by Mia Ross
“Seriously?” When she nodded, he checked his wrist, which was empty because he’d never worn a watch in his life. “Huh. How ’bout that? Guess it’s a good thing I hired you to keep me up to date on stuff like that.”
“I’d say so,” she agreed. “Now, march back over and put on your Sunday best. He’s due here at nine.”
“It’s only eight.”
“You need to crank up the heat in the shop and fire up the forge to show him that the air scrubbers are working properly. While you’re doing that, I’ll make a carafe of coffee and set these out,” she added, patting the top of a pink bakery box imprinted with Ellie’s Bakery and Bike Rentals in burgundy script. “He’s already on the road, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s hungry when he gets here.”
“Man, you think of everything,” he said as he headed for the door.
“Isn’t that why you hired me?”
Pausing, he turned and noticed the hesitant look on her face. After all she’d been through, it wasn’t a surprise to him that her confidence had taken a knock. Sure, she’d left him hanging and basically run away rather than work things out with him. It had taken him a while to get over her, but in the end, he’d accepted that things had turned out the way they were meant to be.
Until the morning she showed up at the forge, out of options and hoping for a job. He hadn’t recognized it until now, but that day had changed everything. For both of them.
He wasn’t interested in a relationship right now, especially not with someone toting around as much baggage as Lindsay Holland. Fortunately, his own personal baggage was pretty light these days. Based on their experience so far, he thought it was possible that he could be the friend she so clearly needed. “It sure is. Now that you mention cold, it’s not exactly warm in here, either. Did that space heater conk out on you?”
“No, I like it this way,” she replied in a thoughtful tone as her eyes drifted toward the mullioned window that looked out on the side yard covered in snow. “I love winter.”
He remembered that about her. How she adored ice-skating and was always game for a snowball fight or an afternoon at the community sledding hill just outside of town. The first real snowfall was her favorite, and he recalled her insisting that those snowflakes were the most delicious ones of the season because they were fresh.
“Brian?”
Dragged back to grown-up reality, he met her stare with what he hoped came across as casual interest. “Yeah?”
In answer, she tapped the antique watch on her wrist. Brian recognized it immediately, and an emotion he didn’t recognize flooded his chest. “You still have that?”
“Of course, I do,” she replied with a shadow of the beautiful smile he still remembered. “The antique show we went to on my birthday that year was one of the best afternoons of my whole life. No one had ever gone to so much trouble to make sure I had a good time. That you bought me such a gorgeous present was just icing on the cake.”
“I just thought that since you were so strapped for cash, you would’ve sold it by now.”
“Not a chance,” she assured him, tilting her chin in a defiant gesture that hinted at the spirit that had once enchanted and aggravated him. “I sold off everything I had, which wasn’t much, but I’d never give this up. It’s really special, because you gave it to me without expecting anything from me in return.”
Knowing that the watch he’d given her was the only jewelry she still owned emphasized the sobering fact that if he failed this environmental inspection and his business faltered, this vulnerable woman and her child would be in major trouble. Prodded into action, he hurried back to his house to change.
He really had to get a grip where Lindsay was concerned, he warned himself while he shrugged on his nicest shirt and quickly did the buttons. If he wasn’t careful, the blue-eyed gypsy who’d broken his heart all those years ago was going to get under his skin and cause him all kinds of problems.
Again.
Shrugging away the past, he went through the side door of the forge and cranked the old heating furnace to full power. Then he snapped on all the lights and scaled the narrow metal steps that led to the catwalk running along the west end of the shop to ensure that everything was in place. The crucial piece of equipment that would—hopefully—allow him to operate his dinosaur of a forge in the modern world was as he’d left it early this morning. From its size and basic-looking construction, you’d never have guessed that the metal box and the pipes leading to it were going to make or break the future of his business.
Pass the inspection, it was full-steam ahead. Fail...
He wasn’t going to think about that, he decided firmly, batting the very real possibility aside. He was taking his shot at the moon, and fly or crash, he knew he’d done everything in his power to make it work. Well, almost.
Glancing up, he cocked his head and quietly said, “I know You’re real busy, but if You’ve got time, a little help would be great.”
Of course, he wouldn’t know if his prayer had been heard until Mr. Williams gave him the results of his assessment, Brian reminded himself as he carefully descended to the shop floor. That was the thing about the Almighty. Sometimes you had to wait for an answer, and even then you might not get the one you wanted. Then you had to take what He gave you and make the best of it.
That was why they called it faith.
Oddly enough, that thought boosted his spirits, and despite getting only a few hours of sleep, he felt pretty chipper as he headed into the lobby.
Lindsay met him in the seating area, which she’d given a very practical makeover so it was much more presentable to guests. Giving him a quick once-over that ended in a smile, she murmured, “Much better. Now you look like a bona fide businessman.”
“Thanks. Speaking of business, I was thinking...” He paused, giving the idea one more careful thought before deciding to charge ahead. “Once we get through this, make a list of what you think this place needs to get started out on the right foot.”
