by Terri Osburn
With a sigh, Justin said, “No reason. What’s your speed bump?”
“They want more land.”
“Who wants more land?”
“Royce-Upton. They’re out of Memphis but looking for deals around Nashville.”
Score a point for Q. “Sounds like a good lead.”
“But they say the parcel isn’t big enough,” he repeated. “We need to add more land before they’ll commit.”
Then they’d definitely hit a wall. “There isn’t any more land. It’s plus or minus six acres. I told you that would be our biggest obstacle.”
Q’s voice became muffled. “I’ll be there in two seconds, babe.”
Assuming that statement wasn’t directed at him, Justin said, “Who are you talking to?”
“A pretty little thing named Becky,” the other man whispered. “I think she really likes me.”
Justin didn’t recognize the name. “Good for you.”
The Culpepper matriarch had already chased off two potential daughters-in-law in the last two years. If this Becky person made it home to meet the family, he’d bet his Infiniti she’d be back in Tennessee within days, with a Manolo Blahnik shoe print on her derriere.
“So what are we going to do about the deal?” Q asked.
Accepting reality was their only choice. “There’s nothing we can do. It was a long shot to begin with, and now we know the tract isn’t viable for the development needed to make an investment worthwhile. It’s time to look for another option. I hear east of Nashville is booming. Try something along I-40, towards Knoxville.”
A female voice chimed from Q’s end of the call, and he said, “I need to go. But I’m not ready to give up on this.”
“It is what it is, man. The potential was good, but the land isn’t there.”
“We’ll see about that.”
The call cut off and Justin shook his head. Slowly and with very little force. At some point in the last few days, landing a big deal had lost its appeal. He no longer cared if Chesterfield ever begged him to come back. If the call came tomorrow, Justin would turn it down. All because of the pretty brunette who’d just spread dirt across her forehead.
A sense of peace quieted his headache as the truth dawned. Everything Justin wanted was right here in Ardent Springs. His family, his roots, and the woman he loved. He’d return to the development world, but on his own terms and definitely not in Chicago. Maybe that would be their next venture together. AJ Developers had a nice ring to it.
In addition to her deepening tan, Abby had gained new respect for manual labor. Landscaping turned out to be an excellent workout, and she didn’t even mind scrubbing dirt out of her ears at the end of the day. Between the daily dose of vitamin D, her newly toned bottom, and watching the flower beds come to life, she felt quite confident in her unorthodox career change.
Since Tuesday she and the garden society had put the finishing touches on three of the four beds at the center of the square. Justin had given up his position as patient observer by the end of the day Wednesday, assuring Abby that she no longer needed him watching over the project. Going to work without him on Thursday had been nerve-racking, but the crew didn’t seem to notice his absence.
By the time they broke for lunch on Friday, the last flower had gone in, two teams had moved to the smaller beds that would accent the outside of the roundabout, and word had arrived that the large planters they’d ordered would be delivered the next day. That would leave them just over ten days to fill fifty-six four-by-two-foot planters—a daunting task that Justin had assured her could be done.
“Where do you want this?” Cooper yelled to Abby from inside his truck.
She excused herself to Thea and pointed to the opposite corner of the square. “Far right parking space in front of the barbershop. I’ll meet you over there.”
Her twin did not look happy, though he hadn’t complained the day before when she’d asked him to pick up the mulch for a noon delivery. If he didn’t want to do it, he should have said so.
Abby sprinted across the street to reach the parking space at the same time Cooper did.
“You got somebody to help me unload this mess?” he snapped, slamming his truck door.
“The average age of my crew is sixty-eight,” she informed him. “You’re stuck with me.”
He dropped the tailgate with a thud and snagged a set of work gloves from his back pocket. “You aren’t lifting fifty-pound bags of mulch. I’ve got it.”
She’d spent ten years lifting humans that weighed far more than fifty pounds. Abby grabbed the bag closest to her and hauled it to the back edge of the space. “Remind me not to ask you for any more favors.”
