The Ladies of Sweetwater Lake
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If he was going to repay the debt, he had no choice but to learn to deal with the teenager—and the mother. I can do this, he told himself and forced a smile to his lips. “I’m Chance, the new tenant,” he said to Crystal, realizing he was probably stating the obvious.
The teenager’s smile grew. “I’m Crystal. Welcome to Sweetwater.”
“Thanks.” He inhaled the aroma of ground beef that peppered the air. “It smells wonderful. What are we having?”
“As I told you earlier, nothing fancy. Just tacos. I hope you like Mexican food. Crystal and I love it.” Tanya gestured toward the counter. “Everyone’s going to put their own together.”
“I like anything I don’t have to cook.” He took another few steps farther into the kitchen, committing himself to spending some time with his landlady and her daughter.
Tanya handed him a plate with big yellow and blue flowers painted on it. “You don’t cook then?”
“Not unless you call heating up a can of spaghetti cooking.”
Crystal giggled, patting her dog. “Even I can do that.”
“My daughter’s taking a Foods and Nutrition class this year. Hopefully she’ll learn more than heating up what’s in a can.”
Chance noticed the instant school was mentioned that Crystal’s cheerful expression vanished and the young girl dropped her head, her attention glued to her lap. Did she struggle with schoolwork? He made a note to find out. Maybe he could help her with her homework, then he would be one step closer to being able to leave Sweetwater, to appeasing his guilt.
“You go first.” Tanya swept her arm across her body, indicating he prepare his tacos.
Chance took two large empty shells and filled them with the meat sauce, cheese, lettuce and diced tomatoes. His mouth watered in anticipation of his first home-cooked meal in years. After he doused his tacos with chunky salsa, he made his way to the round oak table in the alcove with three large windows overlooking the deck and backyard.
He sat at one of the places already set with utensils, a blue linen napkin and a glass with ice in it. When he noticed a pitcher on the table, he poured himself some tea, then doctored it with several scoops of sugar.
Crystal positioned herself next to him and put her plate on her yellow place mat. “Mom said you’re from Louisville. I went there once, when I was nine, and took a riverboat up the Ohio River.”
As Tanya settled into the chair across from him, Chance said to Crystal, “I’ve never ridden on a riverboat. Did you like it?”
“Yeah! I’d like to take one all the way to New Orleans. I’ve never been to New Orleans. I haven’t seen very many places.” She glanced down at her wheelchair, then fixed her large hazel eyes on him as though that explained why she didn’t go places.
A tightness constricted his chest. He couldn’t imagine being confined to a wheelchair, every little bump in the terrain an obstacle, not free to move about as you wanted. He knew about that and had hated every second of his confinement. “You’ll have time,” he finally said, feeling a connection between him and Crystal that went beyond her father.
“That’s what Mom says.”
“I promised her a trip when she graduates from high school.” Tanya poured tea for herself and her daughter. “She’ll get to pick where, depending on my budget.”
“Mom’s got a saving account for the trip at the bank where she works.”
“That’s a good plan.” After he picked up his taco carefully so as not to make a mess, he took a big bite, relishing the spicy meat sauce. “Mmm. This is good.”
Tanya smiled. “Thanks.”
She and Crystal bowed their heads while Tanya said a prayer.
When she glanced up at Chance, he’d put his taco back on his plate, a look of unease in his expression. “I don’t have the time to cook like I want to, but I do enjoy getting into the kitchen when I can,” she said, hoping to make him feel comfortable.
“I’m glad you invited me.” Chance caught her gaze and held it for a long moment. He realized he meant what he had just said. The warmth emanating from both the mother and daughter spoke to a part of him that he thought had died in prison.
Finally Tanya dropped her regard and ran her finger around the rim of her glass. “What kind of job are you applying for with Nick?”
“As an assistant for his office in Sweetwater.”
“Nick said something to me about expanding his company’s presence in Sweetwater. I guess this must be the beginning. Since he and Jesse got married, I know he doesn’t like to travel to Chicago as much as he used to. What have you done before?”
Tension knifed through Chance. He should have expected questions about his past. That was the last thing he wanted to discuss. “I was a financial advisor.”
