by Rachel Hanna
“Look, I can explain, honey…”
“I swear to God I will stab you in the eye if you ever call me that again. I’m not your honey or your sweetie or your Pipes. You lost every right to call me those names when you walked out on us!”
“Hold your voice down. You’re scaring the customers,” he said. Piper turned around to see an older woman looking at her. At this point, she didn’t care. She wanted to grab a bushel of apples and start doing a little target practice on Johnny’s head.
“Why are you here?” she asked as she turned back to face him. He was tall and looked much the same as he did all those years ago. She could see Lucas’s eyes, and he had Johnny’s prominent ears too. The thought of her son missing out on knowing his father was almost too much to bear, but seeing him in the flesh made her feel homicidal.
“I came to see Lucas. I want to make things right.”
She froze in place. If Lucas had been there, she would’ve run right then. Run as fast and as far as possible. Being poor had caused Piper to miss out on a lot of things in her life, one being legal protection for her son. She’d never filed the paperwork to terminate Johnny’s rights because he didn’t seem interested and she never wanted Lucas to think she had prevented his father from seeing him. Now that might just come back to bite her in the butt.
“No. Absolutely not. Besides, he isn’t here.”
“Yet,” Johnny said.
“You don’t know anything,” she responded, turning to walk away.
“I know my son will be arriving tomorrow with your mother.”
Piper felt like she was going to throw up, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her upset. She had an apple festival to run, and she wanted to make sure it was a success. Johnny would have to be dealt with later.
“I’m busy right now,” she said flatly, turning back around to face him. “I can’t deal with you right now.”
“I’m staying in town. I’ll be back in a few hours, and we can talk about the future,” he said, smiling as if he had the right to smile at her. She wanted to slap him but thought better of it.
Johnny had never been abusive, at least not physically. No, his form of abuse was more about abandonment and lack of care. And he was dang good at it.
She watched him walk back to his beat up truck and struggled to pull herself together. As she turned, she ran right into Cameron’s strong chest. He smelled like farm animals, but she would’ve gladly snuggled up with him in a pig pen right now just for some comfort and security.
“Hey. Everything okay?” he asked softly. The tenderness in his voice shocked her. She looked up at him, a stray tear escaping her eye in an act of defiance. She quickly wiped it away and tried to move around him. He held her arm and pulled her back gently, not averting his gaze.
“My son’s father… the one who walked out on us after he was born…”
“That was him?” Cameron surmised.
“Yep. Johnny Avery, in the flesh. Bastard.” She took a deep breath and pursed her lips.
“Why is he here?”
“He’s up to something. I don’t know what yet, but he wants to see Lucas.”
“Has he ever spent time with his son?” Cameron asked, looking back to make sure the hayride was covered.
“No. Lucas has never met him, and he would be so confused if he did. I’m just sick over this. I don’t even know how he found me, but he’s coming back here this evening…”
“Piper, we’ll handle this, okay? I promise. He won’t get away with this,” Cameron said. He spoke with such authority that Piper almost believed him, but she also knew the charm and cunning of her ex.
“This isn’t your problem,” she said quietly. He squeezed her arm and smiled.
“Look, we own this place together. You’re my partner in this crazy venture, and that makes you like family. And I don’t let anyone hurt my family, okay?” he said.
She couldn’t breathe, so she nodded her head and smiled. Cameron ran back toward the hayride, and Piper was left wondering what in the world she was going to do.
* * *
“My God, that was exhausting,” Cameron said as he slid down into one of the rocking chairs on the front porch. Piper was already sitting in the other one with her cowboy hat covering her eyes.
“Hector said we nailed it, though. Rough estimate is we exceeded last year by at least ten percent,” she said as she sighed. She was excited and proud of what they’d managed to throw together in a few short days, but she also knew Johnny was coming back any minute and she needed to prepare for Lucas’s arrival the next day. She was spent.
“I have to admit, it was kind of fun,” Cameron said with a chuckle. Piper removed her hat and looked at him. He had his eyes closed, a warm smile spread across his face like a lazy cat. He looked at home and peaceful.
“Oh yeah? You thought this was fun?” she said. He opened his eyes and looked at her.
“It was fun with you, Piper,” he said softly. She sucked in a sharp breath as he continued looking at her without breaking his gaze.
“Cameron, I…” she started, but her comment was interrupted by the sound of Johnny’s tires driving over the gravel in front of the house. Her stomach churned, and there was a momentary threat of that candy apple she’d eaten coming right back up.
“Hey, Pipes,” he said as he walked up, his baseball cap in his hand. Johnny sauntered more than he walked, his ego and attitude radiating around him.
She stood and smoothed her jeans with her hands. “I told you not to call me that, Johnny.”
“Sorry. I forgot. Can we go somewhere and talk?” he asked. Cameron stood and positioned himself beside Piper.
“Why does she need to go anywhere with you?” Cameron asked, his arms crossed over his broad chest.
“Who are you?” Johnny asked, crossing his arms too and shooting Cameron a smirk. The two men were similar in height, although Johnny was more of the gangly sort, his stark blond hair a major contrast to Cameron’s dark locks.
