Chapter 8
Lincoln’s pulse drummed harder as he drew Charlotte to her feet and led her away from the trail. It wasn’t likely anyone would come along, but just in case, he took cover among the trees before sweeping her in his arms again and kissing her thoroughly.
She was soft and curvy, and he couldn’t keep his hands off her. Lincoln wished he’d thought of bringing a blanket, but he hadn’t, so he tugged his shirt up and over his head and laid it out on the ground before lowering Charlotte onto it.
“We could go back. Do this somewhere a lot more comfortable,” he said, even though he figured it just might kill him if she agreed.
“I don’t want to wait that long. Do you?” She pulled back to look at him.
“Hell, no. Just not sure you’re the type of woman who likes messing around in the woods.”
“I love messing around the woods. Shut up and kiss me.”
She didn’t have to ask him twice. One thing led to another and soon he’d helped her off with her shirt and added it to the layer beneath them.
Then he lost track of everything when she reached behind her back, undid the clasp of her bra and tossed it away. It snagged on a nearby shrub and dangled there like a flag.
“Charlotte,” he growled low in his throat, bending down to trace kisses over her breasts. She lay back, and sighed contentedly, the soft sound twisting him in knots with the desire to make her feel good. He teased and tasted her, caressing her with his kisses until she closed her eyes and moaned her satisfaction.
As Lincoln explored her body, he wondered if he’d really found the woman he could build a future with. She felt right in his arms, but he was afraid he was moving too fast. If he held on too tight, would she slip away? He couldn’t stand the thought of losing her now that she’d come into his life.
He tugged at the button of her jeans, and she lifted her hips as he undid them and slipped them down. He waited for her to kick her boots off, then helped her untangle her legs. She tossed away the jeans too and laughed when they caught on a broken branch of a nearby pine tree. Lincoln claimed her mouth with another kiss, slid his hand into her panties, and Charlotte gasped.
He kept his touches gentle at first, but Charlotte seemed as desperate for him as he was for her.
When her fingers struggled with the waistband of his pants, he took over, getting them off in no time. She drew him on top of her and moaned with pleasure as he settled between her thighs.
“Should I be wearing a condom?” he asked. If so, they might have to stop and return home, after all. The thought of getting back on a horse sounded downright uncomfortable. He didn’t want to wait another moment to be inside Charlotte, but he’d do whatever he had to.
She hesitated, then nodded.
“Might have one on me.” He braced himself, reached for his jeans, pulled out his wallet, fished around and found one. It had been there awhile, but the wrapper was intact. He held it up to the fading light. “Hasn’t expired.”
“Thank goodness for small mercies.”
He tore the wrapper, shifted and eased it on. Back between her legs, he paused. “You sure about this?” he asked, needing to know she wanted this as much as he did.
Charlotte slid her hands down his back. “Lincoln—please.”
He pushed into her slowly, and she closed her eyes, her lips parting. As he buried himself inside her, Lincoln felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be. Moving with her was exquisite torture. It was all he could do to keep his strokes slow and steady, building up the tension between them, giving Charlotte time to get used to the feel of him inside her. When she wrapped her legs around him, begging him with her body for more, he gladly obliged.
Bracing one forearm on the ground, he crushed her to him with the other, their kisses hot and hard. Charlotte moved beneath him with the strength of his strokes, her hair fanned out around her, her breasts rounded beneath his chest.
She felt right in his arms.
He wanted a wife.
A family.
A future.
This felt like the beginning of a life that was more than just getting a job done. This felt like coming home in the best of ways. Like—
Charlotte cried out, arching back, her climax sweeping her away and any last vestiges of control he possessed dissolved, too.
His own release came fast and hard, pulsing through him, making him thrust into her even harder. His hand tangled in her hair as sensation overcame him. When at last it was over, he kept himself propped up on one arm, not wanting to crush Charlotte but wanting to feel her everywhere at the same time.
Charlotte clung to him, breathing hard.
Lincoln traced kisses over her mouth, her cheeks, down her neck to her breasts again.
“You are beautiful, you know that, Charlotte Holmes?”
She gave a little huff of laughter. “Hardly.”
“You are.” He couldn’t stop kissing her, already feeling the stirrings of desire again, way too soon after he’d just been sated.
“You’re pretty hot yourself.” She buried her face in his shoulder, as if embarrassed for saying so.
“Really?” The stirrings stiffened into something more.
“Lincoln.”
They were still joined, which meant she could feel his interest.
“I don’t have another condom.” But he wanted to make love to her all over again.
“Then take me home and get one,” she told him.
“You got it.” He wanted all of Charlotte, over and over again. He wanted a lifetime of this. “Let’s go.”
Charlotte thought the ride home would take forever. You couldn’t gallop on a trail that wound through the forest. By the time they reached the stable and cared for the horses, she was dying to get close to Lincoln again.
When they finally made it to house number37, Lincoln locked the door behind them, took her hand and led her upstairs to the bathroom. He turned on the shower, stripped and waited for her to do the same. The warm water felt heavenly, and so did Lincoln’s skin as they took turns washing each other. She ran her soapy hands over his shoulders, muscular arms and chest and then lower, relishing his six-pack abs and taut hips.
Lincoln turned her around and stood behind her, skimming his hands from her waist up to cup her breasts and caress them in circles.
