“I believe that you will do what’s right for Ari. And for yourself. There’s nothing wrong with that, but if my changes for this place become so abhorrent to you because you can’t get it out of your head that the Kendall no longer belongs to the Kendalls, then you’ll have to consider whether or not staying here is the right thing for you both, or you’ll just disappear like you did five years ago.”
She saw it in his eyes, knew it would happen. “You’re a runner, Jace,” she continued. “Whenever things don’t go your way, you get on a horse and you run. When the horse can’t take you far enough, you use a car or a plane, or an engineering job. So no, I can’t be sure you’ll be here in September or even if you’ll be here in the morning.”
No one liked to hear a character assessment of themselves that was anything other than glowing. Kelly had told him nothing he could grab hold of that was good about himself. But she wasn’t sorry she’d said it. “I’ll let you know if I’m planning to leave,” he told her. “So go on. I can’t wait to hear what else is coming.”
Kelly glared at him. “When we begin generating enough income, I’m going to build a racetrack on the ten acres behind the horse barn. There we’ll hold races and charge fees. There’ll be a club house, stables and viewing stands. It’s a long-term project. I don’t expect to begin it for several years.”
Jace listened attentively without any expression. Kelly finished and let her words sink in. His gaze swept around the room. He’d already commented on the alterations she’d made to it.
When his eyes settled on her again, he said, “I’ll meet you partway.”
“I don’t get it.”
“I’ll act as project leader in September with the students. I’ll work on anything you want, but when it comes to tourists traipsing through the house, I draw the line.”
“You don’t—”
He stopped her with his hands, palms out. “I won’t prevent. I won’t undermine. But I won’t participate.”
“Fair enough,” Kelly said. They weren’t at war, but she felt as if she’d won the first battle.
“One more thing,” Jace said. “I’m not a runner. I had a good reason for leaving five years ago and an even better reason for returning now.”
“I know you left because of Laura,” Kelly stated. Windsor Heights was a small town and gossip about people at the Kendall was its stock in trade. He stared at her with eyes so hard they could have lasered her in two. “You don’t know the half of it.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
KELLY HAD JUST left her office for her daily trek to the mailbox when she heard the phone in her office ring. Rushing back, she answered it before the machine kicked in.
“Kendall Farms,” she said. “How may I help you?”
“Kelly.” The voice on the phone was upbeat and chuckling. Kelly’s mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. Immediately, she tensed. Perry Streeter’s was the last voice she ever expected to hear. Perry—her ex and former colleague—gave the impression that he was in your corner, when he was anything but.
“Perry,” she said. “This is a surprise.”
“How’s it going out there with the nature and sunshine?”
“It’s wonderful, Perry. How could clean air, growing grass and the good earth be anything else?” She couldn’t begin to guess what he wanted. She hadn’t talked to Perry since their scene at her New York apartment two years ago.
“I was wondering if we could get together soon.”
“Why?” Deliberately, Kelly didn’t offer anything else. She knew Perry liked his clients to talk. Often they had an idea for a campaign they were interested in and he said he didn’t want to get in the way. Kelly knew better. He didn’t really have a good sense of design, so he waited for them to tell him what they wanted. Then he could turn it around and act as if it was his idea.
“We haven’t seen each other in a long while.”
“Wasn’t that what you wanted? If I remember correctly, you said we were done, over, needed to go our separate ways and find our own direction.” She quoted him word for word.
“I’m sure we’ve grown wiser since then. It’s been a couple of years.”
“I’ve grown,” Kelly said, leaving the unspoken sentence to imply that he had not.
“I have, too. I was thinking of taking a day off. I could come see you. We could have lunch, get back to where we were before.”
The nerve of him, Kelly thought.
“You know to me you were always special, the one who was different, who knew me better than anyone else.”
Kelly couldn’t vouch for that, but she could say she knew his type.
“What do you have in mind?” she asked, keeping the sarcasm out of her voice.
“I thought we could make a day of it.”
“You mean you want to see the Kendall? Are you thinking of planning an event here for a client?”
“No, I’m thinking of you and I spending time together.”
Again her mouth dropped open. Spending time in his presence was the last thing she would want.
“Perry, I’m very busy. I have an opening coming up and I can’t afford to take any time away from preparations for that.”
“Kelly, we know you have time to take a rest and get back to work the next day. The place won’t fall apart if you take one day off.”
“Sorry, Perry, but enjoy your day off.”
She didn’t wait for him to say goodbye or to try to make arrangements for another day or time. Kelly was not interested.
Back in New York, they seemed the perfect couple—young, upwardly mobile with plenty of disposable income. But he found someone else and suddenly Kelly was no longer the woman he wanted to be with.
And now, after two years, he calls and wants to pick up where they left off. Did he think she’d put her life on hold, waiting for him to see reason and return to her? Kelly was the one who saw reason. Not long after that, she’s lost her first big client and was ostracized within the firm. It wasn’t too hard to figure out that being let go would likely be the next step.
