Chapter 7
Considering her low opinion of him, Caleb was starting to wonder if he would ever win Snow back. And since when did having money make you an automatic asshole? Their relationship had been all but perfect until she disappeared, or so he’d thought. Clearly he’d been wrong. Something happened during those two months in Baton Rouge, and he was going to have to figure out what if this was ever going to work.
In addition to getting to know her, he’d have to either read Snow’s mind or coax the truth out of her, neither of which he had any inkling how to do.
So he focused on something he could understand, which was the prize in front of him. As he eyed the pickup that should be his, he tried to be a good sport. He couldn’t have started on the truck until this situation with Snow was resolved and they were back in Louisiana. And he doubted Uncle Frazier would wait for him. Then again, he could probably park it somewhere locally until they were ready to go home. Maybe the old woman who owned the house would let him rent one of the garage stalls. There likely wasn’t anything in there, anyway.
All of this was giving Caleb an idea. Snow hadn’t wanted him to deprive this Cooper person of the truck by outbidding him. But that didn’t mean Caleb couldn’t buy the truck from him outright, especially if the guy got significantly more than he paid for it.
“Hey there,” Caleb called to the man with half his body tucked into the engine area of the old pickup. “She’s a beauty.”
The new owner’s head popped up to look down at Caleb. “Not yet she isn’t, but she will be.” The man’s green eyes glittered with glee at his new toy. Caleb knew that look meant trouble. This wasn’t going to be easy.
Still. Everyone had a price. That was Jackson McGraw’s number one lesson in life.
“It’s going to take some serious cash to get her into shape.” Caleb used the back tire of the hauler to join his adversary on the flatbed. A glimpse through the passenger window revealed tears in the bench seat, but the emblem was intact on the large steering wheel, and the dash looked good.
“Time and money,” the stranger said, wiping his hands on a stained rag he’d pulled from his back pocket. “I think I can handle it.” The man had Caleb by a couple of inches in height, but they were roughly the same size otherwise. Though the grease stains under his opponent’s nails said Snow wasn’t exaggerating about Cooper’s love of cars.
Caleb was dealing with a true gearhead. The situation grew bleaker by the moment.
Cutting to the chase, Caleb said, “I could take her off your hands right now. Save you the hassle.”
Closing the hood, Cooper said, “I appreciate the offer, but no thanks.” In a surprise move, he then extended his hand. “Cooper Ridgeway. I own the garage in town, and I admire a man who knows a prize when he sees it. Not everyone would recognize the potential in a piece like this.”
Accepting the handshake, Caleb conceded the battle. “It was worth a shot,” he said. “I’m Caleb McGraw, and I’m really pissed right now that I let this baby get away.”
“You a friend of Snow’s?” Cooper asked.
“I am,” Caleb answered, resenting the lie he was about to tell. “She’s my fiancée.”
Cooper’s brows shot up. “Fiancée? That’s news.”
“I’m sure it will be.” No one had approached them since they’d arrived at the auction, but Caleb had caught the curious looks. “I got in last night. It’s been a long-distance thing.”
“Congrats,” Cooper said. “So you restore cars?”
“Not for a while,” Caleb answered, happy to be back on safe ground. “Bought my ’85 Jeep seven years ago and brought her back to life. My uncle is the real enthusiast. I’ve helped him with a ’55 Bel Air and a ’67 Stingray.”
“Nice. You should come by the garage sometime. I’ve got a ’62 Thunderbird hardtop that’ll make your mouth water.”
Caleb nodded. “I’d love to see it.”
Cooper jumped off the hauler, and Caleb followed suit. Cooper asked, “You looking for a job?”
Getting a job hadn’t occurred to him, but punching a time clock might win him some points with Snow. “Are you hiring?”
Cooper shook his head. “Afraid not, but Lowry Construction is looking for help if you have experience.”
He’d swung a hammer once or twice in his life, but construction in November didn’t sound appealing. “So I look like a construction guy?” Caleb asked, curious about the assumption.
The amiable mechanic didn’t seem fazed. “You look like a guy wanting work, and construction is about all you’ll find around here. Unless you want to drive a county or two over and apply at a factory.”
There were limits to what Caleb would do to impress his wife. Factory work, which he knew to be hard, long, and underpaid, went beyond that limit .
“I’ll keep both in mind.” He gave the truck one last shot. “You sure you won’t part with this heap?”
“If you wanted it this bad, you should have outbid me, bud,” Ridgeway said as they walked down the driveway.
“The wife didn’t want me bidding on anything that wasn’t for the store,” he said, slipping his hands into his pockets.
Cooper glanced over. “You call her ‘the wife’ already?”
Maintaining this story was going to be tougher than he realized. “It’s all a matter of paperwork, right? Once she says yes, you’re as good as hitched.”