“Was? Not anymore?”
“I’m looking for something different. That’s why this assistant’s job interests me.” That and the fact Samuel paved the way for him with Nick Blackburn. But even with Samuel’s reference, the job wasn’t a sure thing. He would have to convince Mr. Blackburn he could do the work, definitely a step down from what he’d done in the past where he’d had his own assistant.
“What happens if you don’t get the job?”
“I’m still staying for a while. I’ll just look for another one,” he quickly said to ease the worry he heard in her voice.
He needed the conversation focused on someone else. Angling around toward Crystal, he asked, “Besides Foods and Nutrition, what else are you taking?”
The teenager downed a swallow of tea. “I’m taking the usual—U.S. history, English, algebra and biology. I’m also in the girls’ choir.”
“In high school I was in the show choir. I enjoyed it.” Chance felt Tanya’s puzzled gaze on him and shifted in his chair, feeling uncomfortable under her scrutiny as though she could see into his heart and soul. Their emptiness wasn’t something he wanted exposed to the world. He busied himself by taking another bite.
“I sing in the choir at church. We can always use another man to sing.”
He heard Tanya’s words of encouragement and gritted his teeth so hard that pain streaked down his neck. Church. Religion. God wasn’t for him. He’d believed once, and his whole life, his family, had been taken away from him. He stuffed the rest of the taco into his mouth and occupied himself with chewing—slowly. Averting his gaze, he stared out the window at the backyard and hoped the woman didn’t pursue the topic of conversation.
“I thought about auditioning for the show choir, but I didn’t. I can’t dance very well in this thing,” Crystal slapped the arm of her wheelchair, “and you have to be able to sing and dance to be in it. If I can’t do it right, I don’t want to do it at all.”
The teenager’s words cut through the tension gripping Chance. He looked back at her and managed to smile, hearing the need in the child’s voice that twisted his heart. “Besides singing, what else do you like to do?”
“I like to draw.”
“Why aren’t you taking art in school?”
“I can’t take everything. I’ll probably take it next year.” Crystal shrugged. “Besides, Mom’s teaching me. She’s very good.”
Chance swung his attention to Tanya who looked away when his gaze fell on her. “What do you like to draw?”
A hint of red tinged her cheeks. “People mostly.”
“Portraits?”
“Nothing formal like that.”
“I’d love to see your work sometime.”
Tanya started to say something when Crystal chimed in, “I’ll go get her sketchbook. It’s in the dining room.” She backed up her wheelchair, made a one-hundred-eighty-degree turn, and headed for the door with her service dog following.
“I get the impression you don’t show many people your drawings.”
She shook her head, swallowing hard. “I’m not very good. I draw for myself.”
When Crystal came back into the kitchen with the sketchbook in her lap, Chance wanted to make Tanya feel at ease so he said, “I don’t want to intrude on—”
“Mom, doesn’t think she’s good. I do. Here, see for yourself.” Crystal opened the book and showed Chance.
He wasn’t sure what to expect after Tanya’s reluctant reaction, but what he saw was an exquisite portrait of Crystal sketching something. The drawing captured the teenager’s love for art in the detailed expression on her face. The pen-and-ink picture was as good as any professional artist would have done. “I’m impressed, Tanya. This is beautiful.”
“You think so?”
All the woman’s doubts were evident in her wrinkled forehead, the hesitant expression in her eyes and the hidden hope that he might really be telling her the truth. As before it was important to Chance to make Tanya feel comfortable. “Yes. I’m honored to have seen this. You should show your drawings more often.”
Tanya straightened in her chair, her head cocked. “Samuel tried to get me to have one in the Fourth of July auction this year at church. I told him I would donate my time or something else.”
Chance captured Tanya’s regard. “Next year take him up on the offer.”
She slid her gaze away and started gathering up her plate and utensils. “I’ll think about it.”
“Which means she won’t do it,” Crystal interjected and put her dishes in her lap then wheeled herself toward the sink.
Chance followed them with his place setting. “I hope you’ll let me help you clean up after being gracious enough to invite me to dinner. I might not cook very well, but I can rinse and put them in the dishwasher.”
“Yeah, Mom. Let him.”
