“Three months isn’t much time with all the work that needs doing. Good thing I’ve put in for some time off.” He hadn’t, but he would. His employees could handle most things and, if not, they knew his phone number.
“I got this.” Her gaze hardened. “You don’t need to come to our rescue.”
“Your aunt,” he motioned to where the paramedics were putting the arguing woman onto a gurney, “most likely had a heart attack from working too hard. Yes, you’re now here to help, but you can’t do it all. Let me help you. I told Betty I’d fix up the barn, and I intend to do just that.” He’d thought he had a little more time, but not a problem. If only Betty had been upfront about her troubles.
“We’ll discuss this more later.” She set her cup on the table, grabbed her purse, and followed the gurney to the ambulance.
“I’ll follow so you have a ride home.”
“There you go, helping again.”
He stood and held out his hands. “How else will you get home? Betty will have to at least stay the night.”
“No, I won’t,” yelled Betty.
Lou Anne’s shoulders sagged. She nodded. “Okay, you win this time.” She climbed into the ambulance after her aunt. Her gaze focused on his as the doors closed.
He hurried to his truck. It would have been better for Betty to cut her losses and sell. The land was worth a pretty penny. The sale of just a portion would pay off her debt and then some. But, no. She’d thrown a cob of corn at his head when he’d mentioned it. She’d gotten so riled, she wouldn’t even listen to the fact it was himself that wanted to purchase some acreage.
So, here he was, fixing corrals and rebuilding a barn. He slid into the driver’s seat and followed the ambulance. Lou Anne would get her dander up, but Stetson intended to help out in any way he could.
At the hospital, he entered through the double doors in time to see a nurse who’s house he’d done some repairs on, welcome Lou Anne. She glanced up and noticed him. “You can come along, Stetson. Betty will be happy to have you.”
Lou Anne frowned, but didn’t protest.
They followed Nurse Abby to a curtained alcove where Betty reclined on a hospital bed. “The doctor will be right in. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thank you.” Lou Anne stood next to the bed and took her aunt’s hand. “How are you feeling?”
“Right as rain and ready to leave.”
Lou Anne giggled. “You just got here.”
“I’ve been here too long. Help an old woman out, Stetson.” She held out her other hand to him.
He stepped forward to take it and stared into Lou Anne’s eyes. He smiled, relieved to see her smile in return.
“This is what I like,” Betty said. “My two favorite people with me. Now, break me out of here.”
“Not until we do some tests.” A doctor stepped into the room. “Hello, Stetson.”
“Doctor James.”
“Do you know everyone here?” Lou Anne’s eyes widened.
“Pretty much. Serenity is a small town.” Stetson shook the doctor’s hand. “Take good care of my lady.”
“I intend to.”
After a round of tests and six hours in an uncomfortable chair, Stetson was able to take the Burgess women home. Betty had collapsed from exhaustion and dehydration. Despite the doctor’s request to keep her for the night, she’d refused, saying she’d get more rest at home and promising to drink more water.
Lou Anne had promised to make sure she did.
Stetson vowed to make sure neither woman did too much. He’d spend the cooler parts of the day outside and the hotter parts inside. Not that spring in Arkansas was hot, but it made a viable excuse for him to help with the house repairs.
And, it gave him the opportunity to work closely with Lou Lou.
Chapter Three
Lou Anne fumed at lunch after church. While chopping carrots a bit too aggressively, she couldn’t take her mind off the way Frank Murphy had smirked while asking after Auntie’s help. He’d actually had the nerve to say work would probably slow down now. Not if Lou Anne had anything to say about it. She’d work twice as hard to make sure the job got done.
“Whoa.” Stetson reached around her and took the knife. “You’re going to lose a finger. What’s got you so riled up?”
“Frank Murphy.” She turned. Oh. She hadn’t expected Stetson to be standing so close. The twinkle in his eye told her he knew how his close proximity set her heart pounding and her mouth dry. She scooted past him. No girl could think clearly when surrounded by his intoxicating cologne.
