She looked at him doubtfully. “Right.”
“It is,” he said. But then he found everything about her cute and charming. “So, can you come in tomorrow morning and we’ll show you the inner workings of the store?” More torture, McCullough? Since when did you turn into a masochist? In truth, he knew exactly when that was—the minute he saw Alex standing on the side of the road, hypnotized by his former love, and he realized there was hope for him after all.
“Will Alex be okay with this? Your working at the store, I mean?”
Sophie shrugged. “I’m sure he won’t mind.”
“He doesn’t have every minute of your time scheduled?” He was fishing and he knew it. He wanted to know the state of their relationship and just how attached they were to each other.
“He’s been busy with work and spending time with Matt. I’m sure it will be fine.”
Exactly the answer he was hoping for.
“Can I start in the afternoon though? I’m helping Grant and Nan with the animals first thing in the morning, then taking Anne’s yoga class. Then Skye is taking me riding again.”
Her smile was so joyful that it was contagious. He felt his own smile widen across his face. “Sure, afternoon is fine,” he said, watching her sway across the room toward the door. “See you then.”
It was the first time he had ever been envious of his sister . or a horse.
* * *
Alex pressed Sophie’s name on his cell phone. She answered on the first ring.
“Where are you, honey?”
“In the village.”
“Doing what?”
“I’m headed to the book café.” She hurried toward the café so she wouldn’t be telling a lie. But she was tired of trying to explain her reasons for wanting to find her father. She was even more tired of Alex’s inability to understand.
“For coffee?”
“And books.”
“They’re mostly used books there, Sophie. Why don’t you go to the bookstore in Winslow?”
She laughed to herself at his predictable response. “This is fine.”
“How about if I take you into Winslow? We can go to some of the shops and for a walk on the beach and get a bite of dinner?”
It did sound appealing, she had to admit. “But won’t your family be disappointed if we don’t eat with them?”
“They’ll understand. Why don’t you come home now and change and we’ll head on in?”
She glanced down at her jeans. Skye’s jeans. She was wearing them more and her designer jeans less. She’d forgotten to buy a pair of her own at the general store. She’d been too distracted to think about jeans. Sean was going to look for her father, and he seemed to think he would be able to find him. “I’ll be home in a few minutes,” she told Alex.
Alex hung up the phone and sighed with relief. This was good. They would have some time together, just the two of them. They needed that. He needed that.
“Better than the Village Book Café, don’t you think?” Alex said, as he watched her browse the bookshelves filled with shiny new books.
“It’s very nice. Should we head down to the beach?”
“You don’t want any books?”
She grabbed a romantic mystery off the shelf. “This one.”
After they paid for it, they headed toward the ocean. She’d seen a lot of beaches in her life—thanks to Arielle’s family—but this was the most beautiful one she’d ever seen. They walked hand-in-hand in silence for the better part of an hour before heading back to the car.
“Are you okay, Sophie?” Alex opened the car door for her.
“Fine.”
“You’re unusually quiet.”
“Just enjoying the scenery.”
“It doesn’t compare to you.” Alex bent down to kiss her. “So, where would you like to eat?”
“Uh, since I’ve never been here before, it might be better if you choose.”
“Good point. But what kind of food?”
“I’m fine with anything. A cheeseburger and fries.”
Alex glanced over at her. “Right. If we wanted a cheeseburger and fries, we could have eaten at the family pub.”
“That’s fine,” Sophie said.
“Hey, we came all the way over here to go to dinner.”
“It’s really beautiful here. Anywhere is fine.”
Alex turned the car around and headed a little further down the coast to a restaurant overlooking the water. It was early so they had their choice of tables. Alex selected one near the fire and with a view of the water. This was not going as he had expected. He had wanted it to be nice for Sophie. She deserved that. But for some reason her mind was elsewhere. Her lack of enthusiasm was a flashing neon red flag.
“Don’t you like it?” Alex nodded at her dinner.
“It’s delicious.”
He took her hand and held it, forcing her to look into his eyes. “Are you upset about something?” He really didn’t want to know the answer to that. But it sure as hell had to be better than this.
“I’m fine.” She tried to pull her hand away but he held it firmly.
“Sophie. You’re not. I know I’ve been preoccupied with work. I’m sorry, but we can’t screw up this case and Angela is flailing. And I want to spend time with Matt. I don’t get to see him very much.” But he knew damned well that wasn’t it. Matt was right. She was upset about the Cassie incident. She just hadn’t said anything and he sure as hell wasn’t going to bring it up.
“I told you. I’m fine. I’m having a great time.”
“How about we spend tomorrow together? We can come back here and see more of the shops. Take in a movie, whatever you want.”
“Oh.”
“What?”
“I kind of have plans tomorrow.”
“What plans?” He had to admit that despite how busy he’d been, it did bother him that she’d gone off and organized her own activities.
“Well, I’m helping your parents in the morning. Then I’m going to take one of Anne’s yoga classes. Then Skye and I are going to— We’re going to do some stuff together.” She did not want to tell him about the horseback riding. She wanted to surprise him with her accomplishment. But more than that, she was afraid he’d try to talk her out of it.
