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Oh, well, it should be easier this way. She wouldn’t have to run into Jeff, and when she stopped by, Camilla, in the office anymore.
Maybe she’d do something else. She had enjoyed her prior job; legal work suited her, all right. Still, she couldn’t help wondering if there might be another niche for her somewhere. Her parents had worked as attorneys before their retirement. How would they feel if she tried something else? Lauren sighed. She had always figured she’d practice law, raise a family, have a nice house, picket fence, end of story. Unfortunately, her story didn’t have a happy ending.
Still, at this point changing her career wasn’t really an option. She had bills to pay. After all, it wasn’t as though she had a husband’s income to fall back on. And things on the horizon didn’t appear all that promising—at least as far as a husband was concerned. Who was she kidding? There was nothing on the horizon. Not that she cared. Love was too painful—she’d better leave it alone. Feeling her mood take a nosedive, she decided to quit thinking about that and get to work on her list.
One by one she typed the names of law firms in her hometown and the nearest cities that might be a good fit for her. Just for the fun of it, she decided to dream about other things she might do with her life. She enjoyed working with kids, teenagers. Maybe she’d go back to school and get a degree in counseling. She suspected she might enjoy cooking, though she’d never put that theory into practice. Her work kept her far too busy to spend time in the kitchen. Most days she tore open packaged foods and used the microwave, or she went out to eat.
Soon she had quite a number of possibilities typed on a document. Satisfied, she saved the document into a file named “Employment Possibilities.” She turned off her computer and snapped it closed, causing Nocchi to glance up. When Lauren moved her head, a pain flared in her neck. Wincing, she wondered how long she had been in the woods. Judging by her stiff neck, it had been a while.
“Working when you should be playing can do that to you,” Garrett’s voice called from her left.
She turned to him, barely noticing the leap in her heart. Dressed in a polo shirt, khaki shorts, crew socks and gym shoes, he appeared the athletic type. The sweatband across his forehead and tennis racket in his hand added a professional look. “Hi,” she said, feeling strangely comforted by his presence.
“Hi, yourself. Okay if I sit down?”
She gestured toward the empty spot beside her.
“Why would anyone bring a laptop to such a restful place? Seems to me you’d want to leave your work behind.”
She turned to answer him. His handsome face, mere inches from her, caused her tongue to stick to the roof of her mouth, reminding her of her first day in court. She’d read about those feelings before in books, but she’d never really experienced them. Maybe a few things—fluttering heartbeats, a chill here and there, that kind of thing—with Jeff, but nothing similar to this. Whatever this was.
Turning away, she fixed her gaze on the pines. “I was just making a list.”
“What kind of a list? Like the Santa Claus kind? You know, making a list, checking it twice?”
She dared a glance and he winked. Lifting a quick grin, she turned away again. She could feel him looking at her still. Call it woman’s intuition or the fact that she could almost feel his breath on her cheek—maybe that was wishful thinking on her part—but she felt his gaze on her face.
Which made her remember that she didn’t like her profile. She thought her nose was weird. Still, she was proud of herself for resisting the urge to cover it with her hand.
She suddenly remembered she hadn’t told him about her job situation. Or more appropriately, lack of one.
“Uh-oh, did I overstep my bounds?”
She wavered about whether she should tell him or not. “No, you’re fine,” she finally said. “The truth is I lost my job just before I came here.”
“Oh?” His eyebrows rose slightly.
“I was just making a list of places that might be a good fit for me. I’m not worried. I have enough money to get by until I find something else.”
He nodded but kept silent. They stared into the forest. The wind whispered through the trees. The smell of pine mingled with the musky scent of his cologne and wafted her way. She closed her eyes and breathed in, lingering in the moment.
A comfortable pause stretched between them. “I love this place,” he said, barely above a whisper.
Opening her eyes, she cocked her head slightly and peeked at him. He stared at his hands, which were clasped together in his lap. “That’s why the bench is here. I love to come out here.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She started to grab her things. “I’ve infringed upon your private place.”
He placed his hand on hers, sending a thousand little tingles up her arm. “Please, don’t go.” His words were as warm and inviting as his touch.
