by Tanya Agler
Lucie had created a home.
What would it be like to find his way home every night to this?
While he’d love nothing more, this couldn’t be his. Not when his parents had lost everything.
He couldn’t pursue anything with Lucie with a clear conscience.
Her gaze met his, and her cheeks flushed a sweet pink, the same hue of his favorite flowering Carolina dogwood petals, yet he could only admire them from afar. “This has always been a part of me. It just took me a while to grow into myself.”
Midnight abandoned her weaving ways for her cat dish while Lucie scooped out dog kibble for Ladybug, whose grunts signaled impatience. The pellets dinged against the metal of her bowl, and Ladybug licked Lucie’s hand before turning her attention to the more important issue of a full stomach.
“Do you mind if I run back to Jonathan’s and eat breakfast? Then I’ll drive to the lodge. Once I have something substantial, I’ll give you the benefit of free labor for the whole day.”
Her shoulders stiffened and the bloom faded from her cheeks. “If you show up, I’ll put you to work.”
“I’ll be there. You can count on it.”
Her entire demeanor screamed disbelief that he’d follow through. While returning to Hollydale reminded him what he loved about it, he’d also witnessed the downside this morning. The town’s attitude toward Lucie had to change. She had to believe in people again. Friends helped friends. If he could only be her friend, so be it. He’d find a way to help her believe people were trustworthy without betraying his parents.
And he’d find a way to be around her without that feeling of home catching up to him and complicating everything.
If such ways existed, that was.
CHAPTER FOUR
CALEB LAY DOWN the wrench and took a long swig of water, glancing around the utility room in the heart of the wellness center basement. While the water heater and the industrial washers looked new, this ancient furnace was about ready for the junkyard. From his perspective, Lucie should have already called a repair company. The pilot light worked, and he’d performed common troubleshooting procedures. Out of ideas, he replaced the air filter, shut the door and wiped his hands.
A head popped around the corner and, not even a second later, Ethan came into full view. “Hey, Mr. Caleb. I’m all done with school for the day. Can I help?”
“Depending on how you look at it, you have perfect timing since there’s nothing more I can do. I’m putting my tools back in the box.” Caleb set his wrench and pliers in the top section and snapped the lid shut.
“Miss Georgie taught me and Mattie all about tools. She says a good worker cleans up after him or herself.” Ethan closed the distance between them, his gaze not leaving Caleb’s toolbox. “Do adults talk in riddles a lot?”
Caleb drank another sip of water and then wiped his mouth dry with his sleeve. “Depends on the adult. I try to say it like it is, so go ahead and tell me what’s on your mind. I might be able to help you figure out the answer.”
Ethan tapped his chin and scrunched his nose. “Miss Georgie also says it’s important to stay true to yourself and not let anyone change you.”
“Miss Georgie’s right.” Caleb lifted his water for another sip.
“Well, my friend Noah’s mom and dad change his little brother’s diapers all the time, and Noah says he stinks up the room. Is that because he’s letting someone else change him?”
Caleb sputtered his water every which way, as he couldn’t hold back his laughter. Walking away, Ethan jammed his hands in his pockets. Caleb placed his water bottle on his toolbox and rose. “Hold up. I laughed because you’re funny, not at you.”
Ethan stopped and turned back around, his grin slowly widening. “You really think I’m funny? Mattie tells me all the time I’m not as funny as I think I am.”
Speaking of Mattie, she entered the room, her arms folded, her foot tapping. “You shouldn’t be down here. Mommy said we weren’t supposed to bother him. I’m telling Mom you’re bugging Mr. Spindler.”
So this was sibling rivalry in action. He’d grown up an only child, so he’d never experienced it. “He’s not bugging me. I was about to come upstairs anyway.”
“And Mr. Caleb was going to show me his tools. I was here first.” Ethan scrambled to Caleb’s side.
“So? Miss Georgie’s tools are better.” Mattie popped her hands on her hips and faced Ethan with fire in her deep blue eyes, the mirror image of Lucie’s.
