Книга - Loving the Country Boy

Loving the Country Boy
Mia Ross


A City Girl's Second Chance City girl Tess Barrett hopes her move to Barrett's Mill, Virginia, will give her a fresh start. As she gets to know the family she's never met and begins work at their sawmill, everything starts falling into place. Until she meets Heath Weatherby. After narrowly escaping an oil rig explosion, Heath won't waste his second chance at life. He's committed to starting a family–and he wants Tess for his wife. Tess refuses to give in to her feelings for Heath, convinced they're just too different. But when the rugged mechanic is hired to fix her family's mill, her heart begins to recognize the charming country boy as her one true love.







A City Girl’s Second Chance

City girl Tess Barrett hopes her move to Barrett’s Mill, Virginia, will give her a fresh start. As she gets to know the family she’s never met and begins work at their sawmill, everything starts falling into place. Until she meets Heath Weatherby. After narrowly escaping an oil rig explosion, Heath won’t waste his second chance at life. He’s committed to starting a family—and he wants Tess for his wife. Tess refuses to give in to her feelings for Heath, convinced they’re just too different. But when the rugged mechanic is hired to fix her family’s mill, her heart begins to recognize the charming country boy as her one true love.


“You have to be the sweetest guy I’ve ever met.

“After I just about bit your head off, too.”

“I hate to break this to you, darlin’,” he said with a laugh, “but you don’t scare me. ”

Once seated, they both spread out their lunches on the blanket to share.

“Sure beats eating in the back room with the crew.”

“Do you mean the food or the company?”

Looking over at her, he grinned. “Both.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere with me, country boy,” she warned, though the sudden blush on her cheeks said otherwise. “But you get an A for effort.”

“Just callin’ it like I see it.”

That made her laugh. “The girls around here must fall all over themselves trying to get your attention.”

“Nah. I’m just Heath, the goofball they all grew up with.”

“That’s not what I’ve heard,” she informed him.

“That was a long time ago. Now I’m looking for a wife who thinks I hung the moon, and a bunch of kids who think I’m the greatest dad ever.”

“Really?” Tess asked incredulously. “That’s all?”

“To me, that’s everything.”


MIA ROSS loves great stories. She enjoys reading about fascinating people, long-ago times and exotic places. But only for a little while, because her reality is pretty sweet. Married to her college sweetheart, she’s the proud mom of two amazing kids, whose schedules keep her hopping. Busy as she is, she can’t imagine trading her life for anyone else’s—and she has a pretty good imagination. You can visit her online at miaross.com (http://miaross.com).


Loving the

Country Boy

Mia Ross






www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

—Colossians 3:14


For Rob


Acknowledgments (#ulink_620210c7-a6bf-50f5-9038-f9c296a6dfd9)

To the very talented folks who help me

make my books everything they can be:

Elaine Spencer, Melissa Endlich and

the dedicated staff at Love Inspired.

As always, huge thanks to the gang at

Seekerville (seekerville.net). It’s a great place

to hang out with readers—and writers!

I’ve been blessed with a wonderful network of

supportive, encouraging family and friends.

You inspire me every day!


Contents

Cover (#u09d23006-193e-5b01-9236-6c7295c9d45e)

Back Cover Text (#u45fd2923-7dc5-56fe-a72c-30eafd2460c4)

Introduction (#u27352850-9394-5749-8f90-fee5d39e7490)

About the Author (#uebcbf551-51dd-5cdf-aea8-e0e2e04e7a48)

Title Page (#ufb765ae1-9e8e-5f6a-8d7f-56862f80aba1)

Bible Verse (#u60133dab-5b0e-5bb5-a6dd-5c1f5ef1ee35)

Dedication (#u77422b02-8541-55c2-b464-1be413097110)

Acknowledgments (#ub4b76180-31c7-5deb-927c-0e91f704052b)

Chapter One (#ub00eae4c-d92f-54fc-8f32-a3f1c53a5426)

Chapter Two (#u8e9ad129-78dc-5bd2-af2d-5e5c6982e57e)

Chapter Three (#u28c13c01-425d-5297-b989-ba5f141e4c54)

Chapter Four (#ufe73a0ba-d6fc-571d-926d-8cc80d052683)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Dear Reader (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)


Chapter One (#ulink_8459970a-6f02-5058-b245-0ac3d84b9ede)

Tess Barrett was not a morning person.

Of course, that might have had something to do with the fact that her California-girl brain hadn’t quite adjusted to Virginia time yet. Or maybe it was the dark blue sedan she’d borrowed from her grandmother, a far cry from the jazzy red convertible she’d left in LA. Yawning, she looked around and couldn’t help admiring the lush scenery on the other side of the windshield. Ordinarily, she drove to work through bumper-to-bumper traffic jams, with the AC on full blast and palm trees waving at her as she passed by.

On this cool October morning, hers was the only car in sight on a gravel road that wasn’t even two lanes wide. Towering oak and maple trees stood alongside the lane like guards, their branches arching overhead to form a tunnel of leaves ranging in color from pale green to gold to brilliant red. When the early sunlight started peeking through the canopy, it lit the whole area in a breathtaking display that would be right at home on an artist’s easel.

Normally she wasn’t the poetic type, and her creative impression of her surroundings startled her, to say the least. She must be more tired than she realized. Or, she thought as she drove around a curve in the unfamiliar back-country road, her fuzzy brain just needed caffeine.

Fortunately, she had some of her grandmother’s secret blend of coffee mixed with cream and berries. Reaching toward the cup holder, she glanced down to grasp the handle of her stainless-steel travel mug. Just as she was lifting it free, the sound of a blaring horn jerked her eyes back to the road. Letting go of the cup, she cranked the steering wheel to the right and slammed on the brakes in a terrifying hailstorm of dust and gravel.

She swallowed hard to get her heart out of her throat and sat very still, taking stock of everything. She was unharmed, and the car was in one piece, although it sat cocked at an unnatural angle on the verge of the ditch. Framed in her driver’s window was an antique delivery truck that had quite possibly been one of the first ones put into service. Sporting as much rust as metal, one thing about it stood out as new. Someone had gone to the trouble to freshen up the logo on the driver’s door.

Barrett’s Sawmill, Barrett’s Mill, Virginia.

Her eyes traveled upward to find the driver staring through his open window at her. With his shock of sun-bleached blond hair and deep blue eyes, she recognized him instantly. “Heath Weatherby?”

His tanned face split into a wide grin. “So, you remember me?”

“Sure, I do.”

Vividly. At her cousin Scott’s wedding last month, she’d watched Heath flirt his way through all the single women at the reception. He’d brought to mind a lion stalking a herd of gazelle, hunting for one he could easily bring down. She’d had her fill of guys like that, so his very obvious technique hadn’t left her with the best impression of him. Still, he was Scott’s friend, so she plastered on the friendly customer-service smile she’d cultivated in the boutique where she worked.

Used to work, she corrected herself with a mental sigh. Yet another in a long line of failures she’d managed to accumulate in twenty-eight years, that position was history. Tess currently had no clue what lay ahead of her, but being late for her new job wasn’t how she wanted to start.

Heath clambered out of the old truck, and she expected him to start yammering about how she should have been watching the road more carefully. Instead, he rested his hands on the roof of the car and leaned in to stare at her with obvious concern. “You okay?”

“A little shaken up, but basically I’m fine.” Those eyes were studying her way too closely, and she turned away to retrieve her purse from the spot on the floor where it had landed after their near-impact. “Do you want my insurance card?”

For some crazy reason, he started laughing. Irked by his blasé attitude, she glared up at him. “Did I say something funny?”

“We didn’t hit each other or anything, and even if we had there’d be no need to drag an adjuster all the way out here. I work on your gram’s car all the time, so I’ll fix whatever’s wrong.”

“That’s nice of you, but I heard a pretty loud crunching sound. The parts could get expensive, and I don’t want to pay for it.” She left out the part about not having the money to cover much of a car repair bill. That would sound pathetic, and since she hadn’t confided her money problems to Gram, she wasn’t about to share them with a stranger. Not even a great-looking one wearing a you-can-count-on-me grin.

“Wasn’t planning to charge you for it.”

She wasn’t sure what to make of that. In her experience, whenever someone suggested something outside the norm, the situation turned out badly. For her. “I don’t know.”

“Why don’t we have a look, and then we’ll decide?”

Her foggy, sleep-deprived brain couldn’t come up with a decent protest, so she simply nodded. Heath opened the door for her and stood back to give her room to step out. Logically, she knew it wasn’t possible, but she thought he was taller than he’d been when they’d first met. Dressed in worn jeans and a denim shirt with Morgan’s Garage and his name stitched over the pocket, he had the solid, dependable look of a man who could live up to his promise to fix things that were broken. And not just cars.

