes were done and put away. A pie was cooling on the counter, and the house smelled of caramelized butter, pecans, and fresh coffee. The doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” Paul said.

Kate went to the kitchen and put a cream pitcher and sugar bowl on a tray. The kettle whistled on the stove. She turned it off, then went to greet their guests.

“Welcome. I’m so glad you could come.” She shook hands with Gordon, feeling grateful he’d accepted their invitation. Still, he looked stiff and leery. He sat at one end of the couch.

Jessica gave Kate a hug, then sat down beside Trace on the love seat. He took her hand and held on tightly.

“Can I help you get things ready?” Monica asked. Kate caught her pleading look.

“Yes, thanks. You can help me serve the pie and drinks.”

Kate took orders for decaf coffee and tea, then she and Monica went to the kitchen.

“Thank you so much for inviting us over,” Monica said quietly when they were in the kitchen. “Jessica and I had a little talk. I think we broke the ice, but we’ve got a long way to go. I’m worried about Gordon, though. This whole thing is starting to take a toll on him, I’m afraid.”

“Is he ill?” Kate asked.

“I don’t think so, but he seems...I don’t know, moody. And I think he’s having stomach problems. I see him every once in a while just pressing his hand against his stomach like it hurts. I’m concerned about him, but he says it’s nothing. I’m worried it’s an ulcer. I read up on ulcers, and they can be dangerous if not treated. Stress makes it worse, and he’s extremely uptight over this wedding and Jessica’s marriage to Trace.”

“I’ve been praying for you and Gordon and Jessica. Maybe we can alleviate some of that stress tonight.”

“I hope so. I’m praying too.”

Kate cut the pie and put slices on plates while Monica added a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Then Kate poured three cups of coffee and three cups of tea.

When they’d served the group, Monica sat next to Gordon on the couch, and Kate took the empty chair, completing a circle around the coffee table.

“Would you mind if I ask a blessing on our time together?” Paul asked.

“Go ahead,” Gordon said. He bowed his head, as did the others.

“Father, I thank you for bringing us together here tonight. Be with us, Lord, and fill us with your loving Spirit. Bless this wonderful smelling pie to nourish us, and bless our fellowship together. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

“Amen,” Trace added.

It was silent for a moment, then there was a clink of metal forks against china plates.

“Delicious pie,” Gordon said. “Nothing in the world like good ol’ Southern pecan pie.”

“How about mid-Texas pecan pie,” Kate replied with her deepest drawl. She raised her eyebrows.

Gordon chuckled. “How could I miss that accent? I concede. Texas pecan pie is every bit as good as Southern Tennessee pie.” He seemed to relax then, which was exactly what Kate wanted. He set his empty plate on the coffee table and took hold of Monica’s hand.

“Kate’s one of the best cooks in the county,” Paul said. “We’ve had a lot of special gatherings around her cooking.”

“Yeah, they’re called family dinners,” Kate joked.

“I mess around in the kitchen a little, but I’ve never mastered pie crust,” Monica said.

“There are a few tricks. Mostly it takes practice,” Kate offered.

“I’ll stick to the frozen pies at the Mercantile,” Jessica said.

“I love chess pie from the Country Diner,” Trace said. “Reminds me of my mom’s custard pie, but richer.”

It was the first comment he’d made since he’d added an “amen” to Paul’s prayer. Gordon gave him a sharp glance but didn’t say anything. Jessica’s smile dimmed.

“I understand you spend quite a bit of time at your resorts these days,” Paul said, setting down his empty plate and looking at Gordon. “Will you be heading out again after the wedding?”

“Yes. We’ll be spending most of the winter in Hawaii.”

“It’s so beautiful there,” Jessica said wistfully. She glanced at Trace. “I love riding in the hills around the resort. It’s so lush, and there are miles of beaches.”

“It’s a beautiful setting, but I won’t be sorry to see it go,” Gordon said. “I’m getting too old for all this travel.”

