Hometown Series Box Set

by Kirsten Fullmer

  “That’s weird,” Tara mumbled, then turned her attention to Julia. “Hey, Julia. What’s up?”

  “Not much,” the tiny blonde woman said, reaching for the baby. “What’s weird?”

  Becky grinned, her eyes twinkling. “We’re just gossiping about my cousin, Katie.”

  Julia smiled down at little Isabel, bouncing her to make her giggle. “I went to see Katie yesterday,” she said, kissing the baby on the cheek. “I took her some roses.”

  “Was Alex there?” Becky asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

  Caught off guard by Becky’s interest in Alex, Julia’s eyebrows went up, and she glanced from one woman to the other. “Yes. He was working, but he didn’t seem very happy to see me.”

  “Interesting,” Becky replied, gazing off into space.

  “I know that look,” Tara said, tilting her head in speculation at Becky’s comment. “What are you up to?”

  “Me?” Becky asked with one hand on her necklace-laden chest, feigning innocence.

  Julia laughed as she disengaged the baby’s fist from her hair. “What’s this all about?”

  Tara frowned and planted her fist on her hip. “Did you do something underhanded?” she demanded of Becky. “Is that why Alex is out there instead of Mac?”

  “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Becky said.

  “And I’m sure you do,” Tara returned.

  Julia’s gaze bounced back and forth between the two women, as if watching a tennis match. “What’s going on?” she asked, handing the baby a toy.

  Tara gave Becky the side-eye as she turned to Julia. “It’s ancient history.”

  “Oh,” Julia said, trying not to look interested. “Well, I don’t want to gossip—”

  “I do!” Becky said, grabbing Julia’s free arm to drag her closer. “Tell me everything. What was Katie doing? Did she seem okay? Did she say anything about Alex? Did she bring her trailer? My car won’t make it out there, or I’d be bugging her myself.”

  “The gravel drive is in,” Julia volunteered reluctantly, eyeing Tara for some indication of what she should divulge and what she should keep to herself.

  Becky clapped her bejeweled hands and danced in place. “Oh, good!”

  Tara took the baby from Julia, then shook her finger at the older woman. “Don’t you interfere any more than you already have!” Isabel threw the toy at Becky to punctuate her mother’s statement.

  Looking indignant, Becky stilled. “I’m not doing anything that shouldn’t have been done years ago.”

  “What are you two talking about?” Julia demanded as she bent to retrieve the toy.

  Tara and Becky tossed each other a dirty look, then Becky turned to Julia. “Katie isn’t new to Smithville. She and Alex—”

  “—were friends.” Tara finished with a glare.

  Becky recovered quickly, as she always did. “Very close friends,” she said, emphasizing the words with an eyebrow wag and a wink.

  “Oh…” Julia said, suddenly catching on. “When did this all happen?”

  “It was the summer after high school graduation,” Tara sighed, jostling the baby to keep her happy. “We were just kids.”

  “Alex planned to go off to join the Army, so we were all shocked when their relationship heated up so quickly,” Becky said, her eyes bright with memories. “They made the cutest couple. They were inseparable.”

  “Katie’s mother is from Smithville,” Tara explained as the baby fussed in her arms. “But she left when she— anyway, she never came back. She did let Katie come for that one summer to meet family, though.”

  “She stayed with me,” Becky added, twisting her finger in one of her necklaces. “She was so sweet and smart as a whip.” Her gaze met Julia’s. “And pretty as a picture.” Her words faded as her thoughts roamed off into memories. “She and Alex were adorable together.”

  Julia handed the baby the toy, wondering what she could say. She’d definitely picked up on the sparks flying between Katie and Alex, but…

  “And now they are adults who don’t need your meddling,” Tara insisted, breaking the silence.

  But Becky waved Tara off, not in the least affected by her words.

  * * *

  As the sun neared the horizon, Alex wiped his forearm across his face and climbed off the excavator to evaluate his day’s work. Neat trenches now outlined locations for the electrical lines, as well as the water and sewer lines. Tomorrow, he’d bring out the conduit, and start cutting and gluing it, then the electric lines could go in. Not that the job was close to finished, considering he still had to bury his lines and put in meters for each campsite, but it was coming together. Hershel would approve.