Charlotte moaned and leaned back against him, feeling how ready he was for her again. She was ready, too, but there was no rush.
They had all night.
Lincoln’s hands were quickly bringing her to a point of desperation, but two could play that game. She turned in his arms, sank to her knees and ran her hands up from his ankles over his calves, knees and thighs.
Lincoln groaned. “Charlotte.” He gasped when she took him into her mouth, all his muscles straining.
Charlotte teased him and coaxed him almost to the breaking point, until he lifted her up, turned her around, braced her hands against the wall, used his knee to spread her legs—
And stopped a moment.
“Lincoln?”
“Forgot the condom. Hold on,” he growled. He was gone before she could answer and came back in a flash, joining her under the warm water again. A moment later he fitted himself against her, nudged the core of her and slid inside.
“Lincoln,” she breathed and was lost in a rush of sensation that threatened to overwhelm her. He felt so good inside her—like he was made to be hers. He moved slowly at first, the slide of him awakening every fiber of her being, building the tension within her until Charlotte didn’t know if she could stand it anymore.
With one hand on her hip, the other cradling her breasts, he was everywhere, touching her, bringing her to a peak of desire that was driving her wild.
“Charlotte,” he groaned into her ear. He was close, and so was she. The tile walls were cool beneath her hands, but Lincoln was stoking her to a fever pitch. When she came, wave after wave of release swept through her. She called out his name again as he joined her, each stroke of his body into hers pushing her over the edge again and again.
When it was over, Lincoln slid out of her, then cradled her in his arms as they both caught their breath.
Charlotte splayed her hands over his chest, wondering at the magnificence of him. She’d never felt like this with anyone before. She wished she could stay right here forever.
Lincoln cupped her face in his hands and kissed her so thoroughly she thought he might never stop.
“I want to spend the night with you,” he said when he pulled away.
“I want that, too,” she said.
When they crawled under the covers a short time later, Charlotte didn’t bother with a T-shirt. She wanted Lincoln’s skin against hers. As he gathered her into his arms, her breasts brushed his chest, the sensation sending ripples of desire through her again.
“I thought you said you were incorrigible, not insatiable,” he said, kissing her neck as she wrapped a leg around his waist and pulled him close.
“I’m both,” she said.
“You sure you want to be a veterinarian? You could always work at the mill with me,” Lincoln said the next morning as they approached the Chance Creek Pet Clinic. Charlotte was supposed to spend the day shadowing Bella’s brother, Craig, to see whether work as a small-town veterinarian would suit her.
“That’s a very tempting offer, but I think I’m going to pass.” Charlotte’s smile reached her eyes, and Lincoln’s chest swelled. Was she thinking of the fun they’d had last night by the lake—and then at her house? He hadn’t been able to get it out of his mind this morning.
“If you change your mind, just give me a call. I’ll come get you and teach you how to repair an edger.” He’d rather spend time with her than complete the list of tasks ahead of him. First thing this morning, Hudson had helped him load the back of his truck with a few of the old appliances they’d taken out of the houses in Lucy’s Corner. As soon as he dropped off Charlotte, he needed to take them to the dump. Then it was back to the mill to try to keep the equipment running long enough to finish the order they were working on.
Last night had been something, though. He’d liked making love to Charlotte under the canopy of trees, with a backdrop of water lapping at the shore and birdsong in their ears. He’d liked making love to her in the shower—and in her bed—as well.
He didn’t want to let her go for a minute, let alone an entire day.
When he pulled into the parking lot in front of the animal clinic, Bella was waiting for them along with her brother. Both came to greet them as soon as the truck stopped. Bella introduced her brother, and Lincoln and Charlotte shook Craig’s hand. Lincoln was sure he’d crossed paths with Craig a few times during the years before he left Chance Creek, but Craig was so much older they’d never been in school together.
“I have a busy schedule today,” Craig said to Charlotte. “Do you think you can keep up?”
“I’m used to long days,” Charlotte said.
“Bella said you worked for a private operation taking care of racehorses.”
“That’s right. But I left that behind.”
Craig nodded and refrained from asking any more questions. Too bad. Lincoln would have liked to hear some more answers. Charlotte was short on details about her former life, and he’d noticed she made a habit of turning the conversation to other topics any time the past came up.
“I might know some people who are interested in moving to the Ridge,” Bella said to Lincoln. “Want to stay for a cup of coffee?”
He forgot all about Charlotte’s shadowy history—and his list of chores. Finding inhabitants for the town trumped anything else he had on the schedule. “Sure thing. Charlotte, do you need anything else from the truck?”
“I’ve got everything.”
“Just call me when you’re ready to be picked up,” Lincoln said. He bent and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. He knew he was going to spend his day thinking of her.
Her smile told him she’d be thinking of him, too. “Will do. See you later.”
When they were gone, Bella led him inside, poured him that cup of coffee she’d promised him and waved him into a seat in her office.
“I was talking to a friend of mine. She told me her niece, Veronica, is looking to move to the area and is looking for cheap housing. She went to school in Seattle and apparently is some kind of social media influencer or something like that. Anyway, she and a bunch of her school buddies want to move to a small town where their expenses will be low while they get their businesses off the ground.” She shrugged. “I get the feeling they’re starving-artist types just starting their careers, but they all work online, so they can go anywhere. I don’t know if any will succeed with their businesses, but they’re young and aspirational. I thought they might fit the bill.”
