He owed the town a state football championship title, which was the reason he’d chosen to finally return. The high school team needed a head football coach and with his recent retirement, he had all the time in the world. The school agreed to keep the news of his coaching job a secret until his arrival to prevent undue attention on the student players. Max didn’t want them to have to deal with the publicity before he could be there to shoulder the burden for them.
The boys from next door were still loud enough to hear as Max walked up the sidewalk toward the house, a smile on his face. The whole neighborhood was like a page out of a Norman Rockwell calendar. Mature trees stretched over Third Street, their branches intertwining with the ones across the road. Up and down the street, Victorian-era homes graced the historic neighborhood. Each was painted in unique colors, boasting large windows, turrets and wraparound porches. But it was the Warren House that was the crown jewel, though it hadn’t always been this pretty. Max remembered the house from his childhood. It had been run-down and abandoned for as long as he could remember. He had ridden his bike past it almost every day on the way to Piper Pierson’s house.
Just thinking about Piper made the smile disappear from Max’s face. She had been the one person in the world who knew him better than he knew himself, and the girl he thought he’d marry.
Now she was the woman who probably despised him more than any other. In a town as small as Timber Falls, it would be impossible to avoid her. The likelihood of seeing her again was the one thing that had made Max hesitate to return. He’d hurt her more than anyone else that fateful night and she’d be the hardest person to face.
But he couldn’t run away forever; at least, that’s what he kept telling himself. It was the only way to convince himself to come back to town.
An older woman appeared at the window in the heavy front door. She waved and smiled as she turned the knob to open it for him.
“Hello, Max!” Mrs. Roberta Anderson wore a floral apron tied around her waist. The middle-aged woman had a few careworn wrinkles at the corners of her twinkling eyes, but that was the only difference in her appearance.
“Mrs. Anderson.” Max grinned, happy to see a familiar face. “I didn’t expect you to be here.”
“Didn’t your mother tell you? I was hired to cook for the bed-and-breakfast.”
“I didn’t know, but I’m happy you’re here.” On the outside, he smiled, but inside, he was cringing. What had he been thinking when he bought this rambling old house? The first time his mother suggested it, he’d laughed at the idea, but then she told him the owner was a desperate widow who needed to sell. How could he say no? He had wanted to redeem the mistakes of his past and show Timber Falls he was truly sorry. What better way than to invest in a business, and help an old widow? Besides, as the new head coach of the high school football team, he needed a place to stay—at least for this first season. The bed-and-breakfast had a third-floor apartment where he would live.
Max walked up the steps to the immense porch and received a hug from one of his mother’s dearest friends.
“I can’t believe she didn’t tell you,” Mrs. Anderson said.
“My mom took care of all the details.” He winked at her. “I just signed the check.”
She laughed and then stepped back to get a good look at him. “With my Henry gone, I needed to find a way to support myself.” Her eyes became serious behind her glasses. “If it hadn’t been for you, young man, I wouldn’t have this job, so I can’t thank you enough. It came at the perfect time.”
“Don’t thank me.” Max wasn’t comfortable taking credit where credit wasn’t due. If his mother hadn’t persisted, he wouldn’t have bought the bed-and-breakfast. “My mom should get the praise.” After the season was over, he’d have to make a more permanent decision. Maybe he’d sell the bed-and-breakfast and move on. Maybe he’d stay. He wasn’t sure.
She opened the door wider. “It looks like you need some meat on your bones. Since I’m living in the apartment on the main floor, you can expect a hot breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.”
“I wouldn’t dream of asking you to cook for me.” Max stepped into the elegant entry hall and closed the oak door behind him. The cooler air was tinged with the smell of lemon polish, old house and fresh flowers. A vase of late-summer daisies stood on a narrow table to his left.
“The bed-and-breakfast opens for business tomorrow,” Mrs. Anderson said as they passed from the entry hall into the spacious foyer. “I’ll be cooking for the guests. It won’t be any trouble to cook for you, too.”
“The house isn’t open for business yet?”
“The final renovations happened last week. Tomorrow’s the grand opening. We’re finishing up all the last-minute details now.”
Tomorrow was also the first day he’d start coaching the Timber Falls High School team. They had already been practicing for a couple weeks, though Max hadn’t been able to come any sooner. He’d be there for their first away game tomorrow evening. It would be strange to return to the high school field after all these years.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Max asked Mrs. Anderson. “I don’t know how to run a bed-and-breakfast, but I’m willing to learn.”
“You don’t need to do a thing,” she said. “That’s why you have a staff.”
It was the one stipulation he’d given his mother when she suggested he buy the place. He didn’t want to deal with the day-to-day operations. All he knew was football—not hospitality. She said she’d take care of hiring a general manager and a cook and, apparently, she had.
“If there’s anything I can do,” he said, genuinely wanting to help if he could, “just let me know.”
