Kitabı oku: «Hometown Holiday Reunion»

Chapter One

Just what he needed this morning.

Cam Stewart stood in the middle of the bustling kitchen at the Oaks Café, glowering at the commercial fridge that was making an ominous thunking noise. It had started last week, just after Christmas, as more of a loud hum punctuated by a bang every now and then. Now it was clanking with a fairly constant rhythm, and even though he wasn’t an expert on large appliances, as a construction foreman he’d been around enough faltering equipment to recognize a death knell when he heard one.

Glancing over at the dishwasher who’d come running to get him, Cam shrugged. “That’s how you know it’s Monday, right?”

Until that moment, Kyle had looked terrified, as if he feared that his job was in danger because he’d been the one to deliver bad news. The poor kid’s tight expression loosened up, and he nodded. “I guess so.”

In all honesty, Cam wasn’t surprised by this latest in a seemingly endless parade of troubles. When he’d returned to Oaks Crossing in the fall to help out with the family business, he’d found the books and the property in a shambles, on the brink of failing altogether. His plans for sticking around for just a few weeks to rehab the building for sale had gone on an indefinite hold. No matter how good the shell looked, no one in their right mind would buy a restaurant that was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Putting that gloomy thought out of his mind, he focused on what he could control. “All right, Kyle, let’s shut down this beast before something completely lets go in there. I’ll call over to the appliance repair shop and see if they can send someone out today. For now, let’s shift everything into the fridge over in the snack bar.” A scary thought occurred to him, and he said, “Please tell me the walk-in freezer is still working.”

“Last time I checked it was okay.”

The hedging answer made Cam laugh, mostly because as much as he wanted to throw a fit, that wouldn’t get any of their equipment fixed. That, and he was just too tired from a long string of sixteen-hour days to summon the energy. “Let’s hope it stays that way. Grab one of the busboys to give you a hand.”

“You got it, boss.”

Clearly relieved that someone had arrived with a plan to save the day, Kyle hurried out front to find another set of hands that weren’t already occupied clearing breakfast dishes from the tables. Cam was thumbing through the contact list on his phone when it started ringing in his hand. After checking the caller ID, he answered the call. “Hey, Nat. How’s my favorite little sister?”

“Busy as a one-armed paper hanger. You?”

It had been one of their late grandfather’s trademark sayings, and hearing it from her made Cam smile. “Same. I thought Realtors kept their own hours. What’s got you up at the crack of dawn?”

“I’ve got a hot lead for the building next to the café.”

Her tone alerted him that there was more to the story, and he got a firm grip on his temper before saying, “I hear a but in there.”

“They’d like to rent it for a few months to make sure it’s going to work for them.”

Which meant he’d be stuck in his backwater hometown, playing nice with a tenant he didn’t want in an attempt to keep them happy—and on the hook to purchase it. In the end they might not even buy the building, and he’d be right back where he started. “Not a chance.”

“I knew you’d say that, but listen to me. Even though Kentucky winters are nothing compared to what you get up in Minnesota, this is a horrible time of year to sell property. After the holidays, no one wants to even think about laying out money like that. When spring arrives in a few months things might get better—but with the economy around here the way it is, you never know.”

“You mean I might have to wait until spring to get rid of it?” Cam felt a frustrated growl threatening in the back of his throat, and he swallowed to keep it in check. “I have a life to get back to in Minneapolis, y’know. My boss has been real understanding, but once building season starts, he’ll have to hire a new foreman to run the crew.”

“That’s why I called. At least with a tenant, you’d have some money coming in. Right now, you’re stuck paying utilities and taxes on that place, with no income to offset the expense.”

Despite the fact that she was telling him something he definitely didn’t want to hear, Cam couldn’t help feeling proud of his younger sister. He’d contributed a fair chunk of her college fund himself, and it was gratifying to see firsthand that she was making the most of her education. With a solid career, a doting husband and an adorable baby named Sophie, Natalie had what everyone wanted.

Sounded like a dream life for anyone. Except for Cam, of course.

His ill-fated marriage had been more than enough to sour him on the conventional lifestyle so many of his friends had fallen into. No attachments, no regrets, he’d vowed, even before the ink on his divorce papers had dried. The closer someone got, the easier it was for them to destroy you. Since he wasn’t a masochist, he wasn’t keen on going through that ever again.