“Not me, bro,” Cooper said, shaking his head. “I’ve got an out until the preacher says, ‘I now declare.’”
“You walking down the aisle anytime soon?” Caleb asked, assuming the mechanic’s intended would frown on his attitude.
“Heck no. I haven’t won the right girl yet.”
With a pat on his new friend’s back, Caleb said, “I suggest when you find her, you keep the ‘out’ thing to yourself.”
The pair stopped near the Jeep. “Sound advice, I’m sure.” Then Cooper spotted something over Caleb’s shoulder. “Here comes your girl, and she looks like an angry hornet hunting for a butt to sting.” As he backed away, he added, “You might want to think about an out yourself.”
Snow did look mad about something. She also looked hot as hell with the color high in her cheeks and her eyes snapping. Nope, Caleb didn’t need or want an out. But he did need to figure out how to get this woman back in his bed.
Snow was still fuming over Spencer’s comments when she met Caleb at the Jeep. He’d been talking to Cooper, who’d walked away before she was close enough to hear the conversation .
“What were you talking to Cooper about?” she asked, allowing him to take the painting and slide it into the backseat.
With a noncommittal tone, her husband said, “Nothing important. He invited me to check out his garage.”
Another invitation. What was wrong with these people? They’d made her fight for every inch of acceptance, but Caleb waltzed into town and out came the red carpet. “Why would you visit his garage if you don’t need anything fixed?”
Caleb sighed as he held the door for her. “We’re boys,” he said. “We bonded over old cars. It’s like finding the guy on the playground who has the same ball glove you do.”
This entire conversation was proof that boys never grew up. She waited for Caleb to climb into the driver’s seat before asking, “So you made a playdate?”
“We didn’t get that specific, but I’ll make sure you don’t need me before I head over.” He started the engine. “Cooper said if I’m looking for a job, I should try Lowry Construction. You heard of them?”
There was no way she’d heard him right. “Why would you be looking for a job?”
“You keep saying I don’t do anything. If you want a working husband, I’ll be a working husband.”
“But you aren’t even going to be here long enough to need a job.” What was she saying? The man had enough money to buy half the town. He didn’t need a job regardless of how long he was staying. “You’ve been here for less than twenty-four hours and you’re acting as if this is your new home.”
“My home is in Baton Rouge, but you’re here. So for now, home is here.”
The girlie part of her turned mushy upon hearing that absurd statement. Caleb was trying to charm her into lowering her guard. Con her into believing that this reunion was romantic and noble and not about filling in the hole she’d poked in his ego by daring to leave him. She wouldn’t be surprised if some of his determination stemmed from proving something to his parents. He’d married the last girl they’d pick for him, and she was ruining his little rebellion.
“Yes, I’ve heard of Lowry Construction. The owner is Lorelei’s father,” she said, refusing to address his “home is where my wife is” sentiment. “But what do you know about construction?”
The Jeep was running, but Caleb didn’t put it into gear. Instead, he stared out the windshield, shaking his head in what looked like amazement. “I’ve handled a hammer enough times to help frame a house with no problem. I also like to restore old cars, and I’m interested in the preservation of old buildings, something my family has supported in the Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas since before I was born.”
Snow managed a surprised “Oh.”
“You said I don’t know you, but it seems to me you’ve got that backwards.”
Feeling defensive, Snow went for sarcasm. “I can’t help it that we were too busy having sex to have actual conversations.”
“Your favorite ice cream is pistachio,” he said.
“Excuse me?” What did ice cream have to do with this?
“Your favorite food in the world is your grandmother’s fried chicken, which is breaded, not battered. You have a tiny scar on your bottom lip from falling off a stool when you were two, you love the Beatles, and your favorite actor of all time is Paul Newman.”
“How do you—” she started, but Caleb was on a roll.
“You hate Birkenstocks, anchovies, and people who talk during a movie. You sometimes hate your hair, you purr when I slide my fingertips up your bare spine, and your astrological sign is Taurus, which probably explains a lot about this entire situation.”
He’d done it. Caleb had shocked her speechless. Snow didn’t even remember them talking about half of those subjects, but little snippets began to float through her mind. Quiet talks after their lovemaking. Exchanging silly stories over breakfast, usually while they were still naked. How had she forgotten so much?
“I didn’t realize—”
“I was paying attention, Snow. We were never just sex for me.”
Now who looked like the asshole? Snow didn’t know what to say, but she couldn’t keep pretending they were strangers. “We’d better go,” she said. “I need to open the store.”
“Right.” Caleb shifted into first gear. “The store.”
Several miles of silence later, as they rolled into downtown Ardent Springs, Snow said, “Chocolate is your favorite.”
“My what?” Caleb asked, parallel parking in front of the store entrance.
