One look in Kevin’s eyes and Maggie knew he wasn’t making fun of her. He was, quite simply, delighted with her.
Wasn’t that something?
Trevor once more demonstrated that he seemed to be able to read her mood. His hand still stroked her back but slower now, as if trying to convey a greater sense of comfort and support.
His touch was working, too.
“Sweetheart, the contents of this warehouse belong to the Town Trust.” Trevor managed to synchronize his strokes with his words, and Maggie felt herself being lulled. “We all have access to what’s here, on a first come, first served basis. If you want this suite, then by all means, of course you can have it.”
“Think of it from a business standpoint.” Unlike his brothers, Richard didn’t give her a coaxing smile, or touch her. Instead, he looked and sounded exactly like what he was—a very astute, and successful, businessman. “You’ll be running a business from which the Town Trust will be taking a profit. If you weren’t going to be doing so, of course you wouldn’t be living in such a large home, with such a large master bedroom. You wouldn’t have need of this furniture. Thus, it really is the Town Trust’s responsibility to at least ensure that you’re comfortable in your business venue.”
Maggie was certain that if she looked up the word “obstinate” in the dictionary, she’d find a picture of these three men. “I’m not going to win this argument, am I?” She met the gaze of each of them. Only Richard was able to keep his expression schooled, giving nothing of his emotions away.
“If it helps,” he said at last, “think of it as you simply borrowing the furniture—for the foreseeable future.”
“That’s right.” Trevor smiled. “It’ll be no trouble whatsoever to have these pieces delivered and set up, just as it will be no trouble to have them taken down and away again when you want them gone.”
Maggie laughed. “No, I’m not going to win.” And really, did it matter? “Or maybe I am, because this is simply beautiful, and I really do want it.” She scanned the large space, noting there were several different sets of bedroom furniture. She’d make a note of the styles, because once she selected something for a guest room, then she could work the rest of the room’s décor around it.
“Then you should have it.” Kevin grinned. “And since this is a Saturday, there’re a lot of cousins in town, available to help us move everything.”
“That’s very true, cousin. If we help you, will you help us?”
Maggie turned at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. Behind her stood two men, tall and buff, with dark hair and eyes. She’d never seen them before, but their easy smiles had her smiling in return.
Those smiles seemed to widen, and then she realized that Trevor and Kevin had shifted, subtly, so that they flanked her. However, there was nothing subtle in the way Richard moved. He simply eased her back and stepped in front of her as he greeted the newcomers.
Maggie felt as if she was suddenly swimming in a sea of thick, gooey testosterone.
Then Rick’s voice sounded more than a little frosty when he said, “I don’t believe we called for medical assistance.”
* * * *
“Nice to see you again, too, cousin.”
Rick realized that his greeting hadn’t been exactly cordial. He couldn’t really help that. He’d seen the way Maggie had smiled at the Drs. Jessop, and he’d felt the hair on the back of his neck actually quiver.
The echo of Maggie’s gasp coupled with the feel her stare drilling a hole in his back let him know the lady was less than impressed with him. He sighed and then held out his hand to David. “Sorry, man. It is nice to see you again, David. You too, Robert. I’d heard you were leaving Yankee territory, of course, and coming back where you belong. Welcome home.”
“Thanks.” David Jessop shook his hand and nodded to Trey and Kevin. And then he tried to look around Rick in a bid to see Maggie.
Maggie punched Rick in the shoulder.
Rick didn’t know what David and Robert were grinning about, or why both Trey and Kevin turned their laughs into coughs. His brothers should be helping him, not hindering him.
They’re laughing at you, moron, because you’re acting like a moron. Step aside and introduce your cousins to your woman.
He guessed he took too long to process that order to himself. Maggie stepped around him and outstretched her hand.
“Hi, I’m Maggie Morrison.”
Not for the first time, Rick felt as if the intricacies of social interaction were slipping away from him.
“Nice to meet you, Maggie. I’m David Jessop, and this is my brother Robert.”
Robert reached out toward her and offered his hand. “Hi, Maggie.”
Rick realized he needed to man up. He put his hand on Maggie’s back, and when she met his gaze, he sent her what he hoped was an apologetic smile. Then he turned to his cousins.
“Maggie’s new in town. She’s opening a B and B in the old convalescent home.” He turned and met Maggie’s gaze again. “David and Robert are both doctors.”
“Any relation to the Drs. Jessop that run the clinic here in town?”
Rick counted it a blessing that Maggie didn’t seem inclined to object to his keeping his hand on her. He used his fingers to trace a tiny, gentle circle there, just at the small of her back, a half hand’s width above her very fine-looking ass. Simply touching her seemed to restore his mental acuity and settle his emotions.
Robert grinned. “They’re our dads. David and I will be spelling them a couple of weeks a month.”
“I heard they were looking to cut back some.” Trey moved ever so slightly so that he was standing next to Maggie on her right.
“So, Miss Maggie, a B and B! That’s great. Something this town has long been in need of, if you ask me.” David gave her his full smile, and Rick felt himself get a little hostile. He might not be as clued in as most, but damned if he didn’t realize that David was flirting with their woman!
