by Ruth Langan
The day she had repaid her grandfather his loan, exactly one year to the day, had been a proud one for her. The fact that he was equally proud added to her pleasure. He hadn’t simply supported her decision to take on this career; he had enthusiastically embraced it, recommending her to everyone he knew. Thanks to his connections and word of mouth, she had more work than she could handle.
As she drove through town toward The Willows, she found herself wishing she hadn’t promised her grandmother that she’d come to dinner. It would be fun to drive out into the country, turn the car loose on the hilly curves and stop for a hot dog and thick shake at the Dairy Devil.
There would always be another night, she consoled herself. Tonight she would enjoy the fun and laughter that always seemed so much a part of the Brennan family affairs. Whether a simple barbecue on the patio or a formal meal in the dining room, her family needed no one except each other to add flavor and spice. The Brennans had both in abundance.
She turned up the curving driveway of The Willows and sat for a moment, soaking up the feelings of love that always came over her at the sight of this faded old mansion. Like the town, it owned her heart. With a light step, she bounded from the car. She breathed in the wonderful fragrance of home-baked rolls as she walked into the front foyer. Hearing voices on the patio, she hurried along a hallway and paused in the doorway of the kitchen.
“Are those cheese rolls?”
Trudy Carpenter straightened, tossed aside an oven mitt and turned. “Your favorites, Hannah.”
“You never forget.”
“’Course not.” Though Trudy claimed to have no favorites among the Brennan girls, she had a particular soft spot for this little tomboy who had grown up into a rare beauty. She’d grieved along with the entire family when Hannah’s father, Chris, had died the previous year. And now, though the four sisters had moved out of their grandparents’ big home, they all lived just minutes away in town. Close enough to visit often.
“Here you are.” Charley Brennan strolled into the kitchen and embraced her daughter before picking up a pitcher of lemonade.
The two women walked outside to the patio where the rest of the family had gathered.
Charley circled the table filling glasses. “I hear you met Ethan Harrison and his sons today.”
Hannah trailed behind her, pausing to brush a k over her grandmother’s cheek and hugging her grandfather. “Yeah,” Hannah laughed. “I sort of barged in on him this morning without bothering to call first. I was hoping to do my walk-around before he moved in. I hope he didn’t call you to complain.”
Charley gave a shake of her head. “Not at all. He wasn’t bothered by you. In fact, I had the impression he was rather charmed.”
“Yeah. That’s our Hannah.” Courtney looked up from a side table where she was filling a plate with some of Trudy’s fabulous Creole shrimp appetizers. “Always charming the customers.”
“I do my best.” Hannah reached over her sister’s shoulder and helped herself to a shrimp.
Sidney, standing beside her grandfather, wrinkled her nose. “I hope you weren’t wearing that ratty old pair of denims you seem to favor these days.”
“As a matter of fact, I was. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m required to get down and dirty when I work.”
“Which is,” her brother-in-law, Jason Cooper, said with a wink, “extremely sexy from a guy’s point of view.”
Hannah brushed a kiss over his cheek before turning to her sister Emily, who was holding his hand. “Now I see another reason why you married him. He has excellent taste.”
“Even if he does have very poor eyesight,” Courtney added with a laugh.
The others joined in the laughter as they began to take their places around the table. Trudy arrived, pushing a trolley laden with domed silver platters.
As she lifted the lid of the first platter and offered some to the judge, he studied it with a look of suspicion. “Fish again?”
“Not just any fish. Fresh Norwegian salmon.”
“So you say. But I know that you and Bert have conspired to get me to eat health food.” At the housekeeper’s pained expression, he sniffed, then helped himself to a generous portion.
“You might want to leave some for the rest of the family,” she said in an aside as she moved past him.
The others merely grinned and rolled their eyes. Frank Brennan and Trudy Carpenter had been carrying on a running argument for more than forty years, though neither would admit it. But beneath the well-chosen taunts lay a deep well of affection.
As they helped themselves to salmon and a lovely salad of beefsteak tomatoes and hearts of palm, Charley turned to her daughter. “What did you think of Ethan Harrison?”
“He’s certainly decisive.”
“What does that mean?”
“He barely looked at my drawings before giving me the approval to get started.”
Courtney giggled behind her hand. “Maybe he was dazzled by your charm.”
“Or your fabulous taste in clothes,” Sidney added with a laugh.
“Or it might be—” Frank winked at Hannah “—that your drawingsed him exactly what he was seeing in his own mind.”
“I hope so.” She reached for a cheese roll in a napkin-lined basket. “Because I intend to get started tomorrow.”
“So soon?” Her grandfather seemed surprised.
“The crew I was planning to send to the Carter house has been freed up because the brick for that project hasn’t arrived yet. So I figure I’ll get them started on some of the hardscape now, rearranging boulders and shoring up a retaining wall. And I’ll deal with the plantings and lawn whenever I have some time.”
Charley helped herself to more lemonade. “What did you think of the house?”
“I didn’t see much of the inside. But the setting’s gorgeous. Once we remove a couple of dead trees, it’ll offer an unobstructed view of the lake.”