Cameron looked like a cowboy who could dress up nice. Johnny looked like a good old boy - some might even say a hillbilly - with no career prospects.
“I’m her business partner and her friend, and I don’t recall that either one of us invited you onto our property,” Cameron said taking a step forward. Piper instinctively reached for him, pulling him back from making any stupid mistakes that could get him into trouble. She knew Johnny would love nothing better than a fight.
“Look, man, I just need to talk to the mother of my son. Now, I can go to the local judge around here and make this more official if you’d like, or we can do this like good parents would.”
Piper’s mouth dropped open as she stepped around Cameron and walked down the steps until she was a foot in front of Johnny’s face.
“Good parents? Are you freaking kidding me right now? You walked away and never looked back, Johnny. What the hell right do you have even saying the word ‘parent’?”
She was small, but feisty, and she vowed to climb right up his six-foot something body and strangle him if he even came near her son.
“I told you, Pipes… Piper… I made a mistake. I was young and stupid back then. I want to know my son. I think he deserves to know his Dad.”
“Sperm donor,” she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.
Cameron continued standing on the porch, like a guard keeping watch, but he said nothing.
“Can I see him? Please?” Johnny asked. She argued with herself in her own mind. Every part of her wanted to say no, he’d missed his chance seven years ago. But what would Lucas want? Would he want to know his father, no matter what a scumbag he was? Would he resent her one day for not allowing it?
“He’s not here. I already told you that.”
“But he’ll be here tomorrow with your mother.”
She sighed. “Fine, Johnny. One visit. Supervised with me in the room at all times. And then we take it from there. You say anything to confuse or upset
my son, and I will stick this cowboy boot so far up your butt that you can taste the leather. You hear me?” she said, pointing her petite finger up in his face.
Johnny smiled. “Still a spitfire I see. Always loved that about you,” he said as he backed up toward his truck. “Be back tomorrow evening.”
“No. Lucas needs time to adjust to his new home, Johnny. Give us a few days.”
“Two days, Piper. You can’t keep my kid from me. I never signed away my rights. Day after tomorrow, I’ll be here to see my son and we’ll work things out for the future,” he said as he opened his door. Piper charged toward him.
“What do you mean the future?”
“Oh, I’m not going anywhere. I’m moving to Whiskey Ridge to be a part of my son’s life. We’ll need a custody agreement, sweetie. Wouldn’t want things to be unfair, right?” he said with a sarcastic smile before climbing into his truck and driving away.
“Johnny! You won’t get away with this!” she screamed as she ran a good twenty feet chasing his truck before stopping and kneeling on the ground.
Cameron scooped her up into his arms and carried her up the porch steps and into the house as she sobbed, only coming to rest once he reached the sofa in the formal living room.
He pulled her close, resting her face against his chest and let her cry.
“God, what am I going to do?” she finally said through her sniffles. “I can’t send my son with him. Johnny has a temper. I mean he never hit me, but I always knew it was around the corner…”
“We’re going to fight. That’s what we’re going to do,” Cameron said.
“We?”
“Piper, we’re in this thing together.”
“I don’t understand what you mean, Cameron…” she said, more confused than she’d ever been in her life.
“Well, maybe this will clear it up for you,” he said, pressing his lips firmly against hers, his hands cupping the base of her head. It took her a moment to realize what was happening, but then her lips matched his rhythm and she lost herself in what seemed like starry-eyed vertigo.
She had never been kissed like this. His lips were warm, eager, safe. But kissing after crying was dangerous because her nose was so stuffed up that she had to break their connection to take a deep breath.
“I’m sorry…” Cameron said, immediately standing up and running his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know what came over me.”
Piper stood and went to him. “No, I just couldn’t breathe. Stupid crying,” she giggled. “Cameron, I was okay with you kissing me. Actually, I was more than okay…”
He smiled, relief washing across his face. “Really? Because we kind of hated each other a few days ago.”
“Yeah, well, I think there’s something magical about this place,” she said with a grin. “Or your grandmother knew exactly what she was doing.”
“I think it’s a little bit of both. And as much as I could spend the rest of the night standing right here kissing you, don’t you think we should get the place ready for your mom and Lucas?” he asked, sliding his hands up her upper arms.
“Probably…” she said, rising up on her tippy toes to quickly steal one more kiss. “And figure out what to do about Johnny.”
“Yeah, well, you have resources now, Piper. Plenty of resources. And I have a feeling that Johnny can be persuaded to stop all this nonsense. I’m sure Mr. Dylan would be more than glad to help us.”
“Oh, Cameron, you’re so smart,” she said with a smile. “And super sexy…”
“Oh yeah?” he said as he followed her through the foyer. “Remember that when I irritate you next…"
Chapter 10
Piper couldn’t stop smiling. Not only was today the day that her family arrived, but the feeling of Cameron’s kiss was still lingering on her lips.
They had spent the rest of the evening cleaning up, stocking Nancy’s guest house, making the bed in Lucas’s new room. It had been a whirlwind of activity that didn’t allow for more kissing, lest they end up in a ball on the floor.
