Stolen Heart: The Hearts of Sawyers Bend, Book One

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Stolen Heart: The Hearts of Sawyers Bend, Book One Page 5

by Layne, Ivy


  I tried to cover my grumble with a bite of cookie. I wasn’t fooling anyone. Griffen gave me a curious look, but Martha knew what I was thinking.

  “Maybe it isn’t his fault, but it’s his responsibility, girl. He’s the only one left.”

  I knew what she meant. Ford had tried. He really had. In some ways, he’d succeeded. But Ford wasn’t Griffen.

  Griffen decided to ignore both of us. He repeated his earlier question. “Why did you leave Heartstone Manor?”

  Miss Martha threw her head back, her whole body shaking with mirth. When she was done, she met Griffen’s eyes dead-on. “I left because your daddy was a bastard and no paycheck was worth putting up with him for one day longer.”

  Griffen shook his head, trying not to smile. “I can’t argue with you about that. Who’s been looking after the house since you quit?”

  “He’s had day staff in and out, mostly out, but what I hear from Sterling, the place is a mess.”

  “You see Sterling?” I asked, curious. Sterling didn’t seem to have much on her mind aside from having a good time, but Miss Martha was the closest thing she had left to a mother.

  Miss Martha let out a gusty sigh. “That girl. Only thing I regret about walking out of Heartstone.”

  “Would you consider coming back?” Griffen asked, avoiding the mention of his youngest sister.

  Curiosity lighting her gray eyes, Miss Martha leaned forward. “You’re really staying?”

  Griffen nodded.

  “And what are you doing with Hope? What kind of situation do you have, Griffen Sawyer?”

  Before Griffen could answer, I said, “The kind of situation we can’t discuss if you aren’t willing to take the job.”

  Miss Martha gave another harrumph, but she didn’t push. With a slow, almost regretful shake of her head, she said, “I’m tempted to say yes just to find out what you’re hiding, but I can’t do it. I’m enjoying my retirement, spending time with my grandson and in the garden. I love that house, but it’s too much for me to take on.”

  “What about Savannah?” I asked. “She knows the house. And if we can’t have you—”

  Tires crunched on the gravel drive and Miss Martha smiled. “You can ask her yourself. She just got off her shift at the Inn.”

  Chapter Seven

  Hope

  I heard Savannah’s voice before the door opened, her tone low and soothing. She strode in with a toddler propped on one hip and an oversized tote slung over her shoulder. Her strawberry blonde curls were falling out of their bun, a halo of frizz around her flushed face.

  Her white button-down was stained with something pink and a smear of green. Looked like her shift in the Inn restaurant had been a long one. Long and messy. She came to an abrupt stop when she spotted us at her mother’s kitchen table.

  “Hope,” she said in surprise. “What are you—” Her eyes fell to Griffen and widened. “Griffen? Griffen Sawyer?”

  Distracted, she set her son on his feet as Griffen pushed back his chair and crossed the kitchen to give Savannah a hug.

  They wouldn’t have known each other well as Savannah was younger than me, only ten when Griffen had left home. Still, she was Miss Martha’s girl and had been underfoot at Heartstone Manor before she could walk.

  “Are you back for your father’s service? We were sorry to hear—” Miss Martha’s snort cut her off, and Savannah slanted her mother a quelling look.

  After a lifetime dealing with Prentice Sawyer, Miss Martha wasn’t easily quelled. Griffen shook his head and went down on his haunches, holding his hand out to Savannah’s son, who studied him with curiosity.

  Absently, he said to Savannah, “I appreciate the sentiment, but you’d be the only one if you meant it.” To the boy, he said, “I’m Griffen. What’s your name?”

  The boy stuck out his hand cautiously. “My name’s Nicky.”

  Griffen’s hand closed around the smaller one and shook solemnly. “It’s nice to meet you, Nicky.”

  Savannah’s gray eyes, so like her mother’s, bounced between Martha, Griffen and me.

  Griffen stood and looked pointedly at Miss Martha. “Unless you’re willing to sign an NDA, we’ll need to talk to Savannah in private.”

