by Mia Ross
Draping the carryout bags over her wrists, she carefully balanced the drink trays and made her way down the street. The huge doors to the ironworks were latched, but she could hear plenty of commotion on the other side. She waited for a reasonable lull and hollered, “Break time!”
At first, she thought no one had heard her, but then she heard footsteps approaching and someone releasing the lock before sliding the door partway open.
She’d only seen Brian from a distance, and he was much dustier than he’d been at church. But she recognized him as he flashed her what she could only describe as a wolfish grin. “Hello, there, gorgeous. What can I do for you?”
“I’m Holly Andrews,” she explained politely. “Daphne Mills’s niece.” Sort of, she added silently.
“Oh, I’ve heard all about you,” he filled in with another grin. This one was slightly less predatory, but not by much. Offering a hand, he said, “Brian Calhoun. Did my grandmother send you?” he added, nodding at the bakery boxes she held.
“Sort of. I was coming by to check on your progress and offered to bring these with me.”
“Then follow me.”
He turned away, and she glanced around, hoping Sam might be somewhere nearby and come to her rescue. But she saw no sign of the towering contractor, so she followed Brian to a makeshift table made of some planks laid across two sawhorses. The stainless steel commercial coffee maker it held looked decidedly out of place in its rustic surroundings, but she set her goodies down beside it.
“Whattya think of our snack shop?”
“Interesting.”
He gave her a knowing look as he poured steaming coffee into a beat-up mug with the logo of an anvil and Liberty Creek Forge stenciled on it. Handing it to her, he commented, “That’s the tone women use when they don’t have the heart to tell you you’re boring them to death.”
“Got me there.” Saluting him with her drink, she took a delicious swallow and sighed. “That’s really good.”
“Everyone has hidden talents,” he said.
“Leave the lady alone,” Sam growled, punctuating the order with the head of a greasy wrench. “If Daphne finds out you’ve been pestering her niece, she’ll make sure you regret it.”
“I’m not pestering,” Brian assured him easily, sweeping Holly with a very male glance. “I’m admiring.”
“Drooling, more like it. If you want the electricity in the office working before the next century, you’d best go get me a spare fuse. The old one’s shot.”
“In case you forgot, this is my place,” the younger brother retorted, tapping his chest for emphasis. “You get it.”
In response, Sam folded those impressive arms across his broad chest, glaring down at the forge’s new owner. He didn’t say a word, but apparently he didn’t have to. Heaving a long sigh, Brian slunk toward the open door that led to the cellar and trudged down the stairs like a pouting child who’d just been sent to his room.
Shaking his head, Sam turned back to her with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. At first, she didn’t understand the significance, but she quickly caught on. “Those parts aren’t down there, are they?”
In answer, he pulled something from the front pocket of his jeans and held up what must have been the piece he needed.
“So you sent him off to what? Preserve my honor?”
“Little brothers. Can’t live with ’em, can’t throw ’em off the roof. Since you’re out and about, I’m assuming Daphne is, too.”
“Oliver took her over to Briarton for the Shakespeare in the Park festival, and then dinner at someplace called The Walden,” Holly explained, doing her best not to feel jealous.
“I’ve heard about that restaurant. It’s always booked solid, so you’ve gotta know the owner to get a reservation sometime this year.”
“Or be a famous movie star.”
“I guess that’d work, too.”
When he noticed Brian had returned, Sam angled a mock glare at him. At least, she hoped he was kidding because that look could kill. “What?”
“There are no fuses downstairs,” Brian retorted in an accusing tone. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to get rid of the competition.”
“In your dreams, little brother,” Sam growled back.
“While you’re goofing around, I’ll just take this into the back,” Brian snarled as he shouldered a case marked Cast Iron Fittings and headed for the storeroom. “Nice to meet you, Holly.”
Sam glowered at him, but it didn’t have much effect since he was walking away and couldn’t see it. When he turned back to her, Holly asked, “Are you two always like this?”
“Pretty much. Says he’s making up for when I was gone and there was no one else around here worth fighting with.”
“That’s his way of saying he missed you. My sisters and I are pretty much the same way.”
Except they were her cousins, she amended silently. That was really going to take some getting used to.
“Something wrong?”
Startled by the question, Holly angled a look at him. “Why?”
“That’s just about the biggest sigh I ever heard. Are you worried about Daphne being out of the house for so long? Because I can promise you, Oliver treats her like she’s made of glass. If there’s any sign of trouble, he’ll drive her straight to the nearest hospital, no matter what she says.”
Comforted by his confidence in the dapper gentleman, Holly relayed the gist of their open-air conversation, and Sam grinned. “That sounds like them. They’re quite the item around town.”
“Daphne’s an item no matter where she goes.” A disturbing possibility occurred to her, and she chose her next words very carefully. “Do you know how they met?”
“At the Harvest Festival last fall when she was here on vacation with some friends,” he replied with a shrug. “Why?”
