Love Under Construction

by Britney M. Mills

  Love Under Construction

  Britney M Mills

  Crystal Canyon Press

  Copyright © 2020 by Britney M Mills

  Cover design by Bree Livingston

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Epilogue

  27. Chapter 1

  Also by Britney M Mills

  Chapter 1

  Becca Taylor’s morning wasn’t going as planned. After waking up late, her hair wouldn’t cooperate into the usual soft curls she liked. And there was almost nothing she could do for the puffiness under her eyes after a long night of nightmares.

  As she heated her oatmeal in the microwave, Becca’s mind glossed over the memories that kept recurring in her mind, the ones where she pictured her parents’ and brother’s deaths after sliding off a cliff in their car. The images that kept her bound to Sage Creek.

  She’d been dressed in her graduation cap and gown, ready to receive the certificate for her bachelor’s degree, and it was the moment her carefree and adventurous life had come to a halt. She knew it, and yet the ability to break away from her rigid routine was something she struggled with.

  Control was the name of the game, and most days she conquered. But not today.

  Glancing down at her blouse, she glared at the glob of warm oatmeal she’d just dropped that was now seeping through. Another outfit change was not what she had in mind. The clock told her she was already ten minutes late leaving the house. The thought of her tardiness caused that familiar knot to form in her stomach.

  Since the accident, being late was something Becca hated. Her father, who’d grown up in a military family, had often wanted to strangle her as a teenager as she arrived when she was ready. But now, even five and a half years after his death, she remembered his words and stuck by them almost religiously.

  The measure of a person is noted in their appreciation of time, especially the time of others.

  She didn’t necessarily have anyone waiting on her at the moment, as her flower shop opened in twenty minutes, but the fact was she was all about routine and order, not change. When that routine was thrown, it seemed as though everything went with it.

  What if something life-threatening happened because she was late? It was the one thing she wished she could change about that day so long ago. That on the one day her parents had left late, they would’ve been able to avoid the car which had been speeding past, clipping the back bumper.

  “It’ll be all right, Becca,” she tried to tell herself, pushing the thoughts from her mind.

  She changed her shirt, opting for a short-sleeved one with a sweater over top. At least if she spilled again, she could remove the top layer. Her makeup would have to go on at the shop. She’d only see Karla, the town coffee shop owner, before then, and she could handle that.

  Running outside, Becca lengthened her stride, passing her flower shop and coming to the corner of the street in seconds before turning south onto Main Street. She loved living next to the shop, making it easier to bring flowers from her garden out back into the back room once they were ready.

  The fact that the coffee shop was only two units down from her place made it even sweeter. The benefit of living in a small town, as compared to the large city where she’d gone to college, was that most things were in walking distance.

  She glanced back, breathing a sigh of relief as she didn’t see many people walking along the street, until she hit something hard, knocking her backward and almost onto her backside.

  As she felt the momentum take her one way, a warm hand caught her wrist, stopping her fall and pulling her back up and off her feet. With her head buried in the flannel shirt of her rescuer, Becca wondered if this day could get any worse.

  Stepping back, she glanced up, arching her head more than normal. Sure, she was only five foot four, but she felt as if she was looking sky-high at the brown-haired, brown-eyed vision standing before her. Her heart thumped as her eyes focused even more, and the similarities between him and another man from her past sent the adrenaline rushing through her.

  “I’m so sorry. It’s been a morning.” She glanced at her shoes, realizing that although both shoes were black, they were different patterns. Groaning inwardly, she looked back up, sweeping back a section of her hair. “Thank you for, um, saving me from total embarrassment.”

  She took a step to the side, hoping to continue her path around him. She didn’t need to think about her ex-fiancé on top of everything that had already gone wrong today.

  “Not a problem. Glad I could be of assistance, Miss—” He held out his hand, his eyebrows near his hairline.

  She stopped, trying to be polite while guarding her heart from the memories that flashed in her mind. “Taylor. Becca Taylor. Who are you?”

  He smiled, accentuating a scar on the side of his chin. “Colton Maxfield. I just arrived last night, but this little town seems…nice.” The forced compliment caused Becca to frown. She’d had her fair share of people downing the small town over the years, and from that history, they didn’t usually stick around long.

  “Well, I hope we can convince you that we really are nice, Mr. Maxfield. It was nice to meet you, but I’m late.” She nodded and skirted around the side of him, making a beeline for the coffee shop at the end of the block. As she walked in, the line stretched back to the door, and Becca ground her teeth together.

