Her Unexpected Hero--A Clean Romance

by Cheryl Harper

  There, in the cozy corner of the long, comfortable porch, the silence between them was easy. There was no tension, just the low-level hum of...something. Instead of wasting his time, trying to get poetic to give the buzz a name, Caleb said, “I’m sorry. I messed up. It’s even harder to get over since I managed to exceed expectations the first time you asked me for anything and this time I just...” He shook his head. “I blew it. You care for my mother. You aren’t the kind of person to hurt someone you care about, certainly not to get revenge.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Well, to be fair, you’ve saved the day several times already.” She tangled her fingers through his. “That showed me who you were. I have an unfair advantage. You don’t know me, as well.”

  That shocked him. “But I do. I knew you from family dinners and all the praise Whit and my mother rained down on you and the intelligence that radiates from you. I knew you from your family. Your brother is the best at what he does and determined to protect this place. I do know you, Winter.”

  She nodded. “Okay. Then we both agree that my determination can get me in trouble. This story might have been one of those times.”

  “Are you letting me off the hook?” Caleb asked. In her place, he would have struggled.

  “Of course. You didn’t want the lodge build, but you stepped up to make it the best it could be. I did the same thing with this media day. We’re pretty well matched, I’d say.” Winter’s lips curled up at the edges.

  Was she saying what he thought she was? They were a match. Like, a match?

  “What do you think we’ll end up calling the lodge? The contest was inspired, wasn’t it?” Caleb said.

  “We?” she drawled in response. “What will we call it? The Callaways will be making the final determination. I figure it’ll be something like Callaway’s Pride or Callaway’s Folly or Callaway’s Don’t You Think We’re Awesome Because We’ll Tell You Why We’re Awesome If You’ll Stand Still For Five Minutes And That’s The Short Version.”

  Caleb pretended to consider that. “I’m not sure that will fit on a sign.” He tipped his head to the side. “Maybe it will but it’ll take longer to put up a sign that big than it does to build the lodge.”

  “The Callaways are pretty amazing. Some of them more than others. Lots of raw talent for me to work with.” Her pursed lips relaxed and Caleb realized he needed to either get closer or move the whole thing inside. From here he couldn’t see her face.

  And he wanted to see her face.

  Looking into Winter’s eyes across his desk had tilted his world on its axis.

  Caleb lifted the edge of the quilt. “We can go inside or we can share this. I don’t want either of us to freeze to death. I have a company to run, and you have all kinds of havoc left to wreak.”

  Winter huffed out a breath before tugging hard on the old quilt and motioning to him to shove over. “Chivalry is dead, obviously. Instead of giving me, a visitor to your home, the quilt, you just...don’t.”

  “Chivalry was me inviting you inside. I have heat in there. I have a fireplace, a gas starter, hot coffee—all ready for company. This is just common sense, and maybe a little strategy to get you into my arms.” Caleb smiled as she plopped down next to him.

  If he’d had to make a long list of things that he was certain would never happen, this wouldn’t have made the list, because who could have imagined it? Winter Kingfisher was snuggled up next to him under a simple old quilt in the dark night. And they weren’t fighting.

  If he’d had to guess, this was the way any life they built together would go. Immovable object meeting irresistible force over and over again. The only question would be which would win? Every day. Every moment. Maybe they both would.

  His arm tucked under her head, they stared out at the clear sky through the canopy of trees. He’d thought the spot was perfect before. With her here, it was. Nothing could make it better.

  Unless it was about twenty extra degrees.

  “You let me know when you’re ready to start talking. It’s Winter’s...weird outdoor sleepover and I’m living in it.”