That dreamy impression flitted through her mind before she could stop it, and she firmly clamped down before any more had a chance to follow it. With a string of bad relationships to her credit, she’d promised herself that for the foreseeable future, she’d keep her life clear of male distractions. Despite having every possible advantage, she’d accomplished nothing of value beyond earning a bachelor’s degree and holding a series of retail positions whose main attraction was the employee discount.

If that was going to change, she recognized that she’d have to figure out how to make it happen. For herself, and by herself. Not like her mother, who was still struggling to recover from a ninja-style divorce that had stripped her of her glittering lifestyle and a good chunk of her pride. Tess knew that if she wanted her own story to end differently, it was time for her to take control of her life and find a way to make it work. Her own failed engagement had finally convinced her that relying too heavily on someone else simply wasn’t worth the risk.

The sound of Heath’s boots crunching in the gravel brought her back to the problem at hand, and she dutifully trailed after him. Hunkering down, he ducked his head under the front end of the sedan for a better look. She was no expert, but any moron could figure out the car wouldn’t roll with that wad of crumpled metal wrapped around the right front tire.

“That doesn’t look good.” What a stupid thing to say, she chided herself, and waited for him to pile on with some criticism of his own. She was well accustomed to that, and she braced herself for the shot.

Instead, he glanced up at her with the kind of amused look he might have used with a curious child. “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.”

“I wasn’t trying to be funny.”

“I don’t doubt it.” He started to say something else but apparently thought better of it and focused back on the damaged pieces.

Her reflexive response was to demand what he meant by that, but she managed to stop herself. It was too early in the day for a battle of wills, and considering how her morning had gone so far, she’d probably come out on the losing end. Besides, he was clearly going out of his way to help her, and she didn’t want him to think she was ungrateful. So she swallowed her sharp words and asked, “Will it be hard to fix?”

“Nah. Couple days, tops.” Standing, he brushed his hands off and rested them on his hips. “Like I said, I’ll take care of it, no charge.”

She was sorely tempted to take him up on his offer. A month ago, she’d have accepted without a second thought, allowing someone else to step in and make her life easier. But in the interest of taking responsibility for herself, she didn’t feel right about doing that anymore.

“I can’t let you do that,” she countered in a firm but polite voice. “It’s not your fault I was paying more attention to the scenery than the road.”

“Yeah, I could see how that’d happen. It’s real pretty out here.”

Male admiration twinkled in his eyes, and she narrowed her own in disgust. “Let’s get one thing straight right now, country boy.”

“Okay.”

The casual way he said it made it clear her warning had no impact on him at all. Unlike other guys, who backed up a step when she blasted them with her don’t-mess-with-me glare. At five-three, she didn’t physically intimidate anyone over the age of ten, so that look was her only option when she wanted to make a point. Either he was braver than most people she knew, or more foolish. Whatever the case, she wasn’t thrilled to lose the one advantage she’d ever been able to cultivate.

Summoning her iciest tone, she said, “I’m here to help out at the mill while Chelsea’s on maternity leave. Period, end of story. Whatever you’re selling, I’m not buying. Got it?”

“Got it.” Punctuating his reply with a quick nod, he moved out to a more respectable distance. “Can I ask you a question, though?”

“Sure.”

“What’s with the attitude? All I did was give you a compliment, and you act like I’m trying to work you over.”

“In my experience, when a man tells a woman how pretty she is, he’s expecting it to get him somewhere.”

“Well, now, don’t I feel silly?” Heath drawled with a mischievous grin. “I was just lookin’ for a smile.”

Despite her best efforts to control it, she felt one tugging at the corner of her mouth, threatening to upend her disapproving frown. After a few seconds, she gave in and let it come through. Unfortunately, that seemed to encourage him, and his face broke into a victorious grin. “There it is. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Tess opened her mouth for a sharp retort then decided there was no point. She had reacted to him as if he was a leering stranger on the street. When she replayed her stern warning in her head, she felt her face heating with embarrassment. He might be a little too suave for her liking, but Heath wasn’t dangerous.

“No, it wasn’t.” Realizing that wasn’t enough, she went on. “I apologize for being so rude. I guess I’m still wiped out from my trip, and for a West Coast girl like me it’s four o’clock in the morning.”

“Yeah, that trip east is a real killer. I worked in Alaska for a while, and it took me a week to recover from the flight home.”

“What did you do in Alaska?” she blurted before remembering that she was late for work and should keep their conversation short and sweet. Then again, a few more minutes probably wouldn’t make much difference one way or the other. “I’ve never been there, but from all the Travel Channel shows I’ve watched, it looks like a fascinating place to live.”

Sorrow dimmed his bright expression, and his eyes went a murky bluish-gray that could only mean she’d inadvertently struck a nerve. Shortly after they appeared, though, the clouds were gone. “It is. I worked on an oil rig for a couple years and spent a lot of my spare time flying around with my buddy in his bush plane. We ferried tourists and hunters around, and delivered supplies to some villages that actually were in the middle of nowhere.”

“It sounds incredible.”

“Yeah, it was.”

Although his tone was upbeat, it sounded forced to her, as if he were making a concerted attempt to be positive about his Alaskan adventure. Instinct told her something had forced him to return to Barrett’s Mill. Something that made him sad, even now. She wouldn’t dream of asking him about it, of course, but she couldn’t help wondering what had happened to him.

“I’ll come back with a wrecker to get Olivia’s car,” he said, bringing her back to reality. “But in the meantime, I can’t just leave you stranded out here. Would you like a ride to the mill?”

That wasn’t how she’d intended to begin her new, independent life, but she wasn’t exactly dressed for a cross-country hike. “I can call Paul. I don’t want you to go out of your way.”

“Not out of my way. I was heading there, too, to drop off this truck for Paul.”

She looked at him doubtfully. “You were driving in the opposite direction.”

“Actually, you were. You must have missed your turn back there. Easy to do.”

Her cheeks flushed again, but she stayed silent and just nodded at him, turning toward the car.

While she got her purse, she regretted misjudging the friendly mechanic, lumping him in with the other shallow, manipulative guys she’d known. Not that it mattered, she thought as she followed him over to the truck.

For the time being, she was done with men. With her heart still in pieces, it was safer that way.

* * *

Baffling wasn’t the word for Tess Barrett. Sweet one minute, prickly the next, she’d kept him off balance since their bizarre meeting in the middle of the road. Not quite the way he wanted to start his day.

Heath shut the passenger door a little more forcefully than he should have, wincing at the jolt of pain that zipped up his arm to his shoulder. He sometimes forgot it was still healing, and he had to be careful how he moved. The lingering reminder of his past mistakes drove him nuts, but since there was nothing he could do about it, he did his best to shrug it off as he circled the truck and climbed into the cab.

While Heath started the pickup and pulled around the disabled sedan, he couldn’t help glancing over at his passenger and wondering what her deal was. He’d grown up running wild with her cousins, the infamous Barrett boys who were the stuff of local legend. Knowing them as well as he did, he definitely pegged the family resemblance in the stunning brunette with the dark, intelligent eyes, sitting beside him.

Other than that, she struck him as a whole different animal. In a slim skirt the color of lilacs and a tissue-thin blouse a couple of shades lighter, she looked decidedly out of place on this backwoods road in the heart of the Blue Ridge valley. Then again, she’d traveled across the country to help out at the iconic sawmill that had given the town its name and still provided many of its residents with a decent income. To do something like that, she must be incredibly generous. Or desperate.

Thinking of her being in trouble bothered him for some reason, so he went with the other option. “It’s nice of you to come out and lend a hand with the mill. I’m sure your family really appreciates it.”

“At the wedding, Chelsea mentioned she’d be out with the baby for a while and would be looking for someone to take over while she’s gone. When I lost my job a couple weeks ago, it seemed like a good time to try something different. So here I am.”

“That’s great for them but tough for you,” he commented with genuine sympathy. “Mind if I ask what happened?”

“Oh, the usual. I was managing an adorable little boutique in Beverly Hills. After a few months, the owner’s husband started paying more attention to me than to her, so she fired me.”

The sarcastic tone rang a bell with him, and he barely managed to keep back a grin. Apparently, a streak of wry Barrett humor was lurking behind that cool, polished exterior of hers. Interesting.

She didn’t volunteer anything more, and Heath took the hint that she’d rather let the subject drop. Fine by him, he mused as he concentrated on the road in front of him. He had enough on his plate these days without taking on someone else’s problems.

