Autumn Love (Love Collection)

by Natalie Ann

  “Okay. Some of them have been around for years, even in the bakery. I know you said that your mom wanted the store and bakery...”

  “She does, but she doesn’t know the first thing about running a business either. She just likes to bake.”

  “She sounds a lot like my mother. What’s her name?”

  “Amy. Amy Sullivan.”

  “What about your father?”

  “He died last year,” he said and it hurt just as much to say it now as it did when it happened.

  “I’m sorry. I know how hard that is. My mother told me that your mom just moved here? Where was she before?”

  He liked that they were talking about their personal lives right now. It would make the transition easier for everyone. “California. We moved around a lot with my father’s job. I stayed here after I graduated from college and he was transferred again.”

  “I’ve never lived anywhere other than here.”

  “Where did you go to college?” he asked her.

  “I went to Adirondack Community College for two years and then transferred to SUNY Albany. I did live there for two years, but I don’t really count that, as I came home every weekend. I would have commuted for those two years, but an hour on the Northway daily wasn’t something I wanted to consider.”

  It seemed to him she had a much harder life than he thought. Between the state of the farm, her small apartment, her beat-up old car, and her pride about not wanting people to think she was dating him for his money, he was wondering how he was going to win her over.

  The only thing he knew was as much as he wanted this farm, he wanted her too.

  Come to Terms

  The next morning Ali was up bright and early. Thankfully there hadn’t been any more strange conversations with her grandfather, allowing her to sleep through the night.

  Actually, she hadn’t dreamed about her grandfather again since that second time. She refused to think about the little magnet she found the next morning. Right now the magnet was tucked into a drawer in the kitchen.

  Last night she’d had no idea how her date was going to go with Liam, but she sure the heck didn’t expect it to end the way it had.

  He’d stayed longer than she thought, so he hadn’t walked out and evened the score like she’d told him he could.

  They talked all night. He talked mainly about his family and life, not really asking too much about hers. If she didn’t know better, she’d question if he was trying to ease her mind about what was going to happen to Granny’s.

  If that was what he was trying to do, he succeeded. At the core of it all, he had a lot of the same family values as she did, reminding her what she thought the few times she’d seen him before...kind eyes.

  And those kind eyes could turn into smoking hot eyes when he wanted them to.

  The other thing that happened last night was he kissed her senseless again. The first kiss he gave her to calm her down when he got there had nothing on the last one.

  The one where he pulled her into his arms. No, he didn’t pull her in. He yanked her in, causing her to hit against his body like she did when she ran into him weeks ago on the sidewalk. Only this time he wrapped her up tight and slanted his mouth against hers. Did she want to cling to him all night? Heck yeah, she did.

  Instead he left shortly after and she went to get ready for bed.

  Alone.

  Not that she would have asked him to stay, but deep in the back of her mind, she was kind of hoping maybe he would have suggested it. She would have said no...maybe.

  “Hi, Mom,” she said when she walked into the bakery at six thirty.

  “You’re here earlier than I expected. I figured you’d be dragging your feet over meeting the new owner.”

  “I’ve come to terms with it, Mom. It’s going to be fine,” she said. It wasn’t just lip service either. She truly believed things might work out for the best.

  “I’m glad to hear it. You’ll really like him. He’s such a nice young man. I believe he’ll do right by us and the farm. Maybe it can be the shining star your grandfather always wanted it to be now.”

  “It shone brightly when Grandpa was alive.” She was shocked to hear her mother say otherwise.

  “Not as much as he wanted. There were so many things he wanted to do with this place, but it was time and money he didn’t have,” her mother said sadly. “Come here and help me with these donuts quick.”

  Ali walked over and grabbed the tray her mother just pulled away from the fryer and started to coat them in cinnamon and sugar while her mother dropped more in to cook.

  “I didn’t know Grandpa wanted to do more. He never said anything.”

  “He was prideful that way.” Her mother turned and looked at her. “I’ve never said much about your father after the divorce. I’ve never said much about our earlier relationship either.”

  “Why is that?” Ali asked, wondering why it was coming up right now. She’d long since given up on the man that didn’t come around often after the divorce. Not that he was around often before the divorce either.

  “Because I’m a private person and because I was disappointed he didn’t turn out to be the person I fell in love with. When your father and I started dating, Grandpa had such high hopes that your father would be part of the family business. That he would help him turn this place into what he’d always envisioned.”

  “Why didn’t Dad do much here?” It was no secret her father hated the farm, or she always thought he did. He was vocal enough about it at times.

  “He did in the beginning, but it ended up being more work than he bargained for. It was never going to be his whole life, we knew that. But he was fed up with working all week long and then coming here on the nights and weekends. I think he thought it was easy money and he wouldn’t have to do much more than spend a day a week or so here.”

  Ali snorted. “We know differently. Why are you telling me this now?”

  “Because I want you to give the new owner a chance. I feel deep down he’s going to make this place into what Grandpa wanted.”

  Ali wanted to agree but held her tongue for now.

  ***

  Liam was rubbing his face fast in the shower, trying to wipe away the sleepless night he’d had.

