Читать книгу The Home Is Where The Heart Is Collection - Maisey Yates - Страница 22

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“ARE YOU SURE you don’t mind running to the grocery store for me, too?” Sue asked Friday.

Eliza shrugged into her coat. “Not at all. It’s right on my way after I pick up the new lamps.”

“I told you, Jim can do all of that for you. I’m not sure you should be carrying those big boxes to the car. I know you say you feel fine now but I still worry about you.”

The other woman’s concern warmed her heart. After several days of working closely with Sue, Eliza had come to consider her a dear friend.

“I’m perfectly fine, I promise.” She still had a lingering twinge in her wrist and shoulder but even that was fading. “I have to go to the pharmacy, anyway, for Maddie and to be honest, I’m looking forward to finally seeing a little more of Haven Point.”

The past week had been so busy, she hadn’t even had a chance to leave the ranch. It was hard to have cabin fever in a vast twelve-thousand-square-foot lodge complete with all the amenities of a small resort but a change of scenery would certainly be welcome.

“You said you needed cream of tartar?” she asked.

“That’s right. How can I make snickerdoodles without cream of tartar?”

“Excellent question. I’ll be happy to pick some up for you. How much do you need?”

“Better get me at least four of the biggest spice containers they have. Aidan has always loved my snickerdoodles and he assures me his family will, too.”

“Because you make the best snickerdoodles in the whole wide world,” Maddie declared from her elbow.

Sue smiled down at her, rubbing her head. The two of them had become fast friends, too, these last few days. Sue clearly adored Eliza’s daughter and treated her like a beloved granddaughter. Her quiet, darling husband did the same.

In their many conversations over the past few days, Eliza had learned that Sue and Jim had found each other late in life, too late to start a family. Sue had confessed that being with Maddie made her ache for the children and grandchildren she never had.

“Wait until you try my cut-out sugar cookies, darlin’,” she said now to Maddie. “I promise, you’ll be in cookie heaven.”

Maddie giggled. “There’s no such thing!”

“You say that because you haven’t tried my cookies yet.”

Eliza smiled. “Okay, cream of tartar. Anything else?”

“Let me check.”

Sue pulled down the notebook she used to organize menus and shopping lists for the party. “I think that should be everything. Aidan is supposed to be bringing some of the specialty items I can’t find locally.”

“And he’s coming home tonight?” she asked, trying for a casual tone even as her pulse hitched up a notch.

“Tonight or tomorrow. When he called this morning, he still didn’t know when his meetings would be done.”

Against her will, Eliza’s gaze shifted to the sofa in the kitchen sitting area, where they had shared that stunning kiss.

Try as she might, she couldn’t seem to shake the memory. She had started to avoid sitting down on that particular sofa because she could swear the clean, deliciously masculine scent of him still drifted in the air.

After six days she should be over this ridiculous and completely embarrassing crush she had developed—especially since she hadn’t even seen the man since that kiss.

The day after their early-morning conversation and embrace, he had made himself scarce, spending his time either outside helping Jim clear away the fresh snow or holed up in his office on phone calls. She knew, because every time she walked past his office toward the other rooms she was working on in that area of the house, the muted murmur of his voice through the closed door seemed to shiver through her as if he had trailed a finger down her spine.

The next morning, Tuesday, she found out after breakfast that he was gone, ostensibly to handle urgent, last-minute negotiations for a company Caine Tech wanted to acquire.

She was grateful he was gone, she told herself. Without his presence, some of the fine-edged tension under her skin seemed to dissipate and she could really go to work making his house into a warm and welcoming haven.

“Looks like we’re running low on baking powder,” Sue finally said. “Why don’t you pick up more of that and maybe some of that local artisanal cheese they carry in front of the store?”

“Got it. Cream of tartar, baking powder and cheese. Okay, find your coat, Mads.”

“Why don’t you leave the little one here?” Sue suggested. “I can sure use a little help decorating the sugar cookies.”

Maddie’s eyes widened. “Oh, can I, Mama? I want to decorate sugar cookies! You know I love putting on the sprinkles.”

She smiled. “That does sound like fun. You always have been an extrasprinkles girl, haven’t you?”

“Can we make some angels with silver wings?” Maddie suggested to Sue.

