RILEY

I’m home! I’m home! I’m home, I’m home, I’m home! Well, I was only gone for like forty hours but still, there’s nothing better than coming home! The hospital is a nice little one, the nurses are sweet but hoh man, all I wanted to do was to get home.

I crawled into my big bed (even though there was no reason for me to be in a bed) beside my already fully dressed husband and we cuddled our new little arrival between us. New baby Michael is a real darling. Unlike Nathan, poor Michael was born totally bald, making him look like a very tiny toothless old man at his ripe age of one day. He squiggled and squirmed until he was free of the tight blankets and we laughed at his tenacity.

“Maybe this one is more like Terry than Nathan, ay? Oh, have you decided on a godfather for little Michael?” John lifted the squirmy infant and righted him on the pillow again. Poor thing had made his way under the sheets in six quick moves.

We’d negotiated long and hard over making Terry Nathan’s godfather. After all, Terry’s almost never home but oh how he loves our son. I can’t imagine a better choice. “Yes, I was thinking, what about Terry again?”

John dropped his head onto his pillow and looked up at the ceiling. “I was kinda hoping for a different godfather for Michael, sort of a back up in case …” He blinked, shot me an apologetic look.

“I know Terry’s always away and always in dangerous situations. And I know things are really rough for him right now, what with Eva’s brother and all. But honestly, can you think of a better man? A brother who would love and care for our sons any better?”

John’s eyes looked off into the distance and I expected some serious opposition. But instead his voice came soft, thoughtful.

“No, baby. I can’t. I’ll call later today. I should see how things are filtering out. The Fed’s released Eva, you know.”

“Of course they did. She’s not guilty of anything. Her damn brother is. Ah … lookit this …” I laughed. “Michael’s going to grow up to be a miner.” The infant had slithered himself almost under the pillow and the whole time his mouth was rooting, looking for me.

“Yup, mining for the boob action. This one’s a chip off the old block,” John grinned then saddened. “Ah … Riles … I gotta get going. Supposed to be at the office for a briefing at eight.”

“Yes sir, Mr. Mayor,” I said brightly but I was hiding my disappointment. I really, really hate that he’s leaving for the day, that he’ll be leaving every weekday for his new office down in the Stowe Town Hall Civic Building.

In all the years we’ve been together, we’d always been together. I mean John has his hobbies and personal interests, he teaches pond hockey and coached kids hockey back home in Pittsburgh, but most of the time … we’re … together. We bought and built this Inn together. We run it together.

As he kissed me and Nathan (who has no interest in his new little brother because he ‘smells funny’) and tiny Michael goodbye, John walked out of the room I swear, I never felt so alone.

“Mommy, where’s daddy going?” Nathan propped his head on hand and poked at Michael.

“Daddy’s the mayor now. He has to go do mayor things.”

“Like what?”

Arrrghhh, this was going to be tougher than I thought. At least with John around, finding answers for Nathan’s daily five-thousand-nine-hundred-and-eighty-two questions was only a part time job. Now, I was the only one to do it.

JOHN

Can’t remember the last time I left home for work. Mystery? Yeah, Mystery. My own sheriff’s office a long time ago. Now I was in my own new office. The mayor’s office.

It was kinda cool, meeting the staff, getting my office situated and getting a grip on the responsibilities. There aren’t a lot of them, typical mayor stuff. I mean hey, it’s Stowe, not Manhattan, God sakes. But it is a responsibility and I’m taking it seriously. The hardest part is gonna be the fact that the Sheriff’s office and police station are right outside my office. Ben can get to be a lot to handle, but truthfully, except for his close proximity, we really shouldn’t cross paths too often.

I was wrong. He kept popping his head into my office, asking questions I’m kinda glad I’m around to answer for him – Ben’s still adjusting between the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries … and between being an outlaw and a sheriff, too, I’m guessing. Truth be told, he’s not much more comfortable being sheriff than I am at being mayor, but we’ll both adjust. He’s actually been doing a good job, but with a promising ski season and the booming tourist business ahead, he’ll definitely be put to the test.

