Restoring Romance Read online

  Why am I thinking about kissing this girl when I haven’t even met her? I bet she doesn’t even live here—she’s probably just visiting someone in Romance. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. No need to dream about what would never happen.

  After Darla broke up with him, he resigned himself to the fact that he’d never find a girl who’d be happy with the life he’d envisioned. Darla seemed to be his perfect match. Attractive and smart, her exuberant personality drew people to her like a magnet, and Adam was no exception. He was only surprised that such a beautiful girl was interested in him. She hadn’t been the least bit bothered by his slight limp. Of course, Adam worked out to strengthen his muscles, performing his physical therapy exercises with exacting discipline, to compensate for his physical deficit, but he was still self-conscious. Most of the time, his awkward gait was barely noticeable, but Darla hadn’t cared at all... at least, that’s what he believed.

  He also thought they shared the same dreams... to build a home together in Romance and raise a houseful of kids—some of their own and some adopted. Only a few months before the wedding date, Darla hinted she didn’t really want to live in Romance for the rest of her life. She wasn’t even sure she wanted kids. A week later, the wedding was off, and Darla had moved to Seattle.

  When Adam realized he regretted giving up his dreams and disappointing his family more than losing Darla, he lost faith in his own judgment. Had he even been in love with her? Consequently, he hadn’t gone on a date for the past two years, instead, throwing himself into his work and supporting his town, even taking on the responsibility of mayor when the former mayor had to resign for health reasons.

  Yet here he was contemplating what it would be like to spend time with this intriguing woman he hadn’t even met. He certainly didn’t want to ask his meddling sister-in-law for an introduction. His brother Daniel and Erin hadn’t been married for long, and she already seemed determined to find matches for Adam and his other two brothers. Adam needed to keep Erin out of his love life, albeit a currently non-existent one.

  The girl handed the rabbit back to Erin, and the next thing he knew, Erin led her across the tent and placed a ragged-looking cat in her arms. No! Surely she wasn’t going to adopt that mangy cat. Adam was totally allergic to cats. How could he spend time with this girl if she had a cat? He had to stop her.

  Adam glanced around, in a panic. The dog pen had been almost full earlier in the day, the cute fluffy puppies the first to go. Currently, the few remaining unadopted dogs were out and about with the volunteers. Only one dog remained behind in the pen, a huge beast resembling a shaggy bear. The dog regarded Adam with wary eyes, as if he knew what Adam was planning.

  It doesn’t matter. He can’t talk.

  Adam spotted the owner of Finding Forever Animal Shelter. “Hey Brent. Mind if I take this dog for a quick walk?”

  Brent lifted an eyebrow. “You mean, Kujo? Sure thing. I’d love to find him a good home. He needs a place in the country, like yours—a place where he can run.”

  “I’m not making any promises.”

  “Oh.” Brent looked so disappointed Adam felt like a heel.

  “Actually, Brent, I know someone else who might be an even better fit. Just give me a few minutes with him.”

  Brent shrugged, handing Adam a leash. Adam led Kujo along, approaching the girl from behind, just as his sister-in-law disappeared. Great timing!

  He cleared his throat. “Hi there.” Clever opening line. No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend.

  She jumped about a foot in the air, whipping around to face him with the gargantuan blanket of motley fur in her arms. She was even more attractive up close. Those blue eyes were like lakes of water, inviting him for a swim. And she was so tiny, he wanted to swoop her into his arms, just to see how little she weighed. Or perhaps to see how good it felt to hold her.

  “You scared me!”

  “Sorry about that. I... uh... I wanted to warn you before it was too late. You’re not planning to adopt that cat, are you?”

  “As a matter of fact, I am. Why shouldn’t I?” She lifted her chin, somehow managing to look down her nose at him while he towered over her. It was so adorable, he couldn’t help smiling.

  “You might want to consider other options... better options... A dog, perhaps?” Adam swept his arm back in a grand gesture toward Kujo. “Perhaps this cute guy—he could be a companion and provide protection from... from criminals.”

