Santa's Sweetheart (The Christmas Tree Ranch #4)(22)

“We’ll see.” Sam hurried back into the building. The mayor would be the last one out. He would turn off the lights and lock the doors. Since he hadn’t come outside to his car, and the lights were on inside, finding Maggie’s books shouldn’t be a problem.

Sam strode down the hall to the conference room at the far end. He found the mayor and his wife still tidying up after the meeting. One box of doughnuts, two-thirds full, sat open on the table. The mayor closed it and tucked it under his arm. So much for Maggie’s request. Sam wasn’t about to do battle over a few doughnuts. But something else needed to be aired.

“Is there something you need, Sam?” the mayor asked.

“Just picking up the books Maggie left.” Sam found the books on the chair and took them.

“Well, since you’re here,” the mayor said, “I wanted to thank you for volunteering to play Santa at the party.”

Sam turned to face the small, balding man. “I can’t claim to have volunteered, Rulon. It was more like I was commandeered. And I didn’t appreciate your comment about the next election. It came close to sounding like a threat, and it put me in a bad light. For the record, my decision didn’t have anything to do with the damned election. I only agreed to play Santa for the sake of the kids.”

“Of course you did, Sam.” The mayor’s voice had taken on the oily tone he used in his public speeches. “And what I said—I certainly didn’t mean it as a threat. You’ve done a great job as sheriff. Everybody knows that.”

Alice, the mayor’s wife, finished dusting off the long table. “Well, Sam, as long as we’re speaking frankly, that little girl of yours really upset the applecart tonight. Everything was on track until she made her suggestion. Now we’re faced with a plan that could turn out to be a disaster, to say nothing of the extra work involved.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Alice,” Sam said. “Actually, I liked Maggie’s idea. I was proud of her for speaking up.”

“She was out of order.” Alice lifted her fur coat off the back of the chair. At her nod, the mayor took the coat and held it while she slipped her ample arms into the sleeves and shrugged it onto her shoulders. “Your daughter wasn’t even supposed to be in the meeting. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t bring her again.”

“I’d say that’s up to the committee.” Actually, Sam had no plans to bring Maggie to the next meeting, but Alice’s high-handed tone rankled him. “Right now I need to get Maggie home. I’ll see you at work tomorrow, Rulon. Alice.” He gave the mayor’s wife a nod before he walked out of the room.

In the hallway, he lengthened his stride toward the front door. Through the glass, the fog was so dense that he could barely see his vehicle. Maggie would be getting cold. He shouldn’t have wasted so much time in pointless talking.

“Did you bring the doughnuts?” Maggie’s teeth were chattering as Sam climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Sorry, they were all taken.” Sam started the engine and drove down Main Street with the heater on and defroster blasting. The modest, bungalow-style house where he’d lived since his marriage was only a few minutes away, but the fog was like a thick, white wall, and the night was cold enough to freeze the moisture on the windshield. He thought of Grace, driving that VW bug with her windows down. Maybe he should have offered her a ride home.

“I think Miss Chapman likes you.” Maggie spoke from the backseat. “And I think you like her, too.”

“Give it a rest, Maggie.” Sam was tired after the long day. “Miss Chapman and I barely know each other.”

“But I saw the way she smiled at you. And you smiled back. I’m not stupid, Daddy. I can tell things.”

No, she definitely wasn’t stupid, Sam thought. And he did like Grace. But that was as far as it went. “All you saw was two people trying to be nice,” he said. “We’re friends, maybe. Barely that.”

“But being friends is a good start.”

“That’s enough, Maggie. It’s late, and you’ve got school in the morning. When we get home you’re to brush your teeth and go straight to bed. Understand?” Sam signaled a left turn at the side street that led to their house.

“Uh-huh.” She made a little yawning sound that ended in a sudden gasp. “Down the street, Daddy! I think I see something, maybe a car, off to the side.”

Sam braked, checked his rearview mirror, and pulled out of the turn to head on down Main Street. After dimming the headlights to cut the glare against the fog, he could make out a small car pulled to the curb at an odd angle. There could be no mistaking the lime green Volkswagen.

He pulled up behind the car, leaving his lights on. From the rear, the small vehicle looked empty. Worry gnawing at him, he unbuckled his seat belt and opened the door of the Jeep. “Stay here,” he told Maggie. “I’ll be right back.”

Armed with a flashlight and his service revolver, he locked the door behind him to keep his daughter safe, then walked down to the car. Through the side window he could see that there was no one inside. The key to the car was gone, as was Grace’s purse.

There was no sign of foul play. Most likely the Volkswagen had stalled. Unable to start it, and with no help in sight, she’d probably decided to walk home.