Smitten Book Club (7 page)

Lia sat curled up on the sofa and took a bite of her cookie. “It was the field trip from Hades. Two little boys got into the fountain. I had nothing to change them into, and the wind picked up after lunch. We had several bouts of tears among the girls when one of them felt left out. So thanks for inviting me over. I needed some adult conversation. What did you do today?”

“Helped out at Molly’s business. I spackled the walls.”

Lia’s eyes widened. “Was Paul there?”

Heather snatched a cookie herself. “Nearly half the town was there. Including Paul.”

“How are you dealing with being around him in such close proximity?”

Heather nibbled on the cookie to give herself time to reply calmly. “It’s going okay. I think the farm is a great idea, and Paul is super smart about laying out everything.”

“I’m surprised he’s not married.”

“Me too. I’m sure he’ll get around to it when he’s ready.”

“But he’s two years older than we are, isn’t he?”

Heather nodded and picked up the old book. “I suppose we should see if we can find any clues to where the mine is located. This is harder than I thought it would be. And wading through that advice about love is rather daunting when you’re single.”

Lia laughed. “What kind of advice?”

“Listen to this. ‘If your man appears distracted, do not try to get him to talk. He will work it out on his own.’ That’s ridiculous! Everyone needs to bounce problems off others.”

Lia sat back and shook her head. “I don’t know, Heather. My dad always liked working things out on his own. I think it depends on the person.”

“It does have
some
good advice. I saw something in here about how men need their jobs to help define who they are. She put it in flowery language, but that was the gist of it.”

“What about the treasure?”

Heather flipped a few pages. “There are so many passages marked with ink or a piece of paper. I don’t know which are important.” She stopped at a tiny arrow pointing to a paragraph. “I wanted you to see this one. It reads, ‘The heart is a woman’s hidden chamber. She should keep it for the one man who can unlock it and fit into the space therein.’ I wondered if that meant the opening to the mine was small.”

Lia leaned forward. “Gosh, this is hard. I guess it could mean that. It’s marked?”

“With an arrow—like it’s important.” Heather showed her the mark. “The arrow is teeny, though. Which I thought might mean it was a clue meant to be overlooked by most.”

“But where do you look for a small opening to a mine? We need more.”

Heather exhaled and leaned back in her chair. “I know. The area is huge, and so many have already tried.”

Lia propped her chin on her hand. “What about search dogs? Do we know anyone with trained animals?”

“There’s a search dog training center near Stowe. We could ask for their help. But don’t they have to have something to sniff?”

“True. I don’t suppose a gold necklace would work.” Heather laughed and flipped to another page.

Don’t punish your dear one for past mistakes. Learn to love and appreciate him for his most excellent qualities. You won’t change him, so don’t try.

Her thoughts flew to Paul. She’d stiffened today when he commented about the way she encouraged people.

“What are you thinking about? Your eyes got all squinty like you want to hit something,” Lia said.

“Or someone. Maybe myself.” Heather tried for a laugh and came up with a cough. “I think I messed up today. Paul said I always encouraged him. I remembered that the only time I actually wanted to encourage him was the time he pushed me away, so I froze him out and walked off.”

Lia winced. “He probably had no idea what it was all about, did he?”

“Probably not. We were joking around until then.”

Lia studied her face. “Does it still matter? I mean, do you have feelings for him?”

Heather looked down at her hands. “Of course not! That was a long time ago, Lia. But remembering it still embarrasses me.”

“Uh-huh.” Lia swallowed the last bite of cookie, then reached for her tea. “He was your first love, wasn’t he? A girl never forgets the first guy she mooned over.”

“You make it sound like it was a silly high school crush.”

Lia’s eyes went wide. “Wasn’t it?”

“I—I . . . of course it was.” It had started in high school but continued for many years after.

Even before he’d shown up here, Heather had daydreamed about seeing Paul again. In her imagination, his eyes had widened at the sight of her. He’d taken her in his arms and told her how much he regretted that night. Silly, girlish dreams that refused to be banished. She’d told herself over and over again that she’d had a lucky escape. Paul would never settle down.

Lia stirred sugar into her tea. “You’ve got that expression again. What are you thinking?”

“It’s best if I stay on my guard around him. Who knows if he’ll even stay around for long? He says he’s moving back for good, but I’m not sure I can believe it.”

Lia’s brow furrowed. “Honey, you love others so unguardedly, but you seem afraid to let someone else love you. I know you’ve been hurt, but not everyone is like Jack. There are good men out there.”

“You’re a good friend, Lia. I know you want what’s best for me, but I’m perfectly happy with just Charlie and me. I wouldn’t want to risk his happiness by falling for some guy who would turn around and leave about the time Charlie got attached.”

“Open yourself up to love a little, Heather. You might be surprised what will happen.”

Heather wasn’t sure she knew how to do that.

The basement of the church was packed, and Paul saw no place to sit down while he waited for his turn. People from all over town had brought in items for a gigantic rummage sale. The proceeds were to go to Molly, who sat looking a little woebegone at the head table.

Heather approached him with her little boy in tow. She was dressed in a gray skirt and pink sweater that made her look like she was still in high school. “Looking for a seat? Nat saved you one.”

He’d hoped she wanted him to sit with her. Crazy thought. He inclined his head toward Molly. “Looks like she wishes she were eating popcorn somewhere else.”

Heather turned to look. “She hates being the center of attention. And it’s never easy accepting help when you’re used to being the strong one.”

He touched Charlie’s head. “Hey, big guy, I brought my soccer ball. Want to go kick it around for a while until the food is ready? We’ll stay out of your mother’s hair.”

The smile in her eyes faded. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. He’s not used to being around men.”