“They might. Do you think they’re looking to buy or rent?”
“I don’t think they have much money, so they’ll probably want to rent at first.” Bella smiled. “They’re a very artistic and energetic group. They produce a ton of social media content. I made the mistake of following some of them, and I’ve been inundated with notifications ever since. One of them is a lifestyle blogger. Another gives financial advice to people just out of college. A third is in interior design somehow. Don’t ask me how she does that online. Another has her own virtual bookkeeping business, and a couple do website design. Sounds like those last three are the economic engine for the group. I get the feeling Veronica and her friends take on just about any job they can find to pay the bills, as long as they still have time to fool around with their real interests. They’re the kind of people who are going to be broke until the day they’re millionaires, if you know what I mean.”
Lincoln wasn’t sure he did. Bella must’ve seen that, because her smile widened. “Sooner or later one of them will hit it out of the park with one of their ventures,” she explained. “But heaven only knows when that will be.”
“How many are there?”
“Seven, as far as I know. I think they all want to cram into one house to save money, if that’s okay. They might spread out over time if things go well financially.”
Lincoln thought about it. He supposed it wouldn’t hurt if they rented one house together. If they liked to put out social media content, maybe their posts about Elliott Ridge could attract other people.
“They’re all women,” Bella added innocently.
He straightened. That put a different spin on things. “All of them? Are you sure?” He didn’t want to repeat the mistake they’d made about Anne’s programmers.
“I’m sure.”
“What makes you think that matters?” It did, but Bella shouldn’t know that.
“A little bird told me there were far too many men and far too few women on the Ridge,” she said with another smile. “Seven unattached women ought to liven things up a little.”
Lincoln could only agree. “Do you have their information so I can call and set up a time for them to come and take a look?”
“How about we call them right now?”
By eleven, when they were packing up the truck after attending to a steer suffering from bloat, Charlotte was ready to take back her earlier words. She had thought she worked hard at Gasparyn Stables, but she’d worked a lot harder this morning. At the stables there were always assistants to fetch and carry for her and help sedate an unruly horse. Working with Craig, there were just the two of them. She wondered how he coped when he was on his own.
When she asked, he laughed. “Sometimes the ranchers help me. Sometimes I have to get creative. You get used to it. What was it like to work in the racing world?” He shut the tailgate, and they climbed into their seats.
Charlotte wasn’t sure how to answer that. She’d still been in veterinary school when she met Ivan, so at first she’d worked only weekends and evenings. In those days Peter Illych ruled the roost. Ivan and Peter had done a good job hiding the darker side of the job until she’d graduated.
“I loved caring for thoroughbreds,” she said truthfully. “But I didn’t realize until too late how prescribed a racehorse’s life is. I thought I would coordinate with the trainers to maximize the horses’ potential. It turned out that a lot of that maximizing had to do with chemicals. I didn’t like that.”
What she didn’t say was how conflicted it had left her. She was Ivan’s girlfriend and in the early days, he treated her like a princess, showering her with gifts and romantic gestures. After years of scrimping and saving to keep her school loans as low as possible, with him paying her way, she could breathe easy and experience some luxury. How could she complain about his methods, especially when it turned out they were the same ones most people used in the racing world?
“Now that I’ve seen the way you relate to animals,” Craig said, “I can’t imagine it would’ve been easy for you to go against your instincts when treating a horse.”
“I suppose it must be like treating human athletes,” Charlotte said. “Most of the time, when someone gets hurt, you fix the injury. But when it comes to athletes, human or otherwise, the main priority becomes getting them back on the field, whether or not that’s best for them. It requires a type of care that isn’t really care at all to my way of thinking.”
“But you kept with it?” Craig asked. He turned on the truck, and its engine roared to life.
Charlotte nodded. “For longer than I want to admit. I’m here now, though.” She didn’t want to think about Ivan. He hadn’t been in touch again after his threat, and she hoped that was the end of it.
Should she warn Craig not to say he knew her if someone came looking? She supposed that would help only if she told everyone else she’d met so far the same thing. Too many people already knew she was here, and every day she worked as a veterinarian, she’d make new acquaintances. That was the problem with small towns, wasn’t it? Everybody knew everybody.
“Well, I think you’ve got a future working here, if that’s what you’re interested in.” Craig broke into her thoughts.
Charlotte glowed at the praise and found it touched her more than she would’ve expected. Here was a benefit of small-town life. What you did mattered. Craig, Bella and Hannah all seemed grateful that she’d moved to town. All Ivan had cared about in the end was whether she followed his orders.
“Where to next?” she asked.
“I wish I could say it was lunchtime, but we have a call out to the Johnson place,” Craig said. “Ed Johnson passed away a week ago, and his family from back east has been out trying to settle his affairs. Seems like he got weak toward the end, didn’t tell anyone how much he was struggling and left a horse in bad shape. The neglect wasn’t purposeful; he was simply too proud to ask for help when he needed it.”
Charlotte felt like there was a message in there somewhere for her, but she pushed that thought away when her phone chimed. Lincoln was calling. She quickly answered.
“How’s work?” Lincoln asked.
“Great so far.”
