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

by Marta Perry

Christa took a step back. They didn’t need her anymore, except as the occasional babysitter, something she was more than happy to do. But her focus needed to be on expanding the store. Growing businesses was her forte, after all. She was driven and independent. The last thing she needed was silly romantic notions getting in her way.

  * * *

  Mick strode down the hallway of the Travis County Courthouse Monday morning, eager to get back to his ranch. He hated the city. Didn’t matter which one it was, he wasn’t a fan. Throw in the reason he’d had to come in the first place, to get Jen’s and Kyle’s wills squared away, and well, his day couldn’t get much worse. And having Chuck and Belita Sanderson there didn’t help. How’d they know he’d be in court today anyway?

  Fortunately, the process had been fairly cut-and-dried. Kyle had put most of his and Jen’s assets into a trust that now belonged to Sadie, naming Mick as trustee until she was an adult. He would still have to deal with their house, emptying its contents and selling it, but that was a job for another day.

  His boots echoed against the shiny tile floor as he continued down the hallway, wondering why on earth Jen had left the old Gebhardt building in downtown Bliss to him instead of Sadie. Granted, the building had been in their family for generations, but he had no interest in it, which was why he’d insisted their mother give it to Jen. She was the one who was all sentimental about the place.

  Who knows, maybe I’ll want to open a shop in Bliss someday.

  He sucked in a breath, knowing he’d give anything to have her here again to do just that.

  Perhaps he’d hold on to it for Sadie, along with everything else. Let her decide what she wanted to do with it. In the meantime, he’d settle for enough lease money to cover the taxes. Meaning he should probably contact the leasing agent and find out why it had been empty for so long.

  As he approached the exit, he saw the Sandersons standing off to one side, seemingly deep in conversation. To his surprise, they hadn’t said a word during the hearing. Now if he could just make it out the door without them noticing him, he’d be home free.

  He picked up his pace, taking advantage of his long strides.

  “Mick.” Chuck’s voice crept over Mick’s shoulder like a weasel.

  Mick thought about making a run for it, but the deputies positioned at the doors would likely think him a criminal.

  Slowing his steps, he turned and faced the well-dressed couple as they approached. Chuck wore a navy sports coat over a pale-blue button-down shirt with khaki trousers, while Belita looked the height of fashion in black slacks, heels and a stylish gray sweater topped with an enormous pearl necklace.

  Fingers tipped with long nails gracefully brushed Belita’s short silver hair to one side as they neared. “Mick, darling, it’s so good to see you.” The words dripped from her red lips like honey. Make that honey laced with arsenic. The woman couldn’t stand him. Thought he was beneath them. A fact she’d made perfectly clear on more than one occasion leading up to the funeral. But here in public, she had to make a good show. Talk about fake.

  “Belita.” He nodded in her direction first, then her husband’s. “Chuck. What are you doing here?”

  “Looking out for our granddaughter, of course.” Hands shoved in his pockets, Chuck rocked back on the heels of his custom Lucchese boots. “We wanted to make certain everything was handled appropriately.”

  Like Mick was going to buy that. Chuck had called the judge by his first name and chatted with him about his family, as though they’d known each other forever.

  Mick willed himself to remain calm, though. “Kyle put everything in a trust for Sadie. And that’s where it’s going to stay until she’s twenty-one.”

  “But you are the trustee, dear.” Belita’s blue eyes had an accusatory look. “And what about their house?”

  “Money from the sale of it will also go into the trust fund.”

  “All of it?” She watched him intently, her false lashes looking like black spiders.

  Mick refused to lose his temper, but he was definitely struggling. “Look, I am perfectly capable of providing for Sadie without tapping into Kyle and Jen’s money.”

  “A child means lots of extra expenses,” said Chuck. “Things like hospital visits can add up quickly.”

  Hospital? Surely they didn’t know about Sadie’s fall.

  “How is Sadie’s arm doing?”

