CHAPTER ONE
Present Day
“MOM, WE forgot Ironman!” Scott and Sandy Cavanaugh hollered at the top of their lungs from the back seat of the car.
Randi Cavanaugh cast a frustrated look at her red-headed twins in the rear-view mirror. She had been up since five this morning trying to get ready for the long weekend in the mountains. Her father was anxious to get on the road and had already called twice.
She spoke sternly. “Didn’t I ask you if you had packed all of your Power Rangers? I don’t have time to turn around. We were supposed to be at Grandpop’s ten minutes ago.”
Randi gasped when both boys leaned over the console. “But MOM, Grandpop says Ironman is the bestest. We can’t save the world without him.”
“Oh my gosh,” she exclaimed. “You two had better get your butts back in your seats. And buckle up before Deputy Peterson pulls me over for child endangerment! Then I’d have to go to jail and there would be NO vacation.”
“Aww, Mom!” They jumped back to their seats. “But we NEED Ironman!”
Randi pulled to the side of the street and turned to make sure they had buckled themselves in. She shifted back around, rested her head on the steering wheel and sighed. It was only eight o’clock and she was already exhausted. She had packed and repacked everything she was sure they would need. And now Ironman had gone missing? Really?
She lifted her head and locked eyes with her sons from the back seat, then made a quick U-turn. Racing back to the house, she kept her eyes alert for the deputies who liked to run radar along Main Street. She spotted Duane Peterson, waved and breathed a sigh of relief when he waved back.
Minutes later she pulled her maroon Escalade to a screeching halt outside their house and the three of them dashed inside. Searched all the likely places Ironman might have gone into hiding.
An interior decorator, Randi never had this problem in her office that was currently housed at the back of the house. Efficient, competent, and totally organized, she was a perfectionist through and through. She never misplaced files, samples or catalogs. Things might get in disarray during a work session, but by the end of a long day, everything was as it should be. She looked forward to moving that office to The Row, a development she, Brina, Ginny and Marcie were developing in town.
Her home life was a different story. With twin six-year-old boys, there was always clutter and disarray. No sooner would she clean the house, she would turn and find that her boys had found other toys to play with. For the most part though, they were good at putting their toys away, just not when she wanted and needed a straightened house.
She looked between the cushions on the sofa. “When was the last time you saw Ironman?”
Scott was looking under the ottoman, Sandy behind the chair. They stopped and looked at one another. Randi snapped her fingers and pointed to them. “This morning, in the bathtub.” All three made a mad dash for the bathroom.
“There he is,” Scott shouted.
“In the trash can,” Sandy finished for his brother. They both reached for the missing Avenger.
“How in the world did he get in the trash?” Randi wondered.
Moments later, they were back in the car, making a fast get-away. “Grandpop is going to be a little upset when we get there,” Randi told the boys. “He wanted to leave an hour ago so we’re going to have to be super excited when we get there and maybe he won’t say anything. Okay?”
“’Kay.”
Since her first graders were on their spring break from school, her father thought it would be a great idea to go to Snowridge. They hadn’t been to the mountain resort since her mother died five years ago. The main reason he was interested in going this year was because he had heard that the developer was expanding the resort. She didn’t know who this developer was, just that her father was set on showing his plans to the guy.
Retired, Sebastian Armstrong still dabbled in his passion for design. More so since reading about the planned expansion in the resort newsletter.
She still couldn’t believe she had let her father talk her into accompanying him. “You need some down time. Time to relax,” he had said.
She didn’t disagree with him but would have been happy to relax at home, sleep late with the boys and do nothing.
Six showers and two weddings in four months had drained her.
Then there had been the never-ending problems with The Row. The public hearing. The fire. Brina’s accident. They still didn’t know how her brake lines had been cut.
She, Brina, Ginny and Marcie had been working non-stop on The Row, a side street they wanted to cultivate into a business complex in their small town, Edmondsville. She and Brina were converting the original firehouse into an office space for her interior decoration business and Brina’s personal shopping service.
They planned to convert the sleeping quarters upstairs into a loft apartment. Brina was going to live there but then she met Rafe and they got married last month. Stacie, Brad’s assistant, had just moved to town from Richmond and would be living there when it was finished.
Once the firehouse was remodeled, they planned to renovate adjacent buildings for businesses. Ginny wanted to develop a Children’s Museum and Marcie was looking to expand her wine shop. Their friend Scooter was interested in opening a second restaurant that would offer breakfasts and lunches during the day.
Randi’s biggest challenge had been meeting Trevor, the contractor overseeing the project. Something always seemed to come up whenever she and Brina were scheduled to meet with him. It had become a joke between her and Brina that she usually got there in time to admire his cute backside. He had a lazy strut that just melted her bones.
