CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Conquering Concord Place.

Hillman glanced over at Cullen as they headed to Veronica’s house to pack up gifts for the children at Concord Place. “So now you’re thinking of keeping the lodge and campground and renovating it instead of selling?”

“Thinking, yes,” Cullen said. “Making it happen, still not sure. I rarely change my strategy this late in the game.”

Hillman chuckled. “Every strategy is made to be changed, Cullen. That’s how the world works.”

“Not my world,” Cullen said. “I have a goal and I plan out how to make that goal turn into a reality. I’ve been sitting on this property for a while now, waiting for the right time, waiting for the market to shift, waiting for . . . something. Now that’s all up in the air and my whole team is in an uproar.”

Hillman watched the decorated yards rolling by. “You came here searching for something you think you lost, but maybe you’re finding something that you need.”

“If you mean Veronica, she and I can’t have a future,” he replied. “I stay on the move, looking for the next big investment. She’s lost in the past and is just now getting her life back on track.”

“Thanks in part to you.” Hillman shook his head. “You’re saying one thing but wanting another.”

“I happened to show up at the right time. She was already making changes before I arrived.”

“I think you two could work if you’d be honest with her. Especially about the part where you made an offer to buy her home. She won’t like that. She’ll assume you were being nice to her to win her over, and then, bam—you buy her home right out from under her.”

“There is a For Sale sign in her yard.”

“So why not just tell her you’re interested?”

“Because now I’m more interested in the woman than the house, and if I tell her that—she will bolt.”

“And yet, you’ve told your people to keep tabs on it.”

“Yes.”

“You need to decide what you’re willing to give up in order to get what you really want.”

“That has always been my dilemma, hasn’t it?”

“It’s going to be even more of a dilemma. You should have learned a long time ago to be honest with people.”

“Tried that once or twice. Didn’t get me anywhere.”

“You got yourself where you need to be, so don’t think you can’t handle a little honesty. Or is it that you can’t handle being vulnerable and open?”

Cullen shot his friend a frown. “Remind me again why I confided in you.”

“Because you needed someone you could trust,” Hillman said. “I’m just glad someone still respects my opinion.”

Cullen laughed and nodded. “Same here.”

Veronica, Trudy, and Bethany sat in Veronica’s kitchen, wrapping gifts to take to Concord Place and talking about Cullen Murdock.

Veronica kept watching out the window since he and Hillman were due here any minute now. All weekend long, she’d told herself she’d stay away from him. He’d called her on Sunday, wanting to meet for coffee. She’d resisted, but they had talked on the phone for a while. She knew a few more tidbits about him, but mostly she saw he’d had his own long war with grief too. Now Monday had come, and he’d be here soon. Could she keep resisting him? She should, but she enjoyed being with him, and he was easy to look at. No harm, other than this devastating guilt that hit her like a slap in the face whenever she stopped to think about it.

“I’m trying to find a flaw in Cullen,” she said. “I have this persistent need to find out the whole story. Or sabotage the whole thing.”

Trudy rolled her eyes on that one. “I’ve done background checks based on what little information he’s given us, but while we find all kinds of Murdock names, none of them match Cullen. I can’t dig any more without someone asking why.”

“Maybe’s he’s an undercover officer,” Bethany said. “I read a lot of suspense, and undercover people sometimes have to give up their whole identity. Troy could be one for all I know.”

“You have a vivid imagination,” Trudy replied. “But who knows?”

“That’s just it,” Veronica said. “Who knows?” She’d called several children’s homes all over North Georgia. “I didn’t get far in my search. Privacy laws.”

Trudy touched a hand to her smooth coiffure. “He’s hidden or scrubbed his past away.”

“I had to try,” Veronica replied. “He’s told me the worst of it—about his alcoholic mother, and his horrible father and mean grandfather. I know he loved his grandmother.”

Trudy fixed her with a probing stare. “It keeps you busy thinking about him too. Besides the obvious, such as ruling out serial killers or stolen identities, why is this so important to you?”

Veronica grunted. “I’m the curious type. Things need to make sense to me. That’s why I took extra classes in communication and journalism at community college and worked at the newspaper. I like to know things.”

“Or maybe you’re interested in Cullen.”

“I suppose so.” She shrugged. “He’s almost too perfect. I need to find some flaws. Being secretive is one of those flaws.”

“How do you feel when you think about him?” Trudy asked, her tone tenacious. Veronica could picture her asking a criminal, “How do you feel about five years in prison?”

“I feel guilty,” Veronica said. “I haven’t . . . wanted to be with a man for a long time. Now suddenly, I have this strange man flirting with me and you two sitting in my kitchen.”

“And you’d prefer staying bitter and distant?”

Veronica stared at Trudy. “Not anymore. But I did cling to those as a means of protection.”