Courtney nudged Sidney. “Forget the house. What we want to know is what you thought of its mysterious owner.”
“Mysterious?” Hannah glanced from one sister to the other. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
When they didn’t answer, she turned to her mother. “Do you know anything about Ethan Harrison?”
“Very little.” Charley smiled. “He’s the father of two little boys. He wanted to be near the water and he seemed especially interested in safety and privacy. He didn’t want to move in without at least a few basic necessities already in place, so I arranged it.”
Hannah nodded. “He was thrilled with all that you did for him, Mom. He said you took care of the beds and linens, and even the food in the cupboards.”
Bert touched a hand to her daughter-in-law’s arm. “That’s why you’re the best in the business, my dear. There seems to be no request too outrageous for you to handle.”
“I didn’t mind, Bert. Especially since this man was coming all the way from Maine, with two little boys. He said he and his sons would be driving in as soon as he could clear his business schedule.”
Hannah arched a brow. “What is his business?”
“He and his partner founded a software company. That’s about all I know. Since money seems to be no object, I assume he must be awfully successful at what he does.”
“What about a wife?” Hannah seemed to take more time than usual buttering her roll and avoiding eye contact with her mother.
“I gather he’s a single father. But whether it was because of death or divorce, I can’t say.”
Courtney wasn’t fooled by her sister’s feigned disinterest. “Do I detect a bit more curiosity than usual over this particular newcomer to our town?”
“Don’t be silly.” Hannah set down her knife with a clatter. “You know I make it a point to never date a client.”
“So you say.” Courtney grinned at her sister, Sidney, across the table. “But there’s always a first time.” She waited a beat before asking, “ what does this client look like?”
Ha
nnah shrugged. “Tall. Sandy hair. Really unusual eyes.”
“You mean the color?” Sidney, always the artist, was trying to paint a picture in her mind.
“Not the color. They’re hazel. Nice enough color, I guess.” Hannah fiddled with her fork. “But it’s the way he looks at you. It’s…really intense.”
“Intense, hmm? Slim? Stocky? Fat?” Courtney knew she was pushing, but it was her nature to get as much as she could from the usually tight-lipped Hannah.
Hannah shook her head. “Trim. Works out, I’d say.”
“You mean he has a great bod?” Courtney’s grin deepened.
“I guess so. I didn’t really notice.” Hannah turned, avoiding the glint in her sister’s eyes. “He’s really great with his kids.”
“Uh-huh. Let’s see.” Sidney shared a laugh with Courtney. “Tall. Great body. Intense, hazel eyes. Maybe next time you ought to pay more attention, Hannah.”
Around the table, the entire family, including Hannah, burst into gales of laughter.
“Okay,” she admitted. “So maybe I did notice. It’s hard not to. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to act on it.”
“That’s my girl.” Frank Brennan leaned over to pat his granddaughter’s hand. “One wedding this year is quite enough, thank you.”
That had Jason Cooper looking over to tease the old man. “Oh, I don’t know about that. You and I are still outnumbered around here. I think it’d be nice to add a couple more guys to the mix. And this one comes with sons.”
That had the others laughing.
Hannah’s food was suddenly forgotten. As the conversation swirled around her, she thought about the man she’d met that morning. She’d felt an instant attraction. But because she had a rule about keeping her clients at a distance, she’d deliberately denied the feeling, especially since she hadn’t known whether or not he had a wife.
Now she was going to have to work overtime to pretend she didn’t notice him. Not a problem, she told herself. After all, she wouldn’t have to see Ethan Harrison and his sons for more than a few weeks, and even then, only from a distance. After that, her job would be done and she could walk away.
Satisfied that she’d taken care of that minor problem, she put him out of her mind before helping herself to some salmon.
Chapter 3
“Thanks, Martin.” Hannah leaned into the open window of the truck to speak to her crew boss, who had delivered a load of boulders. “I’ll stay with this crew and you can finish up at the Andersons’.”
“We should be through therey supper time.” Martin motioned with his thumb. “I’ll come back with the hauler and help you load up before dark. Unless you’d rather leave the equipment here overnight.”
She thought a minute. “Let me check with my client. If he doesn’t object, I’d just as soon keep everything here until we’re finished.”
“Right.” Martin waved his cell phone. “Call me later.”
Hannah nodded before turning away. She’d kept a crew of half a dozen to help with this job, while Martin took the rest with him.
She pointed to the side of the yard that sloped toward the water as she called to the men, “We’re going to start with that retaining wall. Those old rotted timbers need to be removed before we can set the stones in place and start planting.”
While several workers began hauling the timbers aside, Hannah settled herself on a tractor and began scooping up the discarded timbers and depositing them into the back of a stake truck. Within minutes she caught sight of Ethan and his sons watching and waving from the top step of the deck. She waved back, then drove across the yard and left the tractor idling as she jumped to the ground and crossed to them.
Danny danced down the steps to greet her. “Hi, Hannah. You brought your tractor.”
“You bet.” She ruffled his hair before smiling up at his little brother, who was clinging to his father’s ankle. “I hope we didn’t wake you.”
Ethan shook his head. “We were awake. We just weren’t out of bed yet.”