“I’m still in town, if you can believe it. Ended up staying at Bella’s for an hour, talking on the phone to some young women who are interested in moving to the Ridge. There was a backup at the dump. Then Amanda called and asked me to fetch a few things from the store for her. I was wondering if you and Craig want some lunch? I can pick it up and meet you wherever you are.”
Charlotte relayed the offer to Craig and was cheered when he accepted. She told Lincoln the address they were headed to next, and he said he’d be there as soon as he could.
The drive took about half an hour, the road winding up into the hills. When they reached the Johnson place, Charlotte could see the neglect immediately. The clapboard house must’ve been white at one time, but now it was weathered to a silver gray. The trees crowded around it as if eager to reclaim the land that was once theirs. She had a feeling it was always damp in this hollow.
A man in his early thirties came to meet them.
“Hi there. I’m Eric Johnson. Ed was my great uncle. You must be the veterinarians.”
“That’s us,” Craig said. “I’m Craig, and this is Charlotte. Where’s this horse I’ve heard about?”
Eric led them to the barn, a dilapidated building that looked ready to fall over. “If we’d realized how bad things were, we would’ve come sooner.”
“Your uncle Ed always was a stubborn old goat,” Craig told him.
Although the interior of the barn was dark, Charlotte could make out a horse stall that looked like it had been hastily constructed about forty years ago and never fixed. Inside the stall was the sorriest horse she’d ever seen. When Craig caught sight of it, he let out a gusty sigh and murmured, “Hell, Ed, you should have called me. I’d have taken care of this fellow.”
Ed, far from this earthly vale of tears, didn’t answer, but Charlotte appreciated Craig’s sentiment. He was a no-nonsense man with little time for emotional thinking, from what she’d seen so far, but he cared about the animals he served.
Craig approached the stall and crooned softly as he opened the door. To Charlotte’s relief, the horse didn’t try to bolt. It stood patiently and allowed him to stroke its neck.
“You’ve come to a pretty pass, haven’t you?” he asked, handling it gently.
Tears pricked Charlotte’s eyes now that she could see the animal more clearly. Its back was swayed and its coat mangy. There were signs of discharge from its eyes and nose.
“We’ve done what we could since we got here,” Eric said. “I’m not much of a horse person.”
“We’ll take him off your hands and make sure he’s taken care of,” Craig said.
Charlotte bit back the protest that sprang to her lips. She knew what that meant. Ivan never allowed a horse to live past its usefulness, and this one was about as useless as they came. Her heart throbbed, but she kept her sentiments to herself, knowing how pointless it was to argue with a man who’d given up on an animal.
Eric stiffened. “Taken care of? What do you mean by that? You’re not going to shoot him, are you?” He scratched the back of his head. “I’ve got two little girls I made the mistake of telling about Uncle Ed’s horse. Now they’re pretty invested, if you know what I mean. ”
“You want to take him home with you?” Charlotte blurted, a glimmer of hope inflating her chest.
Eric laughed. “To Boston? I don’t think that’s in the cards.”
Of course not. Her hope evaporated again. The back of her throat ached with the unfairness of it all. Horses didn’t ask to be brought into situations like this. They trusted their owners to take care of them. All too often those owners betrayed them.
“We won’t put him down,” Craig assured Eric, and Charlotte turned to him in surprise. “My sister, Bella, runs a no-kill shelter and takes in any kind of animal that needs a home. This old boy will get the best feed and treatment of its life and all the love and care he could want. If you leave an email address, I’m sure Bella would be happy to send photos when he’s all fixed up.”
Relief overwhelmed Charlotte, and suddenly she couldn’t hold back the tears that pricked at her eyes. She’d been so sure she’d have to stand by and watch the old hack be put down, and she’d seen too many horses die already. She excused herself to step out of the barn, needing a moment to get her emotions under control.
A truck pulled up while she stood there with her back to the stables. She heard the engine shut down and a door slam.
“Charlotte?” Lincoln enveloped her in his arms and cradled her against his broad chest. “What happened?”
She shook her head, knowing if she tried to speak, she’d start to sob. She wiped her hand across her eyes as she heard the other men join them. How embarrassing could this get? If only they’d leave her alone for a minute, she could get a hold of herself.
“We found Ed Johnson’s horse in bad shape,” Craig explained to Lincoln. “It upset Charlotte.”
Lincoln’s arms tightened around her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she protested, her voice thick with unshed tears. “I have a soft spot for horses, especially ones who have been mistreated. I just need a minute.”
Craig nodded. “Take your time. Eric and I will load Admiral into the trailer.”
“Admiral?” Charlotte had to laugh through her tears.
“That’s right. Seems like Ed had a pretty high opinion of his horse, even if he let things go toward the end.”
For some reason that brought another wave of emotion. Charlotte curled into Lincoln’s arms, not wanting anyone to see her tears, but unable to stop them. She sent out a silent prayer for Ed Johnson, hoping he knew Admiral would be in good hands now. She was glad to know his neglect hadn’t been malicious. So many men cared so little when it came to animals.
And people, for that matter.
“Why don’t you and Lincoln eat your lunch. Take a break. I’ll hang back and share mine with Eric,” Craig said.
“There’s a nice lookout in front of the house. You’ll find a picnic table there,” Eric offered.
“Does that work for you?” Lincoln asked Charlotte, loosening the circle of his arms so he could see her face.
