Trails of Love

by Melissa Foster

  “You’re thinking of going the consignment route? That would allow you to take off anytime.”

  “I know, but I don’t know what I want. I love the idea of not having a shop to maintain, but that means putting a lot of trust into other shop owners, and I’m not great at keeping track of things.”

  “What a load of crap that is. Morgyn, you can tell me where every single item is in your barn. Even things you bought years ago. You never lose track of the important things.”

  “But you know me and finances.”

  “I know you hate them, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep track of them. You’re wicked smart. If you stay in your current space, the rent increase will change everything. You’ll have to work harder just to stay open, and you’ll hate that.”

  “It’s kind of all I have to show my business is real, don’t you think?”

  “No,” Brindle said sharply. “That space doesn’t make it real. You make it real. The things you create are gorgeous. You could sell them at a street corner and your business would still be real. In fact, maybe that’s what you should do. You’re always going to flea markets anyway. You could travel all around selling that way.”

  “Ugh. I don’t know. That seems like a lot of pressure. The craft shows and festivals wouldn’t be as much fun if I had to do them.”

  “Then think about the caboose or the consignment idea. Or do them all. Don’t let bookkeeping scare you off. You just have to make it a priority, like you did with building your house and starting your business in the first place. Besides, we can all help you. Amber does her books for her store. She can show you anything you need to know. And I’m sure Mr. Smarty Pants Big Cock can help you, too.”

  Morgyn laughed. “He’s really good to me, Brin. I’ve never met a man who actually listens and understands what makes me tick.”

  “If you really think about it, there aren’t many women who listen and understand, either. Everyone has an opinion on what we need to do, don’t they? You’re happy, and that’s what matters.”

  “I am happy, but there’s more than that. With Graham I’m discovering even more about who I am. I thought I knew who I was.”

  “Maybe you did know who you were, but you’re someone else with him or because of him,” Brindle suggested.

  “Maybe.” She wondered if Brindle was really talking about herself and Trace, but again she didn’t push. “Graham leaves for New York tomorrow when I go back home. I know he’ll come back to see me, and I’m sure I’ll go see him in the future, but even those few days apart are going to feel empty.”

  Brindle was quiet for a long moment, and then Morgyn heard a male voice through the phone. It sounded like he was talking in French. Brindle said, “Give me a sec. My sister needs me,” to the guy. Then she sighed into the phone and said, “I think Mathieu understands about every other word I say.”

  “You took French. Can’t you use it?”

  “Yes, but I talk slowly in French, and they stare at my mouth the whole time. Have you ever had a hot guy staring at your mouth?”

  Morgyn laughed, thinking of the way Graham often looked at hers in the seconds before he kissed her. “It’s distracting.”

  “Exactly. Okay, the hotties are getting restless, so I’ve got to go in a sec, but here’s my best advice. When you told me you loved Graham, you didn’t just say it. You exuded it. I think Grace is proof that once your heart knows what it wants, nothing will stand in its way. You might feel empty in the days when he’s gone, but Mom always says that a little distance can make our hearts see more clearly. He loves you, Morgyn. That night at the Jericho’s, everyone saw it. JJ told me that when Graham came down to the riding ring, he didn’t ask to ride. He said, ‘I need to ride. My girl loves this shit.’ I would give anything for a man to say that about me.”

  Morgyn’s insides melted. “He does love me, Brin. I feel it in everything he says and does.”

  “Then stop worrying about how much you’ll miss him and start planning great miss-you seductions. I love you, but I really have to run.”

  “Hey, Brin? Just tell me this. Are you really there so Trace has a chance to miss you?”

  After a few seconds of silence, she said, “I’m here to see the world, remember? Let me know what you decide about your business, and start planning your seduction sex! Love you!” The line went dead.

  Seduction sex. That was a much better thought than lonely nights.

