by Kim Watters
Brown dotted patches of the front lawn, but next spring and summer, he envisioned replacing the shrubbery in the front and adding some flowers, as well. He’d have to ask Holly for her opinion. Repainting had been the easy part; he’d just followed what had already been done.
“It’s gorgeous.”
“Are you going to live out here, Mr. P.?” Cameron piped up from the backseat.
“Eventually.” Ethan looked at Holly’s son in the rearview mirror. “I’ll want to be near the dogs once we make the move.”
“What about your house in town?”
“I’ll rent that out and use the money to pay the mortgage and my bills.”
“That makes sense.” Holly crossed her arms.
Ethan eased his car to a stop, his hands gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter than normal. The sensation felt odd because of his missing fingers, but that would just be something else he had to get used to. The temperature inside the car had dropped noticeably with his insensitive words. If Holly wasn’t paying the rent on the store, she probably had trouble making her mortgage payments, as well. He hoped that wasn’t the case, because the thought of Holly and Cameron without a home didn’t sit well, especially when he was lucky to have two. Well, the bank still owned part of one, and technically his mother owned this one, but by Holly’s pale face and tight expression, the damage had already been done.
“This place is cool.” Unknowingly, Cameron changed the subject when he jumped out of the car and ran toward the dormant grass between the house and the barn.
“Cam, wait.” Holly struggled with the broken lock.
“Doesn’t work.” Ethan opened the door and helped her from the car. “Cameron will be fine. There’s nothing out here that can hurt him.” Setting his hand against the small of her back, he escorted her over the uneven ground where her son had run moments earlier. The action spoke of the possibility that there could be something between them if either one was looking for that. He knew Holly wasn’t. He wasn’t, either, but dropping his arm to his side left him feeling incomplete in a way that had nothing to do with his missing fingers.
He shook his head to clear his mind and focus on what should be the most important thing right now. “I’ll show you the barn and runs first and then the inside of the house. Cameron, over here.”
The traditional-looking two-story wood barn had also been treated to a new coat of red paint that matched the house. As Ethan pulled the barn door open, it creaked. A musky scent of old hay filled his nose, and darkness interrupted his vision until he flipped the switch to his right. A lone lightbulb suspended from the ceiling chased away most of the shadows. “This place needs to be rewired and a lot more lights added.”
“Lights would be good. So would a bit of heat. I think it’s colder in here than outside.” Holly pulled her jacket closer.
“It probably is. Last night was pretty cold. Until I can afford to put in a central-heating and air-conditioning unit, I’ll be using portable heaters and lots of old blankets in the kennels.” Ethan walked to the center of the barn and surveyed the large, open space.
“Manny and his son have already demolished the horse stalls so I’ll have room for twenty-four kennels, twelve along each side. The back will be for storage and up front, when I install some plumbing, will be the bathing area.”
“Manny?”
“My handyman. His wife is sick so he took the day off to take her to the doctor.”
“What are you going to use the upstairs for?” Cameron ran over to the rickety ladder leading to the loft.
“Be careful, Cam.”
“Don’t climb on that. It’s not safe,” Ethan ordered as the boy put his foot on the first rung. “I haven’t decided yet. They used to store the hay up there, but maybe the cats will go up there.”
“Cats?”
“My cousin has accepted a ferret, so cats aren’t too far behind.”
“Do you have a problem with cats?” Not appreciating his tone of voice, Holly crossed her arms and glared up at him.
Ethan scraped his hand through his hair, remembering that Holly had a cat. A cat Jared had brought home for her. He was scoring points left and right with her today. “Not at all, even though I can’t say I understand them. They’re just not my favorite of all God’s creatures, and I’m not sure where to put them.”
Holly relaxed. “Cats certainly keep you on your toes, that’s for sure. Maybe you can convert one of the upstairs rooms of the house into a cattery. I don’t think kenneling them here would work very well.”
Holly’s idea rattled around inside his brain. The old farmhouse had four bedrooms upstairs, and he only needed one. He could use one for the cats, another for any other type of creature—like the ferret or a reptile or bird—that showed up and still have one for a workout room. Plus he had the attic.
“That would probably work. Being as curious and agile as cats are, I’d have to enclose the loft, and if one of them got out, it could get interesting with all the dogs. Separate accommodations would be a good idea.” And that was where Holly’s expertise would come in, if she and Cameron stayed around. He had no idea how long the arrangement would last, but he hoped it would be awhile. The thought of not seeing her and her son almost every day left an empty hole in his heart. “Come on, let me show you what I’ve got planned for the outside.”
He ushered them outside and took in what remained of autumn outlining the large backyard where the run would go. What little remained of fall contrasted with the pine trees interspersed among the deciduous ones and amazed him. He’d missed the change of seasons overseas, but God had really outdone himself this year. And continued to do so. From the snowfall they’d already experienced, it looked to be a winter with a lot of accumulation, especially in the higher elevations as he took in the white-capped mountains to his left.
