by Debbie Mason
Easton shot out of his chair and headed for the door.
“I’ll go with him, Cat. Do me a favor and take Vivi…Slick, what’s wrong?”
At the panic in his brother’s voice, Easton turned.
Vivi shook her head. “It’s not me. It’s Chloe.”
Easton raked his hand through his hair. “What now?”
“I got a late start this morning, and didn’t get a chance to look at the online edition of the paper until it was too late. Nell had uploaded the photo from Cat’s engagement party. The one of Chloe in the pool. I thought I took it down in time, but it looks like the photo got picked up on the wire.”
Cat pinched the bridge of her nose. “What does that mean?”
Vivi made a face. “It’ll be everywhere. And the headline is even worse than the photo, which was pretty bad.”
Lowering herself in a chair, Cat said, “Tell us,”
Vivi read off the screen, “Distraught after being fired from As the Sun Sets, America’s Sweetheart, Chloe O’Connor, tries to drown herself.”
* * *
Chance disconnected from Cat. “Ethan’s on it now. He’s trying to get the photo pulled from all media outlets. Estelle’s putting out a press release saying Chloe’s been in London auditioning for a part in a movie. So all you have to do is confiscate her cell phone and keep her away from TV and computers until we get a handle on it.”
“Yeah, like that won’t be difficult at all. Has anyone told Dad and Liz?”
His brother nodded. “They’re over at Aunt Nell’s right now. They’re counting on you to take care of Chloe.”
“No pressure there. I don’t know how one woman can…” He trailed off at the line of cars and trucks extending from the main road all the way to his…No, it couldn’t be. He rubbed his eyes. “She painted my goddamn cabin pink!”
Chance was practically rolling in the passenger seat with laughter. When he finally he got himself under control, he said, “And those pink and white flowers look real nice in your new window boxes. White shutters are awful pretty, too.”
“Would you shut up? It’s not funny. It looks like a freaking dollhouse.” Easton pulled up behind a flatbed. “What the hell? That’s my couch.” He turned and saw his stove and refrigerator on the side of the road.
Easton slammed out of his truck. His brother met him around the front of the pickup and grabbed his arm. “Okay, calm down. Your furniture was crap anyway. And aside from the color, you have to admit the place looks a million times better than it did. She just should have talked to you before she went ahead and did the renovations, maybe consulted you on her color choice.”
Easton scrubbed his hand over his face. “She texted me earlier and asked my favorite color. I told her pink, but I was joking. Do I look like a guy who likes pink?”
Chance started to laugh again, lifting his chin to the left of the house. “Somebody does. She matches your house.”
He followed his brother’s gaze. Chloe sat in a white Adirondack chair under a pink, frilly umbrella. She had on sparkly shoes and a pink dress. Sipping on what looked like a cocktail, she called out orders to the army of men swarming his house and yard…in a Southern accent.
Chapter Seven
Y’all are doing such a wonderful job. Easton will be beside himself when he sees what y’all have done for him.”
“He’ll be beside himself all right,” Easton muttered as he cut across the main road to the gravel drive.
“Yoo-hoo,” she called out. An older man on the front porch turned. “Yes, you, sir. Would you do me a favor and adjust the shutter on the right? It’s a teensy bit crooked. A little higher. Yes, that’s perfect. Thank you so much.”
How the hell did she notice that from where she was sitting? Jesus, the woman was a perfectionist. She must have driven the guys nuts. They probably wanted to toss Her Royal Bossiness off her throne.
“No problem, sweetheart. You see anything else you want fixed, just give me a holler.”
“Forget old Ben, doll. You call me if you need anything, and I mean anything,” a muscle-bound guy called out.
When several more men yelled the same offer, looking at her like they wanted to eat her up, an overwhelming urge to punch someone came over Easton.
“Y’all are just the sweetest,” she said with a tinkling laugh, then took a sip of her drink.
