Harlequin Love Inspired March 2021--Box Set 1 of 2

by Marta Perry

  A rumbling noise filtered in from outside.

  “I don’t know.” Christa looked at him.

  “Sounds like a tractor.” He hastily headed for the door. “I’ll be right back.” He shoved his feet into his boots. “Sadie, you stay inside with Christa.” He yanked his coat from the back of one of the dining chairs and put it on as he headed outside.

  The subfreezing air slapped him in the face and sent a chill through him. Zipping up his coat, he stepped off the porch as Bum’s big blue tractor approached.

  The man who had been his father’s best friend eased it to a stop and set the brake before opening the door and climbing down from the cab. His standard cowboy hat had been replaced with a red-and-black-checked, fur-lined trapper hat that made Mick chuckle.

  “What’re you laughing at?” Bum’s smile made his silver-blue eyes sparkle as he shoved his gloved hands into the pockets of his insulated coveralls.

  “Nice hat.”

  “Hey, don’t go pokin’ fun, boy.” He carefully picked his way over the icy terrain. “Dorothy got this for me. Keeps this bald head of mine nice and warm.” Dorothy had passed away last year, just shy of her and Bum’s fiftieth wedding anniversary.

  “If you say so.” Mick nodded toward the house. “Come on in and say hi to Sadie and Christa.”

  “Christa’s here?” Bum looked more than a little surprised.

  “Her fireplace isn’t in working condition, so I couldn’t very well let her freeze.” He lifted a shoulder. “Besides, Sadie likes playing with Dixie.”

  Reaching the porch, they stomped the ice from their boots.

  “What are you doing over here anyway?” Mick reached for the door.

  “Headin’ to your hay barn.”

  “What for?” Mick paused. “You run out of hay?”

  “No, but that’s for my cows. I’m here to feed yours. Saw your tractor over in the east pasture.” The older man poked a thumb over his shoulder. “When you weren’t in it, I figured there was a problem.”

  “You got that right.” He opened the door, explaining what had happened.

  Inside, the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee mingled with a hint of smoke.

  “We’ve got company,” he said.

  “Hi, Bum.” Christa smiled, her hands wrapped tightly around a steaming mug.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Mick saw a curious Sadie bounding toward him. He picked her up. “Sadie, this is my friend, Mr. Bum.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sadie.” Bum removed his hat. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  She smiled shyly.

  Smoothing a hand over her back, Mick said, “I’ve known Mr. Bum since I was littler than you.”

  Her green eyes moved from Bum to Mick and back. “Did you know my mommy?”

  If the comment surprised Bum, he didn’t let on. “I sure did, sweetheart. And you look just like she did at your age.”

  Christa approached. “Care for a cup of coffee, Bum?”

  “No, thank you, young lady. I just wanted to make sure y’all were doin’ all right.”

  “So far, so good.” She shrugged. “How are the roads?”

  “Empty. Except for some old codger in a big ole tractor.” He winked.

  She laughed. “Well, I was hoping to run into town later.”

  Bum shook his head. “I wouldn’t advise it. Least not today. Too dangerous.”

  “Oh.” Christa’s shoulders dropped a notch.

  “Hopefully, they’ll get our power back on tomorrow.” The older man settled his hat back on his head. “Tractor’s running so I’d better get on.”

  Mick put Sadie down and followed the man.

  “You be careful out there, Bum!” Christa hollered after them.

  “Will do.”

  Approaching the tractor, Mick said, “You don’t need to worry about my cattle. I’ve got things covered.” Or would, just as soon as he swapped out that battery.

  “No, you don’t, Mick.” Bum faced him now. “You will eventually, but right now, you’ve got your hands full. Though it appears you’ve got some mighty fine help.” He winked.

