“Next stop, our petting zoo,” Avery said brightly, leading the way down to the barn. She was really excited for Lottie to spend some time with their variety of animals. After seeing the little girl with Sissy, she was certain Lottie would love petting all the farm animals. “We’ve got everything from alpacas and donkeys to sheep, goats and pigs. There’s even a friendly Shetland pony who adores children.”
“Did you hear that, honey? They have a little horsey to pet,” Jake said tenderly in his velvety Texas drawl that made Avery want to melt. There was just something about the way he spoke that wasn’t entirely fair to the female population. His voice was as smooth and rich as warm honey—and he knew how to use it.
The walk from the training center to the petting zoo was a long one for a three-year-old, and Jake had swept Lottie into his arms for the trek.
She couldn’t help but notice how strong he was, but really, any woman with eyes in her head would have to admit to appreciating his broad shoulders and tight muscles, especially since he was so gently toting his adorable, curly-haired daughter in those arms.
Avery realized she needed to get out more. Go on a few dates. It had clearly been too long since she’d been in a romantic relationship if she found herself somehow unexplainably attracted to a man who was technically her mortal enemy—especially a man who wore cuff links and drove a red Mustang down dirt roads as if it were a race car.
Sooo not her type.
A nice, quiet, humble cowboy with deep country roots. That’s what she needed. Someone who understood and lived her small-town lifestyle. Unfortunately for her, she’d grown up with all the nice, quiet, humble country cowboys in the area, and either she had already dated all the men her age or else they felt more like brothers to her.
How ironic that the one man to come skidding into her life to shake her up was a man like Jake Cutter. He might be great father material, but in his career working for Marston Enterprises, he was exploitive and pushy, and she should never forget about that. Not for one single second. As long as she kept her head on straight, she could handle this.
“Horses are one of her favorite animals,” Elaine elaborated. “She has a stuffed horse named Star she sleeps with every night.”
“That’s wonderful,” Avery exclaimed. “I can’t wait to introduce you to our pony. The Shetland is brand-new. Frost just brought him in last week, and we haven’t had the opportunity to name him yet. He’s a bay—brown in color with a dark mane—and believe it or not, he has a white star on his forehead. Hey, Lottie, what do you think about us naming our pony Star? Would you like that?”
Suddenly shy, Lottie buried her head in Jake’s shoulder, but Avery heard a muffled “Yes, please.” It was so cute how polite she always was, even when she was unsettled.
“Star it is, then. I think that’s a wonderful name. Thank you for helping us name him, Lottie.”
“Welcome,” Lottie murmured.
Elaine chuckled. “She’s not usually so reserved. I think perhaps it’s a bit overwhelming seeing everything all at once. There’s an awful lot to interest a little girl at this farm.”
Oh, no. Avery suddenly felt horrible and wanted to kick herself for her error. She hadn’t even thought of the breadth of the tour from Lottie’s point of view, other than that she’d no doubt be excited about meeting the dogs and all of the other animals on their farm. But such an experience was bound to overwhelm a little girl’s senses after a while.
She was only three years old. And Winslow’s Woodlands—not to mention the service-dog program—was enormous, especially to a little one. No wonder she was hiding her face in her daddy’s shoulder.
“Of course this is getting to be too much for her,” Avery quickly agreed. “I’m so sorry. I should have thought of that.”
“It’s not your fault,” Jake countered. “It isn’t as if you’d automatically know how much a three-year-old can handle on any given day. I’m still learning this parenting thing, and I do it twenty-four hours a day, every day.”
“Look, there’s no reason we have to do and see everything today. Do you want to skip the petting zoo and do it some other time? We’ve also got a nice sleigh ride on Saturday afternoons. You all are always welcome to come by, and we can pick it up later. However it works out for you is fine with me. Just give me a call when you’d like to come by.”
“No,” exclaimed Lottie, lifting her head. “I don’t want to go. I want to see the horsey.”
Avery chuckled. “Okay, then. We’ll be sure to do that today. And then we can play it by ear as to how much more we do with the rest of the petting zoo.”
Jake patted Lottie’s back and noisily kissed her cheek. It was so cute, Avery’s heart did some serious acrobatics.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” he said. “We won’t leave without seeing the horsey.”
