CHAPTER THREE

Rachel was sitting at one of the tables at Annie and Dylan’s wedding reception. The newlyweds were dancing their first waltz of the night. She smiled as Dylan spun Annie into a very unwaltz-like move.

Their wedding had been beautiful. Pastor Stevens had officiated, saying some of the loveliest words she’d ever heard. More than once, she’d glanced across the church at John, watching his reaction to the simple vows that had been spoken. She’d thought about him and the card his daughter had made, for longer than she should have. Bella seemed to be happy around her dad. She smiled and laughed and did all of the things a normal eight-year-old would do. But there had to be something missing in Bella’s life for her to want to find a bride for her father.

Rachel hadn’t worked out what was missing, and she wasn’t sure it was a good idea to try. She’d enjoyed John’s company last night, maybe a little too much. He’d seemed to enjoy her company, too, and had looked almost disappointed when she’d gone home with her friends.

But with a wedding the next morning and a bride who was stressing about every last thing, leaving Charlie’s Bar and Grill early had been the best thing she could have done.

Rachel saw her friend Molly move around the dance floor. She was taking photos of Annie and Dylan. They would be beautiful images, capturing everything that was special about today.

“It will be our turn to dance soon.” Tess sat in an empty chair beside Rachel. Her pale blue dress, an exact replica of Rachel’s, fell in soft folds around her legs. “They look so happy.”

Rachel nodded. “It’s been an amazing day. Has Logan decorated their car, yet?”

“They finished what they needed to do about ten minutes ago. I’m not sure Dylan’s going to appreciate the tin cans and balloons attached to his get-away car.”

The get-away car was a Porsche. Logan had decided that Dylan needed to start his married life in style. So he’d replaced Dylan’s truck with a silver Porsche and made sure that the hotel they were staying in had secure parking. Tomorrow morning, the newlyweds were flying to Ireland for their honeymoon.

The song that had been playing ended and Tess stood up. “Come on, twinkle toes. Let’s find Jeremy so that you can show everyone what a star you both are on the dance floor.”

Rachel jumped to her feet and looked around for the groomsman she’d been partnered with. She loved dancing, and Jeremy, after a little bribery, had agreed to practice with her. After six weeks of intensive dance therapy, he’d perfected the waltz and foxtrot as much as he was ever going to.

Tess smiled. “Logan’s walking toward us with Jeremy. Sally’s already on the dance floor and Molly’s putting her camera down.”

Rachel looked at Tess and sighed. Tess’ extra height definitely came in handy when she wanted to look around a crowded room. Rachel wasn’t exactly short, but at five-foot-four, her friends all towered over her.

As soon as Jeremy was close enough, he swung her into a turn. Rachel’s skirt billowed around them and she laughed at the cheeky grin on his face. She squeezed his hand and smiled. “Are you ready to dazzle all of the adoring young women here?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be. Make me look good.” And with that last remark, they were off. Jeremy stepped into the 1-2-3 pattern easily, waltzing his way around the dance floor like a seasoned pro.

Even though he looked relaxed, she could feel the tension in his shoulders and arms. “Relax. You know what you’re doing. Enjoy the moment.”

Jeremy’s shoulders dropped a little, but he was still holding himself ramrod straight. “It’s easy for you to say,” he whispered. “You haven’t got Debbie Adams staring at you.”

“I take it Debbie is the girl you’ve been dating?”

“Was dating. She decided there wasn’t a future for us.”

Rachel could hear the disappointment in his voice. “I’m sorry. I know how much you liked her.” Whenever Debbie’s name had come up in a conversation, Jeremy changed the subject and blushed beet red.

“It doesn’t matter.” He glanced at Rachel and sighed. “Okay. It does matter, but I’m trying hard to hide it. Will you do me a favor?”

“Is this on top of making you three batches of triple fudge brownies and a Christmas cake?”

“That was for taking dancing lessons with you. This is more important.”

“You want a dozen cupcakes, too?” Rachel teased.

Jeremy shook his head. “No, but if you’re feeling sorry for me, you could always throw some in. This is about Debbie. If you see her walking toward me, come and save me.”

Rachel was having a hard enough time staying away from John. Keeping Jeremy and his ex-ladylove in sight, as well as John, would be a challenge. “You might have to dance with me more often.”

