Springtime at Hope Cottage

by Annie Rains

  Tuck couldn’t take his eyes off Josie.

  “This restaurant is beautiful,” she said, looking around.

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. That was the plan.” He’d ordered a steak while she’d ordered eggplant Parmesan, and judging by her nearly clean plate, she’d loved her choice.

  “This is our first public outing without Maddie,” Josie pointed out. “So, in a way, that makes this our first real date.”

  “I have to admit that I’m shocked at how much I enjoy hanging out with a city princess,” Tuck said.

  His words seemed to pull her mind to exactly what he was trying to help her forget tonight. “Speaking of, I spoke to my landlady this afternoon, and my apartment is almost ready. It might be livable again starting this weekend.” She shook her head. “Without a job, I can’t afford to live there though. When I get back, I’ll have to find a roommate or put in my notice.”

  “Where will you go?” he asked.

  “I have no idea. I have money saved so I can stay there long enough to continue searching for jobs. Hopefully I’ll find a good fit and figure things out from there.”

  “You know you’re always welcome at Hope Cottage.” And wanted, too, but he didn’t tell her that.

  She tilted her head. “I think that might complicate things.”

  “Seems to me things get easier when you’re around,” he offered. “It’s even easier to breathe somehow.”

  He watched her throat constrict as she swallowed. Slow down, he told himself. “I guess both of our lives are complicated right now,” he added. “If the timing were different and you could stay in Sweetwater Springs, though, we’d share a lot more dinners like this.”

  “That would be nice.” She looked up and then away. “Let’s talk about something other than my leaving, shall we? And anything other than work.”

  “Which used to be your topic of choice,” he pointed out.

  Her gaze slid back to his. “I guess things have changed.”

  She was right about that. Everything in his life had changed in the last month. He’d changed, and it had a lot to do with the woman sitting across from him. “How about we order a dessert to share?”

  Her blue eyes sparkled in the restaurant’s dim lighting. “I love it when you sweet-talk me.”

  * * *

  Josie reached for the menu and looked over the list of delectable choices. A woman in her state needed chocolate and lots of it. The triple-decker chocolate lover’s delight looked like a good choice. She was about to say so when an older man wearing glasses approached the table.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, an angry tone in his voice. “Are you here to tear down this restaurant too?”

  “Excuse me?” Josie looked up.

  “I know who you are. You’re Josie Kellum, the lady who wrote that article on our town last year.”

  “That’s right.” She glanced at Tuck, who had straightened and seemed ready to take the guy out if need be. She also had her pepper spray in her purse if the guy became aggressive.

  “You just did a piece online about Sweetwater Springs too. ‘Beautiful but boring,’” he said, quoting her least favorite line. A line she hadn’t written.

  Josie’s heart jumped into her throat. “I didn’t write that,” she said, looking around at the nearby patrons who were dining. A few had turned to witness the budding conflict. “You see, my boss edited my article without my permission. I tried to get him to take it down.”

  The older man held up a hand only a few inches from her face. “You’re just some big-shot journalist on a power trip using your fancy words to bring tourists into our town and then using some more words to run them off.”

  “Mr. Jenson, this is not the time or place,” Tuck said, cutting the man off.

  Mr. Jenson? Wasn’t that the old man that Halona claimed had a temper?

  Mr. Jenson didn’t even look in Tuck’s direction. “You think you’re special,” he barked at Josie as his voice grew increasingly louder.

  “No. No, I don’t. I didn’t write that, sir.” She looked around again. Everyone was staring at the spectacle the man was causing now.

  “Your name is on the article, isn’t it?”

  “Y-yes, but…”

  “Why don’t you just go back to wherever you came from? We were fine before you found us, and we’ll be better than fine once you’re gone.” He finally turned to Tuck. “Enjoy the rest of your night.” He gave her one last disapproving glare before walking away.

  Josie’s eyes stung. “I’m so sorry, Tuck.”

  “I didn’t realize Bart changed what you wrote,” he said.