He switched his gaze to Elaine. “It’s not her nap time,” he said thoughtfully. “We haven’t had lunch yet. Maybe she’s hungry. I guess I should have thought to pack us lunch.”
Avery glanced around, considering what to do. Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she wondered why she hadn’t thought of it in the first place.
“Tell you what. We have a lovely picnic area over by the creek.” She pointed in the direction of which she was speaking. “There’s a playset for Lottie with swings and a slide. Why don’t you three head on over there and take a nice break, while I run back to the house and make us some sandwiches and fresh lemonade for a picnic? I think it’s mild enough out today to enjoy the winter weather.”
“I’ll help you,” Jake offered, placing Lottie on the ground. Elaine reached out and took her granddaughter’s hand.
“There’s no need.” The words immediately flew from Avery’s mouth without forethought. The last thing she wanted to do was be alone with Jake, even for a short time, inside the cozy kitchen.
She had to admit she was surprised when Jake looked taken aback—a little hurt, even, although he quickly masked his emotions with a lazy smile. For the first time, she’d reached him emotionally—really reached him—and it was over sandwiches. Go figure. She attempted to clarify why she’d been so short with him. “What I mean to say is, why don’t you stay out here and enjoy the day with your family?”
“I don’t mind. Really. I’d like to help you with the sandwiches.” He turned and met her eyes, locking his gaze with hers.
She swallowed hard. He wasn’t making this easy on her to reject him. It was either yield to his request or make a scene with his mother and daughter within hearing distance. Neither option appeared the least bit attractive to her, but she had to choose one over the other.
“We can discuss the situation with your...uh, the bed-and-breakfast while we’re putting the sandwiches together,” he suggested.
Oh, now that was just so much better.
But then again, maybe it was, because she was experiencing this wild chemistry with Jake, and she didn’t want to be noticing him. Not that way. But for some inexplicable reason, no matter what she did, she found her gaze drifting to him. Watching the way he walked, smiled, interacted with his mother and Lottie.
Perhaps a good argument and a reminder of precisely what Jake stood for was exactly what they needed right now to shut down those unwanted emotions for good.
And good riddance to them.
“All right,” she conceded with a sigh. “Is that okay with you, Elaine, if Jake joins me to help make lunch?”
“Absolutely,” Elaine answered. “Lottie and I will give the swings and the slides a go while you two work on the sandwiches. We’ll get all our wiggles out. It’s just what we need. You two take your time, and don’t rush on our account.”
Avery wasn’t sure about the mischievous glance Elaine gave her son, nor the smile he returned. Was that a hint of a blush on his cheeks?
Jake gestured Avery ahead of him and placed his palm on the small of her back as they walked up the path toward the house. She supposed it was a natural and gentlemanly thing to do, but she felt as awkward, as if she was a teenager on her very first date. Her nerves were nipping like a pool of snapping turtles.
She needed to get over herself—and Jake—and fast.
She breathed a sigh of relief when they entered the kitchen and she had a reason to move away from him. She left him at the counter while she opened the refrigerator and started taking out items to prepare sandwiches.
“If you have any tomatoes, I’ll slice ’em,” Jake offered. He slipped the chef’s knife from the butcher’s block and examined it for a moment before returning it to the block and settling on the bread knife with a serrated edge. Avery set a wood cutting board in front of him and placed two large, ripe tomatoes on top.
“Does Lottie like tomatoes?” she asked, wondering if she should grab another one from the vegetable crisper.
“Not so much,” Jake answered with a grin. “She says they’re squishy and yucky in her mouth.”
“I suppose they are. Squishy, I mean. I think they’re an acquired taste. I didn’t like them when I was a kid, either. What about your mom?”
“Oh, definitely. Mom likes pretty much everything on her sandwiches, just like I do. The thicker the layers, the better.”
“Let’s see here. I have deli meat we can use. Is turkey okay, or would you rather have roast beef?”
“Mmm. Yes and yes, if you don’t mind too much. Mom and Lottie enjoy turkey, but my mouth is watering over the thought of roast beef.”
