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Dale stepped forward and extended his hand. “Mayor Shaw.”
The man puffed up his chest as he stood. Brown hair grayed near his temples and held a crease that circled the mayor’s head. Dale spotted a black cowboy hat hanging beside others on a hat rack attached to the far wall. No doubt the reason for the crease. Above average height, Jackson Shaw had broad shoulders and he exuded an air of authority. He was also looking Dale over pretty good.
Dale resisted the urge to ask if he liked what he saw.
Finally the mayor gripped his hand for a firm handshake. “Mr. Massey. Good of you to join us.”
Dale detected a note of sarcasm in the mayor’s voice and swallowed his irritation. He had a life, one he’d dropped in order to be here. “Thank you.”
“Let me introduce you to my family. You’ve met Faith here.” Jackson made the rounds.
There was Cord Shaw and his new wife, Katie, and their goddaughter, Marci, whom they were planning to adopt. Cord’s brothers, Austin and Adam, and then the youngest sibling, Julie, and her husband, Ryan. Dale sat down, knowing he’d have trouble remembering the names. Didn’t matter. He’d stay through the weekend and leave. He’d be here only a few days at most.
“Let’s pray, shall we?” The mayor cleared his throat and shifted his stance as he took the hands of his wife and youngest daughter seated on either side of him.
Everyone else followed suit. Faith offered up her hand and so did her brother—Austin, was it?
Okay, this is weird. He took Faith’s hand easily enough, but then Dale hesitated.
Faith’s brother gave him a challenging look.
When in Rome...
Dale finally took the guy’s work-roughened hand. He’d followed any number of odd customs in his travels not willing to offend a potential client or buyer. It didn’t mean he’d have to like it, even if only a dinnertime prayer.
The mayor made a grand show of blessing the food. He had politician written all over him. Smooth and polished. Funny, no matter what size the pond, big fish were always going to act like big fish.
Dale’s stomach rumbled. He hadn’t eaten since lunch, a light meal served in the corporate limo on the way to the airport.
He felt a slight squeeze from Faith.
He glanced her way.
She looked as if she held back laughter. No doubt she’d heard his belly growl.
After the mayor’s prayer, the noise level immediately escalated as lids came off serving platters and food was passed around.
“You’re a hard man to get a hold of.” Cord, the oldest brother, passed a bowl of steaming potatoes.
“Yes.” No sense in denying it. Dale had ducked every call made from Jasper Gulch. But in the end, Julian had won. Dale was here, his father wasn’t.
“Is your father planning to attend homecoming?” Cord asked.
“Not this time. He’s traveling to Hong Kong.” An excuse. His father never did what he didn’t want to. Those responsibilities fell to Dale, and who was he to say no?
“Do you have any brothers or sisters who might come?” the younger sister asked. Julie was her name, and she resembled Faith. Both young women had slightly different shades of the rich auburn hair from their mother.
Dale passed the bowl to Faith. “Two half brothers, and no, they won’t be joining me.”
Faith’s eyes went wide. “Would they come if they knew we’ve got a Massey-family float planned for the Thanksgiving Day parade?”
Julian hadn’t said anything about Thanksgiving. Dale assumed it was only this weekend for their homecoming thing. “I won’t be staying. I’ve got business in New York.”
Faith shared a look with her sister. “But it’s Thanksgiving. Don’t you take vacation and spend time with your family?”
Dale gave her a grim smile. “Not if I can help it.”
Her pretty mouth dropped open and she lowered the bowl of potatoes and whispered, “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
Faith shook her head. “I assumed you’d celebrate like a normal person, you know, with parents and turkey and all the trimmings. Only here, in Jasper Gulch.”
He chuckled. Normal. What was that? “I enjoy the luxury of going where I please for holidays.”
“All alone?” She bit her lip.
He leaned toward her and lowered his voice. “Not always.”
Her eyes widened. He’d flustered her again.
Well, what did she expect?
He passed a bowl and glanced at her once more. Faith Shaw looked sorry for him. He had everything money could buy. Whatever he wanted was his for the asking. What did she think he needed that she’d look at him with such pity?
He glanced around the table. Did anyone notice his conversation with Miss Shaw? No. Faith’s family was busy eating and talking.
“You might find our homecoming event interesting,” Cord said to him.
Dale doubted that, but he didn’t want to appear rude. “Yeah?”
“The founders of Jasper Gulch, your great-great-grandfather and mine, buried a time capsule a hundred years ago that will be on display. In it were blueprints of what is now city hall and pretty extensive city planning documents, among other period items and photos.”
Dale nodded. Those plans might actually be worth a look. “Interesting.”
“Someone else thought so, too, since the time capsule was stolen back in July. But it was finally found a couple of weeks ago. Cal Calloway said it had been abandoned by Beaver Creek Bridge,” Faith’s sister said. “Cal’s our deputy sheriff.”
“Is that so?” Dale’s curiosity waned. He glanced down the table and spotted the mayor sharing a look with his wife.
The man caught his eye and coughed. “We’re a safe community, Dale. Personally, I think the culprit who stole the time capsule has left town.”
Faith’s eyes widened. “You think maybe it was Pete Daniels?”
The mayor shrugged. “Stands to reason when the capsule pops up after he’s gone. But I guess we’ll never know for sure. The important thing is the capsule was found with all that history intact. Things have certainly quieted down, too. We can all be thankful for that.”
Dale nearly laughed at the serious nods given around the Shaw table. Was the biggest crime in Jasper Gulch this stolen time capsule? Probably some kid’s prank.
Faith leaned his way. “Pete Daniels is sort of our town’s troublemaker.”
Dale matched her serious tone. “I see.”