“I do think I might have a cookie cutter in the shape of an angel. We’ll see what we can do.”

Though Eliza was torn about leaving her daughter, she didn’t feel like she could deprive her of this fun. “Thank you,” she said to Sue. “I know you have plenty to do without babysitting, too.”

“Are you kidding? I’m not babysitting her, she’s helping me. Anyway, I love the company. Take all the time you need. There are a few nice shops in town you should check out while you’re there, especially if you need anything else on your Christmas list.”

Christmas. It always seemed like such an abstract concept until it started getting this close. The holiday was just around the corner, only five more days—this was Friday and Aidan’s family would be arriving the following Tuesday, the day before Christmas Eve.

She still had so much to do but as she walked through the house on her way to the garage, she couldn’t help admiring what she had accomplished so far.

She was far from an interior decorator but she did know the little touches that warmed up a room and made a guest feel welcome. A beautiful home wasn’t necessarily a gracious one and she wanted his family to remember how comfortable they felt at Snow Angel Cove.

To that end, she had made sure every bedroom had extra blankets, house slippers and fuzzy socks in various sizes, water carafes for the bedside tables, little baskets full of designer toiletries she had ordered rush delivery from the same supplier she had used at the hotel. She had carefully selected books and magazines for each room according to what she knew about his family and had worked late into the night making basic instruction manuals that explained in simple terms how to work the electronics, the wi-fi passwords and the gas fireplaces.

To make each room more festive, she and Maddie had spent a wonderful afternoon cutting boughs and glossy red winterberries from the abundant forested areas around the house and then arranging them on mantels and in containers on side tables. They had used extra to make wreaths to hang on some of the doors. Each room also contained a small four-foot Christmas tree, decorated with the individual guests in mind.

Would he like the little touches or would he think she had overstepped?

She supposed she would find out when he returned. If he had been here, she could have asked his opinion and at least had a little direction. Sue had approved of everything she had done, so Eliza had to hope she was on the right track.

If he hated everything, she could strip the house back to the cool, impersonal shell it had been four days ago.

A few moments later, she was pulling her SUV out of the garage and driving toward the town of Haven Point, some two miles away, feeling strange to be without Maddie.

The setting was spectacularly beautiful, with those commanding snow-covered mountains rising almost directly up from the other side of the brilliant blue lake.

With all this splendor to distract the eye, she didn’t know how people kept from driving off the road. Somehow she managed to make it to Haven Point without incident and drove down the appealing main street that curved around the lake.

She felt a pang as she passed the burned-out remains of the inn. How was Megan doing? she wondered. And what was she planning to do with the inn? She made a mental note to check in with her before she left Lake Haven.

She could have made a good life here with Maddie. Maybe they would have attended that charming little church on the lakeshore, with its Gothic stained glass windows and honey-gold brick. Maddie might have gone to the elementary school that rested on a hill overlooking the town and the lake. Eliza might have been on a first-name basis with the old-timers she saw talking to each other with elbows propped on the hood of a pickup truck in front of the feed store.

Maybe here she could have found the sense of belonging she and Maddie both needed.

In a perfect world, she would have been able to find another job here but she had scoured the online classified section of the community’s weekly newspaper and had come up with nothing but a few part-time, minimum wage retail jobs and a live-in companion to an elderly woman that specified Absolutely No Children, with several exclamation points.

She would figure something out. She had a couple of promising leads back in Boise already from some email inquiries she had sent out.

It only took a moment to pick up the two extra bedside lamps she had ordered for one of the guest suites that somehow didn’t have any, then she drove back to the small commercial center of Haven Point.

From what she could tell, McKenzie Shaw’s shop would be her best option for a few last-minute Christmas gifts.

She parked down the street and walked toward Point Made Flowers and Gifts, which was housed in a historic-looking redbrick building.

Chimes rang out like jingle bells as she pushed the door open. She was immediately greeted by a welcoming warmth and the cozy smell of cinnamon and apples, scents that conjured up home and hearth and old-fashioned Christmases.

Oh, this looked like just her kind of place, packed to the brim with clever little hard-to-find items. Oddly, the store appeared to be empty—except for a ginger-colored dog who rose to greet her.

The dog—a standard poodle wearing a bandana printed with gleaming green-and-gold Christmas ornaments—walked gracefully over to her, planted its haunches a few feet away and held up a hand just like a department store greeter.

