“No problem. And don’t worry, I’ll do whatever it takes to make this a great day for you.” Rosemary put her hands on her hips and stared at her display of pottery and sighed thoughtfully.
“Oh, and Rosemary…” Heather went back to her aunt and hugged her tightly. “Thank you for coming. It means a lot to me and to all of us.”
Rosemary patted Heather’s arm with her good hand. “I only wish I hadn’t broken my arm.” She half turned to look at Tad. “But maybe things have worked out for the best.”
Heather followed her aunt’s gaze and agreed, “You’re right. Must be fate, right?”
“Fate. Yes. And as long as fate throws me one of these ruggedly handsome Bear Creek men, I’ll call it even.” She kissed Heather on the cheek. “Good luck, my darling. Although I know you don’t need luck, not when you’ve worked so hard.”
“See you later.” Heather’s voice cracked as she let go of her aunt and came back to Tad. “What’s wrong?”
“Josephine has arrived with the children.” Tad didn’t need to say more as Heather headed for the door. “I should have texted her and warned her about Andy.”
“It’s okay, the children have a right to see him. Maybe this will explain why he’s here.” Heather hurried to the open barn doorway. Tad followed and nearly walked into her as she stopped dead in her tracks.
He placed his hand on her shoulder, wanting to comfort her as the rear passenger doors of Josephine’s car opened and Bella and Zack spilled out. They looked so happy as they laughed and chased each other around in front of the car, while Josephine got Milly out of her car seat and Max went to retrieve the stroller.
There were other cars parked in the small parking area in front of the barn obscuring Andy’s view of the children as he leaned against his car, talking on his phone. Heather looked from Andy to the children.
“Let’s go and meet them.” Tad slipped his hand into his mate’s and then froze. “Do you want him to know about us?”
Andy’s appearance this morning must have opened up old wounds and stirred up emotions Heather thought she’d buried when her marriage ended. Would these memories of the past put their newfound relationship in jeopardy?
“Why wouldn’t I?” Heather asked sharply, her shoulders tense as she turned around and squared up to him. “Sorry.” She looked down at their hands, still joined together. “I don’t care what Andy thinks or what he was to say about us. It’s none of his business. My only concern is that he’s not here to hurt the children.”
“Is that the kind of man he is?” Tad couldn’t comprehend how any father would want to intentionally hurt his children. But it happened. It happened more often than it should.
“Andy is…complex.” Heather tugged his hand and they left the barn and walked toward the small parking area. There was a large field to the left of the barn which would be used as an overflow parking lot. And since more and more cars were arriving for the opening, the overflow car park would soon be in use. “Wow, there are a lot of people here already.”
“I’ll ask Max to start directing the cars. And Jake should be here soon. He promised to help.” Jake hadn’t been exactly interested in helping and Tad was aware he was very busy at work. But he knew how much this meant to Tad, since it was his mate’s happiness at stake, and so he’d agreed to come for a couple of hours. Jake was a man of his word. As if he’d heard Tad’s thoughts, Jake’s sleek sports car crawled down the driveway behind a couple of SUVs.
Backup if we need it, Tad said happily.
We can handle Andy all on our own, his bear replied.
We could. Unless he has some big idea to ruin this day. Tad doubted he had, but he did not want to take any chances.
“Hi there, you two,” Josephine waved as she held Milly in her arms. “It’s busy. That’s good right?”
“It is,” Heather agreed. “Very good.”
“So why do I get the feeling something is wrong?” Josephine asked.
“My ex-husband is here,” Heather said quietly so the children didn’t hear. They had found the bear sculpture made from willow and were circling it, looking at it from every angle, before Zack dropped to his hands and knees and pretended to roar like a bear.
“You didn’t know he was coming?” Josephine asked.
“We’ve hardly spoken since the divorce, he’s shown no interest in the children…” She paused as Zack and Bella came running back toward her. “Hi there. Have you had a good morning?”
