‡‡
After another slow, scorching kiss, Carter made himself let Amanda go. He took her hand, and together they picked their way down the slope, past the mine and straight to the settlement rather than taking the road.
He liked the feel of Amanda’s hand in his. It emphasized the connection between them, assured him she was still close by his side. They stopped in number twenty-three to clean up, then wandered the streets of the settlement, commenting on the different houses.
“They’re all so unique. I would have thought a company town would have picked one floor plan and made them all the same.”
“The oldest ones are like that.” They made their way to the northeast corner of the town, where he showed her several streets of boxy, one-story homes perched on the slope above the town hall. “The newer houses were built one at a time as the mine got more productive. Everyone who moved here was handy. There was no shortage of men to help construct a house in off-hours.”
“Did people have off-hours?”
“Men worked hard, but my family wanted the town to prosper. I think my great-grandfather, in particular, was interested in architecture. He liked to draw up plans and passed on the hobby to my grandfather. When the mine closed and the mill started up, there was plenty of lumber to be had.”
“It’s an interesting place.”
He took her for a quick look at the mill and showed her the hulking wrecks of old vehicles and equipment parked nearby.
“That’s the graveyard,” he said. “I know it looks awful, but it’s more like a supply cabinet than a pile of junk. Dad loved going to auctions to buy the castoffs from larger lumber operations, and Lincoln always had the knack of getting them to work. He’ll cannibalize one piece of equipment to get another one up and running.”
“That’s a handy skill.”
Carter strolled with her to the town hall again and led the way inside. “I’ll show you something else interesting. You’ve seen the east wing, but you haven’t seen the west wing.” He opened the double doors on the left side of the foyer and ushered her into a large room. When he flicked a light switch, Amanda gasped.
“No way.” She stepped in and turned around, sweeping her gaze around the large room. “You’ve got a library?”
“Yep. I had a feeling you’d like it.”
“Libraries have always been my safe place.”
Safe from what? he wanted to ask but didn’t want to ruin the moment. “Of course, no books have been added since we left,” he said instead.
It was small, but Carter had been to towns five times as big with smaller libraries. There were no computer terminals or anything like that. Just rows and rows of books and a counter where you checked them out. A small collection of DVDs and a bigger one of VHS tapes. He knew there was even a shelf or two of old vinyl records back there somewhere.
“This is wonderful.” Amanda moved to the first row and ran her fingers down the spines. It was the start of the fiction section, mostly paperbacks, with hardcovers interspersed among them. “Why aren’t they dusty?”
“Dennis,” Carter said succinctly. “He must run a feather duster over them periodically. He takes great pride in caring for Elliott Ridge.”
“I haven’t seen him since I got here.”
“He’s around,” Carter assured her. Dennis liked to stay in the background. When Carter was a child, sometimes when he and his brothers got sick of playing baseball or hide and seek, they made it a game to find him. Often, they couldn’t.
Amanda pulled out a book. Moved a few others over and put it in a new place. She frowned and moved another one. “These aren’t in order.”
“Mom kept the library up and running. She didn’t have time to alphabetize. She made sure things were basically in the right section, though. No one seemed to mind.”
Amanda moved another book. And another.
Carter tried not to smile, but he knew he was failing. “Bothers you, huh?”
“Yes,” she said firmly. She stepped back and looked at the whole length of the shelf. “None of these are in order. She just stuck all the fiction on here in groups. This is mystery. That’s science fiction.” She pointed.
“Sounds about right from what I remember.”
Amanda turned to him helplessly. “I could sort this out in no time. It’s not like I have anything better to do while you’re at the mill.”
His heart warmed. She depended on him for entertainment. And she really liked the library. Maybe giving her the task of organizing it would make her feel needed here. He had a sense she’d left some problems back in California. His mother used to count pennies when she got stressed out. When their mounting bills overwhelmed her and she couldn’t sleep, she’d get up, find the change jar and sort it into rolls she could take to the bank. Would getting the library in order comfort Amanda?
“It’s yours,” he said.
“What’s mine?” She glanced up at him.
“The job. You’re now Elliott Ridge’s librarian, if you want to be.”