Maggie must have realized it, too. Rick had seen other women fairly melt under such personal attention from his cousins, but that didn’t seem to be Maggie’s reaction at all. She edged just a bit closer to Rick.
“Yes, so I’ve been told. It was Grandma Kate’s idea, actually. I just thought to move to town to be close to my niece Ginny.”
“We haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Ginny yet,” Robert said. He turned to give his brother a look that Rick had no trouble reading.
David laughed and raised both hands in the air. “All right, I’ll behave.”
“I’d appreciate that.” Maggie nodded toward him, and Rick understood she was referring to him and his brothers when she said, “I’ve my hands full at the moment as it is.”
“Fair enough.” Robert nodded toward the bedroom set. “If you’ve picked out some furniture, we’ll grab the truck and bring it around and give you a hand with it.”
“We’ve this and some pieces for the parlor, too,” Kevin said. “And that would be great, as we didn’t think to arrange for one of the trucks.” Kevin shrugged. “After we get Maggie’s things moved, we’ll be glad to return the favor. Are you staying in the apartment building over on Elm?”
David shook his head. “No, we had enough of apartment living up north.”
“We needed to be able to breathe,” Robert said. “The good weather’s coming and I want to get my hands in the soil.”
Rick had almost forgotten how he and Robert used to spend time together working up the flower beds and vegetable patches for their folks. Landscaping had actually been his first business venture. “I’ve missed that, too.” He turned to Maggie. “We can have a look at what’s around your inn and put in some gardens, if you like. Robert and I had a pretty good summer gardening business going when we were kids.”
“Great! That’s one area for sure where I’ll need a lot of help.”
“No green thumb?” David asked.
“I do have a bit of a one. But I’ve never actually had outdoor garden space—
just window boxes. Then, too, I have no idea what grows in this climate.”
Rick couldn’t resist. He gently took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “You’ll find, love, that almost anything will grow here in Lusty if it’s given the right kind of attention.”
He managed to keep a straight face as the double entendre registered. His cousins and brothers felt no such impulse, laughing so hard he wondered they didn’t embarrass themselves.
Maggie tilted her head and said, “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”
“Good.” Rick smiled. All this time trying to learn how to develop my interpersonal skills, and all I ever really needed was Maggie.
It was a good thought to let settle in his mind for a time.
Chapter 5
Maggie had never seen anything like it.
Before they’d had all the parlor furniture loaded up in the truck David and Robert Jessop had brought, more people began to arrive at the warehouse and pitch in.
Another truck pulled up—this one driven by Henry Kendall—and the men loaded it, too.
“I’d have thought you’d be off taking a honeymoon,” Maggie said to him.
“We’ll take one later. We had a bit of a tussle choosing our wedding date and went ahead and booked a few charters when we couldn’t make up our minds. We thought we’d clear a week in June and go away somewhere then.”
Maggie certainly understood how business concerns could overtake personal agendas. That had pretty much been the story of her life from the moment she took over running her mother’s—and then her—hotel.
When they arrived back at the inn, she supervised the placing of the chairs, tables, and bookshelves in the parlor. She did notice when the brothers Benedict left with the Drs. Jessop. She thought they must have really rushed, because it seemed like barely an hour had passed and they were back.
Rearranging the parlor consumed her. At one point, she turned around to find Richard waiting to catch her attention. “Maggie, do you prefer looking out of your window from your bed or having the window above you?” he asked.
An interesting question, one she’d never thought of before. Back home, she’d loved looking out at the ocean first thing in the morning.
It was the first time she realized just how different life was going to be for her inland. Of course, she answered without thinking. “There’s no ocean here, so it really doesn’t matter.”
Richard looked at her for a moment. Was that pity in his eyes? Maggie wondered if she’d let her little bit of sadness show. She didn’t mind, of course. He and his brothers did say they wanted to get to know her. She was going to miss the ocean. It had been a part of her life for as far back as she could remember. But she didn’t want anyone to think she was feeling sorry for herself.
So she gave him a smile and said, “Surprise me.”
“I hope to.” He started to head back to the bedroom, then stopped and turned back to her. “It’s only about a four and a half hour drive to Galveston from here. Galveston is on the Gulf coast. Sometimes the waves can be lively, and you can smell the salt in the air. It’s not the Atlantic, but it might do.” He gave her a half smile.
Yes, it just might.
Maggie’s gaze stayed on Richard as he left the room. She recalled overhearing Julia chatting with Tracy about her brother the first time she came to Lusty, for Ginny’s engagement party.
Maybe Richard wasn’t as clueless as his sister thought.
The sound of female voices drew her attention to the front door.
“Boy howdy, you’ve done a lot in one morning.” Ginny came in carrying a large shopping bag. Accompanying her niece were Ginny’s future mother-in-law, Samantha Kendall, and Kate Benedict.
“I have to say one thing for the brothers Benedict. When they set their minds to something, it gets done.”
Ginny grinned. “That’s how Kendalls do things, too.”
“Oh, now this looks very homey.” Kate came and stood beside Maggie as she took in the room.
Maggie turned her attention to the older woman, even as she wondered why Ginny and Mrs. Kendall headed toward the back of the house and the master bedroom.
