I’m leaving the contents of my workshop to you. I hope you’ll take this equipment, and the knowledge I’ve passed down to you, and you’ll use it all to build the future you deserve.
Please know I’m not leaving all of this to you simply because you’ve worked for me for years. Or because you’ve been my protégé here in the workshop. I leave this to you because, as far as I’m concerned, you are my grandson.
I’m proud of the man you have become.
Papa Hudson
P.S. Do me a favor? Watch over my granddaughter for me, will you? Don’t let Mandy fool you with her tough-gal exterior. You are her closest friend, and she needs you.
Preston read the letter over twice more before he bothered to brush away a tear. A deep breath brought in the scent of cedar along with the memories the smell invoked. This place would never be the same.
But even as he mourned the loss of the man he considered his grandfather, hope took root. He looked around him, noting the different pieces of equipment he’d never dreamed of being able to afford before. If he could find a location to move all of this to, then just maybe…
Mr. Hudson wanted him to build a future, and that’s exactly what Preston would do. He’d have to work through the logistics. It wouldn’t be easy, but there had to be a way.
His mind swimming with numbers and possibilities, Preston realized he’d been sitting in the workshop for more than a half hour. He’d have to hurry to get to Clearwater Lumber in time. He was halfway back to his truck when he heard people talking in front of the house. Mandy’s voice sounded strained. Preston jogged around the corner to see her standing in the doorway as though blocking the entrance. A man waited on the porch in front of her and didn’t look like he was in a hurry to leave. With gel-slicked dark hair, shiny black shoes, and an expensive suit, he looked like a sleazy used car salesman.
Mandy shook her head. “I’m still not interested. If you’ll excuse me, I have guests that need my attention…”
The man took a step closer to her. “I assure you, you will not get a better offer than this.”
Preston didn’t need to hear more. He walked up the steps of the porch. The sound of his shoes against the wood caused the man to turn and look at him. Preston didn’t stop until he was standing next to Mandy, never taking his eyes off the stranger. “Is there something I can help you with?”
The man’s eyebrows lifted. “I’m speaking with Miss Hudson. I’m not sure it’s any of your business.”
That wasn’t the right thing to say if he’d wanted Preston to back off. “The lady said she wasn’t interested. I can assure you Miss Hudson is not someone who changes her mind on a whim. I suggest you take your leave.”
With a fake smile that made Preston want to growl, the man pulled out a business card. He slapped it down on the railing of the porch. “When you change your mind, call me.” He turned on his heels and stalked to his fancy sports car.
Preston didn’t move until the man’s vehicle had driven out of sight. He picked up the business card. Grayson Vincent with Vincent Land.
Mandy let out a forceful breath of air. “Thank you. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“He wanted you to sell?”
She nodded. “He’s been here for twenty minutes trying to convince me why his offer was the best and why I should sell today.” Sparks of anger shot through her eyes as she stared in the direction he’d driven. “I may have no choice but to sell in order to buy this place back, but it won’t be to him.”
Preston pulled out his cell phone and took a photo of the business card before handing it to Mandy. “Tell me if he bothers you again. I wouldn’t trust him for anything. I’m sorry you had to deal with that, he clearly had no tact.”
“He’s the third one.” When she saw his surprise, she elaborated. “I’ve had two other companies call and offer to buy the B&B and the land.” Her shoulders fell as she looked out over the sea of rolling grass between the house and the river beyond. “If I have to sell, how will I know which place to trust enough that they’ll let me buy it back?”
Preston had no easy answers. If he had the money, he’d do that for her in a heartbeat. As it was, he barely had the funds to go month to month. His thoughts went back to the workshop. If he could come up with a plan, maybe that would finally change soon.
With more hope about his finances than he’d had in years, he gave her a reassuring smile. “We’ll figure this out.” He glanced at his watch. “I’m running late. I’ve got to get copies of the will off to my cousin and get to work. Why don’t I call you later? If I hear back from Jeremy, I’ll come by when we close up and we can talk about what he says. See if we can brainstorm some ideas.”
