But until then, Sarah Ashley would just be true to herself. That meant she’d always make sure she had the upper hand and the control. Her sister had given her both with her slipup about wanting her own business.
Sarah Ashley decided to give Grace a break. She’d meant what she had told Grace. Sisters helped each other.
For all her sister’s smarts, Grace lacked a backbone. She lacked fight. Sarah Ashley had too much. After all, she hadn’t moved home to sit in her bedroom window like some neglected princess, waiting for her Prince Charming to rescue her. No, she’d come home to prove to her husband she was a queen.
Now she’d get Grace to realize whatever she wanted was worth fighting for. That Grace herself was worth fighting for. She’d force Grace’s inner queen out and teach her what it meant to conquer her world. That’s what a good fellow queen would do.
Sarah Ashley strode toward Brewster’s storefront, working on her new strategy in her mind. It was unfortunate that building a kingdom happened one small magisterial step at a time. She’d have liked to already have been crowned.
CHAPTER NINE
GRACE HEADED FOR the storage room turned temporary recovery area for Sunshine and Lucky, since Pops was in session on the porch. She tried to stall another yawn and find a reason, beyond her pregnancy, for the tiredness. But the day held none of the taxing highs and lows like yesterday. Yesterday, she’d shared her secret with Ethan (a relief), rewrote the inventory database (frustrating), lent a hand to save two dogs (rewarding) and hurt her sister’s feelings (deflating).
Today, Sarah Ashley managed the cash register without assistance and caused only one minor hiccup over a return. That left Grace time to finish paperwork and answer questions from the steady flow of customers. Working on the floor gave her the chance to catch up on the residents’ lives. Connecting with the people of Falcon Creek was one of her favorite parts about the store. She worried about losing that connection when she moved and opened her own business.
She swallowed around the snag in her throat. Building her business was the right thing to do. She’d have to find other ways to keep connected with the town’s residents.
She should be happy. This afternoon she’d secured her second new client, bringing her total to four, including the Blackwell Ranch. Grandma Brewster’s reminder that slow and steady won the race whispered through her. Every client brought her an inch closer to a firm that could thrive like Brewster’s—the business her grandmother had built with passion and hard work, and with Pops always by her side. Grace might not have a partner beside her, but she had the passion and drive. That would be enough.
Grace stopped in the entryway to the storage room, her breath lodged against a snag in her throat. Ethan sat on the floor, Lucky stretched across his lap and Sunshine’s head propped against his leg. He stroked the dogs, gentle and easy, as if he had all the time in the world and no place he’d rather be.
There was something about him too. Something she couldn’t quite define, but that pulled her to him and made her wish... Grace grabbed a mint from the package in her tote bag and reminded herself she wasn’t tossing a quarter into a wishing well. And giving voice to any impossible wishes. To do so would be dangerous. “The dogs look like they’re going to make a full recovery.”
“They’ll be fine.” Ethan fluffed the blankets beside him, shifted Lucky onto the soft pile and adjusted the bedding around the sleeping puppy.
Would he do the same for a restless newborn? Rock the baby to sleep and tuck him or her back into bed. Or would he be content to hold a baby for the whole night? Grace squeezed the candy in her hand. She really needed to learn Ethan’s intentions when it came to their child, in case she had to make adjustments, like for him not being here and locking down her heart permanently.
One last rub across Sunshine’s back and he stood up. “Ready to head to the ranch? I’m starving. Your mom already stashed a Crock-Pot of beef burgundy in my truck. It smells like our kitchen used to when my mom cooked. Inviting and delicious.”
Grace wrinkled her nose and unwrapped her mint. “It’s all yours.”
Ethan joined her in the hallway and grinned. “You’re addicted to that chicken noodle soup we have at the house, aren’t you?”