  Mick wanted to argue, but he couldn’t. Hard to believe that until two days ago, he and Christa only saw each other in passing here at the ranch, at church or if he happened into the hardware store. Sure, there’d been a couple of times when he’d helped her with outdoor projects like trimming limbs and getting her mower started for her, but for the most part, they ran in different circles. Yet the past thirty-six hours, they’d been almost joined at the hip. All because of Sadie. Christa not only cared about his niece, she could relate to her in a way Mick couldn’t.

  “God’s given you a great gift in the form of that little girl. Enjoy your time with her today.” Bum peered up at the sky. “Storms like this don’t come along but once or twice in a lifetime. Make it a memorable event for her.” He started up the steps on the tractor. “Besides, I need something to do. I’ll go stir-crazy cooped up in that house alone.”

  Mick’s heart went out to the man. While Mick was used to being alone, it was all new to Bum. “Well, if you want some company, my door’s always open.”

  The older man smiled. “I ’preciate that, son. And I’m here if you need me.”

  Perhaps that was part of Mick’s problem. He wasn’t used to needing anyone. Yet suddenly, he found himself more needy than ever. So, while he would accept Bum’s and Christa’s help, he had to find a way to juggle ranching and Sadie. Otherwise, it could cost him the greatest gift he’d ever been given.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “Tell me what’s going on in town.” Taking full advantage of the hands-free feature in her idling SUV, Christa nestled into her heated seat Friday afternoon, eager to know what was happening in Bliss proper. “Have you been out at all, Patsy? What shape are the streets in? Have you been to the hardware store?”

  “Whoa. Slow down there, boss. I can’t get a word in edgewise.”

  “Sorry.” Christa felt so cut off, though. The hardware store was her baby, and she’d never been away from it this long.

  “I wandered up to the store earlier today and everything is fine,” Patsy continued. “A few folks were out looking around, taking pictures, but nobody’s driving anywhere. Not with all this ice. Besides, the town is pretty much shut down so there’s nowhere to go to.”

  “What about power?”

  “Some people have it, some don’t. I heard they opened the elementary school as a warming center in case folks are hurtin’.”

  “Was it on at the store?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Great. She should have stayed there.

  “All right, Patsy, I guess we’ll talk in the morning.”

  The precipitation had finally come to an end late yesterday, though temps were still below freezing. Perhaps now that the clouds were breaking, things would warm up.

  A sense of relief settled over Christa. With everyone else stuck at home, she didn’t have to worry about losing customers. Still, she wanted Bliss Hardware to be open once they were able to get out and about. Being part of the community meant being able to meet her customers’ needs.

  Leaning her head against the seat back, she studied the row of icicles hanging from the edges of Mick’s metal roof. Once the sun came out, maybe things would get back to normal. Though she had to admit, yesterday had been fun.

  After Mick talked with his attorney and Bum took him over to replace the battery in his tractor, he, Christa and Sadie took the opportunity to enjoy some things they normally wouldn’t have had time for. Like exploring the wintry countryside, drinking hot chocolate while playing board games and baking sugar cookies from scratch. With just the three of them, it had been a bit like playing house. Except Christa was too old and jaded for pretend.

  She hadn’t always been that way, though. Once up
on a time, she’d envisioned being married and having a couple of kids. Then she went off to college and those thoughts faded into oblivion as she became increasingly focused on her career. The next thing she knew, she was hopping from one start-up tech company to another, constantly challenging herself to do bigger and better things. Innovation, creation and growth were her forte.

  Then she met Brody, and he was every bit as driven as she was. They worked on projects together, shared ideas and even talked about starting their own company. No one had ever understood her drive the way Brody had and, before long, those dreams of a family sparked to life once again. She’d trusted Brody with her heart, her dreams and so much more.

  When he surprised her with dinner at one of Austin’s finest restaurants, she just knew he was going to propose. Instead, he told her he’d taken a job in Atlanta. Said he’d been looking for months. The worst part was when she asked where that left them and he informed her there was no them. That he’d enjoyed their time together, but she wasn’t relationship material.

  She’d been duped. Used. Heartbroken.

