by Emily March
“I thought we’d sit on the front porch and enjoy our morning snack,” she said. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s been some action across the street at the place next to yours. I’d like to sit and eat my cookies and be nosy. Does that sound all right with you?”
“Harriet, I’d follow you to the top of Sinner’s Prayer Pass for those cookies.”
He rose to his feet and tugged his red shop rag from the back pocket of his jeans to wipe his hands.
Smiling with pleasure, she led the way out of her garage and up the side steps to her front porch. “So, what’s the verdict on Mabel?”
Mabel being her name for her car. “I’ll get her running for you, and then you should drive her into Gunnison and trade her in on a truck to pull your new camper.”
“I don’t have a new camper.” She set the serving tray onto the small table that sat between two white porch rockers adorned with parrot green cushions.
“Brick has a connection.” Josh took a seat, snagged a cookie, fed Penny a biscuit, and added, “He could hook you up with a sweet little eighteen-footer for ten percent above cost.”
A wistful look entered the older woman’s eyes. “I’d be afraid to try. Peter always pulled the trailer. I never learned to do it.”
Josh took a bite of warm, oatmeal chocolate chip cookie and gave it the reverent moment of silence it deserved. “It’s up to you, of course, but I’d think a former teacher would be one to agree with the idea that one is never too old to learn.”
She laughed. “Overcoming objections one-oh-one. You should be in sales and marketing, Josh. Or maybe politics, but I wouldn’t wish that on anyone I like. And I do like you. You remind me of someone, you know. I just can’t put my finger on who.”
Good.
“It will come to me eventually. It always does.”
Bad.
He went for the distraction. “These are spectacular cookies. Any time you feel like baking, I’m happy to take some off your hands. So, what’s the scoop on the Munster Mansion next door to me?”
She laughed at his reference to the sixties sitcom about a quirky family filled with cliché monsters and fed Penny another treat. “I think we’re getting new neighbors.”
“Your kind or mine?”
By “kind,” Josh referred to residential or commercial neighbors. Eternity Springs was in the midst of a renaissance that gave city planners nightmares. Basically, zoning didn’t exist, but it worked for the little town. For the most part, residential properties peacefully coexisted with business concerns in what served as the downtown commercial district. Long-empty buildings and unoccupied homes had mostly disappeared, with the vacancy rate at the lowest level since the silver mines closed a hundred years ago.
Josh’s garage sat on a corner lot at Spruce and Fifth. It had been a Sinclair filling station before it closed in the 1960s. He’d bought the station, the lot next to it, and the lot behind it, vacant but for a storage shed packed with prizes—original Sinclair Dino signs, old gas pumps and gumball machines, and a cash register that dated back to the 1920s. He’d been like a kid in a candy store going through the shed.
He’d instructed the architect he’d hired to design the remodel and expansion to stay true to the historic look of the structure. The result was a simple expansion that allowed for entrance on Spruce with drive-through bays and an exit on Fifth. Because a man could never have too much storage space, he’d even kept the shed when he’d had the one-story, two-bedroom Victorian replica cottage built on the adjacent lot. There was a lot to be said for being able to walk to work on a snowy day in January.
After taking her time in an inner debate over which cookie to choose, Harriet responded to his question. “Honestly, I’m not sure. Celeste owns the property so there’s no hint there. I saw her arrive, but I missed the arrival of whoever is driving that maroon SUV. It’s a large vehicle, a large house, so I suspect we could have a family moving in.”
“Jax Lancaster’s truck pulled away from there a few minutes ago,” Josh observed. “It looks like they’ll be doing some remodeling.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t tell us much about the visitor, however. That house has been vacant for so long, it surely needs major work. I do hope they don’t tear it down. She’s a grand old place. I went through it the last time it went up for sale. Not long after Peter and I moved to town. Why, it’s made for a big family. Wouldn’t it be lovely if a large family moved in?”
“I don’t need curious kids underfoot at the garage.”
“Oh, don’t try that. I’ve seen you with some of our curious youngsters here in town. Why just last week you all but taught a class to the Wilson boys when you let them help work on your motorcycle engine.”