Disillusioned with everything about her life, she’d started to think of how to make some much-needed changes.
When Mira called to tell her the Kendall was going to be sold for taxes, it was the final puzzle piece Kelly needed to change her life. No way would she go backward and start seeing Perry again. There was no need anyway. Returning to Perry would be like stepping down, going back in time and reliving a life she had no possibility of enjoying.
“What was that all about?” Jace asked from the door.
Kelly instantly felt a glow inside her. She turned and faced him. “Past history,” she told him.
“Are you all right with it?”
She nodded. “Over and done with.”
“Is that what brought you back here?” he asked.
Kelly looked surprised.
“I have ears, too. I hear things,” Jace said.
“Like what?”
“Like you bought the Kendall because of a breakup with some guy in New York.”
That was it in a nutshell, Kelly thought. Jace had been kind. He didn’t say because some guy in New York dumped her. “That’s not the entire story.”
“Was that him?”
“It was. He wants to come down and spend the day with me.”
For a moment, Kelly thought she saw Jace frown.
“Are you going to let him?”
She watched him closely. His body language didn’t change, but he let his breath out slowly. Kelly couldn’t say she didn’t know why. Jace was attracted to her. Any woman knew when a man wanted to move to the next level. Only she couldn’t. Not yet.
She shook her head. “Old news. No longer relevant.”
CHAPTER NINE
“I CAME BY your office for a reason,” Jace said. It wasn’t to overhear Kelly’s conversation. But when she began to talk, he had listened.
“What did you want?” Kelly asked.
“The back garden is unfinished.
I wondered if you’d mind if I worked on it?”
“What are you planning to do?”
Jace knew Kelly was seeing dollar signs. Even the garden required plants, sand and dirt, bricks and cording. Some landscaping jobs cost thousands of dollars, but this one wouldn’t.
“I’ve drawn up a design if you’d like to see it.”
She smiled then. It was a bright, wide smile. Maybe the phone call was forgotten. Jace stepped inside the office and went to the small round conference table that sat near the window. He unrolled a single sheet of drawing paper. Kelly came over and sat in one of the chairs. Jace stood and leaned over her. Her hair was close enough to touch. Jace breathed in.
“This is beautiful,” she said, showing the awe she must have felt.
The idea was simple in nature, a concept designed around a circle in a square. He’d drawn a large square with entrances on all four sides. The floor would be made of tile and outside the perimeter he’d place small shrubs of varying colors. They would change throughout the summer months. In the center of the square was a circle. In its center was a fire pit. Around the inside of the circle was seating. Walkways led to the fire pit that doubled as a table during warm weather. In another area he’d added a gazebo. It would be outlined with lights that would change color or remain constant on one color.
“What’s this?” Kelly asked.
“It’s a large table with chairs. I thought it would be a good place to breakfast on mornings when the weather permitted.”
“That’s a good idea. I love being outside. And it faces the house, so we’ll get to see all the flowers that bloom in the summer.”
“Have you determined a budget to go along with the plans?” she asked.
Jace produced another sheet of paper. It listed all the necessary materials and an estimated cost.
“This seems extremely reasonable,” she said. “Are you sure you can do it for this?”
Kelly looked up at him and he didn’t realize how close he’d moved to her. He was near enough to kiss her and that knowledge removed his ability to speak. All he could do was nod.
Their gazes held, then he moved a step back and the thread between them snapped.
“They’re tearing down some old buildings along the highway. I made a deal with the foreman to take some of the debris they’re throwing out.”
“Is it any good?” She frowned.
He nodded. “It can be recycled.”
She smiled then. “Save the planet. I like that.”
“What about the plants?”
“There’s a nursery not far from here that’s going out of business. They’re selling everything at huge discounts.”
“How soon do you need the money?”
He dropped in the chair next to hers. “I don’t need it all at once. The plants are the big thing. We don’t want to wait in case everything is picked over by the time we need it.”
She checked the cost breakdown again. “I think we can swing this,” she said. “What is this line that says free?”
“Come with me.” Jace got up and helped her out of her chair. He led her over to the window. His arm was around her waist before he realized it. He didn’t remove it. It felt right to have it there. Her body was soft where he rested his hand on her hip.
“Look over there.”
Kelly followed where he indicated. He couldn’t tell how she felt about the physical contact between them. However, she didn’t pull away. He took that as a good sign.
“See the horse stable?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Behind it and along the sides are shrubs.”
Kelly peered at them.
“They’re the kind that grow fast and replenish themselves. I plan to dig up the ones on the back side and replant them around the perimeter of the square.”
Kelly turned and eased out of his grasp. She returned to the table and looked at the drawing Jace had made.
“All right, you have my approval under two conditions.”
“What are they?”
“If the costs are going to exceed this estimate, I need to know immediately.”
“No problem. What’s the second condition?”
“You’ll be finished with this part of the renovation before the open house.”
Jace nodded. “It’ll be right under your window, so you get to see it each time you look outside.”
