Christmas in Eternity Springs (16 page)

“I know. I know you were. But it's over. Nothing has been destroyed that can't be fixed or replaced. Smoke is your biggest problem. You might have some trouble getting it out of your bedding and clothes.”

“That's not a big deal. Clothes and bedding are easy to replace.”

Expensive, too, Jax thought. Those silk shirts she liked to wear to work couldn't be cheap. He thought back to his married days. If Lara had lost her entire wardrobe, not only would the world have come to an end, but she would have bankrupted him replacing what she'd lost.

“They say it's arson,” she said, her gaze sweeping over the valley's three cabins, one of which had burned to the ground. “Who would do such a thing? Why?”

“I don't know. Some people are just crazy. Whoever it was, I have a feeling that your sheriff won't stop until he finds the guy. Zach Turner strikes me as a badass, and he's seriously pissed.”

As he said it, Jax turned his head to look at Turner and realized that at some point during the past few minutes, he and Claire had become the center of attention for a number of people in the crowd. Mostly the women. Females must be born with some sort of romance radar, he thought. And Celeste … well … that woman was simply scary.

The puppy began to squirm. Claire stepped away from Jax and set Tinsel down on the ground as Jax heard Lori Murphy call his name. She and Chase Timberlake walked toward them. “I need to give you a hug,” Lori said to Jax. “You are this veterinarian's hero of the day! That puppy wouldn't have tolerated much smoke.”

“Look, it wasn't a big deal. I got in and out before the smoke got bad.”

“You're wasting your breath, Navy,” Chase said. “This is a dog-loving town. You went into a burning building to save a puppy. You're a bona fide hero from here on out.”

“He's right,” Lori agreed. “You might as well—”

She broke off abruptly at the sound of a gunning engine and screeching tires. They all looked around to see the sheriff's truck race toward the road.

Within moments, news of the reason why Zach had sped off filtered through the crowd, and the worried expressions that had dissipated with the extinguishing of the fire returned.

Brick Callahan was the one who clued them in. “Looks like we have a motive for arson at Three Bears Valley. Someone wanted to get people out of town so he could rob the bank.”

 

Chapter Eleven

It feels good to do something for someone you care about.

—JAX

“Rob the bank? You're kidding,” Claire said in a disbelieving tone. “People don't rob banks in this day and age. Not in Eternity Springs.”

“Apparently they do,” Brick responded.

“What about the school?” Jax demanded, his lips flattening into a grim line. “Do I need to worry?”

“It's on lockdown. The sheriff's department is telling everyone to stay inside and keep their doors locked.”

“Good.”

Lori shook her head. “I can't believe this. I don't know that our school has ever been on lockdown before. Our bank hasn't been robbed since the 1880s, and if we've ever had a case of arson, it didn't make the history book. I would have remembered studying that in school.”

“Today has certainly been a day for the history books,” Chase observed. “A new Callahan, a fire, a bank robbery. And it's not even noon. I'm almost afraid to see what's going to happen after lunch.”

“I probably should get back to town,” Lori observed. “I want to check my clinic, make sure we haven't had a vermin invasion.”

“You're not going anywhere without me. Not until Zach catches this jackwagon.”

The news of the bank robbery cleared out Three Bears Valley quickly as people rushed back to town to protect their property. Indecision kept Claire rooted to her spot. She didn't know whether to remain here and get to work assessing the damage to her things, or return to town to make sure that Forever Christmas didn't have any bank robbers hiding in the Angel Room or stockroom.

“What do you want to do?” Jax asked her.

“I don't know. It's a bit overwhelming.”

“I think you should stay here and go through Baby Bear. For one thing, traffic back to town is going to be nasty for the next little while. Give it a chance to clear out and you'll save yourself the headache of a traffic jam.”

“An Eternity Springs traffic jam,” she mused. “Now that is a rare animal. Happens only a few times a year, I understand. Mostly when we pack the town for one of our tourist festivals. You make a good point, Jax. I think I'll stay.”

“
We
will stay,” he corrected. “I'm not leaving you out here by yourself. Not until the arsonist is caught, anyway.”