  Morgyn was surrounded by vendors selling everything from furniture and tapestries to food and antiques. She’d passed a silk screener when she’d first come in. Maybe she could find a cute lingerie booth and silk-screen PROPERTY OF MIT MAN on the butt of a pair of panties. Smiling at the thought, she made her way down to the next booth.

  She spotted an eclectic vendor offering a variety of different items, from clothing and shoes to jewelry and paintings, and just beyond, a tattoo booth and a chocolate vendor. She headed directly for the chocolate, took a selfie in front of the booth, and sent it to Graham with the caption, Benefits of having my own personal cracker. I’m going hunting for marshmallows next. I’m in the mood for s’mores tonight! She added a winking emoji and then typed, I’ll bring the goodies. You bring the heat! Xxo

  GRAHAM’S MEETINGS RAN much longer than expected, but at least he and Knox got their offer on the table. They had a team researching Morgyn’s ideas, and they were both excited about the prospect of doing something different from their normal investments. As Graham left the meeting, he couldn’t wait to tell Morgyn the news about the lead on a job he had for John. He’d hated leaving her alone all day, but she’d texted earlier, and it had sounded like she’d enjoyed the street market even more than he had thought she would. She’d sent selfies with three vendors who were interested in carrying her merchandise, two from Seattle and one guy who went across the country selling at large flea markets. He’d have to remember to show her how to check them out to make sure she didn’t end up trusting the wrong people, but the way she’d taken the reins and run with the consignment idea further proved how remarkable she was.

  He followed his GPS to the park where she said she was hanging out with friends she’d made at the market. The area was so crowded, he had to leave the car around the corner. He looked at the bag of marshmallows he’d bought on the way and grinned to himself as he locked the doors. When he arrived at the park, he realized the crowds were watching people painting a mural on the side of a building by a basketball court—and there by the wall sat Morgyn, beside a little girl in a sun hat who was busy painting a flower. Morgyn had her cell phone pressed to her ear as she guided the little girl’s hand. The perfect multitasker. Another woman joined them. Morgyn hugged the little girl and the woman, and then she stepped aside, still talking on the phone and carrying a bag. She was all legs and sun-kissed skin in her cutoffs and tank top, which were both marked with paint, as were her arms.

  She looked up toward the sky, took a few steps, and then stopped. She was looking away from him, but he heard her exclaim, “Yes, definitely!”

  As he made his way toward her, he passed a sign that read COMMUNITY ARTS PROJECT, JOIN US! Leave it to his girl to be there for a weekend and still manage to help a homeless man, make business connections, and get involved in a bigger way. It was no wonder he’d fallen in love with her. She wasn’t a festival goddess. She was a goddess of all things positive and hopeful.

  And she was his.

  She turned as he approached, and her eyes widened. “Jilly, I have to go. Graham’s here!”

  Jilly? He laughed under his breath. Of course she’d call Morgyn. The two had become instant best friends.

  Morgyn held up her finger and mouthed, One second. Then, into the phone she said, “Yes! I’ll call my family. They can send it overnight and it’ll be there Monday. I can’t wait. I’m so excited!” She ended the call and launched herself into his arms. “I’m so glad you’re here! I need help changing my flight. I’m going to Pleasant Hill.”

  “Pleasant
Hill? Without me?”

  “You’re going to New York, so yes, I guess so. I’m going to see Jilly. Oh wait. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?” Before he could answer, she said, “She checked out my website and offered to sell some of my merchandise in her store. Isn’t that awesome? She said if I get my best pieces there fast enough, she’ll put some of it in her fashion show on Tuesday. You didn’t tell me she did fashion shows! I’m so excited I can barely see straight. I’m going to call my mom and see if she can pack a few things and send them to Pleasant Hill right away. Will you help me with the flight arrangements? She said she can show me how to do some grassroots marketing, too. I want to be there and see how Jilly does it all. Your sister is incredible.”

  He was excited for her, but he was still processing the idea that she was going to Pleasant Hill and he was going to New York. “Of course I’ll help you, but I’ll change my plans and go with you.”