The past was done and gone, so he brushed it aside and got back to the problem at hand. He hated the idea of being a landlord, but considering the fact that there currently weren’t any other options visible on the horizon, he didn’t seem to have a choice. “I guess I should at least meet your clients. When are they coming?”

“I said you’d meet them there in five minutes.”

“Thanks for the heads-up, sis.”

“I know you. If I’d given you more time, you’d have come up with a hundred reasons not to go,” she shot back in a businesslike tone that made him grind his teeth. “This way, it’ll be over soon and you can get on with your day.”

It wasn’t her fault that his week had started out so badly, Cam reminded himself. So, in the interests of family harmony, he swallowed his frustration and tried to sound appropriately grateful. “You’ve got a point there. Thanks for the lead.”

“Anytime. When you’re finished, give me a call to let me know how it went.”

“Will do.”

Hanging up, Cam checked in the kitchen and was pleased to find that nothing else had gone wrong. His call to the appliance repair shop was picked up by voice mail, so he left a message. Stopping in the cramped office to get a set of keys, he had the nagging feeling that he’d soon be hunting around for a decent used cooler. There was no way he could afford a new one.

The misty late-December air was cool, but nothing like he’d gotten used to during his ten years up north. On mornings like this, he really missed being part of a crew that built things instead of running around putting out fires that never seemed to end. Sure, he’d worked like a dog up in Minnesota, but at the end of the day, he’d accomplished something and went home feeling good about what he’d done.

Unfortunately, now he never got away from his family’s restaurant. It was a real stretch for someone accustomed to looking out for himself, and the responsibility weighed heavily on him. Miserable as he was, though, he just couldn’t bring himself to leave his mother and sister to manage everything on their own. Whether it took another week or several months, he was committed to staying until he felt confident they’d be all right. But some days, he honestly worried that if he couldn’t square things and leave soon, they’d be hauling him out of town in a straitjacket.

That pessimistic thought had just left his head when he turned the corner and discovered who was waiting for him on the sidewalk in front of the For Sale sign.

“Erin Kinley?”

Her slender frame stiffened, and she slowly spun to face him. Wearing an expression that he suspected mirrored his own, she rolled her hazel eyes toward the sky. When they came back to him, they weren’t exactly friendly. “Now I know why Natalie didn’t mention the owner’s name.”

“And why she didn’t tell me who was interested. She must’ve figured neither of us would ever agree to do this if we knew who we were meeting.”

“Smart girl.” Glancing around, Erin folded her arms in an unhappy gesture he remembered all too well. “I haven’t seen you since Drew and Bekah’s wedding. How have you been?”

Still a little porcupine with Southern-lady manners, he noted with a grin. It was nice to know some things in his hometown hadn’t changed. These days, he doubted that even the most compassionate person in town wanted to hear what was actually going on with him, so he fell back on an old standby. “Fine. And you?”

“Fine.”

They stared at each other for a few seconds, and he was struck by the realization that she was a lot prettier than the persistent tagalong he and Drew had spent so much time ditching when they were all growing up together. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a wavy ponytail, framing a pixie face still lightly freckled from the summer.

And then there were those eyes. A unique combination of green and gold, he knew they could twinkle with humor one second and slice through you the next. Smart and sassy, the Kinley boys’ only sister had ridden roughshod over them all their lives. And for some reason Cam had never been able to fathom, every one of them just stood by and let her do it.

Realizing the silence had dragged on for a while, he kick-started their lagging discussion by dangling the keys. “Still wanna see inside?”

“Sure,” she replied, lifting a shoulder as if it didn’t matter much one way or the other.

But something in her expression said otherwise, and Cam got the feeling that renting this vacant building was just as important to her as it was to him. The idea that she might be in some kind of trouble entered his mind, but he pushed it aside as he strolled over to unlock the glass-paneled door. Her personal life was absolutely none of his business, he reminded himself sternly. If things worked out, they’d be professional neighbors, and his only concern would be whether or not her rent checks cleared.

With the mess his life was in right now, he didn’t have the time—or the strength—to take on anyone else’s problems.

He opened the door and stepped back to let her walk through ahead of him. The air was a little musty, but opening the windows would take care of that. Not wanting to get in her way, he stayed near the front and let her wander around the large, empty space, curious to hear what she thought.