After a couple of minutes, the silence seemed to get to her. “So, you grew up around here?”

“Born and raised.”

“You said you liked Alaska,” she pointed out. “Have you been anywhere else?”

“Louisiana, Iowa, Arizona. Being a mechanic, I can pretty much work anywhere.”

“What made you decide to come back here?”

Heath still hadn’t come to terms with the answer to that, and he fought the urge to joke his way out of responding. He’d been doing that for months, to avoid reliving the pain that had chased him back to the safe, quiet town where he’d spent his childhood. But something told him if he dodged a question from the pretty woman beside him, she’d know it. And she’d never trust him. Why he cared what she thought about him, he couldn’t say, but loyalty to her family was as good a reason as any.

As he parked in the turnaround near the mill house, he finally settled on a version of the truth. “It was time to come home. I’m almost thirty, and my adventuring days are over.”

She studied him for a long, uncomfortable moment, and it took everything he had not to look away. Clearly, she suspected that he hadn’t given her the whole story, but he hoped his explanation would be enough to satisfy her curiosity, at least for now.

“That’s interesting,” she said with quiet determination glittering in her eyes. “Because mine are just getting started.”

Suddenly, there was a bang in the truck bed behind them, and a big, furry face popped in through the open back window. Tess shrieked and plastered herself up against the passenger door, shielding her head with her designer purse.

Chuckling, Heath greeted their slobbery guest with a pat on the head. “Hey, Boyd. How’re you today?”

The bloodhound woofed, licking Heath’s hand while his tail wagged enthusiastically. When Heath noticed him eyeballing Tess, he warned, “Behave yourself, dude. The lady’s had a tough morning.”

In response, the dog sat politely and reeled in his tongue, even though his head was still hanging over the seat. Apparently, that was as good as it was going to get. “Tess, I’d like you to meet Boyd. The story is he found your cousin Paul at a lumber camp in Oregon and followed him home. Personally, I think it was the other way around.”

His comment had the intended effect, and she uncoiled herself from the corner to give the hound a cautious once-over. Thrilled with the attention, Boyd let out a quiet woof and cocked his head in what even a committed dog-hater would have called a friendly gesture.

“Pleased to meet you, Boyd,” she finally said, patting his forehead. “You’ll have to excuse my manners, but you scared me half to death.”

The hound woofed again, and Heath reached over to ruffle his floppy ears. “See? He’s sorry. He’s the welcoming committee around here, and he was just doing his job.”

“Very well, too,” she added, scratching around his collar with a smile. “Paul found himself a real gem of a sidekick, didn’t he?”

Her gooey tone was totally at odds with her hard exterior, and Heath couldn’t help admiring how quickly she’d shifted from terrified city girl to down-to-earth animal lover. Apparently, she reserved that cool, distant manner of hers for humans. It probably should have bugged him, but in reality it was a relief.

During the short time they’d spent together, he’d learned that Tess had a sharp mind and a tongue to match. He was fairly well traveled, and experience had taught him to steer clear of women like her. They were always one step ahead of him, and eventually he got tired of trying to catch up.

His conversation with Tess hadn’t changed his opinion in the least. In fact, he was determined to give women like Tess a wide berth, now more than ever.


Chapter Two (#ulink_f24c7820-ba21-5519-a4d6-ef6ff78e5189)

After Tess recovered from meeting the very exuberant Boyd, she got out of the truck and took a few moments to absorb her surroundings. A sparkling creek flowed through the nearby woods and under the wide cobblestone bridge that led from the rutted dirt lane to the lumberyard. Once the stream reached the dam and collected in the mill pond, it was ready to be harnessed to power the waterwheel her cousin Paul had restored to grant their ailing grandfather’s wish to see the long-shuttered mill up and running again before he died.

Of course, she hadn’t known all this before, she groused. Over the weekend, Gram had filled her in on the family history that had been a complete blank for Tess until a month ago. For the hundredth time, she wondered what possible reason her father had for leaving his charming hometown and stubbornly refusing to acknowledge his roots.

Or his own father’s death.

Thinking about the grandfather she’d never met still made her misty, especially when she was standing here in the middle of the property he’d cherished so much. She’d learned that it hadn’t been easy to keep it in the family, with developers drooling over the acres of untouched woods around the picturesque Sterling Creek. If he’d given in and sold out, he and Gram would have had enough money to travel wherever they wanted to go. Instead, they chose to hold on to the land and live more modestly in this sleepy little town that didn’t warrant even a dot on a state map.

“Something wrong?”

Heath’s voice broke into her musings, and she glanced over at him. She was about to give her customary “no” when something stopped her, and she frowned. “I’m not sure. I was just thinking about how my grandfather never wanted to give this place up, even when people offered him a ton of money for it. My father always thought Granddad was crazy.”

“Sounds like you agreed with him.”

“I know it sounds disrespectful, but yes, I did.”

Heath rested an arm over the railing on the front porch steps and cocked his head with a curious look. “And now?”

“I think I get it, at least a little.”

As the breeze rustled through a nearby stand of trees, she admired the spectrum of colors waving along the branches and caught the flash of a white tail as a deer bounded back into the woods. Add in the chiming of dozens of birds and the telltale scent of wood shavings, and her appreciation for the Barrett legacy deepened. Peaceful but teeming with life, this place was a lot more than a chunk of prime real estate. And it was infinitely more valuable than even her brilliant father could possibly fathom.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get to meet Will,” Heath said gently, as if he’d picked up on her melancholy train of thought. “He was one of the kindest, most generous people I’ve ever known.”

She knew Heath meant for her to view the comment in a positive light, but it only made her choke up again. Pulling herself together wasn’t easy, but for both their sakes she dredged up a halfhearted smile. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I was fine at the cemetery with Gram yesterday.”

“That’s ’cause he’s not there. He’s here.” Heath nodded in the general direction of the rushing water.

The rugged mechanic didn’t strike her as the philosophical type, and she eyed him with curiosity. “You really believe that, don’t you?”

“Sure. I know it’s not a big, exciting city, but for most of us, this little swath of land beats them all, hands down.”

He said it without hesitation, but something flickering in his eyes made her suspect that for him, there was more to it than mere loyalty. Since neither of them had the time for a story right now, she opted to let it go. “Since you said you were dropping off that old truck, I’m guessing you need a ride back into town. Did you want to come in and say hello or get going now?”

“No hurry,” he replied with a grin. “This is Barrett’s Mill, remember?”

Yes, it was. She still wasn’t sure what that meant exactly, but she was looking forward to finding out. She and Heath climbed the steps together, with Boyd lumbering up behind them. When Heath pulled open the door, the dog eyed the lobby then turned his large brown eyes on Tess as if he were waiting for her.

“What nice manners you have,” she cooed, patting his head on her way past. Paul was standing inside, and she teased, “Did you teach him to do that?”

“Yeah, right,” he laughed before hugging her. “So, whattya think of the old place?”

“It looks fabulous, just like you described it.” The praise came easily, because even a totally non-mechanical person like her could tell how much effort had gone into bringing the archaic family business back to life.

“Thanks.” Shaking hands with Heath, Paul added, “How’s the old beast running these days?”

“Are you kidding me?” Heath growled, although the proud twinkle in his eyes gave him away. “She makes a Swiss watch look like a clunker.”

“That’s great, ’cause the lease just ran out on one of our trucks, and we could use another delivery vehicle around here.”

What he wasn’t saying, Tess noticed, was that he hadn’t renewed the lease. Which meant finances weren’t in the best shape right now. Maybe she could do something about that, she thought, relishing the idea of using her college education for something more worthwhile than catering to wealthy customers. She couldn’t imagine anything fitting that bill better than pitching in to help improve the mill’s bottom line.

For now, though, she needed a way to get herself to and from work. “Speaking of vehicles...”

“Don’t tell me,” Paul groaned.

“It was an accident. Gram and I were up late, and I couldn’t find the bag with my shoes, and—”

“I sort of cut her off turning onto Mill Road,” Heath interrupted with a sheepish look that would have convinced the most jaded Hollywood director to hire him on the spot. “The damage isn’t bad, and I’ll have it fixed in a couple days, tops. For free, since it was my fault.”

Even though he’d told her the same thing earlier, Tess still couldn’t believe he was so blithely taking responsibility for their run-in. She was trying to figure out why when a soft voice asked, “Are you all right?”

Tess glanced over and saw Paul’s wife, Chelsea, silhouetted in the hallway that separated the front end of the mill house from the saws on the production floor. Wearing a burgundy dress with a high-waisted tie, she slowly waddled over to join them.

