A Time To Love (A Mill Creek Crossing Romance)

by Angelina Rose

  The only problem was she was enjoying it. She liked her job, the people, the area. How could that be?

  As the song ended, Eva felt a wave of sadness pass through her ever so quickly. She hadn’t wanted the song to end. It had been so long since she felt included and wanted by anyone, especially a man. Instead of doing what she knew was right, and pulling away, she stood there in silence with her cheek still against his firm chest and her arms around his back. He continued swaying without saying a word either, and she lost track of just how long they moved together on the dance floor in the quiet of O’Malley’s.

  “Eva?” he said softly after a few minutes.

  “Yes?” she said without even opening her eyes.

  “Are you asleep?”

  Embarrassed he thought she was sleeping on his chest, she slowly pulled back being sure to check and see if she drooled on him or anything horrible like that. Thankful she’d managed to keep any stray spit in her own mouth, she adjusted her shirt and tightened her ponytail before looking up at him. The look in his eyes had changed from that of a smiling man to that of a man who had an obvious attraction to her. The smoldering look coming out of his eyes was enough to set fire to her soul.

  “Sorry,” she said with a quirk of a smile.

  “I wasn’t complaining,” he said as he continued looking at her. “Thanks for the dance.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said as she started to back up toward the bar again. The quiet looming over the room was deafening, and Eva tried to do anything she could to get out of there as quickly as possible.

  Brice turned off the DJ equipment as the two of them continued to clean up the bar and restaurant. No more words were spoken between them, but there was definitely a conversation going on anyway.

  With the final cleaning up tasks done, Eva grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

  “Goodnight, Eva,” Brice said with a smile.

  “Goodnight, boss,” she said smiling back as she walked out the door.

  Chapter 5

  As Eva arrived at work the next night, the place was bustling for a Sunday. Even though alcohol wasn’t served on Sundays in the small Georgia town, regulars still came by in droves to play darts, eat and hang out. There wasn’t a heck of a lot to do in Mill Creek Crossing on any day of the week, but Sundays there was even less.

  “Hey, Eva!” Cara called to her from behind the bar where she was mixing up margaritas for a group of women having a bachelorette party.

  “Hey,” Eva said putting her purse and coat behind the bar.

  “Listen, Brice wants to see you in his office.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. I was just told to pass along that message,” she said smiling as she poured a glass of wine for another patron.

  Reluctant as always, Eva made her way to Brice’s office door. He was on the phone having an animated conversation with someone, but he waved her in anyway. Pointing to a chair, he asked her to sit down and wait for a few minutes.

  “Don, I know how my father did things, but I’m running O’Malley’s now… Yes, we all hope he’ll come back one day… Look, just get it done, okay?” Eva wondered what the other person was saying to Brice that had him all up in arms, but she wasn’t about to ask. Finally, he hung up the phone, ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and then looked up at Eva. Slowly, a smile crept across his face.

  “What?” she asked looking down at her shirt to see if she had a stain or something that was causing him to smile at her.

  “Nothing. It’s just nice to see a friendly face. Not a great day,” he said.

  “You think I’m a friendly face? Most people would not agree,” she said allowing a grin to escape.

  “Maybe those people don’t get who you are… really.”

  “And you do? You barely know me, Brice.”

  “I think I know you better than you’d like to believe,” he said tapping his pen on the desk. Eva squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. “Anyway, I called you in here to ask a favor.”

  “A favor?”

  “Yes. My father, as you know, is ill with a relapse of multiple sclerosis. He isn’t able to work at all, but he is constantly asking me questions about the place, how things are running…”

  “I can imagine. He owned it for a long time,” she said.

  “Yes, and he still does legally. Anyway, I promised him I would ride up there this evening and bring him some of the financial reports I’ve been working on. Of course, when I told him about you being a new hire and helping us bring the place up to the twenty-first century, he wanted to meet you too.”

  “So you want me to go with you to see your father?” she asked barely able to contain her shock and nervousness.

  “If you don’t mind. I’m glad to pay you a bonus…”

  “It’s okay. I’d love to go with you,” she said with a smile as she surprised herself.

  “Great. We’d better head out now since it’ll be getting dark in a couple of hours.”

  With that, he grabbed his coat while Eva got her purse and coat from behind the bar. As they walked into the parking lot, Brice pointed to the back of the building.

  “I’m parked back here. I don’t like to take up a parking space,” he said with a small smile.

  Walking up to a large Harley Davidson motorcycle, he removed one of the helmets and handed it to Eva.

  “You’ll need to put this on,” he said.

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “No…”

  “I’m not riding a motorcycle! These things are dangerous!” she said backing up with her hands in the air.

  “Eva, I’ve been riding motorcycles since I was a kid. Trust me, I am a great driver. I don’t take chances. I’ll protect you, I promise,” he said with more sincerity than she’d heard in a while. His eyes were calming to her, and she didn’t know why she was about to agree to this.

