“Yeah. I’m headed there now. I’m running just a little late.” As if on cue, her cell phone went off with another text message from Evelyn.
“Your dad is here and he wants to know how long you’ll be. He needs to talk to you.”
She held up her phone. “Dad is at the store asking for me.”
Vincent nodded understandingly and stood up as she pulled her legs into the car.
“Don’t forget to doctor those scrapes, doll. Make sure and clean them good first. Wouldn’t want you to get an infection.” After closing the door for her, he bent down and leaned his forearm on the opened window. His gaze pleaded with her. “It’s good to see you. Your hair has gotten long.”
She fingered her drab brown locks but her eyes were continually drawn to his. “I know. I need to get it cut. Just been so busy. Good to see you, too, Vincent. Tell James I said hi.”
“You think maybe you could—”
“I really need to go,” she said, her voice sounding husky in her ears and her eyes stung. “I’ll…I’ll…” She wanted to say that she’d call him sometime but she chickened out. “I’ll see you around.”
He nodded and she rolled up her window and put the car in reverse. The set of his mouth, the way his dark eyelashes ringed those same green eyes. The dark slash of his eyebrows and the slight cleft in his chin. She was glad the window was up so he couldn’t hear the sob that rose in her throat. His face was so much like the beloved one that visited her dreams every night.
They’d wanted to be with her. She’d never thought she could handle the three of them. Now on top of her own fears, the guilt was a burden that nearly flattened her.
Trying to calm herself a little, she took several long drinks from her water bottle after pulling into her parking spot on the side of the store and then went inside.
Her dad, the owner of Woodworth Enterprises, which was comprised of ten department stores in ten cities, was waiting for her in her office.
“Hey, Dad,” she said as she plunked down in her chair, and pulled open the desk drawer she kept her first aid supplies in.
“Hello, honey. What happened to you?”
“I stopped in to visit Grace Warner at the hospital. She had her baby last night. My feet got tangled up with each other in the parking lot and I fell. Just clumsy, I guess.” She hissed as she swabbed the affected areas with alcohol and blew on them. “Evelyn said you wanted to talk to me.”
“Yeah, I do. I’ve been thinking lately, about the store.”
“What about the store? Everything is fine around here.”
He grinned as he squeezed antibiotic ointment onto a swab and held it out to her. “There’s no doubt in my mind about that. You know, there was a time when you needed me to help with your boo-boos but you’re grown now. You take care of things the way they need to be taken care of.”
“Thanks, Dad.” His compliment spread warmth in her heart, easing the ache that had been there before. Work was like that. It provided a buffer to the pain. She didn’t say anything else. Just gave him time to organize his thoughts and get to the point.
“I’ve bought another store. It’s in Abilene. It’s bigger than this one, by nearly double the square footage. It’s a little run down but all it needs is a good renovation and a steady hand to guide the employees and hire whatever other workforce is needed to get it running smoothly. I know things have been hard for you the last few months but I want you to consider taking the job of general manager.”
“You do?” she asked in surprise.
His smile had a bittersweet quality to it when he looked up at her. “The last thing I want is to send you that far away. You’d have to move. But I’ve come to realize that part of letting you girls spread your wings means allowing you to leave the nest and go where you need to go.”
She scoffed inwardly at the comparison with Presley Ann but didn’t say a word. It wouldn’t do any good. Presley Ann would always be his princess and Leah would always be his little worker bee.
“I’ve already hired a construction contractor. If you’re interested, I’d like you to go and meet with him. He’s overseeing the renovation, which is already underway and you’d be overseeing his work as well as the general operations of the store. You’d have a store manager and a couple of assistants under you.”
“Wow.”
“It’s too big of an operation for a single store manager and an assistant. It’s in a good location and a great opportunity for you. It would get you out of Divine for a while, which might help you…get past what happened in April. A change of scenery might be just the thing. I’d miss not seeing your sweet face every day but I think you’d be a good fit for the location. And…that contractor seemed like a nice guy. He was in the military but he retired, and he’s single. He might be able to help you get acclimated to Abilene if you decided to make the move.”
Awesome. He’s matchmaking at a time like this.
“Sure. I’ll go look.” There wouldn’t be any harm in just looking. “But I won’t make a decision right now.”
“I don’t expect you to. Just take a couple of days and spend some time there. I have a temporary management crew already in place while they liquidate the inventory and complete the renovation so there’s no big hurry.” He put a business card on the desk and added, “This is the contractor’s number. He said to let him know when you’ll be in the area…maybe early next week? Say Monday and Tuesday?”
Wow. No hurry, huh? It’s Saturday.
“Sure. Why not. I’ll talk to Ward and Evelyn.”
He nodded, seeming satisfied, and then knocked his knuckles on her desk. “Hey, you know, this could wind up being just the thing you need to put the sparkle back in your eyes. I like your hair longer like that,” he added as she finished bandaging her knees. He leaned forward to give her a hug and kissed her forehead. Being reminded that her sparkle was missing just made her outlook that much bleaker.
“Thank you, Dad, and thanks for the opportunity, too.”
