Her Unexpected Hero--A Clean Romance

by Cheryl Harper

  “Then what’s the worry?” she asked softly.

  Caleb considered the question as ripples faded on the shore in front of them.

  “I guess...” He leaned back again. “When this lodge is done, I have nothing behind it. Nothing to keep my crew working. What will I do next?”

  When he turned his head, he realized Winter was watching him. “Caleb...” She stopped and shook her head. “That, right there. What will I do next? If you could sum up all my worries in one question, you hit it. All my life, I’ve known the answer to that. That’s what I’m angry about, more than anything. Whit ruined my plan.” They were both quiet as they stared out at the water. The branches above them stirred but everything was silent. “I have to find the solution to let all that go.”

  This was where he should argue, cajole, use his leverage. A grimace twisted her lips.

  The more he considered this match she and Whit had made, the angrier he got. She’d risked so much to stand for the reserve and her family, while his family had been happy enough to profit from both. Winter deserved better.

  “My grandmother would have said troubles come to bring growth. Through them we learn what’s important.” Winter’s grumpy sigh teased a smile from Caleb but she missed it. “So what is important?”

  Caleb tried to exhale to match hers. This time she chuckled. “My family. That’s the only explanation why I’m here instead of Nashville.” He shook his head. “After years of putting as much distance between me and them as I could, everything is different.”

  “That I did not expect.” Winter patiently waited for him to explain.

  Telling her a Callaway secret was a mistake. Winter Kingfisher could use it against them in her drive to settle the score.

  But as he met her stare, got caught in her warm eyes, he knew she wouldn’t. Charming her hadn’t worked, obviously, but that didn’t mean they had no connection.

  Why was it so important to share with her? Because it had been worrying him. Because they might be the only two people in the world right here. Because she was ready to listen.

  “My mother is...” Caleb cleared his throat. “She’s being treated for dementia.” There. That sounded clinical. It was easier to think of it that way. “I want to be closer to her, to home.”

  Winter’s grip on his hand surprised him. She hadn’t hesitated, either. “Caleb, I’m sorry. That’s hard. I love your mother. Tell me everything.”

  Instead of glossing over the details in order to protect the Callaway reputation if he was wrong about Winter’s trustworthiness, Caleb told her everything he knew. All the phone conversations he’d had with her since he’d been in Sweetwater, some easy and light, some frustrating and worrying.

  “Until now, I’ve been able to do anything and everything I wanted.” Caleb rubbed his free hand over his forehead and tangled his fingers through Winter’s. “Now, I understand she’s not immortal. Neither is Senior. Even Whit needs me more than I realized. It’s like my whole world jerked to a stop after this lodge thing, and now that it’s spinning again, it’s wobbly.”

  Why did it feel so good to unload all that?

  “Anyway, tomorrow is Sunday dinner in Knoxville. You remember those.” Caleb managed to turn away from Winter’s sympathetic face and drank in the sight of the water. “I’m glad to have had this chance to reorder my thoughts before I do.”

  Her thumb trailed over his knuckles. Did she know she was doing that? He hoped she never stopped.

  “Me, too. I understand things better now, too.” Winter rolled her eyes. “You aren’t going to believe this, but it was the whole Dumb and Dumber comment that helped me.”

  Caleb bent his head down as a surprised laugh escaped.

  “I know. The thing is that Whit is not dumb. He never has been.” She grimaced. “Well, about this lodge project, he was. About attacking Ash for being the leaker with no proof, he definitely was, but as far as what he wants to do for Tennessee, he’s smart. His taste in movies is appalling. Always has been, though.” Her lips were twitching. “My next fiancé will be a Bruce Willis fan instead of Jim Carrey.”

  Caleb wondered if he should tell her how many times he’d watched the entire Die Hard franchise.

  She let go of his hand and Caleb felt the loss. “I hope you’ll tell Whit and Marjorie that I’m thinking of them. If I can do anything to help your mother, please let me know.” Then she leaned her head to the side. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I? This is where you say, ‘Well, it would be helpful if you’d stop talking trash about my family.’” Winter covered her face with her hands. “Fine. I will.”