  Miss Martha rolled her eyes but stood, holding out her hand to Nicky and mumbling under her breath, “You know I can keep a secret, Griffen Sawyer.” Not waiting for a response, she took her grandson’s hand and led him out of the kitchen.

  “What’s this about?” Savannah asked. “Can I get y’all anything? I’m dying for a cup of that coffee.”

  “Your mother already took care of us,” I said, gesturing to the tray on the table. “We’ve got some time. Get whatever you need.” Savannah fixed herself a cup of coffee and joined us at the table, snagging one of her mother’s molasses cookies.

  “So, what’s going on?”

  “Do you have any interest in taking over your mother’s position at Heartstone?” Griffen asked bluntly.

  Surprise washed across Savannah’s face before her eyes narrowed on Griffen. “That depends. Who would I be working for?”

  “Us,” I said.

  Savannah’s eyes flared even wider. My heart racing with terror and exhilaration, I dove headfirst into the fiction Griffen and I would have to live for the next five years.

  Reaching out to close my fingers over Griffen’s, I sent him what I hoped was a loving smile. “Griffen and I—uh—we’re together.” At Savannah’s doubtful look, I sucked in a breath and tried again. I’m a terrible liar. I’d have to learn.

  “We, uh, we’d been talking,” I fumbled, thinking we should have practiced our story before we tried it out on a real, live person. From the corner of my eye, I caught Griffen’s wicked grin. My heart kicked up even faster. I hadn’t seen that grin in years.

  He scooched his chair a few inches closer and wrapped his arm around me. Looking straight at Savannah, he said “My dad’s death changed things. Hope and I don’t have to keep our relationship a secret anymore. We got married this afternoon.”

  Griffen leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to my jaw. My heart thumped so hard I thought it might explode right out of my chest. Savannah stared at the two of us in silence before she let out a snort identical to her mother’s and shook her head.

  “I don’t know what’s going on, but you two are going to have to practice that routine if you expect to sell it around town.”

  Griffen’s jaw went hard. He flipped his hand over, closing his fingers around mine. “As far as anyone’s concerned, that’s the God’s honest truth.”

  Savannah rolled her eyes but withheld further comment. Instead, she asked, “Why me? Why an NDA? Would you be living there for real? Because I’d love to take on Heartstone. I know the house, I know what it needs, but I’m not getting stuck there with Sterling and Brax and whoever else decides to show up.”

  Griffen let go of my hand and braced his elbows on the table. “I can’t tell you about the NDA unless you agree to take the job. I can promise you that Hope and I will be in residence full-time, and if anyone gives you a hard time they’ll answer to me.”

  Savannah took a deep breath and let it out slowly, thinking. Finally, she said, “I need health insurance. I have a decent policy through the Inn—”

  With a glance at Griffen, I cut in, “If you decide to take the job, the policy that covers Sawyer Enterprises employees will also cover staff at the house.”

  Griffen shot me a curious look and I explained, “When they changed insurers a few years ago, I helped Uncle Edgar and Prentice research and set up the new policy they offer their employees. Harvey can double-check because I didn’t handle the details for Heartstone, but I’m pretty sure that Heartstone Manor qualifies as a small business as far as the insurance is concerned. I can’t promise the coverage would be any better than what you have at the Inn. It’s p
robably the same policy.”

  Savannah nodded. “The Inn policy is pretty good, considering. What kind of salary are you thinking? Where do we live? I’ve got Nicky. He goes to preschool a few days a week. I try to organize my shifts around that and my mom pitches in when she can, but otherwise, he’s with me. Do you have a problem with him running around Heartstone?”

  “Of course not,” Griffen said immediately. “As far as salary—excuse me for a second—” He got up and disappeared down the hall, following the path Miss Martha had taken earlier.

  He returned a few seconds later and threw out a number, adding, “That’s what your mother was making when she quit, plus twenty percent. We need you to be in charge of staffing for the house and grounds, organize a cook, maintenance, daily cleaning—everything your mom used to do.”

