by Emily March
Her expression lit up like a sparkler. “Horseback? You’ll take me horseback riding?”
“If you’d like.”
“Oh, Jackson.” Impulsively, she threw her arms around him and gave him a hug. “I haven’t been riding in years. I’d love that. I’d just love that.”
A hugger. Definitely, a hugger. And it felt so damn good. “Then let’s go.”
Go. Quick, before he kissed her again.
Chapter Eleven
Caroline had flipped her desk calendar to over to June when she heard a rap against The Next Chapter’s plate glass window. She glanced up to see Angelica Blessing finger-waving a hello. Caroline smiled, waved back, then rose and crossed to the front of the shop. She flicked the lock and opened the door. “Good morning, Angelica. This is a pleasant surprise. Please, come in.”
The older woman swept into the bookstore wearing a green gauze tunic over a patterned gypsy skirt. A coin belt cinched her waist. “I’m sorry to barge in on you dear, but at least I don’t come empty-handed. Lemon cookies.”
She handed Caroline a white bakery box and continued. “I realize you aren’t open for business yet, but I am desperate for professional advice, if not an outright solution. I ran into Maisy Baldwin at the post office this morning, and she mentioned that your inventory has been arriving for the past week or so. Is that true?”
“Well, yes.”
“Do you have a selection of children’s books?”
“Yes, but why—”
“What about bereavement titles?” Angelica interrupted.
That stopped Caroline. “Bereavement?”
“Yes. You know, self-help and inspirational stuff. Now, I know lots of that stuff is claptrap. I don’t want claptrap, which is why I need your professional help.”
Caroline wouldn’t begin to claim that she’d read every book she intended to inventory, but she did have a good handle on self-help books dealing with grief. She’d read them all. But why would Angelica be in here looking for bereavement books? Had she recently suffered a loss?
Caroline was searching for the perfect, gentle words to sensitively ask the question when the older woman added to her request.
“Sex books. I need sex books, too. Although I probably know which titles I want there.”
Caroline almost dropped the bakery box. “Okay. Hmm.… I think I need a little more information in order to suggest appropriate titles. Are these to be gifts?”
“No. They’re for the Fallen Angel. I’ve just accepted delivery for the most magnificent antique bookcase, and I want to stock it with books that my guests might find useful during their stay. I think some books about the canyon flora and fauna might be helpful, too. And if you have anything on the history of this area, that would be fabulous. I’d wait until you are open to place this order, but I have all these people from Eternity Springs coming in this weekend, and I do so want to put my best foot forward. Ms. Perfect is expecting me to trip and fall, you know.”
“Ms. Perfect?”
“My cousin. She can be a real”—Angelica gave her long red hair a toss—“angel … at times, I’m telling you. Our mothers were sisters. Twins. Identical twins. I take after my father.”
“I see.” Caroline smothered a smile.
“Can you help me, dear? I’m happy to pay you for the books right now in cash if that will make any this any easier. I know it’s an imposition.”
“I’m happy to help. That’s what owning a business in a small town is all about. We will just make note of what you choose, and I’ll bill you. The Fallen Angel will be my first sale!”
“That’s a change, isn’t it?” Angelica observed with a wicked glint in her striking blue eyes. “Usually fallen angels are the ones doing the selling.”
Caroline laughed and opened the drawer of her desk to remove a pad of paper and a pen, and then she headed toward her storeroom, gesturing for Angelica to follow. “Don’t let all the boxes scare you. This won’t be as much trouble as you might fear. I have everything opened and organized. Books would be on the shelves already if my painter hadn’t instructed me to give the varnish on my bookshelves until Friday to thoroughly dry.”
“You’ve made fabulous progress, Caroline. I love that beige you’ve chosen for your walls. It sets the bookshelves off nicely. I don’t often wear neutrals, but I do find them pleasing.”
“Thank you.”
“When do you plan to have your grand opening?”
“I’m hoping to open one week before Jackson opens his dance hall. That will give me a chance to work out any kinks before Redemption becomes packed with visitors.” Caroline picked up an order pad as she passed her desk. “Maisy Baldwin tells me every hotel room within a hundred miles is booked.”
