by Judi Lynn
“Aiden barely said a dozen words today. If that bully’s bothering him again, it’s time we take care of it.”
She stared. “We?”
Brody dismissed that. “Like you’d sit in front of your laptop if I went to his school without you.”
“His school?” She felt like a freaking parrot. Didn’t she have any original thoughts? “Shouldn’t we talk to Paula first?”
“I already have. It’s better if she’s not involved.”
Now, he had her interest. “What do you have in mind?”
“I’m not sure yet. Ian will have some ideas.”
“Ian’s ideas will get us all in trouble.” She shook her head. “We’ll ask him, but I’m not throwing snakes on some kid when he walks down the hallway.”
Brody chuckled. “That’s been done. We need to be more original.”
They took the casserole out of the oven and made a tossed salad to go with it, then braved the slippery roads to drive to Tessa and Ian’s. Over dinner, the conversation centered on Aiden and the bully.
Finally, Tessa said, “No one’s doing anything until you talk to Aiden. He’s a little boy. Maybe a girl with pigtails told him he was ugly today. Or he lost his favorite marble. Who knows? Do your homework first.”
Brody reached for the shepherd’s pie and dished himself seconds. “We’ll talk to him tomorrow.”
Harmony nodded.
“We’ll be back by story time,” Tessa said, “but I’m stealing Harmony and we’re driving to town tomorrow. I’ve been cooped up in this house long enough. I’m feeling better, and I need to get more baking supplies for the shop. I’m getting low on flour and sugar, baking soda. . . .” She waved away her list. “And I want to eat lunch somewhere and maybe shop a little.”
“Should you be driving on these roads?” As soon as she said it, Harmony bit her lip. She was beginning to sound like an old worrywart.
Tessa laughed at her. “I’ll be careful.”
“Take my SUV, not your old pickup,” Brody ordered.
“Will do.” Tessa rolled her eyes. “I’m pregnant, not disabled. I can still function. And I’m going stir-crazy. I’ll pick you up at ten, Harm.”
“Harm?” Harmony’s voice rose until her friend burst out laughing. For shame. Tessa had lived with Ian too long. “The sitting around has warped you.”
The men carried dishes to the sink and rinsed them, and Tessa and Harmony went to the living room to talk plots. They visited longer than usual, and by the time Harmony and Brody left, it was getting late.
“An early night tonight?” Brody asked on the ride home.
“Works for me.” Harmony stifled a yawn. It had been a long day. Brody looked tired, too.
He turned on the radio and the station was playing Ed Sheeran’s song, “Thinking Out Loud.” Brody surprised her by reaching for her hand. “I was listening to that song when I followed you on the country road and you turned into Ian’s resort. This should be our theme song.”
“You weren’t impressed with me when we first met,” she reminded him.
“I misjudged blondes.”
“We won’t know each other when we’re seventy.” She remembered one of the song’s lines.
He gave her hand a squeeze. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
She frowned at him, but he sidestepped the issue. “You’re going to have fun spending the day with Tessa tomorrow.”
She smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.”
When they pulled into the resort, he drove her to the front door, as usual. And as usual, she waited for him to join her in the foyer. She wanted to make sure he didn’t fall and lie outside, unconscious, on the ice. He stomped the snow off his boots, then walked toward her, pulled her into an embrace, and gave her a long, slow kiss. “I’ll still think about you when I’m seventy,” he promised.
Her heart felt like it might explode. Her libido wanted to crawl out of her skin. Then he released her and smiled down at her. “Thanks for waiting on me. Get some sleep, and have a great day tomorrow.”
On the way up the stairs, she tried to catch her breath. Man, could Brody kiss! She didn’t think she was in love, but she sure as hell was in lust.
She had trouble falling asleep that night, and when she did, she dreamt of Luxar and Serifina doing things she wished she could.
Chapter 20
When Brody knocked on Harmony’s door in the morning, she was dressed and ready—hair done and makeup on—for her day with Tessa.
He looked her up and down. “You clean up pretty good. I like your sweater.”
