Claiming the Single Mom's Heart Read online

  “But what do you do now?”

  “I don’t exactly have a title.” His forehead creased as he helped Tessa into the backseat and secured her in. “I was about fifteen when Luke took off for the army, and ever since then I’ve been Dad’s right-hand man. Dad’s the eldest of his siblings, so after the death of his father, by default he became the primary overseer of the Hideaway. And by default, too, I guess, I’m following in his footsteps.”

  He chucked a giggling Tessa under the chin, then shut the back door and leaned against it, arms folded.

  “My days vary. Overseeing property maintenance and supervising—along with Rio and our cousin J.C.—horse care, trail rides and horse and rider training programs. Helping hunters pack in their trophies. Providing support and guidance on inn and general store operation.” With a laugh, he took an exaggerated breath and continued, “I order supplies. Manage employees. Keep on top of the events master calendar, provide preseason scouting tips for hunters and mingle with our varied guests. I guess you’d say I’m a troubleshooter, involved in every aspect of the business.”

  “I’m impressed.”

  “And in the midst of all that, I managed to pick up an associate’s degree in business at Northland Pioneer College and rounded that out with additional online classes for a bachelor’s.” With a proud grin, he pushed away from the truck to pull keys from his pocket. “Give me a minute to lock up, okay? Then I’d be happy to come back to do some more bragging. It’s always sweet to impress a pretty girl.”

  Laughing, she took a playful swat at him, but missed him by a mile.

  When he returned, he climbed into the driver’s seat next to her, slammed the door and started up the SUV.

  “Fortunately, Luke’s now taking on additional responsibilities for the Hideaway. Correspondence and paperwork to keep us legal with federal, state and county agencies. Overseeing financial investments. Can’t say I’ll miss doing that.”

  He gave her a lopsided grin and for some silly reason, her cheeks warmed.

  “He’ll also make sure,” Grady added, “that we have facts and figures for making critical decisions.”

  She studied him thoughtfully, trying not to notice his still twinkling eyes. “So that means he’ll be a primary person you’ll need to convince that your photography idea is feasible?”

  “I guess so.” He frowned as he turned the vehicle in the direction from which they’d come. “Our relationship was strained when he first got out of the army six years ago. He and Dad had a falling-out back in the day. Then when he returned, here I am filling the shoes our father always intended for him to fill. We’ve pretty much worked through it, but sometimes it still gets thorny.”

  “Do you think he’ll push back because he’s now in a position to?”

  “I don’t think so.” He thought a moment longer, eyes narrowing as they bumped down the rub-board road. “But it might not be a half-bad idea to bring someone on board who knows how to deal with that possibility.”

  He slanted a look at her. Then winked.

  “Know anyone who might have that type of experience?”

  Chapter Eight

  It turned out, however, to be far easier to convince Grady to take her up on her offer of assistance than it was to find a time and place suitable for them to work on the project together.

  Thankfully, Tori was available to babysit, or they probably never would have worked things out with their busy schedules. Which might have meant they’d have had to work via phone and email.

  Considering how nervous she was after dinner Tuesday evening as she readied for the drive to Grady’s place, working by phone might have been the better option.

  Tori stepped back to look at her approvingly. “Pretty skirt, Sunshine.”

  “Do you think it’s too much?” She hadn’t worn the striking Native American patterned wool skirt topped by a burgundy suede fringed jacket since last winter. But mid-September evenings were cooling down. “I want to look—”

  “Beautiful?” Tori’s eyes glowed with approval. “You nailed it.”

  Sunshine made a face. “No, I meant professional.”

  “Well, you look that, too.”

  “I’m thinking of wearing this a week from Friday to that parent-teacher meeting, so I want to see if I still feel comfortable in it. It’ll be the first kickoff event for the town council elections, with each candidate given an opportunity to briefly state our platform and answer questions.”

  “Three of you, right?”

  “Right. Irv Baydlin. Elaine Hunter. Me.”

  “Does Grady ever mention that when you’re with him? I mean, does he say anything about you running against his mother?”

  “Not so far.”

  “Seems like an elephant in the room to me. And now with what I found online this morning, two elephants.”

  After days of diligently searching, Tori had unearthed documentation that Sunshine’s great-grandmother’s maiden name had been Royce. Which meant that she’d most likely confirm her parents were Walter and Flora.

  “I have to admit, it’s hard not to tell him that I’m almost ninety-nine percent certain the owners of the cabin he showed me on Saturday are my ancestors.”

  Tori folded her arms, her expression doubtful. “Do you think it’s wise to withhold that? I mean, the guy saved you and your daughter twice. Now you’re trying to repay that debt by spending more time with him on this business-proposal thing. Don’t you think he might resent it when you pop up with a big ‘reveal’? Why not tell him now? Why keep it a secret?”

  Sunshine slipped her feet into a pair of black pumps. “Because until we can find unquestionable evidence that the Hunters somehow managed to cheat my great-greats out of their land, there’s no point in bringing it up.”

  “So the elephant in the room grows ever larger.”

  “You’re as bad as Tessa, Tori. You worry too much. See imaginary things in the closet.”

