CHAPTER THREE
The town square had been transformed in a week. Natalie surveyed all that had been accomplished. Reese was everywhere, organizing and directing where things went. She had an eye for color and form. Spring flower boxes had been built, park benches had been put into place, and the center commons area was spotless. It didn’t look like their ideal yet, but it was a start.
Natalie crossed the grassy area toward her shop when she saw Carson locking the door to the hardware store. She changed course. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” she asked him.
He glanced at her and nodded. At least he wasn’t frowning. He put his key in his pocket and folded his arms across his chest. “Your minions got quite a bit done today,” he said.
“They’re not my minions. They’re just people who have caught the vision.” She tucked her hair behind her ears. “Look, I didn’t come here to argue with you.”
“Then why did you?”
“I wanted to apologize.” That set him back on his heels. When he raised a brow, she rushed on. “I was out of line the other day. Your private affairs, er, business, has nothing to do with me. I shouldn’t have said anything about Lisa.”
“No, you shouldn’t have,” he agreed. “It has nothing to do with you. And spreading gossip isn’t very Christlike.”
“I wasn’t spreading gossip! I’ve said nothing to anyone but you. Lisa said . . .”
“Lisa lied,” he said. “Look, you’ve made your apology, such as it is. I have things to do this evening.”
He was right—her apology left much to be desired. She held out her hand. “I really am sorry. I shouldn’t have had Mia there.”
His warm hand closed around hers, and his touch made something in her stomach flutter. What on earth? She pulled her hand away.
“Tell me something,” he said. “Does Mia ever ask who her father is?”
“If you aren’t her father, why do you care?”
He wagged his finger under her nose. “You just can’t stay out of my business, can you?”
“You brought it up.”
“I asked a simple question.”
The man was going to drive her crazy. “She has asked. And I’ve distracted her and never told her.”
Relief glimmered in his eyes. “Just because I care about the kid’s feelings doesn’t mean she’s my daughter.”
“I know.” She didn’t want to talk about it with him anymore. It made her feel sick in the pit of her stomach to think that he was Mia’s father—which made no sense. She wished his denial were true. But why would Lisa lie about such a thing?
“Can I buy you a coffee to make up for it?” she asked. “I made some new cranberry bars today that turned out pretty tasty.”
He hesitated, and she thought he was going to refuse, but he finally nodded and fell into step beside her across the pavement. They’d worked down the street from each other for several years, but their relationship had been cool and guarded. Maybe that was all about to change.
He stopped and touched the wreath on the door. “Looks like Mia managed to get the wreath up.”
“She’s so proud of it.”
The aroma of coffee greeted them when she pushed open the door to the shop. She ducked behind the counter and got their coffee and snack while Zoe waited on a customer. Hmm, not many of the cranberry bars had been sold. She joined Carson, who was waiting for her on the leather sofa by the window. She watched him eagerly when he took a bite of the cranberry bar.
His mouth puckered. “I think it could use a little more sugar.”
She bit into hers, and the tart flavor puckered her lips too. “I don’t remember them being so tart this morning. Maybe cranberry flavor develops. I’ll use more figs next time.” She took another bite and managed to swallow it. “You don’t have to eat yours. I’ve got a fresh batch.”
He popped the last bite into his mouth, but his eyes widened.
“We’ve gotten off to a bad start.”
“You might say that.”
She hardly knew what to say to that. “I think that is going to change now,” she said. “We’ll have to work together on the plans. The town voted for it.”
His lips flattened. “It does appear I have no choice unless I resign as a selectperson.”
“Are you going to do that?” She couldn’t lay a finger on why the thought dismayed her.
He said nothing for a long moment. “No. I’ll abide by the people’s wishes even though I think it’s going to fail. That’ll be a lot of money down the drain.”
“Good. I’d hate for you to quit,” she said. She bit her lip when he stared at her. He’d probably dislike her next question, but for the good of the town, she had to ask it. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something. Is there any chance your uncle might help us?”
