by Nancy Naigle
“Do you ride?”
“Not since I was a kid, and then it wasn’t really riding. My grandfather would sit me up on one of the horses and just lead me around in circles. I thought I was queen of the rodeo.”
“We should go riding sometime.” Where the heck had that come from? He hadn’t ridden since he lived back home in Nashville.
“That might be fun.”
He was half surprised that she sounded game. He’d have to practice before he took her. Nothing cool about pretending to be a cowboy. Then again, she was probably being polite. “If I don’t get a shower and some rest I’m not going to be good for much of anything.”
She scooted out of the way. “Bathroom is all yours. Take your time.” She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.
Her bedroom was neat. Not a lot of frills or knickknacks. He liked that. The furniture was old. Good heavy furniture that appeared to have been from the early 1920s. They didn’t make stuff like that anymore. He wondered if it had been hers or if it came with the inn when she’d taken it over. On the dresser there was a picture of her with her parents and one from the wedding last summer with her and Angie standing near the creek.
She’d looked so elegant that day, but in blue jeans and a rock and roll T-shirt tonight, she looked even prettier. He set the frame back on the dresser, then went into the bathroom.
He turned on the water, thankful for the hot spray. His muscles eased against the pressure of the water. He washed his hair and immediately recognized the smell from upstairs. A little too girly for him, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. He rinsed his hair extra long, hoping to wash a bit of that fragrance down the drain. It had smelled sexy as hell on her, but that was a whole other story.
Twisting the old handles to shut off the shower, he stepped out of the tub. The thick blue towel felt good against his skin. He got dressed, then wiped down the shower and made sure he left the room just as he’d found it except for some steam on the mirror.
He’d never lived with a woman. Maybe when the right one came along would be the time for cohabitation. He hung the damp towel over the hook on the wall.
When he opened the door to her bedroom, something sweet filled the air. He backtracked the way she’d taken him. In the kitchen he found Flynn gracefully running a spatula under warm cookies and transferring them to a metal cooling rack.
“What are you up to now?”
“Thought you might want a snack.”
“I didn’t, but now I do.” He reached for the rack. “May I?”
“Sure. Help yourself.”
He grabbed a cookie and took a bite. “These are great. I take the baking comment back. What’d you do before you took this place over?”
“I was a consultant. I managed million-dollar projects. Herded cats basically.”
“I can’t picture you in a blue suit and heels every day.”
“Believe it. Well, not always blue, but I was definitely a suit-wearing girl and my shoes outpriced my rent most months.”
She seemed so low maintenance and fresh. “What changed? I mean you sure don’t seem like one of those uptight business types now. No offense.”
“Well, I was never uptight,” she said with a laugh. “I was really good at my job, but I was in the wrong position at the wrong time and got laid off. Not uncommon in that business.”
“Ouch.”
“It stung. I can’t lie. I never saw that coming. I always figured if I did a good job, exceeded expectations, I’d never be one of those people that got pink-slipped.”
“Doesn’t always work that way, does it?”
“No. I found myself out of a job and kind of angry. When my grandparents made me the offer to take this place over, it felt serendipitous.”
“I bet.”
“Just wait, the story gets better. I was cocky about it. Way too cocky. I thought running this place would be so easy compared to running multimillion-dollar projects.”
“And?”
“I was so wrong. Running a B&B is a lot harder than I imagined. There’s the housekeeping, cooking, and guest services, and on top of that I have to be sure to keep up the maintenance of the place. I’d rented a condo before I moved in here. Suddenly there was no super to call to fix stuff when things went wrong. But I love this old house—being part of its story now. How about you? Why did you leave practicing law to blow glass? That seems like such an unlikely combo.”
“I guess you could say that, like yours, it was the right decision. I love where I landed even if it’s not as easy a life in some ways. I finished building my house this past year.”
“As in hammering the nails and everything?”
“Pretty much. I did barter a lot of the materials and some of the help, but I had my hand in everything every step of the way.”
“Wow. I’d be hard-pressed to put up a tent, much less build a whole house. I haven’t even cleaned out the carriage house yet. Right now I’d just be happy to be able to flush a toilet upstairs.”
“We’ll tackle these projects. Don’t worry about that, and maybe next time I need room and board, we’ll tackle the carriage house together.”
She thrust her hand in his direction. “Deal, if you shake on it right now before you see it.”
“I’m not scared.” Her delicate hand warmed his skin, and her blue eyes danced with mischief. He could only imagine what he’d just signed up for, but he didn’t even care.
Chapter Nine
Worry filled Flynn. Had Ford just been polite last night as she’d walked him through the house pointing out all of the unfinished projects? He acted like all of those to-do’s added up to nothing, but it sure looked overwhelming when you considered them all at once.
She’d gone to bed wondering if she might wake up in the morning to an empty guest room. And then she’d mentioned the carriage house. What a dope. If he was gone, it would serve her right.
As she padded down the hall to the kitchen, she wanted coffee so badly she could almost smell it.