  “Someone needs to. And I do it because I care.”

  Sunshine gave her friend a grateful look. “I care about you, too. But everything is going to be fine. One more step back and you’ll confirm the names of my great-great-grandparents. Then we can decide where to go from there on proving the rest of it. Are you on board?”

  “I guess so. But I don’t want to see you—or this Grady guy—get hurt.”

  “Nobody’s going to get hurt.” How could they? They hardly knew each other. Staring into each other’s eyes when she’d bumped into him at the cabin had been nothing but awkward. Besides, it wasn’t as if she intended to sue his family for what they’d done to her predecessors. She’d present the evidence and leave it in the hands of God—and the consciences of the Hunters.

  But tonight she had to keep her focus on the business at hand—lifting some of the weight of indebtedness off her shoulders by doing a good turn for Grady.

  * * *

  The two hours flew by faster than he could ever have imagined, with Sunshine seated on one side of a corner of the dining table, him the other, so they could share a view of his laptop screen. But in presenting to her the research he’d gathered over the past few months, it didn’t appear to be as compelling as he’d built it up in his mind to be. She asked good questions, though, that provoked him to think more deeply, to look at the issues from a different angle.

  He glanced at the attractive woman, sweet smelling and feminine in that soft jacket, the fringe of which—like the sway of her hair—caught his attention every time she moved. “What do you think, Sunshine? Can I build a winning case?”

  If she said no, what was the point in trying? Luke, with his financial savvy, would eat him up and spit him out.

  She leaned back in her chair. “If you can fill in those gaps, I think the bones of it are here.”

  “I can squeeze in a few
hours for gap filling this week.”

  “When that’s done, we’ll group your data into logical segments, sort of how I’ve illustrated on the newsprint pad here. Then we’ll give thought to the sequencing and break each down into bite-size, presentable pieces. You have to hit them out of the gate with a ‘big promise’ punch, then the remainder of the presentation will back up your promises.”

  “You make this sound simple.”

  “Simple doesn’t mean without considerable thought or planning, though. I think you’ve done a lot of that. We need to tweak what you have.”

  She was probably just being nice, careful not to be overly critical of his hodgepodge of notes. But it was far better to have her punch holes in what he’d been thinking now than to have Luke go after him on those same points in front of the whole family.

  “So how are you feeling about this, Grady? Have I hijacked your plans? Veered off from the direction you intended to go?”

  “No, not at all.” He rose from his chair and stretched. “It’s as if you’ve taken my vague, cloudy dreams and solidified them in my own mind and, hopefully, in the minds of my family members in the future.”

  She looked relieved. Had she been concerned that he wouldn’t care for her input? He much preferred dealing with a straight shooter than someone who only said what they thought he wanted to hear. Which might actually make her a solid candidate for the town council if she could somehow clearly reveal that side of herself to voters.

  She wouldn’t win, of course. Not with Mom in the race, but still...

  He moved into the kitchen to look inside the refrigerator. “Would you like something to drink? A snack, maybe?”

  “Thanks, but I need to be going.” Sunshine stood and reached for the purse she’d looped over the back of her chair. “I want to make sure Tessa hasn’t given Tori problems getting her settled down for the night.”

  “She’s still thinking there are mysterious things in the closet? I can understand after the fall from a slide how that might add to her anxiety.”

  “Oddly, that didn’t seem to compound the situation. In fact, she seems to be more focused on you as her hero than reliving those scary moments.”

  “That’s good, I guess.” But he didn’t want to be any little kid’s hero. What had Jasmine’s daughter thought when he’d broken up with her mom? He’d been her hero, too, but what scars had been left when he’d abruptly disappeared from the child’s life? That was when he’d vowed to never get involved again with a woman who had children.

  Although he wasn’t involved with Sunshine, he had come in contact with her daughter several times last week. Dangerous territory for a little kid’s heart.

  A man’s, too.

  As he walked her to the door, he couldn’t help looking at Sunshine with regret. Too bad she had a kid. Too bad as well that she was running against his mother for a town council seat.

  Sunshine’s smile dissolved as she looked up at him. “Why so glum? You’ve got a fantastic idea, Grady. You’ve done your homework. All we have to do is put the puzzle pieces together to make a complete picture for your family.”

  “I can’t thank you enough for your input tonight.” He mustered a smile. “I promise I’ll have those gaps you talked about filled as fast as I can.”

  “Wonderful.” Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at him, and for a long moment their gazes locked.

  His mouth went dry. She was beautiful standing there in the dim light of the entryway, her silky black hair shiny and her smooth skin appearing soft, touchable. Heart drumming against the walls of his chest, he swallowed. Then, pulling himself together, he abruptly jerked open the front door—only to find his cousin, Pastor Garrett McCrae, standing there under the porch light, hand raised to knock.

  “Good evening, Sunshine. Grady.” Garrett’s smile was way too wide as he took in the pair standing inside the entry. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

  “I’m on my way out.” Sunshine glanced uncertainly at Grady. “I’ll see you later?”

  “Call me when you get home so I know you’re there safely.”