Truthfully, he couldn’t afford much, and he even doubted that he could manage to pay her for more than a few months. But Lindsay was stranded with nowhere else to go, and he simply couldn’t stand by and watch her suffer through the rest of her pregnancy alone.
“Does that mean you’ll hire me permanently?” she asked hopefully.
His chest constricted. Maybe if she knew about the shoestring budget he was confined to, she’d leave and save him the trouble of inventing a logical reason not to bring her on.
“Well, as you can see from the office and in here—” he spread his hands to indicate the mostly empty reception area “—I’m starting from scratch. I need someone who can do a lot with not very much and come up with ways to help me make this place tread water until Jordan gets here in the fall.”
“Do you have a website?”
Two steps ahead of him, as usual. But there was no way he was telling her that, so he shook his head. “I’m not a computer guy. Remember?”
“Well, that’s the place to start. Boutique companies like this need an online presence and storefront. That allows you to sell products to customers who’ve never even heard of Liberty Creek. Plus, you can track costs, inventory, payroll, taxes—all the important things that every business owner needs to have a handle on.”
The way she rattled off the list impressed him, and he grinned. “You sound like you know what you’re talking about.”
“After I worked for that law firm I mentioned, I was a temp for an agency that supplied legal admin help. I learned a lot, bouncing from one office to another.”
Brian heard the hesitance creeping back into her tone, and he debated whether or not to pursue the subject any further. She wasn’t his responsibility, but his gut was leaning toward hiring her. After some more mental tug-of-war, he swallowed his misgivings and leaped. “I can’t pay you much, and it’s part-time, but w
e can give it a shot.”
Joy drove the anxiety from her eyes, and she stood on tiptoe to hug him. As if realizing what she’d done, she quickly pulled back and beamed up at him. “Thank you, Brian. I know we didn’t end up at a good place before, but I promise not to let you down this time.”
Given their history, he wasn’t sure about that, but he forced a smile to avoid upsetting her. What’s the worst that could happen? They decided they couldn’t work together and ended up going their separate ways. He’d lived through that with her once and it hadn’t killed him. Chances were he could do it again.
“So,” she went on in a gentle tone. “Are you nervous about today?”
Relieved to have it in the open, he blew out a steadying breath. “You have no idea.”
“I don’t know about the mechanical stuff, but your paperwork’s done. I copied it at the bakery this morning. Ellie was more than happy to let me use her copier.”
“Aw, man.” He sighed. “I never would’ve thought of doing that.”
“That’s not your job. It’s mine.”
Their last-minute arrangement seemed to be working, with him doing the hands-on stuff and her handling the administrative end of things. He was still leery of leaning too heavily on her, but he had to admit that so far, they made a pretty good team.
Fortunately for his jangling nerves, the inspector was the punctual type, and a gray sedan was just pulling into the parking area. The suspense would be over soon, Brian mused wryly. One way or another.
When the door opened, he put on his friendliest face and walked over to meet his guest. Reminding himself to keep it simple, he held out his hand. “Good morning, Mr. Williams. I’m Brian Calhoun, and this is my office manager, Lindsay Holland. Welcome to Liberty Creek Forge.”
The middle-aged man wore a navy suit and rimless glasses that were fogging over in the warmer air inside the building. After shaking Brian’s hand, he wiped them on his scarf and gave the area a brief look before strolling through the hallway, stopping outside the open shop doors. Interest lit his dark eyes, and he turned to Brian. “You said this was a legacy blacksmith shop, but I didn’t realize everything was original to the building.”
Brian wasn’t sure how to take that, but he opted for a positive approach. “The tools haven’t changed much over the years, so if they’re not broken, we don’t replace them.”
“This is your family’s business, then?”
“Since 1820,” Brian informed him proudly.
“Fascinating.”
“May I take your coat, Mr. Williams?” Lindsay asked with one of her more dazzling smiles.
Clearly flattered by the attention, he returned the gesture as he shrugged off his wool dress coat. “Thank you, Ms. Holland.”
“Oh, please,” she batted away the formality with her free hand. “Call me Lindsay. It’s cold out there, so I picked up some Danish and made fresh coffee. Would you like any of either before you get started?”
“Both would be wonderful, thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.”
Walking ahead of him in the swaying motion Brian was still getting accustomed to, she was chattering away, giving him details about the history of the forge that sounded as if they were straight out of a local history book. By the time the three of them reached the office, Brian was beginning to think that Lindsay could have managed the entire interview all by herself.
Almost before he was sitting at the worktable she’d set up for him, Lindsay made sure their visitor had a mug imprinted with the forge’s logo and one of Gran’s melt-in-your-mouth cheese Danish. Then, blinding him with another warm smile, she pointed toward the desk and said, “I’ll leave the hard work to you two. I’ll be right over here if you need anything.”
The inspector thanked her again, and gave Brian an impressed look. “I thought this was going to be one of those struggling small-town companies I so often visit. Hiring competent staff is the mark of a smart businessman.”
“Yeah, she’s something else.” Brian caught her smirk out of the corner of his eye and added, “Would you excuse us a minute? We have a few things to go over for today.”
