“You’d have to ask Brendan to confirm,” Luke said, “but I think R & R here has made him a little more social.”
“Are you serious? Rest and relaxation?” Brendan laughed. “He’s got the whole town bringing me stuff to fix. On top of that I get a call every day about fixing ranch equipment. Now he’s nagging me to open a business. It’s been nothing but work.”
“And yet you continue to do it.” Luke nodded with satisfaction. “So that got me to thinking. There are seven cabins. I helped my dad build them—one for each of his kids.” Satisfaction faded and there was sadness in his eyes. “He and my mom wanted all of us to live here. If that didn’t work out, they said they could always open a dude ranch.”
“It didn’t quite go that way,” Fiona said gently.
Everyone in Rust Creek Falls knew the story. His folks died too young in a car accident, and the family got split up. Some of their kids were pretty little and ended up getting adopted by other families. The older boys—including Luke—left town on their own, and the rest were raised by their grandparents. In the last couple of years the Stocktons were finding their way back to each other.
“So what’s your plan for the cabins?” she asked.
“I want to dedicate a couple of them for veterans who might need a quiet place where they can get a fresh start.” He stopped for a moment. “I’ve given this a lot of thought and I’d like to start a charitable foundation, add more cabins. Make the existing ones more homey. But that would take some money.”
“Hey, this is Rust Creek Falls. People are generous and more than happy to contribute to a good cause,” Fiona pointed out. “In fact, you guys are having a Halloween party here, right?”
“Yeah,” he said. “We want to make it an annual family tradition.”
“Turn it into a fund-raiser,” she suggested. “I’ll get the word out on that. We can do a bake sale and pass the hat. All you and Eva have to do is plan the party, which I’m quite sure she has under control. Let me do the rest.”
“Are you sure?” Luke said.
“Yes.”
“Okay, then. I knew I could count on you. Everyone does.”
Not everyone, she thought, looking up at Brendan. He might be more social than when he got here, but he was still holding part of himself back. After what they’d just done in his cabin, she was more emotionally invested than she wanted to be. Obviously he was attracted to her, but he’d come right out and said he wouldn’t make promises. There was every reason to believe she was just spinning her wheels.
Chapter Nine
For Brendan, time was now defined as before sleeping with Fiona and after. Before yesterday he’d been able to tell himself he could resist her. Today that didn’t hold water. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. Had sex ever been that perfect? Or was it just perfect with her?
And, damn it, how long had he been staring into space picturing her naked? If the guys in his unit could see him now, he’d be mocked mercilessly. Back to work, he told himself.
He looked at the broken toaster he’d taken apart and the line of small appliances on the workbench—some fixed, some waiting for his attention. He had decided to take a day off from fixing ranch equipment and try to clear off a backlog of things that folks needed in their homes. The sheer number was impressive and each one represented people who’d reached out to him.
“This town is sucking me in,” he grumbled.
And not just the town. Fiona.
She was sassy and strong. Independent. And that was sexy as hell. The only part of making love to her that didn’t meet a perfect standard was having to get up to care for the horses. But doing that first wasn’t an option. He’d nearly taken her by the stream. Waiting to have her was the hardest thing he’d ever done. The idea of not leaving his bed and making love to her for a week was awfully appealing, but he had a feeling even that wouldn’t be long enough. And he was off again, thinking about her in his arms.
“I’m going to start calling you Sergeant Slacker.” Luke walked into the workshop and set a large cardboard box on the bench in front of Brendan.
“That’s Sergeant Major Slacker to you, and I’m going as fast as I can,” he lied. Apparently he didn’t need the guys in his old unit to mock him. Luke filled that role just fine.
“I would hope so.” The other man grinned. “Because I have an idea.”
“Does this inspiration have anything to do with me?”
“What was your first clue?”
“I’m pretty sure you didn’t come out here to insult my work ethic.” He nodded at the box in front of him. “And you brought a whole bunch of junk.”
“Of all people you should see the potential here.” Luke picked up a remote control car that had seen better days. “If you can fix this, it’s worth something to someone. That would be found money. Maybe that’s why it’s called a foundation.”
“Funny guy.” Brendan glanced down at the box’s contents and saw a stuffed toy with a pull on the back that presumably had made it talk at one time. There was a mirror with lights around it. If they lit up the thing wouldn’t be here. And he saw a mobile with zoo animals hanging from a windup thing, for a baby’s crib. “So you plan to sell these.”
“If you can fix them. And I have every faith you can. Obviously you’d be donating your time,” he pointed out.
“And just when am I supposed to find time to donate? What with making house calls to ranches to repair the big-ticket machinery?”
“You can teach someone how to do what you do.”
The way his father had taught him, Brendan thought. “Are you planning to set up a booth in the corral to sell this stuff?”
Luke didn’t look at all discouraged. “I’m going to search for retail space in town. Maybe I can talk the owner into reduced rent, or better yet, none at all, to maximize profits. Eva and I have big plans for Sunshine Farm. People coming here for a fresh start might be willing to volunteer some time, or if things go well, we can afford to pay a wage for their work.”