She put her hand over his on the shifter. “Chocolate is your favorite flavor of ice cream. And you like action movies, especially ones with car chases.” Her smile was meant as an apology. “I remember now.”
Dropping a kiss on her nose, he said, “Took you long enough. Do you want me to hang out here today?”
Scrunching up her face, she said, “Not really. You’d be bored out of your skull within an hour.”
“What time do you close?”
“For the next couple weeks it’s five on Sundays, then I’ll extend the hours as we get closer to the Christmas season.”
“Okay, then.” Caleb opened his door. “I’ll carry the painting in and see you at home later.”
For the first time in eighteen months, Snow would finish the day by going home to her husband. The thought appealed more than she was willing to admit. Maybe convincing Caleb that they were wrong for each other would be easier if she convinced her heart first.
Snow was relieved to have ten minutes before the clock would strike noon and the second half of her day would begin. The first part had already been more than she could process. Caleb had helped her find a deal that could take her shop to the next level, but he’d also bounced among arrogant, spoiled, and possessive. Not to mention his penchant for winning over the locals with no effort whatsoever. If they knew he was filthy rich and had done nothing to earn a penny of it, they wouldn’t be so inviting.
Dropping her head into her hands, Snow hated that the previous thought had even entered her mind. His parents had turned their noses up at her lack of money and substance, and she was doing the same thing to Caleb for the opposite reason. He was right—a person didn’t get to choose the circumstances into which he was born. Holding his trust fund against him was no better than all the prejudice she and her family had endured over the years.
Granted, Caleb could walk away from the money, but why would he? It wasn’t as if the elder McGraw had made his fortune selling drugs or something. As far as Snow could tell, the man was a workaholic who put his business dealings above all else. Including his son.
Her husband was a good man, a product of his upbringing, and so far out of her sphere that even if she wanted them to live happily ever after, they never could. The mere thought of going back to Baton Rouge made her want to run again. But she wasn’t running anymore.
Snow had found a life here in Ardent Springs, and it did not include a husband. That meant Caleb had to go. She had to make him go. She’d cried for a week after leaving him a year and a half ago, and she would likely cry again when they ended for good. But cutting things off as quickly as possible would prevent her losing her heart completely. At this stage, she might recover. If Caleb kept giving speeches like the one he’d laid on her today, Snow was a goner for sure.
Self-preservation could be a powerful motivator. And right now, Snow was desperate for any kind of lifeline .
“Snow, are you in there?” yelled a voice through the back door, followed by three hard thumps.
Lorelei.
“I’m coming,” she yelled back, crossing the storeroom to unlock the door. “Why didn’t you come to the front?” Snow asked as Lorelei stepped inside.
“I tried, but it was locked.”
Snow checked the clock on her desk—12:02 p.m. Crap.
“Sorry. I was distracted and lost track of time.”
Lorelei followed Snow as she headed for the front door. “Does the distraction have anything to do with, say, your incredibly hunky husband?”
“Lorelei, I—”
“Not that I blame you for not getting any sleep last night. Holy heck.” The blonde made a purring noise. “Don’t get me wrong. Spencer is hot, and I don’t want anyone else, but girlfriend, that man of yours is smokin’.”
Snow ignored the bubble of pride that formed in her chest. “Yes, Caleb is pretty to look at, but I got plenty of sleep last night.” Slept better than she had in months, but she ignored that fact as well. At this rate, she’d be the queen of denial in no time.
“You mean you didn’t—” Lorelei stepped in front of Snow, putting her back to the front door before the lock could be turned. “Are you telling me you didn’t jump that man’s bones as soon as I locked this door for you? You’re welcome for that, by the way.”
On a sigh, Snow said, “There are ... issues.” She reached for the lock, but Lorelei blocked her again.
“You mean he can’t ...” Her friend held up one finger, bent at the knuckle.
“No!” Snow exclaimed. “Caleb can get it up just fine, thank you very much. Now let me unlock this door.”
Lorelei finally moved. “You know, if you’d gotten laid last night, you might not be so grumpy today. ”
With an evil glare, Snow said, “When you rolled into town in June, did you jump Spencer’s bones right away?”
The sheepish look said it all. “That was different. Spencer and I weren’t married. And we had things to work out.”
“Exactly,” Snow said. “Caleb and I have things to work out. And if everything goes to plan, he’ll be leaving town soon.”
“You’re leaving town?”
“Of course not. I said he’ll be leaving town. A- lone .”
“Oh.” Lorelei grew serious. “You’re talking divorce. So this is more than some lovers’ spat.”
“Much more,” Snow answered. “Caleb and I don’t fit together. We’d known each other only two months before waking up in a Vegas hotel suite wearing matching rings. It’s all a lust-hazed blur when I think about it now.”