And she really didn’t want to mention that she was helping Sean at the store. He’d only ask why and she’d have to explain. She wasn’t willing to do that. At least not yet, not until they got close to finding her father.
“No checkers with my grandfather?” he asked.
Sophie smiled. “Tomorrow evening.”
“Sounds like you’re okay on your own.”
“Of course, I am.”
“You don’t mind that I’ve been kind of busy with work?”
“Not at all.” She hoped she didn’t sound too eager. “And you? You’re okay with my going off to do things.”
“I think it’s great. My family obviously adores you. Just a word of warning about one male family member in particular—”
Was he about to warn her that Sean could be rude when he wanted to be? Or maybe there was something else she didn’t know about him. Was Alex even aware that she was spending so much time with Sean? With the overactive Canden Valley gossip hotline, it would be impossible for him not to eventually find out that she was helping out at the store. Unless he was too distracted to notice, which was altogether possible.
“Whoa, where did you go just now?” Alex asked.
“Oh, sorry, just wondering about this word of warning. Who and what?”
Alex grinned. “My grandfather.”
Sophie hoped her sigh didn’t sound too much like one of relief. “What about your grandfather?”
“He’s been known to cheat at checkers. He’s ruthless. Don’t ever get up and leave the table in the middle of a game.”
“I’ll have to remember that.” She didn’t mention that she was relatively certain his grandfather had thrown the last couple games—in her favor.
>
Chapter 9
Sean McCullough lay awake in his apartment above the Canden Valley General Store. His arms were crossed behind his head, his eyes wide open as he stared up at the ceiling, listening to the sounds that characterized the village. Silence, but for the occasional dog barking or raccoon raising the lid off a trash can.
It was after midnight and the pub was closed. Everyone was home for the night. This was his life now. Peace, quiet, tranquility. The family and community with whom he had grown up. A store, a farm, a horse.
A smile curved his lips upward. A few years ago, he never would have believed he’d be back here living in Canden Valley. He had enjoyed the excitement of city life. Albany wasn’t exactly a bustling city like San Francisco, but there was a lot more going on there than the small town of Winslow and certainly the village.
But circumstances had beckoned him home. His grandfather had incurred a minor stroke and the family encouraged him to stop working in order to prevent a major one. Running the store was not exactly high stress, but considering his grandfather’s ineptitude with numbers, it was more stressful than it needed to be. Better that he spend his time playing checkers and telling Nan and Grant how to run their horse ranch.
The other reason Sean had come home was because his father needed him on the farm. Supposedly he was the only one who could make an impression on the organic crops. Sean laughed. His father had been convincing at the time. Now it just sounded like out and out bull.
And admittedly, he had missed the farm, the village, the family, country life in general. Maybe it had all conspired at the right time in order to provide him with an excuse to leave city life behind and return home. In time to meet Sophie. Before she married his cousin.
Alex Jameson rolled over in bed, slowly so as not to disturb his fiancée. Her back was to him, but her beautiful golden curls were spread across the pillow. He reached out and stroked them. She did not move, confirming that she was indeed asleep.
He sighed and released her hair. His fiancée. She was everything he wanted in a woman. She was as perfect as they came. She would make an incredible wife. She never complained. She was understanding and kind . sweet and beautiful.
He felt his smile broaden. He loved watching her with her students. She would be like that with their children, gentle and patient and loving. Everyone adored her. He almost laughed, picturing the twinkle in his grandfather’s blue eyes every time Sophie walked into the room.
He had made the right decision when he had asked Sophie to marry him. It was time to settle down. And soon it would be time to start a family of his own. And she was the perfect woman to do that with.
He turned his head to look at her once more in the soft moonlight before drifting off to sleep. But an odd sensation came over him as he closed his eyes, and instead of seeing golden hair in his vision, he saw jet black hair flying in the wind.
Sophie Weldon lay awake in silence. She had felt her fiancé’s hand stroking her hair. Content to be alone with her thoughts, she had remained motionless
It had been a long day, beginning with the morning feed and ending with dinner at a lovely restaurant in Winslow. A very long day. Grant and Nan had made her promise not to get up early anymore. She was on vacation. If she wanted to visit the animals, she could do so at her leisure, after a good night’s sleep. She would take them up on that, especially since, after yoga and horseback riding, starting tomorrow, she would be helping out at the store.
She smiled, remembering Sean’s reaction to her middle name. She hated it and had looked forward to dropping it when she changed her name to Sophie Weldon Jameson. It didn’t exactly flow, but she had believed anything was better than Imogen. Until today when it had made Sean’s eyebrows rise ever so slightly, and he had told her it was cute and charming. Well, kind of cute and charming.
He was sweet, she thought. Maybe some day he would explain why he had started out with a chip on his shoulder. It didn’t really matter anymore. What mattered was that he was going to help her find her father. He was being kind to her. He was treating her like the other McCulloughs did. She figured the threat of siccing Skye on him had worked. Either that or he had started to see her redeeming qualities. Or maybe he really did like her now.