Jeremy relaxed. “We’ll be each other’s decoy.”

She glanced quickly at Jeremy.

“I can read you like a book. You’ve been watching the tall blond guy all day.”

“I have not.”

Jeremy snorted. “Of course you haven’t. The little girl he’s got with him is sweet.”

“That’s his daughter, Bella.” John had sat in the front row of the church with his daughter beside him. Bella’s attention had mostly been on Annie, but every now and then, she’d grin at Rachel.

“I read a newspaper article about him a few months ago. John Fletcher is one wealthy guy.”

“Money isn’t everything,” Rachel muttered.

Jeremy’s shoulders tensed again. “Debbie alert on your right. I’m heading left.” He did a quarter turn and started moving away from the dance floor.

“You’re going to have to get used to seeing her at some stage,” Rachel said softly. “Bozeman is a small place.”

“I’m good at hiding.”

Rachel believed him. If Jeremy put his mind to something, there’d be no stopping him. If hiding was the only way he could figure out his feelings for Debbie, then maybe that was okay. “You know that you can’t hide forever?”

“I don’t need to. Debbie told me she’s leaving Bozeman next April.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“I’m trying not to feel anything. Does that answer your question?”

Rachel smiled at someone she knew. “It does. And as long as you keep me away from John, I’ll be your wingman with Debbie.”

Jeremy stepped into a sharp quarter turn. “You gotta warn me sooner if you want to avoid someone. John was on his way over here. Hold on tight, we’re about to move as fast as this song can take us.”

And before Rachel knew what he was doing, Jeremy had whisked them off the dance floor and straight onto a covered balcony. “Are you sure you haven’t done this before?” she asked as he opened the door.

Jeremy pulled her through the doorway and closed the door. “This is a walk in the park compared to what I’ve done.”

Rachel wrapped her arms around her waist. It might be a walk in the park for Jeremy, but it was winter. Snow was falling beyond the covered balcony and it was cold. If they didn’t get back inside soon, they’d end up with hypothermia.

She felt something tug on her skirt. She looked down at a little girl with big, brown eyes and knew that John wouldn’t be far away.

 

***

John didn’t often panic, but he could feel his heart thumping against his chest. Bella had been beside him the entire afternoon. She’d sighed when the bridal party had walked down the aisle, straining against his hand as she’d tried to get closer. She hadn’t stopped staring at Annie’s lace and satin wedding dress all afternoon.

While he’d been talking to one of Dylan’s relatives, Bella had slipped away. She’d disappeared into the middle of the reception venue as easily as a pat of butter melting on a hot skillet.

For the first five minutes, he hadn’t been too worried. Then five minutes stretched to ten and panic had set in. He’d walked quickly around the room, peering under tablecloths and behind the white curtains that had been draped along the walls. He’d even checked the bathrooms, shocking an elderly woman as she’d come out of one of the stalls. And he still couldn’t find Bella.

He’d seen Rachel on the dance floor, drifting through the other couples with one of the groomsmen. As soon as she’d seen him, she’d disappeared. He didn’t have time to wonder why she was avoiding him. Bella was missing and he needed to focus on where she could be.

He took his cell phone out of his pocket and hit speed dial. “It’s me. Bella’s missing. Watch all exits. Tell Tank to check everyone leaving the building.”

He nodded at the short response he got from Tanner and put his phone away.

“Are you okay?” John spun toward Dylan. His mind was still on Bella, thinking of all the things that could have happened to her.

“I’ve lost Bella.”

“How long has she been missing?”

He checked his watch. Damn. “Twenty minutes.” She could be out of Bozeman by now, heading toward the Canadian border in a truck, or sitting in a plane, ready to fly out of the country. He looked around the room, then back at Dylan. “Are you using any other rooms in the building? Maybe an audiovisual office or a storage room that isn’t obvious?”

“Come with me.” Dylan started walking across the room. “The AV room is over here. One of the staff set everything up this morning. He’s coordinating the sound system, lights, and data projector from in here until we cut the cake.” Dylan threw the door open.

The guy sitting in front of the sound system leaped out of his chair. “You nearly gave me a heart attack. What’s wrong?”

John scanned the room. “Have you seen a little girl? She’s eight-years-old.” He held his hand at hip level. “She’s about this tall, curly brown hair and big brown eyes.”

