Mistletoe and Mischief (Cedar Cove)

Chapter 19

19

This was Sheriff Troy Davis’s first Christmas with his wife, Faith. It was a second marriage for both. Each of them had been blessed with a long and happy first marriage and each had suffered the loss of their beloved partner. Recently, they’d found a renewed sense of purpose and love with each other.

As it was their first major holiday together, they’d divided the time between his daughter, Megan, and her family and Faith’s son, Scott. Christmas Eve had been spent with Megan, her husband, Craig, and their infant daughter, Cassandra.

Today, Troy and Faith were headed for Scott’s home. Late Christmas morning, Troy loaded up the car with the Christmas gifts and treats Faith had prepared for her son’s family. They’d delivered a carload of presents and homemade sweets to Megan the night before, as well. Faith had been baking for weeks, not that Troy was complaining. He hadn’t enjoyed the holidays this much in a very long while. During the last years of her life, Sandy had been in a nursing home, and Troy hadn’t bothered with decorating their house or putting up a tree. For the first time since Sandy went into the care facility, it actually felt like Christmas to him. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed all the fuss and bother.

“Can we make one stop?” Faith asked as she climbed into the front seat beside him.

“Sure,” he said. “Where?”

“The Beldons’. Peggy and Bob were so kind to bring us that plate of goodies. I’d like to reciprocate.”

“The Beldons probably have more than their fair share of candy and cookies.”

“This is a peach-and-raspberry cobbler. They can eat it now or put it in the freezer. Peggy’s always thinking of others, and I wanted to do something nice for her.”

“Then of course we’ll drop by.”

“It’ll just take a moment,” Faith promised. “In fact, you don’t even need to get out of the car.”

Troy reached for his wife’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He loved Faith. He’d loved her when they were in high school, and he loved her now. After Sandy died, Troy had never expected to marry again. And then... Faith came back into his life. Their courtship had had its ups and downs, but despite some confused and difficult times, Troy wouldn’t change a thing. Faith was with him now. Nothing else mattered.

The Beldons’ Thyme and Tide Bed-and-Breakfast on Cranberry Point was en route to Scott’s house, so it really wasn’t out of their way. Troy entered the long driveway and noticed three vehicles parked in the area reserved for guests. He remembered that Bob had mentioned that their children would be visiting from Spokane, which accounted for two cars. The other must be a guest.

“I’ll be right back,” Faith assured him as he eased to a stop.

She got out of the car, opened the rear passenger door and took out the cobbler in its lidded plastic container. She’d put a bow on top, giving it a festive look. He hoped she’d tucked one in their freezer for him—and he didn’t need the bow!

Bob Beldon answered the door and Faith went inside. Troy listened to Christmas music and sang along with Burl Ives on the car radio. Two or three minutes later, Faith reappeared and motioned for him.

Troy turned off the engine and started toward the house. Something was definitely wrong. He could see it in Faith’s stance as she stood in the doorway, waiting for him.

When he approached, Faith said, “Oh, Troy, I’m afraid there’s a bit of a...situation here. I think you might be able to help.”

“What kind of situation?”

She moved aside and he walked into the house. The instant he did, he heard a woman shrieking and crying uncontrollably in the background. She seemed to be having some sort of temper tantrum. Troy heard things being thrown against the walls.

“It’s one of our guests,” Bob said, coming toward him. “She arrived with Kent Morehouse, Beth’s ex-husband. We thought they were a couple—but apparently not. Seems she was supposed to meet up with a sailor from the navy base, but something happened. She hasn’t been able to tell us what.”

“So what’s her relationship with Kent?”

“Friends, I guess. She works for him.”

Kent wandered into the foyer with his hands in his pockets. He looked completely baffled. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I tried talking to Danielle, but she’s too upset to make much sense. As far as I can tell, the young man she came to see has decided to dump her.”

“On Christmas Day?” Troy wasn’t impressed with the sailor’s timing.

“She hasn’t stopped crying....”

“For hours,” Peggy inserted. “And throwing stuff. I don’t know if she’s broken anything but...”

“She refuses to answer the door,” Bob added. “She must have blocked it with a chair or something, because we can’t get in.”

Troy could well imagine what this was doing to the family’s celebration.

“I think all Danielle wants to do now is get back to California. I went on the internet to find a flight, but talking to her is impossible.” Kent shook his head.

Troy moved down the hallway to the guest bedrooms and knocked on the door. It wasn’t hard to tell which room was Danielle’s.

“Sheriff Troy Davis,” he announced authoritatively.

Silence followed, which was a blessing after the racket of the past several minutes. Then they heard the unmistakable sound of furniture being moved.

“What seems to be the problem here?” he asked when Danielle slowly opened the bedroom door.