  Her brows rose, but she nodded. Then with a smile directed at Garrett, she slipped past him and into the shadows to her car. Grady waited in the doorway until she drove off, then motioned his cousin inside.

  “To what honor do I owe this house call, Garrett?”

  “I haven’t seen you for a while except in church, so thought I’d stop by and keep a fellow lonely old bachelor company.” He plopped himself on the sofa and stretched out as Grady eased himself into a nearby recliner. “But it looks as though things may have taken an interesting turn since we last talked.”

  Grady grunted. “Don’t go getting any wild ideas. Ms. Carston was here on business. Nothing more. You can wipe that silly grin off your face.”

  Garrett’s gray eyes questioned, but Grady didn’t feel like enlightening him any further. Although there was a four-year age gap between them, they’d long been buds, but he didn’t intend to share his hopes for the photography addition to the Hunter’s Hideaway lineup with him. Not yet anyway. Maybe closer to the presentation he’d call on the good pastor to offer up prayers on his behalf.

  Straightening up, Garrett glanced around him, a puzzled expression on his face. Then he looked past Grady and into the dining room. “Something’s different.”

  “Nothing’s different.”

  “Wait a minute!” Laughter lit Garrett’s features. “You cleaned, didn’t you? Not just ran a vacuum and sprayed air freshener, but you picked things up, stashed the junk someplace and actually cleaned.”

  Garrett leaped to his feet and started across the room.

  “Hey! Where do you think you’re going?”

  “To inspect the bathroom.”

  In spite of himself, Grady couldn’t help cracking a smile. “Get back here.”

  Still laughing, Garrett resettled himself on the sofa. “I can’t believe this. I imagine you haven’t cleaned this place much since you booted Jas—”

  Grady’s warning look cut him off. “Don’t go there.”

  “Well, it’s the truth, isn’t it?”

  Grady didn’t want to talk about truth. Or have his housecleaning efforts speculated upon. “So what are you really doing here tonight, Garrett?”

  The laughter dimmed in his cousin’s eyes as he leaned forward to rest his forearms on his knees. “I wanted to talk to you about your mother.”

  Grady flipped the recliner lever and brought himself upright. “What about Mom?”

  Garret looked him steadily in the eye.

  “My mom—” Meaning Grady’s dad’s sister, his aunt Suzy. “My mom told me your dad wants Aunt Elaine to drop out of the election.”

  Grady’s throat tightened. “Why?”

  Was there something about her condition his parents weren’t sharing with their kids? Last he’d talked to his mother, not even twenty-four hours ago, she was gung ho for the campaign trail. She viewed this time-out as temporary.

  “He thinks it’s going to be too much for her. Too much stress right when she needs to be resting and focusing on fighting the cancer.”

  “You should know my mother well enough to recognize that Dad spouting off his opinion isn’t going to sway her. Once she sets her mind to something, just try to bar the door.”

  “Despite good intentions, chemo treatments can take a toll, Grady. She’s barely getting underway with it. Even in a small town like this, elections are demanding. They take time and effort, putting yourself out there nonstop in the public eye. Which is another thing—her immune system will be compromised, so she’ll have to be extra careful with cold and flu season getting underway.”

  “This is a reelection, though.” Grady relaxed somewhat. “Everybody knows her. Knows what she stands for. She could spend the next seve
n weeks in utter seclusion and still win.”

  “Maybe.”

  “What exactly are you hinting at, Garrett?” He didn’t like this beating-around-the-bush stuff.

  “This election is a little different.”

  “How so?”

  “Irvin’s doing his best to mount up a strong opposition, promising this and that to folks who pretty much are looking for a handout wherever they turn. People who’d like to see the high-and-mighty Hunters toppled. You do realize, don’t you, that we’ve had a family member on the town council since the town’s founding in the 1920s?”

  “And Sunshine?” Garrett continued. “Like I told you earlier, she’s been all over the place in the past few weeks since that friend of hers came to town. She’s not sitting around naively assuming the artists in the community can get her elected. She knows there aren’t enough of them to do that.”

  “I don’t see how any of this will make a difference.”

  “Live in your rose-colored-glasses world, Grady, but my mom is concerned. Dad, too. Especially if your dad persuades your mother to give it up.”

  “He won’t.”

  Garrett fell silent for a moment, and then he cocked his head, his gaze boring into Grady’s. “There is such a thing as a write-in vote.”

  “Meaning?”

  “If your mother pulls out, we could mount a campaign to get you elected in Aunt Elaine’s stead. You won’t be on the ballot, but you could still pull it off.”

  Think again, cuz. Grady resolutely pushed himself out of the recliner and pointed a warning finger at his cousin. “No.”

  “Why not? You don’t think your lady friend can beat you, do you?”

  “Sunshine is not my ‘lady friend.’ And I’m not much concerned about whether or not she could beat me because I’m not running for an elected office.” His eyes narrowed. “Why don’t you do it if you’re worried about Hunters losing?”

  “Because you have to be a resident for at least one year prior to the election. I moved back here last December and I have no idea how much longer I’ll hold this interim pastor position. Besides, I have my hands full at Christ’s Church.”