The AV guy shook his head. “No kids have been in here all day. Do you want me to call the front reception desk? They could keep an eye on everyone who comes and goes.”

Dylan told him to make the call while John left the room.

Within seconds, John was back on the dance floor, weaving through the couples who were oblivious to what was going on. On the far side of the room, a white curtain billowed into the air. It was November and freezing cold. No one would have been outside unless there was another reason they were there.

He rushed toward the curtain and frowned as one of Dylan’s groomsmen walked through the French doors. Rachel followed him.

For a split second, the skirt of her dress caught on the wind, hiding the child beside her. John didn’t need to see the face of the person holding Rachel’s hand to know it was his daughter.

He ran to Bella and hugged her tight. “Where have you been?” He didn’t wait for her to reply. She was shivering in her dress. He took his jacket off and wrapped her in its warmth. “I’m taking you over to the fire. Are you okay?”

Bella nodded. “I’m sorry, dad. I went outside to watch the snow and the doors locked behind me. No one could hear me knocking on the glass.”

He picked Bella up and walked quickly across the room. Rachel and the groomsman didn’t follow him. He’d find them later and thank them for finding Bella.

He sat in one of the high-backed chairs and held his daughter close. “Don’t worry about being locked outside. You’re safe and that’s all that matters.” With Bella sitting on his lap, he called Tanner. “Stand down. Bella’s safe.”

A flash of blue silk caught his eye. Rachel was walking toward them with a blanket and a takeout cup in her hands. She put the drink on the floor and shook out the fluffy blanket. “Put this around Bella. It will help keep her warm.”

When the blanket was tucked around his daughter, Rachel handed Bella the cup. “It’s hot chocolate. It will warm you up from the inside.”

Bella glanced at John. He nodded and she carefully took the drink out of Rachel’s hands. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Rachel said softly. She glanced at John and he saw the understanding in her eyes. If she knew the full reason why he’d panicked when Bella had gone missing, she wouldn’t be so calm.

“Are you okay?” Rachel asked.

John nodded. “I am now. Thanks for finding Bella.”

A red blush hit her pale cheeks. “It was lucky that Jeremy and I were outside.”

Disappointment dragged its heavy feet against John’s heart. He’d never bothered to ask Rachel if she was dating anyone. He didn’t know her any better than most of the people in Bozeman. What she did with her personal life wasn’t anything to do with him.

Her blush got a whole lot redder. “Jeremy was helping me too…” Her voice petered out. “Jeremy’s gone to tell the manager about the door. The lock’s broken. Bella couldn’t get back inside.” She kneeled down in front of Bella. “Are you feeling better?”

Bella nodded. “Dad’s keeping me warm.”

Rachel’s gaze locked on his. Her blue eyes widened before she glanced at Bella. “Dad’s are good at that. Do you need anything else?”

Bella shook her head. Her mouth popped open when Annie rushed over to her.

“Dylan told me what happened. Are you all right, Bella?”

Bella looked at Annie with such utter devotion that John almost smiled. She pushed the blanket away and slid off his legs. John took the drink out of his daughter’s hands before it spilled over Annie’s dress.

“You look beautiful.” Bella’s voice was soft and sweet. Her hand reached out to gently touch Annie’s dress.

Annie smiled and kneeled down. She held the skirt of her dress toward Bella. “My dress is made from champagne silk. My friend Emily made it for me. The lace came all the way from Italy. If you look closely, you can see little beads stitched in the pattern.”

Bella’s fingers ran across the lace on Annie’s dress. John hoped like crazy that her hands were clean.

Annie didn’t seem to mind. She pulled her veil forward and showed Bella the silver thread that had been sewn along the edge.

“Did your friend make your veil, too?” Bella asked.

Annie nodded. “She’s very clever. Would you like to try and catch my bouquet?”

Bella looked at him. Her eyes were glowing with excitement. He opened his mouth to tell her he couldn’t let her out of his sight. He knew she’d be disappointed, but he’d nearly lost her once and he didn’t want to lose her again.

“I could hold her hand.” Rachel caught his gaze and held it. “She’ll be safe with me.”

John glanced at Bella, then back at Rachel.

“Please, dad. I’ll be really careful. I’ll stay with Ms. McReedy and I won’t move from beside her.”

