Stolen Heart: The Hearts of Sawyers Bend, Book One

by Layne, Ivy

  “Works for me,” I said. Hope nodded in agreement.

  Savannah moved to the door of the kitchen. “As you might remember, most of the lower level is storage. I did want to show you the laundry in case you need something in a rush. And there’s a gym, but I’m fairly sure you’ll want it updated. I think the others have been using the gym at the Inn, but I’m assuming you won’t want to drive into town to work out.”

  “You assume right. I don’t know about everyone else, but Hawk will definitely want workout facilities on-site.”

  Before we left the kitchen, I caught Miss Martha in a quick hug. “I know you’re just helping Savannah get settled, but it’s really good to see you here.”

  “Oh, I’ll be around. Don’t think you can get rid of me.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said. With another squeeze, I released her and was following Savannah down the hall when I heard a discordant clang. It continued, sounding almost like a bell but wrong. Off.

  “What the hell is that?” I asked, coming to a stop and trying to determine where the noise was coming from.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Griffen

  I think it’s one of the house bells,” Savannah said. “I haven’t had a chance to test them yet. We’ve mostly been using text messages.”

  Turning, she strode down the hall, past the kitchen to the staff dining room where one full wall was taken up by a series of neatly-labeled brass bells connected to wires that spread through the house, each one going to a different room.

  The bell clanging so loudly was labeled Rose Room. Sterling’s room. I rolled my eyes and gritted my teeth. “Ignore it. I’ll deal with her in a few minutes. We’ll have to come up with a better system than the bells. Unless you plan on having someone hanging out in here all day.”

  “Not likely,” Savannah agreed. “I’ll think of something. Maybe a messaging app? The Inn has an app the concierge uses, tagged to the guest so they can keep track of who needs what. I’ll ask Royal how it works.”

  “I’m open to suggestions,” I said, pretending not to hear my sister’s demanding ring. The others followed my lead, and as one, we ignored Sterling. “Let’s take a look at the gym and you can show Hope the laundry while I go upstairs and deal with Sterling.”

  “Better you than me,” Hope murmured.

  Savannah had been right; the gym needed a complete rehab. It was big, even had a hot tub and a sauna, though the hot tub was bound for the dump. I promised Savannah I’d get her a list of what we needed and jogged up the stairs to the main level. The sooner I got to the second floor, the sooner I could drag my sister’s finger off that goddamn button.

  I could move quietly when I wanted to. I crept down the hall to Sterling’s room, swinging her door open with no warning to find her leaning against the wall, her face pasty and gray, her finger jabbing the button by the light switch over and over.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” I demanded. All my sympathy for the grieving girl was gone, drained away by the incessant press of her finger on that button. “What do you want? Everyone in this house is busy. Working. You missed breakfast.”

  “I’m hungry. And I need my room cleaned,” she whined.

  “Meals are served in the dining room. You want to eat? Shower and get dressed like a normal adult human and show up downstairs. There will be no trays brought to your room so you can be a lazy slug.”

  Tears brimmed in Sterling’s bloodshot blue eyes. “I don’t know why you have to be so mean to me,” she complained.

  “Maybe because you vomited all over my wife last night after stumbling in drunk, falling down in the hall, and waking up the whole house.”

  “It was just you and Hope and Savannah. And Savannah is the housekeeper. It’s her job to get up.”

  “The hell it is. Her job is to keep the house running, not to wait on you hand and foot. Don’t ring that fucking bell again. If you want something, get your ass up and go get it.”

  “I bet you ring the bell,” she muttered.

  “It’s my fucking house.” And goddamn, did it feel weird to say that out loud. Tears spilled over Sterling’s cheeks and I felt like an utter shit. “Look, if you want your money, you have to live here to fulfill the terms of the will. But it’s my house. I’m sorry if you don’t like that. I’m sorry if it’s not fair. None of this bullshit is fair, but we all have to live with it.”

  “I’m over twenty-one. I’m an adult. You can’t tell me what to do.”