“Mom, what’s Snowridge like?” Sandy interrupted her daydream.
“Oh, it’s a nice resort up in the mountains. They have horseback riding, hiking, golf, tennis, an indoor pool. Even a water park.”
“Can we drive the golf cart?” Sandy asked.
“No.”
“Can we race the horses?” Scott asked.
Randi laughed. “No.”
“Can we hike up the mountain and hunt for bears?” They both asked excitedly.
“Of course not!”
“Aw, Mom! We can’t do ‘nuthin.”
Randi laughed as she pulled into her father’s driveway. “I’m sure we’ll find something to do while we’re there.”
Sebastian Armstrong bounded out the front door.
“Bout time you got here.” His gray hair glistened in the morning sun. He made it a point to look at his watch as he headed for his car.
“Aw, Dad!” Randi mimicked her sons. “It’s only eight thirty. We have plenty of time. Besides,” she glanced at her grinning redheaded twins, “we had to go back for Ironman.”
“What, you almost forgot Ironman,” he pretended to be shocked. “In that case,” he winked at his grandsons, “I’ll let it pass.” He jingled his keys. “My car’s all packed. You lead the way.”
Randi frowned. This was the first she’d heard about driving separate cars. “Why are we taking two cars? Surely, we can go together. There’s plenty of room in my Escalade.”
“No. No. You never know what might come up. I may have to come back early for a golf tournament. Or we might want to go in opposite directions one day.”
Randi frowned, settled her fists on her hips. “Then why didn’t you just go ahead? If I had known we were going in separate cars, the boys and I could’ve slept a little later and met you up there. Besides, you know how I like to take my time and visit a couple of the antique shops along the way.”
Her father smiled, kissed her cheek. “C’mon. I’ll keep the boys one day and you can visit all the antique shops you want. But right now, we need to get going. Sandy, you ride with your mother and Scott, you can ride with me.”
An hour later, Randi was ready to pull off the road but told her cell phone to dial Ginny instead. Her new Escalade had been a reward to herself after an article about her business. The unexpected advertisement had netted her some well-paying jobs. Besides, she needed something dependable now that she had the boys.
She was still learning all the bells and whistles that were loaded on the car and the hands-free cell phone just amazed her.
“How’s the trip going?” Ginny asked as soon as she answered.
“Crazy!” Randi exclaimed. “I thought this was going to be a relaxing trip but before we could even get out of town, the boys realized they forgot Ironman so we had to go back to the house. My father has been on my bumper the whole way! We can’t get there soon enough.”
“Why is your father driving separate? I figured you’d go together.”
“My sentiments exactly. But he said something about maybe having to come back early. I thought he’d want to ride in my fancy new car.”
Randi glanced in her rear-view mirror and was sure she could see her father’s eyelashes. She deliberately slowed the car.
“Where are you?” Ginny asked.
“Approaching Brownsville.”
Ginny laughed. “Your favorite town. I remember you telling us how you almost settled there.”
“Yeah.” Randi smiled, watched an elderly couple holding hands as they strolled on the sidewalk.
Time apparently stopped in Brownsville fifty years ago. Businesses operated out of original framed buildings. Huge store windows in the grocery store and shops were decorated attractively, inviting anyone to come inside for their groceries, dresses, even snow shovels that were on sale. Hundred-year-old churches and maple trees lined the streets. The only modernization had been the wing added to the small hospital and rehab center. She remembered stopping at the library and seeing the children enjoying storytelling in the small courtyard outside the library.
The town would have been the perfect place for a new beginning.
“I would love to have settled here but with two small boys and a new business, I needed to be nearer the city. Besides, if I’d settled here, I would never have met you and Brina and Marcie.”
“And you wouldn’t have been me and Scott’s teacher,” Sandy spoke from the back seat.
“Scott’s and my teacher,” Randi and Ginny said at the same time. In addition to being one of Randi’s good friends, Ginny was also the twins’ first grade teacher.
“Didn’t you say you were looking for some new outfits for your storytelling?” Randi asked. “There’s this neat antique shop in Brownsville and if my father wasn’t breathing down my neck I’d stop and check out one of the booths. I remember she had vintage clothing.”
“That would be nice. But I doubt that I’ll be doing much storytelling in the coming months.”
“Why?” Sandy asked. “Me and Scott love your stories.”
“Scott and I.” Randi laughed as she corrected her son.
“Well, because Cliff and I are going to have a little baby.”
“A baby!” Randi and Scott exclaimed at once.
“When did you find out?” Randi asked.