She scraped the remnants of her tears away and nodded, wishing helplessly that she hadn’t had an audience for that emotional storm.
“It’s okay to feel things,” Lincoln murmured as Craig and Eric moved toward the stable. “In fact, it’s healthy not to hold it all inside.”
“Is that what they teach you in the Army?” she said wryly.
“No,” he admitted with a chuckle. “Maybe they should.”
Together they got the food from his truck, left Craig’s portion on top of the hood and took the rest to the picnic table in front of Ed Johnson’s ramshackle house. Eric was right; the view was nice here.
After several bites of the sandwich Lincoln brought her, Charlotte began to feel like herself again.
“Admiral must be in bad shape,” Lincoln said, swallowing a bite. “I imagine you’ve seen all kinds of things in your work, but you’re pretty shaken up.”
She took a drink of water from the reusable bottle she’d brought with her. “I’ve seen much worse,” she admitted. “It wasn’t that. I thought we’d have to put him down.” She blinked to clear her eyes when more tears gathered there. Where was all this sorrow coming from?
As if she didn’t know.
“You must have had to do that a few times,” Lincoln said carefully.
She nodded. “I… it’s just…” She brok e off, not wanting to say what had happened the last time she’d faced an injured horse that couldn’t be saved. Pain clogged her throat again, making it difficult to speak.
Lincoln didn’t push her, simply waited until she’d brought her emotions under control. After a few minutes, Charlotte sighed. If she was going to be intimate with Lincoln, she’d have to tell him something about her past.
“My ex… wasn’t a good guy,” she said. “At least not when it came to horses.” And people, she didn’t add. “He viewed them as money-making machines. As long as they produced an income, he took care of them. When they stopped, he… disposed of them.”
She meant to stop there, but Lincoln nodded and waited for her to go on. Somehow his silence gave her permission to tell him things she hadn’t told anyone else. “There was this one horse—a really special one. Summer’s Day. She’d been setting records in races all spring. Then she developed a stress fracture. She couldn’t race on an injury like that, but my ex wouldn’t hear of sidelining her while it healed. He demanded that she race again too soon. No matter what I said to him, he wouldn’t change his mind. In the end, I had to treat her leg the best I could, give her something for the pain and let her go.”
She buried her face in her hands as memories of that time came thick and fast, feeling just as ashamed now as when it happened that she’d been unable to stop Ivan.
“Just like I predicted, the next time she raced, she reinjured it—badly. We brought her home, did everything we could, but the injury got worse instead of better. My ex was incensed. He blamed me, of course. When it was clear she wouldn’t race again, he told me to put her out of her misery.”
Lincoln didn’t move except to cover her hand with his, letting her know he was here for her but that he wanted to hear the whole story.
“There are drugs for that procedure,” she said, her voice wobbling with the pain of the memory. “He wouldn’t let me use them.”
Lincoln stilled.
“He… handed me his pistol. He’s a very wealthy man, and he always carries one.” Her voice was a whisper now. The memory had overtaken her. “He told me to do it quick.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t. There was no way—”
Lincoln moved to her, scooping her into his arms. “Of course not.”
“He… he took the gun back. He wouldn’t even let me turn away. He made me watch when he shot her.” Charlotte buried her head against Lincoln’s chest. She’d never cried about this before—
Why was she losing control now?
Lincoln held her, stroking her hair, murmuring to her like she was a child, and in the safety of his arms, she let her tears fall. She didn’t tell him how loud the sound of the shot was. How she’d screamed. How Summer’s Day had collapsed—
How her blood had flowed.
Charlotte had been covered in it.
“You’re okay,” Lincoln told her. “That’s never going to happen again. I swear. I will never let that happen.”
She’d told herself she’d never let it happen again, either. Then Ivan’s prized racehorse, Forrester’s Grand Rally, had gone lame. She’d sped up her attempt to leave, knowing she wouldn’t survive another go-round with Ivan.
“It ought to be a crime to hurt a defenseless animal,” Lincoln said. He was shaking, Charlotte realized. Incensed at what Ivan had done. Unlike Ivan, Lincoln had a moral compass. A love for all God’s creatures. Respect for women.
There really were good men in the world.
“That’s the third time I’ve seen you on your phone in the past fifteen minutes,” Carter complained, coming into the mill office. “Who are you talking to?”
Lincoln pushed the offending gadget into his pocket and stood from behind the worn old desk, trying to get his thoughts in order. It had been harder than he liked to admit to leave Charlotte with Craig after their lunch was over, but after she’d cried herself out and eaten more food, she’d calmed down and declared her desire to get back to work.
“I held that in a long time,” she’d said when she was drying her eyes. “Guess it needed to come out.”
He was glad he’d been there when it did, but Lincoln had to admit he was shaken by what she’d said. What kind of sadistic creep shot a horse in front of his girlfriend?
And what else had he done?
“Some new tenants, hopefully,” he answered Carter. “Bella connected me with them this morning, and I’ve been answering their questions ever since.”
“That’s good news. I don’t suppose you want to find some more replacement workers while you’re at it?”
“I thought you were working on that.” Lincoln’s thoughts were still so tangled up in the story Charlotte had told him he was having enough trouble handling the questions Veronica and her friends kept tossing his way.
