Love Reclaimed: (Clean Small-Town Romance) (Kings Grove Book 4)

by Delancey Stewart

  “Come on, guys.” I herded the dogs outside into the pen to relieve themselves and play, and sat down crosslegged just inside the closed fence, petting them and letting them climb all over me.

  Their soft little bodies and curious cold noses were everywhere, and it was impossible to brood over the fog of confusion inside my head while they were in my arms, so I let myself escape for a few minutes as they crowded around me, my legs forming challenging mountains for them to climb, and my hands and Matilda’s nose always nearby when they got into trouble or toppled over, their fuzzy little butts wagging with excitement.

  “You’ve got your hands full, I see,” Harper’s voice came from behind me, and I turned to see her approaching. We hadn’t spoken in weeks, though she and Tuck had come down to the fire pit occasionally. Always together. Part of me regretted bringing him up here, while part of me thought it would be for the best if something developed between them, as much as it hurt to imagine.

  “They’re getting too big for me to keep.”

  She sighed, smiling. “I wish I could take one.”

  “You can,” I told her. “Take three.”

  Her laugh was light and easy, and I realized how much I’d missed it these last weeks. “Not sure where I’ll be living or anything,” she said. “In Austin, I mean.”

  I nodded, the thought of her leaving twisting inside me like a knife.

  “I wanted to let you know I’m going to be gone a couple days,” she said, her eyes on mine, making me feel like words were being spoken that had nothing to do with the ones coming from her lips. “Tuck is taking me to the airport tonight.”

  Of course he was.

  “Okay,” I managed.

  She watched me, and for a minute I thought she might say something else. I felt my heart reaching, hoping maybe she’d bring up whatever might be between us again, confirm that maybe there was still something there, though I didn’t know why I wanted that scar opened when we’d been successfully avoiding it for weeks now. Still, ignoring something didn’t make it go away, as it turned out, and as much as I knew it was for the best, I couldn’t help imagining us together again. I spent a lot of time imagining it actually, remembering it. I thought of the slip of her skin against mine, the softness of her lips, the strength in her legs—and the way she put me in my place when I’d initially tried to run. Maybe that was what I missed the most, the way she refused to give me up to my own demons.

  “Okay,” she said finally, her voice flat. “Well, I guess I’ll see you when I get back. Tuck has the list of shots I need for the movie at the Inn. We can start shooting that part when I get back if you can go over the plans with him.”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “Bye,” she said, her voice barely a breath.

  One of the dogs sank tiny teeth into my hand just then and I turned back to pull him off. When I looked back to say goodbye to Harper, she was already gone. I sat with the puppies for ten more minutes, but it was impossible to find any joy inside me now. Harper was leaving and I hated it.

  Chapter 14

  HARPER

  I could have driven myself to the airport in Fresno, and had fully intended to, but Tuck wouldn’t hear of it.

  “I need to get down there anyway,” he said. “Get some variety in my shopping possibilities.”

  “From what I’ve seen you don’t cook anyway, so what are you looking for that you can’t get in Kings Grove?”

  “Exactly,” Tuck said. “It’s a tradition, anyway.”

  “What is?”

  “You don’t drive yourself to the airport. Bad luck.”

  “I’ve never heard of this…” I thought back over my recent travels—I’d always gotten a ride to the airport in New York. “What difference does it make?”

  “You need someone to see you off, it’s good luck.”

  I laughed. “Okay. Well, thanks.”

  I did appreciate the ride. It gave me time to check in with my dad, who I’d seen just a couple times in the last month. He’d stopped pushing, and I was finding that if he was demanding my time, then I was more willing to give it.

  “Hey Dad,” I said, when he picked up the phone.

  “Hi Harper. How are you doing?”

  “Fine. Hey, listen. I just wanted to let you know I’m going to be out of town for a couple days. I need to go to Austin and chat with Theo about the business, see the office, get a sense of how we’re going to approach things.”

  “Okay,” he said. “That sounds good. Is he still being flexible with you? With your six months?”

  “I’m not sure,” I admitted. “He was a little evasive on the phone the last time I spoke with him, which is part of why I’m going in person. He’d been pushing for me to come earlier, remember?”

  “Right.”

  “But I haven’t heard much in a while.”

  “Worth checking in, then, I guess.”

  “Yeah.” I watched the hills and trees fly by the car windows as I spoke, mountain green slowly turning to valley brown.

  “Call me when you get back,” he said. “I’d love to have you over for dinner finally.”

  I’d been dodging that invitation, though Dad had been to dinner at the house with me and Tuck once. “Okay,” I said, still not sure I wanted to spend time in the house where I’d grown up. I worried memories might wait for me there, lurking around corners like abandoned playthings.

  “I talked to Annie Gish,” he added. “She’d like to come whenever you do—catch up.”

  I smiled. “Yeah,” I said. “I’d really like that. We’ve been trying to connect, but we’ve both been so busy with work.” We’d had to cancel every set of plans we’d made so far.

  “We’ll try to do it when you get back.”