One thing about Erin, he mused, you never had to worry about her sugarcoating her opinions to avoid hurting your feelings. Good or bad, she always told it like it was.

“Obviously,” she started off in a brisk, no-nonsense manner, “I can’t run a retail business in this canyon of a room. I’ll need display cases and shelving, both on the floor and hung from the walls, which need to be painted something other than this lovely beige. Do you want to lay down some ground rules for what I can and can’t do?”

He wasn’t crazy about having to rip out a lot of furnishings if she ultimately decided not to take this albatross off his hands. Then again, if he let her do pretty much what she wanted, it might entice her to sign the purchase agreement sooner rather than later. While he meant to sound agreeable, he was stunned to hear himself saying, “Not really. If you want, I’ll even build the stuff for you.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Seriously?”

“Sure.” It wasn’t like him to leap out there like that, and he was already regretting the impulsive offer. But he’d done it, and there was no backpedaling from it now. “Now that the renovations on the café are finished, I’ve got some spare time. And spare lumber,” he added, hoping to sweeten the deal.

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” Flashing him a grateful smile, she continued her assessing stroll. “This building’s been vacant for a while now. When were the furnace and water heater last serviced?”

“I had ’em done about a month ago, when I repaired the roof. I did that myself, but mechanicals aren’t my specialty so an HVAC company from Ferndale took care of those. You can call them if you want.”

Her icy demeanor thawed slightly, and she gave him a tiny smile. “That’s not necessary. I believe you.”

“Because I’m Drew’s friend?” He cringed at the insecurity he heard in his voice, and he covered it with a grin, hoping she’d assume he’d been joking.

“Because in spite of our many differences, you’re a good guy and I know you wouldn’t lie about something that important to trick me into leasing this place.” She paused with a somber look, as if she was trying to decide if she should continue. After a few moments, she went on, “The main reason I’m asking is that my son and I will be living in the apartment upstairs. I want to make sure he’s comfortable and safe.”

Son? Cam was no actor, and he couldn’t have disguised his astonishment if he’d wanted to. “I had no idea you were a mom.”

“The ring bearer at Drew and Bekah’s wedding was my foster son, Parker Smith.”

The name and circumstances rang a bell in his memory, and for some reason he felt a rush of relief. Close on its heels came the thought that this tenacious, protective woman would probably make a fantastic mom. Shoving that observation aside, he said, “Oh, right. I think Drew mentioned that, but I didn’t know the details.”

“Parker’s had a really tough time of it,” she confided softly, looking up at the ceiling, then around the dusty interior, before coming back to Cam. “I can’t change what happened to him in the past, but I’m determined to make sure he has a better future.”

“It sounds like you’re thinking about adopting him.”

“I am, but Social Services has to try locating his parents first. All he could tell them was he was born in Kentucky and that he and his mother lived in a lot of different places.”

“With such a common last name, it’d be almost impossible to find the right family, even if you had some idea where to look.”

“Very true,” Erin agreed with a resigned sigh. “Anyway, I’ll be filing the paperwork ten minutes after his parents are officially declared unreachable.”

He admired her generosity in taking on someone else’s child and raising him on her own. “You haven’t changed a bit. I lost track of how many critters you rescued when we were kids.”

“There were a few,” she acknowledged with a smile. “Mom and Dad used to pretend they didn’t notice me sneaking them up to my room. It gave me time to come up with a good reason to keep them until they were better. Just before Dad died, I started the Oaks Crossing Rescue Center out at the farm. The day we opened, he said he’d never been prouder of me.”

Her wistful tone made Cam frown. “I’m sorry you all lost him. Justin was a great man, and I really admired him. He stepped up big-time when my dad left, and I’ll never forget how hard he tried to help me.”

“He thought you had a lot of potential.”

“Too bad I proved him wrong.”

“Oh, please,” she scoffed, clearly trying to switch tracks to something slightly more cheerful. “You could’ve done anything you wanted, but we all know you chose construction ’cause it would give you the best tan.”

Her accusation made him laugh, something he hadn’t done much of the past few months. “Got me there.”

Shaking her head, she looked past him to the door that led upstairs. “Is it liveable up there?”

“I guess that depends on how picky you are.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t get all riled up, bug,” he said, making a calming gesture with his hands. “It’s just that I remember you being pretty fussy about things like that. Now that you’re a mom, I figure you must be even more worried about it.”