“I told you I didn’t mind,” Cooper said, elbowing his way past her with two bags at once. Abby didn’t know what his problem was, but her typically affable brother had something on his mind.
“You want to tell me why you’re acting like a jerk?” She tossed a smelly bag over her shoulder.
Jaw tight, he said, “I got a call from Tanner Drury this morning.”
Cooper had gone to work at Tanner’s garage back in high school and eventually saved enough pennies to buy the business from him a few years ago.
“What did he want?” she asked.
Dropping two more bags on the asphalt, he returned to the truck, barely winded. “Someone made him an offer on the land.”
Still in the dark, Abby said, “What land?”
“The land the shop is on. The garage sits on property that goes back more than a hundred years in Tanner’s family. He didn’t want to hand that over, so I bought the buildings and everything that went with them. He kept the deed to the land.”
“Okay.” Dragging another bag her way, she pointed out the obvious. “If he wouldn’t sell the land to you, what makes you think he’d sell to someone else?”
“He doesn’t want to, but his wife is pushing for it.” Cooper leaned on the tailgate. “I guess his retirement isn’t stretching as far as they’d expected, and Diana is scared. I can’t really blame her, but dammit, I’ve put everything into that business. If they sell, I’ll have to close down or move.”
Heart aching for her other half, she said, “You don’t know that for sure.”
“The buyer is a developer.” He sighed. “There’s no way they’re going to let me stay.”
Abby tried to come up with a solution. “Maybe there’s another way for Tanner to make some money.”
Cooper shook his head and loaded up two more bags. “He’s seventy-four years old, Abbs. His knees are shot, he can barely hear, and the only thing he knows how to do is fix cars. Even that he can’t do anymore. The technology passed him by.”
Accepting defeat, she squeezed his arm. “I’m really sorry, but we’ll make it work, right? There has to be somewhere around town where you can relocate. We just have to find the perfect spot.”
“I can’t think of one, but maybe you’re right.” Two more bags hit the pile. “If I do have to move, Hal and I will need to put off the wedding.”
As far as Abby knew, they hadn’t even set a date. “Did I miss a memo?”
Cooper propped his hands on his hips and surveyed the center of the square. “Nothing specific, but we were hoping for maybe Christmas. Guess not now.” Gesturing toward the mound across the street, he said, “That looks really good.”
Abby ignored the undercurrent of surprise in his tone. “Thanks.”
“Do the locals have any idea how bad this place is going to smell once you get this mulch down?”
“Not a clue,” she laughed, adding her bag to the stack. “We could have an angry mob on our hands, depending on who ends up downwind, but I highly suggest not eating at any outside cafés for at least a week.”
“That reminds me.” Cooper tugged on her ponytail. “Payment for this favor is a thorough truck washing. I expect this baby to be smelling like roses by the end of the weekend.”
“You mean you didn’t do this out of the goodness of you
r heart?” she asked, feigning innocence.
“Nice try, sis. A deal’s a deal. Sunday. My place. You, a sponge, and a big bucket of suds.”
She’d hoped he wouldn’t make her pay up. “Fine. But don’t tell Haleigh that I’m making her help me.”
Two more bags filled the parking space. “My lips are sealed.”
Chapter 21
One week later than intended, Justin resolved to answer all of Abby’s questions. While he’d still been in the hospital, she’d told him about the bacon-coated meatloaf and the candles that had gone to waste thanks to the factory fire, so he’d set out on that Friday afternoon to re-create the scene. Knowing his limitations, he’d called in backup on the meatloaf.
At precisely fifteen minutes before Abby was scheduled to walk through the door, Mom delivered the main course, while Justin had the candles in place and the wine ready to pour. None of which had required heavy lifting, bending, or eyestrain, so she couldn’t scold him for doing too much.
