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EMERY HAD BEEN IN SUMMER Creek a week and needed to send her uncle and probation officer her first report. Hud let her use his office computer to write the report, but despite his best efforts, they couldn’t get a Wi-Fi connection to send it.
He told her one of them would make sure she got the report sent on time, but she assumed he’d forgotten about it when he’d disappeared after breakfast and didn’t return until mid-morning. Nell had left an hour earlier to check on an elderly neighbor further up the road toward the mountains. Although Nell had invited Emery to go along, she’d refused, relishing the idea of having a few minutes to herself.
She’d just put another load of clothes in the washing machine when Hud opened the mudroom door and stepped inside, oblivious to her presence.
He removed his coat and boots, leaving them by the door, before he tugged on the front of his shirt. Snaps popped open and he slid the shirt off the broadest, most muscular set of shoulders Emery had ever seen. Her mouth flooded with moisture and she swallowed hard as he turned around, shirt in his big hand. Surprise registered on his face when he noticed her folding clothes into a basket as she took them out of the dryer.
A scowl made vertical lines appear on his forehead as he wadded the shirt into a ball and lobbed it into the hamper. “If you can be ready to go in ten minutes, you can ride into town with me and send your report.”
Before she could reply, he strode out of the room.
Emery blinked three times in an attempt to clear the vision of a bare-chested Hudson Cole from her mind. Even then, the image lingered. She dropped the towel she’d been folding into the basket, slammed the dryer door, and raced up the back steps to her room.
Uncertain what would be appropriate to wear to town, she thought back to when she’d accompanied Hud, Cricket, and Nell to church Sunday. Nell had assured her a simple cotton dress or a skirt and sweater would be more than adequate. And the woman had been correct. Even though Emery had felt like an imposter in her new clothes, she’d worn a navy skirt with a pink sweater and had fit right in with the rest of the congregation.
The last time she’d sat in a pew and listened to a sermon was so long ago she couldn’t even recall when it had happened. Much to her delight, she’d liked the pastor at Summer Creek Community Church and had taken the thoughts he shared about redemption to heart.
Nell had introduced her to several people, discussing possibilities for community service work, before Hud had given her an impatient glower, and they’d returned to the ranch. When Nell had told her she could have the rest of the day to do whatever she liked, Emery spent a good part of the afternoon reading. She’d wandered downstairs in time to help Nell with dinner, which had turned out to be leftovers from Saturday.
In spite of her many blunders, Emery had learned so many valuable lessons from Nell in the past week. The woman had taught her everything from how to get manure out of jeans, an onerous task she loathed, to the easiest way to get sticky molasses out of a measuring cup. Nell had made Emery feel welcome and needed, even if her grandson continued to either ignore her or glare at her.
Emery slipped on a floral-printed coral blouse, tugged a navy-blue cardigan over it, and changed into the nicest pair of jeans she currently owned. Quickly yanking the ponytail holder out of her hair, she tipped her head upside down and teased her hair with her fingers, gave it a blast of hairspray, then stood upright. A light spritz of her favorite perfume, which she’d thankfully had in her handbag when her uncle and father had kidnapped her, completed her preparations. She shoved her feet into a pair of ballerina flats, grabbed her handbag, then hastily left the room and made her way downstairs.
Hud stood at the kitchen sink, downing a glass of water when she walked into the room. He didn’t look at her but pointed to the counter where he’d set a laptop computer and a flash drive.
“Your report is on there,” he said, then turned and walked into the mudroom.
Emery grabbed the laptop, dropped the flash drive into her handbag, and hurried to catch up to the gruff rancher. It was a shame someone as fantastically attractive as Hud had the personality of a cranky bear, at least toward her. He was all smiles when it came to Cricket, though.
The way the cowboy cared for his daughter made Emery wonder if he’d been that devoted to the child’s mother. No one discussed Bethany, and Emery hadn’t seen a single photo of her. Despite her curiosity, she didn’t feel right prying information out of Nell when the subject of Hud’s first wife seemed to be taboo.
Hud had already started the pickup by the time Emery opened the passenger door and climbed up on the seat. She didn’t have a chance to fasten her seatbelt before he backed around and started down the driveway.
“In a rush?” she asked in irritation, unable to keep her thoughts to herself.
His head never varied an inch in position, but his eyes shifted to glance at her. “I’m generally in a rush, Miss Brighton. There are never enough hours in a day to get all my work done, and I don’t have time to wait for lollygaggers.”