“Do not call me that,” she spat, just about tearing the old door off its hinges. “We’re not kids anymore.”

Tell me about it, Cam mused as he followed her up the creaky wooden steps. Two years younger than he was, the very headstrong Erin Kinley had always been a handful. Now she was even more so, and he pitied the guy who was unfortunate enough to lose his head over her.

She’d probably hand it back to him on a platter.

* * *

In truth, Erin didn’t need a tour of the building to know she wanted it.

What she did need, however, was a few minutes to get over her shock at finding out that Cam Stewart was the owner. It made sense, she supposed, since the closed shop was right next to the diner and attached Laundromat he’d been running since coming home a few months ago. The reason for that was well-known around town, and she felt guilty for not asking about it sooner. “So, how’s your mom doing?”

“Depends on the day,” he replied with a frown. “Recovering from a stroke can be like that, from what the visiting nurse says. Sometimes Mom seems like she’s getting back to her old self, and other times I can tell she doesn’t quite recognize me when I get there.”

Erin couldn’t imagine how that would feel, and despite the fact that they’d never gotten along, her heart went out to him. “That’s awful, Cam. I’m so sorry.”

“It is what it is.”

He shrugged, but the careless gesture wasn’t nearly enough to mask the pain that made his brown eyes look almost black. The shadows under them told her that he’d been working way too hard and worrying more than anyone should have to. He still kept his dark, wavy hair a bit too long for her taste, but she couldn’t deny that the years he’d spent up north had been good to him. More weathered than handsome, his features were an interesting combination of angles and creases that hinted at a lot of laughter.

Not recently, though, she realized sadly. Her own life had gotten pretty complicated since her father’s sudden death a few years ago, so she could relate. Thankfully, a much brighter topic popped into her head. “I just remembered you’re a new uncle. How did Sophie like her first Christmas?”

“About like you’d expect,” he responded with a chuckle. “I hunted all over for the baby doll Natalie said she’d like best, and what does my scamp of a niece do? She rips off the paper, chucks the toy away and plays with the box.”

He fished out his cell phone and opened his pictures to show Erin a photo of a laughing little girl wearing a red velvet dress, one black patent shoe and reindeer antlers.

“Oh, she’s adorable. How old is she now?”

“Ten months,” he responded, glancing at the photo before sliding his phone back into his pocket. “The way she’s moving around, she’ll be walking any day. Then her parents will really have their hands full.”

“If Sophie’s anywhere near as popular as her mother was in high school, Alex will be busy intimidating all her possible boyfriends.” Pausing, Erin gave Cam a stern look. “Maybe you can give him some lessons on that.”

“I never wasted time intimidating anyone. I flat-out told ’em that if they got outta line with my little sister, I’d make ’em sorrier than they’d ever been in their miserable lives.”

“My mistake. You threatened them.”

“Got that right.” He punctuated his response with a growl that would have been more convincing if his eyes hadn’t been twinkling in fun. “Don’t give me that look. All three of your brothers did the same thing for you.”

Shaking her head in exasperation, Erin shared her opinion on that. “You were a bunch of morons, all four of you.”

“Maybe, but we got our point across.” When she didn’t say anything, he flashed her a shameless grin. “You’re welcome.”

She couldn’t come up with a witty comeback for that one, so she let the subject drop and strolled around the apartment, assessing what kind of home it would make for Parker and her.

While it wasn’t large, it had a nice-sized living room with a bay window that overlooked Main Street. Both bedrooms were down a short hallway, on either side of a bathroom that would benefit from a good scrubbing but was otherwise acceptable. She wasn’t much of a cook, but the galley kitchen and its appliances were in decent condition, and the breakfast bar separating it from the living area would do double duty for eating and homework.

“So,” he began in a conversational tone, “I can’t help wondering why a lifelong country girl like you is suddenly interested in moving to town.”

“I’ve been renting the bottom half of the old Johnson place for the past couple of years, but they’ve been hinting at selling it so they can move to Ohio to be closer to their grandkids. When Judge Markham decided to retire in December, he gave me a nice severance and a glowing reference about the administrative work I did for him. It was a decent job, but not really my thing. I mostly stayed because he and Granddad were friends for so long, and I could work flexible hours when I needed to.”

“Because you’re a mom now,” Cam filled in with an incredulous look. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around that one.”