Later he’d have to ask Lucie how she navigated this constant tug-of-war. For now, he was on his own. Before he opened his mouth, another young girl entered, her long braids the same color as her large brown eyes. While she looked like she was a few years older than the twins, she didn’t appear old enough to be a full-fledged babysitter. “Here you are. I’ve been counting forever.”
How long was forever? Caleb blinked. “And you are?”
“I’m Rachel Harrison. Mattie and Ethan have told me all about you. How do you do?” Rachel threw back her braids and extended her hand, shaking his with a firm grip. “Are you in need of a matchmaker? I’m really good at getting couples together. I got my dad together with my stepmom, and she didn’t even want any money to marry him or anything.”
There was a story there, and he’d have to ask Lucie to explain later.
Caleb thoughtfully scratched his chin and swigged the last sip of water, wishing the bottle contained something stronger. Then again, if he’d been drinking spirits, he wouldn’t be able to keep up with these three—a person had to be on his toes around this crew. “Nice to meet you.” Caleb hesitated, unsure of how best to answer Rachel’s questions.
She stared at him with brown eyes, her fingers with purple polish tapping the wall as if indicating she was waiting for his answer about possibly hiring her. He thought he’d better clear the air.
“Thank you for your offer, but I’m happy with my bachelor status. I have no plans for getting married, and I’m definitely not in need of a matchmaker.”
Lucie rounded the corner and he stemmed back his groan. It was one thing to admit his relationship status to a young girl, but he hadn’t meant to do so in front of Lucie.
“Why is everyone gathered down here?” Lucie rubbed her arms together. “Is it that cold upstairs?”
He might as well start with the easiest part. “It’s not the pilot light or anything obvious. You’ll need to call your repair service.”
“Already did that. He can’t come out until tomorrow, although I was hoping against hope you’d tell me you’d fixed it and I could cancel that appointment.” She sighed and he could almost see her running calculations in her head. “I hope it wasn’t that blasted bird pecking at my chimney that caused this.”
“No chance of any furnace wires being located in your chimney. But about that blasted bird...” Caleb hesitated, the kids gathering around like he was the Pied Piper. It must be what Lucie felt like all the time. How animals and children could be so at home around her while the townspeople withheld their forgiveness was something he couldn’t grasp. “If you see it, take a picture of it. My boss wants confirmation it’s in the area. We’d like to start documenting the Timber River woodpecker’s whereabouts.”
“My dad’s talked about that bird.” Rachel tugged on the sleeve of her puffy pink coat. “My new grandma bought him and Georgie tickets for a fancy dinner. Miss Georgie said she’ll go on account of some of the proceeds protecting animals. Dad told her he can’t wait to see her in the dress Miss Lucie picked out for her.” Rachel tucked her hand into Lucie’s. “It’s a pretty dress.”
“Thank you. I had fun picking it out with her.” She and Rachel looked at each other and burst out laughing at their inside joke. In the time he worked at Yellowstone, he’d never formed a friendship close enough to rate inside jokes, and he and Leah hadn’t progressed to that stage of their relations
hip.
Someday he wanted a relationship with inside jokes.
“The bird that’s making all that noise on our chimney is special? It’s really loud.” Ethan’s scowl was plenty evidence of his taking his mother’s side.
Caleb stepped toward Ethan and knelt so their gazes met. “The Timber River woodpecker is endangered. If people don’t come together and help the bird, we could lose its beauty forever. If we protect the bird and its environment, it might not become extinct.”
“What’s extinct?” Ethan tilted his head to one side.
“It means there’ll be no more of them, silly.” Mattie moved next to her brother and nudged his ribs.
“Don’t call your brother silly. It’s not polite. Please apologize.” Lucie’s firm tone brooked no argument.
“Sorry,” Mattie muttered, tapping her sneakered foot against the cement floor.
Ethan leaned forward and tugged on the bottom of Caleb’s brown flannel shirt. “I know where the bird’s nest is. Can you keep the nest safe so there can be more of them?”