She was still smiling as she fell into a deep peaceful sleep.
Chapter 10
Sean grabbed the box of supplies from his pickup that Sherry Callahan had ordered and carried them up the front porch stairs.
Cassie opened the door before he could ring the bell. “Hey, Sean.”
“Hey, Cass.”
“Put it here.” She pointed toward the bench beside the door.
He set down the box and looked at her. “How are you doing, Cassie?”
“Fine. I’m fine.” Her eyes were more honest.
He pulled her into his arms and held her for a long time. When he let her go, there were tears in her eyes.
She kissed him softly on the cheek. “Why can’t he be more like you, Sean?”
His head cocked to the side, he answered, “I don’t think you’d still be in love with him if he were like me.”
“I’m not still in love—”
He pressed a finger against her lips. “And if he were more like me, he’d feel too much like—”
“A brother?”
“Yeah.”
“God I miss my little brother.”
“Me too. Every day.” Sean put an arm around her shoulder. Never had he missed his best friend more than he did now. “I think the question is, why can’t he be more like the Alex we knew and loved and grew up with.”
Cassie sat down on the porch stairs and Sean joined her. “Yeah. Okay. Maybe you’re right.”
They sat quietly for a few minutes. She surprised him with her next comment. “I like her.”
“Sophie?” No surprise that he knew exactly who Cassie was talking about. Ever since she had landed in Canden Valley, she had inched her way into a little spot at the forefront of his mind and had stayed there. Inched may not have been the right word. Nor was little. And it wasn’t only a spot in his mind. Hell, if he was being honest, she had pretty much taken over his entire heart.
“What’s she like?”
Sean hesitated. But he’d never been dishonest with Cassie. He wasn’t about to start now. “Sweet. Kind. Gentle.”
“Do you think she’s good for him?”
“Yeah. I do.” The issue was, he didn’t think his cousin was good for her. “Sorry, not exactly the answer you were hoping for.”
Cassie leaned into him. “You know me too well, Sean McCullough.”
“I guess I do.”
“We’ve been friends a long time. I’m grateful for that.”
“It goes both ways, Cass. I’m glad you’re back. Have you decided if you’re staying?”
“I thought I would—I had planned to—Until—”
“He came home. And brought someone with him.”
“I know I shouldn’t let that bother me. And I need to get on with my life.”
“If only it were that easy.”
“If only.”
Cassie inhaled a deep breath. “She just doesn’t seem like his type.”
Sean smiled. “And what would his type be?”
Cassie laughed. “Not so sweet, kind, or gentle.”
He put an arm around her shoulders, kissing her on the cheek. “It’s not over yet.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means they’re engaged, not married.”
“You don’t think it will happen.” She looked up, eyeing him suspiciously. “You don’t want it to happen. Oh my God, Sean! You don’t want them to get married, and it’s not for my benefit!”
Damn. He’d forgotten she knew him as well as he knew her.
Sophie was changing from Anne’s yoga sweats into Skye’s horseback riding jeans when Alex tapped on the bathroom door.
She opened it to see him dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. She almost laughed. Most likely his br
other’s clothes, or one of his cousins’.
“Where have you been? Or where are you off to?”
“I went riding with my mom. And Matt wants me to come help him on a job.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You’re going out to hammer nails?”
“Hey, try not to look so shocked. I do know how to hold a hammer. Do you mind?”
“Of course not. “Especially not when it meant he would be occupied and she could proceed with her plans without explanation.
He kissed her softly on the lips, grabbed his car keys, and started to leave. “Why don’t you drop me next door? I’m headed over to see Skye.” After riding, Skye had to go to the pub and she would be going in to the store. She was sure she could get a ride back to the ranch and wouldn’t have to tie up one of the trucks.
Alex glanced down at his watch. “Sure. But hurry. I told Matt I’d be there five minutes ago.”
Ten minutes later Alex pulled into the driveway of the McCullough farm. “I can walk from here,” Sophie told him, feeling bad for already holding him up.
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely. Say hi to Matt.”
Feeling guilty for rushing her, Alex leaned over and gave her a long kiss. “I love you, you know.”
Sophie placed her hand on his cheek and leaned in to kiss him again. “I know.”
She climbed out of the car and waved as he backed down the driveway. She stood staring after him for a couple minutes. Something had changed since they had come here. She wondered if it had to do with him or her. Or both. Whatever it was, they were going to have to talk about it. She didn’t know what it was, but she knew it was one of those things that would just get bigger the longer they tried to ignore it.
Sean had pulled over to the side of the road when he saw Alex’s car turn into his parents’ driveway. He had tried to look away, but his eyes kept straying toward the couple kissing in the front seat of the Jag. Okay, so they were engaged, planning to get married. So what? That didn’t mean it would actually happen. Like he’d told Cassie, it wasn’t over yet. So why the hell was he suddenly in such a foul mood? And why was his forehead beading up with sweat when he had the air conditioner running full blast? And why did he feel as if his younger brother had caught him off guard and landed a punch directly in the pit of his stomach?
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