  “If you want your money I can. Short of locking you up, I can’t stop you from drinking. But if I catch you driving drunk, or if we have another scene like last night, there will be consequences.”

  Sterling crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me. With a sullen mutter, she said “Whatever, Dad.”

  I shuddered. I wasn’t brother-of-the-year, but I didn’t deserve to be compared to my father. “You owe Hope an apology.”

  “Fine.”

  Done with the stink of her room and her adolescent attitude, I headed for the door. “Savannah has hired some staff. Two day maids and a cook. You’re welcome at meals, as long as you’re sober. I’ve instructed Savannah and the day maids to stay out of your room until you clean it up. Once it’s clean they’ll help you keep it clean, but I’m not paying any of them enough to deal with this pigsty. Got me?”

  “Fuck you, Griffen.”

  I ignored the slam of the door behind me. I knew this wouldn’t be the last time we had this conversation. I felt guilty for the role I’d played in Sterling’s lack of an upbringing but not guilty enough to put up with this bullshit.

  Sterling wasn’t unique among the Sawyers. We’d all gotten a raw deal on the parenting front in one way or another. But she was living in what amounted to a modern castle, all expenses paid, just waiting for a huge inheritance. All she had to do was stay reasonably sober and clean her goddamn room. It was hard to feel sorry for her in light of all that.

  Since it seemed to be my morning for facing unpleasant realities, I crossed Sterling off my list and got out my phone. Pulling up the numbers I’d noted down when I’d seen Harvey the other day, I placed the calls I’d been dreading.

  I found Hope a little later in the office, scrolling through emails on the laptop. “You ready to go?”

  “Go where?” she asked absently, making a note on her pad.

  “To see West. And then Cole and Ford.” If I sounded grim it’s because I felt that way. Finding out my father had been murdered was one thing, but it didn’t touch the dread I felt at the prospect of seeing my brother.

  Hopes eyes lifted to mine and she set down her pen. “That’s quite an agenda. You ready for that?”

  “Absolutely not. I have to do it anyway and I’m dragging you along with me. Let’s go.”

  Hope stood and looked down at herself. She wore another sweater, this one a V-neck in soft blue, and another pair of those tight jeans that made her ass look spectacular. “I can’t wear this. You have to wait—two minutes. Five minutes. I’ll be down in five minutes.”

  “Hope—” I called after her.

  She shouted back, “Five minutes.”

  She didn’t have to dress up. This wasn’t a business meeting. I could almost guarantee West would be wearing jeans. I’d known West since grade school. Once upon a time, we’d been good friends. Good enough that he’d given me a couch to crash on the night Prentice tossed me out and had driven me to the army recruitment office in Asheville the next morning.

  I’d lost touch with West when I left Sawyers Bend, but unless he’d changed, he’d always been a good guy. Also not one who’d wear a suit to work.

  Cole was Ford’s lawyer. The Sawyers were paying his bills. He had to wear a suit. We didn’t. One of the perks of being the guy writing the check.

  Clearly, this logic made no impression on Hope. I don’t know how she did
it, but not quite ten minutes later, she strode down the stairs completely transformed, and not—thank God—in one of Edgar’s ugly suits.

  Her hair had been pulled back into a soft bun, a few strands loose around her face, catching the light. She wore a suit, but unlike the others, this one had a fitted jacket and a knee-length skirt that managed to be both completely modest and also make the most of her slender curves.

  Discrete pearls circled her neck, one at each earlobe, and a slim gold watch sat on one wrist. She was the picture of professional elegance, and she was undeniably gorgeous. The possessive lover inside of me didn’t want to let her out the door looking like that.

  Everyone had written her off when she’d been plain, drab Hope. Now that the men in town could see her for the beauty she was, I’d have to beat them off with a stick. Fine, I could handle them. No one was taking Hope away from me.

  “Let me grab my notebook from the office and I’ll meet you at the door.”

  I watched her go, taking in the delicate pleats at the back of the suit jacket and the way it flared above her hips. I thought about following her to the office and bending her over the desk.