  She took the helmet from his outstretched hand and looked at it. “It’s going to mess up my hair.”

  Brice laughed and said, “You will still look beautiful, Eva.”

  Her heart flip flopped in her chest at his statement. Nervous, she slid the helmet on and tried to fasten it under her chin, but couldn’t get it to work. Brice reached over and touched her chin as he fastened the clip. The moment he touched her again, she knew she was in deep trouble with this guy. The faster she could make amends with Gracie and get out of town, the better off she’d be.

  After putting on his helmet, he sat on the bike and started it. The noise was deafening to her, but Eva liked the ruggedness of seeing him sitting on the big Harley. Something surged within her she didn’t even know was there. Maybe she had a fetish for country boys or rednecks?

  “Come on. Sit back here,” he yelled over the engine. She slowly slid one leg over the seat. “Put your arms around my waist and hold on,” he said loudly. With no other choice, she slid her arms around his strong waist and moved closer to him. With her hips holding tight around him, she felt overcome with the desire to yank his helmet off and kiss him right there. Maybe her libido was out of whack since she hadn’t been with any man in over a year, she thought to herself. Maybe it was the scent of his masculine cologne that smelled like lust in a bottle.

  As they zipped out of the parking lot and down to the main road that ran through town, Eva couldn’t remember ever feeling more free in her life. The wind was whipping her ponytail as she held onto Brice for dear life. He turned on the microphone system that linked the two helmets so she could hear him and talk back to him.

  “You okay back there?” he asked.

  “Yes!” she yelped with a squeal.

  “Having fun?” he asked.

  “Actually I am. Hard to believe, I know!” she said. She squeezed him tighter as he took a sharp turn leading up one of the mountains surrounding Mill Creek Crossing.

  “I’ve got you. Don’t worry,” he said. His words made her feel immediately calmed. She knew, at her core Brice was not a man who would ever l
et anything happen to her. “We’ll be there in about ten more minutes.”

  The ride was the most invigorating thing Eva had done in a long time. As she felt the crisp north Georgia wind on her face, she tried to take in all of the beautiful scenery around her. The mountains were covered in the beginnings of spring with bright green trees that had just turned from their dreary brown winter leaves. Flowers peppered the landscape, and she took in the variety of smells as they wound there way up the side of a mountain.

  A few minutes later, Brice pulled into the driveway of a small cabin. He stopped the bike and helped Eva off. After taking his helmet off, he helped her remove hers and then hung them both on the back of the motorcycle.

  “Here we are. Home,” he said with a smile. His dimples were really more pronounced to her at the moment for some odd reason.

  “Do you live here too?” she asked cocking her head.

  “No. Dad has a caregiver who stays with him right now. We are very different people, and living in the same house was never fun for us. Even when I was growing up.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep. But he’s my family, and family should take care of each other. Always,” he said smiling at her.

  “Was that directed at me?” she asked crossing her arms.

  “Oh, good Lord! Stop crossing your arms, spitfire,” he said as he put his hand on the small of her back and pushed her toward the front door.

  Brice unlocked the door and opened it for Eva. As she stepped inside, she was taken aback by how nice the cabin was inside. With finished hardwood floors and soaring ceilings, it was bigger than she imagined. She could see the kitchen off the family room, and it had stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. This wasn’t a log cabin like she’d ever seen before, and it was obvious Zeke O’Malley had done well for himself.

  “Dad?” Brice called out as they walked through the home. “Dad?” he continued to call over and over. It quickly became apparent Brice was growing concerned over his father not answering. “Where is he?”

  Eva walked to the back of the house and looked out the window only to see a man she assumed to be Zeke, lying on the ground beside an immaculate flower bed.

  “Oh God! Brice! He’s back here on the ground!” she yelled. Brice ran up behind her and then out of a side door leading to the deck. He sprinted straight down the stairs while Eva watched in horror from above.

  “Dad!” he yelled as he rolled his father over from his stomach to his back.

  “I’m okay… I’m okay…” Zeke said. A tall, lanky man, Zeke had a hint of an Irish accent, and then Eva remembered Cara said Zeke was raised by his Irish parents in the U.S. She watched him slowly sit up as Brice knelt beside him on the ground.

  “What happened, Dad?” Brice asked brushing the dirt off Zeke’s pants.

  “I was trying to weed this stinkin’ garden and I lost my balance. Damn MS…” he muttered.

  “Dad, you shouldn’t be out here doing stuff like this…”

  “I’m a grown man, and I’ll do as I damn well please. I don’t need anybody tellin’ me what to do!” he snapped. Brice looked up at Eva with desperation in his eyes, and in that moment she could see he was torn between arguing with his Dad and taking care of him.

  “You must be Zeke,” Eva said as she walked down the stairs and knelt beside him.