  “Out here, you have stars.” She sighed happily and then pointed. “The Pleiades. Can you see them?” She moved closer to him, almost touching, and pointed at the cluster of bright stars. “They’re easiest to find as night first falls. For Cherokee, they’re known as The Boys. There were seven boys who refused to come when their mothers called. They were too busy playing games, so their mothers gave them rocks for dinner instead of corn and sent them away. Those boys were mad at their mothers and they started to dance. They danced and danced, rising higher. All but one of them was too far to reach, and six of the boys landed in the night sky. The seventh, you ask?” She tilted her head toward him, a teasing grin on her lips. “His mother pulled him down but he fell so hard and far that he went into the ground. She watered the spot with her tears until one day, a green sapling grew in its spot, a tall slender pine that would one day reach the night sky.”

  Caleb watched her face, content to listen to her talk for as long as she wanted.

  “The moral to the story? Always listen to your mother.” She grinned at him. “That’s how my grandmother told it to me, anyway.”

  “Smart lady. It runs in your family.” Caleb returned her smile, because there was no way he could help himself, but his curiosity about her visit was strong.

  If she hadn’t walked right out of the night to surprise him, he’d say Winter wasn’t sure what she was doing there, either. He had the urge to help her.

  “I heard you’re looking for a place in Sweetwater.” A lock of hair fell over her forehead, covering her eyes, so he brushed it back.

  Instead of answering, she leaned back to look right at him. Before he could tease her or ask what was going to happen next, she pressed a kiss against his lips. Warm, sweet and all too brief, this kiss was about making things clear between them.

  “My mother, who is so wise and gets wiser every day, taught me that men will get themselves into trouble if we let them talk too much. The best way to prevent that is to stop them with a kiss.” She brushed a hand over his chest, stealing Caleb’s breath away. “What do you think of her advice?”

  “I like it. Donna Kingfisher, outstanding cook and wise woman. I’ll have to thank her the next time I see her.” He liked her family. He hoped this advice was proof that they liked him, too. It was as charming as Winter Kingfisher’s sharp mind and pretty smile. The one she wore as she stared out at the sky—that one he’d seen before. He was happy to see it again.

  “You know, you barged into my office and demanded action. Tonight, you barged onto my porch and demanded—” Caleb motioned between them “—this. It’s almost like you take what you want, Ms. Kingfisher, without considering the consequences. But there are consequences.”

  She nodded. “I’m ready for them. Whatever happens next, I know I’m on the right track. With my career. With you. Even if you messed up. Big-time.” She raised an eyebrow.

  “This is where I apologize.” Delighted with her and the night and the possibility right before him, Caleb held one hand over his heart. “I’m sorry, Winter. I won’t make that mistake again. I promise. The Callaways are turning over a new leaf—it’s called honesty.”

  “You were always pretty honest, Caleb.” Her soft smile was all he needed. They were going to be okay.

  “Come inside. We’ll hang my artwork.” Caleb pushed back the blanket, stood and swept Winter up into his arms, her gasp transforming to giggles. “I have a few surprises up my sleeves, too, Winter Kingfisher.”

  She seemed to be struggling for breath herself when she wrapped her arm around his shoulders. “Coffee. Food. Art. In that order. And we need to talk about the rabbit painting. I told you about that one. It was supposed to be mine.”

  Caleb toed the door open with his boot. “I got it for you. Before I knew I would need an apolo
gy gift. It’s a thank-you, for helping me out with the reporters and for making the lodge better than it could have been if Callaways had been left to their own devices.” Once they were inside where the fire was going, Caleb set her down gently.

  She was breathless when she gazed at him through her thick eyelashes, the cute bear hat slipping to let her dark hair swing into her face. “And now?”

  “If you’ll forgive me for doubting you and your heart and your word, you can have that painting.” He traced a finger over her eyebrows. “And whatever else you want. If I can give it to you, I will.”

  Her slow smile was as bright as the break of sunshine over the mountains after sunrise. He loved it. He wanted more, at least one more for every day.

  “What about your heart, Caleb? I gave mine away to this guy who does not know how to hike or how to come inside from the cold. I’m looking for a replacement.” Winter raised her arms to his shoulders, each inch slow and sweet.