“Hello. Are you in charge today?” she asked the dog, who seemed to give her an uncanny sort of grin.

Okay, strange. Where was McKenzie?

“Hello?” she called.

A moment later, a door in the back of the store popped open and McKenzie peeked her head around the frame. “Oh. I thought I heard the bell. Hi, Eliza! Great to see you! Welcome to Point Made.”

“Thanks. I’m in love with your shop.”

“Oh, thanks! I’m pretty crazy about it, too.”

“I finally found a minute to get away from Snow Angel Cove for a bit and take care of a little of my Christmas shopping.”

“This is the place for it. No Maddie today?”

Eliza shook her head. “I left her making sugar cookies with Sue.”

“Lucky girl. A sugar cookie would be fabulous right about now.”

“I’ll have her save you a few and we’ll drop them off next time we come to town.”

“That sounds like an excellent plan.” McKenzie gestured to the big poodle. “I see you’ve met Rika. Short for Paprika.”

“Yes. She was very polite and greeted me with a handshake.”

“She runs the place with an iron paw, don’t let all that charm fool you.”

Rika grinned at her owner then plopped down in a multicolored patch of sunlight coming through a display of stained glass sun catchers in the window.

Feminine laughter spilled out from the open doorway and what sounded like a good-natured argument. The mayor glanced back at the room and then at Eliza. “I’m so glad you stopped by today! What luck. You’re just in time for lunch!”

“I am?”

“Yes. Take off your coat and come grab a bowl of soup. Some of us in town get together regularly for a potluck lunch. It’s sort of an informal service club where we work on projects like crocheting afghans for the children’s hospital in Boise or sending care packages to members of the armed forces from the area. We call ourselves the Haven Helping Hands. I know, really lame name. I wanted to call it the Pointer Sisters but I was vetoed. Apparently that’s already taken.”

“I like the Pointer Sisters. The musical group and the name, for what it’s worth.”

The incoming mayor beamed. “Thank you! I knew I liked you for a reason. Come on back. We’ve got tons of soup.”

For just a moment, Eliza was torn. She should probably hurry to finish her shopping and return to Maddie. She also wasn’t sure she wanted to meet more people and find more reasons to love Haven Point when she couldn’t make her home here, after all.

On the other hand, Maddie was in excellent hands with Sue and it had been so very long since Eliza had socialized with other women outside of work. It also seemed rude to refuse after McKenzie and her sister had been nothing but kind to her.

“I can only stay a moment.”

McKenzie beamed and led the way to a workroom that looked at least as large as the display area of Point Made gifts. Boxes were stacked around the edges of the room. At a long table in the middle, about a dozen women of various ages—from barely twentysomethings to a couple of women who looked to be in their sixties or early seventies—were eating and chatting.

Megan Hamilton was one of the first to spot her. “Eliza! Hi! I am so glad to see you. How are feeling after your accident?”

She smiled at the woman she had wanted for an employer. “I’m doing well. Thank you.”

“I’ve been worrying about you and Maddie. I was so glad when Kenz told me you found work and are staying in the area through the holidays—even if the job is with Aidan Caine.”

At the name, the entire room full of chattering women fell as silent as if Megan had just belched the alphabet.

All eyes fell on her and Eliza squirmed, not sure what to say.

“You work for Aidan Caine?” a plump, well-dressed woman with dark hair and warm brown eyes asked.

“Ye-es,” Eliza said warily. Why was everyone staring at her?

“Is he as gorgeous in real life as he is on YouTube?” one of the twentysomethings asked.

“I swear, I’ve watched his Ted Talk like a hundred times, just so I can swoon a little at the place where he takes his glasses off for a minute while making a point.”

Eliza wasn’t sure what to say. She had signed a confidentiality agreement. Did her opinion that he was even more sexy in person violate that agreement? She decided the wise course would be to remain quiet.

“What do you do there?” The question came from a tired-looking woman wearing a gray sweater that was fraying at the sleeves.

She wasn’t sure whether she could talk about that, either. “My official job title is housekeeper. A little of this, a little of that. Do you all live here in Haven Point?”