  “Okay. Thanks, Dad.” After he said goodbye I hung up. We still hadn’t gotten to the heart of the trouble between us, and I still didn’t have a good idea what had made him stay away all those years. But I had begun to sense that my Dad wasn’t a bad man, that he wasn’t malicious, and that whatever had kept him away really must have been more complicated than simply deciding he didn’t care for me anymore.

  Tuck was quiet while I talked, focused on the road. He was a good driver, taking the daunting curves confidently and easing into the brake instead of slamming it like a lot of people did on unfamiliar curves.

  “Thanks for the ride.”

  “You’re welcome.” He was quiet for a while, and then he lowered his voice and asked, “Have you made much progress with my boy Cam?”

  I laughed. “Cam is potentially the most frustrating person I’ve ever met.”

  “Yeah, but you like him,” Tuck said, pointing out what was clearly obvious to anyone who saw me near him.

  I shrugged. “That doesn’t seem to matter with him. He’s convinced there are a thousand reasons why it wouldn’t work.”

  “You are in the midst of trying to move to Texas.”

  “That’s one reason he keeps giving me.”

  “It’s not a bad one, Harper.” Tuck watched me for a long second before swinging his gaze back to the road and adding. “Do you really know what you want? If you’re planning to go to Austin, then maybe it’s for the best.”

  My heart ached as he said it, the dueling desires within me pulling again in opposite directions. I’d told Cam it didn’t matter, but maybe it did. My goal was to leave Kings Grove—it had been since the beginning of all this. Never mind that the thought of leaving now opened up a little cave inside me that felt darker and lonelier than ever. I knew it would only be temporary, and then I’d be settled in Austin and I’d make a life there. I didn’t lie and tell myself I’d forget about Cam, but I could move on. Couldn’t I?

  “Maybe,” I said finally.

  We arrived at the airport, and Tuck helped me out with my bag. I’d ordered a smaller suitcase the week before, so I wasn’t lugging the enormous bag I’d brought to Kings Grove. I gave him a hug and went inside, and before long I was landing in Austin.

 
“Oh my gosh it’s hot,” I said, wiping my forehead as I stepped out of the Uber and onto the sidewalk in front of Theo’s house.

  He greeted me with a light hug. “It’s always hot here! It’s good to see you again, Harper.” His voice was warm, but something in his chocolate eyes was less so. He looked wary, unsure somehow. “Come on in.” He’d volunteered his guest bedroom for my trip, and since he was Chelle’s family and we’d met a couple times before, I had no problem agreeing to that. If nothing else, it saved money.

  I settled my things in my room, which was simple and clean, and then wandered back out to where Theo sat at a table in the small dining room, papers scattered before him.

  “Should we get right to it?” I asked.

  “If you’re cool with that.” He rose, waving me to a chair. “Get you a drink?”

  “Just water would be great.”

  He returned with two glasses of water and sat down. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Good, me too.”

  Theo was a serious guy, and though I liked him and thought we’d be fine as business partners, I saw none of the playfulness I loved in his cousin. He got straight to business, his large dark hands pushing various papers my way and eventually opening a laptop in front of me so I could see what he was talking about.

  “The opportunity was there, and it didn’t make sense to wait,” he said, showing me the lease he’d taken on an office and describing the event engagement he’d already contracted for. “But just because things are rolling doesn’t mean I don’t need you.”

  “Okay,” I said, not sure where this was heading. It felt like Theo had gone ahead without me, and I was working hard to avoid showing him my feelings were a little bit hurt. This was business, after all.

  “It’s just that things are hitting a little faster ramp up than planned, and it’d be perfect if you could come now.”

  “I… now?” I shook my head. I had more than three months before I’d committed to moving here. “I don’t know if I can. I mean…” I thought about Maddie’s wedding, which was only a few weeks away, not to mention the other events booked after it. The new restaurant was slated to open before I left—if they ever figured out the engineering issue and the permitting—and I felt distinctly like I’d be letting everyone down if I disappeared now. Not to mention my dad.

  And Cam… I’d planned to leave anyway. But considering accelerating the timeline made me realize I didn’t want to leave now. Not like this.

  “Harper, I want to do this with you. You’ve got a brilliant head for numbers, and there’s no question I need another set of hands. Several, actually. But I need it now.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t have the money yet, Theo.”

  He waved my concern away. “I need the help more than the money. I hadn’t planned to get bookings in this early, so things are already in the black. We’ve got operating funds, and enough to get things rolling smoothly. I just need help. Get here and we’ll deal with details later.”

  I let that sink in. I could move to Austin now—without the money I thought I’d been working so hard to save. It would just take convincing my dad to let me out of my commitment, and at this point I thought that was likely.

  Why did I still feel so much resistance inside about the idea? Was Kings Grove really that important to me? Or was it Cam?

  I thought back to the last couple conversations I’d had with him. He’d never misled me about the potential for anything to happen between us; he’d been clear that he didn’t think he wanted a relationship. And what was I going to do, toss away every plan I’d made for the other areas of my life in hopes that he’d magically change his mind?

  “Tell me about this client,” I said, reaching for the folder containing all the details of Theo’s first event.