I can. Ford stood at the French doors at the back of the kitchen sipping a cup of coffee.
A man who knew his way around the kitchen was sexier than she’d imagined. “I didn’t think you’d be up so early,” she said.
He turned and treated her to a smile. “Time change never seems to bother me. I just shift with the timeline.”
“Lucky you. I used to hate traveling coast to coast on business.” She shuffled over to the coffeepot. “Thanks so much for making the coffee.”
With a cup of coffee beginning to caffeinate Flynn back to life, Ford went over a list of things he was going to pick up from the hardware store this morning.
“I swear I thought I had everything we needed.” His list took up dang near a half sheet of legal paper. The long kind. She went over to her purse and pulled out her credit card. “Here. You can use this.”
Ford folded the paper and tucked it into his pocket along with the card. “I hope you’ll be pleased to know that as of about thirty minutes ago, you have one fully functioning bathroom upstairs.”
“Shut up.”
“Or not pleased?”
“No. Really? You can’t be serious.”
He hooked a finger in her direction and marched her right upstairs to show her.
She stood at the door, half in disbelief at how her luck had changed in just one night.
“I might be the happiest girl in the world right this minute.”
“Well, then hold on to your hat, because things are about to get better.”
She followed him downstairs and watched as he got behind the wheel of Jackson’s old pickup truck and pulled away from the curb.
Just how big of an idiot had she been for having been out of business for so long when at least some things could’ve been put back together in less than a couple of hours?
She shut the door, and it slammed behind her—symbolic in a way. Like she was removing every mess Brandon had left behind. She only hoped her heart would b
e as easily fixed as the rest of the stuff that needed repair around here.
Her phone rang and she grabbed it from the hall table. She glanced at the display. It was Angie. “Hey, Angie. How are you this morning?”
“Great. How did you and Ford do last night?”
“He already has one bathroom working. If he delivers on even half of the things he said he could fix, then I’ll be back in business next week.”
“No way. That’s awesome!”
“I know. I’m shocked too. He didn’t look the least bit irritated as I walked him through and showed him everything. And Angie, it was almost embarrassing. At every turn there was something. And things he pointed out I hadn’t even noticed.”
“Jackson said Ford can fix anything.”
“Being able to do it and doing it are two different issues. I’ll be honest. I half expected him to be gone when I woke up this morning.”
“He wouldn’t do that.”
“We barely know him. How can you say that?”
“I’m a good judge of character. Besides, Jackson would’ve kicked his butt.”
“True.” Flynn loved how Jackson took care of not just Angie but all of her friends too.
“Keep me posted.”
“I will.” Flynn hung up the phone and tucked it into the rear pocket of her jeans. She went upstairs to put everything back in the vanity in the bathroom.
Brandon may not have been organized but she was, and she’d taken everything out of there when they’d started that project. She’d carefully packed each drawer and cabinet in its own basket. Now it was just an exercise of unloading each one into its original spot.
A half hour later she had a stack of three empty woven baskets—made from thin strips of willow—next to her. She closed the vanity doors, then rearranged the guest-sized soaps and shampoos in the large antique apothecary jar that she’d purchased on a girls weekend in Virginia. It was the perfect touch with the new old-fashioned vanity. Mixing old and new always gave such a warm, homey feeling.
She climbed to her feet and carried the baskets to the corner cupboard Brandon had built. She’d designed this cabinet to fit these baskets perfectly, and as she set each one on its own shelf, she was happy with how it was finally coming together.
Flynn went back out to the hall linen closet and grabbed the stack of antique white towels she used in this bathroom and cradled them in her left arm. She carefully rolled each towel and arranged it in the baskets. She grabbed a rag and gave the brand-new faucet one last wipe that left a shine that she could see her reflection in.
“Perfect.” She stepped back, admiring what one good morning of work had accomplished. From chaos into order, and now there was no reason she couldn’t open reservations to at least a few customers. That income flow would quickly replenish her savings. Why couldn’t she be this organized when it came to handling men?
The front door opened, and the screen door slammed behind it. “That was quick,” she said taking the stairs two at a time.
“It’s just me,” Angie said.
“Oh, hey. I wasn’t expecting you.”
“As soon as I hung up from you I realized that when Jackson took Billy to school this morning, they left his lunch on the counter. I just ran it by the school for him and thought I’d check to see the progress around here for myself.”
“Come look.”
Angie followed Flynn upstairs. “Looks great. Brandon did do professional work on the cabinetry. At least you got something good out of the deal. It looks nice all finished.”
“He did, but I can’t believe how quickly Ford was able to put all that plumbing stuff together. I could have been renting rooms all summer.” Flynn walked over and showed Angie the other bathroom. “Ford went to get the rest of the stuff he needs to finish this one. He said it won’t take but a couple of hours. He’s a whirlwind.”
“He’s motivated to get it done. Brandon just liked being here.”
