Love Rising: Spring (Mandrake Falls Series Romance Book 4) Read online

  Trevor piped up. “Ryan McIntyre has a grudge against the Gazette. Sure, McIntyre Construction is playing nice at the moment but Ryan’s always got something up his sleeve. We make him uncomfortable. He has motive.”

  “So does Letitia Murdoch,” snapped Andrea.

  “Letitia Murdoch? She’s like a hundred years old! What motive does she have?”

  “Mrs. Murdoch is a savvy business woman. She lured Michael Shannon into accepting the post of Artistic Director. Michael Shannon’s connections and star power are going to attract a huge audience. Murdoch is finally realizing a decades-old dream to turn that dusty theater into something. But the dream wouldn’t get far without Jeremy. The dude is a great stage manager. He works long hours for lousy pay and Jocelyn puts that in jeopardy. If Jeremy can’t stick around town because Jocelyn keeps messing him up, Murdoch will lose her stage manager.”

  Jason frowned. “How did Jocelyn mess with him? He had a crush and she knocked him back. It happens. He should get over it.”

  “She blows hot and cold,” Andrea said impatiently. “Guys are too stupid to see it. She flirted with him often enough that he thought he had a chance. But she was only using him to make Hudson Grace jealous. She’ll use him again to make Ryan jealous if she has to. I wouldn’t be surprised if she stuck this in my camera case herself.”

  Jason sat up. “Did we even look at her as a suspect? Maybe the reason she hasn’t come busting in here yet is because she’s the perp.”

  Trevor rested his head on the table and closed his eyes. “If Jocelyn wanted to make a guy jealous, she’s not going to make it happen with Jeremy Marks.”

  “That’s a shitty thing to say,” Andrea railed. “You’re such an asshole, Trevor.”

  Trevor raised his head, deeply offended. “What did I do now? Jeremy isn’t the kind of guy who makes other guys jealous. That’s all I’m saying. I like the dude but he’s not a macho threat.” He shrugged and got to his feet. “Nice guys finish last. You women want alpha males and we betas have to suck it up.” Trevor slouched to the sofa, flopped down on it and stretched out with a yawn. “I’m too tired to think. Wake me when the boss gets in.”

  A second or two later Jason and Andrea heard Trevor snoring loudly.

  ♥

  JEREMY SHOWERED and dressed. He came out of the bathroom to find Jocelyn asleep on his couch. He covered her with the throw. After a minute’s deliberation he scrawled a note and tacked it to the mantle where she could find it.

  Jeremy pulled on his tan corduroy sport coat and left the apartment. He took the back stairs that led to the offices on the second floor and then through the warren of hallways to the stage door entrance at the back. Jocelyn’s bike was leaning up against the side of the building. His car was the solitary vehicle parked in the employee parking lot. There was a time when the employees would’ve been so numerous their cars would’ve filled the spacious lot. Incredible, he thought. Those glory times for the theater are on the way back if Michael Shannon has her way.

  He mulled over these small matters as he backed out of the parking lot and headed for the center of town. Small matters were less unnerving to think about than Jocelyn Tate asleep in his apartment, a classified ad announcing their engagement, and the mention of his mother. It was this last item that made him angry enough to leave Jocelyn’s side. Nothing else could’ve done it.

  What kind of sick mind would use a guy’s dead mother for a practical joke? Even if—(it was too incredible to imagine)—even if Jocelyn ever did agree to marry him, Bethany Marks wouldn’t be there to witness the happiest day in her son’s life. That was a heartbreaking fact and some bastard thought it was funny enough to put it in the paper.

  He wasn’t going to be confrontational but Shelby Porter had to take some responsibility or at least tell him who placed the classified. And then he was going to have to call his father. It was unlikely Kenneth Marks had received this week’s edition of the Mandrake Falls Gazette yet but Jeremy should give him the heads-up.

  Plus, he just wanted to talk to his dad. Seeing the classified made Jeremy realize how much Kenneth had lost when his wife died. All the milestones he had to celebrate as a single parent. First steps, first tooth, first words, kindergarten, Christmas, first love ... Kenneth Marks had been on his own for all of it. The engagement announcement was like a snapshot of how much loneliness still lay ahead for his dad.