She smirked. “Do you like the sweater or how snug it is?”
“Both. That color suits you. You should wear blue more often.” He crooked his elbow. “I came to escort you downstairs. I have breakfast waiting in the kitchen. You’ll want to eat something before a day in the shops.”
She blinked, surprised. “That’s awfully nice of you.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a keeper. I’ve been house trained, and I play well with others.”
“I’ve noticed. Some girl will swoon.” She followed him from the room. “I’m thinking no one takes advantage of you, though.”
“Only my ex-wife, and that won’t happen again. I won’t make the same mistake twice.” He glanced down at her. “I take it money doesn’t impress you like it did Cecily.”
“I never want to be poor, but comfortable’s enough. Struggling artists and poverty don’t impress me either.”
“Good, I can cross them off my list as competition.”
She snorted. “You don’t need to worry. You’re the best of the best.”
He frowned down at her, but remained silent. When they reached the kitchen, he opened the oven and took out sausages wrapped in pancakes that he’d kept warm on low heat.
“Holy crap, you went all out!” She sat across from him at the worktable.
“Mom used to make us pigs in a blanket. I love them.” He waited for her to dish up, then scooped the rest on his plate. “I’m great at the grill, too.”
She shook her head. “I can’t grill on my balcony. Against regulations.”
“You’re missing out in life.” He dug into the food.
Harmony slid her last bite of pancake through syrup and glanced at the clock. “Tessa’s going to be here in a minute. I’ll help you clean up.”
“Nope, not allowed. This is your day to have fun. Get out of here, but be back in time to read to the kids, or I’ll have to take over, and it won’t be pretty.”
She laughed. “You’d do fine.”
“I haven’t read aloud since second grade. You make the story sound good. I’d trip over all the words.”
She stood on tiptoe to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “You’re more talented than you think.”
“Kiss me more often and I’ll practice all kinds of things.”
She punched his shoulder. “You are a tease. Thanks for the breakfast. See you later.” She hurried from the room, and when she reached the lobby, saw Ian pull into the lot to park. He’d driven Tessa so that she could take Brody’s SUV today.
Harmony was pulling on her coat when Brody came to dangle the keys in front of Tessa.
“Drive carefully. The roads are bad. I’m not worried about the SUV. It’s insured, but it’s carrying two of my favorite people.”
Tessa wrapped him in a hug. “I love you, too. We’ll be back by five, and then you can quit worrying.”
He grinned, and Ian went to stand next to his brother. “Have fun, you two!”
With quick waves, the women headed out the door. Once in the vehicle, Tessa grinned. “I have a grocery list, and I have money. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Harmony laughed. “Someone’s been cooped up too long.”
Tessa pointed to different farmhouses on the way to town. “That brick house is the Albertsons’ place. They run a dairy herd.” The house looked so solid, it could hold off armies. She pointed to a farm on the other side of the high
way with two silos. “The Kruses grow corn, soybeans, and wheat. Their granddaughter’s in Bailey’s class at school.” A little farther on, she nodded to a big, square white house with three red outbuildings, large fenced-in pens, and a huge pond. “The DeLanceys raise ducks, geese, quail, and chickens. We buy all four kinds of eggs from them.”
“Geese eggs?” Geese must lay eggs, right? But Harmony had never considered eating one for breakfast. “Do they taste different than chicken eggs?”
Tessa smiled. “Not really, but it’s fun to boil them for Sunday brunches at the resort and let people ogle them.”
When they reached the edge of Mill Pond, Tessa nodded at a corner gas station/garage. “Garth’s the best mechanic in town. He’s a good friend of ours.”
Harmony shook her head. “You know every single person who lives here, don’t you?”
“The joys of a small town,” Tessa said. “You’ll meet a lot of them soon.”
Harmony stared. “Why?”
“Chase’s bar is open for lunch on Wednesdays, just one day a week, every week. He smokes pork and does barbecue. It’s the only thing on the menu. It’s always packed. We’ll see half the town there. What do you think?”
