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The aching in his head increased. Try to forget, to let go. Advice that he neither asked for nor wanted was offered on a continual basis. Lifelong friends thought he should compartmentalize his feelings, allowing his love for Poppy to flow while at the same time shutting off his continuing love and grief for his late wife. His daughter was a miniature replica of her mother. Lucy would have adored her beautiful, winsome child. He could imagine the twin sets of matching eyes that twinkled, mouths that would burst with laughter.
But there had been no laughter within him since she died. Well...with the exception of when he was with Poppy. She could coax a smile from him when he was certain his heart had turned to stone. And, along with the love, he had developed a protective streak that was near manic.
He hadn’t told Tessa, but he’d run a full background check on her prior to the interview. Initially, everyone who worked at the house full-time and part-time had been with the Harper family for years and could be trusted. Since Poppy’s birth, every new hire, regardless of position, went through the same background check.
Miss Ellis had told him he was overreacting, but that was what he’d been told when he had seen the first signs in Lucy’s eyes that something was wrong. Of course she was tired, the doctor had assured him. Brand-new mothers were exhausted. But Lucy wasn’t simply tired. The aneurism that had blasted through her brain was sudden and final.
He hadn’t believed it at first. God wouldn’t be that cruel. Give with one hand and grab with the other fist. Lucy had been one of the kindest people in the world. Her death just didn’t make sense in any possible way. There was no lesson to learn, no grievance that had been satisfied. No, his beautiful wife had been snatched away just when her dearest dream, a baby, had come into her life.
A light knock on the study door startled him. He whirled around, eyebrows drawn downward, his mouth forming a ferocious frown. “What?”
“Excuse me, Mr. Harper,” Tessa began tentatively. “You didn’t say what time you wanted to begin today. I can come back if you’re busy.”
“No!” Realizing he had barked at her, Morgan made himself breathe, push the past away for the moment. “I have a contract for you to study. And it’s Morgan.”
“Fine.” She hesitated. “Can I bring you some coffee? Since it’s early?”
“Early?” Belatedly he realized she didn’t know he hadn’t slept, that he’d worked deep into the night, then progressed into the world of memories. He glanced out the windows at the weak fingers of first morning light. “You don’t have to begin this early.”
“I couldn’t sleep,” she confessed. “I ran out of coffee in the cottage and thought I’d see if I could borrow a cup. I didn’t think to ask where the grocery store in town is.”
“Dorothy’s up before the sun,” Morgan replied. “And she’ll have coffee brewing.”
“She does.” Tessa held up her steaming mug.
“Of course, you saw her when you came in.” He smoothed the deepening ridge in his forehead.
“I’ve seen her up early every morning since I’ve been here.”
“Which means you’ve been up early, as well.”
His comment made her look uncomfortable. “Just restless in a new place.”
“Everything okay?”
She stiffened. “What do you mean?”
“The cottage. Is it all right?”
Again she was discomfited. “Yes—fine, I mean.”
“Don’t let me keep you,” he said as he turned toward his computer screen.
“Keep?”
“Your coffee,” he reminded her.
“I don’t know what you take in yours,” she queried.
“A touch of sugar. But you don’t have to bring me coffee. I hired you for your brains, not to be my personal assistant.”
“I’m going to get more coffee anyway,” she replied, “and I never mind bringing back an extra. It’s not as though I’m stepping and fetching.”
After she left, Morgan ran one hand over his disheveled hair. He could imagine what she’d thought of his rumpled appearance. She, on the other hand, looked perfectly polished, dressed in a deceptively simple dress that he was certain cost more than most administrative employees could afford. Perhaps she had done well in her divorce settlement.
Then again, she had been making good money at Traxton. Rather extraordinary that she would leave them after ten years just to get away from her ex.
Houston, a sprawling giant, could almost guarantee there would be no chance meetings. Unless her ex-husband had also worked at Traxton. Even so, she could have found work in Houston’s Energy Corridor or downtown. Something more had sent her scuttling all the way to Rosewood.
Must have been some divorce. Even though she hadn’t divulged the details, it had clearly been a bad experience. A flash of familiar pain traced through his gut. He couldn’t understand how anyone could throw away a marriage. What he would give to have his late wife back...