As she hoped, the question seemed to turn the conversation away from tricky areas. “Oh, I should introduce everybody,” McKenzie said. “Hang your coat over there and then grab a bowl of soup out of the slow cookers there—they have little signs that say what’s in them. After you’re settled, I’ll tell you everyone’s names.”

She wasn’t going to remember more than a few, but she supposed that didn’t matter. In a few more weeks, she wouldn’t meet these people again.

McKenzie was very good at ordering people around, which was probably a good skill for a mayor, Eliza thought in amusement as she obediently grabbed a bowl from a slow cooker marked White Chicken Chili, added a slice of thick-crusted bread and found a seat between the flower shop owner and Megan Hamilton.

“Okay, everybody, this is Eliza Hayward. She was supposed to start work this week for Megan but of course the inn fire has changed everything. Five minutes after she found out the inn burned down, she was hit by a car right outside here—driven by Aidan Caine himself.”

“Oh, my word,” a matronly woman with a silver-and-black bob exclaimed. “But you’re okay?”

“It was just a tap,” she assured her. “I’m really fine, nothing broken, just some scrapes and bruises.”

“And now you work for Caine?” a woman with a poodle perm and a sour expression demanded.

“Only for a few weeks. He found out about the inn fire and that I was now unemployed and homeless because of it and insisted on my daughter and I staying at Snow Angel Cove for the holidays to help him out.”

Poodle Perm snorted. “He can afford it. What else is he spending his money on? Not fixing up the buildings he owns in town so we can bring some real businesses in, that’s for sure.”

McKenzie frowned at the woman. “I’m sure he will. Give the man a chance, Linda.”

“We don’t have time for him to sit around on his ass looking gorgeous,” she retorted. “Our holiday sales are down fifteen to twenty percent from last year. At this rate, my boutique won’t be open by summer. Everybody is shopping at the new big box store in Shelter Springs, not here.”

“How many times do I have to tell you, Mom?” the blonde twentysomething said. “Sales will pick up when you stop offering stuff that was out of date when you were in high school.”

“My clients favor the traditional, classic items.”

“Sure. For their funeral clothing.”

The conversation devolved from there into what sounded like a familiar disagreement that had McKenzie rolling her eyes at Eliza. “Sorry,” she said. “Don’t mind the great Fremont family feud. Samantha wants to drag her mom into the twenty-first century, kicking and screaming if she has to. Let me introduce you to everyone else.”

She went around the circle and introduced the women, the rest of whom seemed friendly and interested in her. Eliza knew she wouldn’t remember half of them, though she had tried to use some of the memory devices to remember the names of guests at the hotel.

“This seems like a fun organization. How often do you get together?” she asked, when McKenzie had introduced everyone.

“A couple times a month, always on Friday,” the mayor said. “We charge five dollars for the potluck lunch and give the money we raise to the food pantry. Usually we have a quick lunch and then a craft or something. Today we’re just relaxing because we’ve been working like crazy making things for our booth tomorrow at the Lights on the Lake Festival.”

“Oh, you mentioned that the other day. What is it, again?” she asked, innocently enough.

The volume in the room escalated as a dozen women answered her at once.

“Whoa. Slow down. Give the girl a break,” said the woman with the salt-and-pepper bob—Maria, she remembered.

“The Lights on the Lake Festival was started by boat owners around here years ago. Since the lake usually doesn’t freeze until late January, if at all, boat lovers decided to decorate their watercraft with Christmas lights and have a parade along the lakefront the Friday before Christmas. The whole thing exploded from there and now it’s part gift bazaar, part food and music festival, part holiday celebration. I’ve been the chairperson three years in a row. It’s a wonderful time for all.”

“It sounds lovely.”

“Be sure to check out our booth. We’re selling all kinds of gifts we’ve made through the year. All proceeds benefit the Lake Haven Library and their literacy program.”

“Maddie would love the boat parade,” Megan Hamilton said. “It’s really magical to see all the boats with their lights sparkling on the water at sunset.”

“Tell me what’s going on with the inn,” she prompted.

Megan sighed. “It looks like we’re going to rebuild but it’s going to take six months to a year. It’s too bad you can’t work for Aidan until I’m ready to reopen.”

Eliza thought of that stunning kiss she couldn’t shake from her memory and wasn’t sure she agreed. Another few weeks of working for him and she would probably be more than a little in love with the man—exactly what she didn’t need right now.