Harmony could miss half the town, but Tessa was probably ready to catch up with old friends. And there was pulled pork... “Works for me.”
Tessa grinned. “Don’t fix too much food tonight. I’ll be stuffed.”
“Yeah, right, I’ve seen you eat. I’d nickname you Miss Piggy, but you’re eating for two.”
Tessa threw back her head and laughed. “No one picks on me like you do. I love it!”
Before they hit the grocery story, Tessa parked downtown where all the small shops circled the courthouse. “Mind if we look around?”
“I’m just along for the ride. Why not?”
The sidewalks had been cleaned and salted, so they walked from one little shop to the next. When they reached the baby and kids’ clothing shop, they both sighed with pleasure.
In an antiques shop, Harmony went straight to a cradle. The bed dangled and rocked from two, sturdy columns. “Is it too soon for me to buy you a baby present? Is that good Karma or pushing your luck?”
Tessa’s hazel eyes misted as she pushed the wooden bed. “It’s beautiful.”
“Can I get it for you?”
“Yes!”
They loaded it in the back of Brody’s SUV, then trudged around the rest of the block, stopping to look in each shop’s window. By the time they returned to the vehicle, Harmony’s toes stung from the cold, her nose could rival Rudolph’s, and her cheeks were way past rosy.
Once behind the steering wheel, Tessa hugged herself. “Darn, it’s cold. Let’s go buy groceries. We’ll be inside the whole time.”
Harmony nodded. She needed to thaw out. She was almost warm by the time they hurried inside the store. When she’d first come here with Brody, she’d been surprised that it wasn’t bigger. A super store sat on the fringe of her town in New York. It took an hour to make it from one end to the other. But she and Brody had found everything they needed here, and that’s all that mattered. She wasn’t cooking anything fancy enough to need specialty items.
Tessa pulled her list from her purse, and Harmony gaped. Tessa chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m a regular here. I called Art ahead, and he has all my baking stuff, ready to load.”
“Art?” Harmony asked.
“The owner/manager. His kids, Mark and Michelle, help out. Mark will load everything while I get the everyday items on my list.”
Harmony had never thought about how many pounds of flour and sugar Tessa went through each week, but she baked one hell of a lot of pies, cakes, and cookies. As they wandered down one aisle after another, Harmony said, “What if I make quiche tonight? Is that light enough?”
Tessa nodded. “We’ll buy some take-home, smoked meat from Chase for the boys. That’ll keep them happy.”
By the time they finished and went to check-out, the girl at the register was ready for them. “Dad and Mark have everything in the back of the SUV, and Mark said to call him when you were ready to leave.”
Tessa frowned. “Call him? Why?”
Michelle grinned. “Because we heard that you’re pregnant, and he doesn’t want you to lift anything heavy.”
Tessa laughed and shook her head. She turned to Harmony. “There are no secrets in a small town.”
A stocky, young man who looked a lot like the older man walking next to him came to greet them. “Congratulations!” the three store people said together.
“Thanks.” Tessa tried to convince them that she and Harmony could handle the groceries themselves, but Mark wasn’t hearing it. He pulled on his winter coat and insisted on helping them.
When Tessa blew him a kiss and pulled away, she sighed. “Cities might have more to offer, but small towns can be pretty special, too.”
Their next stop was Chase’s bar, and just as Tessa had predicted, the parking lot was full. When Tessa entered the room, people stood up and clapped. Her blush crept up her neck all the way to her hairline, and Harmony laughed at her.
Chase himself came to get their order. He smiled at Tessa. “You and Ian will make beautiful babies together, but ours would have been better.”
She shook her head at him. “Chase, meet my friend, Harmony. Harmony, our local player, Chase Carlton. All the girls love him, and just so he doesn’t get any ideas”—she gave a stern look to the good-looking, blonde bartender—“my friend came here to catch up on work, not to have a fling.”
His smile was easy, inviting. He’d nailed the surfer look with his laid-back style, sun-streaked hair, and sexy stubble. His blue-green eyes sparkled as he cocked his head at her. “All work, no play? Sounds dull.”