He’d half expected her to object. Instead, the stress on her face lessened. “That would be great. Thanks, Preston.”
“Of course. And I’m serious. Call me if that guy bothers you again.”
“I will.”
Preston said goodbye and jogged to his truck. He returned her wave and watched her disappear inside the B&B, his determination bolstered. Mr. Hudson believed in him enough to hand over the equipment to make his dream of a business possible. He also wanted Preston to look out for Mandy.
Preston wasn’t about to let him down on either front.
~
The B&B had been so busy all day, it might as well have had a revolving door. Even though she knew Preston was on his way, Mandy still cringed when the front door opened, half expecting it to be someone else who wanted to buy the place. As soon as Preston appeared, she breathed a sigh of relief that must have shown on her face because he looked concerned.
“Long day?”
“Oh, yes.” She ran a hand over her face as though it might wipe away the exhaustion. As pathetic as it sounded, she’d love to go to bed right now even though it was only nine o’clock. But with guests in the house, she rarely fell asleep before eleven if she was lucky, especially now that she was handling everything on her own. “Both families are still out by the lake tonight.”
Preston held up the large envelope of papers. “Want to sit out on the back porch and talk?”
Her momentary mood lift from seeing Preston evaporated. She locked the front door, turned the sign to say everyone was around back, and led the way. The light near the back door flooded the red-stained oak porch. Papa had built it himself. She still remembered when he and Preston had restained it a couple of years ago.
A flurry of bugs dive-bombed the light. Mandy opted for the stairs and Preston joined her. In the distance, they heard the voices of some of the guests along with several peals of laughter from one of the children. The sounds brought a small smile to Mandy’s face. It reminded her of the many evenings she and Preston would run around the yard, chasing after fireflies. Mandy once tried to fill up a whole jar with them, convinced they would light her way back to the house. She’d been disappointed when Granny said she couldn’t keep them at her bedside.
Mandy’s gaze landed on the envelope now resting on the step between them. “What did your cousin have to say?”
“Jer looked the whole will over and even consulted with one of the senior partners at the firm. The will is ironclad.” He shrugged. “I was hoping he’d tell me about a loophole in there somewhere.”
“Yeah, me, too.” Mandy leaned to her right against the railing running down along the steps. Even with the light shining behind them, she could still pick out the stars as they began to appear in the sky. “I can’t lose this place, Preston.”
“I know.” He said nothing else for a few moments, and they sat in silence. “If I could afford to, I’d buy this place from you in a flat second. You’d buy it back and we’d fix everything.”
Mandy didn’t know all the details, and Preston refused to talk about them, but she knew he’d been financially strapped for years. That’s why he worked himself into the ground seven days a week. She was sure it had something to do with his family. The sad tone in his voice pulled on her heartstrings. “
I appreciate it, Preston. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s not everything can be fixed.” A moth flew by her head on its way to the porch light. “I had two more calls from people wanting to buy the place. You’d think I put an ad out or something. I don’t know who I can trust to purchase it and not keep it. Unless we put that in the contract. Is that possible?”
“I don’t know. We can check into that.” He turned his head to look at her. “Do you even know who you’d ask?”
Even as she pondered his question, she couldn’t think of a single person. She had several friends, but none of them could afford such a venture. And those who might be able to, she didn’t know well enough to ask for such a huge favor. Instead, she changed the subject. “What are you going to do with all the equipment in Papa’s workshop?”
“I want you to come out and make sure there’s nothing you want to keep, first. Then I’ll see if I can find someplace to move it to. If I can get everything set up, I’d like to start my own woodworking business.”
“That’s great, Preston. Papa always said you had a lot of talent. Not just for working with wood, but for drawing up plans and ideas.” Her voice broke. “Have you looked around? Do your parents have a space you can work out of?”