  Well, not completely sleepless. He fell asleep pretty quickly like he normally did, but then he heard a noise and woke up with a start.

  He’d gotten up and walked around the house, but nothing was out of place. He was just falling back to sleep when he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. It was a man. An older man. It took him a moment to realize who it was. Anthony Michaels.

  He thought for sure he was dreaming, only something told him he might not be.

  “Go on, boy, ask me what I’m doing here.”

  Being called “boy” raised his hackles, but he was too busy trying to pick his jaw up off the floor. “You aren’t real,” Liam said.

  “If it makes you feel better, then sure, I’m not.”

  Liam had shaken his head a few times, hoping to clear it, but Anthony was still standing there grinning at him. “What do you want?”

  “I want to make sure you put my granddaughter before the farm. That’s just land; Ali is feelings. She is emotions. She needs to be nurtured more than the land.”

  He had to be losing his mind. It had to be the conversation he’d had with Ali about her family and his. Well, more about his family, but he was trying to get her to believe in him, that he wanted to do right by her family business. That he wasn’t some ruthless businessman taking advantage of a woman down on her luck.

  “You’re not here,” he said again and lay back down, ignoring the older man. He didn’t need to justify his actions to anyone, least of all a dead man.

  He had fallen back to sleep, but it was a restless one that had him tossing and turning for hours until he finally got out of bed and went to work out, hoping to expend some energy.

  That hadn’t helped though. He was still shaken, but he woul
dn’t admit it.

  Now he was hoping a nice shower and a large breakfast helped before he went to see Ali again.

  He had a few hours yet, so he was just going to jot down some ideas and plans for the farm. Things he wanted to talk to Belinda about, and even Ali. He had every intention of nurturing not only the farm but Ali too.

  There was too much on the line for both of them to let this fail.

  Self-Destructing

  Since the bell in the store went off every minute, Ali didn’t bother to look up when she heard it again. A minute later she felt a tingling at the base of her neck telling her she was being watched, so she glanced up and met the stare of a pair of sweet brown eyes watching her, then smiling and sending her a wink. Her body instantly filled with a warmth that could put a nice wood burning fireplace to shame on a cold Vermont winter night.

  She returned his smile, finished ringing up another customer and acted like he was just someone shopping, being friendly.

  Only he wasn’t just being friendly. He was there to take over the business...and maybe sneak a kiss later on when no one was looking. She hoped.

  It didn’t take long for her mother to come over and pull her aside, having another employee jump in. “Ali, this is Liam Sullivan.”

  She reached her hand out to his and he grasped it, sending her a look that said he was remembering their kiss last night just as much as she was. Their little secret for the moment. It felt exhilarating at a time when she thought everything else in her life was falling down around her.

  “Nice to meet you,” she said. If her voice seemed husky to her ears, she hoped it didn’t to anyone else’s.

  “The same.” His voice had a hint of softness to it, one she liked hearing even though there wasn’t much soft about him at all, at least not in his physique. His hand was big and he was strong; she knew personally because he’d held her that way. Tight, secure with a touch of “what I really want to do is control you, but I know I better not try it now.”

  Surprisingly, she was fine with those thoughts, not that she’d ever admit it to him or anyone.

  “Isn’t Liam much younger than you thought he’d be?” her mother asked her.

  “I never thought one way or the other,” Ali said back, wondering what caused her mother to make that statement. Liam only grinned at her.

  “Are you single, Liam? I never asked. I just knew that your mother was interested in the bakery. Any wife or kids? A girlfriend, maybe, that might be coming around wanting to see how things run too?”

  Holy cow, her mother was matchmaking. That was what this was about. She’d seen it before when her mother would find some suitable mate and try to pair Ali off with him. Like they lived in ancient times and she could wheel and deal her daughter for livestock.

  She looked up to see how Liam would respond. Would he be annoyed over this? Would he think her mother only agreed to sell the farm because she thought Liam would be someone that Ali could be introduced to?

  She wasn’t sure if she was embarrassed that she was being put in this position or annoyed that Liam might think this was all a trap to find Belinda’s daughter a husband.

  Talk about her self-confidence self-destructing around her feet.

  “No wife, kids or a girlfriend. Though I do have my eye on someone,” he said, holding her stare. Her mother grinned but didn’t say a word. Maybe not self-destructing, but definitely imploding without much control on her end.

  She decided it was time to take control of this situation. “Mom, what did you want me to show Liam today?”

  “Actually, if you don’t mind,” Liam said. “I’d like to look around the store a bit and make some notes on repairs.” He turned to Belinda. “You originally approached me, looking for a quote on things that you felt needed some attention. Do you want to let me know what they are?”

  “That’s at the house,” her mother said. “I’m sure you’ll see things around here, but at this point, since it’s going to be yours, you can make those decisions on your own. I’ll write up any concerns I’ve got, but I’m sure you’ll find them yourself.”

  Ali watched as her mother’s smile never left her face. When was the last time her mother had looked this happy? Ali was trying to figure out if it was the excitement of getting rid of the responsibility of the farm or something else.