“No problem. As far as I’m concerned, you can have both.” Avery pulled the deli meats from the meat drawer and tossed them on the counter, followed by bread, lettuce, presliced cheddar cheese, mayonnaise and mustard. “Anything else you like? Living in a house full of siblings does have its advantages when it comes to a well-stocked refrigerator.”
“Everything looks perfect to me.” He moved over to the sink to wash the tomatoes, casually slinging a dish towel over his shoulder and humming under his breath as he rinsed the tomatoes clean and dried them off.
Avery basted the bread with mayonnaise and mustard and watched Jake work. Although it was hard to imagine the man who’d shown up to town in a suit worth more than she made in a year preparing his own meals, he appeared completely at home in the country kitchen, as if he often cooked for himself. He had mentioned he’d done a semester of culinary arts training, but that was a far cry from making deli sandwiches. Yet another fact in the mystery that was Jake Cutter.
“Where will I find the lemonade mix?” he asked when the tomatoes were neatly sliced and he’d hand-washed the knife and returned it to the butcher’s block.
“It’s in the pantry, on the second shelf down on the right-hand side.” She pointed to the walk-in pantry with the tip of the butter knife she was using to swipe the mayo and mustard onto the bread.
He rummaged through the pantry and returned with the lemonade mix and a sealed container labeled sugar. Meanwhile, Avery pulled a plastic pitcher from the nearby cupboard and a measuring cup and mixing spoon from a drawer.
“So...” he said, drawing out the word as he placed the lemonade-mix container on the counter next to her. There was plenty of room for him to work on the counter, but he’d chosen to majorly invade her space. Or maybe that was just his MO. In either case, he was much too close, his shoulder nearly touching hers, and her breath caught in her throat as she inhaled a heady whiff of his crisp aftershave.
“So?” she asked when he didn’t continue his thought.
“Have you—that is, I don’t want to ruin our day, and I’m not quite sure how to ask this.”
“Just spit it out,” she said, sensing his next words were going to be something she didn’t want to hear. Perhaps it would have been better to tell him not to bother, that she already knew what he was going to ask and he wasn’t going to like the answer.
He cleared his throat and wiped his hands on the dish towel flung across his broad shoulder. “Have you found someplace that will suit for your bed-and-breakfast?”
Jake regretted asking the question the moment he said it.
Avery stopped spreading mustard over a piece of bread and turned to him, the knife in her hand pointed rather threateningly toward his chest. For a moment, her mouth moved, but nothing came out.
He just kept watching the knife. It was a butter knife and really couldn’t do much harm other than splattering his shirt with mustard. Since he was just wearing a flannel shirt and not one of his expensive suits, it wasn’t really a big deal, but he couldn’t help but be alarmed by the way her face reddened to the color of the tomatoes he’d just sliced.
“Y-yes,” she finally stammered. “Yes, I did.”
“Oh, good. I’m really glad to hear it.” He smiled encouragingly and let out the breath he’d been holding. Funny that he’d been holding his breath, as well. He hadn’t realized.
This was good news. If she’d found somewhere else where she could focus her dreams, there would no longer be any reason to have trouble between them. They might even become friends, right? He found he liked the idea—maybe more than he should, all things considered.
Except the expression on Avery’s face wasn’t exactly friendly. Or even relieved, which she should be if she’d found someplace else to remodel into a bed-and-breakfast. Instead, her gaze was filled with a fiery determination, and she’d set her jaw in such a way that didn’t bode well for him.
“The Meyers’ cabin,” she said in a clipped monotone. “That’s where I’ve chosen to open my bed-and-breakfast. It’s perfect for my needs. I’m going to remodel the Meyers’ cabin. I’ve already got blueprints, and I’m making some major plans for it.”
He’d just assumed—wrongly, obviously—that once she realized what she was up against, which he was certain he’d made clear to her, she’d go with a plan B and find somewhere else to build her dreams. It wasn’t as if there weren’t dozens of cabins in and around Whispering Pines. But for some unknown reason, she thought she had to have this particular one?
No one could fight a huge corporation like Marston Enterprises and win. She must know that.
But the look in her eyes suggested otherwise.
And he hated to be the one to let her down.
