Same Day, Afternoon

Rosehill Church, Outside



“Andy, you’ve got to come up with some good news on this,” John Prentiss said into his phone as he paced around the garden outside the front doors of the church. “Paulson cannot pull out of this project!”

“John?” his wife Suzanne Prentiss interrupted, coming out of the church. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to spend the entire service out here on the phone. My grandmother died. I need you to….”

“Just a second, sweetheart.” He threw up his hand to silence her so that he could finish his phone conversation. “Well, Andy, you get with Alison and see what you can maneuver around. You can’t let me down on this.” He ended the phone call and finally turned his attention towards his wife. “I’m sorry, honey. What were you saying?”

Suzanne glared at him. He hadn’t heard a word she’d said. “I was telling you how much I need you today, John. It’s my grandmother’s funeral and all you can think about is that damned Beaver Ridge!”

“This is important! I’ve invested a lot of time and money into this project. This is our future!”

“I thought Tess and I were your future.”

“You are, honey, you are.” He took her into his arms and cradled her head against his shoulder. “But the success of this project could mean more financial security than we’d ever dreamed of. I’d be able to finally buy you that big house out by the lake and we can send Tess to all the best schools.”

“I thought that’s what we were saving your trust fund for – the baby’s future.”

“We are, honey.” John fidgeted without realizing it, thinking about how he’d already invested his entire trust fund into Beaver Ridge without telling his wife. “But the trust isn’t that big to begin with. Remember, we used part of it to buy the house.”

“Yes, I know,” she nodded, “ the house you simply had to have because it was the one you’d spent your childhood in – the one next door to Aunt Van. But now you’re talking about buying some huge house out by the lake….”

“Honey, trust me. This is going to be good for our future.”

“I just wish you’d never gotten involved with Andy Marriott,” Suzanne muttered, unable to look at him, “or his daughter Alison.” Ah, the real sticker in the equation.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to either John or Suzanne, her little sister Megan was perched at the half-open church door overhearing every word.





Rosehill Church, Inside



“Megan, someone’s here who wants to see you,” Vanessa Sterling called out, drawing Megan Harper’s attention away from the conversation outside.

“Coming, Aunt Van,” Megan replied as she tried not to sound too annoyed. She really wanted to hear the rest of what John and Suzanne were arguing about, but realized that it would have to wait until later and moved over to where her Aunt Van and sister Vanessa were standing, talking to a very handsome man.

“Megan, you remember A.J., don’t you?” Vanessa Harper asked as she re-introduced her sister.



“A.J.? Sterling?” Megan’s eyes grew wide. She hadn’t seen her Uncle Bruce’s grandson in quite a few years and definitely didn’t remember him looking quite so…cute. “It’s been a long time, A.J.”

“Yeah, it has,” A.J. smiled as he looked her over. “I almost didn’t recognize Vanessa. New York must really agree with both of you.”

“You could say that.” Megan smiled and fluttered her eyelashes coyly. “So many experiences and so much to do.” A pal fell across her face. “Not like here in dull old Rosehill.”

“Rosehill’s not dull,” Van countered. “Yes, it can be rather quiet, but there’s a lot to do here.”

“I actually like it,” Vanessa spoke up. “It’s so quaint and charming. Besides, all of our family is here. I’ve missed it.”

“You would,” Megan grumbled under her breath.

“I feel exactly the same way, Vanessa,” A.J. nodded. “I can’t really explain it, but it’s…well…home. After college, I couldn’t wait to come back here and work at Carlson.”

“Well, then,” Megan smiled, her eyes darting from Vanessa to A.J., “I guess if Rosehill gets the stamp of approval from everyone, then there’s something I’ve been missing. Perhaps I need to rethink things.” She smiled warmly at A.J. before taking his arm. “Maybe you could reacquaint me with the place while I’m in town.”

“I’d love to, Megan.”

As Megan led A.J. away, Vanessa folded her arms across her arms across her chest and shook her head as she watched them. Megan was definitely up to her old tricks again.





Rosehill Church, Inside



“I got here just as soon as I could,” Dr. Tom Crawford said as he leaned down to kiss his sister Betsy on the cheek. “I got tied up in the lab with Andrew and Alex.” He motioned over to Drs. Andrew Marriott and Alex Marriott who’d arrived with him.

“How’s your research project coming along?” Betsy Harper asked, attempting to find anything to take her mind off the funeral. “You said you were making progress?”

“Major progress, but we’ve hit a snag.” He looked down at his feet in an attempt to hide his disappointment. “But enough about that. It’s not important right now.” He placed his hand under his sister’s chin and lifted her face so that he could look into her eyes. “Are you all right? You don’t look too well.”

“It’s a funeral, Tom.” She pulled away from him and took several steps, her back to him. “How am I supposed to be? Ben’s mother’s been murdered and I’m afraid…” Her voice caught in her throat. “I’m afraid that everything is going to fall apart.”

“Betsy, what do you mean? What are you talking about?” He moved behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

“It’s Ben,” she confessed as she lowered her head. “He’s trying to put on a brave front for me and the girls, but this is killing him. I know him too well. After all these years, there isn’t much he can hide from me.”

“Of course this is hard for him. His mother was murdered, for Christ’s sake. Meg’s death is hard for all of us.”

Betsy turned to look at her big brother and shook her head with the realization that he did know all too well. “I’m sorry, Tom. I…wasn’t thinking. I know you and Meg were close. You two were married once and….”

“That was a lifetime ago, Betsy, but I’m not going to deny that she was very special to me.” He paused and took a long, deep breath as memories of Meg flooded over him. “We had a very special kind of friendship, even after she gave me the divorce. I’m going to miss her.”



Betsy turned back to look across the chapel at Ben who was rushing around in a flurry of activity, making sure every flower was in place and every little detail was perfect to honor his mother’s memory. He was nearly manic. Seeing her clear look of concern, Tom pulled his little sister close to him again.

“It’s going to be all right,” he comforted. “Ben has you and the girls and Van all around to help him through this. I know how difficult this is, but he’s going to all right.”

She nodded silently, desperately wanting Tom’s words to be true. However, she knew more than anyone how Ben could be. His mother’s murder was definitely something he wouldn’t be able to get over or let go of quite so easily.