Rachel didn’t say anything. She waited for what he had to say. “Okay. But I’ll be on the edge of the dance floor. We’ll go home after you’ve finished.”

Bella turned to Rachel and held her hand out. “Let’s go, Ms. McReedy. Do you think I’ll be able to catch the bouquet?”

Rachel smiled. “It depends on where you stand. If you want to catch the bouquet, you stand at the front of the group. If you don’t want to catch it, you stand at the back.”

Bella looked up at Rachel, a hopeful look in her eyes. “Where are we going to stand?”

“We’ll go to the front.”

A grin as big as the moon filled Bella’s face. John didn’t know where Rachel would have normally stood, or if she would have been there at all. But he was grateful for her thoughtfulness.

“I guess I’d better get a move on, then.” Annie gathered the skirt of her dress in her hands and stood up. She leaned down and whispered something in Bella’s ear.

Bella tugged on Rachel’s hand and whispered something in her ear. Rachel nodded, then looked at him. “We’ll be back soon.”

John watched them move toward the dance floor. He picked up the blanket and Bella’s half-full cup of hot chocolate. Tonight hadn’t been as stress-free as he’d imagined.

Most weddings had moments when something didn’t go to plan. But in his case, if something didn’t go to plan it could be deadly.

 

***

The next afternoon, Rachel passed Tess an envelope. They were sitting in Tess and Logan’s loft, the space that had become the official Bridesmaids Club headquarters. “This letter arrived last week. Can we help the bride?”

Tess read the letter and nodded. “The bride lives in Bozeman and can come in next week for a fitting. The only thing I’m not sure about are the bridesmaids’ dresses that she wants. I’ve got a feeling the Cinderella Collection dress went to another bridesmaid last Thursday.”

While Tess checked their database, Rachel walked over to a rack of dresses. They’d divided the bridesmaids’ dresses into four different collections. The Cinderella, Grace Kelly, Exotic, and Winter Romance Collections filled the room to overflowing with color and sparkle.

Of all of the collections, the Cinderella dresses were Rachel’s favorites. With big, puffy skirts and pretty beads, the bridesmaids’ dresses were everything Rachel had dreamed about since she’d been a little girl.

She pulled one of the dresses off the rack and sighed. “When Sally gets married I’m wearing this dress.” Sally was one of their friends and another Bridesmaids Club organizer. Her wedding was supposed to be before Christmas, but they’d postponed it until March of the following year.

Tess looked up from her computer. “Isn’t that the dress that arrived two weeks ago?”

Rachel nodded. The dress was made from a deep blue-green silk. With a full skirt and the loveliest sweetheart neckline Rachel had ever seen, it was romantic without being too gushy, feminine without being frilly.

Tess walked across the room and touched one of the sleeves. “It would look amazing on you. Why don’t you take it home so that it doesn’t get taken by someone else?”

Rachel shook her head. “It wouldn’t feel right. What if someone else wants it?”

“We’ve got plenty of dresses for other bridesmaids to choose. You might as well take it home in case it someone else takes it.”

Rachel bit her bottom lip. “Are you sure no one else will mind?”

“Of course they won’t.”

“I’ll bring it back after the wedding.” Rachel held the dress in front of her and looked in the full-length mirror. Everything about the dress was so perfect that she couldn’t believe she’d be wearing it.

Tess pulled another dress off the rack. “You don’t need to bring it back. We’ve got too many dresses as it is. And speaking of options - here’s the dress one of our Bozeman bridesmaid’s wants to wear.”

Rachel draped her dress over a chair and headed back to the letter they’d been reading. “I’ll find the other dresses and put them in the closet for their fitting.”

The next dress was from their Winter Romance Collection. Everyone had been happy when the weather turned cold and more bridesmaids wanted dresses from this collection. Fur trim, capes, and full, heavy skirts were part of this collection’s design. There was only so much room in Tess and Logan’s loft, and these dresses would have taken up most of the racks if they put everything out.

While Rachel looked for the next dress on the list, Tess hunted through the Grace Kelly Collection.

“Tell me how it felt to catch Annie’s bouquet?”

Rachel ignored the teasing note in Tess’ voice. She looked for the next dress, determined not to spoil a perfectly good day by thinking about John Fletcher.

“I didn’t catch the bouquet. Bella did.”