  He glared at the man, wondering how these two conniving people could have possibly been related to someone as giving and kindhearted as Kyle. “How did you know about that?”

  “Where is our granddaughter, anyway?” Belita ignored his question.

  “She’s at school.”

  “Surely you had to leave early to get here.” The woman fingered her necklace, appearing the picture of innocence.

  Still, he refused to give them the satisfaction of knowing they were getting to him. “Yes, ma’am. A good friend of mine took care of her for me.”

  One perfectly arched brow rose. “This wouldn’t be the so-called friend who stayed with you at your cabin, would it?”

  His right eye twitched as his gaze narrowed. “With all due respect, I’m not sure that’s any of your business.”

  “Sadie is our granddaughter.” Chuck puffed his chest out. “That makes it our business.”

  Yeah, just like everything else.

  “Chr—” Catching himself, he cleared his throat. “My friend and Sadie have become quite close.”

  “Mick—” Belita shifted her oversize leather purse from one elbow to the other “—do you really think it’s appropriate to have your lady friends around Sadie?”

  “I can assure you there’s never been anything inappropriate. Christa isn’t a lady friend. She’s strictly a friend. Now, if you will excuse me.” Fists clenched, he made his way to the exit, kicking himself for revealing Christa’s name. And furious with the Sandersons for driving him to it. How did they know about Christa anyway? That she’d stayed at his place? And how did they know about Sadie’s arm?

  He sucked in a breath of cool air as he stepped outside. Traffic moved past him as he propelled himself toward the parking lot on the next block. Not once in his forty-five years could he recall being this upset.

  Had the Sandersons been there today for the sole purpose of irritating him? Because if so, they’d definitely achieved their goal. And it infuriated him that he’d let them do it.

  After crossing the street, he located his truck and threw himself inside.

  He would never forgive himself if Sadie was forced to live with those wretched people. He couldn’t disappoint Jen and Kyle like that. And what about Sadie? Her world would be flipped upside down all over again.

  Releasing a guttural sound, he shoved the key in the ignition, feeling as though he might go crazy. He needed to sort through everything that had just happened and calm down. But left to his own devices, that wasn’t going to happen. He needed to talk to Christa. She’d been the calm in just about every storm he’d faced lately. And right now, he longed to hear her voice. To hear her tell him that everything was going to be okay. To know that someone had his back.

  He pulled the phone from his breast pocket, pressed a few buttons to dial her number, then put his truck into gear.

  “Hey, Mick. I was hoping you’d call.” Her voice washed over him like a cool rain on a hot summer day, easing his tension. “How did everything go?”

  “The hearing was uneventful. The Sandersons were there, though.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  He pulled into the busy street. “They were perfectly fine until I was leaving the building. Then they decided to pounce.”

  “What did they do?”

  He told her about the exchange, wishing he’d handled things better. Man, those two knew how to push his buttons.

  “I’m sorry, Mick. I wish I could have been there wit
h you. Maybe they wouldn’t have messed with you then. I am curious to know how they found out about Sadie’s arm and me staying with you. I wonder if they hired a private investigator or something.”

  “I wouldn’t put it past them.” A red light had him slowing to a stop behind a line of cars.

  “Of course, with folks in Bliss being so friendly, I can see how it wouldn’t be too hard to get that kind of information.”

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  “You know, this reminds me of David and Goliath,” she said. “How Goliath was all cocky, demeaning David as he came out to face him. Taunting him.”

  “And David told the giant that he came in the name of the Lord.”

  “That’s right. Mick, you’re not going up against the Sandersons alone. God is with you. No matter what happens, good or bad, God’s got this. Your job is simply to trust.”

  Peace washed over him as the traffic light turned green. “Thank you for that reminder. I needed to hear that.”

  “We all need to be reminded sometimes. Don’t waste your time dwelling on what the Sandersons said. You’re a good man, and Sadie is blessed to have you.”

