by Ava Miles
“I told you to be quiet, girl,” he snapped.
Amelia stepped back against Flynn’s leg, and he put a protective hand on her shoulder.
Tom didn’t seem to notice he was scaring his granddaughter, or maybe he didn’t care. He gestured to the truck. “I don’t care what anyone else has to say. I want it gone.”
Annie righted Amelia’s stocking hat and touched her cheek briefly. “Amelia, why don’t you and the twins go up to the house? I need to talk to your grandpa.”
“There’s nothing to talk about!” Tom shouted.
Amelia whimpered and grabbed Flynn’s leg.
This was enough. The man was being a dick. Flynn stepped forward. “Tom—”
“This is my land, and I don’t want that eyesore on it. Tell him to leave. Now!”
Flynn looked over at Annie, waiting to see what she wanted. If she wanted him to do as Tom said without further discussion, he would. But she stood motionless like everyone else. June was blinking in shock, and the twins’ mouths had dropped open.
“Don’t yell, Grandpa,” Amelia said in a quiet voice. “It’s not nice.”
“Don’t tell me what’s nice, missy,” he barked, looming over her and making her cringe against Flynn. “That’s enough. Now, stop sassing and go up to the house like your mother said.”
Flynn tucked her behind him, but before he could say anything—because darn it, he wasn’t about to let Tom intimidate a four-year-old girl—June reached out and touched her husband’s arm.
“Tom, don’t yell at the girl,” she said. “Let’s all settle down and talk about this like grown-ups.”
He shook her off like he would a stinging bug. “Stay out of this, June.”
Annie held out her hands beseechingly. “Tom, once again, I’m sorry I didn’t ask you. Honestly, I didn’t think the portable would be a problem. I mean, I thought you gave Ben and me the land the house and the lab are on when you built them for us.”
Tom swept his hand out. “Well, you’re wrong about that. This land—all of it—is Loudermilk land.”
Flynn didn’t know what to do suddenly. He didn’t know what agreement Annie and her former husband had made with Tom before building their house. So he waited, aware of her trembling, fighting the urge to step in.
“But we’re Loudermilks too, Grandpa,” Iris said, placing her hand on her mother’s waist.
Flynn wanted to cheer the girl for her solidarity. It was the first time he’d seen the twins speak up for their mother, and it couldn’t have been easy with Tom this angry.
“Of course you’re Loudermilks,” June said, glaring at Tom through narrowed eyes.
“Don’t be mad, Grandpa,” Amelia said again, bravely stepping forward and pulling on his work pants. “We love you. Mom just needs it to make up the holiday baskets. Our business is the lifeblood of our family.”
“I told you I don’t want to hear any more silly platitudes from you, Amelia.” Tom grabbed her by the arm. “You sound just like your mother. It’s backtalking, and I won’t stand for it. Now, go back to the house.” Then he gave her bottom a hard tap, making her cry out.
Flynn saw red and pushed the older man a step back. “Don’t you touch her.”
Tom set his weight in response, and Flynn knew he would have a healthy punch if he swung. He discovered he wouldn’t mind if the man instigated a fight.
Everyone started to talk at once.
Annie grabbed Amelia to her, hugging her tightly and glaring at Tom as the little girl started to weep. “How dare you hit my daughter.”
“Leave our sister alone!” Iris yelled, her hands on her hips.
“She was only trying to help,” Eloise said, patting Amelia’s back.
But Tom didn’t seem to notice. He was too busy glaring at Flynn like he was the one at fault here. Flynn didn’t think the man was going to back down. His shoulders were set in a line as hard as his mouth.
Bring it, old man. Flynn always told his brothers he was a lover, not a fighter, but he was willing to make an exception for his woman. He wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt her and her kids.
His women, he mentally adjusted. Damn, he already loved Amelia, and if the twins’ loyalty was any indication of what they were like beneath the icy layers of hostility, he had a feeling he’d feel that way about them too, once they thawed toward him.
“What’s gotten into you?” June stepped in front of her husband. “My God, Tom. That was totally uncalled for.”
