“Hold on, Cam. You’ve got an old barn and fenced area just sitting empty, don’t you?”
Ah, yes, she did. When she’d bought her real estate, the land had come with a small farmhouse and a few outbuildings. None of the structures were fancy, but they were definitely serviceable.
“This is truly an act of fate,” Becky said. “If Camryn agrees, you can lease her barn. Heck, you can walk over there in just a few minutes.”
“I don’t know anything about taking care of horses,” Camryn said. “My livestock is limited to chickens and a couple of goats.”
“You wouldn’t have to do a thing,” Reed said. “I’d come over every day to feed, clean and exercise my animals. All I really need is a place to keep them out of the elements. I’ll pay you rent, of course.”
No doubt she could use the money. But did she really want this man coming over on a regular basis? Camryn was establishing a comfortable, worry-free zone for herself and Esther. Her main priority was ensuring an anxiety-free pregnancy for herself, delivering a healthy baby, keeping Esther safe and working to expand her organic gardens and hen farm. Did she need strangers coming on the land whenever they wanted to?
“I don’t know, Mr. Bol—”
“Reed,” he said.
“I don’t know, Reed. I’m planting organic vegetables. I’m also allowing my chickens to run range free. I couldn’t risk having horses trample over any of the land right now.”
“They wouldn’t,” he said. “If you’ve got a fenced area, I’ll take them there for outside time. And I can ride them on my property. They shouldn’t interfere with what you’re doing.” He smiled. “Are you married, Camryn?” he asked.
“Ah, no. What does that have to do with anything?”
“Just curious,” he said. “I’d be happy to lend you a hand from time to time.”
Camryn wasn’t used to asking for help she didn’t pay for. Was this man suggesting that he had handyman skills he could offer for a price?
“I don’t need help,” she said. “I can do pretty much everything on my own.”
“That must make things simpler. I was just offering. I’ll need to come over and check out the barn of course,” Reed said, “but assuming it meets my needs, how does four hundred a month sound? I’ll supply whatever my horses need, so there wouldn’t be any expense for you.”
Four hundred a month sounded like manna from heaven. “I should be home in a couple of hours,” she said. “Come on over if you like.” Good grief, she’d just practically committed to this deal. And an ongoing relationship with this man’s family, however many there were!
“Great. I’ll see you later.” He tucked the package of medicine in his pocket and left the store.
“What did I just get myself into?” Camryn said to Becky. “For all I know, this guy has a wife and several kids, and all of them might soon be swarming over my new cultivation.”
“In the first place,” Becky said, “he’s only got two kids. And no wife. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the best news.” She grinned at Camryn. “Really, darlin’, you should try to keep up with neighborhood gossip. You never know when opportunity is going to come knockin’.”
Camryn thought about Becky’s words as she drove to the elementary school. She hoped Reed Bolden hadn’t noticed how not-a-bit-subtle Becky had been. “Look at Camryn’s drawing... Camryn has a barn...” Good grief, Becky had done everything but said, “Camryn is a lonely divorcée who could appreciate a neighbor like you, Reed.” Wasn’t true. Camryn wasn’t lonely. She was actually happier than she’d been in a long time. Well, maybe not happy, but definitely content. And who would argue with content?
* * *
FEELING SOMEWHAT OPTIMISTIC about his chance meeting with his neighbor a few minutes ago, Reed headed out to the highway, where he would find the stores he needed to fill his mother’s shopping list. Especially since he and his boys were currently living in her motor home, he hadn’t the heart to deny his parents any reasonable request, including running errands. So he checked the list on the passenger seat of his SUV.
Bed Bath & Beyond for a copper griddle. Walgreens to pick up a prescription. And the supermarket for all the items that would keep his mom and four males sufficiently fed for a couple more days until the modular home was finished. Then, Reed reasoned, he’d have to learn to cook in a minimalist kitchen far different from the gourmet one he’d enjoyed in Georgia—not that he’d ever used it much.