  Her plump kissable lips made a surprised O. “Is there a lot of crime, here?”

  “Mmm... not usually, but you never know. Just to be on the safe side, you should consider getting a watch dog.”

  Kujo let out a deep woof that rattled Adam’s ribcage, and the cat shrieked, struggling in the girl’s arms. She edged away a few steps.

  “I think I need protection from that monster, not by him. Anyway, I’m happy with my choice.”

  “Why would you want a cat when you could have a dog? Dogs are so much better.”

  “I like cats.” Her eyes narrowed to angry blue slits.

  Adam knew he wasn’t making a good first impression, but he figured he could make up for it later. After he prevented this disastrous adoption. Desperate times—desperate measures.

  “But a dog loves you, while a cat merely tolerates your existence as a slave.”

  “Dogs slobber on your clothes and chew up your shoes.”

  “Cats scratch your furniture and spit up hairballs.”

  “Dogs lick their private parts and then lick your mouth.”

  Hmmm... she had a point. What else could he say to convince her? “I didn’t want to tell you, but this is the last chance for Kujo. He has to find a home today, or they’ll put him down tomorrow.”

  He regretted his hasty words the instant tears puddled in her round eyes. Her lip trembled as she stuttered, “I... I still can’t...”

  “Adam Walker! Why are you lying to Ash about Kujo?” Erin’s finger waved in his face, and he stepped back in the wake of her fury. Kujo added another deafening bark and the cat howled. Her finger moved down to poke against his chest. “You know good and well Brent would never put an animal down. That’s the whole point of the Finding Forever Animal Rescue.”

  “I was only teasing.” He lifted his palms in supplication.

  “Ash, I apologize for my brother-in-law’s behavior. There’s no excuse for him.” Erin scowled, her hands on her hips, and Ash matched her angry expression.

  “It was just a joke, Erin. Give me a break. I’ll make it up to you.”

  Erin crossed her arms as an evil smile slid onto her face.

  Oh no! What have I done?

  Erin whispered something in Ash’s ear, something that made her press her lips together, as if she were trying not to laugh.

  “I suppose, we might be persuaded to forgive you...” Erin opened her eyes wide and blinked rapidly, adopting an innocent tone. “Yes, I think we could forgive you if you adopted Kujo. After all, he’s been looking for a home for a long time.”

  “Wait a minute, Erin...”

  “Why wouldn’t you adopt Kujo?” Ash stepped closer, glaring up at him, the cat still in her arms. “Weren’t you telling me what a good idea it would be to adopt him. Why not do it yourself?”

  Adam let out a violent sneeze.

  “Bless you.” Erin and Ash said in unison.

  “I don’t need a dog.” He rubbed his itchy eyes on his sleeve. “And besides, who could afford to feed this guy. He weighs more than me.”

  Erin made a tsking noise. “You should have thought of that before you got Kujo’s hopes up.”

  His sister-in-law was a python, and Adam was her helpless prey. The coils squeezed around his neck. He couldn’t speak.

  Erin strode away, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll go get the adoption papers.”

  Chapter Three

  “THAT ADAM... HE WAS awful, wasn’t he, Lucky? So rude. And he said all those terrible things about cats. And he tried to make me ad
opt that huge slobbery dog instead of you.”

  So why can’t I stop thinking about him? We only spoke a few words to each other at the festival yesterday, but I can’t get his face out of my head.

  Lucky meowed an answer, moving to wind herself between Ash’s legs. Ash bent down to rub her head, sighing as she surveyed the room she’d chosen to sleep in. As in the rest of the house, the style of the antique furniture was too ornate for Ash’s taste. She couldn’t wait to get rid of everything and replace it with something more sleek and modern—more youthful and vital.

  She ran her fingers along the carved wood on the back of a floral armchair, picturing Adam with his huge frame crammed into the petite chair. Ash was accustomed to being the shortest person around, but Adam had made her feel even smaller. He wasn’t that tall—probably six feet or six feet one, but somehow, his broad muscular shoulders had made him appear larger. His square jaw, adorned with a stubble of beard, was the essence of masculinity, and those swarthy features, deep brown eyes like bottomless pits, gave him a dangerous aura.

