The Secrets of Bell River

“Yeah. But I mean what did you think?”

Jude chuckled. “What is it with everyone? I think she seems very nice. She’s pleasant. She seems to have walking-around sense. She’s talented. She’s fine.”

Mitch let a second’s silence pass. “Not bad-looking, either.”

“You think so?” Jude lifted a shoulder. “Then good. Ask her out. Maybe she’ll take your mind off Bonnie for a while.”

“No. Not me.” Mitch had a feeling Jude was being deliberately dense. But he didn’t want to come right out and say that Tess’s fragile vulnerability seemed like it might be right up Jude’s alley. Mitch had only seen her for twenty minutes or so, but somehow she looked like the kind of gal who could use a knight in shining armor.

And, to put a spin on Jude’s advice to him, the only cure for one damsel in distress was another damsel in distress....

“I was thinking about you, numbskull. I was thinking you might ask her out. She’s kind of interesting. When they offered her the job earlier tonight, I thought she was going to turn it down. But then, at the last minute, she said yes. And you know what’s weird? It was almost as if the clincher, the thing that made her decide to take it, was learning about the ghost.”

Jude turned at that comment. “No way.”

“Yes. They had to tell her, because Isamar had one of her visions. You know, she thinks she sees Moira floating on the staircase.”

“I know. What I don’t know is whether Isamar is loony or just putting everyone on. Or—” Jude smiled “—maybe she has the occasional nip of brandy. I’ve heard that enhances one’s ability to detect paranormal activity.”

Mitch laughed. Everyone knew Isamar was one of those sweet but superstitious types who secretly wanted life to be a lot more exciting than it was. She “saw” Moira, sure, but she also saw the ghosts of her favorite characters in books, and even once insisted that the ghost of Brad Pitt had come to her room asking for milk and cookies.

“Yeah, well, anyhow, she usually keeps her visions to herself, so as not to scare the guests. But this time ‘smart’ Alec came in blurting it out. We all figured that cooked the goose, for sure, but instead Tess seemed positively fascinated, and—”

Before he could finish the sentence, the baby monitor, which sat on Jude’s workbench, never more than a foot or two from him, crackled to life. The static was followed by the sound of a baby’s cries. And then came his sister’s voice, weighed down by the threat of imminent tears.

“Hush, Beeba, hush. Please. Please. Can’t you sleep? Just one night? Can’t you—”

In an instant, Jude was heading toward the house.

“Sorry, Mitch,” he said as he reached the door. “If anyone is going to ask Tess out, it’ll have to be you. My life has way too many females in it already.”

CHAPTER THREE

JUST TWO DAYS. Tess had been on the job for two days when the first crisis hit. They’d been closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, so she’d had only Saturday and Sunday to get her feet steady under her. She’d stayed focused, though, and made real progress. She’d begun to believe she could handle it, begun to relax enough to start enjoying herself.

Naturally. That was the kind of cockiness that made Fate itch to bring you down a peg or two.

And so, on the Monday after Christmas, both Darlene, the college kid who was the regular receptionist, and Ashley, the massage therapist, called in sick. Tess had been interviewing as fast as she could. The part-time job she had applied for still needed to be filled. But she hadn’t brought anyone on board yet.

Now, with Ashley and Darlene out, Tess would have to run the spa, do all her own appointments and pick up Ashley’s, too.

She left a voice message for Rowena—to give her a heads-up, not to ask for help. She knew Rowena was far too busy this week between Christmas and New Year’s to pitch in. Everyone was slammed.

They’d all done the best they could to get Tess up to speed. Ashley had taken on extra hours to train Tess about spa services, equipment and clients. Rowena came into the facility at dawn each day so that she could steal a couple of hours to explain bookkeeping procedures and policies. Bree stopped by now and then with supplies, maps, instruction manuals for the various electronic devices. Even the ranch manager, Barton James, visited at lunchtime with salads and sandwiches from the kitchen, and cookies for moral support.

But other than that Tess had hardly seen any of the family these past two days. It had been like jumping into a war midbattle—as a five-star general. And, if the truth were told, Tess had found it thrilling.

Until today. Today was going to be a mess.