“Why don’t you hire some help?”
His right eyebrow shifted upward. “Isn’t that what I did last week?”
Heat burned across her cheeks. Hud hadn’t mentioned it, but she was sure he had no idea his grandmother had invited her to stay at Summer Creek Ranch until the moment she’d arrived. She was the last person he’d willingly hire for help.
She certainly hadn’t been much help to anyone, even inside the house. Nell had attempted to teach her a variety of skills. After a week, Emery felt capable enough to help with the laundry and housekeeping but feared the disaster that might occur if she attempted cooking again.
Afraid of what she might encounter if she got beyond the boundaries of the nicely-tended yard, Emery had barely stuck her nose past the edge of the lawn. The ranch dogs were friendly, and she loved horses, but the cattle scared her. Cricket had talked her into going to watch the calves run and play in the pasture Saturday afternoon, and they had been cute, but she didn’t trust their mamas.
In the week she’d been at the ranch she was sure she’d cost the family immeasurable time and aggravation. On top of the missteps on her first day at the ranch, she’d also damaged the vacuum cleaner, unraveled an afghan, and broken a faucet. Nell had laughed it all off, but Emery had felt like a clumsy dunce. She’d never been so out of her element, so lacking in confidence, as she had since arriving in Summer Creek.
Hud’s presence only made things worse. His feelings toward her, his dislike of her, was not a secret. He practically glowered if he was forced to be within a dozen feet of her. Yet, she could tell something sizzled between the two of them anytime they were in the same room together.
Even now, she could practically see the energy, or whatever it was, zipping between the two of them in Hud’s pickup cab.
His determination to ignore it fueled her own intentions to stay far away from the cowboy. As soon as she completed her community service, or convinced her father to let her come home, she’d head back to Portland and do her best to forget she’d ever been dragged to the wilds of Oregon to find her purpose in life. At least that was how Uncle Henry referred to the reason she’d been left in Summer Creek when he’d called to speak with her last night.
Emery studied the landscape as they turned onto the road into town. She felt so exposed in the sagebrush-dotted countryside where she could see for miles and miles and the sky seemed to go on forever. It was beautiful, in a rugged, incredibly untamed way. Rather like her current employer. If he’d worn a loincloth, carried a club, and grunted like a cavedweller, it wouldn’t have shocked her in the least. A few times, she thought he’d behaved with all the decorum of a Neanderthal.
Surreptitiously, she cast a glimpse across the pickup. Water droplets clung to the ends of Hud’s hair, making her want to reach out and flick them away. Earlier, when he’d stepped into the mudroom and announced his trip to town, he’d carried the odors of manure and hard work. Now, he smelled like soap, sunshine, and leather. Puzzled by his ability to take a shower and get ready to go in less time than it took her to change her clothes, she wondered how he managed to move so quickly.
She drew in a deep breath, reveling in his masculine scent. He might be boorish, but he did smell nice, making her glad he’d taken a fast shower. Stubble covered his cheeks, but not enough to hide the alluring dimple in his chin. The blue plaid shirt he wore accented the rich blue hue of his eyes, and she couldn’t help but admire his thick, dark eyelashes or the sculpted shape of his lips.
Distracted by him, by his masculinity and strong bearing, she turned her gaze outside the window once again. The farms grew smaller, and the houses clustered closer together as they neared Summer Creek.
The goat she’d seen when she first arrived in town stood on top of the stagecoach in front of the bar and grill, eating what appeared to be a bright yellow tube sock. Emery gawked at it, causing Hud to chuckle.
“That’s Ethel. No one is certain who the goat belongs to, but she’s harmless and spends most of her time at the school so the kids can pet her, or at the vet clinic where she keeps the other animals company.”
Emery turned from watching the goat to look at Hud. A rare smile transformed his features and made her swallow hard. She nodded once, then looked out the window as he drove down Main Street. They hadn’t gone anywhere Sunday except to church, so all she’d seen were Main Street and the buildings along Sixth Avenue that took them to Summer Creek Community Church.
Nell had told her there used to be several churches in town. Due to so many people leaving and the cost of repairs, all but the community church had closed.
Hud turned into a parking lot located in front of what had to be the city center. Old buildings, in various stages of disrepair, congregated in a U shape around a broken fountain. Emery could almost picture what it might have looked like a hundred years ago, when the buildings and fountain were new. Rather than asphalt and parking spaces, there most likely had been grass and paved pathways. Perhaps even a wooden boardwalk connecting the buildings.