“Are you for real?”
“Yep.”
She smiled, and Carter’s heart did something funny in his chest. She had a beautiful smile. Knowing he’d made her happy felt… pretty great.
“I definitely want to be Elliott Ridge’s librarian,” Amanda said. “I can whip this place into shape in no time. It’s got all the elements: shelves, furniture, windows—even window seats,” she added, moving toward one. “It just needs a thorough cleaning and some reorganization, and it’ll be a fantastic place to spend time.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then. I have some work I can do on the house. I’ll be back at lunchtime—with a bunch of other hungry men,” he reminded her.
“Mm-hmm.” She was already at work, clearing an armful of books from the top shelf and reaching for more. Carter decided he’d better come early. If Amanda forgot to cook, he could whip up sandwiches.
It seemed like he’d accidentally created a whole blueprint for luring a woman to Elliott Ridge.
Offer her a house for a buck. Create jobs for her to take ownership of so she felt part of the place.
Fall in love with her.
Carter’s step hitched as he let himself out of the building and made his way to number twenty-three.
Was he in love with Amanda?
Yeah, he decided. He was.
She didn’t know when the snacks appeared.
Amanda came around the corner of a shelf unit to find a plate with a sandwich, an apple, a couple of store-bought cookies and a can of soda placed on top of one of the stacks of books she’d left in the open area between the shelves and the main counter of the library.
The fiction section covered ten sets of shelves. She’d pulled all the books out and was arranging them first in categories and then in alphabetical order by author, stacking them on the floor until she could give the shelf units a good scrub.
The nonfiction section was almost as large; she’d have to tackle that another day. Even though Dennis had done a good job dusting the books over the years, she was pretty grimy. She used the small bathroom near the counter end of the room to wash up before she ate.
Only then did she remember it was her job to make lunch.
Why hadn’t Carter come to fetch her?
Amanda hurried to the door, crossed the foyer and peeped in through the glass insert in one of the doors to the cafeteria. The men were just sitting down to their meal, the dull roar of their conversations audible from here. That meant Carter and his brothers had taken charge of lunch, and he had probably left the snack for her in the past five minutes or so. Breathing a sigh of relief, Amanda retraced her steps to the library. As she reached for her sandwich, however, it struck her this was the perfect time to move the painting. It was Saturday, which meant everyone would probably linger over their food. Could she get out the main door without them seeing her?
Amanda realized she didn’t have to. There was a door in the side of the library room that led directly outside. She tested it and found it opened easily.
They’d never know she was gone if she moved quickly enough.
Amanda set the snack down, slipped out the door and dashed through the settlement to number twenty-three, where she grabbed the bag with the painting in it from her bathroom. Back outside, she circled through the settlement until she found the track she and Carter had used after they made love. Going up it took longer than it had to come down, and she was out of breath, her heart racing from her exertions by the time she approached the rotting outbuildings.
Amanda poked her head into two of them and retreated quickly before she discovered the third was in slightly better condition than the others. The first two seemed like storage sheds, but this one must have been an office at some point. Just inside its door, an old-fashioned desk was built into the wall. With a lot of effort, she was able to open its drawer, stow the bag inside and jam it shut, but the warped wood made such a squealing noise as the drawer slid open and closed, her heart sped even more as she waited for someone to come running to see what she was doing.
There was no one anywhere near her, she assured herself after several long moments, but she wasn’t sure that was true. Carter, his brothers and the mill workers might be in the cafeteria, but what about Dennis? She hadn’t seen him since her first day. He could be skulking around.
Amanda hesitated, wondering if she was doing the right thing leaving such a valuable painting in a place like this, even for a day or two. It was well wrapped in several layers of plastic, and the building’s roof seemed solid. There was no way it could get wet. Besides, Carter would surely find it if she left it in number twenty-three. She was out of time now, anyway. She needed to get back to the library before anyone noticed she was missing. There was nothing for it; the painting would have to stay.
Cutting straight down the slope again, Amanda slowed when she neared the settlement, then worked her way to the side door of the library carefully. Her relief at reaching it vanished, however, when she twisted the handle and it didn’t open.