“I got a lead on another contract that I’d like to follow up. Besides, you’re the one who’s going to work with them day in, day out.” Carter stepped inside the office and shut the door against the din of the mill equipment. The noise dropped abruptly.
“Guess I could take that on,” Lincoln said, looking up. “But you’d better not get too far ahead of yourself. We need to figure out our supply of logs.”
“That’s Hudson’s thing. You need to talk to him about it.”
“Me?” It used to be you couldn’t get Hudson out of the woods, but every morning he showed up at the mill and joined the temporary workers producing lumber. “Why should I be the one to nag him? He doesn’t even seem interested in logging anymore.”
“Then talk to Gage,” Carter said. “He helped run the logging operation last time.”
“I already talked to him, remember? He said he was on it, but he’s barely more enthusiastic than Hudson.”
Lincoln’s phone buzzed, and he drew it out of his pocket. It was another message from Veronica. She wanted to know how the night life was in town.
“Let’s go find Hudson together,” Carter said. “Maybe the two of us can get him to tell us what the problem is.”
“Sure thing.” Lincoln gratefully shoved his phone in his pocket again. He’d rather not explain how limited the night life was. Would a bunch of women from Seattle enjoy hanging out at the Dancing Boot?
They found Hudson in the mill and ushered him outside.
“What’s all this?” he asked.
“This is us wondering when you’re going to get us some new logs,” Carter said. “We’re going to have a serious workflow problem at some point if you don’t.”
Hudson rubbed the back of his head, took a pace or two away from them and turned back. For a moment Lincoln thought he might not answer. “Yeah, about that. Thing is, I can’t do it all myself. Tried that once, remember? I need a crew.”
Lincoln wasn’t sure he’d ever heard his twin admit he needed help with anything. When they were teenagers, their dad used to send men after him when he’d disappear into the woods to take some trees down all on his own, safety be damned.
“How much help do you want?” Carter asked after a moment. He, too, must have been surprised by Hudson’s admission.
Hudson looked off into the distance. Did a few internal calculations and rattled off several positions to fill. “Two or three people you hire need to be experienced climbers. That’s crucial.”
Lincoln exchanged a look with Carter. “Since when do you need climbers? You’ve always done that work yourself.”
“You want a lot of logs, fast, right?” Hudson demanded. “Then I can’t do it all myself. Besides, it’s not like I’m asking to buy a bunch of brand-new equipment right before the price of lumber tanks.”
Lincoln winced as the shot hit home. He knew damn well he was the cause of all their financial problems. He didn’t need Hudson to rub his nose in it.
His first instinct was to retaliate, but he took a deep breath instead. His attitude toward Hudson had begun to change since Charlotte told him what his twin had said about why he’d slept with Winona. Now that he’d let go of his resentment, he’d noticed something had been bugging Hudson since they got home.
“You want me to do the hiring for you? You sure you don’t want to find them yourself?” he asked evenly. They weren’t kids anymore. He didn’t need to take every barb Hudson shot his way personally.
“I’ve got enough to do.” Hudson stalked away.
“I don’t understand him,” Carter said as they watched him go. “I know he wants to be here. And he loves logging. Always has. Why isn’t he jumping at the chance to get back to it?”
“I don’t know.” Which made a pang of guilt twist low in Lincoln’s gut. When they were kids, he’d known Hudson as well as he knew himself. He didn’t often admit how much it hurt they lost that closeness. Maybe it was time to patch things up. “He was pretty damn worried about Dad the other day. Let’s give him time to cool off,” he said when Carter made a move to follow Hudson. “I’ll keep talking to him and figure out what’s wrong. Meanwhile, I’ll work on hiring that crew for him.”
“Fine. Guess I’ll nail down that contract.”
“Maybe we’ll manage to make this work, after all.”
“This is the best way to wake up in the morning,” Lincoln said several weeks later, tracing a kiss over Charlotte’s bare shoulder as they lay together in bed.
Still catching her breath from a rather vigorous round of lovemaking, Charlotte nodded. “I agree.” They’d fallen into a rhythm of reaching for each other first thing in the morning and last thing at night. In between, she joined Craig for his daily rounds, then came home and worked on her house with Lincoln, who’d all but moved in.
She was grateful Lincoln hadn’t pushed her too hard for more information about Ivan after the day they’d helped rescue Admiral. The last thing she wanted to do was recount all her bad decisions. What if Lincoln changed his mind about her and asked her to leave?
While Lincoln was a naturally early riser, worry about the lumber mill had been keeping him awake these past few weeks long after she fell asleep. He tended to slip into a quick catnap after they were together in the morning, so Charlotte took the opportunity to go for either a jog or a ride on one of his horses before work. These late July mornings were warm enough she often wished she had time for a swim, too.
She loved how quiet it was when almost everyone was still asleep. She’d found several trails that stayed close to the community, and she spotted something new almost every day.
On Tuesday and Thursday nights, Amanda had instituted knitting club. Carter had tried to follow them to the rotunda the first time, but Amanda shooed him away. Carolyn had her own knitting group in Chance Creek, but Megan had been thrilled to be invited. When the three of them were safely behind a closed door, Amanda brought out a bottle of wine and a few glasses, and they toasted each other before breaking out their projects. Amanda was still working on the baby sweater, although she reported no progress in getting pregnant. Charlotte had chosen a complicated pattern for a pair of mittens she could use in the winter. Megan was working on a beautiful scarf. She admitted she’d been knitting since she was a girl, and her skill put both of them to shame.