I figured my first day is the perfect time to take a good, leisurely look around. I had my own secretary, but she’s already talking retirement, a given since she’ the old mayor’s wife. Hey, maybe I can get my wife to come here and manage things for me? Yeah, like that’s gonna happen. I picked up the phone and put it down, realizing I’d called home three times already to see how things are. Last time she made me talk to Nathan and answer his kiddy questions. Maybe I shouldn’t call again?

I groaned and walked around Ben’s domain. The place was well organized and the duty board was well appointed. I know most of the officers in town and Ben seemed to have gotten a good grasp on their individual skills by the way he’d scheduled them.

Then there was Samantha. When I heard the news that she’d taken a step away from active duty for dispatch, I was kinda afraid I’d be facing a pissed off harpy right outside my office door, but she was cool, working her pretty butt off. She sure knew how to run things.

“Need anything, Mayor?” she asked, noticing me roaming around pretty aimlessly.

“Uh … not really. Hey, you know, you’re actually the first person here to call me that.”

“You like it?”

“Not sure.”

“Go home.”

“What?” I glared at her. Did she want me out of my office so she could clean it or something?

“I said, go home. Have lunch with Riles. Visit with the boys. Check on the Inn. It’s not like your first day here is so demanding you can’t spend time with the new baby on his first day home, you know.” She smiled. “Go.”

I glanced back toward my office and the empty secretary’s desk.

“I’ll tell Melba you left. She’ll know where to reach you if something comes up.”

I grinned, tugged my car keys from my pocket and winked. “Samantha, you think maybe I can convince you to quit the force altogether and come work as my secretary? Melba’s retiring, you know.”

“Not leaving the force.” She put her head down and shuffled through a drawer of files.

“Like working for Ben that much, ay?”

“That’s just plain mean. Go home … before I find some reason the Mayor should stick around.”

“Bye …” I was outta there.

SAMANTHA

So okay, this dispatch gig isn’t really all that bad, all things considered; this morning alone I straightened out the janitor’s closet, confiscated all those disgusting Styrofoam spittoons that a couple of the officers insist on littering the office with and threw them out back in the incinerator (they made a lovely sounding POP as they hit the flames), alphabetized and created new folders for all the departmental correspondence and press releases, and replaced the fraying cord on the coffee maker. By early afternoon, the bulletin board was organized (we actually had discount coupons dating back to 2003) and in between all this activity, I manned the dispatch. By late afternoon, the weatherman was predicting the arrival of our first winter storm by this time tomorrow.

I smiled, thinking of how this was good news for all the businesses in town. Snow meant increased commerce, and that meant money. It also meant that the city dwellers were going to once again take over the town and that meant double shifts for everyone. There were never many complaints about that, however, because it meant overtime pay.

I shifted in my chair and glanced up at the calendar that hung above the dispatch desk. Thirty-five days since my last period. I chewed on my bottom lip and tried to convince myself that I’d somehow miscalculated, but I knew better. Could this really be happening to me, and now of all times? I counted back on my fingers, silently mouthing the numbers. I’d always been so careful about birth control, but before Egan came along, my love life was sporadic at best. There were a couple of times just recently where we’d both been careless in the heat of the moment, and well, it’s a pretty easy thing to do where Egan Walsh is concerned. He has those big soft green eyes and his voice gets all soft and growly when he’s in the mood to cuddle …

The dispatch switchboard lit up and I tore myself away from my thoughts to take the call. A  314…seems like a visiting college boy had one too many beers and decided to use one of the decorative planters outside Mary Carmichael’s coffee shop as a urinal. Some things never change. 