“Not quite.” If she wasn’t careful, she’d become addicted to him and the glint in his gaze. Grace tossed the mint into her mouth, interrupting the misstep in her thoughts. She wasn’t addicted to Ethan, only his soup. She considered driving straight home. Better to call it a night before her sleep-deprived mind completely derailed her.
Ethan pressed his hand against her lower back and guided her out to the parking lot. One small move toward him and she’d be tucked fully into his side. There was something reassuring and capable about Ethan. If she rested her head on his shoulder, would he watch over her? Not that she wanted that kind of undivided attention. She just wanted to take a quick power nap. Or maybe an extended nap that lasted until morning. But not in his bed. In her own bed, in her own room.
Grace inhaled the brisk evening air desperate to find her focus. Settling on something that wouldn’t encourage her to edge closer to Ethan, she said, “Dr. Lancaster was in the store earlier. He put the stitches in your head after you collided with Gordy during a touch football game in high school. I remember Sarah Ashley coming home and crying about the mess your face was when she dropped you off at Dr. Lancaster’s office. Well, I promised him I’d ask you to check his macaw, Peabody.”
“No.” His voice was rigid, uncompromising. So very different from the gentle, compassionate man in the storage room only moments ago.
Surprised at his swift denial, Grace stopped beside Ethan’s truck and rounded on him. His hand no longer lingered on her back, but the warmth of his touch remained. She searched his gaze for that same warmth. Only a cool hardness stared back at her. “But you have to.”
“Why?” He stood, feet braced apart, arms crossed over his chest. The rays of the setting sun framed him in shadows that lengthened the distance between them.
How could he be so unkind to the people he’d known all his life? The same people who were her friends and customers. The same people she looked after and who looked after her. That was what made Falcon Creek so special. Couldn’t he see that? “It’s important to take care of the people in your community. That’s your job.”
His eyes narrowed, his expression never softened, even his shoulders looked rigid. Inflexible.
Grace searched his face for any ounce of weakness. Any way past his resolve. There hadn’t been any defenses up, during their one night together. That night, Ethan had confessed he’d had a falling-out with his grandfather during his senior year in high school. Big E had tried to tie his grandson to the Blackwell Ranch and Ethan had resented his grandfather’s control. Ethan had accepted his diploma from Principal Hatcher and left Falcon Creek two days later. He hadn’t just walked away from his grandfather though, he’d left his childhood home and everyone associated with it. He’d come back now only at his brother’s emotional request.
The mint dissolved in her mouth, yet its refreshing sensation never overcame her. Rather, her throat scratched as if she’d swallowed dry sand. Sarah Ashley had been wrong. It didn’t matter if Ethan could love her, he was never moving back to Falcon Creek. And she was never leaving. That truth scraped through her and cut her voice into a rasp. “You don’t like being home.”
“I like being with my brother and nieces.” He allowed nothing more. Simply pressed his lips together and waited.
What about her? Did he like being with Grace? She rubbed her arms, smoothing away the chill that had nothing to do with the night’s approach. He was having a baby he never wanted. Surely, that was one more con on that side of his Falcon Creek list.
His voice broke through the silence. “I saw a potential office space for your business. You should look at it.”
“No.” The word burst
out as if she’d launched it between them. He’d moved on years ago. She wouldn’t be pushed.
“But it’s important.” His voice was mild. Too chiding. “You have to have the right office to take care of your customers. What about the community and their financial needs?”
Now Grace’s focus tightened on Ethan. He was stubborn, but Grace was more than determined. “Ha. You’re the only one who can treat Peabody.”
“I don’t have a license to practice in this state.” He eyed her. “About that office space.”
Grace tipped her chin up and met his challenge. “I don’t have my own business yet.”
“You seriously won’t go see the place?” he asked. “What if it’s the perfect building?”
“What if Dr. Lancaster loses his favorite pet ever?” She pushed. Couldn’t stop herself. Had to know that his helping Gordy’s dogs wasn’t the exception. Had to know if he had any compassion for the town that meant so much to her. Had to know that the people of Falcon Creek weren’t so easily forgotten. That she wasn’t forgettable.