Lincoln had taken her to town one day to the used car dealership, where Charlotte picked out a red Chevy Silverado. It was nine years old, but the mileage was low, and it was big enough to haul anything she might want, including a horse trailer. She was relieved to have her own transportation for the first time in years, since she’d driven one of Ivan’s vehicles the entire time she was with him. When she drove the Silverado off the lot, she’d felt like a teenager heading off for her first joyride. It made up for how much the purchase had drained her cash reserves. Even after she’d banked her first paycheck, her funds were noticeably low.
Nate had organized two cookouts down at the beach. There was an enormous wood-fired grill set up right on the sand, where all the men liked to stand around and take turns flipping the burgers and hot dogs. Charlotte liked the way the brothers talked and joked with each other and the way Amanda joined in. Lincoln told her his dad had always hosted Saturday cookouts, and she got the feeling he was happy to have the tradition reinstated.
On the Fourth of July, they all went to town to enjoy the parade, fair and fireworks.
All in all, she was settling in fine, Charlotte thought as Lincoln fell back to sleep and she showered and dressed. Still, a thread of unease wound itself through every day. On her morning rides, she caught herself looking over her shoulder in case Ivan had tracked her down. When she was making house calls with Craig, she dreaded questions new clients asked about her schooling and past work experience, wishing she could forget that time in her life. When she was with Lincoln and his brothers, or Amanda and Megan, she knew they accepted her, but somehow she still felt like an outsider looking in.
She was afraid Ivan hadn’t finished with her yet.
Charlotte decided that today she’d shake off that unsettled feeling and act like her new life was permanent. After all, Amanda had lived here only a couple of months longer than she had, and she never questioned whether she belonged. Anne and her programmers were arriving this morning, Veronica and her friends were due next week, and tomorrow the first of the permanent mill workers Lincoln had hired was coming to town.
She settled into her ride, enjoying the quiet freshness of the morning, the birdsong, the strong sunlight awakening the world. She stretched her excursion a little too long, and by the time she turned back, she knew she’d miss breakfast. When she made it to the stable, she found Amanda and Megan talking outside.
She hurried through the process of unsaddling and feeding Thorn before joining them.
“What’s going on?”
“I’m here to start taking photos of some of the houses that are ready to sell,” Megan said. “I don’t want to see my boss one more time without those listings.”
“I wonder if any of the programmers moving in today will eventually buy a house here?” Charlotte said.
“Maybe,” Amanda said, then frowned and shaded her eyes. “Who’s that?” She pulled out her phone and checked the time. “It can’t be them—it’s too early.” A large black truck pulled into the circle and followed it around to come to a stop in front of them. “Oh no, it’s Blake Warrington. What does he want?”
“Awkward.” Megan stepped back as if to hide behind them. “Blake hit on me at Cindy Gladstone’s wedding in April. Didn’t want to take no for an answer until Gage saved me. I’ve been avoiding the man ever since.”
“That’s when you and Gage hooked up!” Amanda said. “Carter told me.”
“We didn’t hook up,” Megan said. “He just… kissed me. And he hasn’t done anything since.”
As Blake Warrington climbed out of his truck, Charlotte recognized him from Linda’s Diner. He looked just as pleased with himself now as he did then.
“Ladies.”
“Blake,” Amanda said, crossing her arms. “What are you doing here?”
“Come to make sure you all are taking care of my future property.”
“We’re busy,” Amanda said firmly. “Go away.”
“Is Carter around? Or one of the other men?”
“No.”
Charlotte knew darn well all the men had to be somewhere nearby, but she wasn’t going to contradict her friend.
“Then you can give them a message. I’m still interested in buying this place, but I’m losing patience.”
“Too bad.”
“Just tell them.” His gaze focused on Megan. “Ah. You.”
“Me,” Megan said, then blushed.
“If you’d played your cards right, you could have made a commission on this deal. But you blew it. I hope you don’t regret that mistake.” He held her gaze a moment. “I could always give you a second chance, you know. I heard Gage hasn’t come calling on you lately. You should be with a man who knows how to treat a woman right.”
“Who would that be?” Megan asked, lifting her chin. “You didn’t treat me very well at Cindy’s wedding—or were you so drunk you don’t even remember?”
He had the grace to look embarrassed. “I’ll admit I wasn’t my best that night. Personal matter. I apologize for any distress I caused you. It wasn’t intentional.”
Megan blinked. Amanda looked just as surprised. The man sounded almost earnest, as if he really cared what Megan thought of him. Charlotte looked to see Megan’s response. Her friend was frowning, scanning Blake’s face as if trying to make out his intentions.
“I hope you’ll let me make it up to you soon,” Blake went on.
When Megan didn’t answer, he turned back to his truck and opened the door, but instead of climbing in, he surveyed the settlement and nodded. “This will make a terrific addition to my resort.” He got in, shut the door and drove off.
“What does he mean, he wants to make it up to me?” Megan sputtered. “That man is… I don’t even know what he is!”
“Sounds like he means to ask you out on a date,” Amanda said. “For a second he was almost nice—and then he blew it again.”