Right. His cologne. Her skittishness had nothing to do with those amazing eyes that changed color with his mood or the way his muscles rippled like a cougar. Not that she paid that much attention.
What were they talking about? Oh, yeah. “Mr. Murphy wants this house and land very badly.” She leaned her back against the table. “Why? There are other hundred-year-old houses with acreage. What’s so special about this one?”
Stetson shrugged, resuming chopping the carrots and potatoes for the roast she’d planned for supper. “Betty doesn’t seem to know. Why is she so reluctant to sell?”
Lou Ann frowned. “I’m more against it than she is. This house is my future. The place I want to raise the children I might have someday. It’s never been out of my family’s hands. I just need to come up with a way to raise the extra money needed.”
“I’ll loan it to you.”
“No. You’ve done enough—are doing—enough. We’ll never be able to repay you as it is.” Besides, she got the impression the offer was given out of pity. He seemed to think selling was the best thing to do.
He set the knife down. “Don’t get me wrong, Lou Lou, but you haven’t been back here for ten years.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That if the place meant that much to you, you would have come back before now.”
“I have a job that keeps me busy.” She marched to the cabinet and pulled a pan from a lower cupboard. She tossed in a roast, rubbed a fragrant spice into it, then surrounded it with carrots and potatoes before sliding the pan in the oven.
“I suppose you always stay for Sunday supper.”
“Yep.”
Of course, he did. Since the death of his parents fifteen years ago, Stetson had been raised by Auntie’s best friend Aggie, who died last year. Auntie said he’d been a big help to her ever since. From as far back as Lou Anne could remember, he’d been a part of her life. Except for the last ten years.
After graduation, Lou Anne had left Serenity and heartbreak behind. Believing herself in love with the handsome Stetson, and seeing that he looked on her as nothing more than a little sister…well, she’d chosen a college in Colorado.
“Good afternoon.” Auntie waltzed into the kitchen, hanging her red hat on the back of a chair.
“How was your lunch?” Lou Anne smiled, grateful for the interruption to what was quickly becoming a personal conversation.
“Oh, us red hat ladies do know how to have a good time.” She peered in the oven. “You should have waited for me to help you.”
“Stetson is here. He helped.”
“Despite protest,” he said. “Your proud niece wants to do everything herself.”
Auntie poured herself a glass of tea. “I’m afraid that’s impossible after the mess I’ve made of things. I should have listened to you when the drought hit and sold.”
Lou Anne glared. “You tried to get her to sell?”
“It was wise.”
“We don’t need that kind of help.” She stormed out the back door and headed straight for the paddock. Daffy trotted toward her, lowering her head to be petted. “I could use a ride, good friend. You up to one?”
The horse tossed her head in a motion that looked like a yes. Lou Anne climbed between the rails and led Daffy inside the barn. Soon, the horse saddled and ready, they trotted in the direction of what used to be Lou Anne’s favorite thinking spot. The creek r
unning through her aunt’s property.
Once there, she dismounted, leaving Daffy to wander and graze. Lou Anne leaned against her favorite boulder and watched the creek gurgle over rocks.
Maybe, a hundred years ago, someone like Murphy might have wanted this land for the water, but today that didn’t make sense. There had to be something else urging Murphy on.
She’d finally remembered him as a senior when she’d been in Junior High. A rich boy quarterback who had anything he wanted. His father had been the mayor. Maybe Frank had the same aspiration. Still, why her aunt’s land? There was plenty for sale in the area.
She skipped a stone across the water’s surface. Had Auntie ever checked for minerals? Natural gas? She might be sitting on a gold mine and not have a clue. Would Murphy have access to that type of information? Lou Anne shrugged. What did she know? She was merely a housecleaner.
The sound of hoofbeats behind meant one of two things. Either Daffy got lonely or someone followed Lou Anne into the woods.
~
When Lou Lou leapt to her feet and spun around, a rock clutched in her fist, Stetson ducked behind his horse. “Don’t shoot, it’s me.”