She persevered. “His wife died last year, so it’s just him and Peabody in that big house together. I think people in town make up illnesses just to see Dr. Lancaster to check on him. Every week, my mom cooks dinner for him and I drop it off.”
He watched her. Stoic and silent as if unmoved by her rush of words.
Frustration surged. “Dr. Lancaster is Big E’s doctor.”
“Why is that important?” Surprise and confusion tinged his voice.
“Because he’s practically family.” Grace always put family first. Always.
But the Blackwell boys had lost so much of theirs. First, their grandmother Dorothy had left their grandfather after a dispute with their daughter. Then the boys’ parents had died in a freak accident.
From what she’d heard over the years since, it had been those two events that had started a series of chaotic marriages for Big E. To the man’s credit he had taken on the task of raising five young boys. Adults now, almost all of the Blackwell brothers purposely lived thousands of miles apart from each other and their childhood home.
She reached out. Her apology ready. Her fingers brushed against the cold air as Ethan turned away.
“You’re probably cold.” He opened the truck door and pointed at the passenger seat. “Hop in.”
Grace studied him; tension still pulsed around him, but his frown had eased, his gaze had tempered. Seeking the warmth, Grace climbed inside and tracked Ethan’s path around the front of the truck. He paused, only a momentary midstep, to lift his gaze toward the mountains. He shook his head. Once. Twice, as if he’d come to a decision.
“Okay, Grace.” He slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine. “But this is the last house call I make for a pet in town. The last one.”
Grace settled back and buckled her seat belt.
“We’re driving by that potential office on the way. If you like it, you just have to call Dana Brantley. She’s the listing agent.”
And one of Grace’s friends. She’d had lunch with Dana last week—they’d discussed upcoming horse shows, not rental property. Grace kept silent. She’d already argued for Peabody. That was enough for now.
Five minutes later, Ethan stopped at the curb in front of a single-story house with a For Lease sign staked in the front yard.
“It’s a house.” Her voice held no more force than a whisper.
“It’s a space to live and work in.” Eagerness streamed into his tone. “Office in front, home in back. I figure you’ll want the baby close while you work.”
But it was a house. For a family: a couple, two kids and their dog. “It’s...”
“You don’t like it?” He leaned closer to her and looked out her window as if trying to see the house like she did.
“I was thinking more of a traditional office.” And less of a traditional home. This was happening. She was having a baby without a husband. She thought she was ready. Prepared.
But staring at the house with the shutters, perfect porch and a tree tall enough for a swing, doubts surrounded her. Uncertainty suffocated her until all she wanted was for him to press on the gas and speed away. “I’ll consider it.”
“That’s all I ask.” Ethan drove on.
Grace pressed her fingertips into her temples, but the pressure refused to push the image of the charming family home out of her mind. Irritation rolled through her. For that she blamed Ethan and his insistence that she see the property. She hadn’t hired him to build her business, or find her an office location. He’d only hired her to fix the Blackwell Ranch’s accounting books. She tugged on the zipper of her tote bag. “I’ll stay in the truck while you examine Peabody. I want to look into these statements for that second bank account of Big E’s.”
“I’d like you to come inside.” Ethan directed the truck toward Falcon’s Nest: a small community of houses that overlooked the river.
“I want to work.” Centering her attention on numbers and spreadsheets lessened her panic and made her more certain of herself.
“None of us can get access to that second account.” Ethan slowed and turned onto a private, wooded driveway. He hadn’t totally forgotten his way around Falcon Creek. There’d been no need for him to ask for directions to Dr. Lancaster’s house.
“We need to get access to that account.”
“Jon is smart.” He navigated a sharp bend in the road. “My brother would’ve done that already, if it was possible.”