  He didn’t look like any guy she’d met before—certainly different from her male friends in New York, who were often more concerned with fashion than she was. No, Adam wore a black t-shirt and a pair of faded Levi’s, his bulging thigh muscles threatening to split them open.

  He seemed like he’d stepped right out of some hero movie, and she almost wished she’d had some villain chasing her, so Adam could come to her rescue. And then she would swoon, and he would catch her in his strong arms, pulling her close and whispering in her ear, “Don’t be afraid, Ash. I’m here for you. I’ll always protect you.”

  Ha! Fat chance. More likely he’d drop me on the ground, and tell me to use a lint roller to get the cat hair off my shirt.

  She didn’t have a chance with him anyway, because she didn’t keep her big mouth shut. Everything he said seemed to prick a raw nerve, and she lashed back without thinking. Her tongue had gotten her in trouble more than once, yet she had never quite learned to control it, especially if someone aggravated her

  She heard her cell phone ringing in the kitchen and lunged down the stairway, almost tripping on the cat running between her legs. Lucky had been clinging to her like a shadow since she’d brought her home.

  “Maggie!” Ash answered the phone, breathing hard from her exertion. “I’m so glad you called. I miss you so much.”

  “Ha! I know better—it’s Sumo you really miss.”

  “I’ll admit I love Sumo a lot.” Ash chuckled, glancing down to where Lucky was rubbing her head against her leg. “Don’t tell him, but I adopted a cat yesterday at a little fair in downtown Romance.”

  “What? You’re gone one day, and you have a new cat? Did you also pick up a new best friend?”

  Ready for a long talk, Ash retrieved a mug and started a cup of coffee in her Keurig, the only kitchen appliance she’d unpacked. “Lucky could never replace Sumo in my heart, and I certainly haven’t made a best friend. It’ll probably take me a year before I make any friends. Without you, I’m going crazy. You know I can’t process anything until I talk to you.”

  “It’s only been like twenty-four hours. What do you have to process?”

  “Everything!” Should she tell her about Adam? What would she say? That she met a tall, dark, handsome stranger with whom she had nothing in common? No, talking about him wouldn’t change anything. She decided to stick to the real issues. “I found out I have to totally separate the restaurant from the living quarters and make a new entrance for the upstairs. So I’ll have to put in an upstairs kitchen, too. And I need to choose the colors for the inside and the outside—you know how hard it is for me to make a decision. And my new cat seems to have some sort of weird feline separation anxiety.”

  “Okay that’s a lot of stuff.”

  “That’s not all. I’m trying to find out about my family, and it’s like my grandmother boxed up everything that had to do with my mom and hid it away. And there’s no evidence she even knew I existed.”

  “Hmm... that would explain why your grandmother never contacted you. It’s so unfair that you missed out on a normal family.”

  Ash slid into an ornately carved dining chair, placing a napkin under her mug to protect the antique table. “Yeah, if I’d known I had any relatives, I might not have ended up in the foster system when Mom overdosed. But I was an angry, out-of-control, thirteen-year-old. Who knows? Maybe someone contacted my grandmother, and she didn’t want me.”

  “I know it’s selfish of me, but I’m glad things worked out the way they did. If you’d lived in Oregon when you were a teenager, it’s likely we never would’ve met. Besides, I like you just as you are. You wouldn’t have such a heart for kids if your life hadn’t been so terrible growing up.”

  She sipped her coffee, considering Maggie’s argument. Ash’s teenage years in the Texas foster system had been a series of loveless homes, but at least she hadn’t feared for her life as she did when she was a young child. After high school, she moved to Dallas, working odd jobs until she finally landed a waitress position at a posh restaurant. Lauren Holt, the owner and chef, a thirty-something woman with flawless skin and impeccable style, had taken Ash under her wing. With Lauren’s encouragement, Ash saved her money to move to New York, determined to attend culinary school.