Tessa’s footsteps were light on the pine floor, then virtually noiseless on the thick woven silk rug that padded the room. The decor hadn’t changed much since his father’s day, even his grandfather’s day. A massive mahogany desk dominated the space. And his leather chair was worn in just the way Morgan liked it.
A wall of built-in bookcases held everything from a dictionary to volumes of law regarding royalty rights for the oil. Most people didn’t know it was the transportation company that calculated and paid landowners their portion of the oil revenue. Harper had an entire department devoted to that duty.
“Dorothy said I should use china cups,” Tessa told him as she carefully set his coffee on the desk.
“My mother insisted on using the good dishes every day. Said if they were appropriate for company, they were appropriate for us, too.”
Tessa chuckled. “I’m afraid I’d have a collection of chips, cracks and pieces if I followed that policy.”
“We do. Every now and then we have to buy replacements. Dorothy keeps up with them.” Morgan mentally dismissed the less than stimulating subject, refocusing on work. “All of the state reports are up-to-date—barely. It’s the third week of the month and they’ll be due on the first.”
Tessa nodded, transitioning smoothly between the unrelated subjects. “Is the computer on my desk networked with yours?”
“Yes. I’ve written down your password. It’s in the top middle drawer. Familiarize yourself with the setup, then we can go over questions.”
“And the report you want me to study?”
“Front and center on top of your desk.”
“All right, then.”
* * *
Work had never intimidated her. But she had taken her advancements one rung at a time, building on what she learned in each position. She’d never vaulted to the top man’s office in one giant leap. But this wasn’t the time to become faint of heart.
Near the end of her first week, Tessa found the work challenging but she was learning everything she could about Harper. The morning disappeared one computer screen after another. Tessa didn’t realize it was lunchtime until a small hand tugged persistently on her sleeve. Poppy waited to be recognized.
Tessa smiled at the child’s serious expression. “Well, hello.” She noticed a stuffed dog in the child’s hand, remembering she had seen it on her first day. “And who’s this?”
“Freckles,” Poppy replied seriously. “He’s my best friend.”
If true, that was terribly sad. “He looks like a fine friend.”
“Dorothy says it’s time for lunch.”
Automatically, Tessa lifted her wrist, glancing at her watch. “So it is. Have you told your dad?”
“Daddy’s not here.”
Hiding her frown, Tessa wondered why he hadn’t let her know he was going out. Fielding phone calls would be more effective if she knew when he wasn’t available. A second frown settled between her eyebrows. The phone hadn’t rung all morning. Leaning forward, she checked the digital readout, which said all calls had been forwarded to the main office for the day. Morgan Harper was proving to be a difficult study. Evidently he felt he’d taken care of what was necessary. Accustomed to being her boss’s right hand, it was unsettling to see how self-sufficient this particular boss was.
“Are you coming?” Poppy questioned.
Sensing a touch of uncertainty in the child, Tessa grinned widely. “Can’t keep me away. Do you know what we’re having?”
“Fried catfish and chocolate pudding.”
“That’s quite a combination,” Tessa managed to reply without giving away her amusement. “What’s your favorite part?”
“Pudding,” Poppy replied without hesitation.
“Mine probably will be, too,” Tessa confided.
The kitchen was homey, warm, filled with the quiet current of voices. Dorothy and Alvin stood by the sink, shoulders leaned in, touching. Just a simple gesture, but it told of a deep connection.
“Can I do anything to help?” Tessa offered.
Dorothy turned her head. “Everything’s already done. It’s nothing fancy, not like what you’re used to in the city.”
Tessa laughed without mirth. “I practically live on coffee when I’m working, so you’re right, this isn’t what I’m used to.” She sniffed the enticing aroma of freshly cooked fish, but she still couldn’t work up an appetite.
Four place settings were on the table. Dorothy inclined her head in their direction. “When we eat in the kitchen we keep it casual.”
Tessa interpreted that to mean when Morgan didn’t join them. She wondered if he ever got lonely eating on his own. Silly thought, she chastised herself. Men who ran entire companies didn’t lack for company.
Fresh iced tea filled the glasses and a large bowl of crisp salad sat beside the platter of fish. Local catfish, Alvin had informed her.
