Harlequin Heartwarming May 2016 Box Set (27 page)

“What about the woman?”

“Found facedown outside as if she'd been running from something fearsome and had a heart attack. Rumor had it the murdered cow's ghost was possessed, and no one wanted to go near the property because it haunted the fields.”

“Oh, come on!” Appalled, Grace moved toward the tour guide. “Where did you get that information? What proof do you have that anything you said is true?”

Vincent puffed himself up but still had to tilt his head to look her in the eye. “Are you a ghost hunter?” he demanded.

As if his calling himself a ghost hunter gave him unique qualifications, Grace thought. “No. Green Meadows is my community, and I don't appreciate your tall tales meant to scare people or make them uncomfortable.”

“I'm not doing anything illegal. And just because
you
don't believe in ghosts doesn't mean the story isn't true.”

“A ghost cow?” she asked.

“With blazing red eyes. And it still wanders the area, sometimes on deserted country roads...”

Grace had had enough. She started to open her mouth again.

“Oh, come on, lady,” one of the group interrupted. “Don't spoil our fun!”

Fun? Could this man really just make up a bunch of lies and people would pay to hear them? Distraught, she looked around and noted irritated expressions on several faces. Obviously these tourists were getting what they wanted and didn't appreciate her interference.

“Fine,” she muttered.

Paying no attention to her, the tour leader started explaining how the cow chasing old Mrs. Whitman was reenacted on the Green Meadows property whenever there was moonlight.

Disgusted, Grace turned to leave and nearly ran into Caleb, who had his bill and some cash in hand.

“Don't let him get to you,” he said softly as they reached the cashier and he set down his money, then went on without waiting for change. “It's ridiculous, but it isn't meant to hurt anyone.”

“Plus it brings in business,” added the cashier, nodding to the group, most of whom seemed to be ordering sandwiches or full meals.

“Come on.” Caleb held the door open for Grace.

Once outside, she said, “But what if it hurts the new community? People can be superstitious. If they believe him, they might not want to go anywhere near Green Meadows.”

“Yes, levelheaded people around here are going to believe there's a ghost cow with blazing red eyes roaming the property.” His tone was serious but laugh lines crinkled around his eyes.

Despite her irritation with the tour leader, Caleb made her laugh. “Okay, okay.”

“If I know people around here, they'll be snorting over that guy's story for days to come. Until someone else comes up with a more outrageous tale.”

“Hopefully Green Meadows is safe then.” The idea of going back to her paperwork made Grace desperate enough to ask Caleb, “Have you thought about taking that tour of the green community with me?”

“You were serious?”

“I was.”

“Then I would love it. Are you busy now?”

Thinking about the paperwork waiting for her in the office, she said, “Now would be a perfect time.”

* * *

S
INCE
C
ALEB
LIVED
so close to the development, it made sense for them to drive separately and meet at the community center. Arriving at Green Meadows before Grace, he took a good look at the wall his daughter had defaced a few days ago. Already painted over. Part of him regretted Angela's work being destroyed, especially since it had such emotional significance to her. What she had done was wrong, but maybe it was his fault. In the past, he'd avoided discussing Lily with his daughter. He'd had no idea that she'd thought he had somehow taken her mother away from her, the antithesis of the truth. When he'd fallen in love with Lily, he'd been young and naive and had thought they would be together forever.

“How is Angela doing?”

Caleb started. He'd been so deep in thought he hadn't heard Grace's car pull up. He turned to face her. The breeze caught her dark hair, creating a lovely cloud around her face. “She's coping, I guess. She's still avoiding me as much as she can.”

Grace nodded in what seemed like understanding. “Let's walk this way.”

She indicated the sidewalk that would take them past one of the condo buildings, plus several duplexes. Caleb was glad to note that all the buildings sat on large pieces of land and backed onto a forested area. So while people did have neighbors, they also had enough room for gardens and outdoor activities and a wonderful backyard view of something other than more buildings. The solar panels that heated and cooled the dwellings were cleverly inserted into the roofs.