“I wouldn’t date him if he was the last man on earth. A terrific addition to my resort ,” she parroted. “He can shove his resort where the sun doesn’t shine. I’d never do a real estate transaction for him, and I won’t let him get his mitts on this town. I can’t believe him.”
“Don’t let him rile you up,” Amanda said and stopped. “Wait, now someone else is coming. That has to be Anne and her programmers.”
Anne wasn’t driving a rental sports car this time around. Instead, a large passenger van pulled into the Circle, followed by a moving van. Amanda took out her phone and tapped its screen quickly. A moment later, Lincoln and his brothers spilled out of the town hall and came to meet the newcomers.
By the time Charlotte, Amanda and Megan reached them, Anne was talking to the men, gesturing angrily. She was impeccably dressed again today in an outfit far more suitable for a boardroom than a small country town. A cluster of men in their twenties stood looking around them with a mixture of curiosity and concern.
Charlotte approached Lincoln. “What’s happening?” she asked softly.
He leaned down to answer in an undertone. “Anne’s unhappy that they already lost a day of work traveling here yesterday. She wants us to move their things into the house while she takes her workers to Two Willows and gets their new office set up. She needs to return that van to the rental company, too.”
“I’d help, but I have to meet Craig. I’m running late. ”
“And the rest of us need to get to the mill. We’re not a moving company.” Lincoln dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Anyway, don’t worry about it. We’ll sort this out.”
“I’m sure you will.”
“I have to get those photos done,” Megan said. “I’ll see you later.”
Charlotte noticed she ignored Gage as she passed him, but he watched her walk away before turning his attention back to Carter’s discussion with Anne.
When Charlotte started for her house to change, Amanda tagged along. “What do you think of our new neighbors?” she asked when they were out of earshot.
“I don’t know. They seem nice enough, I guess.” The programmers were talking among themselves, letting Anne sort out logistics with Carter. One of them had his phone out and was showing the others something on his screen.
“I’m sure we’ll get to know them over time,” Amanda agreed. “It’s going to be different having more people around, though.” She linked her arm through Charlotte’s as they walked away together.
“In a good or bad way?”
“I’m not sure. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
Charlotte understood her hesitation. The newcomers would change things. With each passing week, if the Elliott men had their way, there would be more people coming to live here. She’d have to prepare for that.
As long as none of them asked too many questions about her past, she’d be fine, Charlotte decided.
“Do you think you’ll adjust?” she asked Amanda.
“Of course,” Amanda grumbled. “But I bet someday I look back at these first few months as the good old days. It was special to come here and get my pick of houses.”
“And Elliotts,” Charlotte chimed in.
“Seems like you’ve been doing some picking, too,” Amanda said good-naturedly. “Nate said Lincoln hasn’t slept in their parents’ house in weeks. Things must be pretty serious.”
“I like Lincoln. A lot.”
“I’m so happy for you both.” Amanda detached herself after a block or so. “I’d better go back and see if Carter needs help.”
“Good luck with the newcomers.”
“Good luck with the cows.”
Charlotte changed into her work clothes, grabbed a couple of granola bars and was nearly to her truck when her phone chimed. She checked it automatically but stopped in her tracks when she saw a new email from Ivan.
Reluctantly, she opened it.
I know where you are. You have 48 hours to come home, or I’ll make sure all your new friends know exactly how you spent the past three years. You think your new boyfriend will stick around when he finds out you’re a gold digger?
Come home, Charlotte. You’re my gold digger. We’ll forget all about your little trip West, I’ll drop the lawsuit and we’ll get back to our lives. Maybe take things to the next level? That’s what you want, isn’t it?
Lawsuit?
He’d attached a document. Charlotte tapped it with a shaking finger and discovered it was a legal one. Ivan was suing her for the money he claimed she owed him. She had 30 days to respond if she wanted the matter to be brought to court. Otherwise, a default judgement could be brought against her.
Fear and disgust left a bitter taste in her mouth. Once upon a time she’d wanted to marry Ivan, but not now. She wanted nothing to do with him, and she certainly didn’t want to face him in court. She didn’t think he’d win his case, but that barely mattered, because she knew he was capable of carrying out his threat to try to ruin her life here. Ivan was right: if he told Lincoln the story of their relationship, Lincoln might jump to the obvious conclusion. That she’d fallen in with Ivan because of his money. That she’d used an older man to further her ambitions and then run the moment she grew tired of him. That she’d racked up bills on Ivan’s credit card and never paid him back. She’d look like a cheat and a…
Charlotte didn’t even want to think the word.
The worst part was that in some ways it was true. Her parents’ deaths and the student loans she’d accumulated had left her vulnerable to a wealthy older man. The things that stressed her out were mere inconveniences to him. Ivan liked to flash his money around. Letting him pay her way had been so seductive.
She wasn’t a gold digger, though, and she didn’t use her body to get what she wanted. When she’d moved in with Ivan, she’d honestly thought she was in love with him. If he’d proposed the first year they’d lived together, she would have accepted in a heartbeat. She’d been so blind to his faults back then.
Now she knew exactly what kind of man he was.
She had to stop him before he ruined everything.
She lifted her phone, determined to call Steven right away, but realized she was already running late. She’d make the call after she’d met Craig at their first appointment.
She had too much at stake here to wait a minute longer.