Desert Town Angels Part Three “The Final Showdown in Golden Peaks”

By R.A. Lee

Desert Town Angels PART THREE
“The Final Showdown in Golden Peaks”

“They want to discuss some DNA results with us,” Ryan said as he hung up the phone later that night.
“They already gave them to us,” Van whispered horrified.
“The lawyer says he’ll meet us in Hamptonville,” Ryan said as he hugged her tight.
The only thought holding her together was, “Please, don’t let this all be a lie.”

The secrets have been revealed. With the fate of Golden Peaks no longer in limbo, Van and Ryan are free to engage in their own pursuits beyond the desert town.
Van attempts to come to terms with her role in Golden Peaks, and Ryan is ready to reconcile with his past and his parents.
As more strangers reveal the ongoing saga involving the residents of Golden Peaks, Van has learned to adapt to everything about her new life except her feelings for Ryan.
A visitor looking for Nelson unleashes the memory of how the octogenarian ended up in Golden Peaks. Grace’s condition worsens and Van turns to an unlikely adversary to find the dying woman’s grandson.
Before her first year in Golden Peaks has passed, Van makes a decision with Ryan that goes against her core beliefs.
The struggle for control of Golden Peaks continues.
Van prepares for one last showdown with Sheri.
But in the second year, it may be something under the soil that will decide Van’s future in Golden Peaks.
Saving the town she inherited becomes a mission that may cost Van more than the desolate town is worth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.A. Lee
• Release date: Dec 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301677863

R.A. Lee

I am a storyteller. What starts as a simple dream turns into a movie in my head and it is cathartic to put it in words. Writing is like therapy. Therapy doesn't come cheap, though, so please enjoy. I have to go, another movie is starting. YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@anovelproduction​

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PART THREE

by R.A. Lee

Copyright 2012

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Unauthorized reproduction, in any manner, is prohibited.

Product of the U.S.A.

Second Cover Art

Smashwords Edition

Desert Town Angels

PART THREE

The Final Showdown in Golden Peaks

The following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any living person past or present, or sleeping in my bed, is purely coincidental.

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Dedicated to my mother, the love of my life, and my family.

Special dedication and thanks to Adriane from Goodreads.com, who helped name our misunderstood antagonist.

TalesByRALee.com

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Cover image by Autumn Angel Designs trademarked and copyrighted 2013

Photography courtesy MFS

Other eBook Titles by R. A. Lee

Love Again, Love for Them: A Novel

The Beauty at the Bus Stop: A Novel

The Fountain of Truth: A Novel

My Vegas Valentine: A Novella

Desert Town Angels Trilogy

PART ONE The Last Will and Testament of Howard Thornbon

PART TWO The Kin of Ms. Honey Hallowell

PART THREE The Final Showdown in Golden Peaks

Check Website for Other New Releases!

Desert Town Angels

PART THREE

The Final Showdown in Golden Peaks

(The secrets have been revealed. With the fate of Golden Peaks no longer in limbo, Van and Ryan are free to engage in their own pursuits beyond the desert town. As more strangers reveal the ongoing saga involving the residents of Golden Peaks, Van has learned to adapt to everything about her new life except her feelings for Ryan. As she accepts new life challenges, Van prepares for one last showdown with Sheri, but it may be something under the soil that will decide Van’s future in Golden Peaks.)

CHAPTER 1

The records had been burned in a wildfire.

No one really knew exactly how Golden Peaks got its name or who first settled in the area.

Many believed the town was named during the Gold Rush, when someone probably purchased the plot of arid land hoping to strike it rich.

There was an obscure mention of Golden Peaks in an old paper.

Howard G. Smith at some point came out from the East Coast and bought several plots of land to pursue this dream.

A house was built on a clearing with money from one of Howard’s other profitable businesses that did not include precious natural resources.

Over time, the house was modernized and turned into a hotel as the barren land was sold to another man, Jameson V. Johnson.

From there, the property changed many hands. Before the Interstate was built, Golden Peaks was a place for people to rest along their journey. More buildings were constructed to meet the demand.

Then Frank came along.

The bookish rat knew many secrets. Secrets that he was paid to keep to himself. Sometimes he received jewelry. Once he received a deed.

Then, one night, caught in his own trap, Frank lost the deed in a game.

Golden Peaks was now in the hands of another Howard.

This Howard, in memory of the love of his life, decided he would never make one change to the town.

Until his death, Golden Peaks would remain as it had when he first visited with Ms. Honey Hallowell.

Howard had many memories of the desert land he had claimed as his home.

There was the bar where Honey slid the deed back to his hands.

