Anything But Sweet (26 page)

“
No
tearing and
no
ripping. I never agreed to that.”

“Really?” She batted her eyelashes. “Did you read the small print in the contract?”

“Holy shit, Charli.” His heart raced. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”

“I’m kidding.”

He checked her expression, which told him nothing. “You swear?”

“Cowboy, if I told you what we were doing to the store, you’d have an opinion a mile
wide. I told you if you didn’t like what we’d done, we’d put it back the way it was.
How could we do that if we tore out walls?”

When he leaned over her to refill her coffee, she curled her fingers into his T-shirt
and pulled him down to eye level.

“Trust me,” she said.

He made an effort to do just that.

And then he took her back to bed.

I
n the course of a morning and afternoon, Reno learned that with the exception of the
garden—which had taken a midsummer turn from dry to scorched—and riding out to check
the herd, there was little to do around his place. After he rode back to his mom’s
house, he found her flitting around like a butterfly, singing to herself. Giggling
at some private joke.

Weird.

It didn’t take long before she sucked him into helping her move this or that. She’d
asked him his opinion on whether a wreath would look better on the wall or a picture.
If a red or gold candle looked better in an old lantern she’d rescued years ago from
Shorty Blackstock’s farm.

He’d finally escaped out to the barn, so he didn’t have to help her hang curtains.
Or break up little sticks and pieces of bark to decorate a wall mirror. Or, for crying
out loud, make a silk flower arrangement. His penance was he had to suffer the ever-curious
and amorous attentions of Miss Giddy, who today sported a bright yellow ribbon around
her neck.

As the day crawled on, it seemed like he looked at his watch about every ten minutes.
After several hours passed, he figured the term
stir-crazy
was probably a description that fit him well. Then again, so would the word
fearful.

What would he do if he walked into the store and found everything that reminded him
of his dad, gone?

How could he go in there every day and not feel his father’s spirit? Hear his laughter?
The memories faded more and more with each passing day. He didn’t want to lose it
all. Just the thought made him sick to his stomach.

He needed to keep busy. Keep his mind occupied, so it didn’t have the chance to freeze
with fear. But that didn’t mean he wanted to help his mother inside the house.

Around three o’clock, he couldn’t escape when she came into the barn, where he’d kept
busy by restacking hay bales. The job was dusty and itchy, but at least it kept his
mind off what was going on at the store. Or Charli’s leaving once it was done.

“Sugarplum, you’ve been out here for too long without something to drink.” She held
up a bottle of Shiner.

He pushed the bale of hay into place, ran the long sleeve of his shirt across his
forehead, and accepted her offering. The ale went down cold, crisp, and refreshing.

“Thanks, Mom.”

She joined him by plopping down on a bale and sipping on a bottle of root beer. “I
know you’ve been avoiding the house because of all the changes I’m making. I just
thought maybe it was time.”

Admittedly, he didn’t like seeing all the comforts of the home he’d grown up in taken
down piece by piece, but that was only part of the reason he’d stayed outside.

“Or maybe I figured you’d have me sewing aprons and arranging flowers.”

She chuckled. “I’d never dream of asking you to do anything froufrouish.”

“Figured if you had something heavy you wanted moved or something put up you couldn’t
do by yourself, you’d ask.” He pulled down a bale and sat beside her. For a moment,
the only sound that rustled through the barn was the cooing of a pigeon who’d taken
up residence in the rafters.

“So why are you out here in the heat doing a job that’s already been done?”

He shrugged. Lifted the bottle to his mouth and took a long pull. “Hiding out, I guess.
Realized without access to the store, there’s not a whole lot going on.”

His mother leaned back. “Are you bored, son?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe you’ve just gotten used to having a little company these days?”

He smiled. “You spying on me?”

“Don’t need to spy. Anyone with eyeballs in their head can see you and Charli are
smitten with each other.”

“
Smitten?
” Reno laughed. He’d hardly call what he and Charli had
smitten
. Then again, other than hot for each other or short-term, he wasn’t sure how their
relationship could be labeled.

“You’ve been alone so long, it must be nice to have someone to talk to,” his mother
said.

“I guess.”

“Someone to share ideas with.”

“Sure.”

“Someone to make plans with,” she said.

“I don’t know if I’d go that far.”