“You were holding her in your arms. I’d say it was a combined effort.”

“Maybe, but the bouquet never touched my hands.” She lifted a dress off the rack and put it over her arm. After they’d caught the bouquet, Annie had made a big fuss about her catching it with Bella. What Annie didn’t bother telling everyone, was that she’d told them to stand under the chandelier. The bouquet had been aimed straight at them, cruising at supersonic speed toward Bella’s outstretched hands.

Rachel glanced at the rack of dresses, looking for gown number forty-six. “Bella was happy.”

“Was her dad?”

Rachel didn’t know if John had been happy or not. She’d felt his eyes on her the whole time she’d been with Bella. She’d met parents who were overprotective of their children, but he took it to a whole new level. “Do you think it was odd that he kept Bella so close to him the whole day?”

Tess pulled another dress out of the Grace Kelly Collection. “I didn’t notice what he was doing. But it’s winter and it’s been snowing. Bella was lucky you went outside. Otherwise, she might have been in trouble. While we’re talking about last night, why did you go outside in the first place? It was freezing.”

“Jeremy wanted to get away from his ex-girlfriend.” Rachel picked up the dresses they’d taken off the racks and walked into their changing area. She hated stretching the truth, even if it was half true. But there was no way she’d tell Tess the other reason she’d been on the balcony.

Keeping her distance from John wasn’t exactly a sensible and mature thing to do. Bella seemed happy around her dad. He looked after her, made sure she was okay. It was easy to see that they were close. If Bella was lonely, it didn’t show. Her dad, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter. Rachel didn’t know what to make of him.

By the time she left the changing area, Tess had put another two dresses aside. “Has Logan told you anything about John Fletcher?” Rachel asked.

Tess picked up a pen and started crossing numbers off the list in front of her. “Only that he’s incredibly wealthy.” She put the pen down and looked at Rachel. “We don’t need Logan to tell us about John.”

“What do you mean?”

Tess walked across to her computer and started tapping on the keyboard. “John Fletcher is rich and gorgeous. There has got to be something about him on the Internet.”

Rachel stood beside Tess and watched pages open and close in quick succession. “You know what you’re doing.”

“I was a model. I used to live and breathe the media. The girls I lived with were obsessed with making sure their photos were spread across as many sites as possible.” Tess pointed to the page she’d downloaded. “Here you go. It looks as though John Fletcher’s been busy. He received the Businessman of the Year Award in New York last month.”

Rachel read the news article. “His wife died in a car accident? That must have been terrible.”

“It’s probably why he left the military,” Tess said quietly. “Bella would have been a baby.”

Rachel read the rest of the story. Her heart felt sad when she thought about what he must have gone through. “How did he manage to raise Bella and start a company?”

“With a lot of hard work and help from other people. Did you know that he’s looking for a tutor for Bella?”

“And you’re telling me this, because…?”

Tess rolled her eyes. “You’re working odd hours as a substitute teacher. Your full-time contract doesn’t start for a couple of months. I’d bet you anything that John will be paying a better hourly rate than Bozeman Elementary School.”

“I like my job. Even if he is paying more, money isn’t everything.”

“What about the deposit you’re saving for your first home? You could put a lot more money in the bank if you worked for John. Besides, you like Bella. What’s not to like about the job?”

“I’m not working for John Fletcher,” Rachel said firmly. “He could choose anyone he wants to teach Bella. I don’t even think he likes me.”

Tess' eyebrows shot up. “Are you kidding? He didn’t take his eyes off you when you were holding Bella on the dance floor.”

“He was watching Bella.” Rachel picked up the two dresses Tess had put aside. “Just because you’ve found your happy-ever-after moment with Logan, it doesn’t mean that the first man who looks at me is my happy-ever-after man.

Rachel knew that something would have come second in John’s life while he was building his company. That something must have been his daughter. “I’m not interested in someone who thinks money is more important than family.”

“You don’t know if that’s true. He could be a good guy.”

Rachel looked at the dresses in her arms. “There’s more chance that he isn’t.”

“What about Bella? If she’s as unhappy as you think she is, then maybe you could help her?”

“I don’t think she’s unhappy. And even if she is, the only person that can help her is her father.”

Tess sat back in her chair. “Are you sure?”