“You’ll want to get settled in your apartment.” Mrs. Anderson pointed to the grand staircase. The wood railing gleamed in the sunshine spilling through the lead glass windows. An elegant floral carpet runner covered the steps and accented the painted walls. “There’s a set of steps in the middle of the second-floor hallway that lead to the third—” A timer rang somewhere deep within the house. “I hope you don’t mind finding it on your own,” she said, “but I have a pan of cookies I need to get out of the oven.”
Before he could answer, she was gone.
Max stood in the foyer, the opulent home spreading out before him in every direction. It was almost too much to believe that he owned the house.
He started up the first flight of stairs, turning right at the landing, and then came to a long hall with nine or ten doors. One of the doors on the left opened and someone stepped out with a pile of white towels stacked high, covering her face. The first thing Max noticed was the tiny bump at her waist, indicating a pregnancy. She wasn’t a tall woman. She was actually quite dainty, and the pile of towels towered over her head. Was this the general manager his mother had hired? Why would she hire someone who was expecting a baby? It couldn’t be easy to run a bed-and-breakfast, even for the heartiest person.
The lady wore a white T-shirt and a pair of denim overalls, rolled up at the ankles. On her feet she wore white Converse shoes. She was clearly unaware of his presence as she stopped at another door, balancing the towels in one hand, while turning the doorknob with the other.
The towels wobbled and Max dropped his suitcase to rush to her side. He grabbed the towels before they toppled out of her hands.
“Here,” he said as he placed his hands on the top and bottom of the pile, covering one of her hands. “Let me help.”
She yelped in surprise and peeked out from behind the stack. Her large, violet-colored eyes opened wide.
At the same moment, Max’s heart started to pound and his breath caught. “Piper.”
She swallowed. “Max. Wh-what are you doing here?”
He hadn’t seen her since his dad’s funeral—and even then, he’d only seen her from across the church. They hadn’t talked since that horrible night over
ten years ago when she had found out he’d been kissing another girl—one he couldn’t even name. It was the worst night of his life.
“I own this place.” He took the towels from her hands. “What are you doing here?”
Piper’s eyes grew even wider. She wore her long dark hair in a messy bun and had a smudge of dirt on her cheek—but he’d never seen anyone as pretty as his childhood girlfriend. The passage of time had been kind to her, and she was more beautiful than ever. “You bought—?” She didn’t finish, the look of incredulity tilting her eyebrows together. “I had no idea. Your mom said the owner wanted to remain anonymous.” She let out a sigh as her shoulders drooped. “I should have known.”
“How could you?” Max set the towels on a hall table and kept one hand on the top to steady them. “For some reason, she thought it best if both parties were anonymous. I have no idea who the old widow is, either.”
“Old widow?” Confusion marred Piper’s pretty face.
“The old widow who sold me the house. My mother said she was in a desperate situation.”
Piper groaned and started to turn away from him. “How could this happen?”
“I’m sorry.” He wasn’t quite sure what he was apologizing for, but if he knew anything, he knew he couldn’t say it enough. “Did my mother hire you and not tell you who you’d be working for?”
“No—not really.” She looked back at him, distrust and uncertainty in her face. “She didn’t hire me. I’m the ‘desperate old widow’ you bought the house from.”
“What?” Piper was a widow? Shock and disbelief gripped him. She’d married one of his good friends, Nick Connelly, around the same time Max’s dad died. “Nick?”
She pressed her lips together and nodded, grief radiating from her eyes. “He died in a construction accident four months ago.”
“Piper—” He took a step closer to her on instinct, but refrained from touching her. “I had no idea. No one told me. I wish I had known.”
“If you had, what could you have done? It all happened so fast. There was nothing any of us could do.”
Besides Piper, Nick had been Max’s best friend all throughout school. Though it had almost destroyed Max when he heard Nick and Piper had gotten married, he hadn’t been entirely surprised. After Max left, they had probably turned to each other naturally.
He didn’t know what to say, so he said the first thing that came to mind. “I’m sorry for your loss, Piper. Nick was a good guy.”
Something flashed in her eyes, but she covered it quickly. “He wasn’t perfect, but he loved me.” She lifted her chin, the stubborn spark in her eyes returning like an old friend he hadn’t seen in years. If anyone could pick up the pieces of a broken life, it would be Piper.
“I’m sure he did love you,” Max said gently. Who wouldn’t love Piper?
She crossed her arms. “I suppose if you had known I was the owner, you probably wouldn’t have agreed to let me stay on and manage the bed-and-breakfast.” She pointed to the back of the house. “I’ll pack my things and be gone by tomorrow—”
“No.” It was the last thing he wanted. How could he tell a pregnant widow she had to give up her job and move? Especially when it was Piper? “Stay, please. We’ll figure something out.”
Doubt passed over her face. He didn’t blame her for not trusting him.
* * *
Max Evans had returned to Timber Falls. So many emotions mingled in Piper’s heart, she could hardly focus on any of them. Anger. Heartbreak. Disappointment.
Hope.
She swallowed as she stared at the only man she had ever completely trusted—and the one who had hurt her deeper than any other. Why would she feel hopeful seeing Max again? He had abandoned all of them ten years ago with a chip on his shoulder. Had he come home to rub their faces in his success?