His mother sighed. Took a drink from her bottle of soda. Then stood. “Guess I’d best
get back to my work.”

“Other than flower arranging, you need any help in there?”

She leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “No, sugarplum, you just stay out
here and keep hiding. I’m sure that will solve everything.”

As she walked away, he cocked his head.

What the hell was that all about?

Lately, his mother made less and less sense. Though Jackson still inhabited his old
bedroom, and Izzy made an appearance a couple times a week, his mom probably just
needed a little more company. After having had a houseful of rowdy boys, it must get
pretty quiet in that big, rambling place.

He slugged down the rest of the beer and stood. Brushed the hay off the back of his
pants and headed toward the house.

For his mother, he guessed he could put aside his testosterone for a few hours to
hang curtains and play with flowers.

Maybe then he could figure out what was going on inside her head.

Chapter 20

L
ate Saturday afternoon rolled around with a clear blue sky and heavy anticipation.
Only the final touches remained on the hardware-store makeover. Charli bustled around
the interior, placing items on the shelves and making sure everything looked perfect.
The nerves in her stomach had increased from butterfly flutters to California-sized
earthquakes.

For most reveals, she naturally felt a little anxious—a little concerned that her
designs wouldn’t quite meet expectations. This reveal, however, was unlike any other.

This one was personal.

She couldn’t bear to see the disappointment on Reno’s face if she let him down. And
as promised, if he didn’t like it, they’d have to put it back the way it was. In twenty-four
hours.

Impossible.

She prayed he’d like the results.

Once the reveal was over, she planned to tell him that after her contract was up,
she’d like to come back to Sweet and make it her home. She’d tell him about the discussion
she and his mother had had about opening a business together.

She hoped he’d be encouraged by her plans. She hoped he’d want to take their relationship
further. She prayed he’d be patient and understand that she might have to leave for
a short time, but that she’d be back to make a life with him if that’s what was in
his heart.

But even for a girl who hit her knees on a regular basis, Charli knew that was a heck
of a lot of hoping and praying.

P
rereveal, Reno stood across the street from his hardware store, waiting impatiently
for the moment to be over. Feeling like he had a ticking time bomb attached to his
chest. While everyone around him buzzed with excitement, the muscles in his neck twisted,
and his stomach knotted. Apparently, the town had planned a big wrap party for afterward,
but he wasn’t even sure he could make it through the next hour of waiting without
tossing his cookies.

He knew the hard work Charli had put into his store, as she’d come home every night
exhausted. She hadn’t given him a single clue as to what might be going on within
those old walls, and, admittedly, that had been killing him all week. He didn’t like
handing control over to someone else. Most often he’d come out the other side disappointed
or devastated. But Charli had convinced him she’d do right by the traditions he held
close to his heart. And he had to trust that she’d be true to her word.

If the wait for the reveal weren’t nerve-wracking enough, sometime tomorrow she and
her crew would pack up their tools and roll out of town.

So what the hell was he supposed to do then?

Ask her to stay? Chances she’d say no were pretty high. He wanted to believe she’d
been telling the truth when she’d said she felt like she belonged in Sweet. But she
had a career that moved her around. A lot. And she hadn’t mentioned plans to make
any one place permanent.

He could think he knew her, but did he really? How well could you get to know a person
in just six weeks? Maybe her hooking up with someone on location wasn’t that unusual
for her. He gave his head a hard shake, knowing the thought was complete and utter
bullshit before it had even spilled from his brain.

Over the past few years, he’d become a pro at dodging life. He made a great observer
but not such a good participant. As his mother said, it was time to move on. But could
he? And what was waiting for him if he did? He’d be a fool to think there were guarantees
in life. He’d just like a little gut instinct to tell him what to do. Unfortunately
for him, his gut was currently too nauseous to even speak the English language.

The only thing clear to him at that moment was that his life was about to change in
a big way. And he just wasn’t sure he was ready for it.

“Guess things can go back to normal now,” Jackson said, hitching Izzy up on his hip
while holding her little pink, pearl-handled purse in his free hand. The action did
nothing to take away from Jackson’s masculinity and everything to make the single
ladies in the crowd melt and wonder where they could fit into his life and how they
could get into his bed.

“Depends on what you want to call normal,” Reno said. In his
pre
-Charli world, normal equaled a silent house. No one to make him laugh. No one to
hold at night.