The drive through the desert under the moonlight in her red convertible, the same color as her sexy dress. Her blonde hair waving in the breeze.

Their first kiss by the silvery riverbed.

The clearing.

The hotel.

Of all the memories he had of Honey, Howard’s dearest and most horrifying moments happened in that hotel.

The dance, the screaming, the lovemaking, her death.

In his will, Howard wanted the memory of Golden Peaks and his time with Honey Hallowell to die with them as well.

Those memories had to die with Howard. Those memories belonged to Howard.

Evangeline was only to know that her mother was loved and that Howard would always be with Honey, to love her and to protect her.

Golden Peaks and some money were left for her only child, named Evangeline.

The only thing Howard knew was that the child was given to Honey’s cousin.

When Howard had a moment of clarity, he went to look for Evangeline, to make sure she was safe, but learned Honey’s cousin Heather had died. So had the next person who had been named guardian.

But since Howard was in such pain, when he was informed that the guardian of his lover’s child had died, tracking her down proved to be too difficult for Howard.

Just the memory of the screaming baby in Honey’s dying arms sent him into deep despair.

He would leave Evangeline this desert town where he fell in love with his angel, but not the memories.

A small trust was established. The town would be wiped clean.

Evangeline, if she could be found, would be given the money to revitalize the town so that Nelson, Mrs. Hargate and Grace could live the rest of their days in the town that had become their home.

If it weren’t for their help, Howard would never have been able to be with Honey during her last moments.

The only stipulation was that Evangeline had to live in the town for thirty days.

When should she learn the story of her mother? Should she ever learn the story about her mother?

Sitting at the dining room table with Nelson, Mrs. Hargate and Grace, Howard didn’t know the answer.

She has to know, Howard lamented. She has to know about her mother. About my angel. About how she came into this world.

How do you tell a story like that to someone who thinks someone else gave birth to them, Mrs. Hargate snapped.

It’s something you can’t approach lightly, Grace said.

There are other considerations, Nelson reminded Howard. How do you explain that day? How do you then tell her that her father was a criminal shot in the streets?

Lowering his head to his hands on the table, Howard sobbed. He couldn’t think about Honey without enduring great emotional pain.

The love of his life, his angel, had taken her last breath in his arms. Her face, her angelic face framed in the sheet he had wrapped her in before placing her lifeless body in the ground in the clearing he guarded from the rocking chair on the porch.

I’ll leave it up to you, Howard said. When she comes, I will leave that up to you.

This was a big responsibility for people he barely knew.

Death could not come soon enough for the last Howard to own Golden Peaks.

CHAPTER 2

The story had been told. As part request of Howard, but mostly because Grace was about to take her last breath.

Van had known there was a story, there was a secret that bound the three octogenarians to the town.

Any story that knocked the smug look from Sheri’s face was worth hearing. Any story that ripped the very soul from her body was worth hearing.

The problem was in the comprehension of the story.

At that moment, as she looked across the table, it was evident that Sheri was her equal.

Both had been stripped of that which had balanced them through their lives.

It took longer for Sheri to cope with the impact. When she did, she got up, grabbed the table for support before racing from the room followed by her male companion.

Is that all? Van asked when Sheri’s car had screeched out of town. Nelson looked at Mrs. Hargate, who grunted.

That’s the important stuff, Nelson said.

Thank you, Van said as she pushed herself up from her chair. Take me home now, Van ordered before the tears started falling again.

Assisting her, Ryan held Van’s arm while she hobbled to her car.

Turn left at the highway, Van said between heavy sobs. Ryan drove.

When they reached Van’s home, Mrs. Van Hulson and Ms. Barbara embraced Van.

Do I have a story for you, Van said before she became incoherent.

It was up to Ryan to explain because Van ended up in a fetal position on the couch being comforted by the two women fascinated by Ryan’s tale.

When he was done, there was silence. Then there were questions.

So the daughter’s not the daughter, Mrs. Van Hulson said, summing up the story, and Van was tossed from home to home to protect her from her father who was a criminal shot down in the streets?

Nodding, Ryan shrugged.

Looking down at Van, Mrs. Van Hulson and Ms. Barbara hugged the sobbing bundle and chuckled.

I knew it was bad news claiming that town, Ms. Barbara said, but I thought it would be taxes or something.

There is something kind of sweet in that twisted tale, Mrs. Van Hulson said. Buried together forever. But you might have led with that.

Maybe Van should have watched more of those true crime stories with us instead of mocking them, Ms. Barbara said, maybe this wouldn’t have been such a shock.

So when do you tell us that it turns out that her mother risked her life because her husband suspected the child might not be his, Ms. Barbara asked in anticipation.