“So you going to play Rhett to Chloe’s Scarlett?” his brother asked in an amused tone of voice.
“Why the hell would I do that? You can’t think I’m jealous of those guys. I just…” He trailed off at the stunned expression on his brother’s face.
“Whoa, little brother.” Chance stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Where did that come from? I thought Chloe was staying with you so you could keep her out of trouble.”
“A lot of good that did,” he said, trying to think of a way to distract his brother. Easton didn’t want to talk about his reaction because that would mean he’d have to think about it.
“It’s none of my business—you’re old enough to know what you want—but you and Chloe? I don’t know, E, she’s a little high maintenance for you.”
“’Ya think? Look at her.”
“I am, and I get why you’re attracted to her. She’s gorgeous and—”
“A pain in the ass.”
“You know what they say, there’s a fine line between love and hate. Just think long and hard before you get involved with her. A relationship between you two could cause big problems for Liz and Dad if it doesn’t work out.”
“I don’t know where the hell this is coming from, but you can stop talking now. You’re pissing me off. And I’m already mad enough.”
“Yeah, I can see that. Just wondering if it’s the guys buzzing around your girl like she’s a honey pot or your pink house setting you off.”
“She’s not my…What do they think they’re doing? Do you see that? They stole those flowers they’re giving her from my window boxes.”
He didn’t wait for his brother’s response. Though he doubted Chance could make one since he was laughing again. Easton strode in Chloe’s direction, the gravel kicking up dust under his boots.
One of the four men hanging around her chair looked up and said something to her. She leaned forward with a wide, welcoming smile. “Surprise!”
Now how was he supposed to stay mad at her when she was looking at him with excited anticipation on her gorgeous face? Easy, he told himself, she’d painted his house pink and threw out his furniture and appliances without consulting him. And she’d spent what must have been a crapload of money remodeling a place he planned to tear down. All because he’d lied to her. And if he told her the truth now, she’d be humiliated and hurt.
She looked away and said something to the men. They nodded and walked off, but not before a couple of them shot him warning glances. Chloe unhooked her umbrella from the back of the chair and stood up, smoothing a hand down her body-hugging dress. As she walked toward him, she searched his face with a nervous look on hers. “You’re mad at me. You hate it, don’t you?”
He shoved his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “No, just a little surprised.” He glanced at the cabin. “It’s kind of…girly.”
“But you said you liked pink.” She looked up at him through her long lashes, and her shoulders sagged. “You were being sarcastic. Cat says I’m not very good at picking up on sarcasm.” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and glanced over her shoulder. Then she turned back to him and said, “I guess I could ask them to repaint the exterior.”
“Jesus, no, don’t do that. I’ll get used to it.” He only had to live with it for another couple of months.
A look of relief spread across her face. “They’ve all worked so hard today, I’d hate to ask them to stay longer.”
“You wanna tell me why you’re talking with a Southern accent?”
Her cheeks pinked. “I pick up accents easily. The foreman’s originally from Savannah.”
So that explained the British accent. She spent too much time with Estelle.
“Chloe, honey,” his brother said, coming up beside him. “You completely transformed the place.”
“You like it?” she asked with a hopeful smile.
“Are you kidding me? It’s amazing. Suits my brother to a tee. He secretly loves pink, you know.”
Easton shot his brother a look. There seemed to be a double entendre there. If Chloe was a color, she’d be pink.
She lit up. “Would you like me to show you around? You’ll love the new pens they built for Bessie and the chickens, Easton.”
“They’re not pink, are they?”
“No, of course they’re not.”
She really didn’t get sarcasm. He’d have to remember that. “Lead the way.”
As she set off ahead of them, twirling her fancy umbrella, Chance lowered his voice. “Who’s Bessie? And since when do you have chickens?”
“Since this morning. Bessie’s a cow.”
“Going for a little payback, were you? Making the princess slog it out on the farm. You should have remembered Chloe’s not only beautiful, she’s smart, and she always figures out a way to turn a situation to her advantage.”