Turning away from the beauty, he locked the freshly painted barn door and realized he was going to need a security system on the house and the barn, too. More money he didn’t have, but he had a lead on another grant.
Had he made a mistake in trying to take on such a big endeavor? There was still so much to do and more calls coming in about his sanctuary every week. Three more dogs were scheduled to arrive mid-January. He had to be ready. The alternative for the dogs wasn’t an option.
Let go, let God.
No. He hadn’t made a mistake. He felt it in his bones. All those hours in the hospital bed had given him plenty of time to think and reflect on his life and pray about what to do next. God had opened a new door for him. New doors, he thought as he watched Cameron run through the grassy area destined to become the play area for the dogs.
Mentoring boys on the edge of becoming delinquents had to be another part of that plan and would give him the extra volunteers that he needed to run a successful sanctuary.
“It’s really beautiful out here. I’m sure the dogs will love it. This will be the dog run?”
“Yes. Manny and I have already started to dig the holes that will hold the posts for the chain-link fencing. Once that’s in, I can move the dogs out here. Of course, there’s still a lot of work, but it will get done.” Eventually. He could only afford to pay the handyman for so long until more funds came in. Rubbing the back of his neck did little to relieve the instant tension. He needed at least six more hours a day to accomplish what he needed to do, and most of them had to be daylight hours. But God only provided them with a finite set of time, broken down by day, hour or minute, and he had to make it work within that time frame.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“As a matter of fact, there is.” Ethan glanced down at Holly. He wanted to reach out and grab her hand, hold it and share this with her. Make her a more permanent part of his life and sanctuary. Whoa. He’d never had those thoughts before. Must be the idea that he’d just slipped another y
ear closer to his mid-thirties. Besides, Holly was still in love with Jared, and any thoughts of getting involved with the single mom outside of helping with Cameron had to be stopped. He had to ignore the fact that his heart lightened when she was around and he enjoyed talking with her.
“I’ve seen what you’ve done with your shop and the mayor’s Christmas decorations. I need some advice on how to decorate the foyer and office area downstairs as that will be what people see when they stop by.”
“I can do that.”
And yet, Ethan saw the hesitation in her eyes. He knew she was thinking about her store, her decorating business and spending time with Cameron. He also knew she felt she had a responsibility to him in order to make up for the rent she couldn’t pay.
He didn’t see it that way, but he’d already tripped over his words twice today and hurt her feelings. Trying to vocalize something when he couldn’t formulate a valid sentence in his head wasn’t worth it, either. The day he walked into her shop with Cameron in tow, he’d made the decision to let her remain through her busy season and try to rent it out after the new year.
Despite his financial needs, he still stood by that decision, even though it might cost him more in the long run, and he wasn’t just thinking about money.
Chapter Seven
“Hi, Holly.”
“Ethan.” Holly’s heart pounded when Ethan walked through the front door of ’Tis Always the Season. She didn’t know if it was him or the pretty, petite blonde accompanying him that left her lungs out of oxygen and her stomach behaving as if there were a million butterflies trapped inside. Especially when the woman stood a tad bit closer to Ethan than Holly thought appropriate.
She knew a lot of people in town. The bottle blonde with the notepad and a more than casual interest in the shop remained a mystery. Holly stood behind the counter and gripped it tightly to keep from charging around the other side. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Oh, no. I’m just here to look around and take some notes.” She grabbed the pen clipped to the top of her notebook before flipping open the cover.
The woman’s dismissal surprised her. So did the way Ethan placed his hand on the blonde’s arm and gave her a guarded smile. More butterflies took flight. Funny, he never looked at Holly that way. Not that she wanted him to or anything like that, but what she interpreted as a protective gesture only reinforced the loneliness that crept up on her at the most inopportune times. Like now, for example. Forcing her mouth shut, Holly started to rearrange the Christmas-themed pens in the display canister. Santa needed to go next to Rudolph, not the snowman.
“Then let’s get started. But first, I’d like to introduce you two. Beth, this is Holly. Holly, Beth.”
“Pleased to meet you.” Dropping the pen with the red package attached to the top next to the Christmas tree, Holly held her hand out to the woman, hoping her dislike didn’t show. Ethan aside, she couldn’t explain the sudden discomfort in Beth’s presence. Maybe it was the freshly styled hair, the makeup or the perfect manicure. Or all three.
“Likewise.” The woman’s quick, limp grasp barely qualified as a handshake, her interest more in the man next to her. Beth’s close-set eyes held a predatory gleam as she leaned closer to Ethan. The chill in the room did not come from the light breeze playing with the remaining leaves on the trees outside her front window.
Holly dropped her hand back on the counter and inhaled sharply, the woman’s words finally registering in her brain. “Taking notes?”
“Yes.” Her gaze flickered around the store, distaste etched in her perfectly made-up face. “I’m here to see about renting it once your lease is done at the end of the year. Now, Ethan, I don’t have as much time as I’d like because of prior commitments, but please show me around.”