“No, there’s no room at their house. I’ll see how much it’ll cost to rent a place for now. I’m hoping to do some calling around tomorrow.”
“There’s no hurry to move everything.” She’d barely finished speaking when a large flying beetle zipped its way their direction. Mandy couldn’t stand the obnoxious beetles and immediately ducked her head. Instead of heading to the porch light like all the other sane insects, it continued to buzz around them until it landed on her head. Mandy shuddered. “Get it off, Preston. Get it off!”
He was laughing hard as his hands went through her hair and finally dislodged the offending bug. He tossed it over the railing. With his elbows propped against the stair behind him, he leaned his head back and continued to chuckle.
“It’s not funny. I hate those. The only bug in existence that’ll opt for my hair over the light like all the other ones.” She stared at him as he continued to find hilarity in the event. She wanted to be annoyed, but it was impossible. His humor was contagious, and Mandy was soon laughing with him. She had to admit it felt good. “Ohhhh, I needed that. The laughter, not the bug.”
“Me, too.” He looked at her then, and she could scarcely make out his eyes in the semi-darkness. “I’m worried about you, Mandy.”
“I’ll be fine. I am fine.” She tore her gaze from his and brushed at something invisible on her knee. “Thanks for coming back over here tonight. I know you have a million other things to do.”
“Nah. Nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow.”
They sat in companionable silence, laughing at the antics of the families as they came in from their fun at the lake. Most of the time, Mandy was perfectly fine with her life. Yet, every once in a while, she saw happy families like these and wondered what it would be like to have her own one day. Was something like that even possible? When she spent time like this with Preston, those buried longings surfaced.
She slammed the brakes on her train of thought. What if a relationship with Preston didn’t work out? What if children were involved, and they only caused them the kind of heartache she’d experienced herself? No, there were a lot of compelling reasons for why she’d sworn off marriage, and no equally convincing reasons to change her mind. She’d be better off alone.
Preston stood and offered her a hand to help her up. The moment she laid her hand in his, her blood rushed in her ears, and it felt as though his touch were branding her skin.
Mandy valued his friendship. Always had. But she couldn’t let anything more develop between them. She needed the buffer, because one day, he’d find the girl for him and even he would leave. It was only a matter of time. And he deserved it—deserved to have a wife and family. Just the thought caused a pang of jealousy. Unwilling to consider the source, she remained convinced she’d be happy for him when that time came.
Regardless, the truth remained. One way or another, everyone in Mandy’s life disappeared. Eventually she’d truly be alone.
Chapter Five
The rest of Preston’s week was busy. He worked at the Hudson B&B until eleven and then got to Clearwater Lumber by noon. Apparently, the liquidation sale brought in nearly everyone from town because Preston didn’t stop hauling materials out to vehicles until the place closed at nine in the evening. When he had a spare moment, he applied for four local job opportunities. He also called several places for rent to see how much it would cost to set up the woodworking equipment.
By Saturday morning, Preston was discouraged. All the places for rent were out of his price range. And none of that mattered, anyway, when the employment avenues weren’t paying off. In one week, he’d be losing two-thirds of his income.
Mom had texted him about dinner. The thought of homemade spaghetti and garlic bread drove him to his tiny apartment to shower and change clothes before heading over to his parents’ house.
Over dinner, Preston told his parents about his part of the will. “I can’t find anywhere to move the equipment to. I’ve called around and any place available is way too large for what I need, which also means the cost is high.” He whirled spaghetti noodles around his fork and took a bite.
Dad looked thoughtful. “Does Mandy have plans for the workshop?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you talk to her about renting it for now? The equipment’s there. It’d save you some trouble and the extra money would help her, too.”
Preston blinked at him. He hadn’t even thought about that. Still, if she had to sell the place and something fell through, he didn’t want to risk the equipment going with the B&B. He told his parents about the rest of the will and the decision Mandy faced.