It didn’t matter that danger bells were ringing in her ears over the thought of giving her heart to this man she despised a week ago. It didn’t matter that she was worried sick over Johnny and what he might do. The only thing predictable about Johnny was that he was completely unpredictable.
No, today was the day she’d been looking forward to for almost two weeks. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Lucas’s face when he saw his new home. Her heart swelled at the thought of finally being able to provide for him in the way he deserved.
Piper stood on the front porch, her hands in the prayer position under her chin as she anxiously watched the driveway. Her mother had called ten minutes ago to let her know they were almost there, and she bobbed up and down on her toes as adrenaline rushed through her system.
“Good morning,” she heard Cameron whisper into her ear as he slid his hands around her waist and buried his head into the side of her neck. Her whole body was in overdrive now, the adrenaline unsure of which way to go. Never had a man made her feel so wanted and secure.
This was her dream. A farm. Wide open spaces. Her own business. A gorgeous man slipping his arms around her waist as they stared out over their land and dreamed of the future.
“Good morning,” she said softly as she turned enough to plant a soft kiss on his lips. “My baby will be here in a minute.”
He dropped his hands and cleared his throat. “Then I guess I’d better get ready,” he said with a laugh. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him “readjusting” his jeans and she struggled not to giggle out loud.
“I’m so nervous!” she said, squealing like a pre-teen girl getting ready to meet her favorite boy band.
“Nervous? Why?”
“I just want him to love it here like I do,” she said, craning her neck to see down part of the driveway.
“He will. This place is heaven on Earth for a little boy,” he said with a smile as he watched her eagerly look at the driveway.
And then she saw her mother’s little beat-up car slowly rolling down gravel drive and she started jumping up and down as she ran toward it.
“Lucas!” she screeched as she ran and scooped him up into her arms. She covered his cheek with kisses as he giggled and tried to escape.
“You’re tickling me!” he yelled. She loosened her grip and looked at him.
“How do you look a year older already?”
“Mom…” he groaned. “I’m still only seven.”
“Really? Not possible. You look twenty-seven!” Lucas let out a big belly laugh and then looked at the stately home beside them. “Is that our house now, Mommy?” he asked incredulously.
Piper smiled broadly and glanced back at Cameron before answering. “It absolutely is, sweetie! Can you believe it?”
Lucas slowly walked toward the porch and then looked straight up. The sight of her little boy, still so small in stature, staring up at the gift Lola had given them was almost too much to take in at the same time.
“Santa must really love us,” he said as he turned back around.
“Santa?” Piper asked.
“Yeah. I wrote him a letter in school last Christmas, but he must’ve needed some time to build this.”
“What did your letter say?” Piper asked, glancing at Cameron again.
“It said to please give me and my mommy a great big house and space for animals to run outside and play…” he said walking around and looking at everything with wide eyes.
“Well then, I guess Santa heard your wish and just gave it to you very early this year so you could spend Christmas here.”
“And God. I asked God too. I bet they worked together on this. It was a big job,” he said. Piper was amazed at his wisdom, but also at his faith.
“Momma!” Piper said, realizing that Nancy was still standing there watching the scene from beside the driver door on her little car. Piper gave her a big hug. “You must be exhausted. Let’s go inside and have a
cup of coffee.”
“I’ll grab your bags,” Cameron said as Piper, Nancy and Lucas walked toward the porch.
“Oh, you don’t have to…” Nancy started.
“I insist. Welcome to Blue Ridge Orchards,” he said with a smile.
* * *
Watching Piper with her son was mesmerizing. She was obviously a fantastic mother, and Lucas was a great kid from what he could tell. He was polite, smart and pretty funny without even knowing it.
But all Cameron could think about right now was protecting both of them from that idiot. That guy was trouble, and Cameron had to figure out a plan to get rid of him. He wouldn’t be a good influence on Lucas and would probably just break his heart.
And he also couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. And putting his arms around her this morning. That had taken some massive courage to try, but it had worked. She’d leaned back and kissed him softly, and it was all he could do not to press her against the nearest wall.
This was a bad situation. How was he going to navigate the choices he had to make? Their “time limit” would be coming to an end soon and he would have to make a decision about his business.
“He’s missed his Momma,” Nancy said as she walked up beside Cameron. He hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to her much yet, but she seemed like a nice enough woman. The years hadn’t been kind to her, but apparently she’d worked hard to raise Piper alone.
“And she has missed him. She talked about him every day.”
“Piper is a good mother. Much better than I was. She deserves this blessing in her life,” she said, with what sounded like a hint of warning in her voice. Cameron didn’t know exactly what that was about.
“I agree. She most certainly does,” he said. He could see Nancy looking up at him, almost studying him, from the corner of his eye. He tried not to look at her, but she was making it pretty obvious. “Something wrong?” he finally asked with a smile.
“The way you’re looking at my daughter… If I didn’t know better, I’d believe you’ve fallen for her,” she said with a lilt in her voice. She smiled knowingly and headed toward her daughter and grandson.