  “You can’t miss your meeting,” she said, stepping out of his arms to shove her phone in her pocket.

  “Like hell I can’t.” His eyes caught on a bandage on the left side of her chest peeking out from beneath her tank top. He pulled her into his arms again. “What happened? You got hurt?”

  She looked down at her chest and said, “Oh no. I can’t believe I forgot. Look what I did at the street market.”

  She peeled off the bandage, revealing a small tattoo of a heart-shaped sun. There were three rays on each side of the sun and each had two words. KNOW IT, TRUST IT, and ACCEPT IT. The skin around the tattoo was red and angry, but the sun was gorgeous, and the meaning touched him so deeply, he choked up.

  “It’s for us,” she said proudly. “And I got you something else, too.”

  Before he could get a word out, she unbuttoned her shorts and pulled them open, revealing pink panties with CRACKER’S written in white letters across the front.

  His heart just might explode. “Holy shit, sunshine.” He stepped closer, blocking the view from others.

  She buttoned her shorts and then reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of black boxer briefs with SUNSHINE’S JUNK written across the front in bright yellow letters. “These are for you. Well, for me as your girlfriend, but for you to wear.”

  “I’ll wear those briefs every damn day if you want me to, but I’m not going to New York tomorrow. There’s no way you’re meeting my family without me by your side.” He crushed her to him, both of them laughing as they kissed. “I love you, sunshine. I love you so damn much, I can’t think past it.”

  “That’s okay. I’m learning to think, so maybe I can do it for the both of us.”

  He gazed into her beautiful eyes, finally understanding why people said he’d never forget his first love. She was his first and only love, and she’d become such a big part of him, he could no longer picture a future without her in it.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “YOUR TOWN IS adorable,” Morgyn said as they drove through Pleasant Hill, Maryland, on their way to Graham’s house early Sunday evening. “I love the brick-paved sidewalks and all the green space. Can we explore later?”

  Graham reached across the console of the rental truck and brought her hand to his lips. She smelled like a warm summer afternoon at the beach, which was also on his list of places he wanted to go with her. He longed to take her to a private beach, far away from eyes and ears. To see her pretty painted toes in the sand and hold her sun-drenched body against him as they made love to the sounds of the sea lapping at the shore.

  “I can’t wait to explore with you and to introduce you to my family and to see your stuff in Jilly’s shop. You’ll love her even more when you meet her in person.” Jillian had texted earlier to say she and his mother were stocking his refrigerator so his house would be ready for them. But he had a feeling they just wanted to get a glimpse of the woman who had stolen his heart. He’d spoken to Knox and they’d put off their meetings in New York until Wednesday. The last meeting was scheduled for Saturday afternoon. He also rescheduled dinner with his cousin Josh for Thursday evening.

  Graham and Morgyn were flying out Tuesday night, and if all went well, he’d return to Virginia and she’d be in his arms again Saturday evening.

  Graham drove through town and wound along back roads toward his property. He lived on eight wooded acres just far enough outside town to feel like he was a world away from anyone else. He stole a glance at Morgyn, who looked beautiful in a cute sundress that clung to her breasts and showed off her sexy shoulders and legs. She wore several long necklaces and colorful bracelets. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, barely covering the edges of her tattoo, which was mostly visible beneath the straps of her dress.

  As he pulled onto the narrow dirt road that cut through the woods toward his home, Morgyn said, “This reminds me of where I live.”

  “I know, sunshine. We really are meant for each other.”

  The solar lights on the walkway to his house burned bright as his tiny treehouse came into view.

  Morgyn’s eyes widened and she squealed. “You live in a treehouse?”

  He’d been dying to see her reaction, and the excitement in her voice was worth every second of holding his secret for the last week and a half.

  He was surprised to see Nick’s truck and Jax’s car alongside Jilly’s Jeep and his parents’ car.

  “Looks like everyone who’s around came to meet you, sunshine,” he said as he parked. “Beau and Charlotte are in Colorado, and you’ve already met Zev.”