  A poof of dust appeared at the end of the field, and he shaded his eyes wondering who’d be coming out this time of day. He couldn’t see much, other than that it wasn’t the new campers arriving, so he shrugged and turned back to this work. It probably had nothing to do with him, and it was high time he wrapped it up and retrieved his dog.

  Within moments, however, he could make out Becky’s old Cadillac as it bumped over the gravel drive through the field, and he grimaced. Becky was a good sort, but the last thing he needed was her eyeballing him and assessing his work, not to mention the gossip she’d spread about him and Katie.

  Becky’s car came to a stop, and the accompanying cloud of dust caught up and hung in the air. The plump woman stepped out and waved at him excitedly. “Hi, Alex!” she called, in a sing-song voice. “How are you today?”

  Not willing to offer her any details to add to the tales she’d likely already concocted about him, he simply waved and went back to work. But he couldn’t help but notice that she walked over to inspect the fresh trenches by Katie’s trailer before she knocked on the door.

  “Not my problem,” he reminded himself, concentrating on driving the excavator back up onto the trailer. “It’s not like I can stop her anyway.”

  The trailer door swung open, and Katie and Fish appeared in the doorway. The dog’s entire back-end wagged excitedly as Becky huffed up the steps into the trailer. Katie glanced in Alex’s direction, but she didn’t smile or wave in his direction, just closed the door.

  Was she angry at him? Had Fish been a nuisance, peeing all over her house?

  He should have taken the dog back at noon, but when he’d knocked on Katie’s door at lunch time, she’d seemed happy enough to have the dog with her. He should have insisted, but he was worried about the puppy getting into something while he worked, plus it was hot out.

  And what if the puppy got loose? He’d tried his best to buy the correct size halter that morning, but he didn’t have much confidence that the little dog couldn’t wiggle out of it. Alex knew he would have been worried and continually checking on the puppy instead of concentrating on his work, so he’d let Katie keep him inside. But now he was concerned. He’d only let the dog stay with her because it made her happy. The thought of making her mad made him sick to his stomach.

  What now? Should he interrupt Becky’s visit and get Fish back? Or should he find something to do until the older woman went home? He made his decision and tromped up to Katie’s trailer to rap three times on the door. Fish barked from inside and he heard footsteps. The door swung open, and Becky leaned out, beaming. “Hello, Alex. Come on in.”

  Offering the older woman a silent nod, he stepped past her and up into the trailer, closing the door behind him.

  Becky stood with her hands clasped in front of her, watching him as if she was expecting him to do something. He glanced toward the couch where Katie sat, but her eyes were on the floor. Was she as uncomfortable as he was?

  Even though the living room had seemed like a decent enough sized space when it was just him and Katie, with Becky staring at him and Fish wagging and romping around the place, the room had shrunk considerably. He glanced toward the bouquet on the counter and cleared his throat. “I just stopped by for the dog,” he said, motioning toward Fish.

  “Nonse
nse!” Becky cried, causing both he and Katherine to jump. “We haven’t talked for ages. Sit down, and let’s have a visit.”

  The woman moved toward him, herding him toward the couch using nothing but her sizeable attitude. He took a step back, then two, and finally dropped onto the sofa. But just as quickly he was back standing, concerned that his jeans were dirty. “I can’t stay, I’m all muddy. I just need the dog.”

  Becky bent, surveyed his backside, and came up grinning. “You’re fantastic, sit.”

  Hating that he was cowed by the woman, he sat nonetheless, and his gaze slid to Katie. She tried to smile but didn’t manage it. Before he could come up with anything to say, Fish bound up into his lap, covering his face with wet kisses.

  “What lovely flowers,” Becky said, breaking the silence. “That Julia is so sweet to take everyone flowers.”

  Alex’s eyes snapped to Becky and then to Katie. “They’re from Julia?”