“Take your time,” their guest agreed, flipping open a small laptop that quickly hummed to life. “I’ll look through the information you’ve compiled and make notes of anything that requires more attention.”
Great, Brian groused silently, anticipating that the list would be long and painful. Since he hadn’t actually read any of the requirements for himself, he had no clue whether or not Lindsay had been able to pull all the documentation together. But there was no help for that now, so he settled for motioning her out front where they could speak in private.
“Flirting with the inspector, Holland?” he demanded in a whisper. “What’re you thinking?”
“That he’s a man, and many of the men I’ve met like a little ego boost whenever they can get one.”
“Is that really a good idea in this situation? You came on pretty strong in there.”
His outrage earned him a full-circle roll of those gorgeous baby blues. “He’s married, you idiot. I wouldn’t have done it otherwise.”
Brian hadn’t noticed a wedding ring, but then again he wasn’t in the habit of checking out things like that. Knowing that she was didn’t exactly sit right with him, but there didn’t seem to be any harm done, so he opted to let it go. “Fine, but from now on, take it easy on our visitors. We don’t wanna have to call the paramedics because you turned the charm on a little too hard.”
She gave him a curious look, then a little smile lifted her mouth into the very tempting bow shape his younger self had always had a hard time resisting. “You really think I have that much charm? Even now?” she pressed, holding her arms out wide.
He honestly did, but if he told her so, he suspected that she’d never let him live it down. “I’m just saying you should be more careful how you behave around men you don’t know. That’s all.”
The playfulness left her features, and she studied him intently. “You’re absolutely right, and I apologize if I went overboard. I realize that I’m representing Liberty Creek Forge to the outside world, and I promise to be more professional in the future.”
That wasn’t really what he’d meant, and it startled him to realize that he’d been more concerned for her personally than about how her behavior could impact his business. “Thanks. I’d appreciate it.”
“Anytime, boss.”
Flashing him a bright—but not flirtatious—grin, she went back into the office and sat primly behind the desk to continue going through a box filled with old files that probably hadn’t seen the light of day since before Brian was born. Busywork, she’d called it, to make her appear occupied but interruptable in case the inspector needed her to clarify something for him.
Brian had never worked in an office, so he had no clue what she was talking about. Normally, his days began when he woke up and ended when he finally fell into bed, too exhausted to notice how cold his unheated bedroom was. But today he had to at least act like the owner of a potentially successful blacksmith shop. After a long look into the production space where he felt so at home, he reluctantly dragged his feet back toward where his very official guest was waiting for him.
Praying that, somehow, this time tomorrow he’d still be in business.
* * *
“Surprise!”
Lindsay nearly jumped out of her skin when Ellie’s darkened living room lit up in a burst of lights and more than a dozen Calhouns appeared from their hiding places. Brian stepped in front of her in a protective motion that quickly eased her fright into something more palatable. Apparently, he’d been just as shocked as she had, and he retreated with a laugh. “You guys scared the life outta me.”
“Congratulations, honey,” his mother, Melinda, sang, coming forward to embrace him proudly. “We all knew you’d get
through that inspection with flying colors.”
“Yeah?” he teased, eyebrow cocked in amusement. “Then why all the hoopla? You could’ve just called to congratulate me.”
“Nonsense,” she scoffed, smacking his shoulder as Steve joined her, grinning with pride for his son’s accomplishment. Then, to Lindsay’s astonishment, Brian half turned and gently drew her forward. “I couldn’t have done it without Lindsay. She’s a whiz at cutting through red tape.”
“I’m not surprised a bit,” Melinda commented, folding Lindsay into a warm hug. “You were always so bright, and your legal expertise must have prepared you for all kinds of tough jobs. It’s wonderful to see you again.”
To the woman’s credit, her eyes stayed fixed on Lindsay’s, without even a glance at her widening middle. Lindsay hadn’t seen these people in years, and yet they seemed to know all about what she’d been up to. “It’s great to see you, too. Brian must’ve filled you in on—” she paused, uncertain of the correct way to phrase her thought, so she settled on “—everything.”
Melinda and a young woman nearby laughed as if they’d just heard the best joke ever.
“Brian?” the other woman echoed in a melodic Southern accent, sending him an aggravated look. “Not hardly. It’s great to meet you,” she added, offering her hand. “I’m Sam’s wife, Holly.”
Lindsay couldn’t wrap her head around the idea that this beaming, friendly woman was married to Brian’s reserved older brother. Then again, maybe he’d changed since she’d last seen him. So many things had. “It’s great to meet you, too. Thanks so much for the clothes you left at Ellie’s for me. It was really sweet of you.”
“You’re welcome. I know how expensive maternity stuff is, and I’m glad someone else can get some use out of those outfits. We moms have to stick together, don’t we?”
Intellectually, Lindsay understood that she was going to be a mother soon, but she didn’t often discuss it with anyone. Especially not a complete stranger. To hear Holly so breezily include her in that category made Lindsay uncomfortable for some reason. To her relief, Holly went on.