by Kara Lennox
Gwen tucked it into her apron. “Thanks, Mary Kay. But I’m not selling.”
“I wouldn’t, either,” Mary Kay gushed. “Not that I wouldn’t mind the commission, but you’ve got the prettiest house in town, now that it’s all fixed up.”
“Thanks. Will you stay for tea?”
“No, I need to get home to Pumpkin. He suffers from separation anxiety when I’m gone. Dr. Hartman gave me a prescription to calm Pumpkin’s nerves, but I still worry about him.”
In Gwen’s opinion, Mary Kay was the one who needed the prescription. All Pumpkin, her fat orange barn cat, needed was to live a normal cat life. Sometimes Mary Kay took the cat, which she claimed was some rare breed of Persian, on walks around town wearing a pink rhinestone collar and matching leash.
“Thanks, anyway,” Mary Kay said, fluffing her permed blond hair. “Your new neighbor should be moving in right away. Keep an eye out and let me know, huh? I didn’t meet him, but he sounded cute over the phone. And he’s single.” She turned and tiptoed down the steps, hips wiggling beneath her short, red skirt, blond hair sprayed helmet-stiff.
Gwen smiled and shook her head. Amanda always joked that Mary Kay was ragingly single. She’d made a play for Jack Hartman, the vet, bringing Pumpkin to him at least once a week with a new, imaginary illness. That was before Jack and Melinda, his partner, had announced their engagement.
As four o’clock approached, Gwen’s guests began arriving. Stella and Irene had dressed for the occasion in pretty dresses. They were both so dear to humor her.
“This is so nice,” Irene Caldwell said, fingering the tablecloth. Irene had been a widow for ten years, and had lived at Tanner’s for six. She was quiet, had no children and generally conducted herself in a dignified manner. Her only indulgence was Benny, her aging Welsh corgi. Though Gwen’s grandmother hadn’t allowed pets, Gwen had made an exception for Benny, who was very sweet and well behaved. Besides, Irene would never have moved in without her dog, which her husband had adored. The little tan dog was twelve now but still going strong, and Gwen found she liked having him around. He was a good watchdog.
Benny had come to the porch with Irene, and now found a prime spot under the table from which he could scarf crumbs when they fell.
The other guests trickled in. Oggie arrived home from school and brought Olivia Mason with him. Olivia was a popular teacher and, with her husband, Kyle, another of the lottery winners. Gwen had also invited Jennifer Faulkner McNeil, who’d moved to Jester only recently, though she’d spent summers here with her grandparents when she was a kid. She’d returned when her grandfather died and left her his lottery winnings. Then she’d up and married Luke McNeil, the sheriff. She arrived with Vickie McNeil Perkins, her best friend and sister-in-law.
“Did anyone see Honor on her way over?” Gwen asked. Honor Lassiter was co-owner of The Mercantile with Ruby Cade. But since they’d hired teenage single mom Valerie Simms as a manager at the store, both partners had more free time. Honor had assured Gwen she would come over today.
“You must not have heard,” Jennifer said. “Honor left on a round-the-world trip.”
There was a murmur of surprise from those who hadn’t heard the latest news, Gwen included.
“That was pretty sudden,” Gwen said. “I know she’s been a bit restless since she received her lottery winnings, but I didn’t think she’d just up and leave. When is she coming back?”
Jennifer shrugged. “No one knows.”
Gwen thought that was rather strange behavior for Honor, who was a sweet, hometown girl who’d never traveled anyplace before.
Wyla was last to arrive, though Gwen wasn’t sure why she bothered. She wouldn’t touch the sweets. She was paranoid about adding a single pound to her painfully thin figure.
Gwen forced herself to be pleasant, since the woman was Stella’s friend. “Hello, Wyla, glad you could join us.”
“Hello, Gwen. Say, I hear you cornered the fella that put the bun in your oven.”
Gwen almost dropped the teapot. “What?”
“Wyla, really,” Stella scolded.
“Well I’m just repeating what I’ve heard. He showed up at the café a couple of weeks ago,” she continued, addressing everyone, assuming they wanted to hear gossip, “then followed Gwen to the boardinghouse. They talked here on this very porch before he finally took off like a scalded cat. Who else would he be but the mystery man?”