“That’s ’cause Daddy was telling us silly stories.” Danny started giggling. “He tells the best stories. Especially if we promise to scratch his back.”
Hannah arched a brow. “You mean you have to bribe him?”
The little boy turned to his father. “What’s bribe?”
“It means you do something nice for me, so I’ll do something you want.”
“Oh.” The little boy’s eyes rounded. “But Daddy tells silly stories even if we don’t scratch his back. And sometimes he even lets us eat our cereal and drink our juice in his bed.”
“That’s one very brave daddy you have,” Hannah laughed. “My father threatened to ground us for a week if we ever dared to leave crumbs in his bed.”
“What’s ground?”
Hannah’s laughter deepened. “That’s something you won’t have to learn for a couple more years. And then you’ll probably become very familiar with it.” She looked up at Ethan, who remained on the top step with his youngest son, who was eyeing the tractor. “If you’d like, we could arrange to start much later from now on so there’s no chance of waking you.”
Ethan shook his head. “That’s not necessary. But I hope you won’t mind having us hanging around watching for the next few days. The minute the boys heard the sound of that tractor, I knew it was useless to try to keep them in
“Maybe they’d like to go for a ride before I get back to work?”
The two little boys started dancing around their father. While Danny shouted, “Ride! Ride!” his little brother echoed, “Wide! Wide!”
Ethan nodded. “Okay. But I think I’d better go along and hold T.J.”
He swung the little boy into his arms and followed, Danny racing ahead beside Hannah. She climbed up to the seat and settled Danny on her lap before sliding over to make room for Ethan and T.J. When they were all settled, she put the tractor in gear and allowed the two little boys to grip the steering wheel. With her hands just beneath theirs, she managed to steer without appearing to.
“Look, Daddy. I’m driving. I’m driving.”
Danny was shouting above the sound of the engine, while his little brother merely giggled with glee and called, “Diving. Diving.”
“You’re doing a good job, little buddy.” Behind his son’s back Ethan winked at Hannah, and she wondered at the way her heart took a funny little dip.
“Hold on, now.” She turned the wheel slightly to avoid the pile of boulders, and the two boys gave whoops of excitement as their little hands appeared to be doing the job.
“Did you see that, Daddy?”
“I did. You’re getting really good at that.” Ethan bent to nuzzle his youngest son. “And you. Driving just like a big boy.”
Little T.J. beamed with pride.
“All right now.” Hannah pointed to the porch. “I think after our tour of the yard, it’s time our drivers took us over there. How about it?”
Both Danny and T.J. gripped the wheel tightly as she brought the tractor to a gradual stop.
“Okay, boys. Time to let Hannah get back to work. What do you say to her?”
“Thank you, Hannah.” Danny’s face was wreathed in smiles.
T.J., clearly delighted, managed to lisp, “Tank you, Hannah.”
“You’re welcome.” She helped Danny down, and waited until he and his father and little brother had climbed the steps before putting the tractor into gear and backing away. “If you’d like, we’ll do it again later in the day.”
That brought a chorus of cheers from the two little boys.
With a wave of her hand she returned to her work. Whenever she looked over at the porch, she caught sight of Ethan and his sons watching. It was nothing new to Hannah to have clients watching as she and her crew worked. She understood the fascination people had with tractors and lawn equipment as they darted back and forth making drastic changes in the landscape. She not only understood, but had also learned to be comfortable with an audience. This time, howev
er, there was something definitely distracting about Ethan Harrison.
At first she told herself it was because of what she’d heard last night. The mystery man. Where was his wife? Was he a widower or divorced? Not knowing enough about him was causing her a bit of discomfort. But there was something else going on here. She’d felt a sizzle along her spine when his hip had brushed hers during their tractor ride. Though she’d told herself it was nothing, she’d felt it again when his shoulder rubbed against hers. No more than a tiny pinprick of heat, but it had been enough to have her sweating. She had been greatly relieved when the ride was over and she could turn away from him. But even then she’d had the distinct impression that he was staring holes through her back.
He had the most direct stare she’d ever seen. A way of pinning her with those eyes. What was even more disconcerting was the way his lips seemed to curve upward, as though he’d just thought of something particularly amusing each time he looked at her.
She wiped sweat from her eyes and forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand. But as she hauled yet another load of rotten timbers toward the truck, she caught sight of Ethan standing in the doorway and calling to his young sons, who were just turning away.
Both boys were laughing at something their father had said, and she found herself charmed by the fact that he seemed so adored by his sons.
She recalled her sisters’ teasing. How could a man like Ethan Harrison ever be considered something of a mystery?
Not her business. And it was time, she reminded herself sternly, that she immersed herself in the business at hand.
“Okay. Who’s got the ham and cheese?” Hannah set down a box from the local sandwich shop and began rummaging through it, tossing wrapped bundles to the men who were sprawled in the shade of a giant oak.
“That’s mine,” called Bret, a burly young football player with a shaved head.
Half the team from Devil’s Cove High School vied for jobs with Hannah’s crew during their summer break. The pay was good and the hard, physical work was just what their coach encouraged to keep their bodies toned.