Tanya laughed. “You’re agreeing because you’ll get out of your part of cleaning up.”
“I’ve got homework to do.”
“On Friday night?”
Crystal lifted her shoulders. “What else is there to do?”
“Fine.” Tanya watched her frowning daughter and the black Lab disappear into the hallway. “Something’s bothering her. I wish she would tell me.”
“She’s what, fifteen, sixteen?”
“Fifteen.”
“Did you tell your mother what was going on with you at that age?”
“Good point. But still we’ve been through a lot. I…” Her voice quavering, Tanya twisted away so her face was hidden as she stacked the dishes into the sink and turned on the water.
Chance heard the thickness lacing each word and wished he could help her. But he discovered that helping her was going to be harder than he’d thought. Actually he’d had no plan in mind other than to assist Tom’s family. But how? Maybe he could reach Crystal. He had to try something or he would never be able to get on with his life—what was left of it.
Tanya handed him the first plate to put in the dishwasher. “You should come hear us sing in the choir at church this Sunday. As I’m sure you’re aware, Samuel gives great sermons.”
Chance gripped the glass she passed to him. “I’ll think about it.”
Chapter Two
Chance’s clipped words caused Tanya to step back, strained uneasiness pulsating between them. She got the distinct impression thinking was all he would do about going to church.
Without really contemplating what she was saying, she asked, “You aren’t going to come, are you?” The second the question was out of her mouth, she bit down on the inside of her cheek. She’d never confronted someone about not attending church. She didn’t confront anyone about anything, if possible.
His gaze narrowed on her face, every line in his body rigid. “I need to get settled in.”
By his tight tone, evasive answer and clenched jaw, Tanya knew that any further discussion was unwelcome. “I’m sorry I brought up the subject. I just assumed you believed.”
“Because I’m friends with Samuel?”
She nodded.
“I guess Samuel would say I’m the lost sheep he’s trying to bring back to the fold.”
“So you’ve heard him speak before?”
“Yeah. But it’s not going to change how I feel. Simply put, God wasn’t there for me when I needed Him the most.”
His statement piqued her curiosity and made her wonder even more about Chance Taylor’s past. She handed him another dish and let the silence lengthen while she decided how to proceed with the conversation when tension crowded the space between them. “What happened?” She realized she was pushing when she never pushed.
“Nothing I want to revisit.”
His answer hadn’t surprised her. She didn’t think he shared willingly much of himself with anyone. She’d seen that same defensive mechanism in Tom, especially after the riding accident that had left Crystal paralyzed. “You said you were a financial advisor. I wish I had a knack for figures. My budget’s in a terrible mess. I work at a bank, but finances aren’t my strong suit.” There, that should be a safe enough subject for conversation.
“What do you do?”
“I started out as a receptionist, but I’m a teller now. I can count money, just not manage my own very well. There never seems to be enough to go around. I’m still paying off Crystal’s medical expenses.” And her deceased ex-husband’s lawyer’s bill, she added silently, not wanting to go into what happened with Tom. How do you explain to a person you just met that your husband was sent to prison for burning barns in retaliation for their daughter’s accident?
“When was the last time you redid your budget?”
“I don’t exactly have one that’s written down. I pay the most important bills first, then as much as I can on the ones left. That’s the extent of my budget. Some months I do better than others.” She could remember her spending spree several years back where she had bought unnecessary items—expensive clothing, inessential furniture. Thankfully she had been able to take a lot of them back—but not all. She’d finally paid off those bills a few months ago. So long as she stayed on the medication she took for manic depression, she shouldn’t get herself into a bind like that again. She couldn’t afford to.
After he put the last glass on the top rack, Chance closed the dishwasher. “Maybe I can help you with that.”
“Would you? That would be great! If the job with Nick doesn’t work out, I may be able to help you find one. I can ask around.” There was something about Chance that drew her to him. She wanted to help him, especially in light of him offering to assist her with her budget.
He frowned, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. “You don’t—”
“Mom, I’m going out on the deck to do my homework. Now that the sun’s going down behind the trees, it’s cooler outside.” With a book and pad in her lap, Crystal wheeled herself toward the back door.