Ginny laughed. “Yesterday afternoon. I had been suspicious and the doctor confirmed it. You’re the first person I’ve told.”
“Aww.” Randi gushed. “Now, instead of bridal showers we’ll be having baby showers.”
Ginny chuckled. “We’ve got plenty of time. Cliff is already tossing around baby names. He’s decided if it’s a boy, he doesn’t want to name it Clifton Gerald the fifth. Thinks we need to be a little more creative.”
“I have to agree with him on that. Hey, I need to get off now. I’m coming up on the roundabout and it looks like they’ve made a few changes since I was last here.”
The only drawback Randi found with Brownsville was the roundabout at the far end of town. She groaned as she approached the intersection. Three major highways met at this circle in the road and you didn’t just simply drive around. There were yield signs for one highway and stop signs for another coupled with highway markers. On a good day, it took some major concentration to stay on the proper path and the extra spring vacation traffic didn’t make it any easier.
Normally the roundabout wouldn’t bother her but it had been awhile since she had been this way and with Sandy talking nonstop from the back seat, she failed to bear to the right and missed her turn. When she realized her mistake, she simply continued around the circle planning to catch the exit on the next go-round.
Her father immediately began honking from behind and broke her concentration the second time around. By the third loop, Sandy decided to join in the fun and hollered and waved at his brother while her father continued to honk at her.
Flustered, self-conscious and downright embarrassed by all the noise, on the fourth time around Randi gunned the Escalade as soon as she saw the Route Three sign.
From the gas station at one corner of the intersection, Trevor Graystone observed the chase around the circle and grinned. He watched the two boys, their red hair blazing in the sun’s rays wave and holler at one another, obviously enjoying the excitement of the adult confusion.
When the noisy convoy of two travelled through the intersection, he turned back to the gas tank. He glanced at his watch, reminded himself he still had several errands to run before heading back to the resort. Then he could relax for the weekend and not have to worry about any major problems or projects for the next couple days. The construction of the mini-mart was going as scheduled and the mini-movie theatre should be done in time for the ski season.
With everything going smoothly here, it would free him up to concentrate on the Edmondsville project. He liked the fact that Brina Hollingsworth, now McGuire, and some friends were restoring a section of their town instead of trying to build a new complex. Renovating was more appealing than demolishing. The old fire house offered a unique setting for offices.
Apparently, the project didn’t stop with the offices. He recalled overhearing Brina and her blonde friend talking about some sort of children’s museum. There was also another friend who was interested in moving her wine shop there. Then there was the interior decorator who was going to share the firehouse with Brina. He’d decided she must be scatterbrained as she never made it in time for any of his meetings with Brina and he had yet to meet her. He was sure they would butt heads before this project was over. He hadn’t met a decorator yet that was easy to work with. Always dreaming up all sorts of crazy ideas with even crazier color schemes.
He looked forward to a long weekend doing nothing. With the change in weather, his days would be busy completing projects with his crews, his evenings planning new projects. He might be boss and could delegate work but it went against his nature to be lazy or idle for long. He enjoyed the fresh air, doing some of the hard labor. His crews seemed to respect him more because of it.
Hammering a nail also helped him to ignore some of his problems. Like the Greenwillow Corporation in Atlanta. They’d been after him for almost a year now to develop a resort like Snowridge. He still had big plans for Snowridge and wasn’t interested in taking on such a large project. Certainly not so far away.
And he wasn’t getting any younger. At thirty-seven, he had everything a man could want. Thriving business, beautiful chalet home on the side of a mountain, three vehicles and an active social life. Thanks to his early morning workouts and jogs, his six-foot two body was healthy, trim, and pleasing to many of his lady friends.
Lately though he caught himself observing those lady friends a little more closely. He should be happy but something was missing. What good was money and success if he had no one to share it with?
Trevor returned the nozzle to the tank, nodded to the guy at the next car. He’d tackle his loneliness another time. When there weren’t more pressing matters to attend too.
Two hours later, Trevor headed back to the resort. Johnny Cash blared from the radio and the cool mountain air whipped through the windows. It might be spring but Mother Nature hadn’t warmed up to the idea yet. He approached the convenience store at the intersection to the resort and caught a whiff of fried chicken.
He smiled. This convenience store wouldn’t be so convenient once he got his own mini-mart completed. He’d noticed how people always stopped here before heading up to the resort. The new mini-mart should be finished next month. The pizzeria was next and before long, vacationers wouldn’t have to leave the resort for anything.
Chicken on his mind, Trevor pulled up outside the store. He paused briefly to admire the maroon Escalade parked next to his dirty truck, then proceeded towards the entrance.