Chance was right. Easton used to play chess with her during lunch hour in high school. “Feel free to leave anytime,” he said to his brother.
“No way, I want to see what she’s done. I’m kind of in awe she managed to pull this off in what… eight hours?”
“She had her minions to do her bidding.”
“Still, you have to admit it’s pretty damn impressive.”
It was. “Easy for you to say; she didn’t turn your place into a dollhouse and your life upside down.”
Chloe had stopped to speak with a good-looking blond guy. Easton and Chance were close enough to overhear their conversation. “No, thank you, Miss Chloe. A lot of these men haven’t worked in months. You gave them hope, a sense of accomplishment. And you were more than generous. They appreciate the food you gave them, too,” the man said with a Southern drawl.
“Well, I’ll be,” Chance said under his breath. “Ashley Wilkes in the flesh. You have competition, Rhett.”
“You know him?”
Chance rolled his eyes. “He’s the guy Scarlett was in love with. Mom wore out that book, and she made us watch the movie like twenty times. Don’t you remember?”
“No. Hey, how’s it going?” he said to Ashley, nudging Chloe out of the way to extend his hand. “Thanks for all the work you did here today. It’s impressive.”
“You’re welcome. Always happy to help out a fellow vet. But it’s the little lady here who deserves all the credit. She’s a very special gal.” He smiled at Chloe.
Easton slid his arm around her shoulders, angling his head so she didn’t poke him in the eye with her umbrella. “She sure is. So all of you served?”
“Yes, sir. Miss Chloe wouldn’t have it any other way. She got in touch with The Home Front Cares. They provide support for military families in Colorado, and Ruth put out the call. And don’t you worry, they’ll be looking into your medical claims, too.”
Oh, Jesus. His brother shot him a wide-eyed look. “Ah, well, as much as I appreciate the offer, that won’t be necessary.” Sweat broke out on Easton’s forehead as he searched his brain for a plausible excuse. “Chloe’s brother Ethan is helping me out with the paperwork.”
She tipped her umbrella back to look up at him. “That’s wonderful. If anyone can help you, Ethan can. He’s the district attorney,” she told the other man. “I should have thought of that myself. I’ll give you his contact information, Beau. You can pass it on to anyone else encountering the same problems.”
Easton had some explaining to do. He’d think twice before he lied again. The rest of the men started walking over—and within minutes—they were surrounded. Beau introduced Easton around, and he thanked the crew. But they were more interested in hugging Chloe. It didn’t seem to bother her that they were covered in dirt and sweat or that several of them looked like they crushed her ribs when they lifted her off her feet. She was polite and sweet and thanked them for whatever job they had performed. Oddly enough, she knew exactly what each one of them had done on the cabin and property. All twenty of them.
Chance and Easton watched as she accompanied the men to their vehicles to wave them off. “Okay, what happened to the Chloe O’Connor I remember? Did you see her with those guys? She was warm and sweet…and generous. One of the men told me she paid them each a grand and gave them a week’s worth of food.”
“She put out twenty grand today for labor alone?” Easton’s voice went up an octave.
“Yeah, and do you want to tell me what was with the medical expenses thing? You better talk to Ethan before he starts getting calls.”
“I’ll let Gage tell him.” His brother Gage, Christmas’s sheriff, had been Ethan’s best friend since grade school. “It was just shit I said to keep Chloe here and out of trouble. Now I’m in it so deep, I don’t know how I’m going to dig myself out.”
“Tell her the truth,” his brother suggested.
Easton shoved his fingers through his hair. “Before today that wouldn’t have been a problem. But now…”
“Yeah, I see your point.” Chance looked beyond him. “Here she comes.”
She gave them a wide smile. “Now for the grand…Oh.” She went over on her ankle.
Easton took her by the arm. “You’re going to kill yourself walking around in those things. You must own something without a four-inch heel.”