  “The painting. My heart. It’s all yours.” This close, her lips were impossible to ignore. He lost track of time until she stepped back, the loud growl of her stomach comic relief. “Sorry. Dinner and then we hang art.”

  She nodded. “I cook better than I hammer. We should divide the work evenly.”

  Caleb leaned back. “There’s something Winter Kingfisher doesn’t do well?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “I also don’t climb ladders. Deal with it.”

  Caleb pretended to consider it and wondered what she’d do if the told her how much she resembled her mother in that moment. Since that was a good thing in his eyes, he decided to keep it quiet. “The cook doesn’t clean. Or hammer. Or climb ladders. No problem.”

  Before he stepped back, she squeezed his arm. “Are we going to make this work? With all the family drama and the politics and the traveling you’ll be doing and I’ll be doing and Sweetwater watching and all of it?”

  Caleb laughed. “How can you even ask that?”

  She frowned. “It was a silly question, wasn’t it? I’m a Kingfisher.”

  “And I’m a Callaway,” Caleb answered, proud of how easily it rolled off his lips.

  “We do whatever it takes.” She winked. “But now we do it together...” Then she twirled out of his arms and into his pristine kitchen.

  “Together. I like how that sounds.” Caleb smiled at her. “Think it’ll be easy, the ‘together’ part?”

  Winter slipped a hand over his shoulder to pull him closer. “Maybe. Maybe not, but it’s definitely going to be worth it. Isn’t it?”

  Winter’s energy and intelligence added up to a challenge.

  And Caleb loved it. It would take time to come up with the proper answer to that, but he’d do it. He had a lifetime to work it out.

  EPILOGUE

  November

  WINTER REALIZED THE pace she’d set to reach the bottom of the trail to Buckeye Cove was closer to a jog than a sedate walk and paused just before the last curve. If she’d tried that pace down the aisle in a church, the whole congregation would be scandalized. Reminded that all eyes would be on her in a minute, Winter straightened the long ivory skirt she’d chosen to hide her sturdy shoes.

  “Well, thank goodness,” her mother gasped from behind her. “Are you wearing your running shoes, Winter Rose Kingfisher?” Her mom braced a hand on her dad’s shoulder for balance and bent to inhale slowly.

  Since the answer was hiking boots, Winter kept her mouth closed. Her mother wasn’t traditional but that might be too much for her. There would be time for truly fabulous shoes at the reception.

  “She’s in a hurry,” Winter’s father said. “Guess that’s the opposite of cold feet. I like it.” He draped an arm over Winter’s shoulders and tugged her closer. “It is excitement, isn’t it? Not nerves?”

  Winter shifted the woven basket her father had proudly presented to her that morning to press a hand over her anxious stomach. The basket, her bouquet, was filled with flowers from her mother’s greenhouse and plenty of dried lavender. Because this was going to be a family affair. Whereas the big splashy party, the one they were throwing for family and friends, as well as business associates of Callaway Construction, and supporters of Whit Callaway, would strain the capacity of the Callaway Aerie Lodge at the seams that evening.

  Here, along Otter Lake, the spot where she’d always done her best thinking, Winter was going to marry Caleb Callaway. Nothing in her life had felt more right. Since the election was over, her job was a question mark again. Caleb was traveling to meet Callaway Construction crews all over the state and loving every minute. The two of them were busy, but it was easy to come home to Sweetwater.

  It was so easy to come home to Caleb.

  “Nerves. Excitement. It’s hard to say right now. I’ve got a lot to do today to pull everything off,” Winter said and then waved off her mom as she started to protest. “Number one on that list? Enjoy every minute of my wedding.”

  Her mother nodded firmly. “That’s right.”

  Her father laughed. “Donna, Winter negotiated a wedding for the Kingfishers and a party for the Callaways. She’s got all of this under control. Our daughter is smart.”