  “Becca!” a voice called from behind the counter. Karla had spotted her and waved her forward. “What happened to you this morning? Your tea is probably cold by now.” The older woman handed her a cup, and while it wasn’t as steaming hot as usual, it was still quite warm.

  “Thank you, Karla. Long night, and I slept in. But things are looking up now that I have this.” Becca grinned as she lifted the cup a few inches. She took a sip, feeling some of the tension seep away. “You are a lifesaver. Remind me about this when you need flowers.”

  Karla chuckled and nodded. “Will do, girl. Better get going. I know how you are with your schedule.”

  Becca turned, waving to just about everyone in line as she moved past. She turned right once outside and walked back to her flower shop. Pulling out her key, she opened the door and breathed in the smell of the flowers, something that never seemed to grow old no matter how long she’d owned the store.

  “Morning, Becca,” Carissa said once Becca made it to the back room. She was a high school junior who’d been working at the shop for several months now. Having her there was fun because Becca got to be boss and teacher at the same time, and with how fast Carissa picked things up, it took some of the pressure off Becca.

  “Good morning, Carissa. I didn’t expect you in so early today.” Becca dropped her things onto the large table next to the wall and pulled on an apron from the same area.

  Carissa n
odded. “It was one of those teacher prep days. I figured I’d come in since we have that big order coming up for the wedding this Saturday. Do you need me to order more lilies?”

  Glancing over at the large cooler where most of the flowers were stored, Becca mentally went over the number of flowers they’d need. “I ordered a bunch to come in on Thursday, but it might be good to double-check so we aren’t scrambling right before the wedding.”

  “Are you all right, Becca?” Carissa’s eyebrows were scrunched together with concern.

  Becca hadn’t realized she was twisting her fingers together, causing the knuckles to turn white against her already pale skin.

  “I’m fine. I just feel off today.” She thought about the events of the morning again, and the picture of the handsome stranger popped into her mind. “Do you know a Colton Maxfield?”

  Carissa put down the scissors as she picked up several already cut stems, placing them in a box. “I’ve heard of him. He got in last night and stayed at the hotel. Mom checked him in.”

  Carissa’s mother, Delia, had owned and managed the hotel since her husband died two years earlier from cancer. The woman worked hard but was the source of gossip in the small town. She knew a lot of what was going to happen before it did, so of course she knew the new guy in town.

  “How long is he here for?” Becca asked, trying to be casual. She didn’t need people thinking she’d taken an interest in the stranger, because her heart was still locked up, not ready to attempt love again. The last thing she needed was the pity blind dates the women of this town could contrive at a moment’s notice.

  “I think quite a while. Mom said something about him working on that new development down the road. I guess they’re putting in a bunch of townhomes and apartments?” Carissa leaned over the table, filling out the paper for the order she’d just boxed up, not really showing any emotion when it came to the development.

  Becca felt enough for her anyway. She’d been elected to the city council the year before, and she loved every minute of the politics and helping make decisions that impacted the town. This was one decision that still hurt.

  She and Richard Lawson were the only ones to vote against a preliminary meeting to look into the development, thinking that by bringing in the smaller housing on the south end of town, they would be changing the dynamic of the town. And if there was one thing Becca didn’t like, it was change, of any sort. Change only brought heartache and a lack of control, the kind that lasted far after the events had taken place.

  She thought back to the man on the street and realized she should have guessed he was some kind of builder. Her ex-fiancé had been one too, and while he typically wore suits to work, there was a certain confidence about contractors that she should have seen despite the flannel shirt Colton wore earlier.

  Taking a few minutes to put on her makeup, Becca tried to get the image of the man out of her head. The commonalities between him and her ex-fiancé, just from a two-minute conversation, were throwing her brain for a loop. And if he was going to be staying in town for several weeks, how was she going to avoid him?

  Shaking her head, she put her makeup bag back into her purse and focused on the list of orders that had come in at the end of yesterday. Sorting through the flowers that had been delivered that morning, she tried to find the ones she needed, all the while pushing thoughts of her past to the background. She hadn’t had so many memories come to the surface in months, and it took several focused distractions to finally help the tension in her body ease up.

  A few hours later, Becca walked into the main room of her flower shop, bringing two vases of tulips to sit in the front cooler. The store had been busy that morning but had slowed down for the afternoon rush. She’d dropped off the weekly orders around town and then came back to relieve Carissa, grateful for all she’d done to help get the orders ready before leaving for the day.

  The break in customers was nice because as much as she loved flowers, holidays seemed to kick everything up a notch, even in the small town of Sage Creek. With the Founder’s Day Festival two weeks away, she knew the two days before would be the most stressful of the year, trying to get all the flowers in, cut, and arranged.

