Page 12 of Two Hearts' Ploy

Jeff nodded his understanding, recognizing how restless she probably was. Why else would she have built this sound studio?

“And you have enough family living here at the winery that could take over the recording studio if needed.”

“I’ll admit, a couple of the fosters really love helping out here. I love having such a large family. Plus, the house is big enough where we each have our space when we want to be alone.”

The home where the Giordanos lived had actually been built by Jeff’s great, great, great grandparents, back in the mid eighteen hundreds. It stood overlooking Crystal Rock Lake, along with the Crystal Rock River, and had initially served as a lodge hosting guests traveling along the waterway that branched from Lake Superior. For a while it had even served as a hospital during war time since Northwest Wisconsin had been a sanctuary away from action. Eventually, Jeff’s great grandparents had turned the place into an Inn until their death. His grandparents had lived here for a while too, butthe maintenance had been too much for them. Those had been the leaner days when Callahan Construction hadn’t been doing well, so the place had been left for years in a state of disrepair until Dad had been forced to sell it, much to Lucy’s dismay. She’d always felt a close connection to the property, and when Gabe Giordano had purchased the place and moved in with his daughter, Lucy had become her nanny. Despite their age difference, Gabe and Lucy had fallen for each other hard.

“What are you thinking about, Jeff?” Eve asked, walking with him to the exit. “For a while you seemed so far away.”

“I was just remembering what this property used to look like when I was a kid. You wouldn’t recognize it,” he admitted, glancing not only at the massive structure high on the cliff above them but at the winery near the road. The monstrous size home that had housed numerous foster kids through the years was situated at the highest elevation in Crystal Rock. Also a lunchtime café, the winery was located where visitors still had great views of the lake. Multiple terraces had been built along the cliffside.

While Jeff’s brother-in-law Gabe had been having the restoration work done inside the house, a large garage containing a weight room and two-bedroom apartment had been built for him and his daughter to live.

Eve had the studio constructed to overlook the river, with its own private entrance from the road, where greenhouses and vineyards were located on the acres of property across the way. Most people wouldn’t know about the top-notch security here at the vineyard because of the links that some of the rescued fostered kids had severed with trafficking rings. Even Eve had a dark history which had drawn her to Harry as a teenager.

“It’s making me dizzy thinking about all the crazy yet beautiful things that have happened here in Crystal Rock,” Jeff admitted as they walked outside together after Eve locked up.

“Since the moment I arrived, I’ve always felt safe here,” she said softly. “I never thought I could be as happy as I am right now.”

Nodding his understanding, Jeff reached out, squeezing her hand before donning his helmet and slipping on his bike, revving up the engine.

Maybe he’d go for a ride before heading home. Some of the materials for the deck and the sunroom would be arriving tomorrow, so he’d probably get started early in the morning, mapping things out.

It was mid-June, and a little warmer than usual for this time of year, Jeff realized as he headed toward Dragonfly Pointe. He’d pick up a couple of hot dogs at the concession stand since he was hungry and go for a short walk along the beach.

Chapter Five

One week later

After calling the studio in Crystal Rock and discovering that she’d be able to book pretty much any time slot on weekdays during the morning or early afternoon, Wren decided to wait and play it by ear once she reached Crystal Rock.

Despite the circumstances surrounding her quick departure, she was enjoying her cross-country drive.

Marc had recommended that she stay at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn since they were discreet, so she’d been able to book a suite a few days earlier, thanks to a cancellation. Although she would have preferred to stay at one of the cabins, she would have been too isolated. Even though she recognized the logic in Marc’s words, she was still disappointed. She consoled herself with the fact that there weren’t any cabins available anyway.

Their plan had gone well so far. She and Marc had decided to end her bogus journey in New York, period. That way, if someone was really on her trail, they would have a difficult time locating where she was hanging out other than inside herapartment. There, they’d added extra security measures which included more surveillance cameras to check out any strange comings and goings in the building.

Wren was excited when she finally drove into the town of Crystal Rock after five days on the road. She could have probably made it easily in three but there was something relaxing about taking her time and enjoying the sights along the way.

Speaking of which…

Glancing right, there was an intriguing looking mall that appeared to be built along an entire block on Main Street.

It was the wordAntiqueson the sign above a massive picture window that caught her eye.

Should she stop?

Wren just couldn’t seem to help herself when she pulled into a parking place along the street.

Wearing jeans and a t-shirt, she looked just like any other tourist, she decided, freshening her makeup as she glanced into the visor mirror. She was actually dressed down a little more than usual because she preferred to be comfortable while driving.

Reaching for her purse, she stepped out from the driver’s seat, locking the SUV before making her way along the sidewalk, doing some window shopping as she headed toward the mall entrance.

It was impressive and beautifully constructed inside. And hardly the kind of place she’d expected to find in Wisconsin, she realized, strolling past a large flower shop, which appeared to be surprisingly busy for a weekday morning. Most likely a wedding was happening soon, judging by the arrangements being placed on one of the counters.

She was tempted to head into a gallery, but since the place appeared to be huge, Wren decided to save that for another day. Besides, she hadn’t really had a chance to think things out. If shemade a bunch of purchases, she’d have to arrange to have them shipped somewhere.

As soon as she entered the antique store, she saw several things she wanted right away.

---