by Linda Turner
He had her and they both knew it. Talk about dumb luck! She’d never step out her front door again without thinking of him! Her heart thumped at the thought, irritating her no end, but she just smiled sweetly at him. “Did I mention that I’m not looking for a man? How patient are you?”
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” he said with a chuckle. “This is going to be fun.”
She gave him a withering look, but before she could tell him he was setting himself up for a fall, her grandmother returned with the pie Turk had brought. It was now nicely browned and bubbling. “Now we can have dessert,” she said happily.
Quickly returning to the kitchen for the coffee she’d made, she took her seat and glanced back and forth between the two of them. “Well? How’s it going? Are you friends yet?”
“Not exactly,” Rachel said dryly.
“We were just discussing the fact that we’re neighbors,” Turk retorted, winking at her as he took the piece of pie she offered him. “I don’t know how Rachel feels about coincidence, but I don’t think there’s any such thing. Everything happens for a reason.”
“It’s a small town,” she pointed out. “You were bound to live somewhere close by.”
“But next door? C’mon, Rachel, what are the odds? I’m telling you, it’s fate.”
“He’s got a point, dear,” Evelyn said with a chuckle. “Somebody upstairs obviously wanted the two of you to meet.” Turning her attention back to Turk, she grinned. “So do you think you’re going to like Hunter’s Ridge? It’s a great place to live…and raise a family. Do you want children, Turk?”
“Gran—”
At Rachel’s warning tone, Evelyn told Turk, “She thinks I’m being too personal. I was just curious. So many young people today are so interested in their careers that they don’t have time to have children. And since you’re a doctor, your career must be very important to you….”
“It’s important,” he agreed, finishing the last bite of his pie, “it’s just not everything. That’s one of the reasons I moved to Hunter’s Ridge. My grandfather was a small-town doctor, and his patients weren’t just people he saw when they were sick. He was friends with everyone in town. I hope I can have the same kind of life in Hunter’s Ridge.”
“Oh, you can,” Evelyn assured him. “We need a good doctor. And Rachel can introduce you around….”
“I’m counting on it,” he said with a grin. “Now, I really have to go, ladies. Thanks for dinner and dessert, but I’ve really got to be going. Next time’ll be my treat.”
He was gone with a wink and a grin, and Rachel told herself she was glad. If her heart was knocking against her ribs and she had a feeling she wasn’t going to shake Turk Garrison nearly as easily as she’d like, she kept that to herself. Her grandmother was already far too pleased with herself, as it was.
“He’s perfect for you.”
Rachel rolled her eyes at her grandmother’s delighted words. “No, he’s not! What were you thinking…telling him I’d show him around town? He’s already too cocky as it is.”
“He’s just pushing your buttons,” her grandmother told her, chuckling. “And he’s really good at it. I’m telling you…you should go after that young man. He’s a doctor, for heaven’s sake, and you know that’s what you wanted. Someone kind and caring and intelligent. Those were your exact words.”
“Yes, but—”
“And he likes children. He’s charming, attractive, everything a woman could want in a husband. And he lives right next door to you! What’s not to love?”
“I’ve had a husband, Gran,” she reminded her. “I don’t want another one.”
“I know that, sweetheart. And I understand. What Jason did to you was outrageous, and I don’t blame you for not wanting to jump back into a relationship. But Jason was the exception, not the rule. Give Turk a chance. You could do worse, sweetheart. A lot worse. He’s quite charming.”
When Rachel just gave her a baleful look, she laughed. “Okay, okay. I’ve had my say—it’s your decision, your choice. I’ll keep my opinion to myself.”
“Yeah, right,” Rachel drawled. “You couldn’t keep your opinion to yourself if your life depended on it.”
Her blue eyes twinkling, Evelyn didn’t deny it. “Opinions are like…birthdays. Everyone’s got one, but they’re no fun if you don’t share them.”
It took all of ten minutes for Turk to walk home. As he strode up the front walk, he found his gaze drifting to the house next door. So the very cute Ms. Martin slept fifty feet away from his bedroom. Who knew? He couldn’t wait to tease her about that and watch her eyes snap.