  “Everyone will be in residence,” I added.

  “Everyone?” Savannah asked, incredulous. “That’ll be… interesting.”

  Griffen ignored her comment and went on, “Heartstone expenses come out of a trust Harvey Benson oversees, so he’ll need to sign off on everything. He’s already given preliminary approval for you as housekeeper.”

  I leaned in and caught Savannah’s eye. “In fact, you’re the only one we’ve agreed on, aside from your mother.”

  Savannah sat back and crossed her arms over her chest, still thinking. “Any crap from Sterling or anyone else and I’m out.”

  “Any crap from anyone,” Griffen said, “and you come to me. I’ll kick any of them out before you.”

  Savannah’s eyebrows shot up. “You mean it?”

  “What are you worried about?” I asked before Griffen could answer. I knew he meant what he’d said. We couldn’t afford to lose our witness. If one of his siblings wanted to get themselves kicked out of Heartstone Manor for being an ass, that was their problem.

  Savannah gave Griffen a hesitant look. Shifting her gaze to me she said, “You know. Sterling puking all over the bathroom after one too many. Bringing home one-night stands who walk off with the family silver. Being expected to fetch and carry all day when I should be running the house.”

  With a jerk of one shoulder, she added to Griffen, “I grew up in Heartstone. I love that house. I’d love to put it to rights again, to take care of it, but—your brothers have reputations. I’m not interested in offering additional services.”

  Griffen’s back went straight at the implication. “Has anyone given you a hard time at the Inn? Expected anything from you that you didn’t want to give?”

  “No. Not really. But living in the house is different. And your father—”

  She didn’t need to finish that sentence. Prentice had never laid a finger on Miss Martha—if he’d tried he would have lost the finger—but assorted other household staff had warmed his bed over the years. Brax had followed in his father’s footsteps until Prentice fired the staff.

  Griffen picked up one of the cookies and broke off a piece. “Why don’t I lay this out in more detail? You’d work for me and Hope. The only other person with authority over you would be Harvey Benson. Your job is to run the house. Until you get a full staff hired, you’ll need to pitch in wherever necessary, but your job isn’t to jump anytime a Sawyer rings a bell.

  “Your job is to make sure we have meals, a clean and presentable home, that the grounds and the house are in good condition. You’ll manage the household budget and staff. You will not act as anyone’s personal servant. And if at any time any member of the household crosses a line you don’t like, you come to me or Hope and we’ll sort it out. Does that work?”

  “That works.” Savannah smiled, drawing in a deep breath that froze in her lungs as something else occurred to her. “What about security?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Someone walked into Heartstone Manor and shot Prentice in the head.”

  “Ford is in jail,” Griffen said carefully.

  Savannah gave a dismissive shake of her head. “I know what the police think, but Mom swears he didn’t do it.”

  “I’ve spent the last ten years working for the best security agency in the country. I’ll get a team out to rewire the house, set up a system so we can monitor the property.”

  “Good enough for me,” Savannah said, the smile returning to her face. “When do you want me to start?”

  “First thing tomorrow,” Griffen said, “go by Harvey’s office. I’ll tell him to expect you. He can fill you in on the specifics including the NDA and the reason for it. Hope and I have some business to take care of, but we expect to move in by Monday. The faster you can get started the better.”

  And that was that. We had a housekeeper. And a witness.

  A weight lifted from my chest just knowing that Savannah would be there. She wasn’t a friend, not yet, but she was an ally. I needed one of those. Griffen was being decent, but eventually, the shock would wear off and he’d remember that he was married to the woman who’d ruined his life.

  Since the day had started I’d been a leaf flowing down a mountain stream, bubbling along wherever the current took me, pushed and pulled by everyone else’s demands. I’d married Griffen to save the town. I’d do it again in a heartbeat, but it hadn’t been my choice any more than it had been his.

  If I had to have a witness in the house, documenting my every move, at least it could be someone I’d chosen. Just knowing I’d gotten my way in this one thing made the rest easier to take.