He asked, “How big is the development?”

“Almost four acres. Half of that is common land, never to be built on. Phase 1 is only about an acre, similar to the size of a football field.”

“So there will be a Phase 2?”

“Down the road. Maybe. Assuming Phase 1 is successful. So far we're about half-full and still working on completing a half-dozen town houses. Let's hope that tour operator didn't scare away people who might have been thinking of moving in.”

“I doubt that's likely. He was just too outrageous for anyone with sense to buy into his story.”

“Hopefully you're right. At any rate, if we went ahead with the second phase, we would probably add some single-family homes.”

“That would be good to bring in families with kids.”

“Exactly what we're hoping to do. We want the community to be multigenerational, with the option for our more mature residents to age in place.”

As they walked through the network of winding streets, Grace talked about their objectives. “We want to protect occupant health by using safe building products, including what we can of mold-and fire-resistant materials. And we hope to reduce the impact to the environment by using energy and water resources more efficiently.” Grace sounded apologetic when she said, “But I'm preaching to the choir. You already know all that.”

“That may be true, but it's nice to hear someone else talk about it.”

Caleb appreciated that Grace knew her stuff. Despite the fact that she claimed to be an amateur, she'd gotten so much right. He liked the walking paths carved through the forest so that residents could experience nature just outside their door. He particularly liked the chance to walk through the area with her.

“This is the rental building where Nellie lives,” she pointed out, taking a path that led behind it toward a stand of trees. “Let me know if you see any ghosts, okay?”

“A cow with glowing red eyes?”

They laughed together as they got on the walking path that cut through the trees behind the housing.

Caleb loved the near silence surrounding them. He could pick up welcome noises. A bird's wings flapping. A small animal foraging for something to eat. A squirrel racing from one tree to the next. Grace seemed equally happy just being one with nature for the moment, not having to keep a conversation flowing. The expression on her face looked as serene as if she were meditating on the outdoor beauty. He liked that, plus he felt comfortable with her. As if he'd known her for months or years rather than a few days.

“Angela would love this trail,” Caleb said. “She would find dozens of places to hunker down and sketch.”

“I noticed how much she used nature in her art at your place the other day. If you wanted to bring her out here sometime, I have no objection.”

“I don't think she wants to go anywhere with me at the moment.”

“She knows you love her. She'll calm down.”

“I can hope.” Then Caleb reminded her, “I want to pay for the damage. Did you figure out how much I owe you?”

“Not yet. How about I send you an email when I tally it up.”

“Sounds fair. What I should do is find a way to make Angela pay for her own bad choices before she does something worse. I had a rough go of it myself when I was her age.” Surprisingly, Caleb found himself opening up to Grace, probably because she'd been so concerned for Angela and Kiki. “I was reckless. Got into all kinds of trouble. I didn't expect to end up being a Dad at sixteen.”

“Oh...wow...you were a kid yourself.”

Rather than shocked, Grace sounded compassionate, which made Caleb appreciate her even more.

“I had to grow up fast. Thankfully, I had a terrific mother, who helped me make a U-turn with my life. I took custody of Angela, got myself through high school and into college. Took me a lot of years going to school while working in construction and other hard labor jobs. I had to make a decent living while getting my degrees.”

“But it was all worth it.”

He nodded. “I did it for Angela. Not that she sees it. She has no idea of how hard it was for me to give her the comfortable life she's had. I wanted to be a good example, so that she would make better choices for herself than I did at her age. Lately it hasn't seemed like I succeeded.”

“You can't blame yourself. Every teenage kid goes through something. It's part of growing up. What you did for her...that was everything. Give her some time, and she'll realize that.”

Caleb hoped Grace was correct. Drawn to her caring nature, he didn't miss the fact that she was a fine-looking woman. A little fancy for him, wearing what he thought was a designer dress and heels so high they were practically eye-to-eye. The look suited her, though, appearing...effortless.