The conversation turned to holiday travel plans people had and when the group would meet again. She loved listening to the interaction of these women who were obviously a tight-knit group but were willing to open their ranks to her, a newcomer who wouldn’t even be here in a few weeks.

At one point, one of the ladies cornered her to tell her a little more about the history of the area, a subject she found fascinating.

A short time later, the informal lunch started to break up.

“I’ve got to finish my errands and get back to Maddie,” she said to McKenzie. “I’m just going to walk through your store for a few minutes to see if I can cross a few gifts off my list.”

“Sure! Don’t worry if you can’t find what you want. Just come to the festival tomorrow and walk through the booths, especially our Helping Hands booth.”

“Absolutely.”

Under the watchful eye of Rika—who was probably a very formidable deterrent to shoplifters—she wandered through the displays of handmade and specialty items in the store. She ended up finding a pretty silk scarf and some delicious pear-scented handmade soap for Sue—along with buying ten more bars for the bathrooms at Snow Angel Cove—and a local author’s book of cowboy poetry for Jim.

She couldn’t come up with anything for Aidan. No surprise there. What could she possibly buy that might be meaningful to a man who had his own private jet, for crying out loud?

After Eliza paid for her items, McKenzie surprised her with a hug. “I’m so glad you came. I’m still keeping an eye out for a job around here. We want you to stay.”

She smiled back, gave the dog a rub on the curly scruff just above her bandana and headed out into the cold wind that blew off the lake.

A quick trip to the pharmacy and grocery store later, she was loading bags into the back of her SUV when her cell phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Eliza, darlin’, it’s Sue. Tell me you haven’t left town yet.”

“I haven’t left town yet,” she answered dutifully. “I just finished at the grocery store and was about to head back.”

“Oh, perfect! Listen, Aidan just called. His plane landed early and he needs a ride out to the ranch. We didn’t expect him until later and Jim is still in Boise buying a new part for the tractor and I’m up to my elbows in frosting. Do you mind swinging past the airport there on the west side of the lake and picking him up?”

For all of about ten seconds, she couldn’t answer. Her heart raced and her palms suddenly felt clammy.

Oh, for Pete’s sake. She had to get a grip here. Yes, the last time she had seen the man he had kissed her senseless but she was a grown-up here. That was no reason for her to panic just at the thought of seeing him again. She worked for him and lived in his house! She couldn’t avoid him forever.

“Um. Sure. I can do that.”

“Thanks, hon. There’s a sugar cookie in it for you when you get back, assuming your little girl doesn’t eat all eight dozen of them first.”

She heard a giggle in the background that warmed her heart.

“Everything going okay?” she asked

“We’re having a great time and don’t need you back anytime soon. If Aidan hadn’t called, I would have told you to go see a movie or something.”

“Thanks. Give her a hug from me.”

“You bet. You can find Aidan at hangar twelve in the airport. It’s the newest and biggest one, on the north end of the back row of buildings.”

“Okay.”

She blew out a breath. She could handle this. Yes, she had been ridiculously obsessed with that kiss. Just because he had left town shortly after—as if he couldn’t wait to get away from her—didn’t mean things had to be awkward between them. Right?

She sighed and backed out of the parking space, then headed in the direction Sue had indicated, trying to keep her suddenly clammy palms from slipping on the steering wheel.

The airport—really only a cluster of metal hangars and one taller concrete building that must serve as the air traffic control center—was located on a wide stretch of land just below the foothills with broad views of the lake and the surrounding mountains.

She found the newest hangar easily and had just pulled up in front when Aidan walked out wearing a tailored peacoat with a worn tan leather laptop bag strung over his shoulder and carrying a small duffel. He looked distracted and tired and rumpled, his hair tousled with deceptive casualness that still managed to hide any trace of his scar.

And he looked sexy, she added silently.

Very, very sexy.

His eyes widened when he spotted her and she thought she saw a quick flash of something else in his expression, a heat that made those dancing butterflies in her stomach take to the floor again.

No, she was probably imagining it, she told herself as he lifted a hand in greeting and headed to the passenger side of the SUV.