Rachel knew that The Bridesmaids Club had helped women with more than dresses. They’d changed people’s lives with a little kindness and a helping hand. Bella was worried about her dad. The only person that could help Bella was John. A teacher with a soft spot for big brown eyes wouldn’t be able to solve Bella’s problems and neither would The Bridesmaids Club.

Rachel held the dresses tighter. “John needs to talk to Bella. I can’t help them.”

Tess picked up the list in front of her. “I think you’re being stubborn. Bella asked for our help and you’re the best person for the job.”

Rachel’s eyes narrowed. “If you’re worried about Bella, you could always help her yourself.”

Tess smiled. “Nice try, Ms. McReedy, but I’m not a teacher. If anyone can help Bella, it’s you. John Fletcher isn’t the only person that needs to work out what’s important.”

Tess ignored the glare that Rachel sent her way. Bella might be looking for a bride for her father, but Rachel wouldn’t be helping her.

John Fletcher wasn’t looking for a wife. He was trying to conquer his habit of frowning to make his daughter happy. The only other thing he needed to do was slide a teaching contract under someone’s nose. With the money he’d be offering he could afford the best teacher in the whole country.

Before he knew it, he’d have a happy daughter, the perfect tutor, and a face that didn’t get premature wrinkles.

It was a win-win situation for everyone.

 

***

John slowly lifted himself off the edge of Bella’s bed and looked down at his daughter. Her long, dark lashes fluttered against her cheeks. She turned in her sleep, cuddling her favorite soft toy close to her chest.

They’d spent the day with his brother, sliding down one of the hills on his ranch, making snowmen and Christmas angels, and anything else had Bella wanted to do. After more than one game of Scrabble and a dinner of homemade pizza, Bella had arrived home tired, but happy. She’d put her pajamas on and crawled into bed, ready for the beginning of her favorite book.

John had read Anne of Green Gables so many times that he could almost recite the whole story word-for-word. They’d only just made it to the end of chapter four before Bella fell into a deep sleep. He kissed the top of her head, pulled her blankets up so that she didn’t get cold during the night, and tiptoed out of her room.

Halfway along the hallway, he reached down and turned the night-light on. The soft pink glow lit the way to the bathroom. It gave Bella a sense of security, an independence she wouldn’t have had without it.

He looked at the book in his hand, then back at Bella’s room. He didn’t want to risk waking her up, so he took it into the living room and left it on the coffee table.

It was eight-thirty on Sunday night. Snow had been falling for the last four hours, coating everything with a deceptive picture-perfect veneer. Regardless of what they’d have to do tomorrow to dig their way out, it was the kind of evening that he’d always enjoyed.

Part of that enjoyment came from his parents. He’d grown up in a Scrabble-crazy house. On nights like this, he’d played Scrabble with his mom, dad, and brother until they were ready for bed. They’d test each other’s word-building abilities, double-check his mom’s creative use of words with their favorite dictionary, and groan their way through the hundreds of three letter words their dad could make.

But that was more than half a lifetime ago. If he’d been able to look into a crystal ball and see what was in store for his family, he might have treasured those times more than he had.

He walked into the kitchen, poured himself a coffee, and looked out of the window. Pitch black nothingness stared back. He turned the radio on, listened to the latest weather forecast, then turned it off when someone started singing about falling in love.

As he walked past the kitchen table, he picked up his new house plans. For the last twelve months, he’d been renting the home they were living in. He could have stayed with Grant in their parents’ old home while he decided where he wanted to live. But he had a business to run and living forty minutes from town wouldn’t have worked.

A month ago he’d bought a parcel of land overlooking Emerald Lake. With its amazing lakefront views, the mountains surrounding them, and the open fields in front of the building site, it was one of the most incredible places he’d ever seen. The three thousand acre development was split evenly between four owners. With only one house allowed per property, it was the kind of place that he’d dreamed about for years.

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and answered the call.

“You got home okay?” Grant’s voice echoed down the phone.

“It was slow. We got through just before they closed the road. Thanks for today. Bella loved it.”

“Bella loves everything about the ranch.” John could hear the smile in his brother’s voice. “You should move out here over the Christmas break. We might get snowed in, but there are lots of things to do in this big old house.”

“Thanks for the offer, but we’ll be all right.”

“If you change your mind, you know where I am. Did Auntie Betty get in contact with you?”