  Relieved, Caleb stood and picked up the tarp. Winter had brushed off her legs and moved to the edge of the water. Strong and tall and...strong. All she had to do was work things out for herself. She understood family.

  “You’re one of the touchiest subjects at the dinner table. She forgets you’re gone and then it all comes back. She misses you.” He understood that. Winter would have added verve to every family meal.

  “Well, I want to send along a gift for Senior and Junior. I can’t build the lodge. A truce, of sorts.” She blew out a violent gust of breath, then jammed the tarp into her backpack. “I’m going to set up a media day for the lodge. I’ll work with Ash at the ranger station to develop press releases, coming from him, not me. We’ll invite Bailey Garcia and others from Knoxville and Nashville. Richard Duncan, too, although I’m hoping he won’t come. We need to say he was invited, because Whit Callaway is going to present a trustworthy, welcoming picture to those reporters and we’re going to put this lodge story to rest while cementing the Callaway reputation for preserving Tennessee history.” She offered him her hand to shake.

  Surprised, Caleb slipped his hand in hers.

  “You build that lodge with the bells and whistles you wanted to put into that other project. This lodge could be the keystone to business opportunities you haven’t dreamed of yet.” Winter smiled slowly. “I’ll use my powers for good instead of evil. And the Kingfisher-Callaway feud is put to rest. The Callaways win.”

  In one flash, he could imagine her idea in bright, bold color. It would do more to enhance the Callaway reputation than this whole battle had done to harm it.

  “Why would you do that?” he asked. Did it matter? For some reason, it did.

  “Coming down here made things clearer.” She shrugged. “My hurt is one thing. This place is another. Whit Callaway will do more for Tennessee than Richard Duncan. If I get out of my way, I can see that.”

  Caleb reached over to wrap his arms around her, the weight rolling off his shoulders at her words. A spontaneous hug was a risk, but he settled his chin against her soft hair. “Thank you, Winter. Everything has been a mess. This is going to put things right. I feel it.”

  She was stiff in his arms but she didn’t step back. “I hope so. How soon do you want to plan all this?”

  With the memory of Senior’s phone call and Whit’s falling poll numbers fresh in his mind, Caleb was certain there was only one right answer. “As soon as possible. We could do one this month and announce the date of the lodge’s completion with another conference scheduled. Would that keep reporters out of my way in the meantime?” And would it mean that Winter had to remain involved with the lodge? He wanted that to be true.

  She squeezed him tightly. “I hope so. I need to get a move on. I have some planning to start.” She studied the ground. “I’m going to regret this and if you say yes, you’ll regret it, too, but... Do you want to come for dinner at my mother’s house? Ash will be there and we can make some preliminary plans.”

  Did she know her hand was tangled in his flannel shirt? Together, right here, they clicked. He didn’t want her to realize it and step back, so he blurted, “Yes. Of course. It’s frozen dinners for me otherwise, but... Why will I regret it?”

  Each tiny movement shifted her closer to him
. He could stand here, with her...forever. “Well, two reasons. First, my mother insists on making everything from scratch. Her tortillas are...hit or miss, mainly miss.” She smiled along with Caleb and then straightened to move away. “Second, she’s not an easy person to convince. You’ll be coming in with some Callaway baggage, but if you can win over Donna Kingfisher, Sweetwater will slowly turn in your favor, too.”

  “I’m in. I’m brave. I can do this.” He could. Bad food was one thing, but a tense atmosphere was nothing. He’d learned to travel through that early. Caleb stepped back. “I’ll follow you, then? Try not to lose me on the way back. The trail is tricky.”

  She grimaced. “I don’t know if you noticed, but we were moving down the whole way here. That means to get back...” She pointed straight up.

  The trail down had been no walk in...the park. Getting back up to the parking lot would be a challenge.

  Then Winter Kingfisher took off at a steady jog, her giggles trailing behind, and she cleared the first turn before he got his feet in motion.