  She nodded, keeping her head down. Gradually the restaurant’s patrons returned to their own meals. “It’s an awful article, and I was hoping no one else would see it. Guess that was naive of me to think. Everyone in town is going to hate me once they read what I wrote,” Josie said, wishing she could curl herself into a ball right now and have a good cry.

  “But you didn’t write it.” He reached for her hand. “We’ll fix this.”

  There was no we though. “You have enough to deal with right now. You don’t need the town’s new outcast on your plate too.”

  “You’ve been in Sweetwater Springs for a month. You know the kind of people we are. Good people. Understanding people.” He pulled out his cell phone.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “I’m contacting Mr. Garrison, my lawyer, on your behalf. We’ll go see him tomorrow morning, and he’ll write a cease-and-desist letter. I’d guess your ex-boss will back down at the first hint of a lawsuit, and the article will be down by lunchtime tomorrow.”

  Josie sucked in a breath. “You really think so?”

  His finger tapped along the screen of his phone. “I know so.” He grinned as his phone buzzed in his palm. “Mr. Garrison says to tell you to be at his office at nine a.m. He’d love to help you.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “You keep coming to my rescue.”

  “Just helping you out—the same way you’ve helped me.”

  Josie sighed as her gaze fell on the menu. “I hate to be a spoiler but I’m not really in the mood for dessert anymore. I just want to get out of here, if that’s okay.”

  He took the menu and set it at the end of the table. Then he laid down the payment for the bill in cash and slid out of his chair.

  “You don’t have to pay,” she protested.

  “Yes, I do. Like you said, this is a date, and I want to treat you right.” He reached for her hand. “And the date isn’t over yet.”

  * * *

  Josie stirred in the warmth of Tuck’s bed. She didn’t want to open her eyes but his phone was ringing. What time is it? The last thing she remembered, Tuck had been kissing her as her clothes somehow fell into a puddle on his floor.

  She blinked the clock on his nightstand into focus: 12:13 a.m.

  “Who’s calling at this hour?” Tuck groaned. There was a sexy, sleepy quality to his voice that she liked. It made her want to wrap her arms around him and pull him to her again. Who needed sleep? She could just have an extra cup of coffee in the morning.

  Tuck rolled over and grabbed the phone. “Hello?”

  Josie alerted to the shift in his posture as he spoke to whoever was on the other end of the line.

  He sat up. “What happened? What room are you in? I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He disconnected the call and turned to Josie.

  “Who was that?” she asked.

  “Beverly. She’s in the hospital. She was having shortness of breath, and Maddie called 911.”

  Josie gasped, suddenly wide awake too. “Oh no!”

  “I’m going to the hospital to pick up Maddie. Beverly asked if she could stay here.” He talked as he stood and started collecting his clothes—the ones she’d peeled off him just a few hours before.

  “Want me to go with you?” she asked.

  He hesitated as he stepped into his jeans. “I hate to ask you bu
t can you do me a favor?”

  “Sure. What do you need?”

  “She’ll be staying in the guest room. Can you prepare her bed? There are clean linens in the dresser drawer. She’ll be tired when she gets back, and I want her to be able to lie down immediately.”

  “Of course—I can do that. Do you want me to be gone when you get back? Maddie might wonder why I’m here and not in my apartment.”

  “She might. But I’d appreciate the help. I’m not sure what to do with a preteen girl in the house. I can sleep on the couch. You take the bed,” he suggested.

  “Sure. Whatever you need. I’ll be here.”

  He stared at her a moment, an unreadable expression in his eyes. “Thank you.” Fully dressed, he bent and kissed her mouth. “I’ll be back soon.”

  Josie watched him leave and then collected her own clothes and dressed. She headed down the hall to the guest room. Just like Tuck had said, she located clean sheets in the top drawer of an antique dresser.

  Poor Maddie. She’d been through so much, and there were still more storm clouds on the horizon. Maddie didn’t realize Tuck was her father. In a short time, her life would be uprooted once more when she came to live here at Hope Cottage. Little did she know that the room that Josie was preparing might be Maddie’s new permanent bedroom.