Caught up in the image, he was jerked back to his surroundings by the ringing of his cell phone. Checking the caller ID, he groaned. Another call from his mother. Irritated with him for walking away from the big-city practice that had been planned for him from the moment he’d been born, his father had washed his hands of him. His mother, on the other hand, hadn’t given up nearly as easily. She’d called him every day since he’d left and pleaded with him to reconsider his decision.
Knowing today would be no different, he was tempted not to answer. He could always claim his battery was dead and he never got the call. But guilt tugged at him and he knew he couldn’t do it. So he flipped open his phone and said, “Hi, Mom. If you’re calling again to try to change my mind, let’s don’t go there today. Okay? We’ve already been there, and there’s no point in rehashing everything.”
To her credit, she didn’t cry as he’d half expected. Instead, she sighed, “If you insist. I just feel like you made a hasty decision—”
“I’ve been thinking about doing this since I was twelve years old, Mom. There’s nothing hasty about it. I know what I want, so if that’s why you called…”
“Wait! Don’t hang up. I called to tell you that Becky Richards called this morning. She’s moved back to Dallas and would love to see you.”
If Turk hadn’t been prepared for such a tactic, he would have laughed. He’d taken Becky Richards to the junior-senior prom and had only one other date with her before she dumped him for the captain of the football team. From what he remembered, they’d graduated from high school without ever going out again.
“C’mon, Mom! This is just another excuse to get me to come back to Dallas, and it’s not going to work. You know I don’t care about Becky Richards. That’s ancient history.”
“You liked her once—”
“I was sixteen! Will you stop! I’m not coming back to Dallas for Becky Richards or anyone else. This is my home now. I’m sorry you and Dad can’t accept that.”
“We just want what’s best for you,” she sniffed. “If you just weren’t so stubborn!”
“I come by it honestly,” he said wryly. “Look, I’ve got to get back to work on the house. I’ll call you guys Thursday night. Okay?”
She wasn’t happy about being cut off, but she grudgingly said, “Okay. Just think about what I said.”
“I will,” he promised. “I love you. Tell Dad I’ll talk to him Thursday.”
He hung up before she could think of another argument, but he’d barely clipped his phone back on his belt when it rang again. Snatching it back to his ear, he said, “You didn’t have to call me back to tell me you love me. I already know that.”
Expecting his mother to scold him for hanging up so abruptly, he was met with nothing but silence. Surprised, he pulled the phone away from his ear to check caller ID, and swore silently when he saw it was a private number. Without a word, he quickly hung up.
Even as his stomach knotted with tension and a voice in his head told him that Laureen had somehow gotten his new cell phone number, his common sense told him he was being paranoid. He’d given the new number to only two people—his parents. And as much as they wanted him back in Dallas, they would never give his number to anyone, especially Laureen. They didn’t even know her.
He had nothing to worry about, he told himself as he shook off his troubled thoughts and w
ent inside to change into his work clothes. Five minutes later, he was back at work, tearing out Sheetrock, and Laureen was just a distant, unpleasant memory that had no place in his new life.
Chapter 4
The next morning, Turk arrived at the bakery bright and early, only to discover ten people lined up ahead of him, waiting for the doors to open. So much for getting there first and having some time to flirt with Rachel before the rest of her customers arrived, he thought ruefully. He’d just have to do it in front of half the town.
The doors opened promptly at six, just as they had, no doubt, for the past fifty years. Across a sea of heads, Turk’s eyes met Rachel’s, and she immediately stiffened. Amused, he wondered if she had a clue how easy she was to tease. Before he could even say good morning, however, he was swept inside by the crowd, and almost immediately, the warm scent of yeast and baking bread and cinnamon attacked his senses. His mouth watered, his stomach grumbled, and just that quickly, she had the advantage in the little game of flirting he was waging.
“You don’t fight fair,” he told her when it was his time to order.