“What are you doing here?”
He stepped from behind his protection as she dropped the rock. “We used to come here and talk about life. Remember?”
“That’s why I’m here. I have thinking to do.” She resumed her seat on the ground.
Ignoring the obvious fact she didn’t want him there, Stetson sat next to her and skipped a stone across the water. “Six.”
“That’s nothing.” She moved a few stones until she found a thin roundish one. With a flick of her wrist, the stone skipped eight times. “Still the champ. I could do more if the creek was wider.”
He laughed. “I know. I’ve seen you.” He stretched his legs in front of him. “I know it’s Sunday, and you don’t want to work on Sunday, but we really should discuss a plan for fixing this place.”
Tilting her head, she shot him a sharp look. “We’re not selling.”
“Fine, but there is still work to be done, and since I’ve some time—”
“Right. Our knight in shining armor.”
“True. Maybe while doing so, we’ll find something of value to pay off the debt.”
“Selling just a portion—” He clamped his lips closed at the spark in her eye. “We might.” He didn’t know what, but he wasn’t going to argue. “We have three months. I’ll replace the missing boards in the barn and repaint. Then, I’ll fix the stables, make sure they latch efficiently. Have you ever thought of renting out the empty stalls? It would be an easy way to make some money.”
“That’s a great idea.” Lou Lou smiled. We have six empty. Why not put them to use? How soon can you have the barn looking good?”
“One weekend, if that’s all I focus on. I’ve done quite a bit already.” Yes, he could have the barn ready by Monday morning. “We could offer full service at $250. That would include turn-out, water, feed, and the owner’s use of our facilities.”
“If we offer lessons, we can make even more.” She rubbed her hands together. “If we fill all six stalls for one month, we have the money needed to pay off the debt. Plus, we’ll have money to continue repairs. Stetson, you’re a genius!”
For the first time in a long time, long before she left for college, Lou Lou was smiling for him. He pulled her in for a quick one-armed hug. “We should celebrate.”
“Who has time?” She got to her feet. “I have fliers to make and an advertisement to place in Sunday’s paper.” She headed for the horses, glancing back over her shoulder. “Well, aren’t you coming?”
“I reckon.” He jogged to catch up to her. “Race you to the barn,” he said, once he was in the saddle.
“You’re on.” She kicked her heels, sending her golden-haired horse into a gallop.
“Come on, Buster. Yah!”
Buster was a fast horse, an animal who loved to run, but Daffy seemed to have wings on her feet. Lou Lou pulled to a stop and grinned, her hair wild around her face, her hat hanging by a thread around her neck. Her beauty took Stetson’s breath away.
“What’s wrong?” Her smile faded as she slid from her horse. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, uh, yeah, I’m fine.” He dismounted and grabbed the reins to both horses. “Why don’t you go check on Betty while I take care of the horses.”
She frowned. “No, I’ll take care of Daffy. I enjoy brushing her.” She followed him into the barn. “Are you sure you’re okay? You look flushed.”
“I’m fine,” he snapped. He sighed, “I’m sorry. Just running over in my head all the work we have to do.” How easy the lie slid from his tongue. But, he couldn’t let her know the way she affected him. Not when she’d made it clear she’d rather kiss a horse than him.
“You’re acting weird.” She grabbed Daffy’s reins and stomped past him into the stall next to the one he used for Buster. Soon, she sang some silly song from the fifties, her sweet voice filling the barn and doing nothing for his emotions.
He leaned his forehead against Buster’s back. “I’m doomed.”
“Are you talking to me?” Lou Lou asked.
“No, just the horse.”
By four o’clock, they were sitting around the diningroom table eating roast. Betty insisted on an early meal on Sundays and not in the kitchen.
She listened as they laid out the plan they had for paying off her debt. When they’d finished, she nodded. “I like it. It’s a great idea. I promise to never get in this type of a fix again.” She took her time smoothing her napkin in her lap. “Once upon a time, I’d intended to turn this place into a bed and breakfast, but church activities, bingo, and the red hat club activities stole my time.” She glanced up. “Not that that’s a legitimate reason. It’s an excuse, but there you go.”