“Store-bought rolls,” Dorothy muttered. “Means I’m getting old. Never used to buy them, always made my own.”
“I like bakeries,” Tessa confessed. She used to love buying pastries on weekend mornings to share with Karl. Seemed ridiculous that she had believed all was fine in those days.
Alvin dried his hands. “Dorothy makes the best bread in the county. Won the blue ribbon for that and her cinnamon rolls five years straight at the county fair. But the town bakery’s okay. They bake fresh every day.”
Dorothy looked a tad embarrassed at the praise. “Poppy likes their cookies. They make all kinds of fancy cartoon shapes.”
“But Dorothy’s taste goodest,” Poppy declared. “And she lets me help.”
“You’re probably the best part,” Tessa told her as they shared a smile.
The back door opened and they all turned toward it. Morgan entered, his unguarded face weary.
“Daddy!” Poppy exclaimed happily.
For a moment pure love eclipsed the fatigue in Morgan’s face. “Hey, you.”
Hopping down, she ran to him, visibly delighted when he swept her up and nuzzled her cheek. “How’s my girl?”
“Hungry,” she replied cheerfully. Then she leaned even closer. “And we’re having pudding,” she added in a loud whisper.
He pretended delighted surprise. “But what will we have for dessert?”
“Oh, Daddy!” She giggled and he swung her up again.
Morgan looked reluctant when he set her back down.
But Poppy immediately tugged at his hand, chasing away any possibility of escape. “You have to sit by me.”
Just then he looked up, seeming to notice Tessa for the first time. Unconsciously she straightened, then smiled tentatively.
His gaze gave nothing away and she couldn’t tell if he was displeased by her presence. No one had mentioned whether she would be taking her lunches with the family. Dorothy had insisted the first day and she had continued coming to the kitchen for lunch, but now Tessa wondered if she was intruding. Standing, she pushed back her chair.
“Where are you going?” Morgan asked.
“Well, you’re here now and I know Poppy wants to sit with you and—”
“There’s plenty of room and from what I hear, plenty of pudding.” He reached into a cabinet and pulled out a plate. Dorothy had already collected another setting of silverware.
“You can sit by Daddy, too,” Poppy informed her. “I get to sit on this side.” The child indicated her favorite spot.
Tessa felt like the last pickling cucumber being shoved into an overstuffed jar. Not that the table was small, but it had already been set up to serve four. An extra setting put it out of balance. The thought barely formed when Poppy tugged Morgan to the middle seat between herself and Tessa.
Proximity immediately changed. Tiny Poppy hadn’t taken up much space in her chair. But Morgan, tall with broad shoulders, filled the area. Tessa hugged her elbows to her sides, trying to minimize contact. Instead of making her less visible, her tactic caused Morgan to glance her way. Feeling like a fool, she straightened again, accidentally brushing her arm against his. Startled, she almost withdrew, reconsidered and tried to look unaffected. Glancing across the table at Dorothy and Alvin, Tessa immediately saw from their expressions that she had failed miserably.
“Pudding?” Morgan asked, extending the salad bowl. He leaned close, his voice low. “Poppy has decreed all courses include pudding.”
“I...I love pudding.” Tessa sought to make her voice sound bright as she reached for the tongs.
He looked at the tiny serving she scooped out and frowned. “Not your favorite flavor?”
“I want to save room for all the courses,” she improvised, knowing she wouldn’t finish even the small amount of food she would put on her plate.
To her relief, Morgan didn’t pursue it, instead turning to his daughter. “Extra olives?”
“Yes, please.”
He carefully plucked a generous helping of black olives from the bowl along with a portion of the greens and tomatoes. Tessa guessed Dorothy had loaded the salad with Poppy’s favorites.
She wasn’t sure how or why, but Morgan’s presence had changed the entire dynamic of their little gathering. Poppy was aglow, her connection to Morgan deep and visible. Alvin and Dorothy seemed more content somehow. And she...she wasn’t sure what she was. It was no longer easy and light. Tessa realized she was being silly, that she had eaten more business lunches with employers than she could count. No need to be nervous.
“Daddy, you promised to take me to ride Cornflake,” Poppy pleaded.
Morgan paused, his fork midair. “Today?”