Jessica turned a wide-eyed gaze on her father. “I didn’t know you’re selling Ho’okipa Shores.” She turned toward Trace. “My grandfather built the resort before I was born. It’s so beautiful there, and it holds so many memories. I’m glad we get to go there for our honeymoon before it’s too late.”

“It must take a tremendous amount of work to keep a resort up to date and in good repair,” Paul said.

“Too much work,” Gordon said. “Keeping good staff is a challenge too. Eventually I hope to pare down to one or two resorts. Then maybe we can spend more time in Copper Mill. Monica has talked about spending more time here ever since I met her.” He squeezed her hand.

Gordon stared at Jessica and Trace’s entwined hands and frowned. Then he looked down at Monica’s hand in his, and his frown eased. He turned to Paul. “I’ve got a threesome for golf Thursday afternoon. Would you like to join us?”

Paul barely blinked, though Kate was surprised by Gordon’s invitation.

“I’d like that,” Paul said, a bit concerned that Gordon was excluding Trace. “But I’d hate to slow you down.”

“It’s no problem,” Gordon persisted. “We’re not in any hurry. Monica has a crew coming in to work on the patio for the...for the wedding.” He glanced at Monica. “I figure that’s a good time to make myself scarce.”

“Smart man. Yes, then. Thank you,” Paul said, then glanced at Trace, who seemed not to be offended.

Monica glanced at Jessica, then Kate. “The preparations are coming together nicely, I think.”

Jessica nodded. “We’re working it out.”

“There’s one detail that hasn’t been taken care of,” Trace said, looking at Gordon. “Maybe this is the time...”

Gordon frowned. “What do you mean?”

Trace cleared his throat and sat forward on the edge of the love seat. “Sir, I never formally asked you for your daughter’s hand in marriage. We’d really like your blessing.”

“Please, Daddy,” Jessica said, giving her father a pleading look. She turned to her stepmother. “And Monica. We want you both to be happy for us.”

Kate saw Monica’s hand tense on her coffee cup. She was watching Gordon for his reaction.

Gordon took a deep breath, sitting up to his full height. His face reddened. Kate began to worry that he might be building up to a heart attack or something. She looked at Paul. He was watching Gordon too.

“I do appreciate your asking,” Gordon said. “But it’s a little too late. You should have come to me before you asked my daughter and got her hopes up.”

“Daddy—”

“I understand you found out that I looked into your background,” he told Trace, cutting Jessica off.

“Yes sir. I heard that.”

“You were accused of mishandling funds from a bank where you worked.”

Trace’s gaze never wavered from Gordon’s. “I wasn’t charged with any crime, sir.”

Gordon’s hard look didn’t waver. “You were lucky they didn’t press charges.”

“What happened at the bank was the result of an encoding error. It’s true it cost the bank a great deal of money, but I accepted full responsibility.”

“An encoding error?” Gordon shook his head. “You expect me to believe that? I know you graduated summa cum laude. You’re supposed to be an IT expert. You’re no doubt capable of decoding any kind of bank transactions or accounts and moving funds around.”

“Daddy!” Jessica jumped to her feet. “Trace never did anything like that.”

Gordon’s voice rose. “Jessica, you trust people too easily.” He glared at Trace. “You could do all that, couldn’t you? You have the ability, don’t you?”

Trace sighed. “If I was dishonest, I could have hacked into accounts that didn’t belong to me, but I’m not dishonest. Mr. Mackenzie, I did not steal money from anyone.” Trace paused. “Sir,” he continued, his voice steady, “I have files of financial records I’m willing to share with you. And I’ve already told Jessica I’d sign a prenuptial agreement. I want to earn your trust.”

“That’s all fine and good, Trace,” Gordon said, “but what about the bank? Can you prove to me you were innocent there? How do I know you didn’t steal Jessica’s money? Or that you’re not after mine?”

Trace didn’t speak; he just set his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his hands.

“Gordon.” Monica’s voice was soft and pleading. “A lot of people thought that about me, but you trusted me.”

“That’s different. I know you.”

“Jessica’s your daughter. She inherited your kindness and generosity. Why can’t you believe she also inherited some of your perceptiveness?”