“I don’t know how to ask this politely, so please don’t take it the wrong way.”
“Okay.”
“I know she comes across as being sophisticated, but when it comes to men, she doesn’t always have the best judgment. She’s had some bad experiences in the past with men thinking, well, that they’d like to get their hands on her money.” Sam burst out laughing, and Holly glared at him. “What’s so funny?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t recognize Oliver’s last name.”
She rolled it around in her mind for a moment until something clicked. Her jaw fell open in astonishment, and when she’d recovered a bit, she asked, “You mean, he’s one of those Chestertons? The Chestertons that own half the property in New England?”
“Yes, ma’am. He’s got more money than any ten people could ever spend. Even your aunt.”
“Wow. Well... I...” Recognizing that she’d started to stammer, Holly paused to get her brain back in proper working order. Seeing the humor in the situation, she finally laughed. “I’m glad I asked you about this and not him. That would’ve been embarrassing.”
“My guess is he would’ve answered your question and told you he’s got nothing but good intentions where Daphne’s concerned. Probably would’ve admired you for looking out for her that way, too.”
“She’s family,” Holly said reflexively, more than a little surprised to hear herself say that considering the awful time she’d been having accepting the Mills sisters’ well-guarded secret.
“Yeah, she is,” he agreed with one of those wry grins. “That’s how I got roped into working down here with Brian today.”
Glancing around, she shook her head. “This place looks like it’s been empty for a long time. Do you really think he can get a viable business going here?”
“A month ago, I’d have figured it’d be as likely as us having four junior baseball fields ready for games in mid-July. But seeing as that’s gonna be hap
pening, I guess anything’s possible.”
“That’s how it works when you get a bunch of dedicated sports parents all pulling in the same direction.”
“Not to mention Daphne’s generous donation to the cause. That was really nice of her.”
“That’s my mother,” Holly commented with genuine affection. “When it comes to kids, her checkbook’s always open.”
Sam didn’t say anything, just stared at her in obvious confusion. She couldn’t imagine why, but when she replayed the last bit of their conversation over in her head, she identified her slip. Maybe he would assume she’d just misspoken, she thought hopefully. So, as she’d done whenever she messed up during her childhood dance recitals, she decided that the best thing she could do was keep on going.
“So,” she said briskly, purposefully looking around to avoid his curious gaze, “what can I do to help?”
“Oh, no, you don’t,” Sam muttered, taking her elbow to guide her to a relatively quiet corner away from the crew of friends Brian had assembled to help him. When they were standing in reasonable privacy, Sam folded his arms in a pose that clearly said he wasn’t moving until she explained herself. “Was this what you were so upset about the other night when you asked me about having secrets?”
That he recalled the exact time of her meltdown touched her in a completely unexpected way. With everything else that had gone on since then, their very honest discussion had faded from her memory. But apparently not for Sam. A quick look around showed her that no one was paying any attention to them, so in a hushed voice, she related what she’d found in her mother’s closet.
“I remember that box,” he commented pensively. “I’d never seen anything like it, and she told me it was made by an artisan she knew in Italy. I said there must be something special inside, and she gave me kind of a sad smile. She said that to her, the contents were priceless.”
The overwhelming emotions Holly had experienced in the bakery earlier bubbled to the surface, and a look of panic seized Sam’s face. “That was stupid of me, Holly. I’m so sorry.”
“No, it’s—” taking a deep breath, she steadied her voice “—sweet.”
“She really loves you. And she’s crazy about Chase. I guess now it makes sense why she talks about you two all the time. I mean, she’s got dozens of friends all over the world, but you’re the people she talks about most.”
As Holly absorbed what he’d told her, the knot in her throat began to loosen. Maybe it was because she’d already come to grips with the truth and just didn’t recognize it. Or maybe she trusted that Sam would never lie to her and she believed him.
Whatever the reason, she left the forge that day feeling lighter than she had in a long time. And it was wonderful.
Chapter Ten
When you grew up in a place called Liberty Creek, the Fourth of July was a pretty big deal.
Sam had skipped the festivities last year, but somehow he’d gotten roped into pulling a float in this morning’s parade. Basically, he recalled with a grin, Chase had asked him, and he’d agreed. Holly was right—the kid was impossible to refuse.
“How’s that?” the kid in question asked, stepping back to check over the bunting they were stringing on the walls surrounding the bed of Nate’s dark blue pickup. It sat in Daphne’s driveway, freshly cleaned and waxed for its star turn in this morning’s parade.
Sam was going over the towing lines, and he glanced up to see how the decorating was going. “Looks good. Do the same on the other side, and I think the baseball moms will be happy.”
“Can I ride up front?” the boy asked eagerly.
“I thought you were sitting on the float with Cody and your other teammates.”
“I’d rather be with you.”
The honest sentiment hit Sam in a way he never could have predicted. Pleased beyond words, he made a show of thinking it over before nodding. “As long as your mom’s okay with it, I could use a copilot. Don’t wanna run over any of the Girl Scouts.”