  “You saw her bring them,” Katherine retorted.

  “Right,” he said, with the back of his neck burning. Embarrassed and crowded, he felt trapped, and his skin prickled as his blood pressure rose. He could feel full-fledged panic rising in his chest.

  Fish stopped licking and froze. The little dog’s googly, bull-dog eyes stared at Alex, and his nose twitched. Then, the little dog jumped into action, wiggling and squirming to burrow his head into Alex’s armpit.

  Distracted by the dog’s strange behavior, Alex looked down at Fish’s black rear end, and wagging tail. How did I wind up with a service dog reject, he wondered in dismay?

  Becky and Katherine stared at the stump of Fish’s tail beating against Alex’s chest, their eyes wide. “What on earth is he doing?” Becky asked, cocking her head to one side.

  Katherine remained silent, her eyes twinkling and the corner of her mouth twitching with a smile.

  Seeing no way around it, Alex sighed. “He’s comforting me.”

  “He’s what?” Becky bellowed, confusion obvious on her plump face.

  Unwilling to explain, Alex leaped up, fumbling with the dog in his arms. “Can I get his leash and food, then I’ll be on my way?”

  Katherine jumped up from her end of the sofa and hurried to squeeze past Becky into the kitchen. The makeshift air conditioner chugged away on the floor, but due to the crowd, the cooler couldn’t keep up.

  With the dog food bag in one hand and the leash in the other, Katherine met Alex at the door. “He was fine, really.” She assured Alex. “He can come back tomorrow,” she added, her expression contrite.

  Alex nodded, wanting nothing more than to escape, and pushed open the door. Once he was down the steps in the open air, he felt as if he could breathe again.

  Fish squirmed in his arms, and he dropped the bag of dog food in order to clip the leash onto the puppy’s collar. He put the little dog down and turned back to see both Katie and Becky in the open door. “See you tomorrow,” he grumbled, then snatched up the dog food and gave the leash a tug.

  Fish, on the other hand, wasn’t as happy to leave, and it took Alex several minutes to get the puppy headed in the right direction without tripping over the tangled leash.

  “It was lovely to see you again!” Becky hollered after him, waving her bejeweled fingers.

  * * *

  Wishing she could follow Alex out into the evening, at least long enough to collect her bearings, Katherine pulled the door closed. Turning back to the room, she watched as Becky settled onto the sofa, arranging her caftan around her like a queen would a gown.

  Katherine couldn’t help but stare at Becky’s purple fingernail polish and oversized rings.

  The woman looked up with a wide smile, and Katherine felt bad. Becky was the only family she had left; she should be happier to see her. I really have been a hermit, she admitted. It was true that she’d avoided going into town, but she could barely cope as it was. She knew she could ask Becky about her dad, but with everything else going on, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Maybe once she got more settled, then she’d ask.

  Becky patted the sofa. “Come sit down and finish telling me about the RV park. We were just getting started.”

  Katherine bit at her bottom lip. She could talk about the park, but she was determined going in, that discussing anything to do with Alex, was a no go. Settling onto the sofa, she put on her no-nonsense face.

  “When is opening day? How many trailers will you have? Do you already have reservations coming in? Where do you find customers?” Becky spat out like a machine gun.

  Before Katherine could answer, a knock at the door surprised them both.

  “I don’t know who that would be,” Katherine mumbled, rising to head to the door. To her surprise, Alex stood at the bottom of the steps.

  He motioned over his shoulder. “Looks like those trailers you were expecting are here.”

  Excitement replaced everything, and she turned back to Becky. “Trailers are arriving!” Then, without another word, she hurried out the door, leaving it hanging wide open.

  Alex watched the truck and trailer approach. “Is my equipment in the way?” he asked.

  She glanced toward his truck and had to grin at Fish’s funny face in the open window. “No, you’re fine.”

  The flatbed bumped along the gravel road, pulling its cargo-laden trailer behind. Becky closed the door and hurried up to their side. “Oh my word, I never imagined…” Her words trailed off as the truck neared.