  Josie looked around. The space was bright and cheerful. It would make a great room for an eleven-year-old girl. It might need a few special touches though. She could help with that. Maybe after she met with Tuck’s lawyer tomorrow and put Bart in his place, she’d go shopping.

  * * *

  “I’m not going to school,” Maddie said the next morning over breakfast. Josie had gotten up early to cook while Tuck tended to the horses. She’d learned a thing or two during the week that she’d stayed at the bed and breakfast with Kaitlyn. “I want to go to the hospital to see my grandma.”

  “You have an end-of-year test to prepare for, don’t you?” Josie asked. “There’s no need to miss class. You can see your grandma when you get home.”

  Maddie stabbed her fork into a fluffy mound of egg. “You’re not my mom, you know.”

  “I know that, sweetheart.”

  “Then why are you trying to act like her, making me breakfast and talking to me about school? My mom is dead. And my grandma might die too.”

  Josie walked over to the table and sat down. She reached for Maddie’s hand but Maddie yanked it away.

  “See?” Maddie said, as if that was proof that Josie was trying to mother her.

  “I’m just trying to be here for you. I am, you know. You can talk to me.”

  “Maybe I don’t want to talk to you,” Maddie huffed.

  “Did I do something to upset you, Maddie? I thought we were friends but you’ve seemed angry at me over the last week.”

  “We’re not friends. The only reason you’re around is because of Tuck. I know that so you can stop pretending.”

  “But that’s not true. He’s not even here right now, and I haven’t vanished, have I?”

  Maddie frowned and looked away. “Whatever. I have to eat my breakfast so I can pay attention in class.”

  “Right. The bus will be here soon. Unless you want me to drive you to school,” Josie offered. “I’m sure Tuck would let me use his Jeep.” She was trying too hard; she could feel it. And the harder she tried, the more Maddie pushed her away.

  “No. I’d rather take the bus,” Maddie said, picking at her food again.

  “Okay. Well, eat up, and I’ll walk you to the bus stop.”

  Maddie narrowed her eyes. “I’m not an invalid. I can go on my own.”

  “I know that.” Josie swallowed. “Of course you can. Tuck said you were ready for more independence.”

  “Perfect.” Maddie pushed away from the table.

  “Aren’t you going to finish your breakfast?” Josie asked.

  “I lost my appetite.” Maddie stood and grabbed her cane. Then she headed to the front door and slammed it behind her.

  “Was that Maddie?” Tuck asked, coming through the back entrance.

  Josie nodded. “She wanted to go to the bus stop on her own. I don’t think she’s happy about me being here.” Josie hadn’t been around last night when Tuck brought Maddie to Hope Cottage. She’d purposely kept her distance. Then this morning, when Maddie had hobbled down the hall, Josie had been in the kitchen. Maddie’s groggy smile had fallen fast, and then she’d practically snarled as she asked, “What are you doing here?”

  Tuck put a hand on Josie’s shoulder. “She’s unhappy with everything right now. She’s been through more than a girl her age should.”

  Josie nodded. “She’s strong. She’ll get through it. And you’ll help her.” Josie wished that she could stay and help as well. She was actually even considering the idea, which was just crazy. Insane. “Well, I better go get ready for my appointment with Mr. Garrison. Are you sure you can drop me off?”

  “Not a problem. I’ll meet you at your place in a bit.”

  “Thanks.” Josie stood and leaned in to kiss his mouth. Then she retreated to her apartment to shower and get dressed. She really hoped he could scare Bart into backing off. Josie couldn’t bear the thought of any other Sweetwater Springs residents reading that awful e-zine article with her name on it.

  Twenty minutes later, she turned to a knock on her door. With one final look in the mirror, she grabbed her purse and headed out.

  They drove downtown to Mr. Garrison’s office, and Tuck dropped her off. She wished Tuck had been able to come inside with her but he had patients to see.

  Up until a few weeks ago, she’d prided herself on being Miss Independent. Miss I-Can-Do-It-on-My-Own.

  Since when do I need someone else?