“Avery,” he said softly. “Surely—”
“Surely nothing,” Avery snapped back, turning back to the sandwich she was preparing, splashing mustard across the bread with a great deal more force than was necessary, and getting it on the countertop. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore right now.”
“I really think we should.” Although he couldn’t imagine why, he instinctively reached out to her, but she jerked away from him.
He didn’t know what he could say to make things better. There really wasn’t anything to say. He was quite literally working for the enemy. And yet he desperately wanted to rescue this conversation in some way. Turn it around and make things better.
They’d been getting along so well all day, and even, for that matter, the other day when they’d been out for pizza and she’d been there for Lottie during her episode.
There’d been moments...
That, he realized, was his problem.
The moments.
“Okay, well, what do you want me to say?” she demanded. “I found the perfect spot for my bed-and-breakfast, and you and your big company want to take it away from me. Has that changed in any way since we first talked about it?”
“Well, no, but...Avery, this isn’t personal. You know that, right?”
“It feels personal.”
“Only if you make it that way.”
Tears filled her eyes, but she quickly dashed them away. “Grrr. I hate it that I cry when I’m angry.”
He hated seeing her cry at all.
“Just so you know,” she continued, pressing her palms to her eyes to staunch the flow of angry tears, “I’m going to fight you and your gigantic company over this. Just because you think you can do this doesn’t mean you should. I’m not going to stand down and let you trample all over me and my town.”
“Avery, you can’t—”
“I can and I will,” she cut in, glaring at him with a red-streaked face with blotches of mascara lingering at the corners of her glassy eyes. “Just watch me. Doesn’t it bother you that you’re hurting people when you make such major changes in their towns? You’re not just knocking down one cabin to build a resort. You’re knocking down businesses that have been here for decades. Family businesses. For some reason you are blind to the fact that individuals and families have their whole lives here. Marston Enterprises will change that, and I don’t care what you say, it’s not all good, or even mostly good. You want to come here and make major changes? Well, you can’t. There are zoning laws.”
“I’m aware of that. That’s why I’m here.”
“Well...well...” she stammered, obviously trying to come up with another threat that would work for her. “There’s...”
He waited, but she didn’t say more. Not surprising, really, since at the end of the day, there wasn’t any legitimate way for her to fight him and his company.
The worst part was, he didn’t want to hurt her. He’d never before come up against such a situation, where he felt personally involved with what was going on. He’d always landed in a small town, worked out the kinks in whatever laws the municipality might have against building a large resort and left without a hitch.
Sure, he’d spent time with some of the people, especially those on the town councils, but he’d never felt anything. And that was the problem now.
His emotions were going haywire.
Now he felt as if he was driving his Mustang too fast on one of those dirt roads so common around here, bumping all over the place and fishtailing like crazy, barely able to keep a hold of the steering wheel to keep from crashing. If only there was some way to solve Avery’s problem and still do the job he’d been sent in to do.
But that was impossible.
Because it was personal. Avery hadn’t even made it just about her bed-and-breakfast. Now she was defending the whole town of Whispering Pines.
Her town.
And he had a job to do—a job he was suddenly loath to do.
Suddenly Jake heard a couple of male voices along with the clunking sound of boots at the front door.
Avery glanced in that direction, appearing relieved at the sound. “Sharpe. Frost,” she called, her voice cracking under the strain of her emotions. “In the kitchen.”
Jake had seen Avery’s brothers at church and around town a few times, but he’d only been briefly introduced to them once. He’d never really spoken to them. They seemed like nice enough guys, but when they entered the kitchen, their gazes quickly moved from their sister’s glassy eyes and tear-streaked face to Jake, who was now standing on the opposite side of the counter.
Their expressions went from pleasant to angry and intimidating in a nanosecond.
Jake was a large man who worked out regularly, and not many men could threaten him, but Avery’s brothers were likewise tall and muscular, and he had no doubt he’d be toast if they tried to take him two on one. If he didn’t defuse this situation pronto he could be in real trouble here.
Frost, who had blond hair and compelling silver eyes that matched his name, moved around next to Jake, leaning his elbows on the counter and never taking his concerned gaze from Jake. Sharpe, a dark-haired man, narrowed his blue eyes on Jake, leaned his shoulder against the door frame and crossed his arms in an intimidating fashion.