She didn’t doubt Jon’s smarts or his effectiveness. But Jon had been stretched thin running his place and the Blackwell Ranch, along with caring for twins, so maybe an option had slipped by him. Fortunately, Jon had Lydia now. A partner like Pops had had with Grandma Brewster.
Not that Grace needed a partner. She was perfectly fine without one. “If we can’t figure out a way to get access to this account, what’s your idea to bring in money?”
“Continue searching the ranch for Big E’s hidden cash.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Looking like she had more to argue about with him, she waved the bank statement over the console between them. “You’re going to waste time tearing up the ranch for some make-believe treasure and you don’t even have a map, when this account contains real money?”
“What’s ridiculous is Big E going AWOL and abandoning the ranch and his family.” Ethan parked and shoved open the old truck door. “What’s ridiculous is making a house call for a patient I don’t have in a state I’m not licensed in.”
Grace scrambled out after him and hurried around the truck to confront him. “Maybe you’ll learn something about Big E from Dr. Lancaster.”
“Like what?” Ethan grabbed his medical kit from the back of the truck.
Grace followed Ethan to Dr. Lancaster’s house with the wide arching double doors. “Like what if Big E switched medication and that is the cause of his erratic behavior.”
Ethan was being illogical with his insistence on searching for money on the ranch. Was that a Blackwell family trait? She hoped the baby didn’t inherit that particular strand of Blackwell DNA.
Dr. Lancaster opened the door before Ethan could knock. Too late, Grace realized she’d said she’d stay in the truck and work.
Ethan smirked and motioned her inside. She wanted to kick him in his illogical backside. Fine, she’d let him continue his childish treasure hunt and she’d be the adult. She’d figure out how to access the account herself. Stubborn man. That was another Blackwell trait that could stay on his side of the family tree.
“I knew you’d get Ethan to come by.” Dr. Lancaster hugged Grace and then shook Ethan’s hand. “Everyone in town says if you want something done, you just ask Grace Gardner. She’s the most reliable person in Falcon Creek, not just at Brewster’s.”
Grace smiled at Dr. Lancaster’s praise. She hadn’t lied to Ethan earlie
r. The people of Falcon Creek were a part of her extended family. She liked helping each one. She stepped into the foyer that granted a peek at the river view from the family room in front of her. “Dr. Lancaster, every time I come here, I find something about your remodel that I didn’t see before. The wrought iron railing leading upstairs is lovely. Did you get design tips from Zoe Petit? She did quite a bit of remodeling herself.”
Ethan frowned, looking like he wished she’d remained in the truck. She knew the feeling. But she was going to do what he refused. One of them had to ask about Big E.
“Of course, you used a much more subtle color palette.” She widened her smile. “I’m sure if you’ve made any house calls out to the Blackwell Ranch you saw Zoe’s bolder choices.”
“Elias always prefers to meet with me at my office.” Dr. Lancaster led them through a comfortable family room—the kind that encouraged a guest to have a seat and put their feet up. “Fortunately, we finished the remodel before my wife became ill. She got to enjoy the view for a little while.”
“It’s quaint and peaceful.” And despite Dr. Lancaster’s continued pain, his home was inviting and welcoming. Grace ached for him and his late wife. The Lancasters had been married for over forty years. Would she avoid falling in love and possibly suffering like Dr. Lancaster?
Dr. Lancaster led them toward a pair of closed French doors. “Zoe did show me pictures of their home renovations on her phone when they argued about Elias’s need for tinted designer indoor glasses.”
Ethan coughed and switched his medical kit into his other hand. Grace heard his laughter though, and struggled to conceal her own.
“Those May-December romances can be challenging. It’s good Elias and Zoe have found the means to weather their challenges.” Dr. Lancaster reached for the door handle. “Elias would most likely forget his medicine without Zoe there.”
Grace stared at Ethan, trying to tell him with her wide eyes that she’d created the perfect opening. All he had to do was ask about Big E and his medications. He was Big E’s grandson—surely he had a right to inquire.
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