  “Cracker, this is amazing! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that you live in a treehouse—a tiny treehouse!” She climbed from the truck, jaw agape as she took in the long wooden ramp leading up to the house, which was nestled between two enormous red cedars. “Did you build this?”

  He draped his arm over her shoulder as they followed the ramp up toward the house and said, “My brother Beau and I built it.” He pointed to a covered ramp that led from the back of the house to a small utility building on the ground. “That’s where the washer and dryer are. There’s no dishwasher, and I’ve got Internet but no television. Other than that, you’ve got all the amenities of home, fifty feet above the forest floor.”

  “This is like something out of a fairy tale.”

  “That’s the same thing Charlotte said. I like to think of it as being something out of a manly adventure, like Swiss Family Robinson.”

  The front door swung open and Jillian barreled outside. Her burgundy hair flew behind her as she raced toward them wearing a black tank top and shorts. She and Morgyn both squealed as they collided into each other like two long-lost friends.

  “I’m so happy you’re finally here!” Jillian said. “I can’t believe Graham put off his meetings. He never does that.”

  “He doesn’t?” Morgyn gave him a curious look.

  “Another first,” he said with a wink, which sparked a flurry of conversation between the two women.

  They changed subjects so fast Graham didn’t even try to keep up. His parents stepped into the doorway, his father’s big body dwarfing his mother’s tiny frame. Nick appeared behind them, his longish black hair sticking out from beneath his ever-present cowboy hat. He crossed his arms, surveying the girls gabbing on the front porch. Jax stepped beside him. Like Graham, he wore his brown-blond hair short.

  All four of them were grinning like fools.

  Graham had a feeling he wore the same grin as his father’s wise eyes locked on him with an expression he’d seen only once before. He remembered the look fondly, having seen it the day he told his father he’d decided to pursue investing rather than engineering. After spending a lifetime patterning himself after his father, hoping to become half the man he was, and as the only one of his siblings to have followed in his footsteps, Graham had worried about how his father would take the news that he didn’t want to be that big a part of the family business after all. But his father had set his wise dark eyes on Graham and said, I’ve always known you were destined for greater things, a
nd this world will be a better place because of your decision.

  Graham had never been the kind of man who needed his father’s approval, but when his father stepped onto the porch to embrace him and whispered, “Love sure looks good on you, son,” it was the best feeling in the world.

  “Welcome home, baby.” His mother patted his cheek before hugging him too tight. “You look happy.”

  “Of course he does,” Jillian said. “He has Morgyn.”

  Graham reached for Morgyn’s hand, bringing her closer. “Damn right. Mom, Dad, Nick, Jax, this is Morgyn Montgomery. Sunshine, this is most of my family.”

  “It’s nice to meet you all,” Morgyn said as she hugged his mother.

  “You can call me Lily,” his mother said. “I can’t wait to get to know you.”

  “I’m Clint. Between Jilly and Zev, I feel like I already know you,” his father said as he hugged Morgyn.

  “Should I worry?” Morgyn asked with a smile. “We did a lot of joking around with Zev.”

  “Our family is full of jokesters, and honestly”—amusement rose in his father’s eyes—“Foreplay is the perfect name for that boy. He left his heart behind years ago.”

  “One day he’ll find it again,” his mother said.

  “I can’t believe he told you that,” Morgyn said, her cheeks flushing.

  “Nothing to be embarrassed about, sweetheart,” his father assured her. “You gained bonus points for being so clever. And where are my manners? I almost forgot to thank you for the graphometer you and Graham sent me. Thank you,” his father said.

  “I’m glad you liked it, but that was all Graham—”

  Graham gazed at Morgyn and said, “I found it, but it was from both of us.” He kissed her cheek and whispered, “I knew even then we’d stay together.”

  “The universe told you,” she said softly.

  Nick’s eyes drifted appreciatively down Morgyn’s sexy little patchwork sundress.

  Graham cleared his throat, shooting Nick a dark, warning look.