Not wanting to worry her very pregnant boss, Tess forced a smile and stepped forward for a reassuring hug. “Just embarrassed to be late for my first day of work. How are you?”

“Fine. I wanted to be up front when you got here, but the baby’s been pounding on some uncomfortable places this morning.”

Tess caught Paul’s concerned scowl and studied his wife more closely. While she was clearly trying to hide it, she appeared to be far past exhausted. Beyond that, the way she was standing betrayed the fact that she was actually in pain.

“Chelsea,” Paul began in a gentle voice, “I think you should sit down.”

“I’ve been sitting down,” she snapped in frustration. “I took a walk, I lay down on that old settee in the store room. Nothing I do makes any difference, so I’m going to stand.”

Obviously accustomed to a hormonal mood swing or two, he didn’t respond but met her stormy look head-on. She glared at him for a moment before relenting with a frustrated sigh. “I’m sorry, everyone. I’m just having a bad morning.”

“It’s not the first one,” Paul pointed out. “I’m glad we’re seeing the doctor today.”

“Our appointment’s at one,” she said to Tess. “I hate to leave you alone so soon, but you can call me if you have any questions.”

“Not a problem at all,” Tess assured her warmly. Looking around, she noted the feminine touches in the waiting area, from the gingham cushions to the curtains waving in the breeze. Admiring the framed photos of the mill from its Civil War beginnings to the present day, she turned to Chelsea. “Everything looks great. You’ve done an amazing job in here.”

“You should check out the saws,” Heath piped up enthusiastically. “It’s awesome to see them when they’re all running.”

While she appreciated his enthusiasm, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to his boyish reaction than simple nostalgia. In deference to her sanity, she didn’t normally dwell on her less than stellar past. But Heath’s fondness for his made her wish she held that kind of affection for the life she’d been living.

Pushing her brooding aside, she shifted her focus to Paul. “At the wedding, Chelsea told me your dad converted the equipment to run on electricity years ago. What made you decide to go back to water power?”

“Waterwheels are cool,” the two guys said in unison, making her and Chelsea laugh.

“Well, I can’t argue with that,” Tess allowed. “Do you have time to show me now?”

He grinned proudly. “I’m between runs, so come on in.”

Giving in to her fatigue, Chelsea waved them along. “Daisy and I will be in the office when you’re done.”

“Your kitty assistant,” Tess recalled. “How is she?”

“More trouble than ever, and since she’s deaf she can’t hear me scolding her. I keep telling myself it’s good practice for when I’m chasing after a toddler who won’t listen.”

As she headed into her office, Tess saw her take a pair of sound-canceling headphones from a hook near the Dutch door. Probably a good idea for herself, too, along with finding a good place to buy more casual clothes and some sensible shoes. This was a far more rustic work environment than she was accustomed to, and she was ridiculously overdressed.

Paul handed her and Heath some shop headphones before donning his own. Then he did a quick visual check of the waterwheel through an opening in the floor and gave them a thumbs-up. With some effort, he pulled a wooden handle that looked to be original to the building and stepped back to join them.

Once everything got up to speed, the entire structure shook as the leather belts whipped around and through the mechanism that ran the huge saws. Used for ripping timber into usable planks, it was hard to believe so much raw power came from damming up one small stream that bubbled so pleasantly through the woods.

When Paul shut everything down, he was all but humming with excitement for what he’d accomplished. “So?”

“It’s amazing. I can’t imagine they make most of the parts anymore. Where did you find replacements?”

“Some are still around in one form or another,” he explained. “When I could, I modified them to work. When I couldn’t, I made ’em myself.”

That kind of technical expertise was way beyond her realm of understanding, and she was impressed by his resourcefulness. Not to mention his dogged determination. Resting a hand on his arm, she smiled up at him. “Granddad must’ve been thrilled when you got this all put back together again.”

A bit of the sorrow she felt moved through his eyes, telling her just how much Will Barrett’s grandson still missed him. “I’m glad he got to see it.”

“So am I.”

* * *

Heath held the front door open for Tess, admiring her ability to walk in those silly shoes.

“Chelsea, you just put your feet up and relax while I’m gone,” Tess ordered as she moved toward the exit. “Make a list of what needs to be done, and you can walk me through it before you and Paul go to the doctor.”

“That sounds wonderful, but there’s no need to rush back here. Things are pretty quiet right now.”

Her claim didn’t match up with the job list he’d seen posted in the carpentry area, and Heath gave her a long look. Which she artfully ignored. Once Tess had sidled past him and onto the front porch out of earshot, he leaned his arms on top of the half door and winked at Chelsea. “I know what you’re up to, Mrs. Barrett, and you can forget about it.”

She blinked at him with all the innocence of a springtime fawn. “What?”

“No need to rush back here.” He imitated her musical drawl in a passable falsetto, then switched back to his own voice. “Ya gotta be more subtle if you’re planning to take up matchmaking.”

“Was it that obvious?” she asked with a laugh. “I thought I was being pretty smooth.”

He knew she meant well, so he eased back with a smile. “People get married, start having babies, they get all gooey about stuff like that. I get it, but I don’t want you getting any ideas about pairing me up with Tess. I’m not looking for anything serious right now, and she made it clear she’s not interested in anything but helping you out while you’re on maternity leave.”

Brutally clear, he added silently. He didn’t know why her icy warning still stung, but only a complete moron would ignore it.

“She’s only been in town a couple of days,” Chelsea reminded him. “When she gets more comfortable here, her feelings might change.”

“Not hardly,” he said evenly. “Besides, she’s not staying that long, so there’s no point in trying to make something out of nothing.”

“But you would try, if she wasn’t going back to California?”

Heath hesitated. Would he? Their unexpected run-in had knocked him for a loop, and he hadn’t quite regained his usually even-keeled perspective. He kept trying to convince himself that was a normal reaction for someone who’d narrowly avoided an accident and was now late for work. The explanation made sense, but part of him knew that wasn’t the reason he still felt off-kilter.

It was Tess.

Thinking that way would only get him in trouble, Heath knew, so he shoved the thought back into the corner of his mind he didn’t visit very often. “You take care of yourself and that little one. Your assistant will be back soon.”

With a good-bye wave, he trotted down the porch steps and met up with Tess just as she was finishing a call. She hit the end button and said, “Gram wanted me to tell you hi and thanks for lending a hand with this.”

“Lemme guess,” he replied with a grin. “She couldn’t care less about the car, and she wants to pay me for the repair work.”

“So you’re a mind reader,” she teased with a mischievous grin that reminded him of her cousins. “What am I thinking?”

The tone was more playful than flirtatious, which was fine with him. Closing his eyes, he rested his fingers on his temples as if he was concentrating very hard. “You’re thinking your coffee is cold by now, and you need to get some more while you’re in town. Around here, the best place for anything food-related is The Whistlestop.”

“Wow,” she said around a barely muted yawn, “you’re good.”

“Not really.” He chuckled. “That’s the third time you’ve yawned since we got here. Either you’re incredibly bored, or you’re not totally awake yet.”

He opened the driver’s door and motioned for her to get in. When she blinked at him, he realized she wasn’t following along. “It’s all yours.”

“You want me to drive?”

“You’re dropping me off, so that’s the easiest thing to do.” The sunlight glinted off the flecks of gold in her eyes, and he caught a spark of something he couldn’t quite put a finger on. But anyone could see he’d hit a nerve with her. “Am I wrong?”

“No, it’s just—” She stopped abruptly, and he waited for her to continue. Thankfully, her annoyance drifted away, leaving behind appreciation. “My ex always drove, even if we were in my car and he didn’t know where we were going. It kind of bugged me.”

“I can see why.” He could also understand why the guy was an ex. Anyone that heavy-handed wouldn’t last long with this very headstrong woman.

“It’s refreshing to be treated like someone with a perfectly good head on her shoulders,” she confided with a sigh.

“I can’t imagine treating you any other way,” Heath blurted before it occurred to him how a comment like that might come across to her. Her grateful smile eased his concern, though, and he was glad he’d spoken his mind.

“Thanks, Heath. That might not seem like much to you, but it means a lot to me.”

“You’re welcome. Want a hand up?”

“No, I’ve got it.”

Standing on the toe of one high heel, she grasped the interior handle and pulled herself into the cab of the old pickup. He shut the door behind her and strolled around the truck before settling in on the other side. With a little coaching from him, she quickly got the hang of the vintage equipment, and he said, “You’re a natural. That clutch isn’t the best, but you’re doing fine.”

“You mean, for a girl?” she teased with a smirk.

