McCormick's Creek Sweet Romance

by Jen Peters

  “Todd won’t talk to the cops,” Chance sneered.

  “Maybe not, but I will. And let’s add trespassing while we’re at it. And, oh yeah, how about burglary? I’ll bet you’ve made a pretty penny off my tools.”

  Chance went berserk. Justin’s grip was strong, but Chance twisted, dropped, and twisted again. Justin lost his hold, dodged a kick, and found himself flattened by a near-knockout punch.

  He heard Chance’s footsteps racing out as he rubbed his jaw, thinking he should have taken up boxing when he was a kid. He slowly sat up and waited for his head to clear.

  “Mr. Cooper?” came Todd’s timid voice. “Are you okay?”

  Justin sighed. “Yeah, just feeling old. Come give me a hand up.”

  “I didn’t know he’d come here,” Todd said. “I didn’t want any trouble.”

  “Not one of your friends, huh?” Justin pulled his phone from his hip pocket. It wasn’t damaged from landing on it, anyway.

  “They wanted me to join their gang, but I wouldn’t. And then they showed up when I was taking the boards, and now they think this place is ripe.” His words ended in a rush, his hands clenched into fists.

  Justin punched a number on his phone. “Yeah, well his mistake was thinking you were here alone. Now we don’t need proof of the theft, we can get him on assault and battery.” He turned his attention to the phone. “Hey, Javi. Can you come out to the mansion? One of the thugs was here, and I want to press charges.”

  Cat wouldn’t have the chance to mess with justice this time.

  * * *

  Cat returned from Marty’s with her fingers itching to work on the staircase trim, regretting somewhat that she was the contractor and didn’t have time to do the staircase herself. She could get her woodworking fix from the fireplace, though.

  Her wandering thoughts came to a standstill when she entered the dining area. Justin was perched on a stool, holding an ice pack against his jaw. Officer Gonzales had his notebook out, and Todd was stammering about Chance and Justin fighting.

  “What happened?”

  Todd turned to her but Javier pulled his attention back. “You didn’t know he was coming?”

  Cat crossed quickly to Justin and lifted the ice pack off. Red and puffy—it was going to be quite a bruise.

  Justin looked up at her sheepishly. “Got caught between a couple of young stallions.”

  “You ought to—” she began.

  “I’m fine, Cat. Nothing that hasn’t happened before. I’m just a bit older and slower these days.”

  Cat chuckled and reached a hand out to brush his bangs away, then drew her hand back. Did she even have the right to such a gesture?

  Javier closed his notebook. “I’ve got all I need right now. And don’t worry, we’ll have him picked up within the hour.”

  He left and Justin spoke up. “I’m pressing charges, Cat, no matter what you want.”

  Her eyes met his, then she looked away. “Of course. I wouldn’t expect anything else.” Still, something hung in the air between them.

  “Um, what do you want me to do now, ma’am?” Todd’s voice seemed far away, and Cat tried to focus her thoughts.

  “Are you hurt? Do you want to go home?”

  The teen shook his head.

  Cat rubbed her temples. “Just keep on with the sanding, then, if your fingers aren’t worn to the bone by now.”

  “I don’t mind. I like thinking about how they made the designs, and I can see the separate pieces when I sand.” He grabbed his piece of sandpaper off the floor and headed to the bottom newel post.

  She felt Justin watching her. “What?”

  “He’s not a thug—he really is different than the others. How’d you know?”

  Should she tell him? She wondered how much he would judge her and was surprised at how much she cared.

  Except she did. Relationship or not, leaving or not, she wanted him to think well of her. But she wanted his acceptance of all of her, not just what he saw on the surface.

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I was just like Todd. Worse, actually.”

  Justin’s eyes widened. “No way—you never stole anything in your life!”

  Cat looked away. “I did. I shoplifted, I broke into places. Didn’t get caught much, but yes, I stole. And I was headed for a lot more serious stuff.”

  “You?”