“Their father is deployed. I’m just doing my civic duty.”
Penny begged one more treat, then rolled over to a sunny spot on the porch and plopped down to sleep. Josh eyed the dilapidated house under discussion. It had been a showcase in its day. Queen Anne–style with steeply pitched, irregular rooflines that included a tower and turrets. Elaborate brackets of gingerbread adorned the exterior, and turned posts and spindles dressed its three porches. A lot of possibility there. He’d briefly considered buying it himself rather than building something new, but the place was way too big for a bachelor. Since he had no intention of ever changing that status, he’d gone with his new cottage that looked old from the outside, but was equipped with a media room and a steam shower.
“You could wander over and ask,” Josh suggested as he lifted his glass of milk to his lips for a sip before reaching for cookie number three.
“Maybe I will. I could take some cookies. I have two more sheets ready to come out of the oven any minute. Why don’t we fix a plate and walk over and introduce ourselves? Be neighborly. And if we don’t like the people or plans for the house, we can roll out the haunted story.”
“What haunted story?”
“Well, I don’t know, but I’m sure we can come up with one if we need it. The place has the look of a haunted house, doesn’t it?”
Josh was tempted. He’d wanted to explore the house ever since Celeste refused to show it to him during that short time he’d considered it. “No, it’s not the right place for you,” she’d replied when he asked about it. “I’ve something else in mind for that property.”
That refusal still rankled, even if she’d been right that it didn’t suit him. Josh didn’t like anyone to tell him no.
“I shouldn’t, Ms. H. I’ve taken a long enough break as it is. My boss will fire me.”
“You’re your own boss.”
“Right. And the guy is a slave driver. I can’t be changing starters when I’m getting nosy with the neighbors, and if I don’t do it this morning, I won’t get to it until next week. I’m booked this afternoon on.”
“Mabel can wait. She hasn’t run for a month and a few more days won’t make a difference. Come with me, Josh. Having someone with me makes me look less like the nosy stalker neighbor that I am. Besides, if I get a little exercise this morning I’ll probably feel like baking a cake this afternoon.”
He chastised her with a look, then acquiesced saying, “You drive a hard bargain.”
“No, I drive a Buick. Or, I will be again soon. Isn’t it lucky that a mechanic moved in across the street from me and is willing to barter for baked goods?”
He laughed just as the timer on Harriet’s phone buzzed. “All right, Ms. H. Plate up the cookies and I’ll accompany you to meet our new neighbors.”
“Potential neighbors,” she cautioned.
Josh shrugged, but he didn’t believe it. If Celeste Blessing was showing the old house to someone and they’d already called Jax Lancaster in, the deal was done. “I hope if the family has children that they are older and well-behaved and will leave Penny be. She got a little snappish with Racer Rafferty the other night at Murphy’s.”
“That boy is a tornado on ten toes. Sage and Colt do their best with him, but he is going to
keep them hopping. Speaking of Penny, she’s welcome to stay in my backyard while we’re across the street. The squirrels have been running amok between my trees today. Penny will have a fine time chasing them.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
A few minutes later Harriet left the house carrying a plate piled high with warm cookies and a stack of napkins. Josh toted a gallon of milk and a package of red Solo cups. The pair crossed the street and stepped up the walk toward the vacant house’s front door.
Harriet knocked on the doorframe. “Hello? Hello. It’s the neighborhood welcome wagon bearing cookies fresh from the oven.”
“Harriet?” Celeste’s voice called from a room off the house’s broad entryway and toward the back. “I’m in the kitchen.”
Harriet’s and Josh’s footsteps echoed through the empty house as they followed the sound of Celeste’s voice. She sat at a folding card table in the spot where a kitchen table belonged and she had two piles of paperwork in front of her. Contracts, Josh thought as Celeste looked up and smiled delightedly. “Harriet, how did you know I was craving something sweet? And Josh, what perfect timing. Jax was going to tote a small, but heavy trunk down from the attic for me, but we both forgot when he received a call from Claire and hightailed it home. You just missed him, in fact.”