Better yet, Caleb would take a picture and send it to Owen for verification. Then he’d look for more and map out the habitat area. “I’d like to see it.” Caleb nodded before glancing at Lucie.
“Let’s go find that nest.” Lucie laughed. “Besides, it’s warmer outside than inside.”
The slight edge to her voice conveyed some of the pressure she must be feeling. Pressure to make this venture a success. Not enough for her to toss and turn all night, but enough for someone who knew her well to worry about her. He’d do everything he could to ease her burden.
Caleb picked up the toolbox and headed for the stairs, waving the others ahead of him. “Lead the way, Ethan.”
“Yesss.” Ethan clenched his fist in victory. “Hey, Mattie, you have to follow me.”
Caleb didn’t miss the way Lucie rolled her eyes before moving forward. Maybe it was time for him to do the same. While his heart liked that idea, his head thought of his parents and the money they’d lost. If he stayed in the past, though, he’d lose out on something that could be real and lasting, something that could bring laughter and inside jokes and the home he’d dreamed of in that hospital bed so long ago.
* * *
THEY PASSED THE ropes course, and Lucie pulled herself together. An impossible morning had turned into a catastrophic afternoon. She’d arrived to a freezing lodge only to discover the furnace system had stopped working and the technician couldn’t show up until tomorrow to give her an estimate for the repair. Caleb’s arrival shouldn’t have come as a surprise—he’d come when he’d said he would—but she’d been surprised nonetheless. Now the quintet was traveling deep into the woods, past the labeled nature trails, to find the nest of an endangered woodpecker, much farther than seven-year-old Ethan was supposed to venture out on his own without adult supervision.
“Ethan Christopher Decker. What were you thinking hiking this far away from the lodge? You could have gotten lost.” She kept her voice terse, hiding her fear of something having happened to him.
“I wasn’t alone, Mommy. Miss Natalie was with me and Mattie. We were ’sploring for treasure.”
Lucie would need to have a talk with her friend about exploring closer to home. As a kindergarten teacher, Natalie sometimes got carried away with using the world around her as a canvas for learning. “If an adult was with you, that’s okay, but don’t wander this far again, and especially not on your own.”
“Yes, Mommy.” Ethan sounded chastised, but then his body quaked with nervous energy and his finger pointed toward a decaying tree. “In the hollow over there. That’s where Miss Natalie said the treasure was. Bird eggs.”
They all peered into the hollow where the trunk of the tree had split in two. A round bundle of sticks and twigs formed a nest with three eggs safe inside. Lucie stepped back at the same time everyone else did, the beauty of the scene settling in. “Why isn’t the nest higher up?”
Caleb clicked several photos with his phone and nodded. “Woodpeckers look for tree hollows and other types of holes. They’re what are known as cavity nesters.”
“How do you know so much about birds?” Mattie leaned back and folded her arms.
“I’m a park ranger, and I’m about to start a new job at the Timber River Park.” Caleb smiled and placed his phone in his back pocket. “I love drawing birds and nature. When I knew your mommy a long time ago, sometimes I gave her the drawings from my sketchbook.”
Until now, Lucie had forgotten those rare presents, all the more precious given what she’d been through since those carefree days. She loved coming out here, free of the pretensions of the rich girl, and soaking up everything around her, reveling in the greenery surrounding her. Come to think of it, those moments were part of the bond to this area that made her so reluctant to leave. Even now, in the busyness of her world, moments like these renewed her and reminded her why she’d committed to this path.
Mattie reached for Lucie’s hand and gave a light squeeze. “Do you still have any of Mr. Caleb’s sketches, Mommy?”
“I don’t know.” The plain unvarnished truth sometimes hurt.
Caleb’s drawings had leaped off the pages—the birds often appeared lifelike and in flight rather than stationary two-dimensional images. “Time to go back to the lodge.”
“But it’s cold inside.” Mattie released Lucie’s hand.
“Then run like me.” Ethan jogged circles around a log.
Lucie shook her head. “I think I have the ingredients for hot chocolate.”