  West wouldn’t mind if we were late. Well, yes, he would. But there was always later. There’d be time for Hope and the desk later.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Hope

  The traffic wasn’t bad in town for a midmorning in March. By summer, it would take almost half an hour to get from one end of Main Street to the other. For now, the streets weren’t crowded and there was even parking here and there. I spied a spot in front of Sweetheart Bakery and called out, “Wait, stop here,” pointing to the empty parking space.

  Griffen pulled smoothly into the spot and stopped. He looked ready to ask me what the hell was going on when his eyes caught the sign on the door. “Do they have coffee here?”

  “Amazing coffee,” I told him. “I’m feeling the need for a cookie. Maybe toffee-chip. And a cappuccino. I thought we’d grab whatever West likes, kind of a peace offering.”

  “Bribing the police chief?” Griffen asked, one eyebrow raised. The tease in his eyes made me want to lean in and kiss him. I didn’t, but I wanted to.

  I raised an eyebrow back. “When was the last time you talked to West? Considering how close you two were in high school, I can’t imagine you threw him out with the rest of us.”

  Griffen pressed his hand over his heart and shook his head. He was smiling, but regret was in his eyes. “Direct hit, Buttercup. Yeah, let’s go get something sweet and bring the police chief a peace offering. It’s been a long time. These better be some damn good cookies.”

  “Oh, you have no idea.”

  I hadn’t seen Daisy in a few weeks. As expected, she wasn’t in the front of the shop. I ignored the line and strolled by the brightly lit bakery cases, my mouth watering at the plates of brownies, cookies, and pastries. Loaves of bread and rows of pies. Cakes. I zeroed in on the toffee-chip cookies. Exactly what I wanted.

  Daisy’s best friend J.T. stood at the register ringing up a woman buying bread. I caught his eye and tilted my head toward the door to the kitchens. J.T. got my silent message and called in a singsong tone, “Daze. I have a surprise for you.”

  A minute later, Daisy came through the swinging door to the kitchens, her poof of chin-length curls bright red, eyes shining as she caught sight of me and my new look. Brushing her hands clean on her apron—a futile effort—she came around the end of the counter and pulled me into a hug, rocking me from side to side before she exclaimed, “Oh, shoot!” and jumped back, brushing streaks of flour off my new suit.

  Grabbing my hands in hers, she jumped up and down. “Oh, my God! Oh, my God! You look amazing!” She dropped my hands and turned me around, smacking my butt. “Who knew Hope Daniels had an ass like that?”

  Behind us, J.T. murmured, “I did.” He winked at me and heat hit my cheeks even though I knew he wasn’t really flirting. Despite Daisy acting like J.T. was her boyfriend, I was pretty sure if J.T. had a shot at seeing me or Griffen naked, he wouldn’t pick me.

  Daisy tugged a lock of my hair. “Fantastic cut. Where did you get this done? The highlights are perfect.”

  “Atlanta.” That one word wasn’t adequate to cover my adventure in Atlanta, but I didn’t have time to tell her the whole story. I hadn’t had time to do anything but try to keep up with all the changes in my life. Trying to deflect, I took a good look at Daisy’s red hair. “You look great, too. I love the red, but what happened to the yellow? I thought you were going around the color wheel with your hair. Yellow, then orange, then red. Did I miss the orange?”

  Daisy lifted a hand to her red hair, ignoring J.T.’s laugh behind us. Before she could answer, he called out, “Daze got tired of looking like a dandelion. Yellow is not a good look on poofy hair.”

  Behind her back, Daisy gave him the finger. J.T. had been her BFF since middle school and was immune to insult. Ignoring J.T., she said to me, “He’s not wrong. You were just too nice to tell me.”

  I bit my lip and looked at the ceiling in exaggerated innocence. Not even Daisy’s pretty features could make up for dandelion hair. A better friend might have told her—J.T. sure had—but Daisy was a smart woman, and she had a mirror. If she wanted bright yellow hair, who was I to tell her to change it?