When he slid inside, the air seemed to shiver with the luxurious scents of leather and the black pepper and sandalwood of his soap—she knew it was his soap because she had discovered it in his shower a few days earlier when she was checking the towel supply there.

She hadn’t meant to snoop but just walking into the en suite bathroom of the master bedroom at Snow Angel Cove had been an intoxicating sensory experience.

Now, having that familiar scent in the enclosed space of her vehicle sent all her pheromones into ecstasy until she sternly ordered them to cut it out.

“Hi,” he said as he settled his duffel and briefcase behind the passenger seat. “I guess you’re my ride.”

“Sue just called and asked me to pick you up,” she said quickly. “Apparently Jim is tied up out of town and since I was in Haven Point running errands, anyway, I told her I didn’t mind.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it. Sorry if I made you go out of your way, coming out to this side of town.”

“You’re paying for my time,” she was compelled to remind him. “If you want a dozen doughnuts from my favorite shop in Boise, individually hand-delivered in twelve separate trips, it wouldn’t make a difference to me.”

He didn’t quite smile but she thought some of the exhaustion seemed to seep out of his features. “I like maple bars. For future reference.”

“Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind.”

For the next few moments, she concentrated on driving around the hangars toward the exit.

“How was California?” she finally asked when she pulled onto the main road that would lead them back to the lodge.

“Rainy, when I left. How have things been here?”

“It’s been beautiful weather since you left. Today was even above freezing. A little of the snow is even melting, though I understand we’re supposed to have a small storm Sunday. It should clear out before your family’s travel day on Tuesday.”

“That’s good.”

“Sue has been cooking up a storm. Your family is going to eat very, very well, I can promise you that. Maddie and I have almost finished preparing all the bedrooms. We’ve only got a few more things to do and should wrap up tomorrow.”

“You work fast.”

“It’s a beautiful house. Making it a little more comfortable for your guests has been a joy.”

“Good.”

He seemed to settle farther in the seat and even closed his eyes for a moment. Did he have another headache? She wanted to ask but didn’t want to bring up any reminders of that fateful night.

“You’ve been running errands, you said,” he finally said after a moment.

“Yes. I ordered a couple of lamps for one of the guest rooms that didn’t have them and then Sue asked me to pick up a few things at the grocery store.”

“It seems like shopping opportunities are few and far between in town. The town must close up in the winter, not like my hometown. Winter is the busiest time of year back home, though high summer is beginning to draw as many visitors.”

“I’ve seen pictures of Hope’s Crossing. It’s very pretty.”

“You’ve never been there?”

She shook her head. “My family lived in Grand Junction for about six months when I was in elementary school but we didn’t do a lot of sightseeing to other areas of Colorado.”

“Why only six months?” he asked as they drove over the bridge that spanned the Hell’s Fury River and headed around the east side of the lake toward Snow Angel Cove.

“My father was on a temporary job for the summer there. He was a road construction supervisor and we moved around a lot. I went to nine elementary schools in seven different states by the time I graduated sixth grade.”

“That must have been tough on a kid.”

“Yes.” An understatement. “When I was thirteen, he got a more stable job as the county road supervisor on the central coast of Oregon so we stayed put through my high school years.”

“What was your favorite place to live?”

She had to think about it. “Well, I did enjoy Lincoln City. We lived for four months on the Big Island in Hawaii. I loved waking up and smelling the ocean, being able to ride my bike down to the beach and play in the baby breakers. I even surfed a little. There is something so...comforting about the water, you know?”

“Something we have in common. It’s one of the things that drew me to Lake Haven. It’s not quite the same as the ocean but a mountain lake offers its own kind of calm.”

She thought of the lunch she had shared with the women in town and the bits of conversation she had picked up. “I think it only fair to let you know, you’ve put the whole town on edge.”

He looked startled. “I have?”

“I stopped at Mayor Shaw’s gift store earlier. Apparently a group of her friends gets together a few Friday afternoons a month for a buffet lunch. This happened to be one of them and they invited me to join them.”

“That’s nice. Haven Point seems like a very friendly town.”

She wished again that it could have become her friendly town. All those years of moving around as a child had given her a deep desire to settle in a place where she and Maddie could belong. This would have been idyllic.

She had to stop wishing for the impossible. First a job that now didn’t exist and then a man who might have kissed her once but certainly wouldn’t make that mistake again.