  Cat looked back at him, into his incredible, incredulous green eyes. “Yes, me. But there was a guy I stole from who saw something besides a future criminal. He put me to work, taught me to hammer a nail, to make a straight cut, to measure twice and cut once. I worked for him the rest of high school—kept me out of trouble and showed me the pleasure of building something.”

  Justin started to speak, then closed his mouth again. His gaze wandered around the room, then came back to her. “That wasn’t easy to tell me, was it?”

  She dropped her eyes. “No, it wasn’t. But sometimes you get to a point that sharing things is important.”

  He didn’t take the hint, didn’t say anything at all.

  “So what now?” she asked.

  Justin put the ice pack down and stood. “Now I get back to work—I'm still behind schedule. And you ought to see if Marty can take Todd under his wing when he’s put in his time here. He seems really interested in woodworking.”

  She watched him take the stairs two at a time before she let herself sag against the wall. He seemed okay about Todd now, but what about them? Could there even be a “them” if she shared her secrets, and he still wouldn’t share his.

  Chapter 17

  Justin spent the evening at home, tossing a ball for Pip and trying not to knock things over. He wished it wasn’t raining again. He wished Cat were there with him. He’d give a lot to see her sparkling blue eyes right now, but things were strained between them. He understood her better, and also understood he couldn’t be what she wanted. She was leaving when the job was over anyway—she’d already talked about restoration jobs in Portland.

  He clamped down on the feelings and threw the ball down the hallway. Over and over, trying to throw Cat out of his mind. Each time, Pip pounced and brought it back for praise and a do-again. Each time, Justin mentally sent Cat farther down the road out of town.

  The doorbell jarred him out of his thoughts. Cat!

  He scooped Pip into his arms and reached the door in three long strides, his heart leaping in anticipation. He yanked the door open and found his mother standing there, lemon meringue pie in her hands.

  “Justin, sweetie, how are you?” She kissed his cheek and headed for the kitchen.

  His body sagged like a leaky tire, and it was a long moment before he could trail after his mother. “I didn’t know you were coming. I, uh, you can bring pie anytime you want.”

  “Oh, it’s nothing.” She waved the words away. The pie was already on the counter. “I just never got a chance to say hello when you were in last.”

  This was not normal. He gave her a tight hug, then reached in the drawer for the pie server.

  “Thanks.” His mom cut slices while he got plates and forks. “So how have you been?”

  They chatted about the mansion while his mind searched for explanations for his mother’s visit. He hadn’t forgotten Sunday dinner. Robin wasn’t in any trouble. Was Mom here to pry about him and Cat? Encourage him in a useless endeavor? He didn’t think she was that desperate for him to get married, but it was all he could think of.

  Ruth Anne licked the last crumbs off her fork. “One of my best, if I do say so myself. Here, have another piece.” She served him seconds before he was hardly done with the first. Then she leaned back and crossed her arms over her stomach. “So, son,” she said pleasantly, “tell me how it is you think you should control my finances.”

  Lemon filling squished out the side of his mouth. He wiped it with a knuckle, half-choking as the rest slid slowly down his throat. “Uh …”

  Ruth Anne leaned forward, her eyes narrowed. “This is my
business and my employees. And it’s my job to know what’s going on. Not yours.”

  “Mom, I just—”

  “Your father and I raised you to do what’s right, even if it means accepting hard truths and making tough decisions. That means you have to allow other people, even people you love, to do the same thing. Am I right?”

  “But Mom, I—”

  “Am I right?”

  The steel in her voice came through loud and clear. Justin sighed. “You’re right. Robin said the same thing.”

  His mother sat back. “I know. I overheard.”

  Justin played with his fork. “We never could keep anything from you. So you know about Hazel?”

  “I found out about Hazel a week and a half ago.”

  He bolted upright. “How? I tried hard to—”

  “I finally hired a proper accountant to do an audit, something I should have done long ago. I’d been looking at the books and couldn’t figure out why they wouldn’t come out straight.”