  “So, did I miss the orange?”

  “Only kind of. I did it for a few days last week to give the red a good base, but—”

  “Orange wasn’t much better than the yellow,” J.T. added honestly. At Daisy’s glare, he said, “Sorry, babe. You know I love you, but I’m not gonna lie to Hope.”

  Daisy sighed. “The orange wasn’t great. I’m not in love with this red, but I think one more layer and I’ll have a nice cherry cola color.” She brushed her hair back, leaving a streak of flour on her cheek. “So, who’s this? And why do you have those rocks on your finger? What have you been up to?”

  Uhh... I’d been planning to tell Daisy about Griffen and I getting married, I wouldn’t have stopped in if I didn’t want to, but now that the moment was here, my tongue was tied in knots.

  Griffen saved me the trouble. Stepping closer, he wrapped his arm around my waist and held out his other hand. “We haven’t met. I’m Griffen Sawyer. Hope’s husband.”

  Daisy shook his hand, her brown eyes dazed. “I’m sorry, what? Hope’s husband?” Those familiar eyes sharpened and turned to me. “How do you have a husband? I literally saw you two and a half weeks ago, and not only did you not have a husband, you didn’t even have a boyfriend.”

  Griffen squeezed his arm around me and gave Daisy his best charming smile. “It’s a long story, and we’re on our way to see West. We thought we’d stop in and bring him a coffee.”

  Daisy got what he was saying and finally recovered, returning his handshake. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Griffen Sawyer. It’s good to have you back in town.” She said the last with a question in her voice, sending a raised eyebrow in my direction as if asking, Is it? Really?

  “It’s very good to have him back,” I confirmed.

  “And you’re okay? This is good?”

  “It’s complicated,” I admitted with a sideways glance at Griffen, “but good. I’m sorry I haven’t told you before this. Things are kind of rushed and it’s been absolutely crazy.”

  From behind Daisy, J.T. rolled his eyes. “You have to ask if she’s good? Just look at the hottie standing next to her and the smile on her face. I’ve never seen Hope look so good. I have to go get Grams.”

  “We really can’t stay long—” I said, but J.T. was already gone.

  Daisy shrugged. “Grams would kill us if we didn’t tell her you were here. Considering your news and all. But I’ll get your order started.”

  “You know what West likes?” Griffen asked.

  With the quirk of a grin, Daisy said, “Large Americano with a sp
lash of half-and-half and a chocolate chip cookie or the coffeecake. The police chief has a sweet tooth. And for you?”

  “Get me whatever you’re getting West,” Griffen said, “that sounds great. Hope?”

  “Butterscotch latte and two toffee-chip cookies.” West wasn’t the only one with a sweet tooth.

  “How many of the toffee-chip cookies do you have?” Griffen asked. “We’ll take at least half a dozen.”

  “That’s about what I’ve got left.”

  “We should bring one of these cakes home,” I said, my eye on a black forest cake in the case in front of me. The cherries gleamed against the rich chocolate frosting. “We’re going to have a full house for dinner tonight. Maybe a little cake will smooth the way.”

  “I don’t know if it’ll survive driving around all afternoon, but I wouldn’t say no to cake,” Griffen said.

  Handing Griffen his coffee and cookie, Daisy added, “I’ll box it up for you and put it in the fridge in the kitchen. You can pick it up on your way back through town.”

  “Do it,” Griffen said and broke off a piece of his cookie. As soon as it hit his tongue, his eyes slid shut with pleasure. That look. God. I wanted to get a dozen cookies and feed them to him naked.

  Such an un-Hope thought. Griffen was turning me into a sex fiend.

  Griffen’s eyes opened and he swallowed the cookie slowly. “I’m going to need another cookie. This is amazing.”

  Daisy grinned. “My chocolate chip cookies are the best.”

  “Do you supply any of the businesses in town?” Griffen asked. “Savannah stocked our room at the Manor with your brownies. I bet the guests at the Inn would appreciate the same thing.”