Despite her uncertainty, frustration mounted. “I’m confused,” she said as she continued to cross her arms. The hallway was wide and long, but it felt as if the papered walls were closing in on Piper. She wished she was still holding the towels; at least then she wouldn’t feel so exposed or vulnerable in front of her onetime hero. “Why are you back? Shouldn’t you be at some training camp somewhere about now? Who was the last team you were playing for? The Buffalo Bills?”
His eyes were the brownest eyes she’d ever seen. Dark and full of so much depth, she used to get lost looking in them. Now, they were filled with regret and sadness. It hurt to look at him. She didn’t want to feel sorry for him. He had hurt her—had hurt the entire town—he didn’t deserve her compassion.
“I retired from the NFL and came back to coach the Timber Falls High School football team.”
Piper’s mouth slid open in surprise. “What?” She shook her head. “Aren’t you in the prime of life? You have years left to play.” The NFL had been his dream since he was little. It was the first thing he said to her when they met at Vacation Bible School as nine-year-olds.
It was Max’s turn to look exposed and vulnerable as he shifted his weight and didn’t meet her eyes. “It seemed like a good time to retire. I was ready to do something different and my mom told me that the Timber Falls Lumberjacks needed me.”
She squinted her eyes as she regarded him. It wasn’t as simple as that, she was certain. The way his mouth tightened and the way he held his shoulders told her a different story. He could never hide his real feelings from her, and now was no exception.
“You know I don’t like when people hide things from me.” She cocked an eyebrow, challenging him to deny her statement. “What really happened, Max?” He didn’t owe her any explanation, and she probably didn’t have a right to ask, but old habits were hard to break and they had never kept anything from each other. It had been the hallmark of their relationship: complete and honest truth, even when it was hard. It was the only way she had ever agreed to be friends with him in the first place—and the reason she’d eventually agreed to date him in high school.
“Do you need help with these towels?” he asked. “Mrs. Anderson said you have a lot to do before the grand opening. I don’t want to keep you from getting it done.” He lifted the towels and nodded toward the door she’d opened. “In here?”
“You can’t avoid answering me, Max Evans. You know I’ll eventually get the truth out of you.” She always had.
He walked into the Garnet Room and stopped for a moment to look around. The walls were painted a rich dark yellow and the thick trim was stained a deep walnut which matched the headboard and footboard of the sleigh bed. A beautiful merlot-color bedspread brought out the shades of red in the stained glass at the top of the bay window. “This looks amazing, Piper.” He shook his head in wonder. “Every time I rode by this place growing up, I had no idea how beautiful it would be inside.” He studied her, his gaze briefly flicking to her stomach before he met her eyes again. “But you knew it would be beautiful, didn’t you?”
It was true. Just like Max had always wanted to see the world and play professional football, Piper had known she wanted to stay in Timber Falls and buy the old Warren House to return it to its former glory. As a child, she had no idea what kind of a toll it would take on her marriage or her finances. Now that she knew, there was a part of her that wondered if she would have done things differently. Were her dreams worth so much pain?
But none of it mattered anymore. Nick had died, leaving her to pay off the immense debt they’d taken on—and the debt she didn’t know he had created on the side. She’d often wondered why he wanted to hunt and fish every weekend he got the chance, but she’d thought it was because of their rocky relationship. After his accident, she realized he wasn’t hunting or fishing. He was at the casino in a nearby town, feeding an addiction she didn’t know he had until it was too late.
He’d kept the truth from her to try to protect her, but it had done the opposite. If she had known, maybe she could have helped.
“You can put the towels in there.” She pointed to the elegant bathroom beyond a thick walnut door.
Max did as she asked and set the towels on the shelf. When he came back into the bedroom, his gaze returned to her stomach and he asked softly, “Is this your first baby?”
Piper rested her hand on her growing midsection. The baby had been active all morning, but was now still. “Yes,” she said just as gently.
Something akin to regret passed over Max’s handsome face. “I’m sorry Nick won’t be here to meet his child.”
She was, too. It had taken them years to finally conceive after getting help from a fertility clinic. It meant spending more money, but Piper had wanted to be a mother more than anything else in life. She was torn between excitement and guilt. If it had been up to Nick, they would have never sought the help of a doctor. The cost of the procedures, and the mounting debt, had only increased his stress and put more strain on their relationship. She was almost certain he’d begun to gamble to pay off the bills—but it had only added to the trouble.
“I was a month along when he died,” she said. “At least he knew we were finally expecting.” It was a small comfort, especially when the pregnancy had made Nick even more stressed out than before.
“I’m happy to hear it.” Max smiled, and seemed to truly mean what he said.
He’d always been devastatingly good-looking, even when they were in school. Now, as a man, confident and sure of himself, he was breathtaking. Not only was he tall, he was also lean and muscular. She hadn’t exaggerated when she said he was in the prime of his life. His dark brown hair was short around the sides and back, but a little longer on the top. He wore a close-trimmed beard, but it couldn’t hide his chiseled jaw or his well-formed mouth.
His Dry Creek Inheritance Page 19
