by Deb Kastner
She wasn’t certain she wouldn’t explode, when just thinking about him nearly set her off.
She did see a tall, regal-looking, gray-haired woman she didn’t recognize standing close to the door of the sanctuary, holding the hand of a darling, dark-haired little girl Avery guessed to be about three years old.
Always happy to greet newcomers to the church, she approached the woman and smiled. The little girl beamed when she saw Tugger.
“Hi. I’m Avery Winslow. Are you new to Whispering Pines or just visiting?” she asked.
“My name’s Elaine,” she said. Her voice was naturally soft and held the soft hint of an accent. “And yes. We just arrived in town this week. We won’t be permanent residents, but we’ll be here for an extended period of time. We’ve settled in at one of those pretty little cottages along the creek.”
“It’s lovely over there. And what’s your name?” she asked the little girl, who only had eyes for the dog.
“Lottie,” she exclaimed.
Tugger did amazingly well with the outburst and didn’t budge an inch. He just cocked his head and stared at her with interest, giving her a big smile. Avery slipped him a tiny bit of bacon and whispered, “Good boy.
“This is Tugger,” she said. “And guess what? He loves little girls better than anyone else. Is it okay if Lottie pets him?” she asked Elaine. “Tugger is the sweetest, gentlest dog you’ll ever meet.”
Lottie looked up at the woman Avery assumed was her mother. “Can I pet Tugger, Grandma?”
That surprised Avery. Elaine hardly looked old enough to be a grandmother.
“Of course, sweetheart. Remember to be gentle when you pet him, though.”
“I don’t know if maybe I’m losing my mind or what’s going on here, but I am positive that is not the dog I saw you with the other day,” said an affable, Texas-accented male voice from right behind Avery’s shoulder.
She stiffened, and her fists clenched of their own accord.
Jake Cutter.
* * *
Jake watched Avery’s shoulders become rigid as he joined their little group. Apparently, she hadn’t gotten any closer to getting over him swiping the land right out from underneath her. He supposed he couldn’t blame her for that. It had come as quite a shock to her. One minute she was house shopping, and the next it was taken away from her.
“What’s this one’s name?” he asked, reaching down to give the dog a scratch behind his ears.
“Tugger,” Lottie answered, enthusiastically throwing her arms around the dog’s neck. “Can we please have a dog, Daddy?”
“Aw, Lottie, you know we’ve talked about this before.” At least a couple of dozen times this year. She’d asked over and over for a dog. Not a pet—a dog. They were her favorite animals, after monkeys. He hated not being able to give Lottie exactly what she wanted in life, but a dog was out of the question, because of all the traveling they did.
Lottie pulled away from Tugger, so Jake scooped her up into his arms and gave her a noisy kiss on her cheek.
“I see you’ve met my mom and daughter,” he said to Avery.
“I—Well, yes, I did.”
He could see the confusion in her eyes and realized she must not have known to whom she was speaking before he’d come up behind her and surprised her. He’d dropped his mom and Lottie out front of the church and had gone to find a place to park. When he’d entered the building, his gaze had instantly landed on Avery, and he’d made a beeline for her, anxious to see if she’d made peace with the situation between them.
Obviously not, but that only meant he had to work harder to win her over. He’d never before walked away from a challenge, and he wasn’t about to start now. That Avery was especially attractive only made the idea of winning her over even that much sweeter in the end.
He should probably be working the room to discover whose attention he should be focusing on in this small town, but he’d have plenty of time to do that after the service was over. Right now, all of his concentration was on the pretty woman standing next to him.
“My mom and I always try to visit the local church every Sunday when we’re new in town. This is a beautiful little church. Have you been going here long?” he asked, trying to keep things cordial between them, if not outright friendly.
“I was born and raised in Whispering Pines and was christened here when I was just a newborn, the same as my brothers and sisters.”
“Brothers and sisters? Do you have a large family?”
Despite the look in her eyes that said she wanted nothing whatsoever to do with him, she chuckled. “You could say that. I have my grandfather, three sisters and two brothers—I’m the oldest, followed by my brother Sharpe, my sisters Molly and Ruby, then my brother Frost and last is Felicity. I also have a brother-in-law and a nephew. We take up two whole pews in church.”
He laughed. “I’d love to meet everyone. Do y’all work together in the family businesses?”
Her brow lowered. She was staring at him as if he was trying to uncover some secret information that would work against her on his business deal, which was the furthest thing from the truth.
Actually, he was just trying to spark a conversation.
“We do. We’re all involved to some extent in both the tree farm and the service-dog program, although it varies from sibling to sibling.”
“What do you do? Train the service dogs, I take it, since you’ve had a dog with you both times I’ve seen you?”
“No, not really.”
She’d caught him off guard with her answer, and it took him a moment to recover. “I’m sorry. I just assumed—” He gestured toward Tugger. “I mean, I’ve seen you with two different dogs now. It only makes sense that you were putting your effort into dog training.”