“He could be Gwen’s cousin,” Jennifer spoke up. “Or a potential boarder. He could be anyone!”
“Gwen doesn’t have any cousins,” Wyla said. She looked at Gwen. “I knew both your parents, don’t forget.”
“Wyla, for heaven’s sake, stop badgering her,” Irene broke in. “If Gwen wants to tell us who her visitor is, she’ll tell us.” But Gwen could see Irene was brimming with curiosity, though she was too polite to voice it.
Shoot. If Wyla knew about Eli’s visit, the whole town knew. Shelly wouldn’t have said anything. But those old men who hung out at the barbershop were the worst gossips in town.
Gwen sank into a chair. Stella, looking sympathetic, took the teapot from her and assumed the duties of hostess, pouring tea and passing around the pastries.
“I guess it won’t hurt to tell you,” Gwen said. “The man is Eli Garrett, and he’s the father of my babies. But I doubt you’ll be seeing him again.”
Oggie nearly came out of his chair. “He abandoned you?” Oggie didn’t mind hanging out with the ladies. He was secure in his masculinity, and besides, he would never turn down an opportunity to be near Stella. But at this moment he looked furious, doing a pretty good imitation of an outraged father figure.
“He didn’t exactly abandon me,” Gwen said soothingly. “It was more of a mutual agreement.”
“He’s still a yellow dog,” Oggie grumbled, reclaiming his chair. “If you were my daughter, I’d get out my shotgun and there’d be a wedding!”
Gwen didn’t believe for a second that Oggie had ever owned a gun of any type. But she appreciated his protectiveness, even if it was misplaced.
Further conversation about her unwedded state was halted by a god-awful noise on Main Street. Everyone looked to see a huge U-Haul truck approaching.
“What in the world…?” Irene asked.
When the truck turned onto Lottery Lane and passed right in front of Gwen’s house, she thought the driver looked familiar. A troubling suspicion began to build in her mind, especially when the truck stopped and backed into the driveway of the Carter place next door—the one Mary Kay had just sold.
“You have a new neighbor?” Olivia asked Gwen.
“It appears so. I’ll go…welcome him.” Better to face him privately than give the town, not to mention the ever-curious reporters, another bit of fodder for the grapevine.
Gwen walked as fast as she could in her present condition. The truck’s driver opened his door and descended.
“Howdy, neighbor!” Eli said with a broad grin. “Are you the welcome wagon?”
Chapter Three
Eli had seen Gwen in the throes of passion. He’d seen her sweetly shy, irritated and embarrassed. But he’d never seen her spitting mad. He liked it. Anger brought out the fire in her green eyes.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded. Wisps of her auburn hair escaped from a bun at the nape of her neck, flying every which way in the breeze like banners of fire.
He tossed her a lazy smile. “I’m moving in. I decided I like your little town, and I thought it might be fun to have an address on Lottery Lane.”
“But…but you can’t do that.”
“Of course I can.”
She bit her lower lip, a little less sure of her footing now. “Have you even been in that house?”
“Nope. Bought it sight unseen. But I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’m good with my hands, and if it has any problems, I’ll fix them right up.”
For some reason, she smiled. “You have a key?”
“Right here.” He j
ingled his key ring.
“Let’s just go inside and have a look.”
A sense of foreboding settled just under Eli’s ribs. Mary Kay Thompson, the real estate agent who’d sold him this house, had warned him that it was in quite a shambles. No one had lived in it for two years, and the house had been in poor repair even before that. But he’d lived in some pretty crummy places in his life. His first apartment, which he shared with a married teenage couple, had featured a hole in the roof big enough to toss a basketball through.
The outside of the faded pink Victorian appeared to be sound. One broken window on the third floor could be fixed quickly enough. A few missing shingles, some peeling paint. Nothing fatal.
The front porch was missing a few boards. He offered his hand to Gwen, to help her across the uneven surface. She hesitated at first. He suspected she wouldn’t have accepted his help if she hadn’t been pregnant. Concern for her safety won out, and she took his hand.