When he heard her car pull into the garage, Justin leaned against the kitchen island with a wineglass in each hand. Technically, his contained water, since he couldn’t mix alcohol with the pain meds—which he, thankfully, needed less and less of—but the fancy glass kept up the romantic look he was going for.
Unfortunately the mouthwatering scent of bacon could not compete with the barnyard odor that followed Abby through the door. He’d forgotten today was mulch day.
Abby froze just inside the kitchen, barefoot, wearing nothing but her skivvies, and filthy from head to toe. “Hi,” she said, green eyes apologetic. “I stink.”
Justin set the glasses on the counter as his eyes watered. “I noticed. Did you spread the mulch or swim in it?”
“Turns out members of the garden society aren’t cut out for carrying fifty-pound bags of anything,” she explained. “Sweet Dorothy Jane tried to help, but she couldn’t hold up her end, and I went down face-first.”
Do not laugh. Do not laugh.
“I see,” he snorted, clearing his throat. “That sounds, um, gross.”
Her face contorted. “It went in my mouth.”
He wanted to hug her, but not until she’d showered. “Come on, honey.” Justin looked for a clean spot to touch and settled for one bare shoulder. “You’ll feel better after a hot shower. Though I suggest you brush your teeth first.”
On their way through the kitchen, Abby spotted the table. “You lit candles.” Sniffing the air, she asked, “Is that bacon?”
How she smelled anything over her own odor, he didn’t know.
“The meatloaf will be ready when you come out.”
Her abrupt halt caused him to run into her. A typically pleasant experience. Not so much in that moment.
“You’re making the dinner we missed. That’s so sweet.”
“That’s me,” he said, nudging her forward. “Sweet. Now go take a shower so we can get this evening started.”
Abby picked up her pace. “I can do that.” At the door to her bedroom, she paused to glance back his way. “I love you, Justin.”
He would never get tired of hearing that. “I love you, too, Abby.”
She disappeared out of sight, and Justin hurried in to check the meatloaf. The bacon bubbled, and the smell drove the stench from his sinuses. After turning the oven down to 250, per his mother’s orders, he pulled up the music on his new iPhone. The previous one had been found in tiny pieces next to his car.
Twelve minutes later Abby returned to the kitchen wearing the same white dress from the night at the hospital and a wet knot of hair atop her head. His body clenched at the sight of her.
“You look gorgeous,” he mumbled in hushed tones, drinking her in.
“Not sure about that,” she said, dismissing the compliment, “but I definitely smell better.”
Justin pulled her close. “When I say you’re gorgeous, you say thank you. That’s how compliments work.”
Pressing against him, she wrapped her arms around his torso. “Saying thank you implies that I believe you.”
Locking her chin between his thumb and forefinger, he forced her to hold his gaze. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, Abigail Williams. If it takes the rest of my life, I’m going to make you believe that.”
Rising to kiss his lips, she squeezed him tight. “The rest of your life? That’s a long time.”
He nibbled her earlobe. “Not nearly long enough.”
Their mouths met and the whole world fell away. Soft hands dipped under his shirt to slide up his back as his knee slid between her thighs to press against her core. Before long they were breathless, clinging to one another in a tangle of arms and tongues and murmured promises. The moment he lifted her off the floor, which prompted a moment of vertigo, but Justin was too far gone to care, the timer on the oven went off.
Abby broke the kiss, her legs still tight around his middle. “We should probably eat,” she panted.
“We can eat later.” Justin covered the few feet to the stove, shut off the timer and the oven, and then carried Abby down the hall. “This can’t wait.”
She didn’t argue as her body writhed against his. In the sunlit bedroom, they toppled onto the bed, and Abby’s dress lifted to reveal an arousing lack of panties. He slid two fingers along her folds and her hips rose to greet him, hot and ready, and Justin didn’t hesitate to strip her bare.
He knelt above her, suckling a tightly puckered nipple as she dragged his T-shirt up his back. Breaking contact long enough to release the material over his head, Justin lifted one arm at a time until the shirt hit the floor. At which point he took the other nipple between his teeth. Her husky purr made his dick twitch.