“Yes! Look what I drew.” Zack rushed to the car and opened the rear passenger door.
“Let’s see.” Heather glanced over her shoulder. Andy had heard Zack’s voice and was looking in their direction. She crouched down so that she was at the same level as her son as she stared at the drawing. “That is incredible. No wonder you got a gold star at school. You have your grandpa’s talent.”
“Really?” Zack asked, his small chest swelling with pride.
“Really. Your styles are so similar.” Heather slid an arm around her son’s shoulders. “I love it. Please, don’t hide this away.” Zack leaned into his mom, his head on her shoulder as he nodded in silence.
Tad joined Zack and Heather while Josephine put Milly in the stroller. “That is incredible.” It was a picture of a bear and her cubs. An exact copy of the painting hung in Jake’s study. “I don’t know what I’m more surprised about, how good your drawing is, or that Jake let you in his study.”
“Jake has been great with them,” Max admitted. “He’s a pussy cat after all.”
“Who is a pussy cat?” Jake asked as he sauntered over looking relaxed in jeans and a casual shirt.
“You are,” Josephine said fondly. “But I promise not to tell everyone. I know you have carefully crafted your hard-edged persona.”
Jake grinned. “I can fool adults with that persona, but kids see right through it.” He glanced indulgently at Milly, who shrieked in delight and kicked her feet. “Hi there, kiddo.”
Bella joined them, her face bright with excitement. “I think Zack should put it on display with the other art.”
“It’s not that good,” Zack insisted, although his chest expanded with pride.
“Heather.” Tad put his hand on Heather’s shoulder. Andy was coming over and if she wanted to warn the children, she needed to do it now.
Heather nodded. “Hey, listen, your dad is here.”
“Daddy?” Bella asked in surprise.
“He’s here in Bear Creek?” Zack asked, his fingers tightening around his drawing.
“Here at the barn opening,” Heather explained gently as her son looked furtively around. “Shall we show him your drawing?”
“No!” Zack snatched it away from her and turned his back to his mom.
“So this is where you’ve all been hiding,” Andy said smugly as he joined the family. “I thought you might be trying to avoid me.”
“No, I was just telling the children you were here.” Heather stood up and Tad tensed, his fists curled into balls as she positioned herself in front of the children.
“Hi, guys.” Andy waved his hand at his children but didn’t hug them even though he hadn’t seen them for weeks. This dude was a cold-hearted man.
“Daddy.” Bella ran toward her dad and hugged his legs since that was the only part of him she could reach. Curling her fingers into the fabric of his pants, she yanked at him for attention.
“Hey, Bella, you’ll crease the fabric.” Andy reluctantly bent down and picked his daughter up. Instantly, she flung her arms around his neck.
“We’ve missed you.” She pulled her head back and examined his face. “Have you missed us?”
As if a child should have to ask, his bear growled.
“Of course I have. That’s why I thought I’d come here to the opening and meet all your new friends.” Andy smiled benevolently as he let Bella drop to the ground.
Heather looked at her watch. “We have to get ready for the opening. It’s in half an hour, and we have to get the
barn doors shut and the ribbon in place.” She glanced at Andy. “Why don’t you spend time with the children while we go and get ready?”
“I can do that.” Andy looked down as Bella threaded her hand into his.
“Is that okay with you both?” Heather asked Bella and Zack.
Bella nodded. “I can show Daddy around the barn.”
“Zack?” Heather looked for her son who had disappeared around the side of the car.
“I’ll get him.” Tad jumped forward as he heard the car door open. Was Zack planning on hiding from his father?
“Thanks.” Heather was preoccupied watching Andy, who seemed more interested in watching the cars arriving than his children.
“Hey there, Zack. I thought you wanted to display your drawing in the barn?” Tad asked as Zack slid the drawing under a baby blanket on the back seat of Josephine’s car.
“No. It was a stupid idea.” Zack glanced at his father before pulling the blanket over the drawing, obscuring it completely from view.