  If he survived the climb back up to the parking lot, he had some thinking to do.

  Winter Kingfisher was special. She shouldn’t be the only one to lose in this mess. What could he do to make that right?

  CHAPTER TEN

  CALEB HAD BEEN lucky enough to eat in the finest restaurants in Nashville, Knoxville and cities here and there. He’d managed to network in rooms filled with working-class ranchers and builders and businessmen, and had meetings with millionaires like Mitch Yarborough. Never in his life had he struggled to find appropriate conversation the way he did while he was seated around the family picnic table at the Kingfisher house.

  If he could have described a setting as far away from his family’s formal dining room, it might have been Winter’s mother’s greenhouse on a cold March day. The windows were steamed with the heat they generated. Here and there, white twinkle lights sparkled in the glass reflection, casting twice the light, some inside and some out. The situation might have been festive. An impromptu taco party with margaritas.

  When they’d walked in together, Winter had tried to smooth over the awkward silence by asking what the celebration was for.

  Her mother had snapped, “Saturday,” and marched back inside the kitchen.

  When he’d turned to ask Winter if he should beat a hasty retreat because he had no time for food poisoning, Ash’s girlfriend had wriggled in between Ash and Winter, her hand extended. “Better find a spot at the table, Callaway. Damage has already been done at this point. Only way out is through.” She’d smiled up at him, the only person in the room who’d done so, and added, “Call me Macy. I’m not a Kingfisher, either.”

  Her grip had been impossible to shake so he’d followed her out on the covered patio and gawked at the greenery exploding inside. It was almost enough to distract him from the angry whispers going on inside. Ash and Winter’s father stood between two arguing women. He couldn’t make out a single word but it was impossible to pretend he didn’t know the subject.

  “Don’t you worry. Winter’s pretty tough.” Macy angled her head closer to his. “I would not want to square off against Donna, but if you can make her a friend, she’s the kind you’ll never shake.” She tapped a finger on the table. “I’m hoping someday to be a Kingfisher, because you can’t beat how they stick together, but while you’re on the outside staring in, they’re kinda daunting.”

  Caleb understood what she meant. From here, he could watch Winter’s face while her mother’s braid swayed back and forth, a blond ticktock punctuated by the occasional point in his direction. “Did she say skeeves?”

  Macy sipped her margarita. “Don’t believe there’s any alcohol in this but you should try it. It’s good.” Then she sniffed. “Yeah, the skeeves are a Kingfisher thing, too, sorta like the creeps, but related mainly to weaselly men. Like Whit Callaway.” Her eyes sparkled as she watched him.

  At some point, he’d mull over why he felt no need to jump to his little brother’s defense. “Even before the breakup, Whit wasn’t popular here, huh?”

  “No, sir, he was not.” Winter’s mother dropped a basket on the table and plopped down across from Caleb. “He’s a liar. That’s why. Always pretending to be one thing and on the inside, being something else.” She tilted her head to the side. “I don’t like that.”

  Caleb carefully set down his margarita glass, the soft breeze next to him reassuring. Winter was there. If her mother lost control of her temper, she could save him. Would save him. He turned to acknowledge her presence, saw the frown of worry between her eyebrows and bumped her shoulder with his. “Don’t worry. You did warn me.”

  Her lips were twitching. “I did, but nothing I could say would prepare you. I’m not prepared for this myself.”

  Macy giggled on his other side. “First time I came over, Ash said the same thing. There was no way to tell me what to expect. He was right, too.” She picked up her glass and offered it to Winter’s mother and waited patiently for her to return the clinking glass. “Luckiest night of my life, being invited to a Kingfisher dinner.”

  Watching Winter’s mother unbend was amazing. If he’d been afraid she would murder him with a broken margarita glass, the look she gave Macy was pure light and sweetness. It was easy to see where Winter’s passion came from.