“An awful lot of things have to fall into place,” he pointed out.
“You are so glass-half-empty.” Luke tsked. “Have some faith.”
“I do. Faith that I may not be sticking around.”
“And leave all this?” His friend glanced around the workshop that was starting to look like a trash heap with bicycles in various stages of disrepair. An electric frying pan and Crock-Pot were gathering dust. There was a leaf blower and even a chainsaw someone had persuaded him to try to work a miracle on.
“Hard to believe, I know,” Brendan said wryly.
“Seriously, you should open a repair shop in town, right next to the Sunshine Farm Foundation Store. There’s a real need and you’d be doing something worthwhile. It’s a win-win.”
“This was never a career goal,” he pointed out. “Just something to keep me busy.”
“Mission accomplished.” Luke folded his arms over his chest. “A man can’t spend all his time on keeping in shape, you know.”
That was a reference to his daily workouts. Training had been hit-and-miss when he was caring for his dad. Since coming to Rust Creek Falls, his daily routine included intense exercise in order to be physically ready to reenlist.
“I don’t want folks to start depending on me.”
“Hate to break it to you, my friend. They already do.”
But could he depend on them? Before joining the Marines, the only person Brendan trusted was his dad.
In the military, shared experiences, hardship and danger had forged unbreakable bonds, ones that made his fellow soldiers more like brothers. But civilian life had not given him any reason to trust people.
Luke sighed. “At least think about making it permanent?”
Maybe that would keep him from thinking about Fiona. “Will do.”
“So, when I walked in her
e just now you were deep in thought. Did that have anything to do with a certain pretty redhead who volunteered to handle the Halloween party fund-raiser for the foundation?”
It was like the man could read his mind and Brendan wasn’t comfortable with that. On the day of his horseback ride with Fiona, Brendan remembered that his friend had said he was partially responsible for the idea to dedicate a certain number of cabins for soldiers. Brendan didn’t want to be anyone’s poster boy.
“I have a lot of things on my mind,” he said.
“Are all of them named Fiona?”
The man wasn’t going to let this go so it might be good to just throw him a bone. “She’s a very special woman.”
“You’ll get no argument from me. Is it my imagination that things have gotten serious between you two pretty quickly?”
As much as Brendan wanted to push back against that, he couldn’t. That was the truth. And sleeping with her complicated everything. He hadn’t changed his mind about her being the kind of woman who deserved more than a one-night stand.
“Are you asking me what my intentions are?”
“No. Yes.” Luke held up a hand to stop the angry reply he was expecting. “I know I have no right. She’s a grown woman, but—”
“You feel like a brother to her,” Brendan finished.
“Yeah. How did you know that?”
“She told me it’s hard to meet men in Rust Creek Falls because she grew up with most of them and they’re all like brothers.” He also knew that Fiona wasn’t a fan of anyone fixing her up.
“Since I left town for years I didn’t exactly grow up with her.” Luke’s easygoing expression disappeared for a moment, but then he seemed to shake off whatever had put it there. “Call me a cockeyed optimist—”
“You’re a cockeyed optimist.”
The other man laughed. “But I want everyone to be as happy as Eva and I are.”
“You guys are the lucky ones.”
His father hadn’t been, and Leon warned Brendan not to risk his heart. So far he’d been pretty successful. Love had never been an issue because he always kept women at a distance. Somehow Fiona had breached his perimeter without firing a shot—just by being her. And suddenly the rules of engagement made no sense to him anymore.
“I am lucky,” Luke agreed.
“For some of us that’s just not in the cards.”
“Then some of you have to make an effort to turn over different cards.” He held up a hand again. “I’m not asking why, just saying you don’t have to be alone.”
He’d always felt alone but that was before Fiona. And he’d never missed any woman the way he did her when they were apart. But putting up barriers was second nature now. Bringing them down wasn’t easy to do and he wasn’t even sure he wanted to try.
“Look, not that I don’t enjoy being badgered,” Brendan said, “but don’t you have something else to do? Somewhere else to be? Another guy to play matchmaker for? And it has to be said. I’m not sure the Cupid thing is a good look for you.”
“I’m really hurt,” Luke teased. “But you’re not wrong. I do have to get going. As a matter of fact, I’m on my way into town and, if you want, I can deliver some of the things you’ve repaired. Save you a trip.”
“That’s okay. I’ll take care of it.” His response was automatic, a default position, not depending on anyone. If he did it himself, he knew the job was done. No one could let him down. “Thanks for the offer, though.”
“We’re going to have to learn to work together when you eventually crack under pressure and agree to open the repair shop. When that happens, I promise not to say I told you so.”
Before Brendan could tell him he was full of it, Luke walked away. Based on the man’s perceptive remarks about Fiona and his own tendency to distrust others, it was hard not to believe that Luke was reading his mind.
Except if that was the case, he would also know why he felt the way he did. In the Marines, it started with boot camp. Recruits had to work together. If someone screwed up they were all punished. Others had his back; he had theirs. The training prepared them all for what was coming and the bond became stronger, literally forged in fire, during the heat of battle.