In Atlanta he and his ex-wife had had a Sub-Zero double door monstrosity of a refrigerator. The unit in the modular was going to be eighteen cubic feet. Reed stepped on the accelerator and let the powerful engine in his Escalade chew up the miles. As long as the fridge had room for all the snacks his sons liked and a couple of beers for himself, he’d survive.
With any luck the horse problem would be solved by this afternoon. Camryn Montgomery seemed like a nice lady, willing to help a newcomer to South Carolina in need. She had “good neighbor” written all over her, and his mother had said only positive things about her. He’d have to make her barn work for his horses. Come hell or high water, those four-legged beasts would be here soon.
Finished with his errands, he swung by the elementary school and got in line to wait for dismissal time. He figured he might as well pick up his sons and save the bus driver the headache of having to deal with the Bolden boys.
He knew his sons had problems with discipline, and he supposed it was as much his fault as it was his ex’s, but he didn’t like to think it was. Being too busy supporting a family to be a superdad was better than being a neglectful mother, right? Anyway, he was definitely going to up his daddy game here in Bufflehead Creek. Maybe soon someone in authority might refer to the Bolden boys with something other than cringing disdain.
When he saw his sons exit the school, Reed got out of his vehicle and hollered. “Over here, boys. Don’t get on the bus.” Phillip, with an eleven-year-old’s bravado, pretended to trip the kid walking next to him. Justin laughed at his big brother’s antics.
They were both still laughing when they got in the car. “Why are you picking us up, Dad?” Phillip asked.
“We’re going somewhere this afternoon,” he said. “After I drop off the groceries at Gran’s, we’re going to see our closest neighbor.”
“I don’t want to go,” Justin said. “I’ll stay with Gran.”
Totally bad idea. “No, you won’t.” Reed knew his mother loved the boys and she tried to bond with them. Truly she did. But it was only a matter of time before she called out to her son, “Reed, get in here and talk to these boys!”
“Why can’t I?” Justin asked.
Short of admitting that his youngest was about to drive his Gran crazy, Reed said, “You need some time outside without video games. When we get where we’re going, you can run around, let off some steam.”
“What does that mean?” the nine-year-old asked. “It’s not even hot today.”
Reed smiled. “It’s an expression. I’ll let you know when I see steam coming out of your ears.”
“What?”
Of his two sons, Justin took everything literally, which made teasing him so easy.
Reed pulled into the manicured drive that led to his parents’ elegant black-and-tan motor home. His father had done some landscaping to the spot, but kept the low country oak trees lining the drive. Maybe not quite as impressive as the two-story, three-thousand-square-foot home his parents had owned in upstate New York, but it looked darn nice anyway.
And his parents never stopped bragging about their decision to minimize responsibility and live the life of wanderers of the open road. True campers. Right. How many motor homes had dishwashers and washing machines and dryers? All in all, Reed was happy for his mom and dad. They had raised two kids, helped put him and his sister, Penelope, through college, and they deserved a posh, carefree lifestyle if they wa
nted it.
“All right, boys,” Reed said to his sons. “Let’s get these packages inside for Gran, and we’ll head over to our neighbor’s place.”
Justin made one last attempt to stay in the motor home instead of going “somewhere so boring,” but one glance from his mother told Reed she wasn’t up for the idea. “It’s not a good time, Justin,” Bertie Bolden said. “Your grandfather and I are just settling down to watch our shows.”
The prospect of spending an hour with the cooking channel convinced Justin that he was better off with his father. So away they went, the three Bolden men, on a quest to find a barn.
Reed stopped outside a simple wrought iron gate with a bunny medallion in the center of the swinging arms. The words “Cottontail Farm” made him smile. The woman he’d met this morning seemed like just the type to pick a quaint, cutesy name like Cottontail for her patch of paradise.