  “Mrs. Callaway, I’m sorry to have arrived without a hostess gift, but thank you for sharing your hard work with me. Making everything from scratch is impressive in this day of prepared meals. Winter and I wanted to get Ash’s opinion on some lodge business, but I shouldn’t have come without an invitation.” There. That speech would have fit in any number of dining rooms he’d visited with his parents.

  Donna Kingfisher’s loud scoff would not. “Please, don’t you try to pull the wool over my eyes with nice manners. I’ve already met your brother.” She tapped the table. “Why are you bothering Winter? Hasn’t she put up with enough from you?”

  The urge to tell Winter’s mother how he’d come to be dragged into the whole situation was strong, but he wouldn’t do that. Not now, since he and Winter were working together for the first time.

  “Have a taco.” Winter slapped one down on his plate and then did the same with everyone at the table. “Eat. No conversation. I don’t want to hear another word until every taco is gone.”

  Caleb picked up his food and chanced a look at her father. He’d imagined Martin Kingfisher to be the meek sort, but the way he was choking back laughter as he focused on his taco suggested he was a man who’d long ago figured out how to live with two fierce women. Caleb turned to see what Ash was doing. He had his head down, food going in as ordered.

  So he took a bite of the taco, amazed at the way spices filled his senses. Was the tortilla less than refined? Yes, but this was a homemade meal and he loved every bite. As soon as he finished the first one, he checked the platter and wondered what his chances were of getting a second helping without having his fingers snapped in half.

  “You like my cooking?” Winter’s mother asked slowly, her eyes narrow, dangerous.

  Caleb cleared his throat, uncertain why his fight-or-flight reflexes were clamoring for flight. “Yes, ma’am. I don’t get much home cooking so...I do. Thank you for preparing them.”

  She didn’t relent, her stare boring a spot right between his eyes, until she nodded at the platter. “Well, go ahead. Have another. Winter is going to tell us why you’re really here.”

  Caleb picked up the platter and remembered his mother’s teaching. “Would anyone else like another?” He served everyone at the table first before taking a taco, then put the platter back in place before glancing at Winter’s mother again. She’d raised her chin but some of the murder had faded from her eyes. Her evaluation wasn’t complete, but he was inching away from the danger zone.

  “Two things.” Winter squirmed next to him. “First, I have a confession. Yo
u know how, in the movies, the terrible villain threatens to tell all your secrets to the world?”

  Caleb froze, taco halfway to his mouth. Was Winter about to tell her family how he’d tried to use their history to keep her quiet? He’d never make it out of there alive.

  “Well, in case I ever run into a bad guy who wants to hurt me, I’m going to share my secret with everyone at the table.” Winter poked his leg under the table and rolled her eyes at him. She could read his mind. “I never once believed you were going to, Caleb,” she whispered, the brush of her hair against his ear sweet and exciting. She cleared her throat. “Caleb is not the person who leaked the report to the governor. I did. I never expected Ash to get caught in the middle. There was no reason for Ash to get caught up in it. When he did, I had to scramble to find some way to protect his job without ruining everything, which then fell spectacularly apart, anyway. A friend has told me that the worst way to live my life is making new decisions based on old, bad choices. So... I’m the reason the lodge blew up. Not Ash. Not Whit. Me.”

  Caleb chewed as he studied the faces gathered around the table. If he had to guess, Winter’s mother and Ash’s girlfriend were the maddest.

  “I’m sorry, Ash.” Winter shook her head. “I shouldn’t have kept it a secret.”

  He reached around behind Caleb and patted her shoulder. “I said it at the time, but I’m sorry it never occurred to me in the first place. I would have done the same thing and felt no regret.” Ash bumped Macy with his elbow. Did the petite firecracker know she was breathing so heavily? “There’s no harm done. In fact, I’d say I’m better off now that I was before. I’ve got my job, a spot on the board and a great woman to guard my back.” He seemed to be waiting for Macy to turn toward him. “Don’t I?”

  “Always,” Macy said immediately. “But I don’t understand why she’d let you face off against them alone.”

  “I was never alone.” Ash shook his head. “Never alone. You were there. Brett. My parents. And Winter navigated the whole situation, remember?”