“It takes a lot of time and energy for a dog to learn to be a service dog. They have to experience many different environments so they can learn to remain calm and focused, no matter where they are. My sisters and I take different dogs around with us virtually everywhere we go—to the store, restaurants—”
“Church,” he finished for her.
“Yes,” Avery agreed with a nod. “Including church. If you want to know who my sisters Ruby and Felicity are, just look for the dogs.”
Jake would have said more, but the bell in the steeple rang, and the people around them started moving toward the sanctuary.
“Would it be possible to bring Lottie over to see what you do sometime?” Elaine asked. “I’m sure she’d love to meet all of your dogs, and your program sounds fascinating, something I’d really be interested in learning more about. Or is that something you keep private?”
“Mom,” Jake said, combing his fingers back through his hair, “I’m sure Avery doesn’t have time to—”
Avery cut him off. “I’d love that. I’m sure Lottie would like to meet all our dogs. We also have a petting zoo with all kinds of animals, including a couple of really friendly donkeys and some goats and sheep and alpacas. What do you think about that, Lottie?”
“Yes, please,” the little girl said politely. Jake’s heart filled with such warmth, he thought it might burst.
How could he say no to that?
“I guess we’ll be visiting Winslow’s Woodlands, then,” he said with a grin.
“And A New Leash on Love. That’s what the service-dog rescue is called.”
“Right, then.” He pulled a platinum business card holder out of his pocket and handed her one of his cards. “This has my cell phone number on it. Call me when you have the chance, and we can set up a time to stop by.”
For a long moment, she stared at the card as if she’d catch cooties, but she finally reached out and took it.
“Okay. Will do,” she said at last. “Elaine, it was very nice meeting you. And it was especially nice meeting you, Lottie.”
Jake
’s gaze followed Avery as she walked away, joining a few other adults he assumed were probably her siblings. He noticed she hadn’t said anything about it being nice to see him again, not that he would expect her to.
Elaine followed the path of Jake’s gaze and chuckled. “She is certainly a lovely young woman.”
Only half listening, he nodded, but when he glanced down at his mother, he realized there was a mischievous quality to her tone and a sparkle in her gaze.
“No, Mom.” He shook his head emphatically. “I mean, yes, she’s attractive, and I’m sure she’s a very nice person, but she’s not for me.”
His mother knew why he was not now, and would not in the future, be looking to fall in love. He’d had a wonderful marriage with Lottie’s mother, Amber, and the guilt he carried from the horrible way she’d died still burdened him tremendously. There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t think about Amber.
And his current predicament with Avery Winslow was the absolute furthest thing from romance.
No. This was 100 percent business, and nothing more.
Except, perhaps, a visit to a petting zoo.
Chapter Three
Avery sipped at her coffee and watched as Jake worked the fellowship hall. He fit in a little better today, wearing a casual sport coat and slacks, though she was certain his clothing was of much finer quality than anything her friends and neighbors could afford. Everything was clearly tailored to fit his tall, muscular build, and the look worked for him.
She might not like him, but even so, she had to admit he was quite an attractive man.
He hadn’t waited five minutes after the church service was over before he’d headed straight for the fellowship hall, his smile in place and motivation shining from his eyes. He was a man with a purpose. Too bad she couldn’t make a public announcement to warn her friends and neighbors that he had an ulterior motive for being here. He was giving the word fellowship a brand-new meaning.
As far as she could tell, he wasn’t approaching anyone specifically—at least not yet. The entire town council was in the room, and Avery knew every single one of them, not that she would point them out to Jake. She didn’t know whether or not Jake had learned all their names and faces, although from what little he’d said to her so far, she suspected he had a thick dossier of information on every important individual in town and knew exactly who he should be rubbing elbows with.
It would be interesting to watch how he operated.
But when he suddenly approached two of her sisters, Avery moved so fast she spilled hot coffee on her pants. Brilliant idea, telling Jake in advance that her sisters were the other ones with dogs by their sides. They wouldn’t see him coming.
She mentally smacked her forehead with her palm. Even if she had decided not to go into detail, she definitely should have mentioned her earlier meeting with Jake sometime during the dinner conversation these last few days. But it had never seemed the right time because, though it was about Jake, it went beyond his arrival in town and their unexpected meeting at the Meyers’ cabin.
If Jake got to her sisters first, before she could explain how she already knew him, who knew what kind of stories he would have to tell about their memorable first meeting?
“Jake,” she called, causing him to turn around to look at her.
His smile appeared welcoming and genuine. Then again, he believed he had the upper hand. Why wouldn’t he be smiling?
“Let me introduce you to two of my sisters,” she said, feeling out of breath even though she’d only dashed across the room. “This is Felicity and this is Ruby. Ladies, meet Jake Cutter, who is visiting town with his mom and daughter.”
Both of her sisters slid her questioning glances, obviously wondering why she was making the introductions to a man who was completely new to town. She could see it in their eyes.
“I ran into him when I was...out the other day.”
“Funny that you didn’t mention him before now,” Ruby prodded playfully.