  Best to not worry about it right now. “Liam, if you’d like, I can bring you to the house now, then later we can come back to the store when it’s not as busy for you to look around.”

  “Thanks,” he said. “Good to see you again, Belinda, but I’m sure I’ll be in good hands with Ali.”

  “You will be. Ali is the best. She knows just as much as I do. Well, she probably knows more about the farm itself since she spends most of her time there. She’s a pretty tough girl.”

  Ali rolled her eyes. Just what she needed, her mother boasting about her characteristics. Especially ones that lent her to being a tomboy and not a woman.

  “I bet she takes right after her mother,” Liam said smoothly.

  Her mother giggled. Seriously? Ali didn’t even giggle, though she wanted to right now with Liam here holding his grin like he had two women eating out of the palm of his hand.

  “If you’re all done now, Mom, I’ll take Liam over to the house to look around.”

  “That’s fine. Take your time. I’ll catch up with you two kids later.”

  Her mother raced away like a mouse being chased by a cat. Ali turned to look at Liam. “I’m so sorry. I had no clue she’d do that.”

  “What? See if I could be husband material?”

  Crap, he did figure out what her mother was doing. “This just makes things even messier.”

  ***

  Liam pulled Ali outside before they had more of an audience in the store. He needed to stop her train of thought before she fell off the track and then sent him scurrying after his luggage that was scattered about.

  “Don’t think anything of it, Ali. My mother is the same way. It’s harmless. I’m interested in you and you know it has nothing to do with the farm. Right?”

  “I guess,” she said, not really looking at his face.

  He gripped her chin in his hand. “I want more than guessing. I got your number before I knew who you were. You had your arms wrapped around my neck and your tongue down my throat before you knew who I was.”

  She gasped and he laughed at her. “Fine. I know.”

  He looked around and didn’t see any wandering eyes, then lowered his head and touched his lips to hers. “Good, because I love the taste of you and am hoping to get some more of it in the foreseeable future.”

  She laughed back at him, then shook her head. “You’re here on business, so let’s get to it. We can talk about tongues and tasting off the clock. The two are completely separate.”

  “Deal,” he said, not wanting to argue with her at the moment. She brought him to the main house and opened the back door. “You don’t lock the house?”

  “No one comes around here.”

  “First things first, I think the doors need new locks, which I’ll install and I’d like it locked at all times.”

  Once word got out that he was buying and fixing the place up, he’d have equipment and other stuff here that he would want protected. He was shocked they didn’t think of that themselves.

  “My mother will be fine with it. I think it’s a habit to not lock it during the day. Sometimes she and I are running back and forth and it’s easier to not carry keys.”

  He nodded his head. “I’ll install a touchpad lock to use rather than keys. Will that be easier?”

  “That would be your choice,” she said. “Why though?”

  “Because I think once your mother moves out I’m going to need someone to run the farm full time. This house could be part of their salary, and they won’t have to worry about having keys to carry around either. I’ll do it with the barn that holds all the equipment too.”

  “Makes sense. Do you have anyone in min
d that you want to run the farm?”

  “I was hoping you or your mother could recommend someone. Maybe someone that is currently employed and I could work it out with them. Otherwise I’ll end up renting this house out for income if the person that I find to oversee everything doesn’t want to move.”

  “I’ve got an idea of someone, and I’m sure my mother is thinking the same way, but it’s her business, not mine, so you’ll have to work it out with her.”

  He didn’t notice any sarcasm with that statement, just a matter of fact tone, and accepted it as her way of separating things again.

  “Tell me about the house.”

  “Meaning what’s in it?” He nodded. “Four bedrooms, two full baths, one upstairs and one downstairs. It’s cut up kind of choppy, but I think most old homes are. As you can see, the kitchen is huge but outdated. There is a dining room off of it, a living room and then a den on the first floor. Everything seems ancient in here,” she said.

  “Oh yeah,” he said, pulling a pen out of his pocket. He’d been carrying a small pad with him.

  “What are you writing down?” she asked.

  “Everything I think needs work and prioritizing it as major or cosmetic.”

  “You’re pretty efficient, aren’t you?” she asked, with a cruise boat full of humor in her voice.

  He laid the pad and pen down, then pulled her into his arms and slanted his mouth against hers until she yielded so easily against him he could almost forget the outside world and any complications other than her body against his, the taste of her mouth, and his jeans getting snug. This was probably a mistake knowing there were beds close by, but he couldn’t help himself.

  He finally ended the kiss, picked his pad back up and said, “Was that answer enough?”

  “Yep,” she said, but her voice was shaking.

  They finished walking through the house with him marking down everything that needed to be done in each room, trying to take his mind off that smoking hot kiss.

  There was a lot of work to do here, but he was thinking that most could be cosmetic with the exception of the kitchen and baths. The hardwood floors all needed to be refinished, but it was better than installing new ones. The roof was good enough for a few more years and though he’d like to replace all the windows, they’d be fine for now too. Projects for the future. This wasn’t a flip and he had to keep that in mind.