Kate couldn’t help but inwardly beam at Monica’s standing up for Jessica and Trace. Gordon, however, didn’t seem convinced.

“I can’t take that chance,” he said. “I can’t stand to see her throw away her life.” Gordon stood. “I’m sorry, Jessica. You insist on this marriage, and you’re an adult, so I can’t stop you. But unless you can prove your trustworthiness, Trace, I can’t give you my blessing. Monica, we’ve got to go.”

He turned to Kate. “Thank you for the pie.” He turned to Paul and gave him a brief nod. “Thank you for your hospitality. I’ll see you on Thursday?”

“I’ll be there,” Paul said, standing. Kate noticed him trying to give Gordon a genial look, though his brow was wrinkled with concern.

Monica gave Jessica and Trace an apologetic look, then turned to Kate. Kate gave her a brief hug and whispered, “Keep praying.”

Monica nodded and then followed Gordon to the door. Paul saw them out.

Jessica buried her head against Trace’s shoulder and wept. He wrapped his arms around her and held her. She lifted her head and wiped her eyes.

“Isn’t there anything you can say to convince him?” she asked Trace.

He shook his head. “I’m sorry, honey. I’d give anything to help mend this rift between you and your father.”

“He’ll come around. Someday, I hope. And I think Monica’s coming around. Maybe she can convince him.”

Kate wanted to shake some sense into Gordon Mackenzie and make him see the misery he was causing his daughter and himself. She was more determined than ever to find the thief who stole Jessica’s trust fund.

KATE RAN ERRANDS early Tuesday morning. She got home in time for the FedEx delivery of supplies she’d ordered for her stained-glass projects. A large flat box contained a brass fireplace screen for a special order. Kate couldn’t wait to begin the project.

She was unpacking one of the boxes when the doorbell rang. Monica was at the door. She was wearing a workout suit and no makeup. Her hair was pulled back in a big clip, with ends sticking out all over. Kate was surprised. Even when they’d gone riding and when she’d seen Monica gardening, she’d looked put together, like part of a fashion magazine spread.

“Monica, hi. Is anything wrong?”

“I’m sorry to bother you, Kate.”

“No bother. I was just working in my studio. What’s up?”

“I need to talk to you about the wedding. Some plans have changed. I could talk to Renee, but I fear she would be too discouraged.”

“Oh?” Kate’s first thought was that the wedding was off, but she discarded that concern. Trace and Jessica were determined to get married, and they had family and friends coming from long distances. “Come on into the kitchen.”

“I don’t want to disrupt your work. I just need to bounce some things off of you, if you don’t mind. I can talk while you work,” Monica said.

Kate liked to work alone, without distractions, but she showed Monica into her studio anyway. Monica looked around. The room was neat. Kate always put her tools and supplies away. Several Christmas ornaments sat on the light table.

“May I pick them up?” Monica asked.

“Yes. They’re finished.”

Monica reached out for a frosted-glass angel holding a gold horn. “A herald angel?” she asked.

“Yes. I make all kinds of designs, but I love the ones that represent the spiritual side of life.”

“You do lovely work,” Monica said, looking around at the few samples Kate had out. She saw the screen on Kate’s worktable. “Is that a fireplace screen? Are you making stained-glass panels for it?”

“It’s a special order. It’s the only large order I’m accepting for Christmas. The customer wants a nativity scene to put in front of an electric fireplace.” Kate showed Monica her sketches. “The nativity will take up the center panel, with Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus at the bottom in bright jewel tones, and a cross and herald angels above. The side panels will have shepherds on one side and the wise men on the other.”

“Wow. That sounds like a museum piece.”

Kate laughed. “It won’t be quite that elaborate. I’m very excited about it, though.”

“I want to see it when it’s finished, and maybe order a screen for the house. I saw your window at the church. I enjoyed the service too. Maybe we’ll come again. At least I might come with Jessica and Trace.” She bit her lip. “I don’t know if Gordon will come.”

“I hope he’s all right.”