He soon realized that paradise wasn’t really an apt description. The split-rail fencing around the front of the property looked new, and the porch itself appeared to have been freshly painted a gleaming white. However, the rest of the modest structure seemed to have suffered years of low country perils, salt water breezes and high humidity. The clapboard siding had faded to a sickly gray.
But the twin front windows were large and airy, and the gray metal roof provided adequate protection from the sun and rain. A screened-in side porch gave the small house a homey look, and a single dormer window indicated the dwelling at least had an attic.
Camryn came out of the house to meet him. She was followed by a medium-size, unpedigreed, shaggy dog with a friendly face, though Reed had never met a dog he didn’t like. When the dog saw him, his ears perked up, and a low growl came from his throat. Camryn put her hand in front of the dog’s face and said, “No.” After that, the animal was content to sniff Reed’s pant legs.
As for Camryn, she looked different yet the same—natural and unadorned. But gone was the sweatshirt she’d had on at Salty’s, replaced by a solid yellow T-shirt tucked into well-fitting jeans. Her face was clean, and her hair, which had been stuffed into a careless bun this morning, was now gathered into a neat blond ponytail. In short, Camryn Montgomery looked darned good considering his first impression of her was only that she would be a good neighbor.
CHAPTER TWO
CAMRYN FELT SLIGHTLY RIDICULOUS. Short of showering and applying a full application of makeup, she’d at least changed clothes and primped a bit for the arrival of Reed Bolden. So why did she feel ridiculous? Because she had no intention of flirting with Reed or any man so soon after her divorce, and she hadn’t worn makeup since leaving Charleston. Also, when she’d met her daughter at the bus drop at the end of her drive, Esther had looked at her and said, “You look pretty, Mom. Are we going somewhere?”
She “looked pretty” in jeans and a T-shirt? What did that say about the way she normally looked when she met Essie at the bus drop? She supposed she could blame her twin sister, Brooke, for the fussing—though minimal—she’d done today. Her sister’s motto: “It’s not just the grocery store. At least apply blush and mascara.”
“No, we’re not going anywhere,” she’d said to her daughter. “But someone might stop by to see about renting our barn.”
Unimpressed, Esther had simply mumbled, “Oh,” and chased Rooster up the drive to the house. Now Reed had arrived, and Camryn wasn’t at all sure how she felt about him showing up. Did she want to rent him barn space or not? Did she want him having access to her land whenever he wanted it, or did she not? Did she need the money? An extra four hundred a month would be nice.
Camryn had only been divorced two months. But her marriage had been over for more than three years, starting when Mark had begun staying out late and “forgetting” to check in. He’d been unhappy with her, feeling she hadn’t jumped into the role of the power broker wife that he’d wanted her to play, and hadn’t done a good job of hiding his disappointment. And Camryn had suffered increased panic attacks whenever she tried to fulfill the role. Camryn had never been comfortable in social situations that required more charm and smile power than she believed she had, and the greater Mark’s expectations became, the more her anxiety level rose.
The day she and Mark decided to call it quits was the day she realized she’d been lonely for a long time. And neglected and unhappy. She attributed her two miscarriages to the pressures of living up to Mark’s fast-lane society goals, and she blamed herself for the two failures. No corporate ladder was worth jeopardizing a pregnancy.
Before agreeing that they were over, they’d tried counseling, thinking perhaps a bit more effort might save the marriage. The result was a relationship that still had no hope and a fourth pregnancy, which had become the ultimate priority in Camryn’s life. She would change her life by seeking a calmer, saner environment, and she would have a healthy baby. Bufflehead Creek, South Carolina, had so far proved to be the place to accomplish these goals.
Now she was meeting the first man who’d caused any sort of stir in her for years and chastising herself for being juvenile. Becky had said that Reed Bolden wasn’t married. But even if he were available, the last thing she needed as she struggled to put her life back together was another demand on her time and damaged emotional resources.
But goodness, he looked fine getting out of his expensive SUV. He’d traded his jacket for a button-down blue denim shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The cowboy hat was still in place, partially hiding that medium-brown hair, the color of the Spanish moss dripping from the trees in Camryn’s yard.