“I don’t think it’s a stupid idea at all.” Tad didn’t remove the blanket. That was something Zack needed to do himself. “You have a talent for art. Your mom is right, you shouldn’t hide it away.”
“You were all only saying it was good because you like my mom.” Zack sighed and placed his hand on top of the blanket.
“That is not true. I mean it is true that I like your mom, but what I said about your drawing is true, too.” Tad sensed conflicting emotions in Zack. “Listen, why don’t you go and see your dad, and when everyone has gone, I’ll go and put it on display next to my work. We don’t have to tell anyone who drew it. You’ll be like a mystery artist.”
“Like Banksy?” Zack asked, his voice rising in hope.
“Yes. Just like Banksy.” Tad pointed at Zack’s chest. “But you have to promise me one thing.”
“What?” Zack screwed up his face in suspicion.
“If we sell the drawing, you have to own up to being the artist who drew it. Deal?” Tad asked.
“No, you’ll just get someone you know to buy it, or even buy it yourself.” Zack shook his head, his eyes darting toward his father once more.
Tad held out his hand. “I give you my word I will not prompt or in any way coerce someone into buying the drawing. Deal?”
Zack studied Tad’s hand for a long while before he slid his own small hand into it. “Deal.”
“Okay, now you go and see your dad and I’ll sneak this inside the barn.” Tad nodded at Zack who walked away, not exactly hurrying to spend time with the father he hadn’t seen for weeks.
Tad straightened up and watched as Heather spoke to Bella and Zack, telling them if they got lost to go to the cash register in the barn. She then kissed them both on the cheek before she stood up and watched them walk away.
“Is it wrong that I have an instant dislike for that man?” Josephine asked as she pushed the stroller around to the side of the car.
“Nope, not wrong at all.” Tad pulled the drawing out from under the blanket.
“We need to get inside. We’re never going to be ready on time if we don’t get a move on.” Heather came around to join Josephine and Tad, her eyes resting on the drawing. “He hid it, didn’t he?”
“The drawing? Yes.” Tad held it up. “Do you know why?”
“Andy thinks artists are crackpots. He used to joke and call my parents the Crackpot Cornices.” Heather held out her hands and Tad passed her the drawing. “I had no idea Zack had such a talent. He’s never drawn anything like that before. I can’t believe he hid it in the car after saying he wanted to display it.”
“He said we could display the drawing anonymously but if we sell it, he will tell everyone he drew it.” Tad held up his finger in warning. “But we are not allowed to tell anyone to buy it. I gave Zack my word and I never break my word.”
Heather brushed her hand over her eyes and took a deep breath. “Why did he have to come today of all days?”
Tad slipped his arm around her shoulders. “I suspect we will know that by the end of the day.”
“I suspect you might be right,” Heather answered. “I also suspect I won’t like it.”
Chapter Eighteen – Heather
It was nearly time. All their hard work was about to be rewarded.
“There are a lot of people out there,” Edgar reported as he hurriedly took his place next to Lillian.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Heather asked as Tad wiped his palms on his black pants for the hundredth time.
“I will be fine.” Tad nodded, his face set firm. Half turning to face her, he leaned forward and kissed her lips. “I promise.”
“And you never break a promise.” She smiled at him and her heart skipped a beat. He was handsome, strong and above all loyal. All the things Andy was not.
If only Tad was the father of her children. Not that she would change anything about Zack and Bella. Except for one thing. She wished Zack was more confident of his talent. But that was something she could work on once Andy exited their lives once more. Which he almost certainly would, once he got what he’d come to Bear Creek for.
“I never break a promise.” He took a long shuddering breath. “Anyway, I have a plan.”
“Which is?” Heather asked.
“I’m going to fool myself into believing I am talking to you and only you.” He grinned. “You’ll be glad to know I am not combining it with the trick of imagining your audience with no clothes.”
“Pity. That might spice things up a little,” Rosemary commented from behind.
