Diann Hunt - Hometown Courtship

“We all miss her. But Nicole would want us to go on, Mom.” He told himself that every day.

She lifted dark, watery eyes. “I try. I really do.” Tears slipped down her cheeks.

“I know.” He pulled her frail body to him. “Let me take you to see Gram tomorrow.”

She finally pulled away, teetering a moment, then dabbed her nose with a tissue. “You have a job to do.”

“Well, how about I pick up dinner and then take you to see Gram, after I get off work?”

“I don’t know.”

He looked at her tattered clumps of hair. “I could even take you out to get your hair done, to make you feel better.”

For a moment he thought he saw a flicker of excitement. But she said, “I’m not ready for that, Brad.”

Disappointment flooded him. What could he do to help his mom? Right now she looked so…old. Lifeless.

“But if you’ll take me to see your grandma in the next day or two, that would be good.”

He’d take what he could get. “Great. In the meantime, I’m running to that Chinese restaurant down the road that you love. I’ll pick you up some dinner. Be right back.”

As though she were too weary to argue, she leaned back into her pillow. “Okay, honey.”

He suspected she would drift back to sleep before he pulled out of the driveway.

“How you doing this morning?” Heather’s hyper voice said she’d already downed two cups of coffee. Callie could hear the whir of her car engine and the swishing of traffic in the background.

“It’s just so wrong that you’re this happy in the morning. Please don’t tell me you’re already on your way to work.” Callie settled onto the foot of her soft bed blanketed with billowy comforters. Chaos, her sandy-haired cocker spaniel puppy, trotted over to her and tried to get on the bed. With the mounds of blankets, it was too hard for him to jump up. Callie snatched her pooch and snuggled into his silky fur.

“Okay, I won’t tell you.”

Callie giggled when Chaos tried to lick her face. “Stop.”

“Are you listening to me or playing with that dog again?”

“Guilty on both counts.”

Heather sighed. “Tossed aside for a puppy.”

“You’re not as cute.”

“Can’t argue with you there.”

“So, why are you off and running this morning?” Callie asked.

“I’ve got an early hearing.”

“Well, I’m in no hurry to do my community service, but you’ll be happy to know I’m making an effort to get there on time.”

“That a girl.”

“They’d better save me some coffee, that’s all I’ve got to say.”

“Well, behave yourself. I don’t have time to represent you on any criminal charges just now.”

“Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll certainly keep that in mind before I go out and commit my next crime.” Tucking himself into a perfect circle, Chaos settled onto her lap.

Heather laughed. “So how do you like working with Brad Sharp?”

“Wow, I’m impressed that you remembered his name.”

“Oh, uh, well—”

“Hey, wasn’t that the judge’s last name? Sharp?”

“Uh, yes—yes, I think it was.” Heather was stuttering. Heather never stuttered.

“I smell a rat.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Is he related to Judge Sharp?”

“Well, it is entirely possible. They both have the same last name, after all.”

“Wouldn’t that be a conflict of interest or something?” This whole matter did not sit right with her. Something was going on.

“Just because he’s having you do community service on a project with his brother does not merit a conflict of interest.”

“Aha, so you admit it!” Callie was incensed.

“Well, yeah, I do. So Brad is his brother. What’s the big deal?”

“Just seems like they’re in cahoots about something. And actually it seems like you might be involved, Heather. Do you know Brad?”

“What? I can’t hear you, Callie. You’re breaking up,” Heather said.

“Did you have something to do with—”

“Listen, I’m at the office, and I can’t hear you anyway. Gotta go! Talk to you later.”

Callie had a sneaking suspicion that Heather could hear her just fine. She donned her boot-cut jeans and a royal-blue-and-white-striped T-shirt. Once her hair was dried to satisfaction, she put Chaos in his crate, then grabbed her straw bag with blue matching trim before heading out the door.

Something strange was going on, and Callie was determined to find out what it was—even if it meant talking to a man who probably wanted nothing to do with her.

Brad watched Callie give the board one final thump with the hammer, and then admire her handiwork. Just then, she glanced over at Brad, making him drop the box of nails he was holding, scattering them across the concrete floor.

They both fell on their knees and started gathering the runaway nails before someone tripped on them.

“Over here,” she said, laughing.

All around them, people crawled around the floor in search of the nails. In a rippling effect, one-by-one, people started laughing, until the entire crew was nearly hysterical.

Brad quickly stood, blew out a ragged breath and put his silent cell phone to his ear. Clomping his way through the rough terrain, he moved away from the job site. He needed a minute to think, to try and figure out what had gotten into him.

He kicked a clump of dirt out of the way. He was an idiot, and a clumsy one at that. Hammer stepped away, walked behind him and ended up on his other side.

Brad had tried to avoid her. He wanted nothing to do with her, thanks to his brother. Yet when he noticed how hard she was working, sunlight glistening in her golden hair, cheeks flushed, tongue peeking out of the side of her determined mouth with every measured swing, well, he tried to look away, but he couldn’t.

“Hey, are you all right?” The soft touch of Callie’s hand on his arm made him whip around as though she were an enemy to be reckoned with.

“I’m fine.” He glared at Hammer for not letting him know someone was approaching.

“Didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to apologize. I wasn’t, um, laughing at you. It was just a funny situation.”

A sliver of vulnerability shone in her eyes, pulling him in. The slight sprinkle of freckles across her nose gave her a childlike quality, though he knew from experience she had no trouble standing up for herself. Not that that was bad. She was the perfect blend of independence and softness. He liked that in a woman.

“Brad?” She stepped closer. “Are you all right?” She touched him again, sending electrical impulses shooting straight up his arm. Her eyes probed his, lingering, searching.

Ammunition straight from his brother’s warehouse.

Oh, she was good, no doubt about it. He took a step backward. “I’m fine.” Sweat beaded on his forehead. He took another step backward. “Really.” Dropping his cell phone, he bent over and picked it up, shaking his head at another display of clumsiness.

“You’re not mad at me, then?” The question in her eyes, the lift of her mouth, the way her slender finger curled around a strand of hair…

Taking another step backward, his foot fell into a hole, and he went down with a thud. Much to his embarrassment, a groan escaped him.

“Oh, let me help you,” she said, reaching over to help him up.

“No, no, don’t move me.” His voice sounded three octaves too high. He cleared his throat and said with a deep, manly voice, “I’ve hurt my ankle.”

This woman was dangerous. He’d stay away from her or die trying.

“I’ll get some help.” Before he could respond, she was off and running. And the weird thing was his dog, who never left his side, went with her.