“Is everything okay with Nicholas and the baby?” Harriet asked as she set the plate of cookies on the table.
“Yes, all is well at the Lancaster home. This call was about Nicholas’s dog. She’s having her puppies.”
“Finally!” Josh said. He poured milk into a red plastic cup for Celeste. “Nicholas has been on tenterhooks for the better part of a week.”
Harriet clicked her tongue. “Yes, the poor boy. Jax said he wasn’t half this excited when his baby sister was born. But enough about puppies.” Harriet took a seat in the card table’s other chair. “What about neighbors? Have you sold the place?”
“Yes, I have—to a wonderful owner, I’ll have you know. This property is perfect for her and she for it.” Celeste chose a cookie, gave a reverent sniff, then asked, “Would you please see to that trunk, now, Josh? The new owner is up exploring in the attic. She’ll show you which one.”
He was honestly more interested in the house than in the neighbor, so he nodded and asked, “Where do you want it when I get it downstairs?”
“If you’ll set it in the back of the maroon SUV out front that’ll be wonderful. It’s unlocked.” Celeste took a bite of her cookie and said, “Oh, Harriet, your cookies are sinful. I dare say you could give Fresh Bakery a run for its money with these.”
Josh exited the kitchen as Harriet replied with self-deprecating words in a voice brimming with delight. Celeste did have a way of finding the perfect words to please everyone.
Josh peeked into the first-floor rooms before heading up the staircase. The long and skinny floor plan meant that the house had a good portion of its square footage on the ground level. While he’d always preferred tinkering with machines to running power tools, he could see the promise in this place. Wonder what the floors looked like beneath that vinyl? And why in the world would anyone have laid that monstrosity to begin with?
The word reminded him of the Munster reference earlier, so he was grinning as he climbed the stairs. He was halfway up when Harriet poked her head out of the kitchen.
She smiled upon seeing him and said, “Oh, good. I’m glad I caught you before I had to climb the stairs. The beauty shop just called, and Elizabeth is able to work me in for a perm so I’m scooting on home. Also, my call reminded Celeste that she has a mani-pedi appointment, so she’s headed back to Angel’s Rest. She’s asked for you to pass along a message to the new owner. She’s to bring the attic trunk and the papers Celeste left on the table with her to Angel’s Rest any time after three o’clock today.”
“Will do.”
“Don’t forget the cookie tin I filled for you. You left it on my front porch.”
“Oh, I won’t forget.”
He waited until he heard her leave before continuing up the stairs. On the second floor, he took a thorough tour of all the bedrooms. Again, the place had promise, though it needed a lot of work. If Jax Lancaster was the contractor, Josh hoped he liked stripping wallpaper.
At one end of the hallway an open door revealed stairs to the attic. Josh’s boots scuffed the steps as he started up, and in an effort not to startle the new owner, he called, “Hello? Celeste sent me up to get a trunk.”
A muffled feminine voice responded, but he couldn’t make out the words. He stepped into the attic, glanced around, and murmured, “Cool.”
It was a dusty, mostly empty rabbit warren that called out to the child inside him. One of few good memories he had of visiting his father was the visit they’d made to the Trammel family summer house in Maine. It had rained for the majority of the visit, and he’d spent hours exploring the contents of the attic. Trunks of old costumes had been a treasure trove for a nine-year-old who’d learned at a young age how to lose himself in make-believe.
This particular attic wasn’t stuffed to the rafters with trunks and crates and old furnishings. He spied one rocker, a wardrobe, three trunks, and a harp with all of three strings intact. What he didn’t see was any sign of his new neighbor.
Take that back. He did see footprints in the dust. They led to the wardrobe and disappeared.
“Huh,” he murmured. Then speaking louder he added, “Hello?”
“I’m here,” came a muffled voice. “The door is jammed on this side and I can’t find another way out.”
Josh felt a little silly as he opened the wardrobe door looking for a lady. The wardrobe was empty, but a crooked sliver of light made the false back obvious. “Well look at that. A secret passage.”