  It made Jeremy lonely to think about it.

  ♥

  PAULA DUNLOP saw Jeremy Marks walking down the sidewalk at a brisk pace, hands thrust in the pockets of his jeans, head down. Shoulders hunched to hide his height, glasses reflecting the spring day sunshine. She raised her hand to wave but Jeremy ducked into the Gazette and missed seeing her.

  Paula let her hand drop and sighed. Would Jeremy Marks ever want her the way he wanted Jocelyn? That was the first question on her mind as she pushed open the door to the diner. She was greeted by the smell of hot fat and coffee. The second question was should she order her usual for lunch or mix it up for a change?

  Ryan McIntyre was sitting at the counter. Paula removed her new blue raincoat, hung it on the coat rack near the door and joined him.

  “Hi. Why aren’t you eating with your brother?” She jerked her head to the corner booth where Shelby and Sawyer were hunched over the table, deep in conversation.

  “I was going to but they’re still too infatuated with each other to take on an empty stomach. It’ll wear off eventually and then they’ll be tolerable again.” Ryan glanced at her. “I don’t mind your company, Paula, but not if you’re going to yell at me.”

  “Why would I yell at you?”

  “The last time we ate together, you gave me hell for being mean to Shelby.”

  “Don’t be silly, we have never eaten together. You were in prison and I brought you some breakfast because I felt sorry for you. Breakfast in prison is not the same thing at all. Anyway, I’m not going to yell at you. I’m thinking about something. I was wondering what makes a person fall in love with another person.”

  “Why Paula Dunlop, you’re just full of surprises. The answer is ‘I have no idea’. Why are you wondering this?”

  “People are falling in love all over the place in Mandrake Falls but I can’t work out a pattern or commonality. We single stragglers don’t have anything more or less than the couples, so why hasn’t it worked out for us?”

  “I get the feeling you’re talking about Jeremy Marks. You want to know why it didn’t work out for you with him. He’s engaged so we’ll never know. But I’m not a single straggler. I’m not looking for a serious relationship so serious women don’t find me.”

  Paula ordered a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich and coffee. The same thing she always ordered for lunch. Who was she kidding thinking she’d mix it up? She didn’t even glance at the menu anymore. The time she had for lunch was precisely enough for a BLT. A hamburger took too long. An egg salad sandwich was too short. Paula had her lunch order down to a science.

  “You are so full of it, Ryan McIntyre. You want to fall in love same as the rest of us. I saw the look on your face when I walked in. You were hoping I was Jocelyn.”

  “I’m not romantically interested Miss Tate.” But his face was red. “I’m not my brother. Sawyer was the one with the itch to settle down.”

  Paula turned to observe the happy couple embroiled in a heated discussion. As happy as they were, Sawyer and Shelby always looked happiest when they fought. She supposed a sheriff and a reporter were bound to come into conflict.

  “That’s exactly the thing I’m talking about. On paper, your brother and Shelby Porter should not be together. They were at each other’s throats for years. What happened? Why did it click for them and not for you or me or Jeremy?”

  The waitress set the BLT down in front of her. Coffee, no fries and right on time.

  “According to the Gazette, it did click for Jeremy.” Ryan flipped the pages of the newspaper listlessly.

  “For pete’s s
ake, Jocelyn isn’t engaged. She’s still available, so cheer up. Someone is playing a joke on Jeremy, or maybe even Jocelyn—but that notice is a fake.”

  He glanced at her with a look of surprised amusement on his handsome face. Ryan McIntyre was the more charming of the two McIntyre brothers. Paula had always thought so.

  “You sound pretty sure of that. Was it you who placed the ad?”

  “No! Geez, I like Jeremy. I’d never link him with that parasite, Jocelyn.”

  Ryan lifted his coffee cup. “She’s not that bad. She wants what she wants. I’m no different.”

  “Jocelyn ignores the chemistry that happens between two people. She thinks being good-looking is enough to create chemistry. But for some reason it isn’t.” Paula frowned in thought. “What I’m trying to figure out is—what is the chemistry behind falling in love?” She lifted the toasted sandwich to her mouth and took a bite. “Boy, if I figured that out, just think of the possibilities,” she said around a mouthful of lettuce.