Yeah. Normal sucked.

He glanced across the barricaded street to the gray-haired group from the senior
center. It seemed so long ago Charli and company had invaded the town and taken over
the ramshackle rock-faced building. And so long ago when he’d sworn to find a way
to boot her and her ever-present cameras from his town. Who knew he’d end up helping
her make the center a better place for the over-sixty crowd? He must have had sucker
stamped on his forehead from the moment Charli pulled into town.

“You okay?” Jackson juggled Izzy’s purse and her half-eaten cupcake so she could
lay her sleepy head on his shoulder.

“Not sure. But if you asked my stomach, it would give you a definitive
no.
”

Like a hurricane-force wind, Jesse joined them. “Did you see Mom?”

“Yeah. About ten minutes ago,” Jackson answered.

“No,” Jesse corrected. “Did you
see
Mom.”

“Jess, she’s right th—”

All their heads turned at the same time when they heard their mother’s laughter. No.
Scratch that. When they heard their mother giggle.

Holy shit.

Reno searched over the tops of heads and found her standing a few feet away from the
senior-center crowd. With a man.

“Who
is
that?” Reno asked.

“Don’t know,” Jesse answered.

“He was at the party,” Jackson said. “I saw him talking to . . . damn it.”

“What?” Reno and Jesse said at the same time.

“I saw him talking to her near the dance floor. Then they both disappeared.”

“Disappeared to where?” Jesse asked.

“How the hell should I know?” Jackson’s growl brought Izzy’s head up. She rubbed her
eyes and started to whimper.

“I want Mommy.”

“Okay, baby girl. Hang on just a second.” Jackson kissed the top of her curly hair.

Fiona showed up at the sound of her daughter’s whine. “She’s had a long day,” she
said, taking Izzy into her arms.

“Thanks, Fi,” Jackson said. “You’re the best.”

“Uh-huh.” She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

The whole scene twisted Reno’s gut. Jackson and Fiona had made a good couple. But
just like so many other things, it hadn’t been meant to be.

“Let’s go talk to Mom,” Jesse said, after Fiona and Izzy were out of earshot.

“And say what?” Reno asked.

“And ask her about
Mr. Mysterious
,” Jackson said, as if Reno had taken a shot of stupid.

“You know Mom,” Reno said in defense. “He’s probably new in town, and she’s always
been a member of the welcoming committee.”

“I don’t think so.”

Both Reno and Jackson followed the direction of Jesse’s gaze to find their mother
still talking to the man and . . . twirling a lock of her big blond hair.

“Uh-oh.” Jackson took the first step. As they had when they were younger, Reno and
Jesse banded together with their little brother, who was once again leading them down
the path of trouble.

When they reached the other side of the street, Reno felt a jolt rip through his heart.
The last time he’d seen that smile on his mother’s face, she’d been looking at his
father as he’d led her into a waltz around the kitchen. That had been before Jared
had been killed, and their world had fallen apart.

“Let
me
talk to her.” Reno curled his fingers into his palms to prevent his hands from shaking.
“You guys are too wired up.”

Beneath their breaths, his brothers mumbled and muttered, which only proved that he
was the right one to do the talking.

When they walked up to where their mother stood with the stranger, Reno realized that
the man had his hand on her back in a gesture of familiarity.

“Is this guy bothering you, Mom?” Jackson asked.

So much for letting Reno do the talking.

“Don’t be silly,” she said, looking none too happy that her boys had obviously crashed
her party. “I’ve known Martin since he moved here a while back. We have a lot in common.”

“Like what?” Jesse asked.

“I’m sorry we’ve not met before,” the silver-haired man said. “Martin Lane. I bought
the old Pritchard place about three months ago.” He offered his hand, which Reno shook
and Jackson and Jesse stared at before they finally reciprocated.

“I hope you’ll excuse my boys, Martin. I raised them to have better manners.”

“It’s all right, Jana.”

Jana?

Reno cringed. The stranger and his mother were on a first-name basis? And she was
already looking at him like
that
?

Their mother patted the man on the arm. “You don’t mind if I have a little chat with
them alone, do you?”

“Of course not.” Martin Lane bowed away. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Like hell he will,” Jackson said, as soon as the man walked away.