She cursed herself for not considering that it might lock automatically behind her when she left. She had no choice but to go around to the front. Holding her breath, she walked quickly around, sure she’d meet up with Carter or one of his brothers at any moment. She prepared a story. She’d gotten hot after moving all those books and decided to take a walk.
It didn’t matter; no one was around.
She slipped inside the main door and was happy to hear voices in the cafeteria but soon realized the dull roar had subsided to something closer to a murmur. A peek in the window told her the mill workers had already left. She was grateful she hadn’t crossed anyone’s path. The Elliott brothers sat around one of the tables. Her stomach was growling, and she couldn’t wait to get her hands on the sandwich Carter had left her, but she figured she’d better see if everything was okay first. She pushed the door open and crossed the room.
“There she is,” Lincoln called out when he spotted her. “Heard you’re our new librarian.”
“That’s me.” She joined them, taking a seat next to Hudson, across from Carter. She didn’t think they’d noticed she’d slipped out for a jaunt up the Ridge.
“Did you find your rations?” Carter asked.
“I did. Thank you.” She couldn’t wait to eat them. All that exercise had made her hungry.
“Wasn’t sure I could get your attention, you were working so hard.”
“I appreciate you letting me get on with it.”
“You shouldn’t work too hard, though,” Nate said. “It’s a gorgeous day. Perfect for a swim.”
“Already had my swim,” Gage said complacently.
“He’s up at five-thirty a.m. everyday to cross the lake and back,” Lincoln informed her. “And he needs everyone to know it.”
“Shove it,” Gage said.
“You shove it. If you’re up that early, you could be helping us at the mill. What are you doing all day, anyway?” Carter asked him.
“This and that.”
“This morning he was prepping Mom and Dad’s bedroom to paint it,” Lincoln said.
Carter leaned forward. “I thought you said this whole enterprise was a waste of time.”
“Mom and Dad might come to visit next spring, whatever happens.”
Amanda let their conversation wash over her. Interesting that Gage was anticipating a visit from their parents. She began wondering how all these independent-minded men would act with their mom and dad around.
“The men missed you at lunch,” Carter said when there was a lull in the conversation. “I missed you, too.”
“I lost track of time, but I won’t miss dinner. I feel like I’m playing truant,” she confessed. “Messing around with books all day.” And going for long, illicit hikes.
“I like the idea of having the library all cleaned up before we start getting other people to move in.”
Gage let out a sigh.
“They’re going to move in,” Carter told him. “That’s why we’re here, right?”
“I’m looking forward to the place being a bit livelier,” Lincoln said.
“A lot livelier,” Hudson said.
“I’m willing to work full-time at the mill,” Nate said to Gage. “That ought to tell you how much I believe in this endeavor, right?”
Gage just shrugged.
“Has anyone smoothed things over with Megan Lawrence yet?” Amanda asked.
The table fell silent. Amanda wondered if she’d put her foot in it, but if Gage had made the young woman a promise and then reneged on it, and no one else was working to fix the situation, that would tell her a lot about the Elliotts.
“I haven’t,” Gage said gruffly.
“You should,” Lincoln told him. “You promised her listings. It’s not fair to go back on that.”
“Dad always said if you make a mess, you clean it up,” Carter put in.
Gage stood up abruptly and stalked off.
“Should one of us get in touch with her?” Nate asked, watching him go.
“He’ll do it,” Carter said. “He might not want to, but he will in the end.”
“When are you going to list some of the houses?” Amanda asked.
“When the subdivision approval comes through. Besides, we should get your place done first,” Carter said. “Then we can use it like a model home to demonstrate what the rest of them could look like. That would be better than showing people a bunch of abandoned houses, don’t you think?”
“I guess so.”
“One step at a time,” Carter said. “We’ll get there in the end.”
Amanda hoped he was right.
An hour later, after Carter dropped Amanda off at the library and returned to number twenty-three to work on the renovation, Hudson came to find him.
“Warrington is here. You’d better come hear what he has to say.”