Chase laughed. “You’d never do that, anyway. But thanks.”
“Anytime, sport.”
“That’s what Cody’s dad calls him,” Chase commented as he circled around the cab to the other side of the truck. “I like it.”
Between his years away in the service and his recent struggles, Sam had never considered himself to be father material. He loved and respected his own father and had often wished he could follow in his footsteps. Because of that, being compared to another dad was a new experience for Sam. While he rolled the concept around in his mind, he was shocked to discover that it didn’t feel as awkward as he’d expected it to. Maybe his faint hope of having a family someday wasn’t as unfounded as it had once seemed.
“That looks great, guys,” Holly said as she came over to join them. Coming forward, she rattled the contents of a large plastic tub. “These are the favors the committee and I have been putting together for the last couple days. They’re nets of candy with a tag about joining up for baseball. Practices start next week, and we’re hoping this will bring in more kids.”
“Those are awesome, Mom! Can I have some to toss out of the truck while we’re in the parade?”
Holly gave Sam a quizzical look, and he explained what Chase was referring to. “Only if it’s all right with you, though. He was supposed to ask first,” he added, sending a mock glare toward his wannabe wingman.
After a moment, she said, “If that’s what he wants, then it’s fine with me. Are you sure he won’t be a distraction for you?”
“Probably, but I can manage. Was Daphne excited to get out for the town’s Independence Celebration?”
Holly laughed. “Worse than Chase. She was ready an hour before Oliver came to get her. Her physical therapist said she’ll probably only need the wheelchair for a few more weeks, so soon it will be easier for her to go out the way she used to. She’s always been a people person, and she really misses seeing everyone.”
Sam was thrilled to hear that his generous neighbor was doing so well. But in the back of his mind, he knew that once Daphne was able to get around on her own again, Holly and Chase would be heading back to Boston. The idea of them leaving threatened to derail his bright mood, and he forced himself to focus on just enjoying today.
Chase’s voice brought him back to earth. “Sam, do you have anything to put some candy bags into?”
Reaching over the seat, he pulled out a box that had once held a pair of Nate’s work boots. For once, his decision to leave the truck just as it was made a little sense. “How’s this?”
“That’ll work.”
The response was something Sam often said, and it occurred to him that it wasn’t the only saying of his that the boy had adopted since they’d gotten to know each other. It was flattering to be admired that way, he realized. Knowing that Chase thought enough of him to copy him made him feel more optimistic about...well, pretty much everything.
The three of them sang along with the radio during the drive into town. Main Street had been closed down for the town-wide celebration, and Sam pulled into the large vacant area near the forge where the parade participants were gathering to get organized. Seeing people milling around here again was encouraging, and for Brian’s sake, he hoped that all this activity was a sign of more positive things on the way.
Sam maneuvered the truck around to park in front of a flatbed wagon that had been outfitted with rails and a decent approximation of a baseball diamond. Somehow, the T-shirts Holly had rush-ordered for the league had arrived in time, and the players were decked out in the different colors their coaches had chosen for each team.
“The kids look happy,” he commented as they left the truck. “You and the other team parents did a great job.”
“It was touch and go for a while, but I only had to threaten the print shop twice.”
The stern edge on her tone was very much at odds with her sweet appearance, and he chuckled. Anyone foolish enough to underestimate this feisty single mom was in for a rude shock if they tested her patience. “Good thing for them, huh?”
“Very.” Chase was sitting on the ledge of the open passenger window, and she pointed at him. “Behave yourself, and have fun. I’ll see you in the square after the parade.”
“We’ll be there. At church on Sunday, Emma told me she’s bringing the apple pie that won her a prize in the county fair last year. She promised me the first piece.”
From his higher vantage point, he swiveled to watch the fire trucks rolling into position, and she smiled up at Sam. “I can’t thank you and your family enough for making us feel so welcome here. It hasn’t been easy, but you’ve all made it a lot better than it could have been.”
Her gratitude struck a chord with him, telling him how lonely her existence had been in Boston. “Just being neighborly. That’s how we do things here.”
Her smile deepened, taking on a warmth that hadn’t been there before. “I know. That’s one of the things I like most.”
Sam got the distinct impression that she was trying to tell him something without coming right out and saying it. It wasn’t like him to read into things that way, but he asked, “About the town? Or me?”
“Both.”
Something he couldn’t quite define sparkled in her eyes before she turned away and climbed aboard the float. More than a little stunned by her revelation, he absently handed up the tote of goodies and found himself staring up at her. Sam had no clue how long he stood there, eyes locked with hers, knowing he should move but seemingly incapable of making it happen. Fortunately for him, someone set off an air horn to alert everyone that it was time to get lined up for the parade.
Sam hitched the wagon to his truck, triple-checking the connections to make sure they were securely attached. Then he got into the cab and waved that everything was set.