Caleb wouldn't mind getting to know Grace Huber better.

If only Angela wasn't having an absentee-mother crisis.

Realistically, he couldn't have met the appealing woman at a worse time.

CHAPTER FOUR

G
RACE
HUMMED
TO
herself as she got ready for her meeting with Heather Scofield about the landscaping for Green Meadows. She kept playing the time she'd spent with Caleb the afternoon before over and over in her head. It had been a simple walk, but she couldn't remember when she'd had such a good time with a man. She'd been so focused on work since Dad announced he was contemplating retiring, that she hadn't even thought about dating in some time.

Well, now she was thinking about it!

There was a lot she appreciated about Caleb Blackthorne beyond his good looks. His devotion to his daughter touched her deeply. She liked the fact that he taught environmental studies. He was a man of principle. She'd meant to forgo billing him for the repaint job on the community center, but his reminder had convinced her she needed to let him make up for his daughter's actions.

Most of all, she'd loved just being with Caleb on that walk. They had a like appreciation of nature. She was always trying to identify birds and often spent free time reading nature magazines, so she'd been aware of everything around her, and he hadn't cut in with forced conversation. They both had been comfortable just being together, listening to the sounds of birds flying and small animals scurrying around. She couldn't have had a better time.

She was smiling to herself just thinking about it when Heather appeared at her office door.

“You certainly look cheerful this morning.”

The smile turned to a grin. “I have a lot to be cheerful about.”

That's when she noticed Heather's expression was just a little distressed. And, in addition to her portfolio, Heather held a sheet of paper gripped tightly in one hand.

“Uh-oh. What's wrong?”

Heather crossed to her desk. “Sorry.” And set the paper down in front of her.

It was a flier.

SPOOKY TOURS... HOSTED BY VINCENT PRYCE
shouted at Grace from the top of the flier, and it took her a moment to read the rest.
See the old Whitman farmstead, where ghosts were responsible for the deaths of an old man and his wife! Now
they
are haunting the grounds, too.

Choked up, she said, “If only there was something I could do to stop him!”

“I don't know on what grounds as long as he stays off yours,” Heather said. “I mean, he can drive down the street and say whatever he wants about the area. I don't know that anyone can stop him unless he's defaming someone who is still alive and who can sue him.”

Grace's stomach tightened at the thought of instigating a lawsuit. Not that it would go anywhere under the circumstances. “Well, maybe no one will want to go on that tour. At least not potential residents.”

“The best way to calm people down is to get to know them personally,” Heather said.

“I haven't exactly had a lot of time for socializing this past year.”

“I know you were really busy. But things at Green Meadows are winding down now.”

Grace immediately thought about checking out Nellie's Treasures as she'd vowed to do the other day. Then again, Nellie was only one person. And she was already a resident.

“Any suggestions of where I can meet a lot of people at once?”

“There's a fund-raiser social being given by the Ladies Auxiliary of First Presbyterian Church the weekend after next. They're raising money for a new air-conditioning system for the church offices. And this Wednesday is Pancake Day. You definitely should go to that to meet people.”

“Pancake Day?”

“The Sparrow Lake Creamery and Dairymen's Association have a Pancake Day every year during the kids' spring vacation so everyone can come. It gets townspeople invested in supporting the local dairy industry—the butter and cream and milk produced in this area.”

“So it's a breakfast?”

“All-day breakfast at the Sparrow Lake Farmers' Co-op.”

Grace scribbled a note to herself even as she wondered if she would fit in at this kind of social event. “At the co-op?”

“Right. The building has offices and meeting rooms. That's where the Dairymen's Association is located. I'm going around noon. If you like, we can go together, as long as you don't mind that I'll be bringing the twins. I can introduce you to people you haven't yet met.”

“Great. And I would love to see Addison and Taylor again.”