Mom put her fork down on her plate and leaned forward. “I want to say I can’t believe Barry and Samantha would do that. But, I can’t count the times Samantha expressed concern for Mandy once Barry passed on. She worried about that poor girl being alone.”
Preston tried to ignore the intense stare Dad was giving him over the rim of his coffee mug. It didn’t work.
“Why don’t you marry the girl? You’ll have a workshop for all of your equipment and she’ll keep the B&B. Sounds like a win-win to me.”
“Stanley!” Mom shot her husband a stern look.
Dad shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “What? Preston’s been in love with Mandy for years. This is the incentive he needs to do something about it.”
Preston groaned. His reasons for wanting to tell them in person evaporated. He should’ve texted instead. “I told you, Dad. Mandy’s determined to not marry. Anyone. She sees me as her friend, and I doubt that’ll ever change.” It was a realization he’d come to after getting back from two years of college. He’d hoped distance might make Mandy’s heart grow fonder. She’d expressed how much she missed him, but continued to keep him at arm’s length.
It’s not like he hadn’t tried to move past this in his own life, but every time he thought of trying to date someone else, he knew going forward would be nearly impossible. Dad was right, Preston was head over heels in love with Mandy. It’s too bad she didn’t love him in return.
“So, you’ll be all right standing back and watching her marry someone else if that’s what she chooses to do?”
Dad was baiting him, and Preston responded immediately. “Absolutely not. If she marries someone to save her place, it’ll be me.” Once the words were out, his neck grew warm with the admission.
Dad gave a satisfied grunt and went back to piling spaghetti on a piece of garlic bread.
Mom didn’t look convinced. “Are you talking about a marriage of convenience like they used to do? Stay married for a year making it possible for Mandy to keep the B&B and then get a divorce? I think it would be a mistake.”
Well, when you put it that w
ay… Preston sighed. “I admit it’s not ideal, but it’d give me a year to prove to her we could work.”
“And if you can’t?”
“Then I’d have to let her go.” The thought of walking away from Mandy was unfathomable.
The plate of food in front of Preston sat untouched as thoughts and ideas spun around in his head. Dad might not have a lot of tact, but he was right about one thing. The possibility of marrying Mandy had a lot of merit, and the thought of spending even more time with the woman he loved wasn’t exactly a deterrent.
Convincing her of that, though, would be a completely different matter.
~
“Here, let me get that.” Mandy took the fourth pan of muffins from Jade. She carefully took the muffins out and lined them up on a wire rack to cool. The combined scents of cinnamon, strawberry, and chocolate chip filled the kitchen. The pastries would be set out for their guests along with scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, and sausage.
No matter how Mandy made eggs, Jade’s were somehow better. Even Granny commented regularly about that. It was like the woman had some special ingredient. “I’m sorry things have been so up and down here. I know it’s not easy when you can’t count on specific work days. Reservations were way down over the summer, and the trend just seems to be continuing.” She tried to ignore the concern that made her stomach hurt.
Jade looked up from the bowl of eggs she was beating with a fork. “I understand, honey. This is more of a hobby for me. Gets me out of the house, and I enjoy cooking for others.” She paused. “I admit I’m worried about you, though. Now that Mrs. Hudson is gone, I thought you might decide you’d rather not run this place.” The concern in her eyes was unmistakable.
“I can’t leave. This is my home.” Even if things weren’t the same. “There are some issues with Granny’s will. Combine that with the ridiculous number of people who want to purchase the property and the lack of reservations… Things aren’t easy right now.”
“Maybe you should think about selling.” When Jade saw the shocked look on Mandy’s face, she spoke quickly to clarify. “I just mean your Granny had a hard time keeping this place going over the last year. She wouldn’t want you saddled with that responsibility on top of all your internet stuff.”
Marrying Mandy (Brides of Clearwater Book 1) Page 4