That’s right, Mrs. Van Hulson said as if Van weren’t right there listening to everything.

Hold it! Van snapped as she sat up. Dizzy as the blood rushed from her head, Van squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.

My life is not a true crime drama, Van asserted. Right now, I can’t even comprehend it. I am going to take a long hot shower, try not to think about Howard washing my mother’s dead body clean, the gruesome part where he dances with her, and I am going to take the maximum amount of melatonin and sleep this off.

With that, Van pushed herself up, waved away the comforting arms of the two consoling women and headed to the bathroom.

I think I’ll be heading out ... Ryan said and the ladies interrupted.

You must stay, Ms. Barbara coaxed, we just bought hamburger and cake. Because that was what captivated the attention of all grown men.

Ryan, Van said. I’ll take you wherever you want to go tomorrow. They will take very good care of you. Just don’t take off your shirt in their presence.

With that, Van took a couple melatonin, showered, and went to bed curled up because when she thought about rolling onto her back, a vision of her dead mother being covered by a sheet made her feel claustrophobic.

There were no dreams, not any she could remember. When she opened her eyes again, it was morning.

Stretching, Van felt very far from Golden Peaks as she got ready for her day.

Looking in the mirror, Van wondered what part of her looked like Honey.

Could her mother have been as beautiful as Nelson said and produced a daughter who was attractive, but not stunning and angelic?

Of course, as her lover, Howard would have thought Honey was the most beautiful woman in the world.

So many questions came to mind, that Van couldn’t concentrate as she tried to prioritize and comprehend.

On the couch, Ryan was still sleeping and Van smiled as she walked to get coffee from the kitchen. He was wearing his T-shirt and it was warm in the house.

Joining her, Ms. Barbara was fully dressed complete with formal makeup.

We don’t have anything for breakfast, Ms. Barbara whispered as she searched the kitchen cabinets for something.

Then Mrs. Van Hulson came in also fully dressed complete with wig and makeup. They both looked really great, but it was only eight in the morning.

Van, Mrs. Van Hulson whispered as she joined Ms. Barbara, go get dressed, we’re taking you both to breakfast.

Waiting for the coffee, Van realized that nothing in her life was the same.

For the first time ever, the women giggled conspiratorially like two twenty-something girls ready for a night of drinking and picking up men in clubs.

Elderly people got overly excited when a single man and a single woman were in the same place at the same time, Van surmised. That was a recipe for love.

Young people. That’s what the women lamented about. Elderly people chuckled about young people who found it gross that old people still had sex.

I am going to get dressed, Van said as she headed out, but I am not going to get gussied up to go to breakfast.

Admonishing her quietly, the women poured coffee and made plans. As she walked by the couch, Van saw Ryan stretch and yawn.

There was no question Ryan was handsome and single, but that was not a reason to get together with the guy.

I recommend you shower now before they get back, Van said as she walked to her room to put on a simple, plain, blue button-down dress and white sneakers. That was how one dressed for a casual breakfast.

When she was walking back to the living room, Ryan emerged from a steaming shower wearing the same clothes and rubbing his hair with a towel.

The women sat on the armchairs in the living room and watched with hungry eyes.

If everybody’s ready, Van said as she grabbed her purse, let’s go to breakfast.

There was already a contest for who would sit next to Ryan and Ms. Barbara was the winner because Mrs. Van Hulson conceded in an uncommonly polite manner.

At the restaurant, Ryan was squeezed between the two who started barraging him with questions.

Every answer was complete with one of the women saying, Van likes that as well, or you two should do that together.

Ryan liked playing the piano. Van likes playing as well

Ryan liked to dance. You two should do that together.

Ryan liked reading. Van reads as well.

Let him eat his food, Van admonished the nosy women.

As polite as he was, there was a blush on his cheek when the women tried to describe how strong his arm muscles were, and how it was a shame such a good looking man was single.

It was the first time, though, that Van heard anything personal about Ryan from himself.

His parents were creative people. His mom a musician, his father a dancer. They met at a ball where they were both performing.

Did Ryan want that for himself? That question was not answered.

After an exhausting breakfast that included a walk through the nearby park, where the women served as Ryan’s crutches, Van drove them home and bid them farewell.

I’ll see you later, Van called from the driver’s window as Ryan got into the front seat.

Driving away, Van sighed.

At least they didn’t hug you again, Van said, joking with Ryan. Where to?

Do you know where there’s a bus station? he asked looking out the window.

I can take you anywhere you want, Van shrugged.

I don’t think you want to go back to Golden Peaks right now, Ryan said.

"I was