“In what way?”
“W-With money for renovations downtown? Do you know if he’s heard of our plans?”
He looked down at the coffee cup in his hand. “He knows.”
“What’s he think of it?”
“He thinks it’s brilliant.”
She couldn’t help the smile that sprang to her lips. “That’s wonderful!”
“He’s going to Arizona, though, so don’t count on much help from him. Knowing Uncle Howard, I’d guess he’ll give some kind of a donation. What needs to be done first?”
“Reese is keeping a list, so check with her, but I know we need more sprucing up of the buildings downtown. Painting, cleaning, sidewalk repair.”
“We need to put up some volunteer sign-up sheets in the church and the town hall,” he said.
“Reese already took care of that. She has lists of the types of workers we need, like electricians, plumbers, painters, or whatever.”
She watched animation brighten his eyes. He could bring a lot of enthusiasm to the project if he fully believed in it.
Carson sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. The numbers didn’t look good. The moonlight glimmered on the lake just outside the window, and he saw swans gliding by on the glasslike surface. He opened the French doors and stepped out onto the deck. The scent of the cattails in the shallow water just offshore came to his nose. Frogs croaked, and one splashed off to his left.
He settled into one of the Adirondack chairs and let the lake’s magic soothe him. His cell phone rang, and he answered it. “Carson Smitten.”
“Hello, Mr. Smitten, I need to cancel a booking,” the woman said.
He placed the voice, and his heart sank. “Sorry to hear that, Mrs. Deshler. All of them?”
“I’m afraid so. We decided to go to Stowe instead. I called in time to avoid a charge, isn’t that right?”
“Yes. If you cancel thirty days or more before the date, there’s no cancellation fee.” He made a note to release the ten rooms she’d booked and hung up.
He’d been counting on that booking to pay his staff. There was money in his savings to cover it, but it didn’t make him happy. If the woman had waited one more day, he could have collected a cancellation fee. Rebooking that many cabins this quickly wasn’t going to be easy. With the sounds of the lake in his ears, he sat and prayed for direction.
Another sound came to his ears, and he lifted his head. Was that the doorbell? Before he could heave himself out of his chair, he heard boot heels clacking along the wooden floors. Only one person’s footsteps sounded like that.
He rocketed out of the chair and turned toward the door as his brother stepped through. “Sawyer!”
The two embraced, then Carson held his brother at arm’s length and inspected him. His hair was a little longer under the cowboy hat, but his blue eyes were alert and mischievous. He wore a bright blue shirt with fringe, well-fitted jeans, and snakeskin boots.
“Same old Carson,” Sawyer said. “Town looked good as I blew through. I stopped at the coffee shop for a latte, and Zoe told me what’s going on. Pretty exciting stuff!”
Sawyer always looked on the bright side. His dreams had taken him to a tel
evision talent show, where he’d found success beyond his wildest expectations. Well, maybe not beyond Sawyer’s expectations. The guy put his heart into everything. The country was beginning to pay attention to his cowboy love ballads.
When Carson said nothing, Sawyer glanced around. “I hear you need to renovate the cabins.”
“I like them the way they are,” Carson protested. “And I don’t have the money for the kind of renovations you’re talking about.” He put all the disgust he could muster into his voice.
Sawyer’s grin vanished. “Listen, buddy, I’m the reason you don’t have the money. You’ve poured so much cash into my dreams that there hasn’t been any left over for you. I want to pay for the renovations. It’s the least I can do after all you’ve done for me.”
“That’s way too much,” Carson protested. “You’re still getting your career going. Besides, I didn’t give you what it’s going to cost to update this many cottages.”
“Including college, you’ve given me over fifty grand through the years.”
Carson hadn’t had any idea that Sawyer was keeping track. “It wasn’t a loan, little brother.”