“All the more reason for him to get in some soccer while he can.” Was she afraid to let him be around her son?

Heather shrugged. “It’s time to eat right now. Later maybe.”

And later she’d probably have another excuse. “What’s your problem?” he whispered as they walked toward the food tables. “I’ll make sure Charlie is okay. I like the little guy.”

The little boy ran off to join two friends, and Heather stopped. “Right now you might take the time to play with him, but he might get attached to you. When you leave, he’ll be upset.”

Before he could answer, Aunt Rose spied them. She’d recently married her first love, and the bloom of happiness made her look much younger than her sixties. Her salt-and-pepper hair gleamed in the fluorescent lights, and her smile made everyone want to return it.

“There you are, young man. I’ve got half a dozen people who want to say hello.” She offered up a powdered cheek for him to kiss before she turned bright eyes toward Heather. “My dear girl, you and Charlie must come to dinner one night. Paul needs to get reacquainted with his old friends.”

Heather’s gaze darted from side to side as though she sought an escape. Paul stifled a laugh. He’d been in her spot before. Aunt Rose was like a tank plowing through a flower bed. There was no stopping her when she set her mind on something.

“I think that’s a great idea,” he said. “I’m free tomorrow night. How about you, Heather?”

“Not tomorrow.”

“Next Sunday evening will give her time to schedule,” his aunt said without waiting for Heather to reply. “About six?
I’ll make fettuccine alfredo. It’s Paul’s favorite. I make it with cream cheese, and I think you’ll love it. Would you like to bring a nice salad?”

“Um, yes, ma’am.” Heather’s face was as pink as her sweater. When his great-aunt patted her on the cheek before zooming off to corral another hapless victim, Heather grabbed Paul’s arm. “You threw me to the wolves!”

“Tsk, tsk. Aunt Rose is hardly a wolf. She’s genuinely caring and pretty darn wonderful.”

“Well, yes, she is. But you watched her corner me and didn’t say a word.”

“I didn’t want to get in her bull’s-eye.” He grinned and steered her toward the food table. “Besides, she’s right. I need some friends. Will you be my friend, Heather?”

She hesitated. “We’ll be working together, and anything more might cause some awkwardness.”

“Then you’re fired.”

She blinked and stared up at him uncertainly. Was he serious? “What?”

“If I have to choose between friendship or business, friendship wins out. So you’re fired.”

She bit her lip. “But what if I don’t want to be fired? I’m excited about the organic farm.”

They reached the table, piled high with food from the best cooks in Smitten. “You can keep your job if you come to dinner and at least pretend to like me.”

“I like you fine,” she muttered.

His lips twitched, but he managed not to smile. “That’s been very clear. You like me so much you cross the street to avoid talking to me.”

“I do no such thing! Name one time I avoided you.” She picked up a plate and ladled a Mexican dip onto it.

“Well, you wanted to. I saw it in your eyes.” He grinned and picked up a plate. “Seriously, Heather, you blow hot and cold. One minute you’re letting me help you search for buried treasure, and the next minute you won’t let me play soccer with your kid. I won’t bite, you know. I want us to start over as if we’ve never met.” He put down his plate and extended his hand. “Hi, I’m Paul Mansfield.”

She glanced down the length of the table. “Stop, people are looking.”

“Better shake my hand then, and let things get back to normal.”

She rolled her eyes, and her cheeks went even redder before she barely touched her fingertips to his. “Fine. Hi, I’m Heather DeMeritt.” She jerked her hand back before he could hang on to it.

He felt like whistling, but he followed her down the length of the table and piled his plate high. He needed energy to figure out how to win her.

To show your suitor you notice his muscles, compliment him on a job well done.

P
EARL
C
HAMBERS
,
The Gentlewoman’s Guide to Love and Courtship

CHAPTER SEVEN

A
re you sure this dog knows what he’s doing?” Heather paused to wipe the moisture from her brow. They’d climbed up at least two hundred feet. The muscles in her legs burned, and her lungs labored. It was entirely too high for her comfort zone.

“His owner said he was a gold-sniffing dog,” Abby said.

“A gold-sniffing dog,” Lia scoffed. Her cheeks were pink. “That should have been our first clue we were going to be running in circles.”

Heather had to laugh, though she wanted to sit down on the moist ground and pout. This had been a wild-goose chase, but when Abby called with the idea it had sounded like a fun lark for a Saturday afternoon. A patron at the library had mentioned that his dog liked digging for gold. That was all it took for Abby to be off and running. Well, all of them had been game.

Abby blew a strand of hair from her eyes. “Hey, it might work.” She whistled, and the dog, a golden retriever, came running with his tail wagging. “Good boy.” She ran her fingers through his coat and cooed to him like he was a baby.

Charlie ran up to throw his arms around the dog. Heather watched him with a smile. Maybe she should get him a puppy.

“Sorry to break up the party,” Molly said, “but I’ve got to get back. It’s nearly time to get Noah from his friend’s. It’s been fun, girls, even if we didn’t find anything.”

“I have to go too,” Lia said. “I’ve got to get my lesson plan together for Monday.”

“And I rode with you, so I have to leave too.” Abby looked crestfallen. “But hey, we had fun even if we didn’t find anything.” She glanced at Heather. “You coming?”

Heather hesitated, then shook her head. “Charlie and I will tramp around a little while longer. The farm is on the other side of this hill. I might take a peek. I haven’t been out since Wednesday.” And then it had been by herself. She hadn’t seen Paul since last Sunday. “Thanks for coming out. See you all later.”

She watched her friends hustle down the steep embankment. Their vehicles were a faint smudge of color in the distance where they’d parked along the road. The dog’s happy bark faded with their excited chatter.

She took Charlie’s hand. “Want to go see how our organic farm is coming?”