Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley (Arcadia Valley Romance Book 0)

by Mary Jane Hathaway

  “I know. Cameron found someone for three mornings a week, and now that I’m here, I’ll do the other two plus after-school. It might be tricky once my consulting business stabilizes again after the move. Soon enough the boys will be out for the summer but, come late August, they’ll only need after-school care. Cameron has more juggling to do over the next few months.”

  Grady looked toward the sound of the two youngsters. “It’s terrific of you to step in. Not everyone’s sister would.”

  “I had my own reasons for leaving Salt Lake City.” Wow, had she ever. “Besides, Cameron’s giving me free rent in his basement suite for now, so it’s a good deal for both of us.”

  “Win-win is the best.” Grady flashed her a grin. “So this was the retail part of the business.” He pointed at the sales counter with its antique cash register and rickety shelving beyond. “There’s an office back there and a restroom along with some storage. A potting area. Not much to it.”

  Joanna took in the dusty space with its wooden floorboards. A few grimy windows allowed in meager light with more flooding in from the greenhouses across the space. She started toward them. “May I?”

  “Definitely.”

  Oliver tugged on her hand. “Have you seen Evan?”

  Her heart plummeted. “No, I thought he was with you.” She glanced around, wide-eyed.

  “We’re playing hide and seek.”

  Joanna dared take a breath. “Evan! Come out right now.”

  “Aw, Auntie Jonah. We were playing.” A tousled blond head appeared from behind a wobbly-looking stand at the far end.

  “Stay together, please. And remember to watch for glass.” She glanced up, noting the empty frames she’d seen from the street.

  Oliver dashed down the gravel path to his brother, who ducked behind the stand.

  “Jonah?” Grady chuckled.

  A flush crept up her neck and spread across her cheeks. “They couldn’t say Joanna when they were little, so Jonah kind of stuck.”

  “Cute.”

  She didn’t dare look at him. It didn’t matter what he was thinking. She was having none of it. All she had to do was superimpose Pierce Bennet’s face over Grady’s, and she’d be over this nonsense. Only Grady’s twinkling blue eyes took precedence over the glint of Pierce’s gray ones. Pierce’s buzz cut flowed into Grady’s waves, but the dimple and five-o’clock shadow were Grady clear through.

  Joanna took a deep breath. “So. This is the greenhouse.”

  “Uh. Yeah.”

  “It doesn’t look so bad.” Decrepit and unloved, but not bad.

  “No, the whole setup is still serviceable, or would be with minor work.”

  “Why wasn’t it kept up?”

  “When Dad took over the business twenty-five years ago, he bought several acres along the highway to Twin Falls. He had a vision to expand beyond what half a city block could hold, and it wasn’t worth dismantling these greenhouses and moving them. Not when he envisioned six bigger ones with poly panels rather than glass, plus upgraded ventilation systems.”

  “And your grandfather kept these in use for a few years, from what you said.”

  Grady nodded.

  They strolled down the central gravel path as they talked. The boys crawled under potting tables to play tag on the narrow side path.

  “How do we hook up people who need food with a greenhouse?” Joanna mused. “Even a community garden seems like more commitment than many single parents could make. Take Cameron, for example. He works full time, so how would he fit in time to grow vegetables and cook from scratch? And people on income assistance don’t necessarily have all the time in the world, either.”

  “Gardening doesn’t have to take a lot of time.” Grady leaned against a potting table and crossed his arms. “People can grow enough in one good-sized raised bed to provide fresh vegetables all summer long.”

  Joanna tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Can they? I’ve never really grown anything.” Why had she stopped so close to Grady? His blue eyes captured hers, and she forced herself to stand still instead of sidling closer.

  “It’s not rocket science.” His voice was quiet. “All you need is a bit of dirt and some seeds. Sunshine and water. God does the rest.”

  “And yet it’s big business?” She tried for a light tone.

  “It can be, but it’s also fundamental. What is more basic to people’s needs than food?”

  That was easy. “Breathing and water.”