Sawyer lifted a brow. “I know. That’s one reason I made sure I kept track. And one of the many reasons why I love you.”
Uncomfortable, Carson looked away. Singing love songs every day had made his brother more open about his feelings. “Ditto. But I don’t want to take your money.”
“You don’t want to renovate at all, I hear.” There was amusement in Sawyer’s voice.
“I’m sure my reaction is all over town.”
Sawyer frowned. “But it’s a great idea. We’ve had to endure all those jokes about our name. Might as well put it to work. What do you say? Let’s do something with this place.”
“I’ll think about it. What are you doing here anyway?” Carson asked, indicating the other chair on the deck.
His brother dropped into it. “I have a gig in Maine, and I had the bus go through here so I could show Kate where I was from.”
“Who’s Kate?”
Sawyer’s grin came. “My fiancée.”
CHAPTER FOUR
No one missed the big bus lumbering along Main Street as the women sat on Natalie’s porch with their drinks from the coffee shop. The shiny paint on the sides depicted the face of the town’s one claim to fame—Sawyer Smitten, the Cowboy Lover. Since he’d won the big Country’s Best talent contest the year before with his cowboy love songs, he’d put Smitten on the map.
Natalie couldn’t bear to look at Reese, focusing instead on the hummingbirds buzzing around the feeder near the blooming azalea bushes. She dreaded telling her the news she’d heard this morning from Zoe.
“Sawyer is in town,” Shelby said, stating the obvious. “I’ve been praying for him. And for you, Reese, that you would find someone ten times better.” She knelt to pick up Penelope, who was whining at her feet.
Reese’s cheeks reddened, and her expression was guarded. “I saw him last night at the coffee shop. I managed to slip out the back door when he came in.”
Julia set down her mocha java on the table beside her. “And we’re just now hearing this?”
“He was with a woman.” She studied her fingernails.
Natalie opened her mouth and closed it again. She squeezed Reese’s hand. Sometimes a touch was the only comfort she could offer. That and prayer. “Zoe told me it was his fiancée.”
Reese’s smile looked forced. “I’m okay, Natalie. Really. I’m not going to lie and say it doesn’t sting a little.”
“What’s she like?” Julia asked. “What kind of purse was she carrying? Was she wearing Louboutin shoes? I’ve been trying to save up for a pair.”
“I didn’t look at her feet,” Reese said dryly. “I only got a glimpse before I rushed out. She’s very pretty. Blond hair, green eyes, I think.”
“Hmm, sounds like someone else we know,” Julia said, exchanging a long glance with Natalie.
“She did look a little like me, except my eyes are hazel,”
Reese said. “I guess Sawyer is attracted to a certain type.”
“You’re really okay?” Natalie asked. Reese tended to keep her feelings to herself until things got so bad they erupted out of her.
Reese squeezed her hand. “Really.”
“Zoe said she told Sawyer about our idea for the town,”
Natalie said. She’d been dying to tell the girls what she’d heard.
“What did he say?” Reese asked.
“He was excited about it.” Natalie glanced at the other two. “I think he might have his wedding here.” She couldn’t help the triumphant smile that lifted her lips.
“What?” Julia scooted to the edge of her chair.
“Celebrities will be swarming Smitten if Sawyer gets married here! What can we do to convince him? If I decide to do the spa, I’ll be able to name the celebrities who have visited.
It could make my spa a national destination!”
“Zoe said Sawyer was going to talk to Carson about it,”
Natalie said.
“We don’t have housing,” Julia said, pausing to turn a gloomy face Reese’s way. “Without housing, the wedding won’t happen here.”
“They could stay in Stowe,” Shelby suggested.
“We want the business,” Julia and Natalie said together.
The bus had stopped at the coffee shop. Natalie could make out its shiny paint two blocks down. “Sawyer will forget it once he starts looking into things. He’ll need lodging for everyone. Close lodging.”
“Maybe he’ll talk Carson into renovating the cabins,”
Shelby said.