Carter swore and followed him to his parents’ old house, where he found the rest of his brothers clustered in the driveway. Warrington’s luxury truck sat parked outside, the black F-450 so new and shiny Carter was surprised Warrington dared drive it on their dusty old roads. The man himself leaned against it, his arms folded across his chest. Carter wondered why he’d bothered to come. Warrington would get his shot at buying the town a year from now if they couldn’t pay off their loan. Gage should have run him off the minute the man drove up.
“What’s going on?” Carter asked.
Gage looked to Warrington. “Tell him.”
“I’m here to raise my offer.” He named a number, leaned back and lifted his chin smugly. “You’d be fools to turn me down, so I figure we can cut the crap and sign the paperwork this week.”
“Like hell,” Carter said. “You’re barking up the wrong tree, Warrington. If you want to expand your resort, you need to go in the other direction.”
“There’s no lake in the other direction. I need Elliott Lake. I want it,” he corrected himself, leaning forward now. “And I’m making you an extremely fair offer for it.”
“It’s a lot of money,” Gage said conversationally.
Carter exchanged a look with Lincoln, who he considered his staunchest supporter. Did money matter to Gage? “It’s nothing to what we could earn if we subdivide and sell every house individually. We’ve already started getting interest in our community. The only way you’re getting your hands on this property is if we fail to make a go of it, and we’re not going to fail.”
“I don’t see any buyers flocking around the place.”
“We’ve already got our first new resident.” Carter knew he should shut up, but somehow he couldn’t. He wanted to wipe that smirk off Warrington’s face.
It worked. Warrington straightened. “You sold a house?”
“That’s right.” He knew what the man was thinking. If people started buying lots, it would be way harder for him to develop the rest of the property the way he wanted to—if he ever got his hands on it. “And we’re going to sell more.”
“I don’t believe you. You haven’t even got approval on your subdivision.”
“How do you know that?” Nate asked.
“I know everything about Elliott Ridge. I’m staking my future on this place.”
“The minute we get approval, that house is sold. It’s a done deal.”
“Oh, I’m not so sure about that,” Warrington said. “My offer is bound to give some of you second thoughts.” He nodded at Gage. “I can be patient.” He named the number again, a sum large enough that it gave Carter a qualm to think of turning it down. Warrington turned and opened the door to his truck. “I’ll be back,” he assured them and climbed in. Carter expected him to drive off in a huff, like Megan had, but instead he simply sat there, pulled out a phone, tapped at it for a moment and lifted it to his ear.
Gage rolled his eyes. “Let’s go where we won’t be overheard.” He led the way through their parents’ house and onto the back deck, where they could look out over the lake—and be alone. He gestured to the chairs arranged in a semicircle, and everyone sat. Gage disappeared inside and returned with a six-pack of beer.
“Why did you even let that snake in here?” Carter asked him, taking the drink Gage offered him. He was too restless to be comfortable in a chair, but he forced himself not to stand up and pace.
“Might as well hear what he has to say.” Gage handed bottles around to the others and sat down.
“What would Dad think?”
“Maybe Dad would be interested in that money.”
“He wants the Ridge back to what it used to be,” Carter said.
“That’s the problem; it’ll never be what it was. We could stock the whole place with people, but they wouldn’t be Mom and Dad’s old friends. Those people are long gone. The ones we do get will be young. Most of them will be single.”
Carter couldn’t think of a thing to say to that, because it was true.
“I guess we could try to recruit some older people, too,” he said doubtfully. “A community should have people of all ages, right?”
“People move off the Ridge when they get old,” Gage said. “Mom and Dad would have had to deal with that in their own circle if they’d stayed here much longer.”
“The only reason Grandma moved was because Grandpa passed,” he reminded Gage.
“I don’t know if it would be the same for Mom and Dad without their friends,” Gage said. “What would Dad even do here if he wasn’t the boss anymore?”
Carter didn’t have an answer for that.
“If we start having kids, Mom’s going to want to be close to them,” Lincoln said firmly. “She wants to be close to us now. Dad will have to adjust to not running the place, but sooner or later he’ll find projects of his own to do. This is a big place. There are a lot of possibilities.”
“Gage has a point, though. There are more doctors and hospitals in South Carolina,” Nate said. “More support for older people. Less driving on snowy roads.”