“The truth is, the guests are all fine, but you’re easy to talk to. I mean, I’m usually not this comfortable talking with beautiful women.”
Her opinion of him continued to rise.
“I normally keep pretty much to myself, but my daughters seem to enjoy pushing me out of my comfort zone.”
“I have a friend who does that—” She corrected herself. “I mean, I had a friend who did that.”
“You’re not friends anymore?” he asked as if truly interested.
Lauren shook her head. “She betrayed me.” Good grief. What had made her tell him that? Now he’d ask her a bunch of questions, and she didn’t want to talk about it. Besides, it was none of his business.
“Oh, I’m sorry” was all he said. “It’s hard to lose the people we love.” He looked down.
“Your wife?”
He nodded.
“Now I’m sorry.”
He paused a moment. “I guess we have to move past those things, right? That’s what they tell us, anyway.”
“Yeah, I guess they do,” she said, recalling Candace and Gwen’s advice. Lauren decided this man was nice. In fact, he was better than nice. He seemed genuine, kind, a good father. And the fact that he sort of resembled George Clooney didn’t hurt either. She lifted a prayer that God would bless Garrett Cantrell.
“Well, I didn’t mean to intrude on your work time, Lauren. Just happened by and saw you, wanted to say hello.”
This time there was no mistaking how her heart leaped when he said her name. What was up with that? It wasn’t as though she was interested or anything. She was lonely—and, well, she had seen most of George Clooney’s movies. That’s all it was.
“I’m glad you stopped by. I need to head back anyway. Can you recommend a good restaurant for lunch?”
His eyes brightened. “Hey, this isn’t on the schedule, but the girls don’t have me committed until tonight anyway. Want to have lunch with me?”
Lauren hadn’t a clue what he was talking about, but she didn’t want to pry. “Sure, that would be great,” she said, meaning it.
“Good,” he answered. He carried her laptop for her and together they headed back toward the house. “I’m really glad you came, Lauren.”
There was that heart flip again. He’d better quit saying her name or she’d need a pacemaker before the two weeks were over. She shot a glance his way. “Me, too.” Though she hardly knew this man, she felt a strange connection with him. Maybe because they’d both endured heartache. And then there was that whole George Clooney thing. She didn’t know.
But one thing she did know—the idea of spending the next couple of weeks at the Woods Inn Bed and Breakfast sounded pretty good to her right about now.
Chapter Four
When Garrett and Lauren returned from lunch, a van from Channel 4 was situated in the parking lot, and a young reporter was taping an interview with Macy and Molly. Garrett did not have a good feeling about this at all. He groaned.
“You okay?” Lauren asked.
“If I had remained childless I would be okay,” he said, shoving the gearshift into Park. Without another word he turned off the engine and jumped out of the car.
How could the girls get him into such a mess? It was one thing to have the stupid contest, but did the whole town have to know about it? No doubt he would never hear the end of it. He reminded himself to be friendly. This was free advertisement for the B and B. Enjoy the process, right? He swallowed the anger that lodged in his throat.
His girls saw him and waved. The reporter, a young man who appeared all of sixteen, turned to him. “Mr. Cantrell, I presume?”
Garrett gave a short tip of his head.
“My name is Drew Huntington, and I’m from News Channel 4. I’ve been interviewing your daughters about the ‘Win Daddy’s Heart’ contest.”
There was the sound of approaching footsteps, and Garrett turned to see the surprise on Lauren’s face.
“And you must be one of the contestants?” the reporter asked, his face resembling a puppy about to pounce on a rubber ball. By this kid’s eagerness, Garrett figured him to be fresh out of college and new on the job.
“I—” Lauren stopped, her gaze traveling to each one.
Her face turned a shade of white that Garrett had never before seen on a noncelestial being. “Lauren, are you okay?” he asked.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’m not feeling so well.” With that, she practically ran across the parking lot toward the house.
Garrett turned back to the reporter. “Stage fright,” he said to ease the tension, though his stomach churned, not buying his own story for a moment.
Everyone laughed. The reporter talked to each of them awhile, getting the information on how Macy and Molly had come up with the idea, the names of the contestants, where they were from and any incidental details they had given the girls.
“So you don’t know much about Lauren, is that right?”