Her hand felt small, soft and warm in his, like a little bird. He remembered how those hands had felt stroking his body, hesitant at first, then bolder as she’d realized the power she had over him.
Better not go there. He shuttered off those memories and focused on the house, his new home. The lock was rusty, but he finally managed to wrestle the door open.
He stepped inside and flipped a light switch. Nothing happened.
“Some critter probably chewed up your wiring,” Gwen said, sounding almost happy.
“Oh, my God,” was all Eli could think of to say as he took in the rotting carpets, peeling wallpaper and cobwebs. Wasps had built nests in the chandelier. Ivy grew through cracks in the windows. In the dining room, the ceiling had caved in, and it smelled as if a colony of stray cats had taken up residence.
The kitchen was even worse. The appliances were circa 1940. Even if the stove worked, he wouldn’t want to use it for fear of asphyxiating himself or causing an explosion.
“Hell, I can’t live here,” he said, disgusted.
“Glad that’s settled.”
“Is Mac’s Auto Repair in the same shape?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“I bought that, too.” The mechanic’s shop, which faced Main Street, backed up to his property. It was a perfect setup for his business. “I’m a mechanic,” he explained.
“Really?” Her irritation with him fled, at least for the moment. “We haven’t had a real mechanic in Jester for years.”
“What about Tex’s Garage?” He’d noticed the small gas station with one car bay on his way into town.
“Tex mostly works on farm equipment. He can manage a quick oil change, but if there’s anything seriously wrong with a car, we have to drive or be towed to Pine Run to have it fixed. But I don’t know that there would be enough business here for you to make a living. That’s why Mac closed up and left.”
“I’ll manage.”
She narrowed her eyes, her momentary affability vanished. “We’ll see about that. Shall we check upstairs?”
He didn’t see the point. He couldn’t live here until he did some work. “I don’t suppose you have a vacancy at the boardinghouse?”
“No, I’m all full.” She wouldn’t meet his gaze, so he kept staring at her. “Oh, all right, I do have an empty room. But you can’t stay with me. What would people say?”
“You don’t rent to male boarders?”
“Well, yes, I do. Oggie Lewis has been with me forever. But everybody knows—thinks you’re the father of my babies. The gossips have been going nuts ever since your first visit to town.”
“Then I suggest everyone will think I’m here to look after the welfare of my children. And is that so bad?”
She sighed. “But what if they’re not your children?”
He sighed right back at her. “Gwendolyn, we both know they’re mine. So why don’t we stop pretending?”
He wasn’t sure what reaction he expected, but it wasn’t fear. Yet she looked up at him with huge green eyes, and that’s what he saw.
“You’re not…I mean, you don’t want them, do you? You aren’t thinking of a custody battle or something like that, are you? Because if you are, mister, you’re in for a helluva—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Did I say anything about custody?”
“No,” she admitted.
“I wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t rip two innocent children away from their mother. What kind of monster do you think I am?”
Her voice softened. “I don’t think you’re a monster. But I don’t know you very well.”
“I’d like to remedy that.” His finger traced her jawline, and she didn’t flinch from his touch. He thought about mentioning marriage again. But clearly Gwen was feeling vulnerable right now. If he pushed again, she might close up to him completely. He’d settle for moving into her boardinghouse—for now. “So how about you show me that empty room.”
“It’s not much,” she admitted. “It’s the smallest room in the house. I usually stick Harvey Brinkman in there when he comes to town.”
“Who?”
“Harvey Brinkman. He’s a reporter from the Pine Run Plain Talker, a real pill. He took up residence in Jester after the lottery win. Thought I’d never get rid of him. Anyway, the room is small, but it has a little sitting area and a private bath. No shower, though, just a clawfoot tub.”
“Sounds fine.”
“You probably don’t like dogs. Irene, one of my permanent boarders, has a little Welsh corgi, and you have to be nice to him. Rules of the house.”
“I don’t mind dogs at all. In fact, I had one until recently.”
Her face clouded. “What happened to it?”