Delighted, Josh slipped his fingers into the opening and jiggled the back. The piece was heavy and it took some work, but he finally managed to slip it into its track. He then slid the false back open to reveal a square tunnel about ten feet long. Of course, Josh had to see where it led.
He bent over and crawled a couple of feet inside. “Hello?”
“You fixed it!”
The voice sounded familiar. No. A shiver of apprehension skittered down his spine. No. No. This was the new owner? His new next-door neighbor? It can’t be. Not right next door. He must be imagining things. That voice wasn’t hers. This was his paranoia at work. His imagination was running away with him.
Nevertheless, Josh’s instincts screamed at him to play the Cowardly Lion and back right out of the tunnel.
“I’m so glad,” she said. “I admit I was starting to worry a bit.”
Oh, hell. It was her. His new next-door neighbor. I am so screwed. Josh filled his lungs with air, then blew it out slowly. He’d never been clairvoyant, but he was certain that this wouldn’t be the last time that Caitlin Timberlake brought him to his knees.
* * *
OMG. OMG. OMG.
Caitlin’s pulse raced. Her mouth went as dry as a good martini. She’d expected Jax Lancaster. That wasn’t Jax. That was Josh.
OMG. OMG. OMG.
This wasn’t how she’d planned the meeting. She’d imagined it happening a dozen different ways, but never had it involved a surprise encounter when she was dusty and disheveled and trapped in a secret attic bedroom. Although … wasn’t a bedroom exactly where she wanted to get him?
OMG. OMG. OMG.
Okay, girl. Planned or not, this is the hand you’ve been dealt. Like Dad always says, start like you mean to go on. So, that meant casual and friendly and real.
She resumed the search she’d been making of the walls of the room when Josh’s face moved into view. Those cheekbones. Those eyes. She hadn’t remembered how he really was good-looking. Movie-star handsome. “Well, hello, Josh. I wasn’t expecting you to be the one who came to my rescue.”
He froze and closed his eyes. In a resigned voice, he said, “Hello, Caitlin. So it is you.”
“Live and in person and stuck in thi
s room. But isn’t it cool? I’ve been searching for another exit, but if one exists, it’s not obvious. Now that you’ve rescued me, I don’t need to look for it so hard. Thanks, Josh. You’re my knight in shining armor.”
He exited the tunnel and climbed slowly to his feet. Was that a faint light of hope in his eyes? “You’re visiting?” he asked. “You’re a friend of the person who bought this house from Celeste?”
Caitlin worked hard to keep her nervousness hidden and show only excitement in her smile. “I am the person who bought this house from Celeste.”
“Why?”
Here you go. Roll your dice, woman. “I’m moving home, Josh.”
His only reaction was a wince.
She continued.”I’m going to open a daycare center.”
Now he gawked at her. “In Eternity Springs?”
“In this house. I was going to buy a lot and build, but Celeste suggested this place. It has so much potential and she made me a heckuva deal. Honestly, she all but gave it to me.”
“No.”
“No?”
“This house will make a terrible daycare.”
Her chin came up. “It’ll make a great daycare. This house was built for children. The Haberstroh family, in fact. They had twelve.”
“Twelve what?”
“Children!”
“Children? Twelve children? In one family?”
“Yes. There is a whole stack of family history paraphernalia in one of the trunks in the main attic, including a stack of letters exchanged between Mrs. Haberstroh and her sister. In one of them, Mrs. Haberstroh writes a paragraph on each child. It’s fascinating. The Haberstrohs weren’t one of Eternity Springs’ founding families, but by its twenty-fifth anniversary they were definitely one of the most prominent. Mr. Haberstroh founded our first bank.”
“Great for him, but what does that have to do with little children tumbling down the staircase?”
“Baby gates prevent that. Jax is going to create a custom design for me.”
Caitlin tried not to be discouraged by his obvious lack of enthusiasm for her news. Yes, it would have been nice if he’d lit up like a Fourth of July sparkler when she told him she’d moved home, but Caitlin never expected this to be easy. Experience had taught her that more often than not when it came to dealing with men, patience won the race. Lori’s relationship with Chase was the textbook example of that.