Heather eyed Grace's designer suit. “You might want to...um...dress down a little.”

“So I fit in. Got it. Now at least I have a plan to influence people more than some transient ghost hunter. I can hope, right?”

Heather's expression remained cautious.

Uh-oh. That didn't bode well, Grace thought. “Is there a problem I don't know about?”

“Just a little one. There's another reporter going around town, trying to dig up a story about the ghost sightings.”

Grace groaned. “And I was just thinking what a nice day I had yesterday on the ‘haunted' property. I say we get down to work before I lose my mind over this nonsense.”

At her invitation, Heather took a chair on the opposite side of the desk. As always, she was dressed casually compared with Grace, today in pale green chinos and a matching spring sweater. Her light brown hair streaked with blond was pulled back in a ponytail, and her face was makeup free other than a swipe of tinted lip gloss.

“So...yesterday...” Heather cleared her throat and with an interested expression lighting her pretty face asked, “What was going on?”

“Oh. I, um, gave Caleb Blackthorne a tour of the area.” Grace tried to keep her tone casual.

“Ah, I see.”

She simply blinked at the other woman's knowing tone.

Heather went on. “Caleb Blackthorne is considered quite a catch to the unmarried women in these parts, you know. Good-looking, great job, beautiful home. Lucky you.”

“It wasn't a date,” Grace was quick to assure her. “The other day, his daughter, Angela—or Summer Storm, as she calls her artist self—created some problems at Green Meadows.”

“So I heard.”

Sparrow Lake was a small town with an active rumor mill, Grace reminded herself. Probably
everyone
had heard. “I wanted to talk to Caleb about his daughter, to see if I could get some insight on why she painted that mural, and I learned he teaches environmental studies at the community college.”

“I know. I took a couple of his classes. Great teacher.”

Grace thought about telling Heather she'd been considering taking his classes, too, but something stopped her.

“At any rate,” Grace went on, “Caleb asked me about why we went green with the new community, and I offered to give him a tour of the place.”

“A tour that put a big smile on your face.”

“I enjoyed myself,” Grace admitted, then before Heather could question her more indicated the table along the wall. “That should give us enough room to spread out your blueprints, don't you think?”

“That it does.”

Part of Grace wanted to continue discussing Caleb with someone who knew him—she wanted to learn more about him if she could—but she didn't want to seem too enthusiastic about a man who didn't necessarily feel the same way about her.

* * *

A
NGELA
WASN
'
T
SPEAKING
to him again, and Caleb was ready to pull out his hair.

He still couldn't believe he'd come home the day before to find a rickety structure that passed for a sweat lodge in his yard. Not that he objected to the idea of his daughter building one, but she had been grounded for the entire spring vacation. Apparently she'd chosen to interpret what that meant for herself. He'd given her a stern lecture about following rules and taking responsibility. He'd been sorely tempted to order her to tear down the flimsy shelter before it fell down, especially when he'd learned she'd used their winter blankets to build it. But his daughter's tearful, accusatory expression had torn at his heart. He'd merely told Angela she couldn't use her sweat lodge until her punishment was over at the end of the week.

She'd refused to have dinner with him.

Or breakfast.

What was he going to do with her? They'd never been at odds like this until the past few weeks. He needed someone to talk to about his daughter—someone who could give him some guidance. A good reason to visit his mother. Angela wasn't speaking to him anyway, so he was simply spinning his wheels walking through the house.

Stopping at her closed bedroom door, he raised his voice. “I'm going out for a while.”

No answer.

No big surprise.

“I expect you to stay inside the house.” He waited for a moment, then said, “I need to know that you heard me.”

“I heard you.”

Still sullen. What was he going to do with her? Hopefully Mom would give him some good ideas of how to handle his daughter. How to get her to open up and not simply in anger. He thought about calling Mom first, then just decided to surprise her.