She wasn't going to argue with him. She'd probably be more than a little creeped out if she were out here by herself today. Except … “What about Nicholas?”

“The school sent a text saying they'll give parents a thirty-minute warning once the decision is made to release the kids. That's plenty of time to—” He broke off abruptly when Celeste approached at a brisk walk.

“Claire, honey. I'm going to ride back into town with Lori and Chase. Before I leave I wanted to let you know that I've spoken with Bob Hamilton. He said to tell you to make a list of everything you own that's been damaged in any way, and he'll see that it's replaced. He has excellent insurance. You won't be out a dime. Also, he suggested you move into Mama Bear until whatever necessary repairs are done to Baby Bear. He'll ask the contractor he hires to begin work there.”

“That's good,” Jax said. “Sounds like you've lucked out with your landlord, Claire.”

“He's a wonderful man,” Celeste commented. “Jax, you might be interested to know that his father was a navy man during World War II. A submariner.”

“Really,” Jax said. “Now those men had it tough. Today's boats are like a luxury yacht compared to what they put to sea in during the Second World War.”

“Yes, I imagine so. Bob had a message for you, too, Jax. I told him about your new business, and he wants to know if you'd like the contract to restore the buildings. I can assure you he pays top wages, and as soon as Baby Bear is livable again and Claire can return to it, Mama Bear will be available for you and Nicholas. Rent free, of course. It will be good, steady work for months.”

Jax's chin dropped. “Seriously? Why would he do that? He doesn't know me.”

“I vouched for you. The work you did for me was excellent.”

“Celeste, I fixed a loose step on your back porch!”

“And you did a fine job of it. You showed up when you said you would, you did the work, and you charged me a fair price. You also have the authority to work with some of our more … independent, shall I say … subs.”

“Independent?” Claire said. “What they are is impossible. We have one electrician in town and one plumber. You can't count on either one of them to do what they say.”

“And Jax was a naval officer. I have no doubt he'll manage them. So, dear, shall I give you Bob's number so you can call and discuss the particulars?”

“Absolutely. I'll call him this afternoon.”

Celeste gave one of those brilliant grins that seemed to light up the entire sky. “Wonderful. Now, Lori and Chase are waiting, so I'd best hurry along. I want to be there when Zach captures that horrible person who's responsible for today's trauma. I'm quite unhappy that he chose today of all days to cause his mischief. Although no one will ever forget John Gabriel's birthday.”

“True,” Claire agreed. “I'm thankful this didn't happen on Lori's wedding day.”

“Oh, Claire.” Celeste covered her mouth with her hand. “Perish the thought.”

Both women took a moment to imagine the turmoil that would have caused and shuddered. Celeste took her leave and Claire turned her attention back to Jax. He appeared stunned. “I hate to feel grateful for your misfortune, Claire, but this job is a godsend. I'll be able to get Nicholas out of that awful motel we're in!”

The smile he aimed her way rivaled Celeste's in brightness and proved just as infectious. Claire laughed aloud as he picked her up and twirled her around, then kissed her hard.

“I do like exuberant men,” she observed when he set her down. “But you cheated.”

“Cheated?”

She pointed toward the sky above. “No mistletoe.”

Now his smile slid into a sexy grin that she felt clear to her toes. He made a show of looking up. “You're wrong, Miss Christmas. Look at those clouds. If that's not a ball of mistletoe above us, then I'm Frosty the Snowman. Believe me when I tell you, I'm not the least bit cold.”

“Yeah, well, neither will the gossip be once the subject of babies, arson, and bank robberies dies down,” Claire pointed out. “Residents will return their attention to the usual fare of who's romancing who, who is no longer romancing who, and what in the world is so-and-so thinking by going out with that you-know-what? After that display you just put on, you and I will be hot topic number one.”

Jax shrugged those broad shoulders of his. “I don't care. Actually, I'm glad to make my claim public if it'll help discourage other guys from making a run at you.”

“Your claim?” she repeated, arching a challenging brow. “Did you really say that? Your
claim
? Not very PC, are you, Lancaster?”