“It’s all right, Auntie.” Lou Lou patted her arm. “We’ll get it fixed.”
“At your’s and Stetson’s expense. I’m a foolish old woman.”
Lou Lou glanced at Stetson and raised her eyebrows. “Help,” she mouthed.
“Betty, look at me,” he said. When she did, he continued, “We all make mistakes. Remember that time I wouldn’t wait for my father to check out that car I wanted to buy and it broke down on the side of the road before I even made it home? Or how about the time I took the boat out without doing a thorough check over and almost sunk it?”
“Childish escapades.”
“My point it, we all make mistakes. Why shouldn’t you have fun at your age?”
She narrowed her eyes. “I’m sixty-five, Stetson, not ancient. I’ve never been good with money. Bless my dear Davey’s heart. The things that man put up with. You’ll see some of it when you look in the attic. Now, once you go through this house and get rid of the hoard I have stashed everywhere, we’ll take it to church and have a rummage sale.”
“You won’t need to sell your things with the horse boarding,” Stetson told her.
“Maybe not, but I’d like to have money set aside for emergencies.” She hung her head. “The utilities are behind, too.”
Stetson closed his eyes and prayed for patience.
Chapter Four
After a week of very little progress on the house because of filling the horse stalls in the barn, Lou Anne now sat in a booth filled with antiques and doo dads from the attic. There were still tons of stuff up there. Some she’d cleaned and used in the house, putting the lesser valued pieces of furniture in the sale. Now, exhausted, she put her chin in her hand, her elbow on the table, and wondered why Auntie wasn’t helping in the booth.
With the horse boarding, they’d have enough to pay off the debt, but nothing left for repairs, food, and care of the animals. Sometimes, Lou Anne thought her dreaming made her as silly as her aunt.
“Here you go. I’m selling bottles of my famous barbeque sauce.” Stetson set a large box on the table. “All proceeds go to the house.”
“That’s wonderful, but ar
e you sure? Folks will buy this in a second.” Lou Anne picked up a quart jar with a sticker price of ten dollars. Steep, but she knew folks would purchase the sauce. “Are you going to take orders?”
“Yes, he will.” Meredith, Lou Anne’s best friend from high school and Stetson’s younger sister, stepped around the booth. “Hey, girlfriend.”
“Merry!” Lou Anne rushed to hug her. If not for Stetson’s quick acting, she would have dropped the jar. “When did you get here?”
“Last night. Stetson put me right to work. Now, I’m here to help you with the booth.”
“But, you’re job.”
“I can take a vacation once in a while, can’t I? I’ve realtors working under me now. I’ll still get my cut.” She leaned closer. “Besides, there is something I want to talk to you about. Something I mentioned to my brother last night.”
“I can’t wait to hear.”
“I’ll leave you two ladies to do whatever it is you do. There’s a horse I want to look at.” Stetson tipped his hat, winked at Lou Anne, then strolled down the path between the canopies.
Lou Anne grabbed Merry’s hand. “Sit down and tell me. As soon as I take care of this customer.” Lou Anne was kept busy from then until closing time at five o’clock, selling all of Stetson’s sauce, taking a hundred orders and selling most of the antique furniture.
Tears filled her eyes as she counted the money. “We can pay off the debt and have some left over. Now, any income we have goes straight to repairs.”
“Which is a very good thing.” Meredith folded a box of candles closed. “Because Betty’s house was built in 1898. I think you should approach the Historical committee about making it a historic landmark. You’d have to let people take tours, but that would only mean more income.”
Lou Anne blinked a few times, drying her eyes. “Can we do that?”
“Most likely, but the house will have to be restored to its original glory. Stetson said it was very doable.”
Lou Anne lowered to a folding chair. Could they really? Would Auntie want people traipsing through her house? “It really would solve our problems.”
Love Draws Near Page 20