The child’s head bobbed up and down as though attached to a string.
Tessa was tempted to offer to cover for him for the afternoon if he needed the time with his daughter, but she wasn’t sure how the gesture would be taken. And, in truth, she didn’t know enough about Harper Petroleum to cover for him.
Morgan glanced her way. “Cornflake is Poppy’s pony.”
“Ah,” she replied, picturing the cute child on an equally cute pony.
“All work and no play,” Dorothy mused, passing the platter of fish.
The forces had gathered. Graciously, Morgan bowed to them. “After lunch. That doesn’t mean we skip the fish, either.”
Poppy’s face crinkled, her plan apparently quashed.
Tessa couldn’t suppress her own smile as she imagined Poppy bolting her pudding, then tearing upstairs to change into riding gear.
Morgan caught her eye, apparently interpreting her smile. “Experience,” he explained succinctly.
Poppy practically danced in her chair as she gobbled down her lunch. Tessa wondered if their outings were that rare or if she was just excited. A glance that morning at the company’s structural chart had indicated that Morgan carried the bulk of the executive load. There wasn’t a tier of vice presidents to allocate the work to. Despite having help at home, he was a single parent. One she guessed spent a great deal of time working if what she’d seen so far was any indication.
In record time, Poppy finished her lunch. “May I be excused?” she asked breathlessly, already sliding off her chair.
“Yes.”
Grabbing her stuffed dog, the child ran from the room, her shoes clattering as she crossed the entry hall and reached the staircase.
Morgan pulled out his cell phone, checked his missed calls, then sighed.
“Anything I can do to help?” Tessa questioned, now that Poppy was gone.
He shook his head. “Even if you’d been here long enough to know these people, they’re calls I have to deal with myself.”
“Don’t you have another executive who can handle some of your duties?” she questioned, hoping she wasn’t crossing a line.
“No.”
“And he should,” Dorothy chimed in, tipping the pitcher, refilling glasses.
Morgan shot the housekeeper a look that might scorch the skin off some, but she remained unperturbed. He laid his napkin on the table. “I’m going to change. Tessa, I assume you noticed that the calls are rerouted today. When I get back from the ride, we can go over the state reports.”
She nodded. “I hope you and Poppy have a good time.”
His gaze was reflective. “No need for you to worry. Poppy’s my concern.”
Tessa tried not to take offense. He was her boss, not a friend. He was right. His personal life wasn’t her concern. But she’d never worked in a situation quite like this one. An office in his home, her cottage on his property. It was a major change from working for a big corporation. Then again, everything in her life was changing. She’d never thought she would leave her hometown. Her marriage was supposed to last forever. And children...they were supposed to be part of her future. How would it be to have a lovely girl like Poppy to spend the afternoon with? One whose face lit with love when she spotted her parent?
Tessa blindly turned her attention back to her plate, not seeing what it contained, not caring. There was no hint of tears. When Karl had tossed her away, she’d cried until all her tears were gone. Instead, there was emptiness, a great cavern nothing would ever fill. It was only in the dark of night, when she should be sleeping, that the tears dampened her pillow, refusing to remain inside.
Morgan spoke quietly with Dorothy and Alvin, their voices filling in the silence Tessa isolated herself in. She had accepted that her life had changed, had embraced the finality of moving away from Karl. But in her plans for building a new life for herself, she hadn’t counted on missing one essential factor: hope in the future. Because from where she sat, that seemed unbearably bleak.
* * *
Morgan watched Poppy skip toward the house, her short legs lifting in the early-evening dusk. He had planned to keep the outing short, but Poppy had been so taken with Cornflake that they’d extended the ride. She even elicited a promise from him that he would take her to ride Cornflake every week.
Dorothy had been nagging him to spend more time with Poppy. So when she pleaded for ice cream he gave in. One delicious but messy cone later, she had insisted that she was still hungry. So, he’d caved and they ate dinner at the café. Poppy loved going out. Anywhere, anytime. His parents had catered to her, taking her with them constantly. He didn’t have that luxury. Too many employees were counting on him to keep Harper solvent, to make sure their jobs were safe.