“You’re such an optimist,” Julia said. “No one can talk sense into that hard head of Carson’s. Not even Sawyer.”
“I don’t know,” Natalie said. “Shelby might be right.
Carson would do anything for Sawyer. And Carson has agreed to stay on the council to help. That’s a start.”
The women fell silent. “How can we help that decision along?” Shelby asked. “What if we all talked to him?”
“He’ll feel ganged up on,” Natalie said, shaking her head.
“I wouldn’t want to do that to him. Let’s just pray and let God take care of it.”
Julia’s eyes widened. “You’re attracted to the guy. It’s written all over your face.”
Natalie opened her mouth to deny it, but closed it again.
How did they know when she hadn’t realized it herself until this minute? Something about Carson intrigued her. And she didn’t want to like anything about him. Not after what he’d done to Lisa.
“Okay,” she said finally. “Maybe I am. But nothing can come of it.” She bit her lip. “There’s something I haven’t told you. It felt too much like gossip.”
“About Carson?” Shelby asked.
Natalie nodded. “Lisa told me he’s Mia’s father.”
Reese froze, then twisted her ponytail in her fingers.
“You’re kidding. She just told you this?”
Natalie shook her head. “No, I’ve known about it ever since she got pregnant. She said he brought her home one night, and it happened then.”
The girls looked a little hurt that she’d kept something so important from them. “You know how I hate gossip,” she said again.
“What does Carson say?” Shelby asked. “Knowing you, I assume you talked to him about it.”
“I talked to him about it a week ago. He denied it.”
Julia held up her hand. “I’m sorry—I know Lisa is your sister, but, Natalie, think. When has Lisa ever told the truth?”
Natalie looked down at her hands. “I can’t believe she would lie about something that important.” She told her friends about her discussion with him in the coffee shop.
“There you go,” Julia said. “I bet Lisa is the one who lied.”
“I’m not convinced,” Natalie said. “And I wouldn’t date a man I couldn’t trust. No matter how soft I go in the
knees whenever he looks at me.”
“Oh, honey, you’ve got it bad,” Shelby said. She sounded wistful. “Good for you. I have a feeling God is going to surprise you in this relationship.”
Natalie squinted at the bus again, still parked in front of her coffee shop. “Look, let’s skip Pilates today. I want to talk to Sawyer.”
The girls turned to follow her gaze.
“But it’s your day to choose our exercise,” Reese protested. “It’s not a good idea to skip a day.”
“We’ll work extra hard tomorrow.”
Shelby turned pleading eyes toward Reese. “Let her go, Reese. She’s right. We need to talk to Sawyer.”
“You go, then. I don’t want to. I’ll see you later.” Reese jumped to her feet and headed down the street in the opposite direction from the coffee shop.
Natalie’s heart hammered against her ribs as she hurried back to the shop, accompanied by Julia and Shelby. She stepped inside Mountain Perks. Sawyer was hard to miss with his bright shirt and cowboy hat. His fiancée did remind her of Reese, but Natalie’s attention went to Carson, who was coloring with Mia.
He put down his crayon and got up when he saw them.
“There you are,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets.
“Got news for you. Sawyer is going to have his wedding here.
We wanted you to know since it might figure into your plans somehow.”
Natalie’s heart skipped, and she told herself it was only the good news. “That’s fabulous! Thanks, Sawyer.” She stepped forward to hug him. “We’re so grateful.”
“It’ll be great publicity for Smitten. Get things off with a big bang.”
“You like our scheme?”
“I love it. And the media will descend here for the wedding. All my guests too. I need your help to convince my brother he has to get the cabins renovated for them.”
“I think you’ll have more luck with that than me.” She stepped back and smiled up at him. “You look every inch the rising country singer. Are you really the one who used to bring me wilted daffodils?”
“Guilty as charged,” he said. “I backed off when Carson gave me the evil eye.”
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