“It’s true. The campground is at capacity and of course the inn is sold out. I’m not nearly as nervous about that weekend as I am this one, though.”
“Why is that?”
“It’s all of Celeste’s friends. The pressure is enormous. That’s one reason why I’m so glad you’re going to be there. I need someone on my side!”
Caroline wasn’t sure why Angelica thought guests would take “sides.” Nevertheless, she attempted to be reassuring. “I’m sure Jackson supports you. Boone and Tucker, too.”
Angelica’s expression turned woebegone. “I don’t know. Jackson was terribly upset about the broken mirrors.”
Mirrors? Plural? “I thought you broke a window.”
“That, too. I’m a bit of a klutz. I can’t blame Jackson for being upset with me. I deserve it.” Angelica’s eyes grew watery.
If Jackson had been there at that moment, Caroline would have kicked him rather than kiss him. “Was he mean to you?”
“Oh, no. Jackson is stoically nice. If he was mean I could tell him to take a flying leap, but he just winces and tries to hide it or whispers beneath his breath—but I have the acute hearing of a snowy owl, so he doesn’t sneak anything past me. He’s just as sweet as can be when I mess up. That, of course, only makes me feel terrible. It would be so much easier if he’d just yell at me.”
Caroline gave Angelica an understanding smile. “Jackson McBride may be a gentleman, but he isn’t perfect. I’m sure he’s broken a thing or two in his life. Now, let’s talk books. How big is your bookcase? Do you want to fill it up? Do you want one topic weighted more heavily than others?”
Angelica gave Caroline a tremulous smile. “You do make me feel better. I knew you would, of course. Ms. Perfect isn’t the only one who knows things. Maybe let’s start with the books for the little ones?”
Choosing the children’s books were easy, and Caroline had everything she thought the inn needed already in stock. With that task finished, Angelica rattled off the twelve “sex books” titles she wanted, only five of which Caroline had in inventory for her Relationships section. It was a wide-ranging selection, everything from Kama Sutra to Dr. Ruth to some advice books written for men and others for women. After reading online reviews, Caroline decided to add the seven new titles to her stock.
Angelica obviously knew what she was talking about when it came to books about human sexuality. What an intriguing woman. She was a fascinating mix of worldly and innocent, of exotic free spirit and little old lady next door. While her cousin Celeste fairly radiated confidence and—well, power was the best-fitting word—Angelica seemed just a little bit injured. If Celeste was a tranquil dove of peace, Angelica was a brightly colored songbird with a damaged wing. Caroline liked both women very much, but she found she was rooting for Angelica.
“So, tell me a bit about the people I’ll meet at the Fallen Angel this weekend. Is everyone from Colorado?”
“No, not everyone. Boone’s parents are coming from Fort Worth, and two of the four Callahan couples who are joining us live in Texas.” Angelica ticked the names off on her fingers. “The Colorado Callahans are Gabe and Nic and Brick and Lili. Luke and Maddie, and Matt and Torie are from Brazos Bend, a little town west of Fort Worth. Our other Color
adoans are Sarah and Cam Murphy. They have a new baby they are bringing along. Apparently, Cam isn’t ready to leave his daughter yet. Something about old history. They also have a daughter who won’t be joining them and a son who will. Devin Murphy and his wife.” Angelica’s brow furrowed in thought. “What is her name? She’s a doctor, I remember that. Hmm.”
Suddenly, she snapped her fingers. “Jenna. Devin and Jenna. They have a son who is around the same age as Cam and Sarah’s younger son, but those two boys will be staying with other family at the Callahan ranch outside of Brazos Bend.”
Caroline was a little lost. Lots of information there that she wasn’t certain she needed, but Angelica was intent. The finger snap had lost her so she started over silently. “Six. That’s six couples. So who am I missing? Oh, I know. Artist. Sage and the six-shooter.”
“Who?”