Cutting through the side lawn, he paused, glancing ahead. Tessa walked slowly away from her cottage. He wondered where she was headed. His property line extended a good distance. His great-grandparents had purchased the property as acreage that amounted to four large city lots. One of the cottages was their original home before the big house had been built. His great-grandfather had been a pipeline gauger, then an oil lease hound, taking a small investment and making it grow. The generations that followed kept building the business. During those years, a larger house had been needed to entertain clients.
And the cottages were handy, he thought, watching Tessa through the gauzy twilight. Her hair was definitely long. No longer neatly pinned up, the dark strands tumbled past her shoulders. She had changed from her stylish suit to a long cottony-looking dress. Aquamarine, he decided, squinting in the dimming light. The color of her eyes, he remembered. Funny the details that stuck out in his memory.
Tessa turned just then as though sensing someone watching. But the low-hanging branches of a crepe myrtle camouflaged his presence. As she tipped her face up, the dying light of the day’s sun silhouetted her features. The picture solidified in his thoughts as he drew in a breath. And he suspected the image wouldn’t soon fade.
Chapter Three
Days, then weeks toddled by as Tessa kept upping her learning curve. By her fourth week, she had grasped two things—the rudimentary elements of Harper Petroleum and the fact that Morgan didn’t spend enough time with his daughter. He rarely made it to family meals. And he was out of town often, meeting with his field supervisors and contractors and performing various other tasks Tessa believed he could turn over to someone else. She understood the current thinking—that middle management was an unnecessary drain on the company’s financial resources—but Morgan needed help. She hadn’t met all the office staff, but surely he employed someone either in the field or office whom he could promote, then delegate some of his work.
Dorothy let Morgan know that he needed to be home more often, but he didn’t change his behavior. Today was the first Saturday Tessa hadn’t worked. Morgan had gone to Jefferson in East Texas to check on a new pipeline installation.
Fortunately her friend Cindy Mallory had a free day. Her husband, Flynn, had taken all their kids to the skating rink. And Cindy insisted a girls’ day out was exactly what she needed.
“How are you settling in?” Cindy asked, picking up a shoe, turning it around to inspect the heel.
“Fine.”
Cindy raised one eyebrow. “How’s Morgan as a boss?”
“Fine.”
“We aren’t going to get far with this line of questioning if you stick to one-word answers.” Cindy smiled. “Spill. What do you think of the job?”
“I think I like it.”
“Think?”
“It’s different working for one man instead of a corporation and there’s the proximity to his home, the office in his house.” Tessa thought of all that was new in her life. “I like the cottage. And, in ways, it’s comforting to know there are people nearby.”
“But?”
“Not exactly a but. Just that I’m treading on a lot of undefined territory. I don’t want to offend Dorothy by not eating lunch with them. On the other hand, I don’t want Morgan to feel that I’m intruding.”
“I think the world of Morgan, but he isn’t exactly restrained when it comes to giving his opinion. He wouldn’t hesitate to let you know if you were crossing a line.”
Tessa stared at a pair of navy shoes. “Does it worry you that Morgan doesn’t spend enough time with Poppy?”
Cindy stopped in her tracks, throwing back her gleaming red hair as she spun around. “Where did that come from?”
“Just that Morgan spends all of his time working. Since I’ve been here, he’s only taken Poppy out once even though he promised he’d take her to ride her horse every week.”
Frowning, Cindy paused. “Morgan adores her.”
“Oh, I can see that. And it’s mutual. But, not having a mother, it seems that Poppy needs extra parent time, not less.” Tessa replaced the navy shoe without having really looked at it. “I know I don’t have kids, so it’s not as though I’m an expert.”
“That’s not what I’m questioning.” Cindy looked perplexed. “Just that Morgan’s devoted to Poppy.”
“I think so, too, but that doesn’t stop her from being lonely. The poor kid even hangs around me when I’m working. Dorothy and Alvin give her all the attention they can, but they’re busy taking care of the house and grounds.”
Cindy cleared her throat. “Does it...bother you? Having Poppy around, I mean.”
“Just because I can’t have one of my own doesn’t mean I’ve gone off children. I’m just worried that she’s getting the short end of the stick.” Tessa rubbed her forehead. “This really isn’t any of my business. Morgan’s my employer, not a friend.”