“I can see that now.” She pulled the door closed behind her. The unfinished work made her crazy. She’d barely come upstairs lately it bothered her so much, but that was about to change for the better.
“It’s not entirely awful. At least it’s getting finished now. Ford coming to town seems to be working out pretty well,” Angie said. “Billy was a little pouty that he fell asleep and missed the sleepover with you and Ford last night, but he’ll get over that.”
“Why don’t you let Billy come stay with me one night this week instead? He can hang out with me, and if Ford is here, they can do something together. You and Jackson need a night out. It’s been a long while since you left Billy with me so y’all could have some time alone.”
“We were just talking about going to town for a nice dinner out. We might take you up on that.”
“Please do. It would be fun for me.”
“Might not be fun for Ford.”
He said he liked kids, and he and Billy had hit it off, Flynn thought. “This isn’t about him. He’s just a guest in my house. If he doesn’t want to hang with us, he’s welcome to do something else. How about Thursday night?”
“I’ll talk to Jackson tonight and let you know.”
“Sounds good.” It felt good to be number one in her own life.
Angie nodded toward the front of the house. “Ford’s back. I’d know the sound of Jackson’s truck a mile away.”
Ford walked in just as they got to the bottom of the stairs.
Flynn felt her bank account squeeze at the sight of the three bags he was carrying. “Looks like even more stuff when you carry it in like that.”
He grinned that million-dollar smile. Perfect teeth and just enough stubble to give him that rough-and-ready look. “I might have picked up a couple of extra little things.”
She eyed him, wondering what he had put on her card. Not that she should complain. What she’d make back in rented rooms the rest of this month alone would pretty much pay for anything he could fit in those plastic bags.
He handed her back her credit card, and a receipt.
“I was just admiring your handiwork,” Angie said. “You’re fast. You’re going to work yourself out of a job in a day.”
He pulled his lips into a tight line. “You don’t think Flynn is going to kick me out when I’m done, do you?”
Angie and Flynn locked eyes. Great. Was he just another Brandon in disguise? He had no idea how sore that point was. “A deal is a deal,” Flynn said, swallowing back the bad taste in her mouth.
“Then I’m going to knock this stuff out. You girls have a good day.”
“You need my help?” Flynn asked.
Ford stopped halfway up the stairs. “No, ma’am. That would cost you extra.” He gave her a wink and tugged on his ball cap. “I’m kind of used to working alone.”
“Like I said,” Angie whispered with a quick look behind them. “He’ll be gone in a month.”
And good thing too. Not only was he handsome, but he was handy, and she’d already fallen for that combo in one disastrous way. She had no intention of repeating that mistake. “I feel like the Emergency Alert System test emblem should be tattooed on my forehead.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“I’m a train wreck when it comes to men.”
“You’re not. You’re just . . .” Angie stood there for a minute without a word. “I don’t know why you’ve had such bad luck. I was going to say you’re too trusting, but there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s nothing wrong with you. Just do your thing and keep your heart open. It’s going to work itself out. I know it will.”
They walked out onto the front porch. “I sure hope you’re right.”
“And when you do start dating, quit spoiling these men. That’s why they take advantage of you. Be nice, but not too nice. Make them work for it a little. You’re the prize, Flynn.”
“I know you’re right, but it’s way easier to say than to do. I like doting on people. It’s why the B&B has been such a good fit.”
“Keep the spoiling to your customers. They love you, and the right guy will earn that himself.”
Hopefully. “I’m going to open up the schedule online for reservations this afternoon, and get things back up and running around here. I’ve got to get my life back on track.”
“You’re not still thinking about taking that job, are you?” Angie rocked back with a look of worry etched on her face.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t admit it’s very tempting. This place does keep me tied to this town, and that’s not necessarily a good thing.”
“You could probably get someone to host while you’re away. Don’t they have like internships for innkeepers or something? I swear I read about that somewhere. Besides, you might meet Mr. Right while you’re out and about.”
“Certainly something I could consider. I’m going to start writing a bucket list.”
Angie shook her head. “Not me. That’s what people in their fifties do.”
“You’re never too young for a bucket list. It’s just a list of things you want to do, and an organized approach to getting them done.”
“Leave it to you to overorganize anything.”
“I didn’t hear you complaining when I came over and helped you get Jackson’s kitchen in order after the honeymoon.”
“True, and I might need to get you to come over and help me organize the attic too. Combining two households you end up with duplicates, so there’s still a whole household of stuff upstairs that needs to be sold or given away.”
“My specialty. Just say when.” The buzzer went off on the washer. “That’s my laundry. I need to start another load.”
“All right, I’d better get on out of here. I’ll talk to Jackson and see what night he wants to go out and let you know.”
Angie trotted out to her car, and Flynn went inside. It was comforting to hear Ford tinkering upstairs. This place always felt better with people in it.
She started a load of laundry, then went into her office. Sitting at her desk, she opened the desk drawer to pull out her little booklet that held all of her passwords so she could log into her website. Could anyone really remember all of them?