“Yippee!” Ethan cheered and started ahead on the trail before turning around. “What about marshmallows? Hot chocolate’s not the same without marshmallows.”
“I think there’s a package in the pantry.”
The girls let out a whoop and caught up with Ethan.
Lucie raised her voice. “Stay in our sight. I don’t want to lose anyone.”
“Including me?” Caleb’s voice sounded from behind. “Ethan’s a boy after my own heart. Marshmallows make everything better.”
She smiled, appreciating the lightness in his tone.
“I take my hot chocolate straight. Unless there happens to be some whipped cream around.” Lucie had never cared for marshmallows, although she kept a supply on hand for Ethan and Mattie.
“More’s the pity and more for me, then.” Caleb’s boots crunched in the leafy vegetation. “That is, if I’m invited. For hot chocolate, I’ll even come back and help you tomorrow.”
This was getting too cozy. She’d fallen for one man’s quips and look where that had gotten her. Investigated by the government. Almost arrested. Broke with no safety net. She’d best put the brakes on, and fast. With the twins and Rachel out of hearing range but still within line of sight, Lucie needed to ask that favor of him. Then whether he’d want to stay would be another question.
“Sierra came by for her paperwork while you were in the basement. She can’t start until next Monday since she’s finishing her yoga certification this week, and I could use your assistance with the installation of the audio-visual equipment tomorrow morning. Hot chocolate’s the least I can do, considering...”
“I’m not another obligation. As a matter of fact—”
Lucie held up her hand, cutting him off. “Before you go any further, let me get something off my chest.” Lucie hated keeping anything back, and she’d contacted him for a specific reason. She needed to lay it on the line. “You’re welcome to stay, no matter what. The hot chocolate is a thank-you, not a condition.”
“I’m more and more intrigued, but then, you always were the most interesting girl in our class.”
With that pronouncement, Lucie lost her footing and stumbled, his arms reaching out and steadying her before she fell face-first into the dense pile of leaves surrounding them. His warm hands, strong and secure, kept her upright, and hi
s sense of steadiness permeated deep, almost as intense as the smell of leaves and his citrusy cologne. Attraction flooded her. There was something solid about Caleb, as enduring as the forest on her property, which bordered the Park Service’s land.
If she didn’t watch out, she could find herself trusting him...
And he’d already said he had no intention of getting married or letting anyone play matchmaker for him. So it wasn’t like he was available, even if she intended to date again, which didn’t figure into her plans.
“I wasn’t the most interesting girl. Not by a long shot. Georgie Harrison is much more together and independent.” She bounded two steps away from Caleb. With much-needed distance between them, she set her shoulders in an effort to appear as cool as the weather.
“Georgie who? I remember Georgie Bennett, but you two weren’t close.” Caleb caught up with her. She seized the moment to take a good look at him and liked the way he carried his broad shoulders with authority. He tapped his stubble, an attractive addition for him.
“She moved away for a while, but she came back and married Mike Harrison, who’s now the sheriff. When they were going through some issues, we mended our fences. She’s my best friend, and Rachel is her stepdaughter.” Lucie kept an eye on the group ahead before scanning the ground so she wouldn’t trip again.
And so she wouldn’t lose her nerve by searching those hazel depths of his. Any way she could stem this growing attraction to him had to be done and fast.
“Good to know.”
“Georgie is now a co-owner of Max’s Auto Repair. She and Mitzi Mayfield, the owner of A New You, the salon downtown, helped me create a business plan. Mitzi and my aunt, who lives in California, decided this was a good opportunity.” Her voice wobbled, betraying too much. She didn’t take others’ investments lightly. More than that, she cared about Caleb’s perception of her as a business owner.
“Hey, you don’t have to be nervous around me.”
She glanced at him, the same guy who she’d spent more time with than anyone else in high school, someone who’d always treated her as an equal, even when others dismissed her as a rich debutante. She felt at ease around Caleb; that came when someone accepted you and let you be yourself. She breathed out, happy to be around someone who didn’t judge her and find her wanting.