Macy shook her head. “We’ve misplaced her application. We can find out for you, though.”
Drew Huntington perked up. “Great. I can come back.” His eyes locked with Macy’s. She blushed beneath his gaze. Garrett saw the whole thing and didn’t like it one little bit. He cleared his throat.
Drew turned to Garrett. “I think this is fun news, Mr. Cantrell. A human interest story not just for Bliss Village residents. It might even be picked up by the big guys.”
Garrett’s gut twisted. His icy gaze settled upon his daughters. Molly coughed. Macy’s right eye twitched again.
Confusion registered on Drew’s face, and he fingered the collar of his shirt. “Yes, well, I’ll let you folks get back to your contest.” He handed his camera to the other man with him and quickly made arrangements with Macy to drop back in the middle of the week to talk further with the contestants. He said goodbye to Garrett and Molly. He turned to say goodbye to Macy. “Nice to meet you,” he said, extending his hand. With nary a twitch, both eyes sparkled as she looked at him, his hand holding hers a little longer than necessary.
Garrett folded his arms across his chest and frowned. “Girls, we need to think about dinner preparations.” His voice was deeper and stronger than usual. His lips pulled into a thin line and he glared at Macy.
She defiantly stared back. “We just ate lunch.”
“I’m hungry,” he snapped, though that wasn’t exactly accurate. He had eaten a late lunch with Lauren.
The reporter scurried off to his van, took one last glance at Macy and flashed a huge grin before he climbed aboard.
Garrett wanted to string the little twerp up by his toenails.
He and his eldest daughter were having enough problems getting along without throwing a boy into the mix just before she heads off to college. She had her mind on a college degree, and he aimed to see she kept it there.
Macy smiled until the van faded from view. When she turned to Garrett, the corners of her mouth drooped south. “What was that all about?” The hands on her hips told him she was prepared for a fight.
“He was just being nice, Dad,” Molly interjected.
Garrett’s head jerked toward his youngest. “You stay out of this, Molly.”
She promptly closed her mouth and headed for the house.
“Listen, Macy—”
“No, you listen, Dad. I’m not a little girl anymore. I know you’re lonely. I know you miss Mom, but things are what they are. We can’t bring her back. And I can’t stay with you forever. Neither can Molly. We have our own lives to live!” She turned and ran into the house.
Garrett felt as though he’d been punched in the gut. Was that what this contest was about? The girls thought they had to get him someone so they could have their own lives? Did they really think they needed to take care of him?
He walked to his bench in the back woods, speaking quietly to his wife. “I’ve made such a mess of things, Susie. I don’t know how to do this.” His jaw tensed as he waited for the words. “Why did you leave me? I don’t want to do this by myself!” The sharp pain of guilt stabbed him, making him ache all over. “I meant to get that tire fixed! Oh, how I meant to get it fixed.” His mind agonized with the thought of her tire blowing, causing her to lose control of the car and plow into a utility pole. His words twisted in agony, then snuffed to silence as he allowed the familiar thorns of guilt to tear into his conscience and pierce his momentary peace once again. “God, I need Your help.”
Garrett swallowed hard. He hadn’t called upon God since before Susie’s death. Weakness made him do so now. He lifted a determined jaw and pulled in a ragged breath. No. God had turned a deaf ear when Garrett had needed Him most.
Garrett would not turn to Him now. He would take the girls to church for Susie’s sake, but that’s as far as he would go.
Standing, Garrett headed toward the house, all the while ignoring the empty shadow that hovered over his heart.
Lauren closed her door and fell onto the bed. “A contest?” Staring into space, she felt the truth hit her like a bad jury decision. “The surprise!” She smacked her palm against her forehead. “I’m such an idiot! How did I forget the surprise?”
She stood and began to pace. So that’s why everyone had thought she wasn’t coming. She must have been late or something. A contest to win his heart. What had Candace and Gwen been thinking? She felt near hysteria. The last thing she wanted was another romantic involvement. For crying out loud, couldn’t they see how Jeff had hurt her? How could they put her through that again? She continued to pace. She needed a gym, time to think. It always helped her to work out when she was upset. She skidded to a halt and looked at Nocchi. “We’ll go for a brisk walk in the woods—without the laptop. The fresh air will be better than being inside a gym, anyway.”