  “You’re dripping mayonnaise all over yourself. What a slob. They give us napkins for this very reason and everyone ignores the napkin.”

  Ryan’s suit was immaculate as always. He picked up Paula’s paper napkin and began briskly wiping down the front of her dress with it.

  Paula’s eyes widened. She choked on her mouthful of BLT.

  Ryan stilled. He met her eyes. His hand passed over her bodice with deliberate slowness and then stopped. Resting there, pressing lightly against her breasts.

  “I think I figured it out, Paula.”

  “What?” Her voice was weak, almost a whisper.

  “Love.”

  ♥

  ANDREA, TREVOR and Jason nodded sympathetically as Jeremy stammered through the problem, what his expectations were, and why the Gazette had to do something to rectify the situation immediately.

  Jason glanced at the door and then at the clock over Andrea’s desk. The boss was late again. This time she was late on purpose, leaving him to clean up this SNAFU. He longed for the days when Shelby practically lived at the office and he cursed Andrea for encouraging the boss to get a life. Jason ground his teeth and bit back the expletive he wanted to throw in Jeremy’s face. Yes, it happened. Yes, it was shitty his mom was named, but Jason had stories to edit and he was already running behind.

  “Buddy, look, we hear you. We’re on your side. The fact is the Gazette can’t do anything immediately. We’ll print a correction, of course, but that won’t come out until the next edition.”

  “A week before the wedding,” Trevor piped up unhelpfully.

  Jason fixed Trevor with a cold stare that said shut up or I’ll throw you off Fillmore Ridge.

  Jeremy flushed red all the way to the roots of his hair and pushed his glasses up on his nose. “I just don’t see how this could’ve happened. You guys must have seen it was a joke—”

  “No. No way, man,” Jason interjected quickly. This is what he was afraid of; Jeremy thinking they were in on it. “Andrea, show him the paper. It was stuffed in her camera case in the church, torn from the back of one of those pamphlet things. I ran it by mistake. I’m not familiar with the classifieds. Andrea usually handles those. I didn’t even read it. I’m sorry, man.”

  Andrea glanced up sharply. Trevor rolled his eyes and whistled through his teeth.

  “Okay. I see. Well, don’t worry about it. Mistakes happen. But why would someone go to the trouble of planting this in Andrea’s case?” He examined the note. “What are they trying to prove—that I’m an idiot?”

  “We have a couple of theories, Jeremy,” Andrea said, eyeing Jason who nodded. “One theory is that this was a dig at the paper. Trying to cause trouble, to make us look bad. If you or Jocelyn decided to sue for damages it would be very bad for us. You won’t, will you?” she asked nervously.

  “There was no malice on the part of the Gazette so I wouldn’t go after you guys but I want to know who stuffed it your bag and then I’ll talk to a lawyer.”

  Jason shifted and looked down at his hands. “Ah, that might be a problem. See, we’re trying to identify the culprit from the photos we have in our cameras. We haven’t sifted through them all yet. But the other theory we have—based on who was in the vicinity and had access to the case and motive—”

  “We think it was Jocelyn,” Andrea said abruptly.

  “What?”

  “Jocelyn could have planted the note hoping to make Ryan McIntyre jealous.” Jason watched Jeremy for a reaction. There was none.

  Silence ticked through the office.

  “Like we said,” Jason offered lamely, “it’s just a theory.”

  ♥

  AFTER JEREMY left and Trevor slouched off to cover yet another incident with Lavery’s cows, Jason asked Andrea to stay behind so they could go over the photographs from the wedding.

  They were huddled in front of the computer screen.

  “What do you hope to accomplish with this?”

  It was getting late. Andrea had a story to write if she was going to maintain her daily quota and the phone, of course, never stopped ringing. They’d been over each image a dozen times. There was nothing out of the ordinary in any of them. It was just a bunch of people standing around looking in one direction—toward the back pew where Scout Rutherford was giving birth.