“It’s not like all of their friends are gone,” Hudson said. “Plenty of people moved into town when they left the Ridge. They could still get together.”
Carter was glad they were having the conversation, but it also made him uneasy. The kind of money Warrington was offering could tear his family apart if they didn’t keep their heads on straight.
“I think Dad’s been waiting twelve years to come home. We’re not selling,” he said and wondered how many more times he’d have to assert it before they were done. Amanda was right; they needed to get more buyers here. More women.
Now.
When she needed a break, Amanda stepped out of the town hall with the intention of ducking to number twenty-three, but as she headed around the Circle toward Center Street, she noticed a truck she didn’t recognize parked in front of number one. Her heart beat a little faster, and she picked up her pace.
Was Buck in that vehicle?
It wasn’t likely, but Amanda wished she’d stayed in the library, where it was safe. Neither Carter nor his brothers were anywhere in sight. When the truck’s engine roared to life, Amanda gasped and walked faster. It caught up easily, slowing when it reached her. The passenger window rolled down, and a stranger peered out.
She wasn’t sure whether or not to be relieved when she realized it wasn’t Buck in the driver’s seat. After all, he could have hired someone to track her down.
“Let me guess,” the stranger drawled. “You’re the new resident in town?”
He had a hawklike face, his sharp nose just on the verge of being too long, his blue eyes too piercing for comfort. His hair was dark and short under his black cowboy hat. He wore a crisp white shirt, making it easy to see he hadn’t done any physical work today, unlike Carter and his brothers.
“Who wants to know?” She was proud she managed to keep her voice from shaking.
“I’m Blake Warrington. I’m your neighbor from the other side of the ridge. Pleased to meet you.”
The one making a golf course? Thank god. Amanda let out a shaky breath. He wasn’t affiliated with Buck, at least. “Nice to meet you,” she managed.
He cocked his head. “And you are?” he asked, a faintly mocking tone to his voice.
“Amanda.” She bit the word off and didn’t offer a surname, even though he waited for one. After an uncomfortable pause, he went on.
“Well, Amanda, I just came to call on the Elliotts. Seems I’ll have to come and call on you soon, too.”
She wasn’t sure what he meant by that. “For what reason?” She wished she could keep walking, high-tail it to number twenty-three and lock herself in, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing how he unnerved her. She was angry at herself for letting her guard down. She had to stop doing that.
“I’m the buyer,” he said.
“The buyer,” she repeated dumbly.
“I’m negotiating with the Elliotts for their property?” He asked it like a question. Like she should know about this.
She remembered Carter had told her Warrington wanted the place. “It’s not for sale,” she said.
“Everything is for sale. I’ve been negotiating with the Elliotts for a while now. They’re driving a hard bargain.” He shrugged. “I’m afraid they’re using you to get a better price out of me, but that’s okay. Let them play their games. I’ll win in the end. I always do. Guess I’ll be buying you out, too, before all is said and done. I’ve got big plans for the place, and they don’t include a bunch of tacky little houses.” He touched the brim of his hat. “Nice to meet you, Amanda. Be back real soon to talk to you some more.” He rolled up the window and drove away in the direction of town.
Amanda watched him go, a hollow ache settling in her stomach now that the fear was gone. That couldn’t be true, could it? Were Carter and his brothers using her for leverage to get a better price from him?
The sound of faint male laughter made Amanda look around. Were Carter and his brothers at their parents’ house? Maybe on the back deck? She circled the house, caught sight of them and quickly climbed the flight of stairs to confront them. She couldn’t stand the idea that Carter would lie to her. If he was that kind of man, she needed to know it right now.
“Are you selling the Ridge to Blake Warrington?”
The brothers fell silent.
“No,” Carter said. He set down the beer he was holding and came to meet her. “What did he say to you?”
“He said you were using me to jack up the price but that you’d sell to him in the end.”
He let out a sigh. “You happy now?” he asked Gage before taking her arm and guiding her down the steps, leaving his drink behind. “I’m sorry Warrington bothered you. I’ll tell him not to talk to you again.”
“Is it true?”