  “You never said.”

  “You’ve been busy,” she said gently. “Busy with work, thank goodness, and busy with Cat.”

  He mashed a corner of the crust into tiny bits. “I tried so hard to protect you. I knew what good friends you and Hazel were.”

  She stood and took her plate to the sink, squeezing his shoulder on the way. “It’s a good instinct to want to protect someone from danger, Justin, but you can’t protect them from life. We all have trials and disappointments. That’s how we grow.”

  She fixed some instant coffee, then grimaced as she took a sip. “Don’t know how you drink this.”

  He grinned. “I mostly don’t. That’s why I’m down at the restaurant so much.”

  “So let me be a nosy mom for a bit. How’s Cat?”

  Justin stared at the far wall. “It’s not going anywhere. I can’t be the man she wants. And she’s leaving anyway, so there’s no point in trying.”

  His mother’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I thought you were good together.”

  “I thought we were too. I know we were. But like you said, you have to deal with life’s disappointments, and this is one of mine.”

  She nodded, absently took another sip of coffee, and grimaced again. “There will be someone to match your heart someday.”

  Maybe. But he had really thought that someone was Cat.

  Chapter 18

  The next morning, Justin began his final check on the fully-installed wiring. Marty and Todd were at the bottom of the grand stairway, bent close, speaking in low murmurs, examining the grain and the joins.

  Justin paused and watched for a moment, thinking about how much they’d accomplished in a month and how close he’d grown to Cat before things went haywire. Then he scowled. “Be honest, Cooper,” he muttered to himself. “You weren’t just close, you fell in love.” After the last fitful night of wayward thoughts, he knew he loved her like he’d never loved anyone before. And despite what his mother said, he couldn’t imagine anyone else filling the place she occupied in his heart.

  But no matter how Cat had once responded to his kisses, how well they fit together or how much of her past she had shared with him, she was actively looking for her next project. In Portland.

  He looked across the room to where she was checking the plumbing. He yearned to set things right between them, to dissipate the tension and rekindle their stalled relationship. But even if he did, how could he handle being around her, listening to her laugh, enjoying the sweet touch of her lips, if she was leaving?

  No, his electrical work was done, and she could carry on as a sole general contractor, just like she’d wanted in the first place. He’d take the IGA project that was waiting for him, help his mother with the recovery of the restaurant finances, and let Cat finish the mansion on her own. And not let her know how he really felt.

  All he had to do was make things right with her. If they had to part company, he didn’t want to do it while she thought so badly of him.

  His legs felt like jelly, but he finally hunkered down next to her. “You got a minute?”

  “Sure, what’s up?”

  He shook his head. “Outside?”

  With a puzzled look, she followed him out the back door.

  He plucked a twig off the ground and stood staring over the creek. “You complained before that I kept secrets, that I wasn’t being completely honest.”

  “Well you weren’t.” She crossed her arms and took up the familiar stiff stance. “I told you things I don’t usually tell anyone, and all I got was you clamming up.”

  Justin avoided her eyes. “I couldn’t do anything else. They weren’t my secrets to tell. But I have permission now, not to mention a little sister railing on me.”

  “Robin? This is about her?”

  “No, it’s about Mom and the restaurant.” He explained about the embezzlement, about trying to protect his mother and make up the stolen money himself. By the time he was done, he’d taken all the bark off the twig and snapped it into tiny pieces.

  Cat was aghast. “But that’s—”

  “I know, impossible. Mom and Hazel were best friends, and I knew she’d be crushed, but still... never try to put one over on your mom, even if it’s for a good reason.”

  “Of course not! You can be a knight in shining armor and help with money, but not in secret. We don’t like someone making decisions for us.”

  “That’s what Robin said.”

  “Robin?”

  “I let it slip a while ago, and she told me in no uncertain terms that it wasn’t my decision to make.” Justin grimaced at the memory.