She started calling Ashley’s clients to be sure they were all right with a substitute therapist. And wouldn’t you know it...the first name on the list was Esther Fillmore. Lucky lady got a weekly massage, and she was still so grumpy? Maybe her poor husband encouraged the expenditure, in the hopes that someday she’d chill out and be a little easier to live with.

No one answered, so Tess left a message and moved on to the next name. Everyone she reached was friendly and contented either with a new appointment, or with the idea of Tess taking over for Ashley. At eight o’clock, the nail tech showed up and went straight to work. So far, so good.

At 8:05 a.m., Esther Fillmore walked in.

She didn’t look surprised to see Tess behind the counter, wearing the official blue Bell River uniform, so the grapevine had obviously done its work well. She didn’t smile or say hello, of course—she maintained her natural sour frown that seemed to mean almost nothing.

“Good morning, Mrs. Fillmore,” Tess said, with an extra dose of sunshine in her voice, hoping that perhaps being recognized would stroke the woman’s vanity enough to smooth the moment. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to reach you before you made the trip over. I called your contact number, but I didn’t get an answer.”

The woman froze in the act of removing her coat. “Why were you trying to call me?”

“I wanted to let you know in advance that Ashley isn’t here today. I’m happy to fill in for her, but I know you prefer your usual therapist whenever possible.”

“I insist on it,” Mrs. Fillmore said flatly, as if, hearing that, Tess would somehow be able to produce Ashley out of thin air.

“Then perhaps you’d like to make another appointment? Ashley will be in again right after New Year’s.”

“After New Year’s?” The older woman lifted her chin. “You expect me to suffer with my sciatica until then? With my nieces and nephews at the house? With family meals to cook, and to clean up after?”

“I can understand how difficult that would be,” Tess said sympathetically. “I’d be happy to do what I can to help. I’ve worked with many clients suffering from sciatica, and—”

“Sciatica is not one-size-fits-all, like the common cold,” Mrs. Fillmore interrupted tersely, as if Tess had insulted her.

Tess took a deep breath, reminding herself that sciatica often caused profound pain. Maybe that accounted for Mrs. Fillmore’s nasty manner. Chronic pain could suck the joy out of life.

“Perhaps, if you told me in detail what procedures Ashley uses, and what you find most effective, we could bring you some relief. Although I know it wouldn’t be the same, maybe it would be better than nothing. And, of course, there would be no charge for the service today.”

As she said that, Tess had to quell a few butterflies, remembering how close to the bone Bell River was operating this first winter season. Rowena was candid about money, which Tess appreciated, because it helped her to know where she stood. Even if they all stood pretty close to the edge.

Still, surely keeping a repeat client happy— especially one who would freely broadcast her dissatisfaction to the whole town—was worth the price of a massage.

If Tess had to, she’d take it out of her own pay. Heaven knew she was making more as director than she’d ever expected to as a part-time therapist.

To her surprise, though, Esther appeared to have lost interest in the conversation. Instead, she seemed to be staring with narrowed eyes at Tess’s necklace. Or was she staring at her chest? Tess’s hand went instinctively up to cover herself, though her uniform was hardly low-cut or revealing.

“Is everything all right, Mrs. Fillmore?”

“I...” The woman dragged her gaze up to Tess’s. “Yes. I was just...I was admiring your pendant. Where did you get it?”

Her tone made Tess uncomfortable, and for a minute she didn’t want to answer. Stupid, but she felt reluctant to even speak of her mother to such a nasty woman.

Besides, surely that wasn’t really what Mrs. Fillmore had been about to say. Her pendant was pretty, but not ostentatious or, surely, unique.

Tess didn’t ordinarily wear jewelry while working, but this modest necklace was special to her, and she liked having it on. She always tucked it inside her shirt, but it must have slipped out.

“It was a gift from my mother,” she said, and tucked the pendant beneath her top.

Not the whole truth, but close enough. She’d found it among her mother’s things after her death. She wondered why her mother had never worn it. The workmanship was lovely—it was a small teardrop-shaped ruby that formed the bud of a rose, its setting designed like a slim gold stem and two curving gold petals.