He shrugged. “Old age.” It still hurt a bit, thinking of Shadow. The big mutt had showed up at the garage, and after a couple of days Eli had been unable to resist those sad eyes and had started feeding him. Next thing he knew, he was hauling the beast to the vet, and Shadow was his. He’d kept Eli company during the day, and guarded the garage at night. He’d died last year.
A noise at the front door snagged their attention. “Yoo-hoo. Gwen? Did you fall down a rabbit hole?”
“We’re in the kitchen, Stella,” Gwen called. “But don’t bother coming in, we’re coming out.”
When they emerged into the welcome daylight, Eli saw the woman belonging to the voice. She was a cute, pudgy lady in her fifties with curly blond hair and a friendly smile.
“Eli, this is Stella Montgomery. Stella, meet our new boarder.”
Eli shook Stella’s hand. “Just temporary, until I get my place fixed up.”
“How nice to meet you,” Stella effused. “Will you join us for tea? I know Oggie would enjoy having another rooster at the hen party.” She tittered at her own bon mot.
“Thanks, but I have a lot to do.” He had to get that truck unloaded somewhere, which meant he had to find someone to help him. “Do you ladies know of a strong man who might be looking to earn some extra money? Oh, what am I thinking? Nobody in Jester needs money.”
“Don’t believe everything you read in the paper,” Gwen said.
“Ask Oggie how to get in touch with Jimmy—he’s custodian at the school,” Stella said helpfully. “Oggie’s another of your neighbors and the school vice principal. I’ll introduce you.”
GWEN SHOWED Eli his room, which he found satisfactory. She introduced him to Oggie, who grudgingly gave him Jimmy’s phone number.
After Eli left to take care of things, Gwen rejoined her guests on the porch. They all stared at her expectantly, dying to know the whole story.
She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction, she decided. Only Sylvia knew she’d picked Eli up in a bar and had known him precisely ninety minutes before she’d slept with him, and Sylvia would never tell.
“We won’t be seeing him again, huh?” Wyla said, enjoying the fact she could throw Gwen’s words back at her. “Apparently he has other ideas. Why’s he here? Is he going to make an honest woman out of you?”
“We�
�re not getting married,” Gwen said flatly.
“Why not?” Oggie wanted to know. “I’ll have a talk with that young man.”
“Oh, Oggie, you’re a dear, but I wish you wouldn’t. I believe Eli would marry me if that’s what I wanted. But it’s not necessary in this day and age. Single women raise children all the time. When I marry, it will be for love.”
Wyla sniffed. “Good luck finding a husband when you’re a single mom. You have a better chance of…” She paused.
“Winning the lottery!” Jennifer finished for her, laughter bubbling up.
Everyone else laughed, diffusing the tension. Conversation thankfully turned to other topics—like whether Shelly was carrying a boy or a girl.
But Gwen couldn’t help thinking about Wyla’s barb. She probably wouldn’t ever get married. Even before she was pregnant, the men hadn’t exactly flocked around her. She was just too darn shy, and she spent any free time she had down at Pop’s Movie Theater, escaping into her favorite pastime—alone.
It was true—single mothers had a hard time of it in the marriage department. Was she foolish to dismiss Eli as potential husband material?
Then again, he hadn’t exactly asked her. Oh, he’d mentioned a wedding as a toss-off line as he was leaving town two weeks ago, but she had no idea whether he would seriously consider the possibility. Especially if he knew he couldn’t touch her money.
AFTER TWO DAYS of living under the same roof as Eli Garrett, Gwen began to wonder exactly how he made his living. He claimed to be a mechanic. But he’d made no move to reopen Mac’s Auto Repair to the public. He had a couple of cars over there, rusty old heaps that would look right at home in a junkyard. He tinkered on them early in the morning for a couple of hours, then worked on his house, which at this stage consisted mostly of hauling debris out to the street.
She was ashamed to admit she’d made it her business to find out how he spent his time. She had a perfect view of his house out her kitchen window, or from the front porch. And if she wanted to get a bird’s-eye view of Mac’s, she went up to her apartment on the third floor and peeked out her sitting room window. Climbing all those stairs was a feat in her condition, so when she’d done it for the third time that day, she knew her interest was excessive.