Surprised, she eyed him warily. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Of course you do,” he quipped. “A man comes in here all prepared to flirt and tease and dazzle you with his wit, but before he can say a word, he gets a whiff of the scents floating from your kitchen, and all he can think about is his stomach. It’s really quite irritating.”
She didn’t smile, but for a split second, he thought her lips twitched. Then she stiffened, her brows knitting in a scowl, and he almost laughed. Maybe he was getting to her, after all!
“You can stuff the flirting,” she told him coolly. “The only thing that’s going to get you anywhere in here is money for your order. What’ll you have? Coffee and a French twist? Or something a little more adventuresome for the new doctor in town? How about a pig in a blanket?”
He grinned. “A pig in a blanket, huh? You think I don’t know what that is, don’t you? I’ll have you know, I make them all the time.”
“Oh, really? So what are they?”
“Pigs…must be pork…ham?”
“Breakfast sausage,” she said dryly, “baked in a roll.”
“Try them and be done with it,” an older man at the end of the line growled. “If you want to flirt, do it on your own time. You’re holding all these people up.”
“Stop that, Stu Butler!” the gray-haired woman in front of him in line scolded. “Let the man flirt. If you’d done it more at his age, we might still be married!”
Everyone in the bakery burst into laughter, but Turk had to give the old man credit—he joined in. “You never did have any trouble telling it like it is, Ethel. Okay, I’ll let the man flirt.”
“Actually, I’m done,” Turk chuckled. “For now. I’ll just sit in the corner and eat my pigs in a blanket and watch the lady work.”
In five seconds flat, Rachel had his order together. “You know, you could eat this down by the river,” she said. “It’s a good morning to watch the ducks.”
“No, thanks,” he retorted, handing her a five dollar bill. “I like the view here just fine.”
Grinning, he dropped the change she returned to him in the tip jar, then moved to one of the few empty tables in the dining area. Irritated, Rachel tried to ignore him, but the man was impossible! He made no secret of the fact that he was watching her every move, and her customers loved it. Fighting grins—grinning outright, dammit!—they watched Turk watch her and whispered among themselves, actually taking bets on how long it would take for her to come to her senses and go out with the man. And he was loving it. Every time her gaze drifted to his, he had a grin as big as Texas on his face.
This was, she decided, all her grandmother’s fault! If she hadn’t set that darn cherry pie on the side porch to cool, he would have never come bearing gifts at suppertime, and her grandmother wouldn’t have asked him to stay, and he would have never seen her refusal to go out with him as some kind of challenge. This had to stop!
But as much as she wanted to tell Turk in front of God and everyone that he was wasting his time, she knew better. That would only make him more determined. Her gut instinct told her the only way she was going to discourage him was to act completely disinterested.
But how was she supposed to do that when her heart was pounding like crazy and she felt like a sixteen-year-old who’d just been asked out by the captain of the football team? She was losing her mind, she decided. Or suffering from a midlife crisis. She was too old for these kinds of feelings! And she wasn’t looking for a man! Why was she having such a difficult time remembering that?
Frustrated, thoroughly disgusted with herself, she tried to ignore the dining area completely and concentrate on the customers lined up for their morning fix of doughnuts and coffee, but that was impossible. Every time she turned toward the cash register, he was right in her line of sight. And she didn’t have to see the spark of mischief in his eyes to know that he knew exactly what he was doing to her. Heat climbing her cheeks, she turned quickly away, but not before she saw his grin deepen. Oh, he was enjoying this!
She should have been relieved when he finally left. But when he pushed to his feet and stretched like a lazy cat, her mouth went dry. And when he winked at her and walked out, she knew he’d be back again tomorrow. And her heart thundered just at the thought.
“He’s something else, isn’t he?” Karen Hudson sighed. “Where was he when I was single? Hell, where was he when I was married the first three times?”
“C’mon, Karen,” Rachel chided, shocked. “You and Justin are nuts about each other.”