  “Beauty.”

  She took a step back, but his gaze still held hers as her breath hitched. “Beau...”

  “We long to gaze upon beauty. Majestic mountains and tumbling waterfalls. Tranquil lakes at sunset. English cottage gardens overflowing with flowers in thousands of colors.”

  Was that what was missing in her life? Beauty? Maybe she was looking at it right now, etched in the face of the man in front of her.

  A crash reverberated through the greenhouse. “Aunt Jonahhhhhh!”

  She jerked to attention and swung around. “The boys! Where are they?”

  * * *

  Grady bolted toward the quavering voice in the second greenhouse. They might be Joanna’s nephews, but she was in heels, and the property was his responsibility at the moment. His eyes scanned the space as he swerved around the last corner. One of the boys was on top of a potting table with his foot poking out beneath.

  Oh, no. Praying nothing was broken, Grady poured on more speed as he dashed between the tables. “Are you okay, Oliver? What happened? Can you get your leg out?”

  “It hurts, Mr. Grady.” The tyke’s brown eyes brimmed with tears and his lower lip trembled.

  “We didn’t do nothing you told us not to,” chimed in the other twin.

  No, Grady hadn’t told them not to climb on the tables and run. He should’ve. The temptation would have been clear if he’d remembered being their age. But how was he to guess a slat would give way?

  “Oliver!” Beside him now, Joanna reached for her nephew.

  Grady pushed at the broken wood and a bit more crumbled. Was the hole large enough to get the boy’s foot back through? Not at the current angle. The boy leaned toward his aunt, arms outstretched.

  How long could a wounded five-year-old stand on one foot? Probably not long enough, or he’d have already extricated himself. Gingerly Grady climbed onto the table. It had been built to withstand flats full of wet, heavy soil. It should hold him if he was careful.

  “What are you doing?” Disbelief couched Joanna’s voice.

  Wasn’t it obvious? “Getting him free.” The table creaked and wobbled as Grady balanced on the cross braces, not quite centered behind the boy. He put his hands around Oliver’s chest, lifting some of his weight. “Can you wiggle your foot out now, Oliver?”

  The little body strained then trembled. He shook his head. “I can’t. It’s stuck.”

  Joanna set down her purse and squatted on the gravel path, peering under the table. “Here, I think I can help.” She tore away some rotting wood.

  Oliver whimpered but was soon able to draw his foot through the gap. He pulled out of Grady’s grasp and flung himself at his aunt.

  The whole table rocked from the movement. Grady braced himself. Was he going to go over? Break through? The rocking slowed and he lowered himself to sitting at the table’s edge before sliding off.

  Oliver sobbed in Joanna’s arms. Evan stood a few feet away, eyes wide as he stared at Grady. “That was awesome. Can I do that? It looked like surfing.”

  It hadn’t been that much fun. Grady crouched in front of the boy. “You’d better stay off the tables, buddy. At least until we make sure there aren’t any more boards ready to break.” A bit of extra bracing might not go amiss, either.

  “Aw.” Evan thumbed toward his brother. “He’s okay. Just a baby.”

  “Your brother’s not a baby, Evan. He could have broken his ankle.” In fact, Grady didn’t know for sure the boy hadn’t. He turned and reached for Oliver’s
left foot. Splinters clung to the boy’s sock. “Can I have a look? Does it still hurt?”

  Joanna seated the boy on the edge of the table. He whimpered and clung to her neck.

  Grady knelt and picked the biggest splinters out before untying the shoe and slipping it off as gently as he could.

  Oliver gasped.

  Grady rolled the sock down and off the foot.

  “Is he bleeding?” Evan’s blond head was inches from his brother’s toes.

  “No blood.”

  “Oh.” The kid sounded disappointed.

  “Wiggle your toes, Oliver.” Grady gently probed the calf, ankle, and foot. Other than a raw scrape, everything seemed normal. “I think you’ll be just fine.”

  Evan peered at him. “You don’t have to am... amptate?”