  Shoving the morose thoughts aside, she unplugged her phone from the charger and turned off the ignition. It was time to return to reality. Just as soon as the power came back on.

  Mick met her at the door as she made her way onto the porch. “Good news.”

  “Oh?”

  “Power’s back on.”

  Her insides tangled as sorrow somehow squelched her happiness. Was he eager to get rid of her? Not that she should care. She was ready to get back to her place and for life to return to normal. Lonely and normal. At least she had Dixie to keep her company.

  “That’s great.” Moving past him, she savored the comforting aroma of burning wood that told her he’d probably just stoked the fire. “I guess I’ll gather my things and head back home.”

  “Now, hold on.” He followed her, closing the door behind him. “Don’t go gettin’ ahead of yourself. I think we should all drive up there first to make sure everything is in order.”

  She supposed that was a good idea. She’d hate to gather up everything only to discover that her power was still out.

  “Well, my car is all warmed up, so we may as well take it.”

  Fifteen minutes later, she eased her SUV to a stop just short of her own carport and simply stared. She’d never seen her two-story farmhouse look this way before—as though it belonged in a Christmas movie. The white house with dark green shutters smack-dab in the middle of a sea of white. The only thing missing was a mass of twinkling lights.

  “I’ve got to get a picture of this.” She snatched her phone from the console. “Y’all stay put. I’ll be right back.” She followed her tire tracks back to the drive, not wanting to mar the pristine scene with any footprints, then continued to the road.

  White coated the roof and icicles graced the edges of both the main roof as well as the one over the porch. Only then did she realize she’d failed to remove the faux evergreen wreath from her front door.

  “Perfect.”

  A few shots later, she returned to Mick and Sadie. “We can go inside now.”

  In the pasture behind the house, cows huddled around the massive bale of hay Mick had put out earlier. And as she moved onto the back porch, the sun peeked through the clouds, turning the rest of the field into a glittering mass of white.

  She couldn’t help taking a few more pictures.

  “Christa?”

  Turning, she saw Mick pointing to the door. “Sorry.” She quickly tucked the phone away, retrieved her keys and unlocked the door.

  Dixie bounded into the house as though she was happy to be there, with Sadie right behind, followed by Christa and Mick.

  It was only a few degrees warmer inside the house than it had been outside. However, the furnace was blowing, so her power had indeed been restored.

  “I guess it’ll take a while for things to warm up.” While Mick closed the door, she moved past the kitchen table to check the thermostat in the living room. Thirty-nine degrees? At this rate, the furnace would be running nonstop for hours. “I should be fine, though.” Shoving her gloved hands into the pockets of her coat, she returned to the kitchen to see Mick at the sink.

  He turned on the water, but nothing happened. “I was afraid of that.”

  “What’s wrong?” She stood beside him. “Is the pump still off?”

  Lines creased his brow. “Pump’s on. But your pipes are frozen.” He let go a sigh. “I can’t believe I didn’t have you turn on all the faucets to drain the lines.” Shaking his head, he pressed down on the lever that would normally turn off the water. “My brain must have frozen right along with my body.”

  “Why are you being so hard on yourself? So they’re frozen. Won’t they thaw out as the house warms up?”

  “Yes, and that’s when the trouble begins.”

  “Trouble?”

  Wearing an exasperated look, he scowled down at her. “For someone who owns a hardware store, you don’t know much about home repair.”

  Crossing her arms over her chest, she said, “Well, it would be nice if someone would just tell me what they’re thinking instead of playing games.”

  “When water freezes it expands. There’s likely frozen water in your pipes. That means those pipes have probably burst. Once the ice thaws—”

  “Water will go everywhere.” A sick feeling knotted her gut, while Mick’s nod sent her heart plummeting. “If that’s the case, then there’s no way I can leave. I need to call a plumber.” She reached for her phone.

  “No plumber in his right mind is going to get out on these roads.” Why did he have to be so sensible?

  “Okay, can we just turn the water off then?”