Two boys scrambled out of the back seat. “Come over here, boys,” Reed called. “I want you to meet Miss Montgomery.”
The kids looked like they’d rather eat raw snails, but they ambled over anyway. The older one said, “Hi.” The younger didn’t say anything. Camryn smiled and welcomed them. Reed reminded them that Camryn had been responsible for the two magazines he’d given them. “Miss Montgomery designed the cover,” he said. Neither responded, which didn’t surprise Camryn. The issue was aimed at younger children. She was appreciative that Esther managed to do the simple dot-to-dots just to please her mother.
“What are we supposed to do?” the one Reed had called Phillip asked.
Reed glanced around the property. Surely he noticed the open areas where Camryn had recently scattered grass seed with hopes of producing a soft carpet of green. If he did, he ignored her future lawn and suggested the boys play tag without warning them to stay off the new growth. “But stay out of trouble,” he said. “Don’t go near the road.”
“And try to stay off the new grass,” she called out, not knowing if the boys heard or not.
“Nice place you’ve got here,” Reed said to Camryn. “Looks like a good, fertile patch of land.”
“So far it’s proving to be. I finally harvested enough to set up at the local farmers market last Saturday and I hope for more produce when the November harvest season sets in.”
Looking over her fields, he nodded. “Shall we take a look at the barn?”
“Of course.”
“Hey, Mom, is this the man you were waiting for?”
Camryn turned at the sound of Esther’s voice. “Yes, honey. I’ll just be a minute. You can come or sit on the porch if you want to.”
“Cute kid,” Reed said. “She your daughter?”
Camryn nodded.
“Mommy, I know those two boys,” Esther said after staring at Reed’s sons. “They go to my school.”
Reed rubbed his jaw. “Oh, that isn’t necessarily good news.”
“What do you mean by that?” Camryn asked.
“Lately I’m not sure what comment is going to come after your daughter’s last one. As long as she isn’t in one of their classes, we should be okay.”
Finding Reed’s comment confusing and strange, Camryn brushed aside her curiosity. “The barn’s th
is way.”
They passed the chicken coop where Camryn’s three dozen laying hens were currently roaming free in a large screened enclosure. She was proud of the coop, a purchase she’d made on Craigslist. A local handyman had helped her reassemble it on the property. It had come complete with nesting boxes, enough for her entire brood.
“Good-looking hens you’ve got,” Reed said. “Mostly pullets?”
“Yes. Leghorns and Rhode Island Reds. They’re the most promising layers, and they’re docile. I generally get five eggs a week from each of my girls. But I’m hoping to branch into different varieties.”
“If you’re interested in egg production, I might be able to help you. I can make suggestions on which hens to purchase. I have a few contacts in animal husbandry.”
Camryn glanced up into his eyes, which she couldn’t help noticing were the same color as his brown hair. “Really?”
“Yeah. In my other life I was a vet.” He smiled. “That sounded weird because actually I still am a vet. I just sold my practice in Bucks County, Georgia, a couple of months ago.”
“You sold your practice?” Camryn repeated. So they’d both recently started new lives. She couldn’t imagine why any successful veterinarian who lived in upscale Bucks County would make such a decision.
He shrugged. “I’d been at it for over fifteen years. And when it suddenly occurred to me that my boys, growing up without a mother, were turning into miniature nightmares, I decided a change was necessary. Right now I’m concentrating on improving my career as a dad.”
His boys didn’t have a mother. Camryn wondered what had happened to her.
She led the way into the barn. “Sorry, but you’ll have to use sunlight to see. I doubt there has been electricity in here for quite some time.”
Reed squinted into the slanted rays of sunlight coming through cracks in the barn’s exterior walls. “You wouldn’t mind if I hired an electrician to hook it up, would you? Days are getting shorter now, and I’ll probably be over here after dark.”
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