  “Definitely.” Theo’s deep voice took on a happier edge, and I realized he knew I was waffling. “You’re going to love this, Harper. It’s a concert series…” Theo went on, describing the series and talking about the venue he’d found to host it, explaining our role in arranging every last detail of a series of concerts that would go on over the course of six months. It was a huge contract, and he was right—I loved it. The idea of being involved already had my mind turning and ideas were flying into my head.

  For the next two days, I worked with Theo on the concert series, pouring myself into it as if I’d already made the commitment, had already moved. But I had a return flight booked, and I needed to get back to Kings Grove. If nothing else, I was going to be there for Maddie’s wedding. I’d made promises, and I wanted to keep them. But I had one foot out the door. I couldn’t live my life hoping to move a brick wall, and that’s what it felt like trying to get through to Cameron Turner.

  Sometimes, I realized, you just had to walk away.

  “One month,” I told Theo. “Let me see this wedding through and wrap up all the other loose ends.”

  “One month,” he confirmed, giving me a broad smile. “This is going to be incredible.”

  “Angel can help in the meantime?” Angel was a friend of Theo’s who’d stopped by while I’d been there, pitched in with some ideas and had already volunteered to help staff the concert series.

  “He better,” Theo laughed.

  “Okay. I’ll be in touch.” I hugged Theo goodbye and headed back to the mountains, resolved that this was the right next step for my life.

  I just wished my heart felt as buoyant as my mind, but I knew eventually it would get on board with the plan.

  Chapter 15

  CAMERON

  I watched Tuck and Harper drive away, and felt my entire body get heavier with every second as Tuck’s green Jeep disappeared from sight.

  Tuck was a friend. And I’d brought him here, but I couldn’t help the sick angry feeling that flooded me as I imagined them in the car together, sitting close, talking.

  I knew I was jealous, but I also knew I’d created this entire situation. I’d told her to go, I’d encouraged her to walk away from me. So why was it so hard when she finally did?

  “What are you doing out here, moping?” Maddie said, strolling up the driveway, hand in hand with Connor just as evening fell on the first full day Harper had been gone. I looked up as they approached the spot where I sat in front of my fire and…moped.

  “What makes you say that?” I said, forcing a smile.

  “You look miserable,” Connor said.

  “I’m smiling,” I pointed out.

  They sat, and Maddie leaned forward. “That’s not a smile, Cam. That’s constipation, I think.” She looked to Connor for confirmation.

  “Or maybe a bad burger?”

  I heaved a sigh. “It was an attempt at a smile.” I gave it up and let my face reflect the rest of my body. I felt flat. “What’s up, guys?”

  “Just came to hang out.” Maddie pulled two beers from the pockets of her sweatshirt. “Wanted to borrow your fire and figured you’d be out here.”

  I lifted my own beer in salute as they raised theirs and for a moment we were all silent, pulling from our bottles.

  “Where’s Harper and Tuck?” Connor asked, looking up at the dark big house.

  “Valley. Tuck drove her down. She’s headed to Austin.”

  “Ah,” Maddie said. “I forgot she was going. How long is she gone?”

  “She’ll be back. It’s just for the weekend,” I said.

  Connor was watching me, clearly thinking something he wasn’t saying, but Maddie didn’t suffer the same timidity.

  “So that’s why you look like hell.”

  “I look normal.”

  “You look like crap. Hey, can I get a puppy to hold?”

  I lifted a shoulder. “Yeah, but don’t let it go—starting to get dark and I think that cat is still stalking over there. The rangers haven’t been able to trap it, and even if they think it’s gone, I’d be careful.”

  Maddie shivered and set her beer down, standing to go get a puppy. She’d made a habit of stopping by now and then
, sitting with the pups and petting them. She said it was the perfect wedding stress relief.

  She returned with a fluffy tricolor dog with light brown eyes, the one I’d been calling number three, and Matilda bounced out of the house and came to sit at my side. Her haunch was healed and she’d begun to leave the pups more and more, becoming my sidekick as I worked around outside the house, and often curling up next to my bed at night now that the pups didn’t need her so much. They’d moved to solid food weeks ago, and now sought out their mother mostly for affection, though they found that in each other too.

  I dropped a hand to Matilda’s side and let her warmth work through me, calming me.

  “You going to keep her then?” Connor asked, nodding at the big dog. Matilda cocked her head at the question, watching him as if she knew he was talking about her.

  “I really thought her owners would have shown up by now,” I said. “But yeah, I can’t imagine taking her anywhere else now. She lived through being lost or abandoned, through the mountain lion and giving birth…I feel like she’s probably best to just stay in one place, have someone nearby who’s not going to leave.”

  “Aren’t you worried?” Maddie said, and she was looking at me hard across the circle of fire, the little dog squirming in her arms.

  “About…?”

  “Your curse?” Maddie shook her head as she said it, her voice lowering.

  Connor looked back and forth between us. “Curse?”

  I sighed. I didn’t want to talk about this. “Yeah,” I admitted. “A little bit. But…” I looked down at Matilda’s dark head and tried to imagine giving her away now. It would have ripped my heart out. It would have felt a lot like… like it felt watching Harper leave yesterday. “Maybe I’m ready to be a little bit selfish. I’d miss her too much.”