Just Breathe (The Protectors Book 2) Read online

  ***

  By four o’clock the next afternoon, Kelly was exhausted. She’d stayed at Fletcher Security until the last page of the journal had been decoded, then spent another hour reading about Abagail’s life. If she’d been able to sleep that night, she would have been fine. But the excitement of what they’d discovered kept her awake.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go upstairs and get some sleep?” Avery asked.

  “No. I’m fine.”

  “It’s okay if you need a rest. I can look after the store on my own.”

  Kelly unpacked a box holding an antique comb, brush, and mirror set. “It’s less than a month until Christmas. Our online sales have already doubled and the store is busy. I’m not leaving you on your own again.”

  Avery handed Kelly the box she’d been emptying. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Mrs. Dodds, one of their regular Wednesday customers, smiled from the front counter. “Don’t rush on account of me. Your display is delightful.”

  “Thank you. All the decorations are from the 1950s.” Avery took a gift from under the counter and handed it to Mrs. Dodds. “Kelly and I wanted to give you something special. Merry Christmas.”

  “You didn’t need to do that.”

  Kelly grinned as Mrs. Dodds carefully unwrapped her gift. Two months ago, she’d been at an auction in Great Falls. A large Irish linen tablecloth from the 1930s had been part of an estate sale. Kelly knew Mrs. Dodds would like it, so she’d put it aside for her Christmas present.

  “Oh, my. Thank you.” Mrs. Dodds held Avery’s hand and smiled. “Merry Christmas to you, too.” She walked across to Kelly and gave her a hug. “Merry Christmas, Kelly. This store is like my second home and you are both dear friends.”

  “You’re our friend as well. We would miss you if you didn’t come in each week to see our new stock.”

  Mrs. Dodds carefully folded her tablecloth. “This will look beautiful on my Christmas table. I’d better pay for the lovely necklace I want to buy. Is it one of yours?”

  Kelly followed Mrs. Dodds to the front counter. The red and orange pendant was one of her favorites. “Yes—that’s one of my necklaces.”

  “You are such a talented jeweler. Have you thought of selling your necklaces at other stores?”

  “Emily has a display of my jewelry in her boutique next door, but most of my sales come from our website.”

  “I’ll tell all of my friends about your necklaces. They are works of art.”

  Kelly gave Mrs. Dodds another hug. “Thank you. It means a lot knowing that you like my jewelry.”

  “I love each piece I’ve bought.”

  The front door opened and another two customers came into the store.

  Mrs. Dodds paid for her necklace and left, but not before showing the new customers the jewelry display.

  Kelly smiled as she added the last decoration in Avery’s box to a display.

  As well as being the sweetest person she knew, Mrs. Dodds was the wife of a well-known local businessman. She knew so many people in Montana that it was a wonder she had time to visit the store. But through rain, hail, snow, and sunshine, Mrs. Dodds always visited them each Wednesday afternoon.

  The door bell jingled again.

  “I need your help.”

  Kelly nearly dropped the Christmas decoration in her hand. “If you’re going to sneak up on me, Tanner Sutherland, give me some kind of warning.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of sneaking up on you?”

  Heat rushed to her face. Tanner upset her equilibrium. Whenever she was around him she had as much common sense as a teenager in love with her first crush. Except she wasn’t a teenager and Tanner definitely wasn’t her first, second, or third crush. In fact, she didn’t know what he was.

  With a trembling hand, she carefully placed the last decoration on the shelf and turned to the way-too-handsome man behind her. “How can I help you?”

  “Tank and I are supposed to be delivering Christmas baskets to families around Bozeman. Hayley needs a replacement Santa urgently, so Tank’s rushed to her retirement village. Can you come with me?”

  “Why me?”

  “You’re the only person I know who’s not doing anything tonight.”

  “If that’s your idea of sweet-talking me into helping you, it’s not working. And anyway, how do you know I haven’t got anything planned?”

  “I called Avery. She said you weren’t going anywhere.”

  “She did?” Kelly turned to Avery and frowned at the innocent glance her cousin sent her. “I was going to read the rest of Abagail’s journal.”

  “Suits me. After we drop off the baskets I’ll buy take-out for dinner. We can read the journal together. It will make it easier for us to compare notes and work out what we’re doing next.”

  “Are you sure you still want to help me?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  Kelly picked up the empty box at her feet. “We’ve cracked the journal’s code. I thought that’s all you wanted to do.”

  “It was, but if the rest of the journal is as interesting as the parts we’ve read, you might need my help. The journal could be incredibly valuable.”

  “Maybe to a museum, but to everyone else it will just be an interesting book.”

  Tanner looked as though he didn’t agree with her. “Let’s wait until we’ve finished the journal. So, what about the baskets? Will you help me?”

  Kelly looked around the store. Two more customers had come inside and Avery was busy behind the front counter. “I can’t leave now. Can we deliver them after five o’clock?”

  Tanner’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “I’ll collect the baskets off Pastor Steven and be back here by five. Thanks for helping.”

  And before Kelly could ask him how many baskets they had to deliver, he was gone.