“Girls,” Arthur called out.
Flynn looked over his shoulder. His family stood a short distance away. Aunt Clara’s hands were clenched at her sides, and even the usually inscrutable-looking Hargreaves had a similar posture.
“Come back to the house with me, Amelia, honey.” Uncle Arthur walked forward until he could lean down and caress her head. “Let me hold you.”
For a moment she continued to sob into her mother’s shoulder, her twin sisters patting her back, but then she turned to his uncle, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Let me get you away from here, sweetheart.” Uncle Arthur boosted Amelia into his arms as she continued to let out gut-wrenching sobs. He met Flynn’s eyes briefly, and then off he went. Iris and Eloise glared at their grandfather before following, their hands holding on to Amelia’s legs in a gesture of comfort.
Everyone watched as his uncle and the girls let themselves into the house, Aunt Clara and Hargreaves following them in. Annie wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
Something in his mind popped, seeing that, but violence wasn’t going to get them what they wanted. Flynn put his arm around Annie as he turned back to face Tom. They still needed to decide what to do with the portable.
“Let’s start over,” Flynn said in a tone he’d only heard his dad and older brothers use. “Tom, this is my fault. When we couldn’t find space in town or anywhere close by”—because of you, he mentally added—“I got the idea to bring in a portable.”
“You should have talked to me,” Tom growled, slapping his hands against his thighs. “This is my land, dammit.”
Annie took a shaky breath. “Again, we’re sorry. Hopefully, having it close to my house will keep it out of your way.”
“I don’t want it here, Annie. That’s final. My land, my rules.” He toed up some of the dirt under the shoveled snow they stood on. “All of this land is mine. I work it. Cultivate it. Pay taxes on it.”
June put her hand tentatively on Tom’s forearm again. “What’s this really about, Tom?”
“I’m done discussing it!” He stepped away from her touch, his eyes turning mean.
“Why are you acting like this?” June asked, stepping in front of him. “Annie needs this space to fulfill her order, and it will be out of the way by her house, not ours.”
“You tell that driver to leave, or I will,” he said before stalking off.
Flynn started after him, but Annie tugged on his hand to keep him in place. “Don’t.”
Her voice had cracked, a broken note showcasing her hurt.
He took her by the shoulders. “I’ll rent a vacant pasture close by. Something. Annie, we’ll figure it out.”
She shook her head, her fingers pressed to the space between her brows. “I just can’t believe it. Any of it. He spanked my daughter.”
“I’m sorry for that, Annie,” June said, staring off at the barn as Tom disappeared into it. “He hasn’t lost his temper like that since Ben died.”
Annie put her hand to her heart. “I genuinely thought the land was mine. I mean, I assumed it was. I didn’t read every line in the title. Ben handled those items. It’s only… I can’t believe Tom feels this way.”
June worried her mouth. “Neither can I. I’ve been married to that man for over forty years now, and I never would have imagined he’d put his foot down on something so ridiculous. It’s not even like that portable thingy will be here very long. I’ll talk to him when he cools down. In the meantime, let me call the Andersons and see if you can
park the building on their land. They’re good friends, and they have the farm three driveways over. I know it’s not a perfect solution, but at least you won’t have to send it back.”
“Thank you, June,” Flynn said. “I’ll talk to the driver now. Maybe ride over to the Andersons with him. Annie, you should go to the girls.”
She looked dazedly at the house, and the wooden expression on her face worried him.
“Yes, let us take care of this, honey.” June scratched her curly white hair. “Let me dash into the house and call them, Flynn. If they agree, and I’m going to make sure they do, I’ll drive over with you.”
“Thank you,” he said. She really was an ally. Right now, they needed one.
June touched Annie’s arm. “I’m so sorry for all this. I don’t know what bee got under his bonnet, but he’s not acting like himself. Although it’s no excuse.”
Annie bit her lip, hesitating. Then she blurted, “But did you know, June? About us not owning the land the house and lab are on?”