  Katherine paced, wringing her hands in anticipation. She knew the trailers well—she’d researched them thoroughly and managed the purchase. She’d also been in touch with Burt on a daily basis for the last month as he worked on them but seeing them in person had her much more excited than she’d thought she’d be. It was all finally happening and the further into the process she got, the more she realized how enormous her choice had been.

  The two trailers were small in size, each resembling an oval bubble. On the front of the flatbed rode the 1954 Aljoa Sportsman, and behind that, the 1956 Santa Fe. The trailers looked very similar in the falling dusk, but Katherine knew the details of each. Both trailers could sleep two people comfortably, but the Aljoa had two twin beds in the back instead of a full-size bed, which to her made it all the more charming -- kind of like Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore with their separate beds.

  “Oh, they’re so cute!” Becky chirped, craning her neck for a better look. “Hershel would have been so excited to see them.”

  Guilt and worry about her choices melted away at Becky’s comment, but the trailers quickly drew Katherine’s attention back to the task at hand.

  In her mind’s eye, she checked off the piles of supplies in her storage container that were waiting to be installed in each trailer: birch panels, electrical wiring, fabric, foam cushions, and hardware. Since arriving, she’d been scouring the Internet looking for light fixtures and appliances, and now with the trailers finally here, she couldn’t wait to get started.

  Chapter Ten

  The next morning, Katherine clicked on her flashlight and bent to look under the sink of the stripped trailer. Burt had done a good job of repairing and cleaning the camper which was the least fun part of the job, in her opinion. The original sink and water lines were intact, and the cabinets just needed a polish. It still had the original tap too. The little Santa Fe was in better shape than she’d dared to hope.

  She straightened and clicked off the flashlight, unable to keep her gaze from roaming along the inside of the trailer. To the untrained eye, the place looked like an exposed, peeled-down skeleton with its missing pieces of paneling, but thanks to her time with Burt, she could clearly see the repairs and improvements the old man had made. The little trailer was solid and true, with no water damage in sight, and to her, it was simply begging to be finished.

  Would the trailers really have made Hershel happy? She hoped so.

  Her eyes wandered along the ceiling. Burt had replaced the wiring, so when the light fixtures arrived in the next few days
, she’d wire them up herself. Burt had revamped the propane heater standing near the door, and it gleamed like new. The fridge was in place, clean and powder coated, as well as the bathroom refinished, but the stove wouldn’t be arriving until next week. Restoring trailers from this era was popular, so she’d had to be aggressive to find a stove that was in working order and snap it up before the competition.

  She kinked her neck back and reached up to touch the trim along the new air conditioner. Burt had installed this one for her, but she’d have to cut the hole and mount the unit in the Aljoa, and the thought troubled her. Even though she’d spent months with Burt, her confidence of working with electricity wasn’t where it should be, and the thought of messing up the job, or unsafe wiring resulting in a shock or a fire concerned her. Besides, putting in an air unit was a two-person job.

  One thing she’d learned the hard way was that watching someone build or repair a trailer was not the same as doing it for yourself. She knew that helping to install the air unit in her trailer didn’t qualify her to put one in alone. Her plan had been to ask the electrician who hooked up her power to help her, but now…

  Her gaze lowered to the window of the little trailer and settled onto Alex as he worked gluing conduit together. Could she ask him for help?

  Making him stay on site any longer than necessary felt like a prison sentence. She could barely concentrate as it was… how would it feel to work with him in the tight confines of a trailer? Glancing back up at the air unit, she could see him situating the machinery in place while she secured it. She’d have to work right up next to him, face to face. Their chests would be touching, and she’d be able to smell his aftershave. Okay, she amended, he had a beard so nix the aftershave, but it would be close work. And once the unit was in place, he’d lower his arms, and his hands would fall to her hips. Those hands… She’d feel his breath on her cheek, and he’d look into her eyes and…

  Goosebumps raced across her scalp and down her spine, a shiver passed through her, and she hurried to push the thoughts away. Then, in shock, she realized that it had been months, maybe even years, since thoughts of a close encounter with a man had excited her like that.