Yeah. That cleared it up.
Dale sighed. It was only a few days. He’d leave in a few days and his world would return to normal. His normal. And it couldn’t come soon enough.
* * *
The next morning, Faith poured orange juice into a glass and looked at her father. Jackson Shaw had been grumpy the last couple of months and it was no wonder. The pressure from a six-month-long centennial celebration would wear on anyone. Being mayor of a small town that needed big results crushed heavy.
Good thing her dad had broad shoulders. Cord said he’d finally agreed that Jasper Gulch needed to grow to not only survive but flourish.
She watched him rub his temples. “You okay, Dad? Didn’t you sleep well?”
Her father sighed. “I slept just fine.”
She didn’t believe him. Dark smudges hung under his eyes and he hadn’t even touched his favorite sweet roll.
“Good morning.” Dale Massey entered the dining room dressed in a suit. A suit! Shirt, tie, jacket, all in shades of olive. What man wore a color like that unless his clothes were army fatigues?
Faith stared.
He gave her one of his slow smiles that felt like a caress. “Something wrong?”
A man shouldn’t be allowed to smile like that!
“You’re dressed awful...” Faith stammered, “...awfully fine this morning.”
“I’ve got a meeting at Lone Peak ski resort.” Dale poured himself a cup of coffee from the carafe on the buffet as if he owned the place.
Obviously Dale didn’t know that people didn’t dress like that around here. Maybe he was meeting with a fancy client on vacation. But then, they wouldn’t dress up like that, either. Not while on vacation.
“It snowed there overnight.” Her father steepled his fingers and stared her down.
Faith knew what he was getting at. Dale wouldn’t make it through the mountains in that rental car. He might do fine on the interstate, but once he hit the back roads, he’d get stuck for sure. “Dale, you can take my car. It has all-wheel drive and chains in the back.”
Dale looked confused about the chains. “Thank you. Unfortunately, you’re not authorized to use the lemon.”
“Oh, that’s okay. I can use my mom’s car if I need to go anywhere.”
“Faith.” Her father’s eyes briefly closed. She’d seen that look a dozen times growing up. It was his you-should-know-better look. “Take him there. Dale’s our guest.”
Dale gave her a wary glance before zeroing back in on her father. “I’m sure I’ll be fine—”
“These mountain passes can be tricky this time of year. Faith knows the way and a shortcut, to boot.” Her father gave her a nod that said arguing would be fruitless. “Adam and Austin will see to your chores.”
Faith held her breath before letting it back out. She could refuse, but that wouldn’t go over well with her father. Not when she still lived under his roof. And she’d look foolish in front of Dale. She’d planned to practice her violin, but she could do that tonight, so that was not the best excuse for declining. Butterflies in her stomach were even worse. Besides, that reaction played right into her father’s matchmaking hands.
She wasn’t interested in a guy like Dale Massey. Attracted? Who wouldn’t be? She’d seen his taut abs outlined by the skimpy undershirt he wore. She glanced at their guest. “I need to drop by the bank on our way. How much time do you have?”
“Plenty.” Dale sipped his coffee.
In other words, that meeting waited for him. Nice. The world revolved around Dale Massey’s schedule. “Then I can eat breakfast.”
“Take your time.” Another sip.
“Have a seat, Dale.” Her father gestured toward the table. “Sandy made a frittata but if you’d like something else, say the word. The boys have already eaten, but there’s plenty.”
“Sandy’s a friend and our housekeeper and also a knitter for Julie’s business,” Faith explained while she loaded her plate from the chafing dishes on the buffet.
He gave her a bored look. “Coffee’s fine.”
Faith went back to the business of filling her plate. Dale would wish he’d have eaten these fixings after they were in the car for an hour-plus drive to Lone Peak. She made a mental note to stuff a few granola bars in her purse before they left. Then she sat down across from Dale, ignored his surprise at the heaping portion on her plate and dug in.
* * *
Dale watched Faith kiss the mayor’s forehead.
“Bye, Daddy. Not sure when we’ll be back.” She sounded genuinely considerate. Spoiled, maybe? No. He knew spoiled, and Faith Shaw wasn’t that.
“Take your time. And fill up your gas tank before you leave Jasper Gulch.”
“Will do.” She waited for him by the doorway. “Ready?”
Dale gathered his thoughts. “Yes.”
She gave him a once-over. “Don’t you have a different coat? Or boots?”
“This coat is warm, and these are my boots.” They were Gucci and comfortable.
Her eyes lowered in a knowing look. “You’ve never been to Lone Peak.”
“No.” Dale wasn’t a ski nut like Eric, his half brother. He never had the time or the inclination. “How’d you guess?”
“You’re a bit overdressed.” By her tone, he knew she wasn’t giving him a compliment. “I’ll get some real boots for you.”
“But we’ll be in the car.” Dale looked out the window as he followed her. The sun shone through puffy white clouds in a blue sky. Not a flake of snow at the Shaw spread.
“Out here, it’s best to be prepared.”
“For what?” Dale waited for her as she dived into a large walk-in closet.
She looked at him as if he lacked a brain. “We’re driving through the mountains. We could go off the road, get stuck in snow. Any number of things. The ski resorts have snow. The peaks always have snow. Your feet will freeze if we have to walk anywhere.”
“I see.” Dale owed the mayor a debt of gratitude for making Faith drive. He’d never given a breakdown or accident a single thought. Probably not wise to drive around this desolate area alone. He’d already learned cell coverage was spotty at best.
“Try these.” She tossed a pair of thick boots his way. They were huge lace-up things with felt liners.
Dale slipped off one sleek leather boot and stuck his foot inside. “Yeah, they fit.”