“I don’t blame you on the lust thing. That boy is—”
“Please stop pointing out how hot my husband is,” Snow said, pulling the cash drawer from the safe. “I’m aware. But there’s more to marriage than sex.”
Lorelei leaned an elbow on the counter, balancing her chin in her palm. “Were you drunk?”
“Excuse me?” Snow blinked in confusion. “Was I drunk when?”
“The night you got married.”
“No,” Snow said. “I’d had a glass of wine, maybe.”
“Then if you didn’t want to get married after knowing him for only two months, why did you?” Lorelei gave a quick shrug. “There had to be a reason, and it doesn’t sound like he forced you into it.”
Caleb hadn’t forced her into anything. Snow took the treacherous journey back in time to the night she and her hunky boyfriend had sprinted to the nearest wedding chapel, high on young love and the giddiness of total freedom. She’d felt like they owned the world that night. Like there was nothing that could break them apart.
And then something did .
Within a week, they were living in Baton Rouge and Snow’s world went from perfection to a bad dream. Caleb seemed as happy as ever, doting and generous, but Snow had become a whirling mass of insecurity and panic.
It was no wonder she’d bolted the way she did. The real mystery was what took her so long.
“Did he refuse to give you a divorce before you left?” Lorelei asked, dragging Snow back to the present.
Keeping her gaze from meeting Lorelei’s, she said, “I didn’t ask for a divorce.”
“Then what reason did you give for leaving?”
Keeping her voice low, Snow answered, “I didn’t give any reason.”
The blonde leaned forward. “So you what? Said good-bye and drove off?”
She’d thought answering to Caleb had been hard. Snow leveled her shoulders and prepared for Lorelei to think the worst of her. Goodness knew she didn’t like herself very much right now, and regardless of the circumstances in which she’d found herself, Snow sure as heck couldn’t justify her actions.
“I didn’t say good-bye. I waited until he was asleep, and then I left.”
Lorelei stood straight. “Just like that? No warning? Not even a note?”
Snow shook her head.
“Wow,” Lorelei said. “That’s—”
“Cowardly,” Snow finished for her. “Not to mention rude, idiotic, and immature.”
“I was going to say gutsy.”
Not the reaction Snow expected. “Gutsy?”
“Men don’t like it when they don’t get a say in things. How long ago did you get up the nerve to tell him where you were?”
“I didn’t tell him. He found a flier for the Ruby festival down in Nashville and caught the Snow’s Curiosity Shop mention. He didn’t even know for sure it was me, but he drove all the way up here to find out.” As she heard herself explain it that way, Snow realized how far Caleb had gone to find her. And not just geographically. “If I’d gotten the tip that he was coming, I could have hidden somewhere and let you pretend to run the store.”
The bells jingled over the door as the first customers of the day strolled in. The two older women lingered in the jewelry section near the front. Dropping her voice, Lorelei said, “How would you have gotten a tip?”
Snow leaned close and said, “His mother.”
“What?” Lorelei asked, jerking back. “You got his mother to work against him?”
“Trust me,” Snow said, “she was more than happy to have me out of Caleb’s life. She caught me the night I left and gave me an e-mail address to contact her when I landed somewhere. As she put it, when Caleb finally agreed to divorce me, they’d need an address to send the papers.”
“And she kept your secret all this time?” Lorelei asked, fascination dancing in her eyes. “That’s wild.”
For the first six months, Snow had been certain Caleb’s mother would fold and spill her whereabouts, but the woman was more ruthless than she let on. Vivien McGraw—bone thin, always smiling, never angry or flustered—was in reality a mean woman with a heart of stone. Snow wanted to believe the McGraw matriarch’s motives were to protect her son’s heart, but deep down, she knew it was all about the family. Keeping up appearances. Maintaining their high standards.
“She did,” Snow said. “In exchange for sharing my location, I made Vivien agree to send the occasional message to my family. If Mom didn’t know where I was, she didn’t have to lie to Caleb if or when he asked her if she’d heard from me. But I couldn’t leave them wondering whether or not I was okay either. Vivien wasn’t my favorite choice for messenger, but I had no other options at that point. ”
Lorelei shook her head. “To save your parents from having to lie, you let his own mother betray him. And I thought Hollywood had the drama.”
Betray was such a harsh word. It wasn’t as if Snow had paid her to keep silent. Or even had to twist her arm. “However it went down, Caleb is here now and I have to convince him that we aren’t right for each other.”
“How is that going?” Lorelei asked.
Pushing unruly curls back from her face, Snow said, “Rocky at best. I set the condition that we wouldn’t have sex in the next month, and I thought that would send him running.”
“He agreed?”
“Yeah.” She still couldn’t believe that tactic hadn’t worked.
Following a low whistle, Lorelei said, “That boy is determined. And I don’t know how you’re going to hold out for a whole month.”
“Sadly, neither do I.”