  Cat grinned. “Of course she did. And you should always listen to your little sister—she knows what she’s talking about!” Then she sighed and looked away, seemingly focused on something downstream. “That explains your feelings about criminals always being criminals, and your need for justice.”

  “Some of it goes back to Dad and the way I was raised, but yeah. And even when I got to know Todd and that big lunk came gunning for him, it didn’t sink in.” He rubbed his jaw, remembering. “Not until you told me your background.”

  Cat stepped over to him. “Still sore?” She reached a hand up and touched his jaw lightly.

  Justin caught his breath. He didn’t think it was going to be this hard. She was leaving, it was time to move on, but geez. The way her touch made him feel. “No, not really.”

  “Just your pride, huh?” Her hand trailed down to his arm. Her eyes had turned the color of a summer sky. He ached to hold her, to recapture those moments from the picnic and Warm Springs.

  He stepped back. This was why he needed some distance. He just couldn’t continue to work with her, to be with her every day, when she’d be leaving in another month or two. To be in love with someone when the relationship couldn’t go anywhere—he couldn’t put himself through that. Wouldn’t survive that.

  He knew Cat wouldn’t either, and he didn’t want to leave her with a broken heart. The only consolation was that she’d managed to lower a few of her defenses, so maybe she’d be able to fall in love with someone later, someone who could travel around with her.

  “Hey, you two!” Mitchell Blake crossed the yard toward them. “I came through the mansion, and it’s looking good.”

  “Thanks,” Cat replied. “The woodwork is still to come, but the drywall crew is lined up, and Marty and Todd are working on the staircase and the gingerbread trim.”

  The lawyer nodded in satisfaction. “Lights are on inside—all the electric’s done?”

  “Yes sir,” Justin said. He took a deep breath and locked his heart down. “And I’m pretty much done here. I’ve got a project at the IGA to rework their freezer wiring, and they’ve been waiting a while for it. I’ll send you my final invoice.”

  Cat stared at him. She blinked for a moment, then her face seemed to freeze. “You’re quitting? Just like that?”

  Justin clenched his jaw, biting back the words he’d love to say. “You
wanted to be the boss all along. Now you get to.”

  “But I thought—”

  He gave a sharp shake of his head. “There’s nothing to think about. You can finish this with no problem. I need to move on.”

  Cat blinked rapidly, but turned her face so he couldn’t see if she was really crying. She nodded at Blake. In a steely voice, she said, “He’s right. I can wrap the project up myself. That was the plan all along, wasn’t it?” She looked back at Justin for a second, eyes clear, then touched Blake’s arm. “Come on, I’ll show you the upstairs.”

  Justin watched the sun glint off her hair as she led Blake back to the mansion. A woman worth loving, a woman who cared for him, but he couldn’t bear to be around her when she wouldn’t be staying.

  Chapter 19

  Cat’s mind was only half on the tour she gave Mitchell Blake. Even as she showed him how the central chandelier lowered for cleaning and took him upstairs for a tour of the bedrooms and private baths, her mind swirled with Justin’s mixed signals.

  He had finally opened up to her. He had honorable, good intentions for his family, but only by sacrificing himself, trying to rescue them when they didn’t need rescuing. He probably wouldn’t change much, but at least he wouldn’t do it in secret anymore. She grinned at the thought of quiet little Robin letting her brother know how things really were.

  She wouldn’t want to be rescued either, even if she needed it someday. Especially not behind her back. She could take care of herself, thank you very much.

  That didn’t mean she wouldn’t like a little love and companionship along the way. She had thought Justin was the one. She loved him, for heaven’s sake, and that had certainly never happened before. Not the way they laughed together, not the way they worked side by side, and certainly not the way his kisses made her tingle all the way down to her toes.

  She led Mr. Blake into the finished kitchen, now gleaming with black granite counters and professional quality appliances. “There’s still a ways to go—drywall, flooring, trim and paint—but we’re on schedule.”