Busted, he thought with a grin of his own. Since she didn’t seem offended, he figured it wasn’t an issue for her. “Sorry, but yeah. The women I’ve known couldn’t handle a brand-new manual transmission, much less this one.”

“I guess I’m not like them.”

That was an understatement, but he managed not to tell her so. Instead, he pointed out the turn that led to Main Street. With no power steering, the mill truck took some strength to maneuver, and as she made the sharp turn, she groaned with the effort. “This thing handles like a pontoon boat.”

Heath chuckled. “Driven a lot of those, have you?”

“Trust me, once was enough.”

“Must be a big change, coming here after spending so much time in California.”

“Yes, it is.”

She didn’t offer anything beyond that, but his instincts were telling him it wasn’t because she had nothing more to say. They were basically strangers, but he couldn’t shake the suspicion that she was holding something back.

None of his business, he cautioned himself as she pulled into the lot at Morgan’s Garage and put the truck in Park. All the Barretts were known for their stubborn streak, and despite her upper-class background, Tess seemed to have inherited it in spades. Harsh experience had taught him that the quickest way to irritate a woman was to step in where he wasn’t wanted and try to solve a problem she was confident she could handle on her own. Even if she was wrong.

Getting out, he walked over to the driver’s window and leaned his elbows on the frame. “If you need anything, you know where to find me.”

Her puzzled expression made it clear she had no clue what he was talking about. Then, slowly, understanding dawned in those stunning eyes, and she rewarded him with a grateful smile. “That’s sweet of you, but I’m fine. Really,” she added emphatically, as if she was trying to convince herself as much as him.

He thought he knew better, but he also knew this wasn’t the time to press. Pushing away from the pickup, he said, “Remember this old girl’s only got three gears, and her top speed is about forty. Any questions?”

“Actually, I do have one.” Angling to face him, she went on. “Why do so many guys refer to cars as female? I mean, women don’t call them ‘he’, so why do you call them ‘she’?”

She punctuated her question with an arched brow, and he couldn’t help laughing. “I got no idea. Keep her under forty, though, and you should do okay.”

“Not a Ferrari.” She added a sassy grin. “Got it.”

Stepping back, he waved as she left the parking lot and headed for the diner where he’d recommended she get her coffee. This morning had turned out nothing like he’d expected, he mused while he strolled inside to punch in.

With Tess in Barrett’s Mill for an extended visit, he had a feeling things around this quiet little town were going to get very interesting.


Chapter Three (#ulink_be6adf2c-60a4-54b9-9915-7eb697ab3011)

The next morning Tess was pulling her hair into a chignon when her cell phone began playing the ringtone she’d assigned to Chelsea. It was too early in the day for a social call, and she dropped her brush in midstroke to answer it. “Hi, Chelsea. Is everything okay?”

“We had a terrible night, so we’re meeting the doctor at his office in half an hour. I’m so sorry to do this to you now. We barely had time to cover anything yesterday.”

The stress in her voice came through loud and clear, and she sounded on the verge of tears. The kitchen phone started ringing downstairs, and she assumed it was Paul calling Gram with the same update.

Wishing there was more she could do, Tess summoned a confident tone to reassure her distraught cousin-in-law. “He told you everything was okay at your appointment yesterday, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sure it’ll be the same today. Don’t worry about a thing except you and the baby. If I need something, the boys will be there to help me.”

“Jason and Scott?” Chelsea scoffed, “They don’t even know where we keep the coffee.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Tess promised, hoping she came across as self-assured and reliable. Handling things on her own today was the only option available, so there was no point in considering anything else. “Call when you have some news.”

“I will. Thanks so much, Tess. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

Because no one had ever viewed her as more than just a pretty face, she’d never gotten that kind of praise in her life. Hearing it now felt incredible, and despite the very grown-up situation she now found herself in, she was smiling when she hung up. Her privileged upbringing had given her plenty of novel adventures through the years, but there was a lot to be said for being in a place where people valued you more for what you could do than how you looked.

When she was ready, she assessed her reflection and was stunned by the enthusiasm lighting the face that stared back at her. Without a drop of makeup, she looked better than she had in months, and she shook her head in amazement. After enjoying herself so much at Scott and Jenna’s wedding, she’d expected to appreciate the change of scenery here, but this was something else again.

Buoyed by the energy she felt, she all but skipped down the stairs into the kitchen. Gram was waiting there with a small paper bag and Tess’s stainless-steel travel mug, which was giving off the enticing aroma of something exotic. Taking them from her, Tess inhaled and grinned. “This is my favorite blend. Where on earth did you find it around here?”

“Diane brought it by on her way to the teen center earlier,” Gram explained. “She picked up a bag of it over in Cambridge for you.”

“I’ll have to thank Auntie later.” Taking a sip, she continued. “I’m assuming that was Paul on the phone a few minutes ago.”

Anxiety shadowed her grandmother’s eyes, and she nodded. “I’ve been praying ever since.”

“I’m sure they appreciate that.”

While Tess wasn’t big on religion herself, she knew it brought her grandmother a measure of comfort to feel as if she was doing something constructive rather than just worrying. Then again, if God listened to anyone, it wouldn’t surprise her to learn Olivia Barrett had a direct line to heaven.

“Have a good day, dear,” Gram said, giving her a quick hug. “If those cousins of yours give you too much trouble, you let me know and I’ll set them straight.”

Tess laughed, mostly because she knew the Barretts’ petite matriarch was only half kidding. “I think Jason and Scott know better than to mess with me, but it’s good to know you’ve got my back.”

Waving good-bye, she headed out to where the old mill truck sat in the driveway. Tess was certain Heath had fixed all its annoying idiosyncrasies, so she was totally unconcerned as she buckled herself into the driver’s seat and stowed her breakfast before blithely turning the key. Almost as if it was protesting the early hour, the engine began whining but refused to catch.

The sun was beginning to peek over the horizon, and Tess wasn’t overjoyed about starting yet another day with car trouble. She couldn’t wait to get Gram’s stalwart Buick back, she groused silently. It might not be fancy, but it was a large, solid car, and while it wasn’t hers, it hadn’t given her a bit of trouble.

Unlike that fussy little sports car Avery drove, she thought with a frown.

Born into one of Napa Valley’s original vineyard families, at first he’d been enchanted by her undeniable independent streak. More than just a pretty face, she could still hear him saying during their engagement party, smiling proudly at the woman he’d chosen to spend the rest of his life with. If she’d known just how short-lived his devotion would be, she would have shoved him into the pool at his family’s estate instead of accepting the five-carat diamond ring he’d slipped on her finger.

Water under the bridge, she reminded herself, letting out a frustrated breath to cool her temper. Right now she had to get to work, so she notched the key back in the ignition the way Heath had showed her and tried again. Same result, with an annoying little ping thrown in to test her rapidly fleeting patience.

Someone tapped on the window, and she all but shot through the roof in alarm. When she saw it was Heath, she rested one hand over her racing heart and cranked the window down with the other. “You scared me half to death.”

“Sorry about that, but I was driving by when I heard the engine straining. What’s up?”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with this thing. It started just fine all day yesterday. Then this morning—” She blew a raspberry, which wasn’t very ladylike but expressed her feelings perfectly.

He laughed, and she trailed after him, watching him lever open the hood and peer inside. After about five seconds, he muttered, “Don’t look now, but your grandmother’s eyeballing us. Think she knows enough about cars to manage some basic sabotage? Maybe hoping I’d stop and help a damsel in distress?”

Tess groaned. “Definitely. That would explain the hushed conversation she had with Chelsea last night. We already knew she and the baby were okay, so I couldn’t figure out what else they’d be whispering about. When I asked Gram about it later, she pulled the innocent act on me. ‘I have no idea what you’re referring to, dear,’” Tess mimicked her huffy response. “She had me convinced I was overtired and my imagination was playing tricks on me. She even sent me up to my room to get a good night’s sleep, like I was seven years old or something.”

“That tracks with what Chelsea said to me yesterday at the mill,” Heath’s voice rumbled from under the rusty hood. “Apparently, she thinks we’d make a great pair.”

“Of what?”

“Good one,” he said, letting out another laugh.

“They’re loony, both of them. Only crazy people would even think of putting us together, much less conspiring to make it happen. We’re like night and day.”

“No argument here.” Extracting himself from the engine compartment, he took a brightly colored handkerchief from the back pocket of his jeans and wiped his hands before dropping the hood. “I think you’re set now. Why don’t you get in and give it a whirl?”