  ***

  Tanner unlatched a wooden gate and held it open for Kelly. “Watch the path. It looks slippery.” It was just as well they were nearly finished delivering Pastor Steven’s Christmas baskets. Snow began falling half an hour ago and everything was frozen, including his hands.

  He gripped the basket he was holding tighter and followed Kelly onto the porch. The Smiths were their last stop of the evening.

  Kelly rang the bell and waited for someone to answer.

  A little girl opened the door and smiled. “Hi, Tanner.”

  “Hi, Natasha. Is your mom home?”

  “She’s in the kitchen. Did you bring those baskets for us?”

  “Who’s at the door, Natasha?” A woman appeared behind the little girl. Her blond hair and clear, blue eyes were the same as her daughter’s.

  “Tanner’s here. He brought us two baskets.”

  Tanner smiled at the woman. “Hi, Jackie. The gift baskets are from Pastor Steven.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t need to say anything. They’re an early Christmas present. Have you met Kelly?”

  Jackie shook her head. “No, I haven’t, but it’s nice to meet you. Come inside before you catch a cold.”

  She held the door wider and smiled at Kelly. “Thank you. This is totally unexpected.”

  “That’s what Christmas is all about,” Kelly said with a warm smile.

  Tanner was thankful for her company. Some of the people they’d visited hadn’t been happy about accepting the gift baskets even though they needed the food. Kelly had lowered her voice and quietly explained how appreciative Pastor Steven was of their help throughout the year.

  By the time they left each home, the people who received the baskets were a lot happier.

  Jackie pointed down the hallway. “Come into the kitchen. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

  Tanner glanced at Kelly. They’d had a discussion in his SUV. So far tonight they’d had four cups of coffee and lots of conversation with the people they’d visited.

  “I’ll pass on the coffee,” Kelly said. “But thank you. Where w
ould you like us to leave your baskets?”

  Jackie cleared some baking pans off the counter. “You can put them here. I’ve been making gingerbread cookies for Christmas.”

  “They smell amazing,” Kelly said. She looked closely at the gingerbread men. “Did you decorate all of these?”

  Tanner looked at the cookies on the dining table. Jackie had already frosted most of them. With polka dot trousers and brightly colored shirts, each gingerbread man looked as good as anything he’d ever seen.

  “I’ve nearly finished the last batch. Tomorrow morning, Pastor Steven has a special service for people who have lost loved ones. The gingerbread cookies are for afterward.”

  “They’re beautiful,” Kelly said softly. “You have a real talent.”

  Jackie’s cheeks turned a soft pink. “Thanks. I’ve always enjoyed baking.”

  “Mom makes birthday cakes, too,” Natasha said from beside Kelly. “Last year she made me a princess cake.”

  “Wow. You were so lucky.”

  Natasha grinned. “All of my friends want mom to make cakes for them, too. Would you like to see some photos?”

  Jackie put her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Thank you for being my number one fan Natasha, but Kelly has probably got a lot of things she needs to do tonight.”

  Kelly smiled. “There’s nothing that can’t wait a few minutes. I’d love to see a photo of Natasha’s princess cake.”

  Natasha held Kelly’s hand and pulled her across to a small dining table. “I was using mom’s laptop for my homework. The photos are saved on the desktop.”

  Kelly glanced at Tanner as the photos appeared on the screen. “These are amazing. Come and have a look.”

  He stood behind Kelly as Natasha showed them more cakes her mom had made. “You decorated all of these?”

  Jackie nodded. “I make them for my family and friends.”

  “You could start your own business.”

  The wistful look on Jackie’s face told him how she felt about owing her own business. “Maybe one day,” she said quietly. Jackie looked at Natasha and smiled. “But for now, I have another ten gingerbread men that need to be decorated.”

  Kelly took one last look at the photos before standing. “We’ll leave you to your frosting. It’s been lovely meeting you.”

  Jackie handed Kelly four decorated gingerbread men in a paper napkin. “These are for both of you. Thank you for bringing the gift baskets.”

  Kelly smiled at the cookies. “You’re welcome.”

  Natasha ran across to Tanner. “Will you be at Pastor Steven’s next movie night?”

  “I’ll try to be there.”

  “Good. See you later, Tanner.”

  He waved goodbye and followed Jackie and Kelly down the hallway.

  “Thank you, again,” Jackie said as she opened the front door. “It was kind of Pastor Steven to think of us and for you to deliver the baskets.”

  “It was our pleasure,” Tanner said. “Have a great Christmas.”

  As they drove away, Kelly sighed. “That was lovely. Thank you for inviting me.”

  “I’m the one who should be thanking you. I couldn’t have delivered the baskets on my own.” He smiled as she sniffed the gingerbread men. “Just don’t eat all the cookies,” he warned. “I’ve got a soft spot for gingerbread men.”

  “Do you also have a soft spot for pizza?”

  “I might have, especially if it’s from Tony’s Pizzeria.”

  Kelly laughed. “This must be your lucky day. Tony makes my favorite pizza.”

  Tanner turned right and headed into town. “Did you read more of Abagail’s journal today?”