“No. Believe me, that’s the last thing we want. Even Gage hates the man. All we were doing was letting him state his case, and if I had my way we wouldn’t even have done that.”
“The five of you aren’t on the same page.” Amanda walked with him to the beach, but she wasn’t ready to drop the subject.
“We are when it comes to Warrington. We’re not going to let someone turn our town into a resort.”
She wanted to believe him, but she knew how the idea of money could make people do all kinds of things.
Carter stopped and faced her. “Amanda, no matter what happens, I swear you won’t regret deciding to stay.”
“How can you promise something like that? You don’t know what’s coming.”
“You’re right. I don’t. But I know how I feel about you. I know how I feel about this place. Just… trust me, okay?”
Trust him?
An hour ago she would have said she already did, but Warrington reminded her of Buck—and of her father, too, if she was honest. She was tired of men who refused to play by the rules and felt the world owed them anything they thought they wanted. Was she allowing herself to be drawn into yet another situation guaranteed to get her hurt in the end?
She was already falling in love with this place. If she kept fixing up the library, taking charge of feeding the small army of men who lived here and renovating number twenty-three with Carter, she was going to grow so attached it would break her heart to lose it all.
Here at Elliott Ridge, life felt vibrant in a way it never had in LA. She didn’t want to go back.
Didn’t want to lose Carter, either. He might think they could be a couple whether or not they held on to Elliott Ridge, but she’d seen enough to know what this place meant to him. Would he be bitter if he lost it in the end?
Bitter men could do a world of damage to the people they loved.
“Amanda?”
She tilted her head and looked up at him. He was waiting for her answer.
“I trust you as far as I know you,” she said honestly. “But I don’t know you very well, do I?”
The muscles in his jaw tightened. “I don’t know you all that well, either, but that’s not holding me back.”
She’d hit a nerve, and she was sorry for it. “I’m not sure I know myself,” she said dispiritedly. If she did, she’d be able to explain how much she wanted everything he was offering—and how afraid she was to lose it.
“Do you wish you hadn’t left LA?”
“No. Not at all.”
“Why did you come to Chance Creek?” he asked softly.
Amanda looked out at the lake where the breeze was ruffling the tops of the waves. It was so tempting to tell him the truth, but she knew there was no such thing as a secret if you shared it with anyone. People passed on information as a matter of course. He’d talk to his brothers, and his brothers would tell other people. Sooner or later, word would reach Buck Bronson.
What could she say to him? She wanted as few secrets as possible between them. “I needed a change. My life there wasn’t working anymore.” Buck’s reappearance had made that clear to her.
It took her a moment to realize Carter had gone very still. He was looking down at her, an expression she couldn’t read on his face.
“There’s more to it than that, isn’t there? Something you don’t want to tell me.” He shifted away from her.
Amanda’s breath caught in her throat. If he knew she was lying, who else had seen through her facade—and what would they do about it?
She didn’t want to lose him. Didn’t want to lose her place here.
“I…” She couldn’t find the words to smooth things over. To convince him he had it wrong. To make him come closer again.
“It’s okay. You can keep your secret. Someday I hope you’ll trust me enough to tell me the truth.” Regret tinged Carter’s voice. “I’ll listen, whenever you’re ready.”
“Thanks.”
“That’s all right. It’s not like you’re a spy, are you?” He bumped her shoulder with his, clearly wanting to lighten the moment.
“No.” Amanda relaxed a little. “I’m not a spy.”
“On the run for committing federal crimes?”
“No.” The word came out more sharply than she intended. Amanda stepped away from him. “What do we do… to keep Warrington from getting Elliott Ridge?” That was a far safer topic. As much as she wanted to spill everything, she simply couldn’t. Not yet.
“We need to get your house repaired and spread the word about our little town. We need to find the kind of people who aren’t afraid to take a chance on a new place. Pioneers.”
“I bet Megan would know how to find people like that.”
Carter was watching her, and she had a feeling he wasn’t buying any of this. He knew she was hiding something. It would be so easy for him to get it out of her.
She braced for him to resume his questions, but he didn’t.
“Maybe you’re right” was all he said.