  “I appreciate that.” Not only had she been a godsend, more and more, he was coming to realize that Christa was everything he’d ever wanted in a woman. He just wasn’t sure he could ever be enough for her.

  She was from the city. Had worked for big corporations. She was an executive! He couldn’t say that about any other woman he’d ever known. Yet they were always trying to change him. Wanting him to be something he wasn’t. They always wanted more. More time, more attention, more glamour. They wanted an urban cowboy, not a real cowboy. And that wasn’t who he was.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “Christa. Jade Reynolds here.”

  Sitting at the desk in her office at the store, phone pressed to her ear, Christa couldn’t help wondering why her old acquaintance and headhunter would be calling her.

  “Jade. Wow, long time, no hear.”

  “Too long, if you ask me. However, an opportunity crossed my desk recently that is tailor-made for you. It ticks off every one of your wish-list items, which I still have, by the way. This client wants the best of the best and is willing to pay for it.”

  Christa eyed the stack of catalogs to her left. “Jade, you know I’m not in the business anymore. I’m quite content owning my little hardware store here in Bliss.” Even if her so-called friends had thought her a fool for doing so.

  “Sweetheart, do you have any idea what a waste of your talents that is?”

  “I don’t care. I’m genuinely happy here.” And nowhere near as uptight as she’d been in Austin.

  A heavy sigh crackled through the line. “If you say so. But if you change your mind, I want to be the first one to know.”

  Glancing toward the window that overlooked the store, she spotted her friends Paisley and Laurel heading her way, along with Laurel’s toddler, Sarah-Jane. “All right, but don’t hold your breath, Jade.”

  Ending the call, she dropped the phone onto her desk and hurried to greet her friends. “Well, hello there.” After brief hugs, she relieved Laurel of Sarah-Jane and blew raspberries on her chubby cheeks. “Oh, how I’ve missed those giggles.”

  Christa, Laurel, Paisley and Rae, owner of Rae’s Fresh Start Café and now Laurel’s sister-in-law, had moved to Bliss within a year or so of each other. They’d arrived looking for new beginnings and ended up finding each other.

  She settled the almost-two-year-old child on her hip. “What brings you all by?”

  “You.” Paisley, a tall, gorgeous redhead with a sweet Southern drawl, held a plate of what appeared to be lemon bars. “Where have you been keeping yourself? We haven’t seen or heard from you since the ice storm.”

  Starting back into her office, she motioned for them to follow. “Well, believe it or not, I’ve been helping Mick Ashford adjust to fatherhood.”

  Both women’s eyes widened.

  “Oh, this definitely calls for some sugar.” Paisley peeled back the plastic wrap. “Let me grab a couple of napkins then you can explain.” She rounded the corner to the coffeepot, giving a pregnant Laurel just enough time to ease into one of the industrial-style side chairs before returning. “All right, I’m all ears.”

  While Paisley served up the unexpected treats, Christa settled into her desk chair with Sarah-Jane in her lap. “Mick’s sister and brother-in-law were killed in a helicopter crash right after Christmas. Mick is now raising their five-year-old daughter.” She explained how things had gotten started with Sadie’s bedroom and how she’d ended up having to stay with them during the storm.

  A pained expression clouded Laurel’s pretty face. “That is so sad. Though I’m grateful Sadie’s parents had the forethought to name a guardian. I remember stressing over that before Wes and I were married, wondering what would become of Sarah-Jane if anything were to happen to me.”

  “That’s sweet of you to help Mick navigate the waters of parenthood.” Paisley took a bite of a lemon bar.

  Picking off a small piece for Sarah-Jane, Christa laughed. “As if I know anything about parenting. However, having lost my mom when I was five, I know what Sadie is going through.”

  “How does Mick feel about his new role?” Licking her fingers, Laurel eyed Christa intently.