“We’ll protect you now.” Trudy went on with their work, thus ending that discussion. Then she added, “And Cullen might have his own reasons for being so vague about his past. Privacy is important, especially with a self-made millionaire who apparently did not fit in here when he was a child.”

“Do you think Cullen could have been an orphan?” Bethany asked, ignoring Veronica’s snark and Trudy’s bark.

Veronica got up to pour more coffee. She’d made a passable brunch with French toast and fruit, scrambled eggs, and bacon. “He was born in Ireland and lived there as a child. But his father left them early on, and his mother became an alcoholic. When she died, his maternal grandmother, who was also Irish but lived in the States, brought him to America. He always says he’s from ‘around here.’ Only once did he mention he had roots in Hidden Mountain, but that he’d never fit in. He went back to Ireland and has lived there, how long I don’t know.”

Trudy slapped a hand on the table. “I think we’re missing the obvious. He’s being vague, but he grew up right here in our community. He just wasn’t well known because of his isolation. So he went back to Ireland to reinvent himself.”

Veronica’s eyebrows slanted down, along with a gasp. “Hiding in plain sight—I agree with that. But he left, possibly in his teens. I can search county records under the name Murdock, trace his license plate or steal his driver’s license. Or go to the DMV and ask for information.” She glanced at the clock. “Maybe after we deliver these gifts, I’ll do some sleuthing.”

“You’ll need a valid reason to give the DMV, and they charge a fee, of course,” Trudy said. “If you get his license plate, you can’t look it up or ask for it. That’s illegal in most states. I have friends in the sheriff and police departments, and I know a few PIs. I can have one of them run it, but they might frown on doing it for personal reasons.”

“I know a reporter at the paper,” Veronica said. “He’s discreet. He owes me, so I could ask him, off the record, of course.” She shrugged. “He’s good at getting information out of people.”

“Well, make sure this is off the record, and don’t let him get the scoop and use it for a story,” Trudy replied. “I’d help you more, but I have a church meeting.” She started clearing the table. “Besides, they know me at the courthouse, the DMV, and everywhere else. Even more rumors would abound.”

Bethany finished her meal. “I have to finish shopping this afternoon.” With a shrug, she added, “I hope Cullen found out something about Troy.”

She’d told them earlier that Troy had called last night, and he’d promised to be home for Christmas. “I want to make a good meal and buy him a nice present. Then I’m going to tell him about the baby. I’m beginning to show.”

Trudy smiled big. “You don’t look that big yet, honey. But you’re looking a lot more rosy-cheeked than when we first saw you.”

“I’m feeling much better,” Bethany said. “I’ve called my mom a few times, but I haven’t told her about the baby yet. She’d blab to everyone.” Then she glanced at Veronica. “Do you want me to go with you on this search?”

“I’ll be fine on my own,” Veronica said. “I think it’s better that way. If we all three showed up, like Trudy said, the gossip might explode.”

“And I get enough of that already,” Trudy replied. “I know what you mean about fair-weather friends. But . . . I never needed that many friends, anyway. You two will do quite nicely.”

“We are honored, Your Honor,” Veronica replied, with some of her snark resurfacing.

They all started laughing.

Then the doorbell rang.

Veronica hurried to open it. “I think our menfolk are here.”

That sounded funny, coming from her. She had stopped thinking of men after she’d buried Josh and Jay. But Cullen had forced her to acknowledge that she still had the emotions and feelings of a red-blooded woman.

She opened the door to find a handsome man behind a big white basket holding a white poinsettia.

“Cullen, you know I can see you, right?” She also saw Hillman backing his huge SUV up the driveway.

“I know,” he said, peeping around. “I jumped out and hurried to give you this gift, but no audience today.”

She leaned out. “No, I think my old friends walked by earlier so you can stop putting on a show.”

“I’m not putting on,” he whispered as he handed her the poinsettia.

Hillman got out of his fancy Cadillac SUV and marched up to the porch. “You two are in denial,” he said as he stood waiting to be invited inside.

“I brought a traditional Christmas gift,” Cullen said, moving aside. “Nothing to deny.”

Hillman chuckled. “Right.” Then he went inside.

“Blarney,” Veronica whispered, a slight disappointment popping up inside her fuzzy brain. She shouldn’t be disappointed. She knew the risks of playing with fire. And Cullen was a red-hot fire.

Cullen gave her one of those all-encompassing stares that made his eyes sizzle like blue lightning. “Yes, but when we’re together, good things happen.”

“You mean like when you flirt with me when my former friends walk by?”

“Yes. That’s kind of fun . . . but Veronica . . . I don’t have to pretend with you. You make it so easy.”

Wow. Now her heart turned to something like melted snow. A cold sweat followed the melted-snow heart. Maybe this wasn’t all pretend, after all.

Hillman came back to the entryway and and announced, “Whatever you two are doing, better get inside before Trudy and Bethany pull you apart.”