“I bet this used to be lovely.”
Hud gazed through the windshield at the buildings in front of them. “From the photos I’ve seen, it was.”
It wasn’t until he replied that she realized she’d spoken her thoughts aloud.
Hud got out of the pickup while Emery unfastened her seatbelt and gathered her handbag and the laptop. Much to her surprise, he walked around the vehicle and opened her door then offered her a hand climbing down.
The impact of his touch made her feel as though an electrical current zinged from her palm up to her shoulder. Her breath caught and her entire body tingled until he released her hand and stepped back with a frown. He cleared his throat, reached in the pickup for his cowboy hat and set it on his head, then pointed across the street.
“You can send your report at the library. They generally have a good signal in City Hall.”
Emery kept step with him as they crossed the street and walked up the broad steps into City Hall. In the marbled entry, she glanced up a set of stairs straight ahead, and took in the steps heading down a level to their left.
“The library is upstairs. This level is the community center and City Hall. The basement is full of old records and storage boxes. You go on upstairs, and I’ll be there in a minute. The password to connect to the Wi-Fi is summercreek, all one word.”
Emery took a step toward the stairs and looked at Hud. “Do they just randomly give the password to anyone?”
He grinned. “Everyone. And it hasn’t changed in the last ten years.” Hud turned to the right and entered the City Hall offices while Emery marveled at the wonders of small-town life and made her way upstairs to the library.
No one was there, and the lights were turned off, but the door was open. Emery felt along the wall and found a light switch, flicking it on. Fluorescent bulbs hummed to life, illuminating a large room filled with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. A desk with a computer sat at an angle facing the door. There were half a dozen small tables with two chairs at each one scattered along the front of the room and a colorful child-sized table in the front corner.
Emery took a seat at the table closest to the door, turned on the laptop, and connected to the Wi-Fi. She fished the flash drive from her handbag, pulled up her report, then logged into the new email account her father had set up for her.
She read an email from Uncle Henry with the contact information for her probation officer and quickly sent a polite introductory letter to Officer Simpson. She attached her report, copied her uncle on the email, and hit send.
While she had online access, she tried to log in to her favorite social media account, only to discover her father had either deleted it or changed the password. Annoyed, she discovered he’d locked her out of every account.
“Not cool, Dad,” she muttered as she opened a new window on the computer and typed her name in a search bar. Before she could click on a video of her with her exposed rear in the air while she tried to get off Officer Tipton’s horse, Hud appeared in the doorway with a man who looked to be half his size and at least twice his age. Quickly, she turned off the computer, humiliated by the thought of anyone in Summer Creek seeing her at her worst. One day, she’d get back at Gwen and Charlotte for posting the videos and making a spectacle of her.
Today, though, she needed to make the best of her current situation. She forced herself to smile at the two men as they walked toward her.
“Emery Brighton, this is Mayor Mitchell Kane.”
The bald-headed man with kind brown eyes and a welcoming grin stepped forward and shook her hand. “Welcome to Summer Creek, Miss Brighton. I meant to speak with you at church, but you left before I had a chance. We’re happy to have you here with us. Hud explained your unique circumstance and need to put in community service hours. I think we can find plenty to keep you busy.”
“Thank you, Mayor Kane. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Emery gave the hometown politician a pleasant smile. Even though the mayor was closer to her height than Hud’s, he looked to be in good shape and had what she could only think of as an engaging, big personality. One that no doubt put him in good stead as mayor of the town.
“In addition to his mayoral duties, Mitch owns the barbershop and the locksmith shop, both of which are located two blocks north, across the street from the post office,” Hud said, then glanced at his watch. “Did you get your report sent?”
“I did. Thank you.” Emery closed the laptop and tucked the flash drive back in her handbag. “Where to next?”
“Well, Mitch actually offered to give you a tour of Summer Creek while I see to some errands in Burns. I’ll be back in about three hours, when Cricket gets out of school. We’ll swing by and pick her up before going back to the ranch.”
Three hours seemed like a long time for him to run errands, but Emery wouldn’t mind the opportunity to explore. She really needed to get started on working off the community service hours, too, so she could use the time to figure out where to start.
“That’s agreeable. I’ll see you in three hours.”
Hud took the laptop from her, then backed out the door. “Just don’t get into any trouble while I’m gone.” He grinned at her and left, his footsteps on the stairs echoing back into the library.