She shook her head slowly. “No, Tom handles all that stuff. I keep the house. It’s old-fashioned perhaps, but it’s the way things were when we got married, and it’s never changed none. I’ll talk to him about your place too. For now, let’s take it one step at a time. I’m sorry, Annie. More sorry than I can tell you. Flynn, I’ll be right back.”
She rushed off, leaving Flynn and Annie, and he pulled her into a hug and rocked her. “I’m sorry, Annie.”
She pushed back and studied him, and even the freckles on her sweet face looked pale. “For what? None of this is your fault. Tom’s supposed to be family. I… I can’t believe he’d act like this, like a tyrant, and as for the land… I mean, Ben must have known about this, right?”
“Maybe he didn’t think it was important enough to tell you,” Flynn said, although privately he wondered why anyone would agree to such an arrangement. Flynn would want to own both the house and the land he’d built the house on. Seemed like a package deal. How could someone sell a house if they didn’t own the land? Only it occurred to him that perhaps the intention was to never sell it. Ben hadn’t thought they would leave. He hadn’t wanted to.
“This is all so awful,” Annie said, shaking her head. “And poor Amelia. Oh, Flynn. She’s never been spanked before. She’s the sweetest little girl.”
“I know she is,” Flynn said, and didn’t that just make him want to race into that barn and punch Tom until he was bloody. Christ, but that man was putting him in touch with a dark side of himself.
He spotted Aunt Clara striding toward them from Annie’s house, her black cashmere shawl billowing in the wind.
“Did you resolve the situation?” she asked, the Merriam fire alight in her eyes. “Arthur had to hold me back from socking that man when he hit Amelia.”
Feeling Annie’s misery, Flynn rubbed her back. “You aren’t alone, but yes, we have a working solution. June is asking a nearby farm if we can store it there. Hopefully it’s temporary.”
“I’m going to see the girls and try and comfort them,” Annie said. “Amelia especially. They’re never seen this side of Tom before. I haven’t either, frankly, although Ben told me that he got whippings as a boy.”
Flynn somehow wasn’t surprised. Tom didn’t strike him as someone who would spare the rod, as Grandpa Noah used to say.
“Let’s take a break, and then we can all get back to it.” Annie rubbed the space between her brows. “I’ll just have to find a way to refocus is all.”
When she went to walk away, Flynn stopped her and gently kissed her on the cheek. “We’ll figure this out, Annie. I promise.”
“I know.” But she looked crestfallen as she trudged slowly on her way back to the house.
He pounded a fist against his thigh. She’d been so happy today, riding high on the thrill of filling that order. And on the fun they’d had last night. Now, she looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders again.
“Maybe there’s a silver lining here.” Aunt Clara wove her hand through his arm.
“What’s that, Aunt?” Right now, he couldn’t see an upside, save June’s offer to help.
“Maybe Annie’s daughters needed to see this side of their grandpa.”
“Why would that help anything?”
“If you and Annie are going to truly make a go of it forever, she will need to leave this place. The girls won’t like it, but perhaps Tom made it a bit easier today.”
He studied her. “You sound like my older brothers right now. Plotting and planning ahead. It’s a little scary, Aunt Clara.”
She made a rude sound and patted his chest. “I’m a Merriam, aren’t I? So are you. Might as well make the most of it.”
Chapter 18
When Flynn and June left, the very uncomfortable-looking driver in the semi following them back to the main road, Clara strode over to join Hargreaves by the lab’s door. She heard a door slam and turned to see Arthur leaving the house. His coat was unbuttoned, something that indicated his current state of mind.
“That son of a bitch,” Arthur said, inclining his chin toward a barn. “I’m going to talk to him.”
She pulled on his arm. “To what end? Arthur, think. This isn’t our fight. It’s Annie’s. We are here to help, and you going mano-a-mano with Tom isn’t helpful. Although I wish it were otherwise.”
“I would be your second, sir,” Hargreaves said, folding his arms across his chest.