She did, and the truck started right up. Of course it did, she thought, glancing at the house. She couldn’t see anyone, but she was confident Gram was still watching them to gauge the results of her trickery. “It’s kind of sweet, really. Don’t you think?”

“Sweet and sneaky,” he said with a good-natured look. “Southern women can be that way, and I guess the Barretts are no exception. How ’bout you?”

“Not me. If I like you, I’ll tell you straight to your face.”

“And if you don’t?” he asked with a grin.

“I’ll tell you that, too.” Pausing, she let out a sigh. “It got me in no end of trouble with my ex’s family. All his sisters-in-law are the polite, proper type. When we got serious about each other, I tried everything I could think of to be more like them. I thought I did a pretty good job of fitting in, but it turned out I was wrong.”

“Why would you even bother?” he demanded with a disapproving scowl.

His question sliced through her with a precision that made her hackles rise in self-defense. She told herself it had nothing to do with the fact that she’d asked herself the exact same thing at least a hundred times. “I don’t see how it’s any of your business.”

“It’s not,” he admitted in a gentler tone. “But I hate to see anyone close off who they are just to try and fit in. God made us who we are for a reason, and it’s up to us to figure out a way to work with what He gave us.”

Tess was stunned by the little sermon. The easygoing mechanic didn’t strike her as the preachy type. To be honest, she couldn’t help feeling a little jealous of his certainty. Knowing there was a purpose to your life must be comforting when things got tough.

“You really believe that?” she asked. When he nodded, she frowned. “I guess I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

“Most folks don’t, until something goes wrong. Then they start looking around and realize if they’d just had a little more faith, things would’ve ended up better for them.”

Was that why things had gone so disastrously for her up to now? she wondered. Because she was meant to be somewhere else, or with someone else?

Or both?

Bewildered by questions she couldn’t begin to answer, she shook off her brooding and forced a smile. “I’ll keep that in mind. Meantime, thanks so much for your help with the truck. I’m sure the crew’s already at the mill, and I’d hate to be late for work two days in a row.”

“No problem.” Angling his head toward the pickup, he gave her a sly look. “I got a feeling it’ll start right up for you this afternoon.”

“Unless Gram has an accomplice at the mill. You know she takes full credit for finally getting Paul, Jason and Scott married off, right?”

“Not Scott,” Heath protested. “We’ve been friends forever, and he’s as bullheaded as they come. When he got home from prison and started working on the old homestead, he was doing the hermit thing till he met Jenna. She turned his head all on her own.”

“I’m not denying she’s fabulous, but Aunt Diane told me Jenna had a little help from Gram.” She waved her fingers in a mystical gesture. “Chelsea and Amy did, too, and I don’t hear the boys complaining about it.”

“True enough,” he admitted with a grin. “Gotta admit the three of ’em did all right for a bunch of clueless hounds.”

“Those shenanigans won’t work with me, though. I’m onto her game, and much as I appreciate the effort, I won’t be playing along.”

“I don’t know,” he drawled, mischief twinkling in his eyes. “It might be fun.”

His not-so-subtle suggestion made her laugh, and she realized she’d done that more in the past twenty-four hours than she had for months. Then again, she hadn’t had much to laugh about lately. “Not a chance, country boy. You’d start off pretending, and before you knew what happened, it would all be for real. Then where would you be?”

“In love with you.”

His entire demeanor had gone dead serious, and she searched those vivid blue eyes for a sign that he was yanking her chain. When she couldn’t find one, her heart lurched in sheer panic. “What?”

“Gotcha.” Chuckling, he winked at her. “You should see your face right now. It’s the color of a bleached sheet.”

“I—well—” Appalled to hear herself stammering like some brainless twit, she took a moment to get her pulse out of startled-hummingbird range. “Good one. You know I have to get you back now, right?”

“Wouldn’t be any fun if you didn’t.”

“When you least expect it...”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he retorted, rocking his head in a derisive motion. “That’s what they all say.”

As he sauntered away, she found herself speechless, mouth open like a beached fish while she hunted for a decent comeback. Since she couldn’t come up with anything suitably crushing, she shouted, “In your dreams, Weatherby!”

Without looking back, he held up his hand before climbing into what could only be described as a red mini–monster truck. Still rattled by their bizarre exchange, she took solace in the fact that she’d gotten the last word. Only because he’d let her, she realized while she put the sawmill truck in gear and headed in the opposite direction Heath had taken.

Still, considering the way her life had been going recently, she’d take any victory she could get.

* * *

Tess Barrett was really starting to bug him. He just didn’t know why.

Pounding out the bent sheet metal on the front fender of Olivia’s sedan, Heath let his mind wander to her headstrong granddaughter for a few minutes. Their spirited exchange that morning echoed in his mind, amusing him one second and aggravating him the next. Just like she did, he realized with a scowl.

He just didn’t know why.

Realizing his thoughts had begun to repeat themselves, he did his best to put them aside and focus on his work. It was tough to do when all he could think about was how the flowing pink blouse Tess was wearing today set off her eyes, not to mention the fact that she smelled like magnolias on a warm summer evening.

The iron mallet he was using slipped off the fender and nailed his thumb hard enough to jerk him back to reality. Shaking his throbbing hand, he set down the hammer and took a swig of cold water before holding the bottle against the bruise that was already forming beneath his skin.

“Man needs to pay attention when he’s swinging one o’ those things.”

Glancing over his shoulder, Heath found his boss, Fred Morgan, watching him with a bemused look on his craggy face. He was the one who’d taken Heath under his wing as a teenager, showing him how to turn his natural-born love of all things mechanical into a job he could do anywhere. Not to mention, he’d made a spot for Heath when he returned from Alaska, no questions asked.

Chuckling at his own clumsiness, Heath got to his feet and held up his hand. “Nothing’s broken, so I’ll live.”

“Good to hear.”

“Did you need something?”

“Just making sure you’re all here,” Fred replied in his usual forthright way. “You seemed a little distracted when you came in this morning.”

“I’m fine.”

“Tess Barrett could distract a dead man out of his own grave,” the older man continued with a knowing look.

“How’d you—oh, right. Your wife has binoculars.”

“Technically, they’re mine, but she uses ’em a lot more than I do. Just thought you oughta know the hens are watching you, so make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”

“Thanks for the heads-up.” Heath figured saying anything more than he already had would only get him a lecture he didn’t want, so he deftly changed the subject. “I made out a parts list for this monster. It’s on your desk.”

“I’ll go call it in.”

“Y’know, they’ve got a website where you can enter everything yourself. You get an email confirmation and a quicker delivery date because they don’t have to pay someone to answer the phone and write it all down.”

Fred gave him a baffled look. “Then what happens to Edie, the nice old lady who takes down orders for them? One of the reasons I deal with them is I like talking to a person instead of punching my way through some automated menu till I finally get to the right department.”

“She could spend that time doing other things.”

“Like what? It’s a parts warehouse. You think they’re gonna teach her how to drive a forklift or something?”

Since he’d never given any thought to how their parts supplier functioned, Heath didn’t have an answer for that one. “Okay, you got me there. Edie wins this round.”

“Good boy. Now, get back to work before I take this break outta your lunch.”

He punctuated that with a vague motion toward the jacked-up sedan then headed back to his office. While Heath did his best to go along with Fred’s order, all on its own his mind circled back to the original topic of their odd discussion.

Tess.

As he resumed dissecting his unusual morning, one thing became very clear to him. In a village this size, chances were they’d be seeing a lot of each other. That meant he had to come up with a way to deflect all the unwanted attention they seemed to be attracting whenever they were together. Because if he didn’t, the gossips were going to drive both of them nuts.


Chapter Four (#ulink_3f4d5913-c483-5704-87fc-f0899d09ad7f)

Obviously, these men were completely helpless.

Appalled by the minimal basic skills the sawmill’s crew of carpenters seemed to possess, Tess grumbled to herself while she made two pots of long-overdue coffee for the commercial system in the lobby. The trail of donut crumbs leading back toward the saw area told her they’d at least managed to feed themselves, so she got a broom from the supply closet and swept the mess out the front door and off the porch. Boyd and Daisy probably took care of that on a normal day, she thought as she went around opening windows to let in some of the crisp fall air.

But this wasn’t a normal day, and without Chelsea here to get everything organized for her, Tess had a lot of catching up to do. Squaring her shoulders, she strode into the office and took stock. There was no point in sugarcoating it, she realized. The place was a complete wreck. Paperwork, receipts and invoices were strewn across the desk, and a light dusting of animal fur covered pretty much everything. Even though she wasn’t allergic, just pawing through the layers got her sneezing, and she changed tracks. Clean first, then organize.