“I think you’re the best choice for running that store. I also want you to be happy, honey.”
Everyone said time would heal the pain and someday she’d be happy again, be able to smile and laugh without feeling so guilty, but she wasn’t sure that was possible.
Chapter Two
James put a hand to his brother’s shoulder and steered him away from the station house break room so they couldn’t be overheard. “Now tell me again? She’s moving?” Vincent looked fit to be tied.
“She might be moving. I didn’t intend to eavesdrop. Miss Evelyn told me she was in her office and I should feel free to wait in the hallway if I wanted to. Leah seemed upset earlier and I wanted to make sure she was all right.”
“From hurting her hands and knees?” James knew Leah was a little accident prone at times and hoped she was okay.
Vincent opened his mouth to speak but then paused, as though considering his words. “That was only part of it. When I looked into her eyes…it’s like the funeral was yesterday for her, like she’s still hurting that bad. James, if she likes this other store, if she moves away…”
“I know. Kiss the dream good-bye.” He let out a long sigh and rubbed the closely trimmed hair on his jaw. “She leaves on Monday?” Vincent nodded. “Then it’s a damned good thing we’re off tonight. We have to talk to her.”
Vincent nodded again and looked relieved. “Her dad told her that this contractor doing the work on the store is single, and made it sound like she might take a liking to him. He sounded like he’d approve if she wound up with the guy.”
James shook his head. “Not if we have anything to say about it. Let’s finish this shift and then we can make some plans.”
Vincent nodded and they parted ways.
Several hours later, with the workday done and reports filed, they changed out of their uniforms, and Vincent headed home to make preparations there while James drove over to Stigall’s. He parked his truck next to Leah’s car and climbed out. Miss Evely
n exited the store a few minutes later and when she laid eyes on him, leaning against his truck fender, she seemed happy to see him.
“Well, good evening, Mister Elder.”
He smiled and nodded at her as she walked up to him. Even at his paltry five feet nine inches she still had to look way, way up to see him. “Evening, Miss Evelyn. You know you’ve been calling me Mister Elder since I was a kid. Isn’t it about time we were on a first-name basis?”
“If you insist, James. It’s a delight to see you this fine summer evening. If you’re waiting on Leah, she should be out any minute. I must say, I think your timing is impeccable.”
“Is it?”
“It is. Much like Vincent’s earlier when he came by the store. I won’t say more. Leah can explain when she comes out. Have a wonderful evening.” She looked like she had plenty more to say but didn’t.
“Good night, Miss Evelyn.” That was as close as he could get to a first-name basis with that lady. He’d known her practically his whole life and he’d respected her just as long.
A group of employees exited the side door and then Leah came out right behind them and turned to lock the door. The other employees nodded to him congenially, casting curious looks back as they went on their way.
She pulled up short when she turned to walk to her car and saw him. She looked down at her shoes. “I guess this is no coincidence. Did Vincent send you to check on me?”
Her voice was sweet like honey, not too high, not too low, with just a trace of Texan accent, and the urge to touch her was strong. She looked around the parking lot before finally peering up at him. He wanted to trace the tip of her perky nose and kiss her soft pink lips that held no trace of a smile before she looked away again. Vincent had been right. She was still hurting.
He gazed down at her, wanting to stroke the silky strands of her hair, to caress her neck, and squeeze her shoulders which looked uncomfortably tight. Instead, he kept his hands to himself, afraid he might scare her off before he said a word.
“In a manner of speaking, yes, Vincent did send me. I need you to do something for me.”
“What’s that?”
“Follow me out to our place.” Before she could say a word he gently cut her off with a hand on her shoulder. “Just trust us? We don’t want anything from you except a few minutes of your time.”
“James, it’s been a long day.” He could hear her hesitancy, so much like the day he’d met her. It’d been just a few years before, in the store after an altercation with a former employee that could have cost her life.
“Our only goal is to make the day better, honey. Please. Just give us a chance and hear us out. It’s important, otherwise I wouldn’t ask.” He said no more, just waited as he gazed down at her.
Her hazel eyes were in shadows as she considered his request but he could see the pain on her face as she scanned his eyes and swallowed audibly. “I shouldn’t.”
“Why shouldn’t you?”
Her chin quivered slightly and she wrapped her arms around herself as though she was cold despite the warm temperature. He wasn’t sure if it was wishful thinking but she seemed to lean toward him just a little before moving back again. “I’m not…” She looked back at the store for a moment and then at his truck. “All right, I’ll go but only for a little while. I’ve got to work tomorrow and then I have to prepare for a trip.”
The reminder only firmed his resolve to give this his utmost effort. “Of course.” But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t do his best to make her want to stay.
When they arrived out at their place on the river, she parked next to Patterson’s old ’86 Chevy 4x4 short-bed pickup.
“I love these older trucks. I remember Patterson saying he’d found one to fix up at an auction,” she said, patting a gray primered fender.
James grinned. “He did. Maybe we’ll do it for him. Add a lift kit.”
“That’d be something worth seeing, but I’d need a ladder.”