“I’m not sure if there’ll be occasion to actually use the fireplace.” Maggie gestured toward the lovely mantel. “I don’t know how cold it gets here. But I thought we could get an electric fireplace insert.” She smiled at Kate. “The one I had back in New Jersey allowed you to enjoy looking at the ‘flames’ without the heater being on. But if a chill nipped, then the heat it produced was just fine.”
“What a grand idea! You could have the ambiance of a fire anytime you wanted it.” Kate beamed at her. “It’s nice to see this old house coming back to life.”
“I know it was used as a place to care for those injured in war, but the house has a happy feeling to it.”
“Yes, I’ve always thought so. Right from the first moment I set foot over the threshold.”
If Maggie had known Kate Benedict better, she might have pressed for tales of what it had been like in Lusty all those years ago.
She had a feeling Grandma Kate had led a very interesting life.
“That’s a lovely view out that window, isn’t it? Soon all the wildflowers will be in full bloom. They’re dotted all through that field. Yellow and blue and sometimes white and pink. It’s a very pretty picture in the summer. ”
Maggie thought it was a very pretty picture right now. She could see blue and white flowers beginning to show their happy little faces.
“That’s good to know. I was thinking of putting a chess table right there under that window. Perhaps an oak one to match the card table I already found.” She pointed to the lovely square table she’d placed under the windows that looked out from the front of the house onto the wide porch.
“That would be a good place to play cards. I think you’ve definitely got a knack for creating a restful yet interesting space.” Kate took in the bookshelves, lovely dark wood but, at the moment, empty. “There’s not a house in Lusty that doesn’t have boxes of books tucked away in the attic. I’ll put the word out. Some folks will jump at the chance to lend them to you.”
“Thank you. That would be great! I’ll pick up some bookplates so I can keep track of book ownership.”
Kate grinned. “That sounded like something Richard would say.”
“Did it?” Perhaps that was one of the reasons she’d seemed to so easily connect with the man. They were both in their own way CEOs, organized souls dedicated to doing what needed to be done.
I bet Richard’s just as anal as I am at times.
A voice echoed in her thoughts, a voice that sounded suspiciously like her mother. What about the other two, Margaret Mary? What’s your excuse for the way you feel around them? Without permission, her mind supplied the answer to its own question.
Trevor seemed to be tuned in to her moods in a way she found comforting. Kevin’s joie de vivre and delight in things made her laugh and reminded her not to take herself too seriously.
Maggie brought herself back to the moment, grateful Kate appeared to be absorbed in taking in the changes to the parlor and not her own woolgathering.
“That’s the last of it.” Henry came into the parlor, went right over to Kate, and kissed her on her cheek.
Maggie had nodded approval as the Kendalls went ahead and loaded up a dining table, some chairs, and a few other pieces of furniture for some of the rest of the house. Maggie figured the only rooms still empty of furniture were the guest bedrooms.
“What do you think of our new B and B so far?” Henry asked Kate.
“I think it’s wonderful. And with everyone pitching in, I’ll bet Maggie will be ready to open the doors in no time.”
Maggie let herself think about her “to do” list. “There’s still a lot to do, business-wise. I haven’t decided on the bedrooms yet. Will I just furnish them or will some of them have a theme? Then I have to set up the business as a legal entity. I’ll need to open an account at the
bank, do some research so I know who my target client is, design a marketing strategy…” Maggie stopped when she noticed Henry’s eyes gloss over.
He shook his head. Turning to Kate, he said, “She sounds just like Rick.”
Kate only beamed.
“This is such a lovely house.” Ginny came back into the room and hugged her.
“I should have taken you for a tour,” Maggie said.
Ginny shook her head. “Samantha and I had a quick look around. I have to get on to the restaurant. But once you have some time, I’ll be over for that tour and a good chat.”
“It’s going to be wonderful.” Samantha Kendall came into the room from the back of the house. “Henry, I’m so glad you’re still here. Ginny’s car is in the shop, and so she’s taking mine. You can give me a ride back home.”
“Of course, Mother.”
“I need to get going, too.” Kate reached over and squeezed Maggie’s hand. “I’ve an appointment I need to keep. You be sure and let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”
“Me, too. Always glad to lend a hand,” Henry said.
“Oh. Um, thanks.” Maggie felt a little like a ship going down since everyone seemed to be leaving at once. David and Robert Jessop corralled Henry into helping them with another load of furniture once his mother had been delivered back home, and the next thing Maggie knew she was alone in the parlor.
After the sound of so much hustle and bustle, the silence seemed a little eerie. Well, this is going to take some getting used to. One minute I’m surrounded by Texans and the next I’m all alone—
Maggie blinked.
She’d waved good-bye to the Jessops, Henry and Samantha Kendall, Ginny, and Grandma Kate.
But not the brothers Benedict.
She realized then that except for that one time when Richard had come out to ask her about the bed, she hadn’t seen or heard from them. Neither had she ventured toward the master bedroom since they’d returned with two truckloads of furniture.
Curious, Maggie decided it was time for her to discover just what the Benedict men had been doing for the last hour or so.
Love Under Three Titans Page 5