  Grady couldn’t help the laugh that surged out. He ruffled the blond head. “No amputation necessary.” He glanced up at Joanna. “Where did you find this bloodthirsty kid, anyway?”

  She shook her head with a grin and gathered Oliver back into her arms, minus his footwear. She winced. “Ouch.”

  Grady rose. “Is he too heavy? I can carry him.”

  “No, it’s not that. I think I got a sliver when I was trying to get his foot out.”

  “Let me see.”

  She shifted her bundle and held her right hand toward him.

  Grady took her hand and turned it slightly for a better view. A couple of nasty looking splinters wedged in the side of her soft palm. His fingernail caught at one experimentally, but it was too deep to flick out. Besides, he didn’t want to cause any additional pain.

  He caught his breath at the sensation of her hand in his as his thumb slid across her wrist. He didn’t want to let go. Ever. Slowly he raised his gaze to her face.

  Something new shone there as her eyes met his. Uncertainty. Vulnerability.

  Grady knew what that felt like. “I have a first aid kit in the van,” he managed at last. “I’ll get those out for you. I think we’ve seen everything there is to see in here for today, anyway.” He cupped his hand behind Evan’s head and nudged the little guy toward the exit.

  Someday he’d like to have kids, too. Little ones to play in the much bigger — and safer — garden center on the south side of town. Someone to hand the family business down to in another thirty-some years when he was ready to retire like Dad was talking about now.

  He inhaled fresh clean air outside. The late spring sun dipped toward the horizon. So did his life, even if he hopefully had many good years yet. It was time to find the right woman and start a family. Had he already met her?

  Chapter 4

  Several days had gone by since Joanna had found herself snagged in Grady’s gaze at the greenhouse. He had been so gentle as he picked the splinters out of her hand in the parking lot. How could the memory of his touch linger?

  Not that she’d heard from him or seen him in church on Sunday. She gave her head a shake. Of course he hadn’t called. Any man would have removed the scraps of wood, trying to be gentle. Although… maybe not Pierce. Well, he was so far in her past now he wasn’t even visible in her rear-view mirror. Grady wasn’t a bit like him. Here she’d been hired by a church, not by a family business. The similarities weren’t that great.

  She could keep telling herself that.

  Joanna pushed away from the computer desk in the corner of her basement living room. She’d been staring at the sketch of the lot for half the afternoon. Something niggled at the back of her mind but hadn’t blossomed into a fully formed idea. Not yet. Maybe another cup of coffee would make the difference.

  She filled her mug and stuck it in the microwave. While it hummed and rotated she looked out the basement window. The snow had melted from in front of it shortly after her move. Now little green shoots that might be daffodils poked through the dirt at eye-level. Traffic rolled past on the street beyond, and a white van stopped at the curb. A young woman carried a huge bouquet toward the house.

  What on earth?

  Joanna stood welded to the concrete floor as the feet crossed in front of the window. The doorbell rang. For her? It made more sense than someone sending flowers to Cameron. Kind of. She managed the short walk across the space and opened the door.

  “Joanna Kraus?”

  She couldn’t even see the delivery woman behind the riot of pink tulips, yellow daffodils, and white freesia, filled in with greenery and baby’s breath. The sweet scent flowed throw her. “Y-yes. I’m Joanna.”

  “These are for you.”

  “Wow.” She accepted the heavy bouquet and set it on the tiny kitchen table. Good thing it had been cleared, as there was little room for anything else. “They’re beautiful. Who sent them?”

  “There’s a card.” The woman smiled then turned away.

  The door clicked shut and, a moment later, Joanna heard the van pull away from the curb. She tugged the small envelope from the midst of the blooms and pulled out the card with shaking fingers.

  Gaze upon beauty. G.

  No signature, but the G had to stand for Grady. She could hear his voice saying those words the other day at the greenhouse.

  So it hadn’t been her imagination, the way he’d looked at her. What would have happened — what more would he have said — if Oliver hadn’t broken through the table?