“Nah, we’d lift you into it,” he replied, noticing her assumption about future rides in the truck. Fine and dandy by him. In the outdoor lights, he saw the deepening hint of pink in her cheeks as she looked up at the log structure. She’d never been to the house before. Every light in the place was on, casting a golden glow out in the dark as Vincent opened the front door, wiping his hands on a dishcloth.
“Supper’s ready.”
“You didn’t have to cook anything on my account.”
Vincent leaned forward and kissed her forehead as she came to the threshold and he smiled. “We just got off a little bit ago and we hoped maybe you hadn’t eaten yet either. I fried catfish. I hope that’s okay?”
James noticed the beginnings of a surprised smile cross her lips before it faded. Seeing that happen strengthened his resolve.
“It sounds just fine. I told James I can’t stay long.”
“That’s fine,” Vincent replied, casting a look his way. “I’m glad you decided to follow him out. I suggested just kidnapping you.”
Leah chuckled but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Kidnapping. How would that look on your official record?”
“There would’ve been coercion, too,” Vincent parried. “We really wanted to talk to you. I was concerned when I saw you this afternoon.”
Instead of acknowledging his words, Leah looked around the living room. Her eyes lingered on the entertainment center where soft music was playing, and said, “I like your log cabin.”
“Mom and Dad had it built when we were kids,” James said, slightly relieved by the hint of a sparkle in her eyes as she gazed up at the exposed beams and the vaulted ceiling.
“You grew up here?”
“Yeah, and we fished in the river in the summer. The creek isn’t very far off either.”
“Is your dad home?” she asked, looking around the room.
“No. He’s not living here anymore. He remarried last winter. Our new stepmom, wanted to start fresh so he turned the place over to us and they have a house in town.”
Her eyebrows rose and she said, “I didn’t know that. I hope it’s gone well for him.”
Vincent nodded. “So far, so good. He got to a point where he was ready to move on. Why don’t you come into the kitchen? I have everything set up on the breakfast bar.”
“Smells wonderful,” she said, rubbing her little hand across her stomach. James wondered how well she’d been eating. He’d always liked her full, curvy figure, but in the light, he could see she was thinner than he was used to seeing her. The instinct to feed her and take care of her grew in strength.
Vincent poured her a glass of iced tea and then showed her to one of the barstools at the kitchen island, the one between theirs, James noted with a little smile. His brother pulled a platter filled with catfish filets, hushpuppies, and French fries from the oven and put spoons in the bowls of pinto beans and green bean salad on the bar. James smiled when he saw the green beans, knowing it was his mother’s secret recipe.
“My mouth is watering,” Leah said as she settled on the barstool and admired the spread.
Vincent smiled and James could see the heat in his eyes as he looked directly at her. “Mine, too.”
* * * *
Leah glanced up at Vincent’s quiet reply and wondered at the way he looked at her, and at the fact that they’d invited her out to their house. Scratch that. Their huge log cabin. She must’ve been out of her mind to accept the invitation with no notice but she’d gone anyway.
There was something about the way James had asked her to come out, with his heart in his words, understanding that she might refuse. He was always a softer touch than either Vincent or Patterson—
She cleared her throat and took a sip of the iced tea, which was laced perfectly with real cane sugar. She had to cut thoughts like that off before they had a chance to snowball and resulted in her breaking down.
Don Williams crooned “Till the Rivers All Run Dry” on the satellite radio station in the living room, distracting her but
not in a good way. It was another favorite of Patterson’s which meant it was best not to linger over it.
The meal was quiet and mostly relaxed, with her offering compliments about the food and growing ever more aware of the distractingly masculine presence of her hosts. Both men were a couple of inches shy of six feet tall, but at five feet tall, they still towered over her and made her feel secure and protected, despite her unwillingness to acknowledge that. There had always been something that she’d thought of as a little wild and reckless in Patterson but she’d never felt anything but safe with him—
Don Williams sang on and she said, “Is there any way we could change the music? Something different? Newer?”
“Sure, doll,” Vincent said, and lifted the remote from the counter and selected a different station without a word, though he cast a searching glance her way.
Fearing a confrontation of some kind was at the heart of their invitation, Leah’s heart quickened its pace as the meal drew to a close. Vincent rose from his seat and lifted his plate and she pulled back slightly as he reached for hers. She glanced up at him and caught the way his eyebrows furrowed as he made eye contact with her.
“I’m not going to bite you, doll.”
She shrugged and tried for nonchalance. “I didn’t think that at all.”
“Then why are you so jumpy?” he asked as he took the dishes to the kitchen sink, which was filled with soapy water. She noted how clean the kitchen was already, not piled with dirty pots and pans. A mess to clean up might’ve made for a nice distraction.
“Honey?” James asked, laying a hand on her shoulder and startling her in the process. “You are jumpy. You have nothing to fear from either of us.”
“It’s not fear. Not really,” she said quietly as she rose from her seat and looked for her purse which was all the way across the house on the table by the door. “Thank you for the meal, guys. It was delicious.”
Brokenhearted Beauty [Divine Creek Ranch 19] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 3