“Avery? Sweetheart? Are you okay?” Frost asked in a deceptively mild tone. “What’s going on?”
Avery glared at Jake, then scoffed and shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Are you sure?” asked Sharpe. “This doesn’t look like nothing to me. Is this guy giving you trouble? It looks as if you’ve been—”
“No worries,” Avery cut in before Sharpe could finish. “We’re just busy making sandwiches for a picnic. Jake’s mom and his daughter are down at the picnic area by the creek, and they’re waiting for us. Nothing to see here.”
“If you say so,” said Frost, turning toward Jake. “You go ahead and finish making your sandwiches.”
“Frost,” Avery protested. “Leave it.”
“But just so you know, Jake,” said Sharpe, punching the air with his words, “we have our eyes on you.”
“No kidding,” Jake said under his breath. He could definitely feel their glares and the emphasis on his name was enough to make him tense his muscles.
“Please, guys,” she protested. “You don’t have to go all protective on me. I can handle my own problems.”
“So, he is a problem, then.” Sharpe stepped deeper into the room and stood on the opposite side of Jake, who was itching to walk away before things got really fired up. “If you hurt our sister, you’ll answer to us.”
It was good the way Sharpe and Frost took care of their sister. He appreciated the way Avery’s family closed ranks to protect her. He only wished it wasn’t on him.
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Avery said, and then quickly changed the subject. “Can I make you guys a sandwich?”
“Yeah, of course. Like you even have to ask?” Frost said, grinning at his sister.
Jake breathed a silent sigh of relief, thankful that Avery was able to distract her brothers with food.
“Two for me,” said Sharpe. “Loaded with everything.”
When Avery met Jake’s gaze, he could see she’d tucked her emotions away and was in total control again. Her face was expressionless, and somewhere along the way she’d wiped the tears and mascara blotches off her face. “Please finish making the lemonade, will you, Jake?”
“I... Sure thing,” he said, thrown off by the way she’d been able to switch gears so rapidly. Her voice was, if not friendly, then at least calm.
He knew she was putting on a good show for her brothers, but he also knew this conversation wasn’t over. As much as he admired Avery, or maybe because he recognized his attraction to Avery, the best course of action for him was to focus, get his work done in Whispering Pines and get out as fast as possible.
He hadn’t felt this kind of chemistry with a woman since his wife’s death. In all honesty, he’d thought he’d never feel such things again.
How could he?
The guilt was still there. It never left him, not for a second, digging into his gut at random times when he least expected it. Whenever he thought about his last moments with his pregnant wife Amber, how they’d been fighting, how he hadn’t settled anything between them when he left for a business trip, it was almost more than he could bear.
He’d thought it might get better with time, but it hadn’t.
There was no resolution to the problem because Amber was gone, and he couldn’t tell her he was sorry.
For everything.
While he was walking away, getting in his car, driving to the airport, getting on the airplane, he’d known better.
Don’t let the sun go down on your anger.
He’d not only done that, but he hadn’t called her once in the week he was gone. Instead, he’d stewed silently in his anger alone in his hotel room.
And then he returned home believing everything would be fine and they would be able to just talk it out like they always did whenever they argued. Instead, he’d found her lying unconscious, having lost her balance somehow and landed with her head hitting the hard concrete, the annuals she’d intended to plant by the side of the walkway scattered around her.
He’d called 9-1-1. He had ridden in the back of the ambulance with her, holding her limp hand. He’d stayed by her bedside in the hospital for days as doctors worked hard to wake her from her coma.
She’d never opened her eyes again.
Through God’s grace, Lottie had been safely born through cesarean section, but her epilepsy—
That was all on him.
He was certain Lottie’s epilepsy was due to her mother being in a coma for so many days before the doctors had made the decision to deliver her via C-section. If only he had gotten home earlier...
After that tragedy, he never imagined another woman would make him feel again. What was happening between him and Avery, the sparks that exploded so ferociously whenever they clashed, was gut-wrenching and frightening in their intensity.
Which was yet another reason for him to tie things up here in Whispering Pines at the earliest possible moment and flee town as fast as he could.
Far, far away from Avery Winslow and the things she did to his mind and heart.