Legs weakened from the bright wattage of Hud’s smile, she drew in a cleansing breath, then turned to the mayor. “I’d love to see the town from your perspective. Do we have time for that tour?”
Glad she’d worn comfortable shoes, Emery and the mayor, who insisted she call him Mitch, walked from one end of town to the other and back again. She’d learned there were exactly four streets parallel to Main Street, one of them a dirt road called Railroad Way that ran next to the railroad tracks on the west side of town. A dozen smaller avenues intersected the streets, all numbered, beginning with First Avenue at the south end of town.
The mayor took her to lunch at the Early Bird Café. The establishment seemed to be a popular place to dine in spite of its age. The décor appeared to have been new decades ago, perhaps when Eisenhower was still president. The owner, an outspoken woman named Maudie, came out of the kitchen to inform Emery she didn’t make exceptions to what was on the menu when Emery asked the server if she could substitute chicken for grilled steak on the salad she ordered.
“Don’t mind her,” Mitch whispered. “She’s been cranky ever since her husband ran off with a waitress.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did that happen recently?”
The mayor shook his head. “Back in 1996.”
Emery didn’t know what to say to that and changed the subject to the collection of old buildings across the street from City Hall. One building currently housed business offices and didn’t look like it was in as dire need of repair as the others. But Emery could picture all the old structures restored and brimming with new businesses.
The town could be cute and welcoming if it tried and if the citizens put some effort into fixing it up. Only, it seemed no one cared.
When she mentioned it to the mayor, he shrugged noncommittally. “They care, Emery, too much. It would break their hearts and their bank accounts to put in the time, money, and energy only to have it fail.”
“But it might succeed. My uncle said if you could get people to drive into town instead of driving past it you could get visitors year-round. It’s too bad the road heading up to the lake bypasses the town. Maybe you could get the deputy to authorize a roadblock.
Mitch grinned. “I like the way you think, but that’s not going to happen.” He took a drink from a glass of lemonade, grimaced, and stirred three packets of sugar into it before testing it again.
Emery didn’t bother to taste hers before adding sugar. She wondered if Maudie had left out the sweetener on purpose just to teach her a lesson. If so, she’d add the old woman to her list of people to avoid while in town. “I don’t know how much Hud told you about my circumstances, but I’m required to put in three hundred hours of community service here. Do you have any suggestions on a place to begin?”
“I do have some ideas. For now, you could probably help out at the school. The principal would need to run a background check and vet you, but I’m sure if he spoke with your uncle, he’d be happy to have help out there. One of the classroom assistants is out of town this week. They could use an extra hand with the younger grades.”
Emery didn’t think it would be too hard to spend time with sweet youngsters like Cricket. “I could do that.”
“Great. After lunch, we’ll walk over to the school. I’ll introduce you to the principal.”
Emery’s cheeks heated as she recalled her introduction to Principal Schock and Deputy Strickland last week. They’d visited the ranch to see what kind of depraved criminal Hud was harboring in his home and allowing to corrupt his daughter. Thankfully, the men had been nice and calmed her fears that she was about to be arrested. The deputy had shamelessly flirted with her, and the principal had seemed quite sincere in welcoming her to the community.
The majority of the people she met had been genuine and kind, caring. Nell assured her the residents of Summer Creek were a tight-knit group that were more like family than just neighbors.
Emery had yet to decide if that was a good or bad thing. She’d already discovered gossip traveled like wildfire through town. As she walked around Summer Creek with the mayor, people had stopped and introduced themselves, asking her about Portland, teasing her about riding any horses lately.
Even though she didn’t like any reminders of the foolish thing she’d done that landed her in her current predicament, she took their joking in stride and offered a bright smile to each and every one of them.
At the school, the principal gave her a tour, introduced her to several teachers, including Cricket’s, then suggested she return the following morning if she’d like to put in community service time there. A step ahead of her, he’d already had the deputy run a background check on her and spoken with her uncle.
Eager to start crossing off the hours so she could return to what she viewed as civilization, Emery agreed to be at the school first thing in the morning. She’d worry about how she’d get there later.
From the school, she and Mitch strolled past the health clinic, in peril of closing since the doctor wanted to retire, then back to City Hall. The mayor talked about the old hotel that took up most of the block across from City Hall. Despite the boarded-up windows and crumbling front entry, she couldn’t help but imagine what a grand place it had once been.
Emery decided Summer Creek needed someone to revitalize the town, and she knew just the woman for the job.