Angelica laughed. “It’s a way I help myself remember names. A six-shooter is a Colt revolver. His name is Colt. They’re Sage and Colt Rafferty. We’ll also have Ali and Mac Timberlake. And you, of course. Thank heavens.”
“So I’m the only single?” Caroline asked, her anticipation dimming. She’d grown accustomed to her status, and most times she was okay going places by herself, but in a situation like this with an inn full of a close-knit group, she expected the reminder of what she was missing to be sharp.
“No. We had a late cancellation. I received word last night. The Tarkington couple. He was a child movie star! Isn’t that exciting? She runs a daycare in Eternity Springs and apparently her facility had a water leak yesterday that did significant damage. She’s working furiously to get repairs done and didn’t feel like she could afford time away under the circumstances. I offered their room to Maisy this morning. She jumped at the chance to join us.”
Caroline’s anticipation brightened once more. “That’s nice. Really nice.”
Since Caroline’s first visit to Redemption, she and Maisy had developed a friendship that meant a lot to her. She and Robert had enjoyed a large circle of friends, but in hindsight, they’d been first and foremost his friends. As a rule they’d been closer to his age than to hers, people who’d entered their lives as a result of his business contacts or family social set. In Robert’s defense, he’d never discouraged Caroline from making her own friends. She simply hadn’t done so. She’d liked their friends. Frankly, between her work and their busy lives, she hadn’t had time to expand her social life any further. She’d made casual friends at yoga and with some of the nurses at the hospital where she volunteered rocking babies in the NICU. She’d even gone to lunch with a couple of the nurses after Robert’s death, but she hadn’t made any effort beyond that. She stopped going to yoga and neglected to get her hospital security clearance renewed, so in time, those tenuous bonds melted away.
In contrast, since the weekend they’d met, Maisy had been a regular leaky faucet with a drip … drip … drip of phone calls, e-mails, invitations, and text messages. A good will ambassador extraordinaire for Redemption, she’d been the first person to suggest the idea to Caroline of moving there. When Caroline had not immediately rejected the notion, Maisy took that as a sign and launched her determined campaign.
In the beginning, Caroline believed that Maisy acted on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, but she soon came to realize that the kind, energetic, enthusiastic woman was sincere. After they’d met for dinner one evening when Maisy was in Austin on a shopping trip, and she’d shared a recent vivid dream she’d had that convinced her she and Caroline were destined to be fast friends, Caroline also came to believe that Maisy might just need a friend as much as she herself did. Caroline sensed a wound inside her new friend, something Maisy kept well hidden beneath friendly smiles, a happy disposition, and an outgoing personality. Sometimes Caroline had to fight back her instincts to mother and offer comfort for an injury that Maisy had never hinted at, much less admitted to suffering. She sensed her new friend wouldn’t appreciate the gesture. It fact, it might damage their fledgling friendship.
No, not fledgling. The friendship had moved beyond fledgling to fast. Caroline and Maisy touched base almost every day. Maisy Baldwin was important to Caroline, and she wouldn’t do anything to cause harm to their relationship.
And once Maisy finally confided in her—and she would—Caroline intended to return the favor and be the friend to Maisy that Maisy had been to her since that first visit to Redemption.
Maybe they’d make some progress along those lines this weekend at the Fallen Angel. Perhaps they could sit beside that fabulous pool sipping mimosas Saturday morning and share secrets. Or do it after a late swim over a nightcap. “I can’t wait for Friday evening, Angelica,” Caroline said. “I have a feeling this might just be a life-changing weekend.”
“Oh, honey!” Angelica declared in an amazingly realistic Texas drawl for someone so recently arrived in the state. “If you only knew.”
* * *
A scowl creased Boone McBride’s brow as he braced his hands on his hips and muttered to Brick Callahan, “Herding cats.”
Brick nodded sagely in agreement. “Easier to turn a tornado than get these women out of a store when they’re busy shopping.”
“You should have warned me. I would have taken a different route through town.”
Brick shrugged. “You’ve lived in Eternity Springs long enough at this point. This shouldn’t have surprised you. Our women are strong women.”