  “That’s me. And you are?” Zeke said furrowing his furry white eyebrows.

  “I’m Eva, your newest O’Malley’s employee,” she said smiling and extending her hand. “I’d heard how handsome you were, so I had to come out here and see for myself.” Eva forced a big smile and offered her hand to help him up. Zeke brushed Brice’s hand off him and held onto Eva for support. Although petite, Eva was strong and was able to get Zeke to his feet.

  “Nice to meet you,” he said finally shaking her hand once he got to his feet.

  “Now, Brice has told me you have some real Irish beer hidden somewhere in this house. I’d love to have a taste,” she said being sure to look him in the eye.

  “Well, ya heard right. I’ve got something that’ll knock your socks off,” he said finally cracking a smile as she helped him up the stairs. Brice stood by with his mouth gaping open the whole time, and Eva knew he’d never seen this side of her. The caring person. The sweet girl. She hated to reveal that side of herself, but it seemed necessary in this situation.

  “Mr. O’Malley!” a dark haired woman shouted as she ran out onto the deck.

  “Bernice,” Zeke said as he passed her and walked into the house.

  “Where in the hell were you?” Brice said in a loud whisper with his teeth gritted at the home healthcare worker.

  “I’m so sorry, Brice. My son called and was broken down on the mountain. Mr. O’Malley promised to stay in his chair and watch his TV show until I came back…”

  “You know you can’t trust him, Bernice. Don’t let it happen again or else you can be replaced,” Brice said as he walked into the house. Bernice stood there for a moment, holding back tears.

  “Don’t you be getting on to her, Brice. It’s my fault. I do what I want to do,” Zeke said glaring at his son. It was obvious to Eva these two didn’t get along well, and she felt bad for both of them. It also reminded her of her own relationship with her sister.

  Zeke poured a drink for Eva as he leaned against the kitchen counter. Right now, she wanted a little alcohol to take the edge off anyway. He handed it to her as Brice leaned against the kitchen wall staring at his boots. Eva wasn’t sure if he was mad at her or not.

  “Wow! That is some strong stuff!” she said struggling to swallow. “It has quite a kick to it,” she said smiling. Zeke smiled at her reaction, obviously pleased with himself.

  “Dad, we came to talk business. Can we get on with it?” Brice said abruptly.

  Zeke looked at him and then limped into the living room with Brice hot on his heels. Eva wasn’t sure what to do with herself until Brice turned and nodded toward the living room. Sitting down in an overstuffed brown chair, Eva sat quietly while the men went over financial paperwork, arguing about all kinds of seemingly meaningless stuff.

  When it seemed they were at an impasse, Eva decided to pipe in once again.

  “Say, Zeke, have you ever thought about changing things up at the bar on Sundays?” she asked. Zeke looked up and cocked his head at her.

  “Change it? How?” he asked sitting back.

  “Well, when I was in Atlanta, there were all sorts of bars that offered Sunday brunch as a buffet. You can charge a premium and make a great profit if it’s done right,” she said. She could see the wheels turning in Zeke’s head.

  “That ain’t a bad idea,” he said as Brice rolled his eyes in the background.

  “Dad, I’ve suggested that a dozen times!” Brice said as Eva cut him a look that meant to shut up.

  “I don’t remember that,” Zeke said crossing his arms.

  “Anyway, I think it could increase revenue a lot. Of course, I’m not a business woman, but I think it would work. And, here’s another idea to consider. What about hosting some events at the bar? Like maybe some charity functions, karaoke nights, stuff like that?” she asked. “Maybe it will bring people from the other small communities around Mill Creek Crossing.”

  “I like her, Brice. She’s smart. Good work hiring her,” Zeke said pointing at Eva. Brice smiled at the semi-compliment his father had just dished out.

  After talking for another half hour, Brice instructed Bernice to start dinner for his Dad and said his goodbyes. Eva gave Zeke a big hug and joined Brice in the gravel driveway.

  “Ready to get back to work?” she said as she slid her helmet on.

  “No. We’re not going back there yet. Hop on. I want to show you something,” he said with a smile.

  Once again, they were zipping down the curvy mountain road, but then they started going up again.

  “Where are we going?” she asked into the microphone.

  “You’ll see,” was all he said.


  Chapter 6

  About ten minutes after leaving Zeke’s house, Brice drove down a steep incline and then parked his Harley. The sun was starting to set, and he seemed intent on chasing it as he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the edge of the mountain.

  “Look,” he said pointing through a clearing. As Eva caught up, she saw what had to be one of the most beautiful sunsets she’d ever seen in her life.

  “Wow. That’s amazing!” she said smiling. For the first time in a long time, she felt like herself. She wasn’t pretending or trying to be something she wasn’t. Someone with money and power and material things. Instead, she was just a woman with a man on a Harley enjoying a north Georgia sunset. And that seemed perfect.