  His expression softened, though she could tell he was thinking. “I s’pose. You’d still have some water leaking out as it thawed, but only what’s in there now.”

  “Which means I might be able to avoid an all-out catastrophe.”

  “I reckon that might work. I’ve got a stash of pipe and fittings down at my place. Enough to do some crude repairs that’ll tide you over until the plumber can get out here. Because I’m sure you won’t be the only one with busted pipes.”

  “How do we figure out where the leaks are?”

  “Tag-team it. Once things thaw, one of us turns on the water while the other watches for leaks. Then, once we spot one, we locate the break and cut the water back off. It’ll still be a guessing game. And I’ll have to put some holes in your walls. Maybe the ceiling.”

  “What?” Panic flitted through her veins.

  “Don’t shoot the messenger. A plumber would have to do the same thing.”

  She rubbed her forehead. “Please tell me insurance will cover this.”

  “It will.”

  At the moment, that was little comfort, but at least it was something.

  “Look—” he placed his gloved hands on her shoulders, sending a jolt of electricity ricocheting through her “—let’s just turn the pump off and go back down to my place where it’s warm. Temps are supposed to inch above freezing overnight, so maybe things will have started to melt by morning, then we can address the breaks.”

  Staring into his green eyes, she felt plenty warm right here. “You’re sure? I mean, I just finished renovating. I’d hate for things to get damaged. And these floors.” She forced herself to step away and focus on the original wooden planks. “I couldn’t bear it if they warped.”

  “Yeah, that’s hundred-and-fifty-year-old long-leaf pine.” Lifting his gaze, he seemed to take in the entire space. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in here. With the lights on, that is.” He sent her a quick smile.

  Moving toward the living room, he continued to study things. “This is nice. Real nice. Hardly looks like the same place.”

  She recalled the mauve floral-striped wallpaper a
nd dusty blue carpet that had been here the first time she saw the house, trying to ignore the spark of feelings his praise stirred inside her. Something warm and giddy. Something she hadn’t felt in a long time. And promised herself she’d never feel again.

  Yet Mick was suggesting she go back to the camp house with him and Sadie. How was she supposed to do that?

  Get a grip, Christa.

  She drew in a deep breath. Lord, what is wrong with me? It must be the stress of these last couple of days.

  “Miss Christa?”

  She looked down to see Sadie peering up at her, holding a box. “What is it, sweetheart?”

  “I finded this puzzle on the shelf over there.” She pointed toward the living room.

  Christa took hold of the box bearing a picture of several golden retriever puppies and laughed. “My friend Paisley gave that to me for Christmas. I had just gotten Dixie, so she said she had to get it for me. I haven’t had time to put it together yet, though.”

  “We could take it back to Uncle Mickey’s and do it together.” Her smile widened. “I love puzzles.”

  “I do, too,” said Christa. “And you know what else Paisley gave me?”

  “What?” Sadie’s green eyes sparkled.

  Christa crossed to the television. “This.” She held up a DVD case.

  “Frozen!” The child’s entire face beamed. “I love that movie.”

  “Me, too.” She glanced toward Mick, who was still standing in the opening between the kitchen and living room, looking rather confused. “Maybe we could watch it while we’re working on the puzzle.”

  “Yes, please.” Sadie jumped up and down.

  With her wayward feelings now in check, Christa approached the suddenly chagrined cowboy. “I’m ready when you are.”

  “You’re trying to torture me, aren’t you?”

  “Have you ever even seen Frozen?”

  “No, and I was hoping I’d never have to.”

  “Well, Uncle Mickey, looks like neither of us are getting our way today. I’m coming back to your place and you’re going to watch Frozen.”

  * * *

  “That should do it.” Mick gathered his tools late the next morning, grateful that the only leaks they’d discovered at Christa’s were in the kitchen, behind the washer and in the downstairs bathroom. That was, unless there was a holdout somewhere. He glanced Christa’s way. “Why don’t you go ahead and turn the water back on before I move this washer and dryer back into place.”