  She couldn’t imagine living anywhere but this quaint town, nestled as it was in the mountains of western Colorado. She’d grown up in Sage Creek, only leaving to earn a degree. The minute she got to school in Salt Lake, she’d realized that there really was no place like home. The bustling city, while exhilarating and fun in many respects, now seemed tainted by the death of her family. Her small town provided just about everything she needed, and things were predictable, helping to keep her anxiety to a minimum.

  After the three and a half years it took to get a bachelor’s degree in interior design, her plan had been to stay in the city, interning for a popular designer. But the safe haven of Sage Creek had been the balm to her soul once she’d been able to stop the tears from falling. She’d opened up her flower shop and decided this was where she’d stay. A place of low crime and low risk made life bearable.

  The doorbell chimed, and she looked up with a ready smile to see the mayor walk in.

  “Mayor Watkins. What a surprise. Was there something wrong with this week’s order? I just dropped it by Town Hall a couple of hours ago.” She closed the door to the storage case and rested her hands on her hips.

  The old man chuckled. “No, nothing was wrong. The women have all been ogling it. I’m actually here on personal business.” He grimaced. “I need something for Dottie. I forgot that it’s our half-something today, and I’m already in trouble for forgetting.”

  Becca grinned. “Half what?”

  “I’m not really sure. That woman keeps track of every date and every first of everything, which is why I’m in the doghouse most of the time. I figured some flowers would smooth it over.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head as he smiled, causing Becca to laugh.

  A picture of the mayor’s wife popped into her head. For the most part, Becca expected people with white hair to be sweet and full of wisdom. Dorothy Watkins could be just that at times, but she was a firecracker for the most part, and it was easier to stay on her good side rather than to have to win her back over. But then again, she and the mayor had been married over forty years now, having celebrated the milestone the year before in a big town party. The two of them were like surrogate grandparents, and she was grateful for all they did for her.

  “A couple of lilies, then? I know they’re her favorite.”

  The mayor pointed at her. “See, this is why I come to you. You know just about everything about everyone in this town, especially their favorite flowers. Can you wrap them in some paper so I can take them?”

  “Of course. Let me run back and get some for you.” Becca strode into the back room and pulled some fresh lilies from the cooler. She didn’t want Mrs. Watkins to have anything to complain about, even a small brown spot on a petal. If there was one good source of free advertising for Becca in this town, it was the fact that when Mayor Watkins bought his wife flowers, she told the world.

  Not that Becca had any competition, being the only flower place around, but it was still nice to nudge people her way. When the townspeople’s budgets grew tighter, money for flowers was put on hold, and she appreciated all the business she could get from this small town.

  Resuming her spot out front, she rolled the few flowers in some tissue paper and tied them with a pink ribbon. Typing the figures into the cash register, she looked up and asked, “Cash or card?”

  “Cash.” He handed her a twenty-dollar bill. “I’ll get these home before the council meeting tonight. You’ll be there, right?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it. I hear we’ve got some interesting items on the agenda.” She raised her eyebrows and grinned. Again, the handsome stranger popped into her mind, causing her to wonder what was wrong with her brain and its fixation with the builder.

  “Yeah. That new subdivision has caused quite the ruckus. But we’ll figure
it out, right? That’s what we always do in this town. We may argue for a little bit, but when we make a decision, we put the past behind us.”

  “That right there is one of the reasons I’m still here, Mayor. Putting the past behind us and moving on.” Several different thoughts clouded her mind at once, and she had to push them away, focusing on the present before her. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  She handed him the bouquet of flowers and went back to cleaning up, her thoughts drifting to how building would impact the town.

  The mayor had talked her ear off about the subdivision two nights before when Dorothy had invited her over for dinner. He was in favor of the growth, but for all of the reasons he thought it would be good, Becca just shook her head and hoped it wouldn’t go through.

  The contractor was trying to build thirty homes, along with several apartment buildings. Although it wouldn’t double the population of the town, it would significantly impact it. The thought of outsiders—people who didn’t share the same vision as the people of Sage Creek—disrupting the dynamic made Becca worry.

  Tonight’s weekly Wednesday meeting would be interesting, that was for sure. It wasn’t some big theater production or sporting event, but sometimes she was tempted to bring a bag of popcorn and watch as the petty drama unfolded. Peter would’ve laughed at that thought, because what excited him were city lights and thousands of people. Something she should have noticed long before he disappeared.

  Shaking her head, Becca pushed thoughts of her ex-fiancé away, knowing she had to forget about him at some point. She’d worry about the forever later and hope that the small things would take over the ache she still felt from their breakup a year and a half before.