Maddie Blackthorne was a member of the Sparrow Lake Chippewa Band on what was the smallest reservation in Wisconsin. The land was a little more than seven hundred acres, supported by three tiny family farms surrounding a single village. The band that had broken off from its Lake Superior cousins had fewer than a thousand members, only half of whom actually lived on the rez itself.

It was beautiful land, with a couple of hundred acres of meadows and unharvested old forest that he'd explored throughout his youth. His love of nature had inspired him to become an environmentalist. And a professor of environmental studies.

The Blackthorne family house was situated on a quarter acre halfway between the village proper and the untouched land. It was a simple two-bedroom with a living room and eat-in kitchen, but the garden surrounding the house would be spectacular in full bloom, the flowers intermixed with rows of vegetables. Caleb had helped his mother start the garden when he was a kid, before he'd begun finding ways to get himself into trouble.

He'd barely parked the truck before his mother came out of the house to greet him. She smoothed back the silver wings of her long blue-black hair, caught in the back with a clip. She was wearing her usual jeans with a long-sleeved pullover sweater. Mom's clothing was always practical. A social worker, she spent her life taking care of other people rather than fussing over herself. He appreciated her dedication but wished she would fuss just a little. She deserved it.

“Hey, Mom.” Stepping up to the porch, he threw his arms around her.

She gave him a big hug. “This is certainly a surprise.”

“I needed to talk to someone with more wisdom than I have.”

“Angela?”

He nodded.

“C'mon in. I have a fresh pot of coffee to go with the acorn bread I made this morning.”

Caleb's mouth was already watering as he followed her inside. “Any of that rhubarb ginger jam left?”

“Of course. You know I always make enough to last until the next rhubarb crop comes in.”

The acorn bread must have come out of the oven a short while ago, because the wonderful smell still filled the air. The kitchen was old-fashioned, a combination of wooden cabinets and shelves with speckled laminate countertops and ancient white appliances. Caleb loved Mom's kitchen, because it felt like home. She'd said it felt like home, too, when he'd offered to buy her a new stainless steel stove and refrigerator, saying that would be a waste while the old ones still worked. While his mother sliced the bread, Caleb poured them mugs of coffee and fetched half-and-half, butter and the jam from the fridge. When everything was on the table, they sat opposite each other in comfortable silence for several minutes until they'd spread thick slices of bread with butter and jam, and Caleb had taken a big bite.

“Delicious,” he murmured as he chewed. “Your cooking always makes me feel better.”

“What did Angela do this time?”

Caleb took another bite and washed it down with coffee before answering. “You know I grounded her, which by that I meant study. Instead, she went outside and built a sweat lodge that looks like it would fall over if someone bumped into it.”

“Well, I would say that's educational.”

“She wasn't supposed to leave the house.”

“Perhaps she thought ‘house' included the property, too.”

“Mo-o-om.”

“She's so much like you were before you became a father.” His mother grinned at him. “It's kind of just retribution.”

Caleb scowled. “That isn't helpful.”

“But just a little satisfying to me, honey.”

Finishing the slice of acorn bread, Caleb muttered, “What am I going to do with her? She keeps defying me and getting into trouble. I'm afraid that if I can't find a way to reason with her, she's going to go too far.” He sighed. “What is it with teenagers?” Including his younger self. “Why do they all seem to go crazy?”

Maddie laughed. “It's called hormones. A body that's mostly adult combined with a mind that's mostly child.” She added, “Maybe you're taking the wrong approach.” Her smile faded into a more serious expression.

“Wrong approach?” Was she going to place the blame in his corner? He couldn't help feeling defensive. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You're so demanding with Angela that it surely backfires on you. You need to
listen
to your daughter, to understand what it is
she
wants. What is important to
her
.”

“You mean this new kick about her becoming an artist?”

“It's not new, Caleb. She started drawing the moment she could use a crayon. You've been displaying her artwork for years.”

“That's what you do when your kid creates something for you.”