With the benefit of some perspective, she recognized that was what she should have done yesterday. The problem was she’d been too overwhelmed by her unfamiliar surroundings to be sensible about—well, anything. Her unhelpful deer-in-the-headlights attitude was history, and she promised herself she wasn’t leaving today until everything was processed and neatly tucked in its proper place.

Chelsea’s baby wasn’t due for another eight weeks, and her condition was more delicate than Tess had understood until this morning. Now that she had an inkling of how the rest of the pregnancy might go, it was obvious to her that she’d have to be lighter on her feet than she was accustomed to. In the interest of beginning her new, more independent life, she’d have to learn how to cope when things went awry. It wasn’t just about her anymore, and her family was counting on her to pitch in and keep the business running as smoothly as Chelsea had.

She’d never been in charge of anything before, but there was no one else to take on that responsibility. Feeling way out of her depth, she pushed her doubts away and finished tidying up the waiting area. One task down, she thought morosely as she reluctantly trudged into the office, a hundred more to go.

When Scott poked his head in the door, she snarled, “What?”

Her cousin backed up, his brown eyes narrowing in response to her mood. “Just wanted to let you know we’re firing up the saws. It’s gonna get pretty loud out here.”

“Thanks for the warning,” she replied in a slightly less cranky tone. “I’m sorry for biting your head off. It’s just—”

“This place is a disaster zone, and you don’t know what to tackle first,” he filled in with an understanding smile. “Mostly, you’re worried about Chelsea and the baby. We all are.”

Tess had grown accustomed to managing life’s unexpected curves on her own, and she found it comforting to know she no longer had to hide her feelings and soldier on, no matter what. “Thanks for understanding.” Looking around, she muttered, “Those headphones must be somewhere.”

Grinning, Scott reached around the door frame and plucked them from a hook on the wall. Exactly where Chelsea had left them, of course.

“Thanks again,” she said, feeling slightly ridiculous. Fortunately, he didn’t mention it, which she really appreciated.

“Sure. I’ll come let you know when it’s safe to take them off.”

With that, he sauntered back toward the production floor, sliding the heavy door shut behind him. Built of solid oak, it blocked some of the sound but did nothing to blunt the thumping vibrations that shook the mill house while the equipment was operating at full speed. Tess focused her attention on the bookkeeping and after a while, anything that wasn’t on the computer screen faded into the background. She was sorting through the online orders that had come in when she noticed the screen on her cell phone blinking with a call.

When she saw it was Paul, she ripped off her headphones and hit Answer all in one motion. “Hello?”

“Hey, Tess,” he answered in an exhausted voice. “How’re things going out there?”

“Oh, fine.” Suddenly, she realized everything was ominously quiet, and the floorboards were no longer shuddering beneath her shoes. With the backlog of orders lined up to be filled, that couldn’t be good, but she decided not to mention it to Paul. “I assume you’re calling with news.”

“Yeah. We’re home now, but the doctor doesn’t like the looks of Chelsea’s blood pressure or the baby’s heartbeat. She’s on bed rest for the duration, starting now.”

An argument was brewing out on the shop floor, and Tess cupped her hand around the phone to keep it from reaching her worried cousin. “You sound wrung out yourself, so stay home today. We can handle this place for a day without you.”

“We? It sounds like you’re trying to take over my business.”

“Trust me, if I was going to do that, it would be at a nice little boutique where I don’t have to worry about losing my hearing,” she retorted in her sauciest tone. “Your precious sawmill is safe from me.”

“Good to know.” She heard a muffled back and forth, then he came back on the line. “Chelsea wanted me to remind you the printer’s been repaired and is waiting for you at the office supply store in town. Unless you want to write everything down by hand for the crew, you’ll need it.”

Tess swallowed a groan of frustration. Apparently, this was going to be one of those days. “Right. Now go get some rest and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Actually, if you can make do without me, I’d like to take Thursday and Friday off, too. Chelsea can’t go up and down the stairs for the next few weeks, so I have to hurry up and finish the extra bathroom I’ve been working on to get everything she needs on the ground floor.”

“Not a problem,” Tess assured him, hoping she came across as more confident than she actually felt. “Chelsea and the baby come first. Take all the time you need.”

“We’re not going anywhere, so call if you get stuck on something.”

“Will do.”

After she hung up, she summoned every ounce of her patience and went to see what the fuss in the back room was about. The sliding door was even heavier than it looked, and it took a determined push for her to get it open. Once she did, she wished she hadn’t.

It looked like several pieces of machinery had exploded at once, spewing oil over everything from the equipment to the hewn lumber that had been stacked according to size in the center of the room. Scott and Jason hadn’t escaped the deluge, and they were standing by the long saw run, arms folded stubbornly while they glowered at each other and debated what to do. As their argument escalated into an all-out shouting match, she shook her head in disgust.

Boys. No matter how old they got, they could still be the dumbest creatures on the planet. Since they didn’t seem to understand that yelling wouldn’t solve anything, she strode in to impose some kind of order. She waited a few seconds for them to notice her then realized they’d probably go on like this until one of them either conceded or ran out of air. Being Barretts, neither of those was likely to happen anytime soon.

Filling her lungs, she yelled, “Hey!” That didn’t make an impression, so she tried again. “Shut up!”

Nothing. Exasperated beyond belief, she recalled the advice her grandmother had given her earlier and went for broke. “If you two morons don’t cut it out, I’m calling Gram.”

That one got through, and her ears rang in the sudden quiet. Shaking her head to clear them, she went on. “Will you please tell me what has you guys at each other’s throats?”

They started in together, and she held up her hands. “One at a time. Start with explaining to me why the saws aren’t running.”

They glared at each other, but fortunately, Jason backed down. “You’re older. You go first.”

“As you can see,” Scott began with a dismissive motion toward the archaic equipment, “everything went haywire. Paul’s the only one who knows how to fix this relic, so I think we should call him.”

“And I don’t,” Jason chimed in, his jaw set with determination. “He needs to be with Chelsea right now, not worrying about this place.”

“You’re both right.” While she relayed her brief conversation with their big brother, she watched as their obstinate expressions gave way to worry. “Isn’t there someone else on the crew who can help with this?”

“Hank and Joe are gone all week for their annual fishing trip,” Scott replied. “We’ve got part-timers starting up next week, but we can’t run any more raw material without the saws. If we can’t figure out how to get them running, we’ll have to close down till one of those three comes back.”

Tess was hardly a manufacturing expert, but she understood that losing even a day or two of production this time of year would be a major setback for any business that was so reliant on the holidays for their annual revenue. Judging by the spreadsheets she’d been working on, profit margins at the sawmill were razor-thin as it was. If they lost any ground at all, the company her family had fought so hard to resurrect might very well end up back in bankruptcy.

It wasn’t only the Barretts who relied on sales of the custom furniture for their income, she knew. While the small staff of carpenters and assemblers worked only part-time, for many of them the extra money they earned made the difference between living comfortably and barely scraping by.

“You’re the college girl,” Jason teased her with a grin. “Any ideas?”

“No, I—” Inspiration struck, and she snapped her fingers. “What about Heath?”

“Mechanical genius,” Scott agreed, “but he’s got a job, remember?”

“Maybe I can talk Fred into giving him the afternoon off. You know, as a favor to us.”

“I’m married to his niece,” Jason pointed out. “So I’m practically family. I can go into town right now and ask him.”

His older brother vetoed that idea with a firm shake of his head. “You’ll stop by to have lunch with Amy, and I won’t see you the rest of the day. I can’t run this place by myself, y’know.”

Considering how they’d been going at it just a few minutes ago, Tess expected that to start another argument. To her relief, Jason conceded with a sheepish grin.

“Okay, you got me there,” he admitted. “Guess that means it’s up to you, Tess. Meantime, we’ll go outside and get some fresh lumber ready to go.”

In the time she’d spent getting to know the Southern branch of her family, she’d learned that was the Barrett spirit. They took their best run at Plan A, but if that didn’t work, they regrouped and tried something else. While she headed back to the office, it occurred to her that she must have inherited some of that natural resilience, too. If she could find a way to tap into it, maybe it would help her reboot her life. Solving this particular problem might not be a huge deal to some people, but for her it was definitely a step in the right direction.

It occurred to her that none of them had questioned whether or not Heath would agree to lend a hand with the cranky old machinery. Where she was from, that kind of assumption could get you in all kinds of trouble, but it seemed that here people pitched in when and where they could. She only hoped that once he diagnosed the problem, Heath didn’t discover he’d taken on more than he bargained for.