“Jackson Jeremiah Wilder! What has gotten into you?” Their mother’s glare cut to all
of them. “What’s gotten into
all
of you?”

Reno could see the flush of anger on his mother’s cheeks. “You caught us off guard
with Mr. Lane,” he explained. “We just wanted to make sure you were safe.”

“Of course I’m safe. How can I not be with three grown sons who don’t think I’m mature
enough to make friends with a new member of our community?”

“Pardon me for being up front, Mom,” Jesse said, “but the way you were looking at
him seemed like a little more than friendship.”

Her hands slammed onto her hips. “So what if it is?”

“Are you sure you’re ready for that?” Reno asked, trying to be as careful with what
he said as well as the way he said it.

“Am I ready for what? To move on with my life? Funny
you
should bring that up, Reno.” She looked up at him, then shared that frown with his
brothers too. “The answer is yes. I’m ready to move on with my life. Because what’s
the alternative? The grave? I give that a big hell
no.
”

Jackson blinked. “Mom, I don’t think—”

“Exactly!” Her tone was knife sharp. “How dare you think I’m not smart enough to know
what I want or what’s best for
me.
Me.
Not
you.
I’ve dedicated my life to you boys. Well, now it’s my turn to have a little fun.
And as grown men, y’all should understand that I’m not looking for someone to replace
your father.”

Reno’s heart hit his stomach when her lip quivered, and mist floated in her eyes.

“I’m lonely,” she said matter-of-fact. “All y’all have your own lives to do with
as you please. Why can’t I have mine?” A breath of air pushed from her lungs. “If
you can’t accept that now, then stay the hell away till you can.”

With a go-to-hell glare Reno had
never
seen, she walked away.

“Fuck,” Jackson said.

There were no better words to relay the emotion of that moment.

Reno shoved his hands into his pockets. The time bomb exploded. His mother was putting
his father behind her. Charli was leaving. And now he had to walk into that store,
where all his wonderful memories of the man who’d saved his life had been stripped
away.

Fuck.

A
s the last rays of sunlight lit up the western sky in shades of pink and gold, the
earthquakes in Charli’s stomach rolled into hurricane-force waves of nausea and stress.

This was it.

The moment when the Sweet, Texas, episodes for
My New Town
came to an end. The moment when she’d find out whether Reno would be pleased with
her renovations. The moment when she’d have to face whether they had any hope of a
future together.

As the residents of the town gathered behind the cameras, and the Wilder family gathered
in front, Charli immediately recognized that something was very wrong.

To maintain spontaneity, she’d purposely not spoken to the family beforehand. Now,
as she led them to the mark where the cameras could record their expressions and reactions
once the eighteen-wheeler was moved, she sensed a tension so tight, the air around
them virtually snapped.

Charli squeezed Reno’s arm and looked up into his dark wary eyes. Tonight, the splash
of silver hair at his temples was seemingly pronounced, as if he’d grown new ones
over the past few days. Hours. His dimples were completely buried.

“Everything okay?” she asked, knowing all was not.

He stared at the eighteen-wheeler still parked in front of the store and gave a curt
nod that gave away nothing.

She looked at Jana, Jackson, and Jesse, who stood beside him—though they definitely
were not presented as a unit.

Confused, Charli was hesitant to continue. Usually, the participants were nervous,
eager, and maybe a little on edge. They were not often wearing explosive expressions
with hostility stiffening their stance.

“Does anyone need a moment before we do the reveal?” she asked.

Reno’s brows slammed together. “For what?”

“I don’t know.” She glanced at the family. “Maybe for everyone to find their happy
place?”

“Let’s just get it over with.”

Reno’s tone was sharp, and Charli wasn’t sure why it was directed at her. But they
were burning daylight, and even if the Wilder family wasn’t quite ready, everyone
else involved with the show was primed to get on down the road.

“All righty then.” Apprehension tingled at the back of her neck.

There would be time after the reveal to figure out the problem. For now, even as insensitive
as it seemed, she had a show to do. She glanced behind the cameras to where Sarah
stood holding Pumpkin, who’d come along to join the party. Her assistant gave her
a thumbs-up. Charli gave the “Let’s roll” cue to Max, pushed aside her uncertainty,
and reached deep for the enjoyment she usually achieved in a reveal.