  “You’ve always been my biggest fan, Dad. Thank you.” She squeezed his waist, grateful to have his steady presence there at her side. Only one other man in the world would be more welcome.

  “And you and I have always been too much alike.” Her mother blinked slowly. “We are. We are desperate to move, even if it’s in the wrong direction because we can’t stand to wait. Remember how panicked you were to figure out what came next after your engagement was over and the reserve job was gone?” Her mother wrinkled her nose. “Could you have ever imagined this was where you’d end up?”

  Was she really going to agree with her mother? She was. “No, I couldn’t. Thank you for keeping me from shooting off the wrong way.”

  “Luckily, Ash and I, we’ve learned a few things.” Her father’s eyes were warm. “Sometimes you have to give life a minute to catch up. Great things are coming but you’re outrunning them.”

  Her mother tipped her head to the side as she considered that. “I think it all happens when it’s supposed to. Look at us. I’d just been dumped by the boy I’d followed from New England and clung to even though I knew he was a mistake from the minute I crossed the state line, and boom! In walked your father.” She tapped his chest. “It’s about being open and ready.”

  He sighed. “I’d already lost count of how many meat loaf sandwiches I’d eaten, Donna, just waiting for you to be done with that guy.” He nodded as she shook her head. “And I’m thankful to him every day because he got you here, but I wished him gone for at least five days before you noticed me at all.”

  Winter was stifling laughter at her mother’s dumbfounded expression. Her father straightened.

  “Ready to go get your groom?” he asked as he squeezed her mother closer.

  “Yes. Ready. I hope in forty years Caleb and I are telling each other different stories about the same event.” Winter hugged her mother and led them down the rest of the trail.

  “How many other stories am I telling the wrong way?” her mother asked just before they reached the bottom of the path.

  Her father winked over his shoulder. “That’s the only one, dear.”

  “When your parents appeared but you didn’t, I thought you might need help.” Caleb had paused below her on the trail. He was wearing the same jacket he’d been wearing when they’d met again in Sweetwater Souvenir. It matched his nicest jeans, the white button-down shirt and the sprig of lavender pinned to his lapel. Winter was sorry she’d missed the first time Senior had gotten a good look at their dress code for today, perfect for a wedding in the Smoky Valley Nature Reserve, not the Knoxville church Senior had pushed for.

  “Does everyone expect me to get cold feet?” Winter asked.

  Ca
leb’s shock was reassuring. “Uh, no, I thought you were handling a media circus. I can’t believe we’ve made this informal gathering with half the town of Sweetwater, the Callaways and the next governor of the state of Tennessee, and not one camera crew has shown up. I imagined you chasing the reporters out of the parking lot. That’s all.” He stepped closer. “Let’s go get married.”

  When he held out his hand, it was the easiest decision she’d ever made to slip her hand inside his. They finished the short path down to Buckeye Cove, where their guests waited on blankets beneath the sunshine on the banks of Otter Lake.

  The golden ripples of the lake.

  The smiling faces waiting for the two of them to arrive.

  The connection between her history and her future.

  This was exactly what Winter had wanted.

  As they stopped in front of the minister her mother had recommended, Ash and Whit stepped up to join Caleb.

  Macy dropped her lucky clipboard, the one required to monitor the schedule for the evening’s gala/reception/election-win celebration at the Callaway Aerie Lodge—the full name the Callaways had finally chosen—and tugged Leanne up to stand next to Winter. Beyond where they stood, Christina waved the camera; she’d been drafted as the photographer for the ceremony. The constant clicking that carried over the light breeze suggested she was taking her job seriously.

  Emotions welled up at the sight of the women who’d become real friends, the kind of friends she needed, thanks to returning home to Sweetwater. Desperate for a distraction, she turned back to Caleb.

  He was frowning.

  “What?” Winter frowned back at him. Was Caleb Callaway about to ruin everything with his own cold feet? Panic blazed through her mind until she got a grip. No way. He was as solid as the mountains surrounding them.