Chance hurried to open it before her daughter could. “What subject are you working on?”
“English. I have an essay to write. I do my best thinking outside.”
“So do I.”
When Crystal was out on the deck, Chance turned toward Tanya. “I’d better go. It’s been a long day, and tomorrow I have that job interview, then I need to buy some supplies.”
“Pretty much whatever you need can be found on Main Street or right off it. There’s a grocery store four blocks from here on Third Avenue.”
“Is that right after Second?”
“Yep.”
“Then I think I can find it on my walk,” he said with a smile.
“You don’t have a car?”
“No, I came on the bus.”
“I’m going to Alice’s Café tomorrow at ten. What time is your interview?”
“Nine.”
“I can give you a lift, if you’d like. I have a few errands I need to run before I meet my friends.”
“Thanks, but I can walk. I like the exercise.”
His half grin appeared, and for a few seconds Tanya’s heart responded by quickening its beat. Her physical reaction took her by surprise. After her ordeal with Tom, men hadn’t interested her—until now.
Chance left and stopped next to Crystal to say a few words to her, then proceeded toward the detached garage at the side of the house. Tanya came out onto the deck and watched him. While he’d talked with her daughter, Tanya had glimpsed a vulnerability leaking into his expression. He had managed to cover it quickly, but she had seen it.
“What do you think of our new tenant?” Tanya asked when she noticed her daughter watching her staring at Chance.
“What do you think?”
“He seems nice. Kinda lonely.”
“Yeah.”
“What did he say to you?”
Crystal tilted her head, screwing up her face into a quizzical expression. “He offered to tutor me in math if I needed it.”
Tanya laughed. “Did you tell him you had a ninety-eight in Algebra I and that you’re taking Algebra II?”
She nodded. “I wonder why he offered.”
“Did you ask him?”
“He left before I could. Maybe I will tomorrow.”
“Speaking of tomorrow, I’d better get a load of laundry done tonight or neither of us will have anything to wear.”
When Tanya entered the kitchen, her gaze fell on the table where Chance had sat for dinner. He was a puzzle. And one of her favorite things to do was put together jigsaw puzzles, the more pieces the better. She had a feeling there were a lot of pieces to Chance Taylor.
“Have a seat.” Nick Blackburn indicated a brown leather chair in front of his large desk.
Chance quickly scanned the spacious office as he sat. The rich walnut tones of the furniture with a navy-and-brown color scheme lent a refined elegance to the room. He’d been in many offices that conveyed power and wealth. This one ranked near the top.
Mr. Blackburn perused the application Chance had filled out, and he knew the second the man read about his time spent in the state penitentiary. To give Mr. Blackburn credit, he finished the application before he glanced up at Chance and asked, “What did you do time for?”
“Murder.”
The man’s eyes widened slightly before he put the paper down, a bland expression veiling his curiosity. “You only served two years?”
“My conviction was overturned when the real murderer was apprehended last month.”
“So you served two years for a crime you didn’t commit.”
Even though it really wasn’t a question, Chance said, “Yes.”
“That’s where you met Samuel?”
“Yes, sir. He took an interest in me and we became friends.”
“You know you’re overqualified for this job. You have an MBA from Harvard. You’ve worked for several top money-managing companies in the country and were on the fast track.”
“Were is the operative word here. That was in my past. Besides—” Chance grinned “—Blackburn Industries is well respected and a multimillion dollar business. I consider this job an opportunity to do something different.”
“Because you don’t see people letting you manage their money after spending time in prison?”
Chance leaned forward. “To be frank, I don’t want to be reminded of the life I once had. I need to start over in something totally different. What are the duties of the job?”
After Mr. Blackburn listed them for Chance, the man said, “Do you think you can handle those?”
In his sleep, Chance thought and nodded.
“There will be some traveling to my Chicago office. The dress is casual here but not in Chicago.”
“I understand.”
Nick Blackburn pushed back his chair and stood. Offering Chance his hand, he said, “Then you’ve got yourself a job. I’ve never known Samuel to be wrong about a person, and he thinks you can do this job.”
“When do I start, Mr. Blackburn?”