  The answer popped into her mind immediately. Since Tuck. She didn’t need him beside her but she wanted him there.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Even though Tuck had just spent an hour-long therapy session looking at outdoor decorations for a college graduation party, he was in a great mood. It had nothing to do with his patient Claire Donovan and everything to do with Josie. Whatever Maddie’s problem was, he was sure it had nothing to do with Josie. She was good with his daughter. A natural. And watching them together only made his feelings grow deeper.

  “What do you think, Tuck?” Claire asked, gaining his attention. “Am I ready to be rid of you yet? Not that I don’t enjoy therapy with you but it’s the start of my busy season. Weddings, grad parties, retirement functions. And I have my ten-year class reunion to plan. I think my leg is better, don’t you?”

  He wobbled his head back and forth as if weighing the decision. The truth was he’d already considered that it was time to discharge Claire from his caseload. “Are you going to keep up with your exercises at home?”

  She raised a hand solemnly. “I promise.”

  “Okay, then.”

  She cheered and remarkably kept her balance at the same time. “You didn’t graduate with us but you can come to the reunion I’m planning if you let me set you up with one of the single ladies there.” She raised a brow. “What about Serena Gibbs? She’s lovely and such a sweetheart.”

  “No, thanks,” he said.

  Claire narrowed her gaze. “Ah. I thought I saw sparks between you and Josie the other day.” She grinned. “Well, I’ll save Serena for another of my single friends, then.”

  “He’ll be a lucky guy, I’m sure. Okay,” Tuck said, quickly turning the subject from his dating life back to her leg, “if I’m going to dismiss you from PT, I need to see you walk back to your car without so much as a limp.”

  “Yes, sir,” Claire said with a smile.

  When Tuck returned home later that afternoon, Josie was already on the porch, her computer open on her lap.

  “Maddie’s bus should be here soon,” she said as he climbed the steps. “I called the school to make sure I knew what time I needed to be back.”

  Tuck sat beside her on the porch swing. “Thanks. You didn’t
have to do that. I planned on being here.”

  “I know. I just thought it might help.”

  “Help who? Me or Maddie?” he asked.

  She shrugged and then closed her laptop and slid it into a bag against the railing. “Both.”

  As she straightened, he leaned in to kiss her. “How’d things go with Mr. Garrison?”

  “Great. He already had the cease-and-desist letter prepared when I got there. He called the magazine and spoke to Bart briefly to let him know that he was faxing a letter on my behalf.” Josie flashed a big smile. “I checked the e-zine an hour ago, and the article is already down.”

  “That’s terrific news,” Tuck said.

  “It is. And Mr. Garrison told Bart that we wanted my follow-up article on Sweetwater Springs back. I now have full rights to do whatever I want with it. I’m going to tweak it and see if Michelle wants to publish it in Carolina Home.”

  “Wow. That’s incredible.”

  Josie laughed softly. “I was thinking I might beg Kaitlyn to help me bake something delicious to bring over to Mr. Garrison’s office. He really did me a huge service.”

  “Food is said to be the way to a man’s heart,” Tuck agreed. “Although you haven’t fed me yet, and somehow you still made it into mine.”

  When had that happened? he wondered to himself. Maybe when he’d told her about Renee. Or when she’d helped him with Maddie at the dance, festival, and again last night. When she’d disclosed the story about the baby she’d given up in college, or when they’d made love. Maybe it had happened all along the way, one little moment at a time.

  “So what about the rest of your day?” he asked, quickly reaching for a neutral subject.

  “Well, after I left Mr. Garrison’s office, I strolled downtown a bit before working at the coffee shop. I got Maddie a present.” She reached into a bag at her feet and pulled out a quilt with all the colors of the rainbow. “It was just so pretty. I thought it would really brighten up her room. Do you think she’ll like it?”

  “How could she not?” He watched Josie’s face light up as she continued to tell him about her day and show him a few other little items she’d purchased for Maddie’s room. Whether she knew it or not, she had the heart of a mother, which he found all kinds of attractive. He didn’t dare say that though. She’d given him a glimpse into her past pain of giving her child up for adoption. It was a long time ago, and she’d said it was the best decision for the child. Even so, he wondered if that was driving her need to always be working. Did she think she wouldn’t get a second chance to have a family?