“Of course we are,” she retorted. “But I’m not blind, sweetie. And I’ll still be appreciating a man like that when I’m a hundred and two. Why in heaven’s name aren’t you going out with him? And don’t tell me you’re not interested. Any woman with any blood in her veins would fall all over herself to go out with a man like that. So why aren’t you?”
What was she supposed to say to that? “He’s not my type,” she finally replied, and tried to believe it.
The bell attached to the door rang then, reminding her that she had other customers, and she turned to greet the distraction with a sigh of relief. Then she saw who it was—Mildred Johnson, followed closely by a man who was, no doubt, her nephew, Benny. Mildred had been telling her for weeks that Benny was moving to town, hinting all the while that she hoped that he would find a nice woman and finally settle down. Rachel didn’t doubt for a second that Mildred expected her to be that nice woman.
Her gaze shifted to the nephew, and she could see why Mildred felt the need to find Benny a date. He wasn’t exactly an attractive man. A sloppy dresser who was at least thirty pounds overweight, he was pale as a ghost, had small eyes that were lost behind the thick lenses of his glasses, and he looked as if he hadn’t combed his hair in a week. Even if she’d been looking for a man, she wouldn’t have gone out with Benny if he’d literally been the last man on earth. And if the continuation of the species had been contingent upon procreating with him, then mankind would have simply ceased to exist—it was that simple.
Mildred, however, wasn’t a woman who was easily discouraged. An acquaintance of Rachel’s grandmother, she had a reputation for never bending once she’d made up her mind about something. And she’d obviously decided that Rachel was the perfect woman for her nephew.
Oh, she hadn’t come right out and said the words, but Rachel wasn’t an idiot. She’d been ignoring Mildred’s hints about Benny for weeks, and now here he was, God help her.
Wishing she’d called in sick—like she would!—she forced a weak smile as the two of them approached the front counter. “Good morning, Mildred. You’re out early this morning.”
“I just picked up my nephew at the bus station,” she said happily. “He was starving for a decent cup of coffee and a Danish, and I knew you would fix him right up. Rachel, this is Benny.” As she turned to her nephew, the
usually unyielding lines of her face cracked into an amazingly tender smile. “This is the woman I’ve been telling you about, sweetheart. I think you two are really going to hit it off.”
His beady little eyes swept over Rachel, examining every inch of her. “Well, you’re a surprise. I didn’t think Aunt Mildred had such good taste.”
“Benny really needs someone to show him around town, Rachel,” Mildred said eagerly. “I thought maybe you would know someone…”
Rachel wasn’t fooled. She expected her to show Benny around and that wasn’t happening. “Actually, I don’t know anyone,” she said lightly, “but if Benny wants to meet people, he should join the Hunter’s Ridge Garden Club. From what I understand, there are a lot of single women in the club. I’m sure one of them would be happy to show Benny the sights and introduce him around town.”
Mildred frowned, irritation flashing in her eyes. “Oh, but, I was hoping—”
“I don’t need to join a garden club to find a woman!”
Aunt and nephew spoke at the same time, making no effort to disguise their annoyance. Rachel could, she supposed, understand why they were more than a little miffed with her, but the sooner they understood that she wasn’t the answer to their prayers, the better. “I’m sorry I can’t be of more help,” she said with wide-eyed innocence, “but I can’t think of anyone else. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m needed in the back. Benny, it was a pleasure meeting you. If you’re interested in joining the garden club, someone at the chamber of commerce can tell you when the next meeting is.”
Not waiting for a response, she retreated to the kitchen and sent one of her helpers to the front to wait on Mildred and Benny. She didn’t come out again until long after they’d left. She was, she knew, acting like a coward, but Mildred was a woman who didn’t take no for an answer. She could butt heads with her if she had to, but she preferred to just avoid her. If she steered clear of her long enough, surely Benny would get the message, even if his aunt didn’t.
Pleased with the idea, she released a silent sigh of relief. Then she remembered that glint of smug assurance in Benny’s beady little eyes. If he was as determined as his aunt, discouraging him wasn’t going to be nearly as easy as she’d hoped.