Jake took a step back and clasped at his chest as if he were having a heart attack. “You didn’t say anything to your family about my dashing good looks and charming personality? I’m mortally wounded.”
Of course he was only teasing, but Avery had to work hard not to roll her eyes at the blatant arrogance behind his words.
“Well, there is that. You are quite good-looking, although you know it’s kind of conceited to toot your own horn. Are you telling us you’re single?” Felicity asked, bringing color to Jake’s cheeks.
As far as Avery was concerned, he deserved whatever he got.
He paused before speaking, clearly taken aback. “Uh...I’m a widower.”
“I’m so sorry,” Avery said and meant it. She really didn’t want to get into Jake’s private life in any way, but she’d always been naturally empathetic and hadn’t missed the flash of pain and grief that had momentarily crossed his face.
Even a man like Jake deserved her compassion.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice tight and his Adam’s apple bobbing. “It’s been tough raising my daughter on my own, but my mother is a great blessing to me.”
“Lottie is a total sweetheart,” Avery said.
Again, she noticed sadness creeping into his gaze. But just as quickly as it appeared, his charming smile was back.
“You know,” he said, clearly deflecting, “Avery did mention she had sisters when we were talking earlier. She told me to look for the ladies with the dogs at their sides. But she didn’t say a thing about how beauty runs in the family.”
Ruby’s eyes widened, and she threw back her head, laughing out loud. “I do believe this one’s a keeper, Avery. You’d better grab him now while you have the opportunity.”
“Why would you think—” Avery started to ask, but Jake gave a delighted Texas whoop that caught the attention of most of the people in the room. Now it was Avery who was blushing, her face feeling as if it was on fire.
Why on earth would her sisters get the impression she wanted to date the man? Even without knowing she and Jake were on opposite sides of a property dispute, they knew why Avery would avoid getting tangled up with Jake and his family.
Because even if things were different and they weren’t arm wrestling over her bed-and-breakfast, Jake had a child. And the fact that Lottie was so precious was even more of a reason for her to steer clear of developing any personal relationship with the Cutter family.
Loving and losing in a romantic relationship was one thing. Loving and losing a man with a family was a whole other thing entirely. She’d been through it once several years ago with a local man named T.J., the only serious relationship she’d ever had, and it would never, ever happen again. Never seeing T.J. after she’d broken up with him was a given, but she’d spent so much time with his son, Oliver, that to suddenly be no longer a part of the boy’s life—that was so much harder than she could ever have imagined.
Avery knew she couldn’t withstand a second heartbreak.
“I’m here in town for a while doing some work for Marston Enterprises. Have you heard of them?” Jake asked.
Her sisters glanced at each other and shook their heads.
“No, sorry,” said Ruby.
“Seriously? It’s a huge company. I’m surprised no one around here seems to have heard of us. We have major resorts located in Aspen and Vail and several more around the country.”
“Resorts?” Felicity echoed.
“The high-end kind,” Avery cut in, noticing her bitter tone only after the words were out of her mouth. “The ones that offer the kind of spa days we could never afford if we saved for a month.”
His half smile turned into laughter. “Is that what’s bothering you? Tell you what. How about I make sure you all get coupons for an all-expenses-paid spa day on me? Does that sound good?”
Avery narrowed her eyes on him wh
ile her sisters cooed in delight and clapped their hands. They hadn’t had time to think through the ramifications the way she had. Jake was simply trying to buy their goodwill, and she was having none of it.
He’d have to do a lot better than a spa day. Avery was thinking more of a decision not to use Whispering Pines at all or her cabin in particular.
“Where’s your mom and Lottie?” Avery asked, folding her arms across her chest in an unconsciously defensive gesture. She’d rather speak to Elaine than Jake, anyway.
Jake snapped his fingers and winked at her.
“Lottie was getting antsy so my mom took her out to the car. I told them I’d only be another ten minutes, and that was a good fifteen minutes ago. Thanks for reminding me. Nice meeting you, ladies. I’d better run, but I hope we’ll be able to talk another time.”
“I imagine we will,” Avery said under her breath, though honestly, she’d rather not if she could avoid it.
At least Ruby had the decency to wait until Jake was completely out of earshot before she spoke up.
“Do you want to tell us what that was all about?”
Avery feigned ignorance. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, come on,” Ruby pressed. “There was clearly something going on between the two of you. Spill it, girl, because it makes no sense to Felicity and me. He seems like a genuinely nice guy and definitely paid special attention to you, and yet you looked as if you wanted to toss him out on his ear.”
“That’s not such a bad idea,” Avery admitted.
“He said you two already knew each other. When did you meet him?” Ruby asked.
“And where?” Felicity added. “And maybe most important, why didn’t you say anything about it? He’s too cute to ignore.”
“Well, you know how it’s been a dream of mine to open a bed-and-breakfast where guests of the service-dog program could stay while they’re going through the training program? Recently, I’ve started putting that dream into action. Lisa Gibbons has been helping me look around for some place I can remodel into a workable B and B.”