Adrenaline pushing her forward, Lauren gathered Nocchi and headed for the woods at a record pace. Even though there wasn’t a path, she wandered deep into the dense pines. Jeff had told her she was a workaholic and needed to loosen up, enjoy life a little. Maybe she should prove to him—to everyone—she could enjoy life as well as the next person. Though she wasn’t interested in romantic involvement with anyone at this point, it couldn’t hurt to play along in the game. And she didn’t want to disappoint Gwen and Candace. Or Molly and Macy, for that matter.
As thoughts of the contest bounced around in her mind, she came to a tree that bore the initials GC plus SC with a heart around it. Lauren stopped and traced the markings with her fingers. Garrett and his wife. How he must grieve for her still. Lauren’s heart ached for that kind of love.
Thoughts of her life, her future mingled with her raw emotions. Macy and Molly, and Garrett and a wife Lauren could not visualize. What a precious family they must have been. Lauren wondered if anyone could ever love her that way. She whispered a prayer for the Cantrells and one for herself. How hard it was to trust God with a future she could not see. A future she felt sure held only loneliness.
When she finally pulled free from her thoughts, Lauren scanned the area, feeling she had gone a little farther into the forest than she had planned. With a glimpse upward, Lauren noticed that the tiny opening beyond the treetops revealed dark, low-hanging clouds. “Hmm, it might rain, Nocchi. We’d better get to the house.”
Lifting the dog into her arms, Lauren started back. After walking a while, she came to the same marking on the tree that she had seen earlier. If a sliver of panic had not rushed through her, she might have gotten excited with the realization that Garrett and George Clooney had the same initials. Unfortunately, even that couldn’t lift her spirits now. She was lost.
“Let’s see. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.” Nocchi cocked her head to look at Lauren. “Don’t be impressed. I have absolutely no idea whatsoever what that has to do with me finding our way back to the house.”
She’d be the first to admit her friends were right about her being directionally challenged. She figured some people had brown eyes, some had blue. Some came equipped with an internal compass, some didn’t.
She didn’t.
Lauren stood a moment and tried to get her bearings. The trees started to rustle overhead, a sure sign a storm was brewing.
An urgency pushed her to get back to the house. She began to jog. Her speed picked up with the wind, her steps taking her one direction, then another, then another. Rain began to fall from the sky and pelted her skin. A chill worked its way to her bones. Nocchi shivered in Lauren’s arms. She wanted to cry, but refused to give in to her emotions. Her body grew cold and wet as her tired legs ran hard through the wooded maze. Limbs swayed overhead. She thought she heard a man’s voice call out, but decided it must be the sound of the whipping wind that howled through the trees.
Water dripped from Lauren’s hair onto her face. A shadow moved ahead of her. She wiped her eyes to see if she had imagined it. Another movement. With everything stirring around her, it was hard to tell if it was a tree or something else. It could even be a bear. Faster and faster she ran the other way, her feet sloshing through puddles, her vision blurred. A pain cramped in her side. The cold pierced her lungs. There was that voice again. Was it Garrett’s? As she slowed to catch her breath, a hand clamped upon her arm. “Lauren!”
A gasp caught in her throat. Fear froze her in place. Lauren stood trembling when the owner of the hand stepped around her into view. She peered through wet lashes to see concern etched on Garrett Cantrell’s face. “Are you okay? You were gone so long. I was worried about you. Since I didn’t hear Nocchi in your room when I knocked on your door, I figured you took her into the woods.”
Without hesitation she fell against him, exhausted from running, chilled from the rain. He dropped his umbrella and pulled her so tightly against him, she could feel his heart beating through his light jacket. Her mind muddied like the ground beneath her feet. How long she stood locked in his embrace she didn’t know. She didn’t care. Finally he leaned back so that he could see her, still holding her in his arms. “I’d better get you to the house so you can change into some warm clothes,” he said, but his feet stayed planted, his eyes probing deeply into hers.
Feeling his breath brush lightly against her cheeks made her light-headed. She was afraid to breathe, afraid of breaking the stillness between them. Her legs wobbled. Suddenly Nocchi shivered in Lauren’s arms, bringing Lauren and Garrett both back to their senses.