There had never been a seating area there before, although Jace had once suggested it to Sheldon. Immediately, his brother rejected the idea. Jace had only remembered the notion when he saw Kelly at her office window. He did think the garden needed enhancing, but making the area appealing would please her.
And that pleased him.
* * *
SHELDON WASN’T ONE to talk openly about his feelings. He’d been on his own for years now and he was used to keeping to himself. Audrey, however, seemed to have other plans. He’d run into her or Christian at the oddest times and places. He hadn’t told her his story, and she hadn’t asked about it since that day in the grocery store.
Today he went for a walk along the beach and when he came to her house, she invited him in for iced tea. They sat watching the sea and Sheldon began to talk. He wasn’t sure if he came for that reason or if he felt he needed to get the story out, tell someone about the way he had lived, provide the details of the rise and fall of a Maryland horse farmer.
“And that’s how I got here,” Sheldon said. Audrey had added a couple of sandwiches to the tray with their glasses of iced tea.
She’d listened carefully to him without saying a word. He told her of the jobs he’d tried and failed at. He told her about his father, how they treated Jason and that when his dad died, he totally cut Jason out of any legacy. He told her about Laura and how she’d died.
Once the words started to come, they poured out of him like the tides rushing for the shoreline. Sheldon relived it, seeing himself as the unlikable character he was, treating his brother so poorly. He saw himself as the bridegroom, in love with a woman who should never have been with him. He’d caused such pain to those he should have embraced. And now there was nothing he could do about it.
“What happened to Jason?” Audrey asked.
“I don’t know. He left right after I married Laura. We didn’t hear from him again. I know he was treated unfairly. At least I know it now. I don’t forgive myself for my part in making him hate me. I couldn’t have done a better job if I’d tried. And I tried. Whereas I should have known better.”
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Audrey said. “You’re no longer that man. You’ve grown and learned. You’ve traveled from Maryland here. Along your journey look how you’ve changed. The high and mighty person you say you were is gone. What I see is a compassionate man who cares about people.”
“Now I’m the poor, humble creature who should have understood my brother better, but was unwilling to even listen to anything he had to say.”
“We all make mistakes, Sheldon. Have you considered contacting the Kendall’s new owners and seeing if your brother has been in touch with them?”
Sheldon had, but always found a reason not to do it. “It wouldn’t be of any use for me to do that,” Sheldon told Audrey. “Why would Jason want to see me or even speak to me. I’m afraid he’s a bridge I burned long ago. There’s no rebuilding it now.”
“You may not be rebuilding the past,” Audrey said. She spoke very slowly as if she’d taken a long time to think about her choice of words.
“In the past few years, you’ve moved around a lot, leaving behind what you don’t want to face.”
“I’m facing what I am,” he said. “I know what I can’t do and I know there will be no going back to the life I had.”
“You need to resolve it,” Audrey proclaimed. “It’s hard, almost impossible, to go forward in life without resolving the past.”
They sat in silence for several minutes. Sheldon had no watch. He’d long since sold it for food. He looked at the sun. He’d go
tten used to being able to estimate the time by the movement of that heavenly body. He had a small calendar from a diner in his bungalow, so he could keep track of the days. Not that he cared much for them, but he needed to remember when to go to work.
What Audrey said made sense. It might be an exercise in futility, but contacting whoever owned the Kendall might give him some closure.
“What are you going to do now?” Audrey asked, interrupting his thoughts.
“Now?” He lifted one of the tea glasses. The drink was cool and seemed to refresh his throat after so much talking.
Audrey smiled. “I meant with the rest of your life. You’ve got a lot more living to do. Are you going to be cleaning hulls forever?”
“I have thought of becoming an electrician,” he remarked.
“Don’t you have to go to school for that?”
“No, but there is a test and an apprenticeship.”
“Have you taken the test?” she asked.
Sheldon shook his head. “I checked some books out of the library and studied them.”
“That’s wonderful,” Audrey said. “At the school where I work we have a technical maintenance man who’s an electrician. Would you like me to introduce you to him so you can get first-hand knowledge of what’s required?”
Sheldon was tempted to refuse her help, but that seemed like a foolish move. “I would appreciate that very much.”
“Why an electrician?”
Farther alongthe beach, the marina was barely visible, but he could still see a glimpse of some of the sailboats moored there.
“Have you noticed all the lights on the marina at night?” he asked.
She nodded. “They make a pretty picture.”
“I thought about them. I thought about a job that would always be needed. Someone has to fix those lights when they break down. Someone has to fix the electricity in all those big houses in town.”
“That’s a good reason,” Audrey said.
Sheldon wanted something he could count on. He found he couldn’t count on being the manager of a horse farm. The manual labor to clean the boat hulls would fall to a younger man in time. And he needed a profession that would pay him better than the minimum wage he was receiving now. The book on electricity seemed to jump out at him in the library and he’d checked it out.
Summer on Kendall Farm Page 8