“I wouldn’t duel with Tom. I’d knock his lights out.” Arthur’s mouth tipped up. “But I thank you for the offer, Hargreaves.”
God, she loved these two men.
She pulled Arthur in for a kiss, after which he gave her a puzzled look and said, “What was that for?”
Hargreaves averted his eyes, always proper. She thought about hugging him spontaneously as well, but it would only discomfit him. “Just because.”
Arthur kissed her again, probably also “just because,” and she smiled.
“So what’s our plan?” Arthur asked. “Annie told me Flynn and June were hopefully parking the portable on a nearby farm.”
“Yes, they left moments ago,” Clara said, fingering her diamonds.
Her husband cast a tired glance back at the house. “I’m doubting the soundness of this whole matter, Clara. No business order is worth this kind of conflict in a family. Tom’s putting up roadblocks every which way, and it can’t be good for Annie’s girls to be torn between them.”
“That’s not your call, dear,” Clara said. “Annie sees this Christmas order—and the possibility of selling her company—as her chance to take control of her life and her future. A woman needs to have options. She can’t darn well let a bully tear them away from her.”
A bully like Tom, who reminded her a bit too much of Reinhold, her deceased husband.
Arthur hugged her to him. “I didn’t mean to stir you up. It’s only… Christ, Clara. Do you think Tom would ever evict them?”
“I frankly don’t know,” she said, looping her arm through his as if they were about to take a stroll through the countryside, “but we need to be prepared for the possibility, and that requires a new battle plan.”
Hargreaves nodded. “If I may, Madam. In looking for rental locations for the holiday baskets, I came across a few houses that have been available for some time. I believe the young couple would appreciate the privacy such a residence would provide. I would be happy to arrange for a short-term rental for Master Flynn.”
Flynn absolutely loved surprises—always had, according to his siblings. She wanted to send up a cheer. “You always know just what to do, Hargreaves, and it would be a wonderful Christmas present and a happy surprise in the midst of all this turmoil. Thank you, Hargreaves.”
“It’ll send tongues wagging, but that’s the way of small towns,” Arthur said. “And with the in-laws next door, Flynn’s going to need his own place if they end up staying here awhile.”
“Miss Caitlyn will be joining us soon,
I understand,” Hargreaves said. “She is aware of her brother’s style and taste more than anyone. I would be happy to work with her to arrange it.”
“Wonderful, Hargreaves,” Clara said. “In the meantime, I will see about arranging for Flynn and Annie to get away for a day or so, if we can fit it into the production schedule. Now, are we all set to rights here?”
“I’m still angry,” Arthur said gruffly.
She kissed his cold cheek. “I am too. Come. Let’s take it out on the bath salts. We don’t want to throw Annie’s schedule off, after all.”
Showing Arthur how to measure the bath salts proved easy, and she took over Flynn’s station, feeling confident she could make the body butter. Heaven knew she’d been watching him make it, hoping to exchange roles.
The first batch took her a while, but she soon found her rhythm, finding some pleasure in watching the oils and butters whip together into a veritable frosting for the body.
Other than Clara’s beater, Arthur’s litany of curses was the only other sound in the room, but she was too unsettled still by earlier events to laugh at him.
When Flynn returned to the lab, he didn’t look at all like the happy-go-lucky nephew she was used to. In fact, his usually bright green eyes looked hard. He stepped aside to let June enter before him.
“I’m here to volunteer,” the older woman said, taking off her coat. “If someone would be kind enough to show me what to do.”
Clara gave her a bright smile. “It’s good to have you here, June. I know it will mean a lot to Annie.”
She gave a perfunctory nod. “It’s a little thing in the face of what happened today.”
Hargreaves took her coat. “I would be happy to show you how to make the bath salts, Mrs. Loudermilk. Mr. Hale has taken over for Madam, but I know it would be uplifting to Ms. Loudermilk if we were to exceed our quota today.”
“Indeed, it would, Hargreaves,” Clara said, moved to see Arthur was helping June set up a station next to him.
Flynn walked over to Clara’s side. “No word from Annie yet, huh?”