Veronica should be mortified that Hillman was onto them, but she felt oddly at peace because Cullen would soon be out of her life. She didn’t know how to keep up this farce after the holidays. She’d stay with her new friends, but Cullen—that was another story. Because she’d also become strong again over the last few weeks. Talking to Elle several times a week had helped. Her daughter was still aloof, but approachable by phone again at least. A first step in the right direction, even if Veronica couldn’t find the courage to talk to Elle about selling the house.

She purposely repeated her plan. Sell the house, make peace with Elle, find a job, try to keep moving, one foot in front of the other. Don’t fall for a Mystery Man.

He had not been part of her plan.

After she grabbed him to get him through the door, he whispered, “We can show off for Trudy and Bethany too.”

Surprised, Veronica wondered how she’d get to the courthouse when the man she wanted to do research on now stood in her living room. She also wondered if she could go back to her solitary life once he went back to wherever he’d appeared from.

Cullen thought he’d done a fair job of keeping his anxieties at bay. Flirting had always been his go-to way to hide the secrets of his heart. He didn’t want to go to the children’s home, but he’d started this Good Samaritan quest to make a difference in this town, so now he had to finish it.

But how did he do that with all these unfamiliar feelings crashing against his soul like an angry sea? He’d come here hoping to make an important decision regarding his life and this place, and somehow, in a town he resented and hated, he’d found a few souls he actually liked.

People he’d studied, researched, and sought out on purpose.

Except for that one. Her. Veronica. A beautiful twist in the ups and downs of his life. A surprise for a man who couldn’t be surprised easily.

Maybe it had been her attitude—that “I don’t care, and why should you?” attitude. He admired her because he’d had that same mindset for so long now. He could feel her grief like a moist wind on his skin, could see her angst in his memories of a raging sea below a craggy bluff. He’d lived a thousand lives and he’d felt a thousand deaths.

He had come here for revenge and redemption, and now it seemed he’d also come back here to find some peace. Finally.

His original mission had been purposeful, but now his goal had changed, shifted, softened. Because of Veronica.

“Are you okay with this?” Hillman asked when they were loading goody bags into the vehicle. They’d gone all out, and the back of the big SUV overflowed with gift bags.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “It’s been a while.”

“No one will recognize you,” Hillman replied. “I didn’t, at first.”

“But you were always smart and sharp. Too sharp.”

“Did you think my feeble mind would blank out?”

“I had hoped.”

They both chuckled at that.

“You should tell them what’s going on. Or at least, tell Veronica why you hold back on things.”

“Why do I hold back on things?”

“You’re afraid, same as all of us,” Hillman said. “Trudy and me—we’ve been through too much to make another mistake, so we are friends who might go to dinner together now and then.”

“Now who’s holding back?”

“I like Trudy. She’s an amazing, strong woman who has her own money and she can take care of herself. No hidden agendas, no traps or secrets. We know where we stand. If you don’t tell Veronica you want to buy her house, that’s gonna backfire on you.”

“I want the house. I might tear it down and built something so modern and gaudy, the whole neighborhood will be appalled.”

“Would that make you feel good?” Hillman asked. “Would that appease your need to show the world Cully Nolan won, even after being trampled by this place?” He lifted his head and nodded toward the house behind them. “Do you really want to live in this house, Cullen? Or do you want to shock the whole town?”

“Both,” Cullen admitted. “The house can be cleansed and renovated. This town hasn’t changed all that much.”

“I get your desire to find solace,” Hillman replied. “But you need to tell Veronica everything.”

Cullen gave his friend a stoic stare. “Not yet. We have one more week. Then Christmas.”

Would he stay here after that? He wanted to stay, which surprised him almost as much as Veronica had. Would he make the right decision or toss every reasonable solution to the wind?

“We’re all loaded,” Veronica said after she and the others came outside. “Lulu is not happy. She wants to come along.”

“She’d be good for the kids, but they’ll be excited enough when we pass out these bags,” Hillman said.

“Let’s get on with it,” Cullen replied, giving Veronica a glance before turning away. His heart raced and his head pounded. He wasn’t subject to panic attacks, but this felt close.

She tapped him on the shoulder. “You don’t want to do this?”

“I . . . it’s hard to see, is all,” he said. Then he got in Hillman’s SUV before he blurted out all his secrets right there in her driveway.

Veronica stared after him, her expression showing a glint of confusion. He could see her in the rearview mirror on the vehicle’s window. She wanted answers he wasn’t prepared to give her. She wanted to know if he had staying power or if he’d break her heart. How could he answer that?

Hillman got in. “Ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Dread sounded with each pulse beat, but he had no other choice. “I’ll hang in the background. It’s been a long time anyway. I’m sure the employee turnover is strong.”

Hillman adjusted his seat belt and shot Cullen an understanding glance. “You need to breathe deep and do what you always did when you were little, Cullen.”

“What? Run away?”

“No. Stay tough.”

“Maybe I’m tired of being tough.”

“And maybe that’s what brought you back home.”