  When had Grady gone from being the enemy standing in the way of building low-income housing and become a friend with a hope of something more? Did she even want something more? Her brain screamed that she didn’t. No way did she want to get hurt again, the way Pierce had hurt her. But her heart assured her she’d be safe with Grady.

  Her heart was crazy. Rather than think too much about that, she buried her nose in the fragrant fullness and breathed in hope and promise.

  * * *

  He could have sent someone else to fix the table, but somehow the place seemed sacred. No one else would know or respect the feelings generated simply from stepping foot in the greenhouse again. It was like Joanna lingered there.

  Grady pried the broken slat out and replaced it with a sturdy board from the storage room. The repair showed, of course. It was tan rather than the silvery gray of the weathered original.

  He took his hammer and lightly tapped on each slat as he walked the length of the greenhouse. Twice more he stopped to replace a board then he repeated the process on the other side of the gravel path. He checked the second greenhouse before pausing at the doorway and looking back over the space.

  “Gaze upon beauty,” he’d told her right there. Had she received the flowers he’d sent yesterday? He should have delivered them himself, but he’d drawn enough attention as it was. The girls on the flower shop side of the business already speculated about his love life just from the size of the bouquet. Good thing he’d tucked the card into an envelope, or even more rumors would be spreading like waves.

  He counted the number of broken panes above. Why not simply replace them with polycarbonate? Over time, the entire structure would be changed. The metal struts were solid enough. Next time there were a few slow hours, he’d send Gus over to replace those panes. The handyman didn’t mind ladders.

  Did this mean he thought there was a hope of preserving the property as it was? His heart lifted. Yes. There was a solution. They just hadn’t nailed it down quite yet.

  With that, he locked up and turned toward the van parked beside the old house. Maybe there would be an answer that fit his grandparents’ former home as well. So many of his memories were wrapped up in this property. His hand rested on the van’s door handle as movement down the lot caught his eye. A woman in jeans and a gray hoodie stared at the end of the greenhouse from the sidewalk.

  “Joanna?” Her name came out before he made a conscious decision, but it had to be her. He strode closer, eagerness to see her again overtaking his good sense.

  She looked up and stuffed both hands into her kangaroo pocket. “Hey, Grady.”

  “What are you doing?” Man, that hadn’t come out right. �
��I mean, it looks like you have had an idea. I’m curious if you’re willing to share.”

  Joanna looked at him for a few seconds.

  “I just repaired the table in there.” He pointed to the greenhouse. “No little feet will go through the slats now. I hope Oliver is all right.” He was babbling.

  She quirked a grin. “He’s fine. He milked the limping and whining for all he was worth that evening, but he’d forgotten about it by the next morning.”

  “Good.” Grady sighed in relief. “I mean, not that he took advantage.”

  She shrugged. “He’s a kid. Plus, Evan tries to outshine him all the time, so he finally had his dad’s focused attention.”

  He chuckled. “Sounds like a typical boy.” He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets to keep them occupied while he stared at Joanna.

  “So...” she started to say just as he blurted out, “What brilliant idea did you have?”

  “Not sure. It hasn’t gelled.”

  “Ah.”

  More silence.

  “Thanks for the flowers.” She looked away.

  He felt his face brighten. “You got them?”

  “I thought they must be from you.”

  Who else? But he didn’t say that. He’d thought signing with G was obvious enough, especially with the quote. He was on a path now with no way out but through. “Seeing you here tonight is my moment of beauty for the day.”

  She shot him a glance then focused on the toe of her narrow boot as it poked at the drab grass. “Thanks.”

  “Joanna, I know I botched everything at first. But I like you, and I want to get to know you better. Will you go on a date with me?”

  “That might be fun,” she said softly, not quite meeting his gaze.

  Joanna, unsure? He’d never dreamed that could happen, but he’d take the words at face value. “Saturday afternoon? We could go for a hike or soak at Miracle Hot Springs or...” What did people do on dates these days? He’d been out of the loop for a while.

  “I’ve wanted to check out the hot springs, but hiking sounds good, too.”