“I’m a slave to my writing. What can I say?” Harmony liked him. He’d be a fun time in bed when she finished her book if she didn’t have someone else in mind.
He shrugged. “If you change your mind, I’m here. I do my best to keep customers happy.”
She laughed. “You’re good. I bet you have lots of happy customers.”
With a grin, he gave her a quick salute, then turned to Tessa. “Should you be eating barbeque? I’ve heard you had morning sickness.”
Tessa rolled her eyes. “No sauce for me, just a pulled pork sandwich.”
His gaze returned to Harmony. “Are you delicate, too?”
“Hardly. Give me the works.”
He gazed at her suggestively. “Do you want a pickle spear with that?”
Oh, boy. “Make mine a double.”
He laughed. “I’ll be right back with your order, ladies.”
The minute he left, Tessa leaned closer and whispered, “Don’t let Chase fool you. There’s a lot more to him than meets the eye.”
Harmony grinned. “You like him, don’t you?”
“A lot. He’s a good guy, sort of like you. He’s smart and funny, but tries to keep things simple. Doesn’t want to get too serious. That’s changing, though. I get the vibe he’s starting to want more.”
“Then he’s not for me.”
Tessa grimaced. “I want you to be as happy as I am.”
“I’m happy enough, and I don’t listen to lectures in bars.”
Thankfully, people started drifting to their table, a few at a time, and Tessa’s attention went to them. There were lots of congratulations and lots of introductions. By the time their food came, Harmony had heard enough small talk and was ready to dig in.
She took a bite and moaned with pleasure. “This guy knows how to cook.”
Tessa nodded, too busy eating to talk. The sandwiches were huge, piled high with smoked pork. Homemade chips with a special dip and coleslaw came as sides. No wonder Tessa warned her not to cook much for supper.
They were only halfway through their meals when people started clearing out. Tessa guessed most of them came early. The rush over, Chase came to pull out a chair at their table. “Well? Do you like it?”
H
armony licked her lips and grinned. “Some of the best I’ve ever had.”
He winked. “That’s what all the girls say.”
She shook her head. “How long have you owned the bar?”
“I grew up in it. My parents bought the place and raised me in it. Our apartment’s on the second floor.”
Harmony hesitated. She was curious about his parents, but didn’t want to bring up what could be a sad topic.
He gave a half smile. “They retired to Florida, live on the beach. They’d made enough burgers and fries, poured enough beers.”
“You’re only in your mid-thirties, aren’t you? Are they old enough to retire?”
“They had me late. I have a feeling my wild ways wouldn’t impress them at all. They left me in their dust. Had to get it all out of their systems before they hitched with each other and started their business.”
“I’m glad it worked out for them.” Harmony liked happy-ever-afters. That’s why she wrote romance.
“How long are you staying in Mill Pond?”
“Till the end of the month, I came to finish a book on deadline.”
“And no time off for good behavior?”
“I spend that catching up with Tessa. We go back a long time.”
His gaze settled on her copper-haired friend. “I’m happy for you, Tess. You found the right guy. And now you’re starting a family. Congrats.”
Tessa studied him. “What about you? Are you getting ready to settle down?”
He grinned, but his gaze was pensive. “And deprive women of good times and gratification? I’m not that cruel.”
Tessa leaned forward and put her hand over his. “You’ll find her, Chase. And she’ll appreciate you.”
He grimaced. “Now you’re getting maudlin on me. Time to clear the tables.” He gave Harmony another wink. “Remember. I’m here.” And he went to the kitchen to grab a cart.
They left money on the table, then set off to head back home. Harmony’s thoughts revolved around Chase. A few weeks ago, she’d have thought she’d died and gone to heaven if she met him. He was still tempting, but not enough. And that surprised her.
When they reached the lodge, Ian came outside to greet them. “Leave the groceries in Brody’s SUV. He said he’d drive them over tonight, and we’ll unload them then. Nothing will spoil. It’s too cold.” He saw the baby cradle and grinned. “That’ll look perfect in our room.”