TRACY

What a delight! Vicky has turned out to be a perfect fit at the shop. With the coming season, we’re looking forward to many of the rich and famous people who frequent Stowe and ski at Mansfield. Last year, I could hardly compete with the high fashion beauty shops up at the resort, but I had a brainstorm. It was so simple.

I changed the shop … drastically. I took it from quaint small town kitch to uptown loft. I literally gutted the whole first floor and took out some of the second floor. I made the entry all glass, and put in a fireplace in the waiting area that climbed all the way to the second floor roof. Then I added a masseuse, a woman to do manicures and pedicures. A friend of mine from New York does wonderful facials and I convinced her to come live in the country. The real hook though, was that my shop was starting to look super cool and she could totally imagine the rich customers coming in during their extended ski vacations. I’d just managed to unveil the whole thing a few weeks ago and Ben hates it. That means it must be perfect!

All I needed was a salon professional who could cut and style as well as I can. Vicky! The answer to my prayers.  That left only two things to do. Change the name of the salon to Crosscut at Stowe (the sign is the neatest fiber optic lighted design you ever saw!) and … ah-hem … raise my prices.

Of course, the locals received a special gold card that gave them services at massive savings. I didn’t intend to lose the business I already had, now did I? When the weatherman predicted the coming snow, I braced myself. And guess what?

They came! In droves! Customers. Stopping before they headed up to the resort to check out the shop. Popping in to make appointments and comment on how wonderful the place looked. They had no idea how hard it all was! After all, there are serious, strict rules in Stowe. No neon (even McDonald’s doesn’t have a neon sign) and nothing that doesn’t fit in with the antiquity of the town. Thanks to Lachlan and Kevin, I passed the inspection with flying colors and now my business was about to fly.

Vicky was busy since the moment she walked in. Little StuntDog (yes, I call him StuntDog I hate it but Ben has the whole town calling him that and now he won’t answer to anything else) was sleeping in the corner and I slipped behind the receptions desk to check afternoon appointments. I had a free hour and so did Vicky.

“Hungry? Feel like going out to lunch?”

She brightened. “Love to. Jeese Louise, I forgot how hard this work can be.”

“You’re so good, you’ll only be getting busier and busier.” We tugged on our coats and who walks in? My handsome husband wearing a black cowboy hat on his head and a sheriff’s badge on his jacket. He grinned and tipped the hat at all the ladies then gave a little scowl as he looked around. He soooo hates the new shop. I laughed.

“What’re you doing here? Arresting someone?”

“Thought I’d take ya to lunch, darlin’,” he whispered as he laid one wonderful kiss on me. The women in the waiting area swooned. Really … swooned.

“I was just about to go have lunch with Vicky.”

“Oh, I’m fine, I can order in. You two go on,” she said way too quickly.

“Not likely,” Ben growled. “My job to check out all Tracy’s new employees. You go on ahead and I’ll take you both to Kennedy’s for a burger.”

“Ahead, huh?” she giggled.

“Yes, so he can check out your butt. Ben may be married to me, but he’s not dead. Right dear?” I looked back and he winked.

“That’s right, woman.”

COLIN

Funny how some things just kind of sneak up on you and suddenly you realize that you’re at a point where everything is either going to change or stay exactly the same; it only takes one simple decision to balance the favor in either direction.

I’ve already stayed much longer here in Vermont than I had originally planned. What started out as a getaway from a couple of days on the circuit has turned into an extended vacation. I hate to admit it, but I kind of like it here in Stowe. Perhaps I’m just getting older, but I like being a little closer to family. I find myself thinking about buying a house here and town and sticking around for a while, at least until I figure a few things out. But then there’s always the option of having yet another custom home built to suit my needs, or I could hire Lach and the boys to help me renovate one of these once grand old farm houses. I could sell the house in Burlington and start over fresh.

Or maybe I’m just going through some strange sort of downtime phase and I should come out of hiding and get my sorry arse back on the road as soon as the holidays are over. I’ve had my bit of a lark and perhaps it’s time to get back to the pits and the business of racing. But then Vicky wouldn’t be there to share it with me.