“It’s Nick, and you can start Wednesday morning when I get back from Chicago. Be here at nine and I’ll show you around and introduce you to the staff here in Sweetwater.”
A few minutes later as Chance left the building, he couldn’t resist turning his face to the sun, relishing its warmth as it bathed him. He would never tire of doing that.
He had a job. That was one worry taken care of. Now all he had to figure out was how to be there for Tanya and Crystal without them knowing why. After spending time with them the night before, he wasn’t sure he wanted them ever to know his involvement in Tom’s death.
“Okay, you have to tell us about the guy renting your apartment.” Jesse scooted over in the booth at Alice’s Café to allow Tanya to slide in beside her. “We’ve all been waiting with bated breath.”
“Jesse Blackburn, don’t you get any ideas. No matchmaking! He’s only my tenant. Just passing through.” Taking a sip of her coffee, Tanya looked around the group and added, “How did you know I have a man renting my garage apartment?”
Beth Morgan grinned. “Samuel told me. Do you think there are any secrets among us after all these years?”
“What else did your husband say?” Tanya thought about all she wanted to know concerning her tenant, especially what or who was responsible for the pain behind his half smile that never quite reached his eyes. She hadn’t slept much the night before, her mind insisting on playing through all kinds of scenarios.
“Not much. Samuel just told me you rented your apartment to Chance Taylor, a friend from his past. You know my husband. He doesn’t say much about a person he knows. He always likes people to make up their own mind. So spill the beans. What’s he look like?”
An image of the first time she had seen Chance on her porch flashed into Tanya’s mind. Even from the beginning she’d been drawn to his eyes where she’d seen a shadow of sadness in their depths. “He’s very tall, dark hair, blue eyes, nice build, probably in his late thirties. He had an interview this morning with Nick about the assistant’s job.”
Surprise widened Jesse’s eyes. “He did and Nick didn’t tell me.”
“This isn’t a secretarial-type position, is it?” Zoey Witherspoon asked.
Jesse shook her head. “More like Nick’s right hand. Someone he can train to take over part of his duties that demand he travel to Chicago.”
“Chance’s background is in finance so he should be qualified,” Tanya said, glad she knew at least that much about her new tenant.
With her elbow on the table, Darcy Markham rested her chin in her palm. “Mmm. He sounds promising.”
“Hey, you’re married to a very nice, good-looking man. And you’re expecting your third child,” Zoey said, gently punching Darcy in the arm. “Between you and Beth we’ll be spending a lot of time at the maternity floor of the hospital in a few months.”
“That doesn’t mean I can’t look at a handsome man because that’s as far as it goes. No one will take the place of Joshua in my heart.”
Tanya listened to her friends talk about their husbands, their children, the babies Darcy and Beth were expecting. She was the only one not married in the group, and she felt the loneliness of her situation more now than ever. A few years ago—first with Crystal’s riding accident, then Tom’s arson conviction that led to him divorcing her and ultimately his death in prison—her whole life had fallen apart. She was still trying to put the pieces back together and keep her manic depression under control. And she would because she had no other choice. Crystal depended on her.
“Samuel said Chance wasn’t sure how long he would stay in Sweetwater,” Beth said, drawing Tanya back into the conversation.
She blinked, focusing on the group of women who had been there for her through all the tragedies. “Yeah, he said he wasn’t sure how long he’ll be here, especially if he doesn’t get the job with Nick.”
“So Nick’s job brought him to Sweetwater?” Zoey took a sip of her iced tea.
“I think it was more than that. I think Samuel and his description of Sweetwater had a lot to do with it.” Samuel was a great counselor, and Tanya wondered if that had something to do with Chance coming to town. She just couldn’t shake the feeling he was hurting inside and needed help healing. She recognized the signs because she was in the same situation.
“Where’s he from?” Darcy asked.
“Louisville.”
“Well, it’s perfect timing. You’ve got a tenant and some extra money when you needed it the most. Nick might have his assistant. God works in wondrous ways.” Beth wiped her mouth and put the napkin beside her empty plate. “Samuel’s certainly glad Chance decided to come, even if it’s only for a while.”
Jesse leaned close, covering Tanya’s hand. “Just remember you’re not alone. Nick and I can help you financially if you need it.”