“I have to get out of here,” Danielle said, dabbing her eyes with a wadded tissue. “I hate this place.”

“I found a flight that can get you to LAX, leaving Sea-Tac in a few hours,” Kent rushed to say. This was obviously the information he’d been wanting to tell her for some time.

“Fine,” she said, slamming her suitcase shut. It was on her bed, although little else was. In fact, the room looked as if it’d been hit by a hurricane. Bedding lay on the floor. So did a potted poinsettia, with dirt scattered everywhere, and a framed picture, its glass now broken. And that wasn’t all....

“I’m really sorry about this,” Kent said, apologizing to the Beldons.

Danielle seemed to think he was talking to her. “Why didn’t Hunter tell me sooner?” she wailed. “It worked out so well that I could come here for Christmas.... He said he’d be tied up, but I said that was fine because my boss invited me to visit his family until Christmas Day and then...then...” She broke into a fresh bout of tears. Angrily, she grabbed the tissue box from the floor and jerked out three. “Then Hunter waited until this morning to tell me.... He didn’t even do it to my face. Instead, he sent me a text message and said he was seeing someone else. He let me come all this way and make a fool of myself.” She dabbed at her eyes again. “Now all I want is to get away from this horrible town....”

“We’ll need to get her to the airport.”

Kent shifted uncomfortably. “I had plans with my family but I feel responsible for her. I’ll drive her to the airport.”

“I want to go home!” Danielle screamed. “I don’t care who takes me to the airport. Isn’t there a taxi or something?”

“I have a friend who owns a car service,” Troy offered. “He can drive you to the airport.”

“Fine!” Danielle shouted. “I want to leave now. ”

“Please call your friend,” Kent said. “And I’ll pay whatever it costs.”

The small group watched as Danielle finished gathering up the last of her things, stuffing them in her carry-on. Kent seemed relieved not to be taking her to the airport. She swung the suitcase off the bed, and it landed on the floor with a loud thump. Straightening her shoulders, she wheeled her bag out of the room, ignoring everyone.

As soon as she’d left, Kent slumped on the edge of the bed and heaved a sigh. He lowered his head and plowed his fingers through his hair.

“You all right?” Troy asked.

Kent nodded. “I’ve made a big mess of things.”

“It’s not your fault the sailor broke it off.”

“No,” Kent said. “My mistake was taking her out to meet Beth and the girls. I let them assume Danielle and I were romantically involved. It was a stupid thing to do and I regretted it almost immediately.” He looked disgusted with himself. “Danielle went along with it, since she knows I still love my ex-wife and she wanted to do me a favor. But she totally overplayed her role.” He sighed again. “I wanted to tell Beth last night, but before I had a chance Danielle phoned in hysterics because she couldn’t get hold of her boyfriend. After that, the situation went from bad to worse.” He gestured around him. “I’ve botched everything.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Faith said, coming to stand next to Troy.

“Do you think there’s a way to salvage this?” Kent asked hopefully.

“Troy and I were in the pew behind you and Beth at the service last night. I believe if you speak to Beth honestly, you’ll discover she feels the same way.”

Kent’s eyes brightened. “Really?”

Faith nodded.

“First let me see if I can arrange this airport ride,” Troy said, reaching for his cell. He punched in the appropriate number and waited. Logan, the son of a friend, had recently started a car service, focusing on airport transportation. He was hungry enough to take the fare, even if it was Christmas Day.

After a short conversation, Troy closed his cell. “He’ll be here within thirty minutes.”

“Have you ever done anything so stupid you wonder what you could possibly have been thinking?” Kent asked Troy.

The sheriff wasn’t sure whether this was a real question or a rhetorical one. He decided to answer it anyway. “We all have, at one time or other. All you can do is learn from it—and you’ve certainly done that. And like Faith says, things will probably turn out okay.”

Kent looked up and gave a slight nod. “I appreciate the encouraging words.”

After a few minutes, Troy returned to the kitchen. The Beldons had gathered there. Danielle sat in the living room next to her suitcase, crying quietly. He did feel sorry for her. This couldn’t be easy; no broken relationship was.

Kent wanted to pay for the damages, but the Beldons refused. And at their insistence, no charges would be laid. They, too, sympathized with Danielle, despite their exasperation with her out-of-control behavior.

To be on the safe side Troy and Faith remained at the B and B until Logan arrived and Danielle departed.

They left a few minutes later. Faith sighed as Troy turned out of the driveway.

“Well, that was an unexpected interlude,” she said in a good-humored voice. “I don’t know what would’ve happened to that poor girl—and Kent—if we hadn’t got there when we did. You’re my hero, Troy Davis.”

“And you’re my sweetheart,” he returned, smiling in her direction.