She was about to dial the number for Morgan’s Garage when another thought materialized. This wasn’t Los Angeles, it was Barrett’s Mill. Around here, folks probably didn’t ask for this kind of special consideration via email or over the phone. Basically, Fred would be giving up an afternoon of Heath’s valuable time, reassigning those jobs so his employee could go help someone else. If she wanted to do it right, she’d go in person.

She had to pick up the printer anyway, she reasoned as she got her purse and went out to the truck. While she was in town, she’d get some lunch for all of them. With the way things had gone today, it would be nice to eat something more than sandwiches out of paper bags.

Driving toward the main road, she glanced at the mill in the rearview mirror and allowed herself a little smile. She’d been here only a couple of days, but already she was actively involved in the family business. After being consumed by the fateful twists and turns she’d been trying to navigate, she’d finally taken off the blinders to find that her life held much more potential than she’d realized.

And it felt wonderful.

Even though it was late morning now, she had no trouble finding a parking spot near Mill Office Supply. Just another difference between the crowded streets she was used to and this charming village. No circling the block waiting for someone to pull out of a space barely long enough to accommodate a compact car. When she got back to LA, she’d have to remember to brush up on her parallel parking. She didn’t doubt that after a two-month break, she’d be sorely out of practice.

Inside the shop, she found the clerk perched on top of a ladder, arranging binders and composition books on one of the higher shelves. “Good morning.”

“Hang on just a sec,” she replied, taking the last few notebooks out of the box before dropping it to the floor. Brushing off her hands, she descended the steps and gave Tess a bright, helpful smile. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m Tess Barrett, and I—”

“Oh, I know who you are.” Laughing, the friendly young woman offered a hand. “Paige Donaldson. I’ve heard all about you from my grandma Lila. She and your gram are like this.” She twined her index and middle fingers together like a pretzel. “How are you liking our little town so far?”

“It’s beautiful,” Tess replied with sincere enthusiasm. In the short time she’d been here, her father’s hometown had really grown on her. “And the people are so friendly.”

“That’s us,” Paige agreed with a bright smile. “Beautiful and friendly. I’d imagine you’re here to pick up that printer Chelsea dropped off last week. How’s she doing, by the way?”

Unsure of how much to say, Tess opted to keep her response vague. “The doctor’s keeping a close eye on her and the baby.”

“Well, next time you see her, tell her we’re all keeping her, Paul and the baby in our prayers. And give her a hug from me.”

Again with the praying. She’d encountered more religious people in the past few days than she had her entire life, and she couldn’t help wondering if maybe they had the right idea, after all. Tabling the possibility for another time, Tess thanked her and wandered through the aisles while she waited. She picked up a few odds and ends for the office and met Paige back at the counter.

“These holiday brochures were ready early, so that saves you a trip,” the clerk announced cheerfully, patting a box that sported a label from a print shop located in nearby Cambridge.

“Great. I’ll take a look at them when I get back.”

They settled the bill and Paige helped her lug everything outside. When she got a look at Tess’s wheels, she laughed. “This truck’s like a hot potato in your family, isn’t it?”

“I guess it is,” she agreed. “As long as Heath can keep it running, anyway.”

“He’s notorious around here. There’s not a girl within fifty miles who could walk past that man and not take a second look.”

Did he look back? Tess wondered before she could stop herself. They barely knew each other, so it was absolutely none of her business who he admired or ignored. She wasn’t normally the jealous type, so her reaction made no sense whatsoever. Then again, so little in her life made sense these days, she’d kind of gotten used to it.

“Is that right?” she asked to be polite.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong,” Paige added hastily. “He’s a great guy, but we’re more like cousins than anything. But if he ever took it into his head to change that, he wouldn’t have to ask me twice.”

She punctuated her confession with a wink, and Tess wasn’t sure how to respond. Finally, she settled for a nod and a quick good-bye before heading for the other side of town.

Before she knew it, she was making the turn into Morgan’s Garage. She didn’t find its owner in his office, but in one of the large bays, wrestling lug nuts from the tire of a delivery truck whose bright color made it look like a huge lemon on wheels. When Fred caught sight of her, he rose to his feet, wiping his hands on a rag he took from his back pocket. The motion reminded her of Heath, and Tess firmly brought her mind back to her very important mission.

“Mornin’, Tess.” Well-lined from what she assumed was a lifetime spent outside, Fred’s weathered cheeks crinkled with a smile. “It’s not often we get treated to such a pretty view in here. How’re things with you?”

Since coming to Barrett’s Mill, she’d been asked that more times than she could count. She was gradually getting accustomed to it, and she had a smile ready for him. “Aside from the time difference, I’m doing well. How about you?”

“Can’t complain, and if I did nobody’d listen, anyway.” With a good-natured chortle, he continued. “Olivia’s car needs more work than we thought at first. Parts are on their way, but it’ll be out of commission another day or two.”

“I’ll tell her later, but that’s not why I’m here.”

While she outlined her reason for coming, he gave her a frown that said he could easily relate to what they were going through. “Of course you can have him. That mill’s real important to folks around here, so we need to get it up and running. I’ll go fetch him for you on one condition.”

In her experience, conditions weren’t good for the one asking the favor. But the boys were in a jam, and beyond dragging Paul away from his ailing wife, she didn’t see any other options. Knowing how devoted he was to the family business, she suspected he’d agree to just about anything to get the benefit of Heath’s expertise, so she braced herself for Fred’s terms. “Okay.”

“If this turns out to be over Heath’s head, give me a call.”

“I’m sorry?” she said, totally confused.

“My granddaddy—God rest him—worked his whole career as a sawyer at that mill, raised six kids and had a good life because of the Barretts. Come to think of it, if you need me, I’ll be happy to come out and lend a hand myself.”

The sweet, generous offer just about floored her, and it took all she had not to gape at him. She’d never been around people who stepped up when things got tough for their neighbors, simply because it was the right thing to do. Even before his niece married Jason, Fred had felt a kinship with her family and was willing to put aside his own obligations to help them out. Beyond tradition, it was something she’d seen so rarely, she almost didn’t recognize it.

Honor.

Humbled and gratified all at once, she beamed at him. Suspecting he wouldn’t take kindly to any feminine gushing, she kept it simple. “Thank you, Fred. I’ll let Scott and Jason know.”

With a brisk nod, he headed out the large front door and around the side of the building. While she waited, she went out to the mill truck and took one of the freshly printed brochures from the box Paige had given her. Leafing through the matte pages, she admired the way it was laid out with more pictures than text. It gave the impression that you were strolling through the display area of the mill yourself, rather than just reading about it.

Boyd and Daisy were featured in several of the pictures, and while the folksy approach was nice enough, she wondered if there was a better way to showcase the company’s offerings. The current material might speak to buyers who lived in the country, but many city dwellers might consider it hokey and not look past the presentation to appreciate the superior quality of the handcrafted furniture.

“Nice, huh?”

Heath’s voice descended on her from nowhere, and she jerked back in surprise, turning her ankle in the process. Her high heel buckled underneath her, and she instinctively started windmilling, desperately grasping for something to keep her from falling.

Just when she was convinced she was doomed to hit the pavement, two strong arms reached out and rescued her. Heath guided her to her feet as if she didn’t weigh a thing, circling his arms around her to keep her steady.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

It was the second time she’d heard that from him in as many days, and it was getting old. With her heart trying to slam its way out of her chest, she took a couple of deep breaths to regain her usual composure. Just when she thought she had a grip on her nerves, she looked up.

A pair of warm blue eyes gazed back at her, filled with an emotion she couldn’t begin to define. Not concern, but not humor, either, it was a look she hadn’t yet seen from him. Or from anyone else, for that matter.

Get a grip, Tess, she scolded herself impatiently. Say something. “Yes.”

Her answer was more clipped than she’d intended it to be, and she regretted the dimming effect it had on him. Releasing her, he took a step back. A big one.

“Fred said you wanted to talk to me.”

For a few moments she couldn’t recall why. Then it came to her, and she felt her cheeks warming with embarrassment. She was acting like a teenager with a crush on the school’s star running back, she realized, disgusted by her own foolishness.

While she explained why she’d crashed his day, he listened carefully, nodding and frowning in all the right places. Avery had never paid such close attention to anything she’d said, and she had to admit that despite the serious nature of her errand, she liked being treated with so much respect.

When she was finished, he gave her a bewildered look. “I can come out and take a look, but I don’t know much about nineteenth-century gadgets. It could take me a while.”

“While you get your tools together, I’ll head over to The Whistlestop to pick up lunch for the boys. I can add an order for you, if you want.”





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