Betty Fletcher was their dad’s sister. Since their parents death ten years ago, she’d become their main contact for what was happening with the rest of the family. She was the only person in three living generations who was interested in preserving the stories passed down from one family member to another.

John checked his phone. “Nope. What did she want?”

“She’s ready to publish the book about our family history. Send her an email telling her how many copies you want.”

“Do you think she included the story about Great Aunt Nellie’s ghost?”

Grant laughed. “Probably. I haven’t seen much of Nellie in the last few months. It must be too cold for her.”

A gust of wind tore across the roof of John’s home. The shingles rattled and banged making him wonder if Great Aunt Nellie had heard them laughing.

“You still there?” Grant asked.

“Yeah. The weather’s getting worse.”

“It’ll get a lot worse before the storm’s over. Have you made that phone call you said you’d make?”

“Not yet.” John had told Grant about Rachel, about the conversation he wanted to have with her.

“She’ll be back at school tomorrow. You should call her now.”

“It can wait another day.”

“Bella needs a tutor. This weather is going to make her go stir crazy if you leave Mrs. Daniels in charge. Call the teacher tonight.”

John rubbed the frown away from his forehead. “I know you’re my big brother, but you should have grown out of bossing me around.”

“I don’t know who told you that,” Grant scoffed. “Make the call. You looked as though you could do with one less thing to worry about.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Let me know how you get on. If she says no, just add another zero or two to her pay.” With that last cheerful comment, Grant ended the call and left John staring into space.

He’d negotiated multi-million dollar deals with the government, dodged bullets, and bombs. Calling Rachel shouldn’t have been the big deal it had become. But for some strange, totally over-the-top reason, he was worried that she’d say no. And to be honest, he couldn’t blame her.

He knew he could find someone else to be Bella’s tutor. He had enough money to recruit the best teacher in the world. But no one’s qualifications or work experience could replace the connection that Bella had with Rachel. Since the wedding yesterday, Bella hadn’t stopped talking about Rachel and the next visit to her classroom.

If he wasn’t careful, Bella was going to start the Rachel McReedy fan club. Knowing how determined his daughter could be, John had a feeling that it wouldn’t take her long to get half of the town registered.

He glanced at his phone, then hunted through the drawers under his coffee table for a pen and some paper. He needed to unjumble what was going through his head. Writing down why Rachel tutoring Bella would work, would help focus his brain and give him extra ammunition if she said no.

He tapped the pen against the table, looked at the paper, then started writing. By the time he was halfway down the page, he felt a lot better. Rachel couldn’t say no to the reasons he’d come up with.

Mrs. Daniels hit the list at number one. No matter how happy she’d been to step into the previous tutor’s shoes, she had her own busy life. Mrs. Daniels needed to get ready for her family’s Christmas celebrations. Bella needed to be taught by someone who knew what they were doing. He needed someone who could work from his home. He wanted Bella to be ready to start school with children her own age. He didn’t want Bella to stand out as the girl who’d been homeschooled for too long by a father who should have known better.

There were other, less obvious reasons why Rachel needed to work for him. Money came in at number ten. Bribing someone wasn’t exactly the best way to start a professional relationship, but if Rachel wanted to play hardball, he had deep pockets.

He read through the list twice more. He’d come up with good reasons why she should teach Bella. But even with his list, she could still say no. She might even have a better list of logical reasons why teaching Bella wouldn’t work.

He reached for his phone when it pinged. Someone had sent him a text. He glanced down at the number and wondered what his brother had forgotten to tell him. If he’d been less nervous, he would have laughed at what he read. Call her.

John texted a quick message back and waited for his brother to reply. Instead of a text, his phone rang.

“You’re stalling for time,” Grant said. “Find her number and call her.”

“Mind your own business.” John ended the call. His brother could be a pain in the butt sometimes. Occasionally he was right. Like now, at nine o’clock on a Sunday night when most people weren’t expecting to get a phone call asking if they wanted a job.

John frowned. He could at least find her number, organize himself so that he didn’t look as desperate as he felt.

He tapped the screen on his phone, typed her name and waited. She was the only McReedy in Bozeman. He saved her number in his contact list and left his phone on the coffee table. He’d call her tomorrow, make her an offer she couldn’t refuse. Then wait for hell to freeze over while she decided what to do.