“Slippers,” she said.
“You mean to tell me you never wear anything without heels…ever?”
“No, and don’t look at me like that. You don’t have the paparazzi constantly stalking you trying to get a picture of you looking less than your best.”
He glanced at his brother who he imagined was thinking the same thing. Given Chloe’s obvious concern at being caught looking less than perfect, Ethan better get that photo pulled. “So if you weren’t in the public eye, you’d wear flats?”
She gave him a cute smile. “No. Now come on, I want to show you around.”
Easton couldn’t believe what Chloe and her crew had accomplished, and they hadn’t even made it inside the cabin yet. She’d had the pens moved fifty yards from the house, the outhouse had been replaced with a state-of-the-art Porta-Potty, which now sat against the side of the cabin with a lit stone path leading up to it.
“Beau’s applied for a permit to add an addition onto the back, so it’ll take a couple weeks before you have your new bathroom. I wanted a custom-built hot tub, but it would have taken too long to install and the electrical is complicated. I settled on a portable one instead.” She gestured to the beige acrylic six-seat tub sitting on patio slabs. “I read that hydrotherapy is good for pain management, so I thought…” She looked down and nudged a paver with the toe of her sparkly shoe.
“I love it, Chloe. It’s perfect,” he said, touched by her thoughtfulness. And a little irritated by it too, because she was getting to him. Big time.
“Really? I was worried…” She lifted her shoulder, then smiled. “I’m glad you like it. Now for the best part. Come on.” She hurried ahead of them as if she couldn’t contain her excitement.
“Jesus, I’m getting a little emotional here,” Chance said, his voice gruff.
Join the club. “I think your balls shriveled up when you married Vivi. Either that or pregnancy hormones are contagious.”
“Shut…Holy hell,” Chance said as they walked into the cabin.
Easton opened his mouth, then closed it. The walls were painted a soft white, the windows had been replaced, the stove and refrigerator were top of the line, the cabinetry and sink were white, the countertop new and blue. The kitchen table and chairs he’d picked up at Goodwill had been upgraded to a glass table on a white stone base with high-back chairs covered in blue-and-white-striped fabric.
“It’s a pullout,” she said, dra
wing his attention to the blue sectional. The crates he’d used for a coffee table had been replaced by a white wooden one that sat on a blue shag area rug. “You used to like to read, so I had bookshelves installed.” She gestured to the shelves on either side of the fireplace whose brick had been refaced and whitewashed.
He cleared his throat. “They’re in storage.” Until he moved them into his new home.
His brother held his gaze and lifted his chin at Chloe.
He nodded. Yeah, he was going to tell her.
“The bedroom was redone, too. There’s a new bed and a door and—”
“I’d better take off,” Chance said, interrupting her. He walked over and kissed her cheek. “This is amazing, Chloe. It really is. Thanks for everything you did for my brother. I hope he makes it up to you. If you’re ever looking for a second career, you should go into home renovation.”
Not exactly something you say to a woman who lost her job a couple of days ago. Especially a woman like Chloe. But since his brother was on a roll, he didn’t seem able to help himself. “By the way, Cat loved Easton’s present. He got a kiss out of it.”
“She kissed you?” Chloe asked, looking less happy about the development than he expected. “I mean, that’s perfect.” She frowned at Chance. “You know about the plan?”
“Oh, yeah, I know all about the plan.”
Easton didn’t like the look in his brother’s eyes. If he told Chloe what was really going on, he’d make everything worse. He tossed Chance his keys. “I’ll bike into town in the morning and meet you at the Chronicle.”
Chloe chewed on her thumbnail. “Did she like the poem?”
“You sent her a poem…from me?” He remembered Cat’s reaction to the note. Now that he thought about it, she’d acted kind of weird.
“Yes. ‘How Do I Love Thee’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Actually, I sent the poem to Mr. Hardy, and he was forwarding it along with the e-mail about the gun you bought her.”