So was she, Erin had to admit. But only to herself. She feared that if she ever voiced the tiniest smidgen of self-doubt, it would somehow get back to Parker’s social worker and she’d lose him to the system she was so determined to rescue him from.

Eight years old, he was on the verge of being considered unadoptable, which meant a forever home was almost out of reach for the shy boy. Over the past few months, she’d made slow but steady progress with him, until he now looked her in the eye without flinching. She hated to consider what might happen to him if he was torn from the life she and her large, loving family had worked so hard to give him.

So, in typical Kinley fashion, she’d simply decided that she wasn’t going to let that happen. “Anyway, I’ve been thinking about starting my own business, and with the apartment up here, this place would be perfect.”

“For what?”

He seemed genuinely interested, and her heart leaped with the excitement she always felt when she talked about the dream that had edged closer to reality over the past year. “A pet store. Not your average one, though.”

“Of course not,” he said with a chuckle. “You never do anything like anyone else.”

There was a tinge of admiration in his tone, and she couldn’t keep back a smile. “You make that sound like a good thing.”

“It is. There’s plenty of boring, predictable folks on the planet. We certainly don’t need any more.” Leaning against the counter that divided the kitchen from the living room, he said, “What’ve you got in mind?”

“All right,” she shot back, eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Who are you, and what have you done with Cam Stewart?”

“Whaddya mean?”

“You’re being nice to me.”

“I’m nice.” When she gave him a wilting look, he laughed. “Okay, maybe that’s a stretch. But I can be pleasant, if the situation warrants it.”

“Meaning this one does?” He nodded, and after studying his serious expression she opted to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, it wasn’t like he could still stuff her in a locker and stand outside of it laughing his head off while she tried to bang her way free. “Well, I was planning on stocking all the usual supplies, but also some fancier things for people who like to spoil their animals. I’m going to call it Pampered Pets.”

“I like it. Pretty much sums up what you’re offering to your customers.”

“Kind of like the new Wash and Dine Snack Bar you opened next to the café,” she commented, figuring it was only fair to compliment him in return. “We’ve needed a Laundromat for a while, but you went one further and made it into a fun spot to hang out. I’ve heard lots of great things about it from folks at church.”

His chiseled jaw tightened almost reflexively, then slowly eased as if he was making a concerted effort to relax. “Good to know.”

His clipped response warned her that she’d misstepped, and she frowned. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Course not.”

Any fool could see that he didn’t mean what he’d said, but she decided to let the matter drop. She didn’t want to start an argument with someone who had the power to help her make a stable home for Parker and get her new business off the ground. “I’d like to rent this place for three months, with an option to buy when the lease runs out. That gives me a chance to get all my ducks in a row before making a huge commitment I might end up regretting.”

“Yeah, I hear you,” he said with a wry grin. “Wish I could’ve done that with my ex-wife.”

It was Erin’s turn to gawk. “You were married?”

“For more than a year. Sherry and I were about as different as two people could be, but there was something about her.” He punctuated the very personal revelation with a rueful grin. “We both gave it our best shot, but eventually she decided I wasn’t worth the trouble. Considering the way my parents ended up, I don’t know why I thought I could make it work.”

For Erin, the situation was exactly the opposite. Her parents’ marriage had been full of love and laughter right up until the day her father died. That was why she was so picky about her relationships. If it wasn’t wonderful, she wasn’t interested. Which explained why, at twenty-eight, she was a frequent bridesmaid but had never walked down the aisle herself. “Sometimes people change when we’re not looking, and it’s smarter to admit that and move on.”

“Is that what happened to you and whoever’s heart you broke last?”

“You just assume that’s how it ended?” When he grinned, she couldn’t help smiling in return. “That’s very flattering, but actually it was the opposite. He claimed our relationship suffered because I was so preoccupied with Parker, but I got the feeling that wasn’t the whole story.”

“You were probably too much for him from the get-go. Some guys have no clue what to do with a strong, intelligent woman like you.”

She appreciated the boost to her ego, especially since it had come from someone who had no reason to sugarcoat things for her. “Whatever the reason, it wasn’t fun.”

“I can relate to that. The last six months of our marriage were the worst time of my life.” He paused, and his eyes filled with misery. “Until Mom’s stroke, anyway. I guess that takes first prize now.”