A possible renter? Holly’s spine fused into a straight rod. In all her preoccupation with Cam, closing shop and her new business, she hadn’t even considered that Ethan would be showing the place while it was still occupied. But business was business, and she suspected he needed the money just like she did, especially after her visit to the permanent sanctuary outside of town yesterday and seeing how much Ethan had left to do.
She should be glad he had the opportunity to rent the place out with all the other spaces available in town, but her emotional side still resisted the idea that the shop had to close and she would give up on Jared’s dream.
A dull pain spiderwebbed out from the base of her neck that even today’s cranberry-scented candle couldn’t alleviate. She refused to follow Ethan and Beth or hover anywhere near the couple. She didn’t need to; she could hear almost every word the woman spoke, her loud cackle drowning out the Christmas music playing in the background.
“A Christmas shop? No wonder the place is going out of business.”
Ethan’s reply remained a mystery, but the woman’s quick writing in her notebook worsened the pounding in Holly’s skull. Not that she’d expect Ethan to defend her as a business owner, but she did as a friend, unless she’d totally misjudged him. After reaching in the top drawer for her bottle of pain relievers, Holly shoved two in her mouth and chased them down with this morning’s warm water.
“And these colors and murals are awful. I presume I can paint the walls?”
Each word struck a dagger into Holly’s heart, and she sank down into her chair. She and Jared had worked so hard painting the walls and deciding which murals they should do in the spirit of Christmas. Holly’s favorite was the one of Santa standing next to the real fireplace on the opposite wall. Her gaze wandered to the small, framed picture she kept of her late husband by the cash register as she picked up the wooden ornament he’d carved for her.
The action brought her no comfort today. The shop was going away soon, and she’d be left with nothing but memories and heartache.
“Within reasonable guidelines. Of course, the cost will be yours. The lease only covers major issues, not cosmetic ones.” The tone in Ethan’s voice changed, and out of the corner of her eye, Holly watched him take a step to his right.
“And what about plumbing? I need at least three sinks.” Beth placed her hand on Ethan’s arm and squeezed gently, screaming high maintenance and territorial.
“You’re welcome to change the interior to what you need, again at your own cost. However, the exterior and any signage have to be approved by the city historical society since this is listed as historical property.” Holly detected another subtle change in Ethan’s tone.
“Perfect. I don’t suppose you know any plumbers, do you?”
Holly almost gagged at the woman’s purr. If that was what men wanted these days, she was glad not to be out there dating. Her occasional loneliness didn’t matter; she had friends. When she wanted to share a funny story or some other news, she had friends. If she needed to escape the confines of her home or store when Cameron was out, she had friends. And now Ethan had joined that rank, despite the occasional closeness she felt around him or the weird sensations inside her heart.
But date? She had no reason to date even if that was what she wanted, which she didn’t. She had her hands full with her son, even though things seemed to be turning around. Well, that was until she saw his grades. The butterflies returned to her stomach. Their appointment with the principal was in an hour.
“Plumbers? Not offhand, but I can ask around for you.” Ethan smiled at Beth again, but it died quickly when he made eye contact with Holly. Did she catch that look of desperation in his eyes, or had she simply imagined it? Now he looked quite content to be standing next to the woman who wanted to be his future tenant.
Holly looked away first, rearranging the pens again back to their original order, and wished another customer would walk through the doors and take her mind off Ethan and Beth.
No such luck. And there was only so much she could do behind the counter.
“That would be perfect.” Out of the corner of her eye, Holly saw Beth move in a tad bit closer to Ethan as she pulled a tape measure from her purse. “Can you help me take some measurements? I want to make sure that everything will work out to my specifications.”
“Of course.” But he didn’t sound very happy about doing it.
After ten agonizing minutes of rearranging her sparse shelves and tree ornaments, Holly sighed in relief as the woman finally made a move to leave and take her cloying scent of expensive perfume, her notebook and her condescending attitude with her.
“Ethan, let’s run over to the Sunrise Diner, grab a bite to eat and discuss all the details.”
Ethan glanced at his watch and then back at Holly. His intense gaze pulled the air from her lungs. “I only have time for a cup of coffee. Holly and I have an appointment at one o’clock that we can’t break.”
* * *
“Thanks for your time, Mr. Buchanan.” Ethan stood up and tugged at his collar, impatient to leave because he’d spent way too much times here in this very office. The man behind the desk had changed. He liked the slightly younger, more in-touch principal more than the old, strict one from his youth, but being in here brought back times he wasn’t too proud of. Fortunately his neighbor, old man Witherspoon, had helped straighten him out, just like God had made sure Ethan was now there to set Cameron on the right path.
“Yes, thank you.” Holly stood up, as well.
“You’re welcome.” Mr. Buchanan stood and offered his hand to Holly and then to Ethan. “I’ll be making an appointment to see Patrick’s parents this afternoon and have a talk with all the teachers affected by the homework issue. If you have any other questions or concerns, you know where to find me.”
“I do have one request.” A smile tugged at Ethan’s lips. Despite it all, he’d had some good times inside these walls.
“Sure. What is it?”
“I need to use a restroom.”