  “I feel bad for the guy,” answered Jason. “We basically told him the love of his life is a lying, scheming bitch. I should have made sure before we lobbed the accusation out there. Did you see the look on his face? I felt like I’d kicked a puppy. If Jocelyn is responsible then he’ll figure it out and maybe get over her. But if she isn’t, we’ve made both of them miserable for no reason. And I don’t like eating crow for days on end to make up for shit.”

  “You didn’t do this—I did. Why did you take the blame for the classified?” Andrea looked at Jason curiously. Jason Fiske was technically her boss. Non-descript in looks, fairly intense about the paper, one of those guys she knew but didn’t know at all.

  “The boss pays me the big bucks to take the blame, not you. Now, shut up and help me figure this out. We are looking for someone who doesn’t belong.” Jason peered at the screen, clicking the mouse to magnify certain sections of the image around the pew where the camera case was stowed.

  “Why someone who doesn’t belong?”

  “Think about it. We’ve seen everyone who does belong at the wedding. But there were a lot of people in attendance who were not from Mandrake Falls.”

  “What would a stranger have against Jocelyn and Jeremy?”

  “Nothing. The mission was to discredit the paper. It’s the only explanation that makes sense. What I don’t understand is how this person could think a little thing like a fake engagement notice would be enough to do the job?”

  Andrea shrugged and chewed her lip, thinking. “It wouldn’t be, unless it materially damaged Jocelyn or Jeremy in some way and we were sued. Jeremy didn’t sound like he was going to sue us but maybe Jocelyn will. Does she have a case? Is there something about Jocelyn Tate that we don’t know?”

  Chapter 5: Friendly Interrogation

  JOCELYN WAS awake and in the shower when he got home. Jeremy dropped his car keys on the little table beside the door, took off his sport coat and flung it at the couch where it slid to the floor.

  He stood in the middle of the room listening to the water running.

  She was behind the whole thing, using him to make Ryan jealous just like she used him to make Hudson jealous. It was humiliating on so many levels.

  Jeremy flushed and tried not to sweat through his tee-shirt which was overkill with the sweater vest he was wearing. Either the day was too hot or he was.

  He moved to the window. The mint green lawn was emerging from the snow and the crocuses had pushed their heads up. Purple blooms clustered together made bursts of color against the white, granular snow. The crocus must be a damned determined flower, he thought. If they could get out of the deep freeze, so could he. He would confront Joc
elyn flat out and get a straight answer about the classified. If she was the one who put it in Andrea’s camera case, he would be over her. Somehow Jeremy knew that the moment she confessed, he’d stop loving her. She’d be a coward. And much less noble than what he believed her to be deep down.

  Jeremy squared his shoulders and felt like a fool for doing it. He was too tall. A tall guy without the shoulders or confidence to carry it off looked like a dork when he squared his shoulders.

  “Jeremy?”

  He turned around. She was wearing the plaid flannel bathrobe his dad bought him for Christmas. Her hair was wrapped in a terry towel.

  “I hope you don’t mind me using your shower. The water is off at my place.”

  “Why is it off?”

  She shrugged and moved to the couch. “Maybe it’s not off. I don’t know. It leaks so I hate to turn it on unless I absolutely have to.” She sat down and tucked her feet under her. “So what did you find out?”

  Jeremy took a breath. “Jocelyn, did you stick something in Andrea’s camera bag at the wedding?”

  “What?”

  His heart was pounding. There was no change in Jocelyn’s expression which was a good sign. Unless she was a brilliant liar. “You heard me.”

  “Yes, I heard you. I just can’t believe the question. Did I stick something in Andrea’s camera bag at the wedding? No. I did not. Who told you I did?”

  “They said the ad came from an unknown source who stuck it in Andrea’s camera bag at the wedding when the attention was on Scout Rutherford.”

  Jocelyn pulled the towel from her head and blotted her hair with it. “And Andrea decided to run this random ad in the paper? Uh, no, I don’t think so.” She sounded unconcerned. “Andrea is covering her ass.”

  “Andrea didn’t run it—Jason did. It was an accident. He didn’t even read it. He was on automatic pilot at that point to meet the deadline. Are you in love with Ryan McIntyre?”