“I know they’re strong. I just didn’t know they go gaga over trinkets. Seriously. Your wife bought a scorpion in a glass paperweight.”
“She got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night last night and almost stepped on one. It’s a souvenir.”
“Didn’t she grow up in Oklahoma? That can’t have been the first scorpion she’s ever seen.”
“She’s jealous because I have my snakeskin to show off to kids who are guests at our campground. She wanted something of her own. The way the glass curves makes that little scorpion look a lot bigger than it actually is.”
“Sorta like that snakeskin you’ve stretched.”
Brick grinned and nodded toward the doorway of the shop. “Incoming.”
“Finally!” Boone exclaimed. He levered away from door of the Suburban upon which he’d been leaning and sauntered back toward the second of the three-Suburban caravan carrying the group the roughly two hundred fifty miles south from the Callahan ranch in Brazos Bend west of Fort Worth to Enchanted Canyon. Halfway there, he watched in alarm as the leader of the pack, Nic Callahan, caught sight of the pet shop two doors down from their current position. He shot a pleading look toward her husband Gabe, who threw an arm around his wife and steered her toward the SUV.
Despite the assist, Maddie Callahan and Sarah Murphy got away, and Boone had to play cow dog and herd them back. “Herding cats!” he repeated loudly with exasperation.
“Turning tornados!” Brick called back, grinning.
Finally, everybody found his or her spot in his vehicle, and Boone climbed into the driver’s seat. He watched through his rearview mirror and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited for the other vehicles to fill.
Boone was nervous and he didn’t know why. Okay, maybe he did know. Twenty-four hours of parental pestering loomed on the horizon like a locust cloud. He loved his parents. He truly did. But they’d taken his decision to move to Colorado like a stake through the heart. They didn’t understand his decision, and he couldn’t explain the real reason why he’d done so.
It would kill them.
Maddie Callahan did him the blessing of interrupting his dark thoughts from the shotgun seat by asking, “Boone, the girls and I were talking while we were shopping…”
“Imagine that,” he drawled.
“Ha ha. Seriously, though, we thought we should ask before we arrive at your inn. After you accidentally name-dropped your cousin’s ex last week to Sage, one or two of us might have gone googling.”
Boone smothered a groan. Jackson was go
ing to kill him. “Maddie—”
“Don’t worry,” she interrupted. “None of us intend to march up to him and demand to know the dirty deets of his breakup. That’s why I’m bringing it up now. There is some curiosity bubbling amongst the women. Is the subject of Coco off-limits with him? If so, I’ll do my best to keep the ladies in line.”
“Thank you. That would be good. Jackson can be real touchy about Sharon.”
“Sharon?”
“That’s her real name. I think it would be best if y’all will avoid any reference to Coco. Feel free to ask about his daughter, though. Jackson loves to talk about Haley.”
“Great. I’m glad I asked.”
Movement in the side mirror caught Boone’s notice, and he spied Torie Callahan approaching the SUV. Now what? He smothered a sigh as the front passenger door opened. Torie said, “Luke? Will you switch cars and join us, please? April sent Matt a text asking for a group call. Apparently Branch is up to his old tricks.”
Branch Callahan was Matt and Luke’s father, the elderly patriarch of the Callahan family. April, Boone knew, was Branch’s caretaker.
Luke groaned, but reached for his car door. “We are not canceling this weekend for anything short of a legit and serious medical emergency.”
“I hear you, brother,” Torie commented. Glancing toward Boone, she said, “And if you’ll wait just a few more minutes, Maisy is locking up her shop, and she’s going to ride to the canyon with us so she can have her mechanic look at her car over the weekend. She’ll ride shotgun with you.”
Boone remembered Maisy Baldwin very well. A pretty firecracker of a package with eyes as big and blue as the West Texas sky. His anxiousness to hit the trail hit the road.
“Sounds good. We’re not on any schedule.”
He glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror and finger-combed his hair. Dang it. He never did get that haircut he’d meant to get. His mother wouldn’t let him hear the end of it.