He’d never felt like he belonged anywhere the way he did in the Marine Corps. Brendan had made it through his father’s illness and passing because of his resolve to reenlist when he got himself in good enough physical shape.
Then Fiona chased a kid into this workshop and his whole world tilted. The more time he spent with her, the more he felt caught in a firefight without his combat armor. It was easy for Luke to hype being married when things worked out so well for him. But Brendan had seen what happened when it all went to hell and he didn’t want to set foot in that minefield.
* * *
After learning of Luke Stockton’s plans for Sunshine Farm and the foundation he planned to start, Fiona got busy. The Halloween party was coming up fast and she had to get word out quickly. So, late the following afternoon, she headed to The Rust Creek Falls Gazette office in town. The sooner there was a notice in the paper, the better.
She needed to see the features editor, Nell Cook, who was in charge of a page called “What’s Cookin’.” She reported upcoming town events and a calendar of activities. If there was a bake sale, car wash for charity or a health clinic, Nell handled it. But she couldn’t do that if she didn’t know about it.
The office was located on North Main Street, and Fiona drove into the parking lot it shared with Bee’s Beauty Parlor, Wings To Go and Daisy’s Donuts. All of these businesses fronted the parallel street, North Broomtail Road. She parked and slid out of the truck, then headed around the building to the front door.
Nell was her friend. They’d gone to high school together, but the other woman was a couple of years younger. She wasn’t married yet, either, but at least the big 3-0 wasn’t staring her in the face.
Lydia Grant, receptionist and editor, sat at the front desk. She smiled. “Hi, Fiona. Go on back. Nell won’t mind.”
“Thanks.”
She went down the short hall and found her friend’s office. The door was open and Nell’s back was to it. She was staring intently at the computer monitor.
Fiona knocked once. “What’s cookin’?”
The other woman swiveled her chair around and grinned, then stood and walked past the cluttered desk for a hug. “Like I’ve never heard that before.”
“Yeah. I couldn’t resist. How are you?” She glanced at the desktop chaos that somehow worked for her friend. “Looks like you’re keeping busy.”
“That’s an understatement,” said the pretty brown-eyed brunette. “And you’re here to give me more work, aren’t you?”
“How did you know?”
“Because I know you. Have a seat.” She indicated the unpadded chair and rested a hip on the corner of her desk, probably the only spot without something on it. “What’s up?”
“Luke Stockton is turning his Halloween party into a fund-raiser.”
“For what?”
“You’re going to who, what, when, where and why me, so just listen without interrupting and I’ll give it to you all at once.” She took a deep breath and filled in her friend on all of Luke’s plans. “Actually it was my idea to make a fund-raiser out of the Halloween party he and Eva are having at Sunshine Farm.”
“You mean Lonelyhearts Ranch?” she said with a laugh.
“No. Officially it’s called Sunshine Farm. And you can’t miss the big yellow barn it gets its name from.”
“That barn is visible from the moon,” Nell agreed. “But the name Lonelyhearts Ranch is catching fire. As are the people who stay there, it would seem.” She sighed at Fiona’s look. “Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. I don’t write ‘Rust Creek Ramblings’ but I never miss a column that publicizes what goes on in
this town.”
“Me, either.” The column contained gossip, rumors and romantic liaisons and was not to be missed. No one in town wanted to be left out of the loop. But Fiona wanted to be left out of any talk that could land her in that column. “I’ve noticed that fresh starters at the ranch have been featured a little.”
“A little?” Nell pushed her black-framed glasses to the top of her head. “You think?”
Fiona knew her friend was driving at something but she couldn’t see what. “It’s all about a safe place to get your life together.”
“Hmm.” The other woman nodded knowingly. “Finding a relationship could also be defined as ‘getting your life together.’”
“It’s not about falling in love.” If it were, Fiona would know.
“Maybe not about that, but it’s still going on.”
“What are you talking about?” That was a stall because Fiona knew exactly what she meant.
“Luke and Eva.” Nell held up a hand and started counting off fingers.
“Technically they fell in love before moving to the ranch.”
The other woman continued as if she hadn’t said anything. “Amy Wainwright, who came for their wedding fell back in love with Derek Dalton. Or maybe they never stopped loving each other since that secret, impulsive teenage marriage.”
“So the ranch didn’t have anything to do with them committing to each other,” Fiona argued.
“But it came together for them while Amy was staying there.” She held up a third finger. “Then there’s Mikayla Brown, who came to stay. Even pregnant, or maybe because she was, she ended up with millionaire Jensen Jones.”
“Okay. I’ll give you that. But it’s coincidence that she happened to be staying there.”
Wagging her ring finger, Nell said, “Josselyn Weaver came to stay and ended up with delicious widower Dr. Drew Strickland. She just came for a new beginning and found it with the doctor and his son.”
“So she wasn’t a lonely heart running from something.” But Fiona had a feeling she was spitting into the wind.
“I’m beginning to think there’s something in the water there, or a romantic vibe. So far everyone who came to visit has fallen in love.”
Unmasking the Maverick Page 11