  “I haven’t had time. The store has been busy and a shipment of stock arrived this morning. I might need someone to help wrap our online sales.”

  “If you’re looking for someone, Jackie might be interested. She has a part-time job at Safeway, but it could work.”

  “How did you meet Jackie and Natasha?”

  Tanner’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Natasha belongs to the youth group that Pastor Steven’s runs. I met her there.”

  “Do you help often?”

  “Whenever I’m in town, I do.” He took a deep breath. “Some of the kids remind me of myself at the same age. If I can make their lives a little better, then I’m happy to help.”

  “Can I ask you a personal question?”

  “Sure.”

  “Have you ever tried to find your mom and dad?”

  He swallowed the lump in his throat and focused on the road. “When I was twenty-five I tried to find mom. Most of the people I contacted never bothered returning my phone calls or letters. The people I heard from didn’t know her.”

  “What about your dad?”

  “He left mom before I was born. Apart from a name on my birth certificate I don’t have any idea who he is.”

  “That must be hard.”

  “It was worse when I was younger.” He felt Kelly’s gaze on him. “Go ahead and ask the other questions buzzing around inside your head.”

  “Am I that obvious?”

  “You’re as transparent as a sheet of glass.”

  Kelly sighed. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “It’s very good,” Tanner said softly. “I’ve spent most of my life around people who have so many layers that they’ve forgotten who they really are. You don’t hide what you’re feeling or who you are. It’s a nice change.”

  “Do you think you’ll ever get married and have children?”

  Tanner’s foot slipped off the accelerator. “I’ve never thought about it.”

  “Not even when you were in love?”

  “My relationship was complicated. We both had things we were working through. Tammy had a rough childhood and we ended up wanting different things.” He turned onto Main Street. “Tony’s isn’t far away.”

  “Is that a polite way of saying we’re changing the subject?”

  “Not quite. I’ve got a question for you.”

  “I like all toppings except olives and anchovies.”

  “Good to know, but that’s not what I was going to ask. What do you think it will take to stop your brothers interfering in your life?”

  “A nuclear explosion or girlfriends of their own.”

  Tanner looked to see if there was a smile on Kelly’s face. There wasn’t. “They’re that bad?”

  “Worse.”

  “I can’t help with the girlfriends, but I could provide something close to a nuclear explosion.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You could come with me to Rachel and John’s wedding.”

  “I’m already going.”

  “But not as my date.”

  Kelly turned toward him. “But you don’t date, and even if you did, it wouldn’t work. My brothers already know about you.”

  “How did that happen?”

  “I might have mentioned you once or twice, but not in a positive way.”

  “You’d better tell me what you said.”

  “It was a long time ago,” she muttered.

  “Kelly?”

  She clamped her lips tight.

  “I’ll find out eventually.”

  “Only if you ask my parents or my brothers.”

  “Or Avery.”

  Kelly’s gaze shot to his. “You wouldn’t.”

  “I would.”

  She looked at the gingerbread men. “I might have mentioned that you constantly bid against me for things you don’t need.”

  “And how do you know I don’t need them?”

  “You collect first edition poetry books not egg cups and crystal vases. Last week you told me that the only reason you placed bids on them was to annoy me. Well, it worked.”

  “Do I still annoy you?”

  Kelly sighed. “Only when you try really hard.”

  “What if I promise to be on my best behavior?”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  Her reply wasn’t the
overwhelmingly positive response he’d been looking for, but he’d take it.

  It was better than an outright, no.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  By Friday, Kelly couldn’t wait for Tanner to get back from his assignment in Washington DC. The book she’d reserved at the library had arrived and she’d spent her entire lunch break reading as much as she could.

  Doris Stanley had come into the store to see if the book helped with the Jackson family tree. It did.

  It turned out that Alexander Jackson was an ancestor of Senator William Jackson, one of the current Senators from Massachusetts. Kelly assumed that politics had been a natural progression for the Jackson family after their business success.

  According to what she’d read, the Jackson family still owned the estate in Charleston that had grown cotton in the 1800s. Instead of continuing to build their fortune from the textile industry, the Jackson family had created an impressive portfolio of commercial property investments.

  What she still couldn’t work out was how Abagail’s journal had ended up in Celeste Madison’s home.

  “I know what you should do,” Avery said as she rushed into the storage area of Kelly’s store. “Call the auction house and ask who authorized the sale of Celeste Madison’s estate. When you have their name, find out if Celeste had any close friends. She might have told them about the journal.”

  The store’s doorbell jingled and Avery looked at the box in Kelly’s hand. “Is that the box with the glass paperweights inside? Mrs. Parkinson wants to know if we have more for sale.”

  “They’re not in here, but I do have three left.” Kelly pulled another box off the shelf. “I was going to add these to the Christmas display this afternoon. If she doesn’t want them, can you leave them on the display?”

  “Shall do. Oh, Doris Stanley popped in ten minutes ago. She found some photos of the current Jackson family. I’ve left them on the front counter. She’s really getting into the whole journal thing.”

  “I know. It’s almost scary how involved we all are.”

  “It’s a Christmas mystery,” Avery said as she disappeared into the store with the paperweights.