“Well...” Monica let out a breath. “This morning we got a call from Henry Balderson. The trustee of the estate?” Kate nodded. “Apparently, the Mid-Cumberland Bank and Trust notified him that another bank was looking into Jessica’s financial accounts.”

Kate raised her eyebrows. “How so?”

“Well, Henry didn’t know all the details because, as he put it, some Mid-Cumberland employees ‘aren’t the freshest bills in the bundle.’ But according to Henry, someone in Copper Mill has gotten into Jessica’s banking records.” Monica looked at Kate and hesitated before she spoke again. “All it took was a phone call to find out the name of the person who initiated the inquiry.”

“Oh no. Please tell me it’s not...” Kate slumped down in her chair.

“Trace Jackson.” Monica turned the stained-glass angel in her hand. “Gordon is livid.”

“But how did they track that information down?” Kate put her elbow on her worktable and held her head in her hand.

“All Henry knows is that Trace’s bank contacted Mid-Cumberland and requested the details of Jessica’s accounts.” Monica handed the stained-glass angel to Kate, who set it on her worktable. “Apparently, they wanted information not only about her trust fund, but also about her other accounts, investments, etcetera. Henry said that he’s going to get to the bottom of this, but in the meantime...Gordon has pulled the funding for the wedding.”

“Oh no.” Kate shook her head. “There has to be a mistake. Trace wouldn’t...”

Kate couldn’t finish her sentence. She wanted to trust Trace, but he had just admitted the night before that he could hack into banking software. And surely Henry Balderson wouldn’t have been notified unless it was true.

“Gordon’s refusing to shell out any more money for what he calls a farce of a marriage,” Monica said. She sighed and sat on the chair on the far side of the worktable.

“Poor Jessica,” Kate murmured.

“Well, I haven’t told her the whole story, just that Gordon is shrinking the budget because he thinks it’s gotten out of hand. Jessica didn’t seem to mind”—Monica chuckled dryly—“in fact, she seemed to agree. That girl has no concept of entertaining well. But I couldn’t tell her about the bank records and add to her distress. How is she going to handle learning that her fiancé has even more suspicion cast on him now?” She shook her head with resolve.

“I even convinced Gordon to wait until Henry sends us more solid information before he confronts Trace. Gordon said himself last night that Trace is really smart. Why would he do something that looks so incriminating when he’ll have access to Jessica’s money after the wedding?” Monica shook her head.

“There must be a logical explanation,” Kate said, her mind puzzling through this new conundrum. She couldn’t believe Trace would be so brazen.

“I agree. Besides, we can’t call off the wedding. Only Jessica can do that, and I doubt she will.” Monica sighed. “So for now, I’ve started making adjustments to the plans. I called this morning and canceled the flowers. I can’t cancel the dinner. That’s a must. We have all those out-of-town guests, and they have to eat, but I called the Bristol, and I can substitute chicken for the pheasant and save a bunch. It will be a stretch, but I think I can cover it.”

“Do you mean...”

“I have a little money of my own, and if Jessica’s intent on going through with the wedding, I’m going to do whatever I can to make this day special for her.”

Kate was thankful for Monica’s new attitude toward her stepdaughter. “I’ll do whatever I can to help too. Let’s see...If I remember right, you had prime rib and salmon on the menu, and you had appetizers. Maybe you could—”

“Well, not anymore. I hate to cut the hors d’oeuvres, but I don’t see a choice. That would cut down on food and servers.”

“I have an idea. Why don’t you ask Flora about her tea treats? She has some marvelous ideas for finger foods. I bet she’d love to help you.”

“Flora?” Monica frowned. “She doesn’t like me very much, I’m afraid.”

“I don’t know about that, but she loves Jessica, and I think she’d do anything to help her.”

“I guess I could ask. I’m willing to try anything at this point.” Monica combed her fingers through her messy hair. “I wish there were some way to have flowers too.”

“Have you ever been to Flora’s cottage?”

“No.” Monica shook her head. “I haven’t.”

“What do you say we pay her a visit?”