“Nah. I'm a Neanderthal. Fair warning.” Proving his words, he slapped her butt. “Ready to tackle Baby Bear? I'd like to get a sense of how long it'll take to get it livable again. I suspect Nicholas's grandparents are going to swoop in for a surprise visit any day now, and it would be better for everyone if we're not still residents of the Elkhorn Lodge.”

Claire took a minute to consider her next words. He had no way of knowing it, but his lack of concern about gossip warmed a place in her heart that had been cold for over a year. The Lying Lizard Louse always had been careful to keep their relationship low-key. At the time, it had hurt her feelings. When she'd finally discovered the reason why he'd placed so much emphasis on privacy, she'd felt totally stupid for having missed the clues.

Jax wasn't a liar. He wasn't a louse or a lizard, either. He was a hardworking, honest, straightforward man who was trying hard to be a great father. In other words, he wasn't anything like Landon.

And he'd gone into a burning building to save her puppy.

“You don't have to wait, Jax,” she said. “Mama Bear has three bedrooms. As far as I'm concerned, you're welcome to move in today.”

He jerked his gaze around to stare at her. “Seriously?”

“Sure. Why not?”

“Aren't you worried about what people will think?”

“No. I find I don't really care.”

He repeated the pick-her-up, swing-her-around, plant-a-hot-kiss-on-her move. She was still reeling from it when he said, “Am I good or what? Sleeping together even before our first date!”

She elbowed him in the side, then walked on toward Baby Bear, a smile on her face.

*   *   *

Jax did a walk-through of each of the cabins and compiled a list of the extent of the damage. Mama Bear's roof needed only a bit of patching. Baby Bear needed a whole new roof, new attic insulation, some wiring repair, and a complete interior paint job. Unfortunately, after viewing the extent of the damage at Papa Bear, he concluded the best solution there would be to clear it to the slab and start over.

He made the call to the property owner, and in the forty-minute conversation that followed, secured the job that offered a stress-relieving salary and arrived at a rebuilding plan. Bob Hamilton wanted Papa Bear restored exactly as the original but for the minor change of a different style of front door. Luckily, he'd kept a detailed file of everything Jax needed to know to complete the job.

“I'll overnight it to you, Jax,” he said. “The only real concern I have is that Shannon won't be willing to re-create the mosaics. Since little Brianna was born, she's cut way back on her work schedule. We might have to sweet-talk her into doing it.”

Jax had met Shannon Garrett in July, and he was pretty sure he'd won the exhausted new parent's eternal gratitude when he'd passed along a trick that had worked when Nicholas was teething. “I don't think it'll be a problem, Bob. I have a marker with her I can call in if necessary.”

“Excellent.”

Before ending the call, Jax thanked him again for both the opportunity and the housing. “Don't thank me. Thank Celeste. She gave you a glowing recommendation, and I've learned I can rely on her judgment.”

“I won't let either of you down,” Jax replied, his promise solemn. “You have my word on it.”

As Jax thumbed the red circle on his phone to end the call, a wry smile lifted his lips. He wondered if Celeste ever did anything that wasn't “glowing.” That seemed to be her modus operandi.

Returning to Baby Bear to check on Claire, he found her in her kitchen unloading the contents of a refrigerator into a cooler. Seeing him, she asked, “How did it go?”

“Great. He seems like he'll be easy to work with.”

“I'm so glad.”

“Any word from town?”

“I talked to Lori a few minutes ago. She said tensions are high. Zach doubts that the guy hung around Eternity Springs, but until he picks up a trail, no one can be certain. She also said you need not worry about Nicholas. In addition to the school being on lockdown, Zach has stationed a couple of deputies on the grounds as added precaution.

“Good.”

Claire shut the refrigerator door and lowered the lid on the cooler. When she went to pick it up, Jax said, “Let me carry that.”

“It's not heavy, Jax. I can get it.”

He ignored her and headed for the door and short walk to Mama Bear. He didn't miss her muttered, “Neanderthal,” and he grinned in response.