Dumb dog. Should have left her in the room.
Garrett picked up the umbrella and held it over them while edging Lauren out of the woods. She realized she probably never would have found her way back without him.
Once they were back at the house, she ran upstairs, peeled off her drenched clothes down to the skin and pulled on a sweatshirt and pair of jeans, then dried her hair. She also dried Nocchi, then left her in the bedroom and returned downstairs. But for the soft violin music playing from the stereo, the house was quiet as she slipped into the front room, where a cozy fire played in the hearth. Garrett entered carrying two cups of steaming liquid on a tray.
“I guess Macy and Molly took the ladies sightseeing. They try to give me little breaks here and there. It appears we have the house to ourselves.”
Adrenaline surged through her body.
“Though I seriously doubt they’ll stay gone long in this weather. Not exactly a great day for sightseeing,” he added. “I know you drink coffee, so I made some.” He placed the tray of coffee cups, sugar and cream on the table. He stood and handed her a cup. “Want some sugar or cream?
“Sugar,” she answered, thinking how nice it was to be in this room with Garrett Cantrell. Reminded her of a scene out of a movie.
Garrett gave her some sugar and a spoon, then grabbed his own cup and sat down beside her on the sofa near the fireplace.
“I’m sorry you had to go out,” she said, stirring sugar into her coffee, then taking a sip. “I didn’t realize I could get lost in the woods. I feel so foolish.” Truth was she could get lost a mile from home. She placed her cup on the table.
His expression held apology. “Don’t feel that way. It’s easy to get lost in the woods, especially if you’re not familiar with the area.” He took a drink of coffee. “I thought you seemed upset with that news reporter. In fact, you almost appeared surprised, as if you didn’t know about the contest.”
She took a deep breath. “Well, as a matter of fact, Garrett, I didn’t know about the contest.”
Confusion flickered in his eyes. “How is that possible? Aren’t you the fifth contestant?”
Lauren laughed. “Well, I guess I am, but you see, my friends set this up for me.” She explained how Gwen and Candace had encouraged her to come to the bed-and-breakfast, take a break, and that they had said a surprise awaited her there.
Garrett chuckled. He settled back against the cushions and stretched his arm across the top of the sofa, his fingers hovering a mere half inch from her shoulder. “I guess we both got surprised.” He explained how the girls had set up the contest, and he’d known nothing about it until it was too late to stop it.
“I hope you don’t mind being here now.” His eyes searched hers.
Big brown, soft, compelling eyes—eyes that made her heart turn liquid. “No, it’s been, um, kind of fun up to now.”
At this Garrett laughed out loud. “Kind of fun? Well, I guess that’s one way to view it,” he said.
“No, I didn’t mean that I wasn’t enjoying—”
He scooted in a bit and placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her a light squeeze. “I know you didn’t. It’s okay. I’m just glad you came,” he said, his eyes locking with hers. Her shoulder warmed to his touch. The soft music floating overhead, the tenderness of his hand resting on her shoulder made her want to close her eyes and imagine him lifting his fingers to her hair—
Suddenly Garrett pulled his hand away as if he had been burned. The sleepy haze that had settled over her disappeared like a mirage in the desert.
“Everyone should be back soon.” He got up and walked toward the window. Pulling back the curtain, he peeked out, then dropped the cloth back into place and turned toward her.
Lauren lifted her cup to her lips. Anything to cover the awkward moment between them. She didn’t want to analyze what had just happened. The image of the carved initials on the tree came to mind, reaffirming her conclusion that he was still grieving for his wife.
Lauren curled her feet beneath her on the sofa. “So tell me about your girls. How do they feel about living in a bed-and-breakfast?”
He looked relieved that Lauren had changed the subject. He returned to his place beside her, but she didn’t miss the fact that he sat farther away this time. “I think they’re okay with it. Sometimes I think it infringes on their privacy, but they’ve adjusted pretty well.”
“And how are they since they’ve lost their mother?” Lauren asked in almost a whisper. Not that it was any of her business, but she had noticed a little friction between Macy and her dad.