“Help me take these off, baby,” he said.
Abby pushed against his chest until he was upright and reached for the buttons on his jeans. When they were all undone, she slid her hands behind the denim as she kissed his abs, licking lower. Justin lifted off the bed with a growl, shoved the pants to the floor, and grabbed a condom on his way back onto the mattress.
Legs spread and eyes dark with desire, Abby offered him everything in that moment. And he needed to give everything in return.
Holding her gaze, he pulled her down the bed until his tip touched her opening. Hands fisted on the blankets, she licked her lips and lifted for him, pleading with her body. Begging him to take what he wanted. What they both wanted.
“I love you, baby,” he murmured, teasing her just enough to make her moan.
Abby nodded and rolled her hips. “I can’t wait any longer, Justin. Please. I love you. Please.”
Power surged through him as he took her mouth the same moment he buried himself in her heat.
Abby clung to his shoulders, meeting every thrust with one of her own. The fever built, spiraling up her spine and blazing through her limbs. Justin whispered love words in her ear before driving faster until neither could find enough air to speak.
He circled her nipple with his tongue before biting down, drawing a cry of pleasure from her throat. Her nails dug into his skin as she pressed hot kisses and bites along his broad shoulder, getting drunk on his taste and scent. The feel of him, thick and hard, pulsing inside her, sent her over the edge.
As she called his name, Justin tensed against her, muscles tight until the tremors took over. She rode out the orgasm with her hands in his hair, a thin sheen of sweat covering them both. Mouths lingered a breath apart, their lungs desperate for air but neither willing to leave the other to get it.
One last burst of pleasure shivered through him before Justin collapsed next to her on the damp sheets. “Amazing,” he sighed, nuzzling against her neck. “The no-panties thing was a nice touch.”
A satisfied smile curled her lips. “I thought you might like that. I was going to tell you halfway through dinner, just to see what you’d do.”
Justin leaned up to look into her eyes. “Now I’m almost sorry we skipped the food.”
Abby laughed. “I’m starting to th
ink we aren’t meant to eat meatloaf.”
“At least this is a better reason for missing it than the last time.”
“Much better,” she agreed, kissing the healing bump on his head. “You probably shouldn’t be exerting yourself this much.”
“Sex heals everything. You’re a nurse. You should know that.”
“Was a nurse,” she corrected. “Now I’m a landscaper. And I had the mulch in my bra to prove it.”
Scooting up onto the pillow, Justin cradled her against his chest. “I bet you’re ready to strap on the scrubs again after this week.”
He couldn’t be more wrong. “No more scrubs for me.” Abby twirled a wisp of hair around her finger. “I can’t wait for you to see the square. I haven’t been this proud of anything in a long time.”
“Do you mean that?” he asked.
Abby nodded. “I do.” She looked up into his face. “What about you? Do you ever want to go back to your other career? Go back to Chicago?”
Tucking his free arm behind his head, he sighed. “Before I answer those questions, I need to answer some other ones. Like the one about what happened to send me back here.”
After his accident, Abby had been content to focus on the future. Whatever happened in his life before the night of her kitchen fire didn’t have any bearing on the future they would build together. Ironic that once she’d let go of his past, Justin decided to share it with her.
“Is this story going to make me want to beat someone up?” she asked.
“Just me.” He chuckled, kissing the top of her head. “You know that Q is an old college buddy, but you don’t know that we also worked together at Chesterfield Developers. That’s the company I worked for in Chicago,” he clarified. “Bringing Q on board was my idea, and, unfortunately, not my best one.”
Abby hummed to let him know she was listening.
“Q might not seem like it, but he’s a numbers guy. Brilliant at math. Not so brilliant at everything else. But his biggest weakness is his trusting nature. There isn’t a cynical bone in the poor guy’s body.”
“That doesn’t sound like a fault to me,” she confessed.