Bloody hell. When did I end up falling in love with this sheila?

RILEY

Oh my God! By ten a.m. the whole Inn was in disarray! No one knew what John actually did around here until he wasn’t around to do it anymore. God, I missed him so much! So does Kim and Em and Clarisse and Chef Chris and the gardener and Antony and …. well, everyone.

If we got through the morning, I knew I’d have a whole mess of work ahead of me. Over night, I was going to have to redistribute a massive amount of small but vital responsibilities.

Clarisse could no longer simply expect the inventory of minor housekeeping elements to be managed and maintained magically. She no longer had John to check the storeroom before running into town for office supplies Emily needed.

Kim was going to have to pick up the slack left behind too, since John wasn’t going to be bopping down to his office to check and see if they were out of copier paper or push pins. He also couldn’t be available to answer every tiny question he usually answered, or approve decisions or sign purchase orders. Now Kim was going to have to wait on me or get the answers himself.

And I don’t think any of us, including Antony, had any clue how much John did for the security department. John would cover every time someone called off sick! Now Antony was going to have to start shifting his staff better and cover all the call-offs himself.

Then there was the Pub. Luckily, Daisy is so self-sufficient, she actually can run that place alone. But she too will need to hire another bartender since it’s not likely the Mayor of Stowe can cover the lunch shift anymore.

The kitchen was seriously impacted by John’s absence. Not one of the chefs ever had to worry about a missing ingredient or quick emergency pick up of product for the kitchen. All they ever did was punch in John’s cell and they had whatever they needed. Oops, someone should have thought this through.

I guess that someone was me. Forgive me, 1876 Manor at Mt. Mansfield. I was busy being uber-pregnant and giving birth. Ah well, we’ll figure it all out.

In fact, when John unexpectedly came home at lunchtime to spend the rest of the day with his family, I specifically told him that he is no longer to answer anyone’s beck and call at the Inn from now on. Anyone but mine, of course. He laughed and I apologized.

“You know, people used to always ask me, ‘What does John do at the Inn?’ and I swear I never had a clear answer. Now I can at least tell them what you used to do. You used to do everything important. God, I appreciate that you did that. And now, I want you to be as good a mayor as you were an Inn Manager.”

“Yeah? Now?”

“No, right now I want you to be as good a husband as you’ve always been. I know it’s only three in the afternoon, but I’m exhausted. Let’s all take a nap? Please?”

And he swept me into his arms. Tell me, honestly, am I not the luckiest freaking woman in the world?

EGAN

After a bear of a day helping Mitchell with the plumbing at the Dominguez property, it was almost a Kodak moment to find Samantha and Jacob fixing dinner. They were making biscuits and although there was more flour on Jacob than there was in the mixing bowl, he looked peaceful and happy.

He barely noticed me as I entered the kitchen and Samantha came over to give me a hug.

“He’s making the biscuits all by himself.” She’d been drinking a glass of ice water and her lips were cold against mine. “Hope you’re hungry, ‘cuz I think I’ve made enough meatloaf to feed six people.”

I grinned. Call me boring, but I just a bloke who loves the simplicity of meat and potatoes. Or biscuits. And I won’t lie about my feelings; I like coming home after a long day to find dinner hot and waiting for me. I know I can get used to this.

Samantha slipped away just as I was about to give her another kiss. “Better go wash up,” she said. “Dinner’ll be ready in about fifteen minutes.”

I thought I picked up on a strange sort of tension, and by the time dinner was over I was feeling a strange sort of tingling tension that told me that something was brewin’. With Jacob off taking his bath and the last of dishes washed and put away, I braced myself for whatever was about to make itself known as I went to join Samantha in the living room.

She sat on the edge of the couch and looked up at me with her dark soulful eyes, and I thought, uh oh, here it comes. .