  We said goodbye to Savannah and got into Griffen’s sleek Maserati. I fastened my seatbelt and looked over to see him tip his head back against the headrest, eyes closed. He looked utterly exhausted. My heart hurt for him.

  He’d come home expecting to put his father in the ground, sign some papers, and never see any of us again. Instead, his whole life had been turned inside out. He’d have to leave his home, his career, the people he’d made his family. All of it to save a town that had turned its back on him.

  I wanted to help. Hard to figure out how when I was part of the problem. “What now?”

  Griffen rolled his head in my direction and opened his eyes. Raising a brow, he asked, “Honeymoon?”

  My stomach turned over in disappointment. In remorse. In the tiniest bit of hopeless longing. This wasn’t that kind of marriage. No ring. No kiss. No honeymoon. Just five years of playing a role for everyone except Griffen.

  My hands twisted in my lap, fingers twined together so tightly my knuckles were white. I didn’t know how to answer Griffen, so I fell back on my usual—dealing with the practical. “You weren’t planning to spend the night in town, were you?”

  Griffen reached up to rub the back of his neck as he shook his head. “I thought I’d be back on the road by now. Thought I’d put this place behind me for good.”

  I had nothing to say to that. We’d all thought a lot of things that weren’t going to happen.

  “Do you want to go to Heartstone?” Griffen’s face closed down, cheeks tight, jaw clenched. So that was a No on the house. “The Inn?” A sharp shake of his head.

  Of course, he wouldn’t want to go to the Inn. That was Royal and Tenn’s domain. They hadn’t exactly welcomed him home. Not that I could blame them. Griffen and I weren’t the only ones screwed by Prentice’s will. Royal and Tenn had put everything they had into making the Inn at Sawyers Bend a success and Prentice had snatched it out from under them.

  If Heartstone and the Inn were out, Griffen didn’t have many options. We didn’t have any chain hotels in town. They were all back in Asheville. Griffen needed a meal and sleep, not an hour-long drive through the mountains.

  “You can stay at my place, if you want,” I offered, instantly regretting the impulsive gesture. Backtracking, I said, “It’s only one bedroom, but the couch is comfortable—”

  “Banishing me to the couch already? We’ve only been married for a few hours.”

&nb
sp; My heart stuttered. He was kidding, right?

  Except Harvey said it had to be real. Holy crap, did Griffen think—?

  Were we supposed to—

  Tonight?

  I felt the blood drain from my face. Cold sweat sprang up between my shoulder blades as a faint grin spread across Griffen’s mouth.

  He reached out to bop the tip of my nose before trailing his index finger down my cheek, spreading heat along my frozen skin everywhere he touched. Across my lips, along the line of my jaw, down my neck until he reached my collarbone, leaving me shivering and aroused—and very, very confused.

  Chapter Eight

  Griffen

  I should have felt bad for teasing Hope. I did, kind of. But then I trailed my finger over her soft skin, felt her shiver from my touch, and I didn’t feel bad anymore.

  I felt all sorts of other things for Hope Daniels. Things I’d never expected.

  No, not Hope Daniels. Hope Sawyer. She was Hope Fucking Sawyer now.

  And she was mine.

  In a million years, I never would have imagined the satisfaction I got from that thought.

  Hope was mine.

  Until she’d walked into my office, I’d thought I never wanted to see her again. Thought I hated her. A part of me did. I’d never forget standing in my father’s office, seeing Hope’s anguished, guilty eyes as I lost my fiancée, my home, my family, my legacy. She’d been the only one I told, the only one who knew. Like a fool, I’d thought I could trust her.

  She’d betrayed me once. Why was I trusting her now?

  Arguments swirled in my head. Reasons why Hope was the only one I could trust. Reasons I should boot her out of my car and take off.

  My gut had one resounding answer. Hope. Just that. Hope. Like I usually did, I was following my gut. My gut and the silk of her skin under my touch.

  After the day from hell, I was pathetically grateful she’d offered to put me up at her place. I half-expected to hear that she still lived with Edgar. It didn’t seem like he’d let her out from under his thumb since I’d been gone.

 

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