  “Scared.” The image of him holding Sadie that day the calf was born played across her mind. “But he adores her and is making every effort to be the best father figure he can be.” She stood a squirmy Sarah-Jane on the area rug and watched her toddle toward her mother. “He’s kind of shattered all the notions I had about him.”

  “How so?” Laurel scooped her daughter into her arms.

  “I always thought of him as a superficial guy. Doing whatever he wanted when he wanted. Only thinking about himself. But now that I’ve had the opportunity to get to know him, I see how kindhearted he is and realize he’s one of those genuinely good guys.” She glanced at Laurel. “Like Wes.”

  Her friends shared a look that Christa knew all too well.

  “Oh, stop it. We’re friends and that’s it.”

  “I’ve heard that before.” Paisley was obviously referencing a similar claim Laurel had made about Wes.

  “Paise…” Christa glared at her friend.

  “I’m just saying.”

  “Well, quit.” Christa snagged the last lemon bar. “What’s been going on with you two? Laurel, how’s baby number two coming along?”

  “So far, so good.” She set a hand on her slightly swollen abdomen. “Which reminds me, I need to stop by one day when my hands aren’t so full—” she eyed Sarah-Jane “—to check out some paint samples for the nursery.”

  “So will it be a pink or blue nursery?” Christa was eager for an inside scoop.

  “Neither. I’m thinking a midrange greige I can accent with any color.”

  Sarah-Jane started to fuss.

  “And on that note, I think we’ve reached our limit.” Laurel stood.

  Christa did, too, and moved to hug her friends. “I love you guys.”

  “We love you, too.”

  No sooner had they waved goodbye than Christa’s phone rang again. Hurrying to her desk, she looked at the device to see her Realtor’s name. “Yes!” She swiped the screen. “Hello.” Excitement bubbled inside of her. Please, let it be good news.

  “Hi, Christa. I’m so sorry this has taken so long, but I finally heard back from the leasing agent and, sadly, the owner does not want to sell. However, if you’d be interested in leasing—”

  Her heart dropped. “Leasing won’t work for what I want to do. And doesn’t the owner realize the building has been sitting empty for at least six months? That’s certainly not making them any money.”

  “I know, but some people are just weird like that. The place probably has sentimental value or so
mething.”

  Christa heaved a sigh. “All right, thank you for checking.” She ended the call, realizing her dream had just gone poof. What was she supposed to do now? That building had been the only viable option for expanding the store.

  “Miss Christa!”

  She jerked her head up to see Sadie standing in the doorway.

  A second later, Mick appeared behind her. “Sorry about that. She ran ahead of me.”

  “I tolded you, I need to talk to Miss Christa.” Sadie had a way of making Christa smile, no matter how bad her mood.

  She approached them now. “What’s going on?”

  “I need to talk to you.” Sadie looked from Christa to Mick. “Alone.”

  Mick frowned. “Young lady, this is a workday and Miss Christa owns this store. You need to ask her if she’s available to talk.”

  The child’s green eyes swung to her. “Are you abailable?”

  Christa couldn’t help chuckling. “For you, always.”

  Sadie sent Mick a look.

  “All right, I’ll go look at power tools or something.” He turned on his booted heel and walked away as Sadie moved into the office.

  “How’s the calf doing?” Christa perched on one of the side chairs and motioned for Sadie to join her in the next seat.

  “I feeded him his bottle this morning.”

  Bottle? “His mama’s having problems with him still?”

  “Yeah. She’s mean. She kickeded him away.”

  “Oh, you’re right. That isn’t very nice. So, what’s this important thing you need to talk to me about?”

  “I want to have a birthday party for Uncle Mickey.” Sadie looked very serious.

  “Okay… When is his birthday?”

  “Saturday.”

  “This Saturday?” Nothing like short notice. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I askeded him when his birthday was, and he said Febwary 8. And when I asked my teacher when that was, she said Saturday.”

  The kid had really put some thought into this. “Where would you like to have this party?”

  Sadie shrugged. “I dunno. You have a big house, though. We could have it there.”