Heather stifled a nervous giggle. “Come on. It’s time.”
Leading the group of artists forward, Heather opened the inner barn door. After waiting for them all to gather together in the small foyer, which was a little cramped, but no one complained, Heather swung open the large barn door.
The people standing in front of the entrance—and there were a lot of them—cheered loudly.
“Thank you all for coming.” She searched the crowd for familiar faces and was happy to see Josephine, Max, and Jake, along with Bella and Zack. She wasn’t so happy to see Andy, but at least she knew where he was. Which meant sabotage was not his plan. “Before I hand it over to Tad Harrison to officially open the Bear Creek Craft Barn, I’d like to pay tribute to all the wonderful artists gathered with me today, who caught hold of my vision and helped make it a reality. Thank you all.”
She raised her hands and applauded the people around her. The applause spread through the people gathered outside, but also the artists in the foyer, who applauded each other. Heather wiped away her tears of happiness and gratitude as she stood aside and made way for Tad.
Tad swallowed hard as he stood center stage for the first time and looked out at the sea of faces. For a moment, his complexion paled, and Heather worried he was going to empty the contents of his stomach in full view of the crowd. But one glance sideways at his mate, followed by a wink and a smile, and he set her at ease.
It was going to be okay. He’d made a promise he intended to keep.
“When Heather approached me last minute and told me she needed someone to open the Bear Creek Craft Barn, I immediately agreed. In today’s world of computers and smartphones, all full of apps and programs that can alter our reality, I believe that art is more important than ever. The idea of picking up a brush or a lump of clay and creating something real, something tangible, something we can look at and admire, takes us back to the very first people who walked on the Earth and painted images of what they saw. It’s through art that we learn about the past. We capture the present. And as for the future, it’s in the hands of each and every person who carves out a chunk of wood or picks up a pencil.” Tad’s gaze rested on Zack.
“We should never be afraid to express ourselves. Whether through our drawings and paintings, or our sculptures. Whether through song or dance, when we create something fresh and new and share it with the world, we are creating joy. A thing this world needs mor
e of.”
A murmur of agreement spread through the crowd as Heather’s heart filled with a large dose of the joy Tad spoke of.
“Okay, I’m sure you’ve heard enough from me, so all I have left to do is cut the ribbon and declare the Bear Creek Craft Barn officially open.” Tad cut the red ribbon with an oversized pair of scissors.
As the two pieces of ribbon fluttered in the breeze, excitement stirred through the crowd and the artists. This was it, they were open, and things were about to get real.
“Okay, good luck everyone.” Heather stood in the doorway as the artists all headed for their stalls and workspaces. Many of the artists were working on live pieces of art which people liked to watch and then buy.
“Coffee?” Tad asked in a husky voice as he folded up his written notes and put them in his pocket.
“My treat.” She cracked a smile, her nerves gone as they headed to Betsy’s refreshments before the queue got too long.
“My treat, you bought the ice cream.” Tad grinned with relief.
“After that beautiful speech, I think you deserve a treat.” She blushed as their eyes met. “Not that kind of treat.”
“It seems we are both on the same wavelength, though.” Tad’s fingers curled around her upper arm and she shivered as the images in her head became more vivid.
“We do. But we need to switch frequency, or I will not get through today.” Heather’s hand rested on his chest, the warmth of his flesh awakening a deep-seated longing that needed satisfying. And he was the only one who could satisfy her.
“I said you two make a cute couple,” Betsy said as they reached the front of the queue for refreshments. “Great speech, by the way, Tad.”
“Thanks, Betsy. Can we have two coffees, please?” Tad asked, handing over the cash before Heather had a chance. “And two of those chocolate cupcakes.”
“Oh, good idea, I need a sugar rush.” Heather turned her back to Betsy and watched the people filing into the craft barn. “Carter came.”
Tad looked over his shoulder as Carter Eden entered the barn with his wife and children. “We should go and say hello.”
Tad Page 13