  “I guess you’re right. I never would’ve moved to New York if I hadn’t met Lauren in Texas, but I still wish I could’ve known my grandmother.”

  “Surely your grandma knew about you, or she wouldn’t have left you the house, right?” Maggie reasoned.

  “Not necessarily. The will left the house to my mom. I only got it because there was a clause that said it would go to her offspring if she died first.”

  When the letter arrived from the attorney in Oregon, it was as if someone had handed Ash her dream, wrapped in an envelope with a stamp in the corner. She inherited a house and almost fifty thousand dollars from a grandmother she’d never heard of. She now had the means to open her own restaurant and follow in her mentor’s footsteps. Yet in that moment, she recognized the terrible truth. She would gladly have traded the house and money away for the opportunity to have a real grandmother... a real family. And now it was too late.

  “It’s possible I might still have living family, though. I found a trunk in the basement with some pictures inside. There were three kids—two girls and a boy—and I think the youngest was my mom, though I’m not positive. They all looked similar in the photo... same blond hair and blue eyes, like mom and me.”

  “But if you had an aunt and uncle, wouldn’t your grandmother have left the house and money to them?”

  Ash pushed away from the table and carried her coffee into the living room, settling on a floral patterned settee. “Yeah, I thought of that. I’m thinking it probably means they’ve already passed away, but surely I have some cousins somewhere.”

  “That’s true. How are you going to find out?”

  “It shouldn’t be too hard. My grandmother was evidently some kind of a celebrity around here—descended from a couple that started the town with their famous romance.” She rubbed her fingers across the fabric of the seat cushion. “I swear, it looks like my grandmother’s furniture is all from the 1800’s. I’m really not into all this Victorian stuff—way too froo-froo for me.”

  “Maybe you can sell it and get something more modern.”

  “Or... you could come visit and help me redecorate.” Ash picked up her coffee mug and brought it to her face, savoring the smell before taking a sip. She already knew Maggie couldn’t come, but she couldn’t help asking.

  “And get fired after three weeks at my new job? I don’t think so.”

  A knock sounded at the front door—Ash jumped, almost spilling her coffee. “Someone’s at the door. What should I do?”

  “Duh! Why don’t you answer it?”

  “But I don’t know anybody. Who would come to my house on a Sunday afternoon?”

  “You could open the door
and find out,” Maggie suggested, with no small amount of sarcasm. “Or you could wait until your guest dies on your front porch and read the obituary in the paper.”

  The knocking sounded again, more insistent this time, and Ash crept toward the door, speaking in a hoarse whisper. “I’m not really presentable. I just got out of the shower. I have on yoga pants and a tank top and no makeup.”

  “It’s probably some little old neighbor lady who can barely see. She won’t care whether you have on makeup.”

  Ash hopped as high as possible, but couldn’t see out the small windows in the top of the wooden door. “I guess it could be Erin Walker. She’s the girl who talked me into adopting Lucky. I think I told her I was living here.”

  “Just open it already.”

  “Okay, fine.” Ash unlocked the deadbolt and cracked the heavy door open, peering out at her visitor. Her heart did a double flip inside her chest, and she slammed the door closed. “Cripes!”

  “Ash, did you just shut the door on somebody?” Maggie demanded.

  “It’s him.”

  “Him? Who are you talking about?”

  “It’s Adam Walker.”

  ADAM KNOCKED ON THE door, his stomach churning as he stood on the familiar front porch. He almost expected to see his sweet Grammy open the door and beckon him inside, squeezing him in a hug and exclaiming over how big he’d grown, which she’d done for eight years after he’d stopped growing. Beside him, Kujo sat at on his haunches, grey eyes intent on the door, as if awaiting the opportunity to rush inside and terrorize the cat which now resided within, along with the blond-haired, blue-eyed stranger named Ash. Yesterday he’d been surprised at his strong response to her, a captivating beauty that tempted him to end his long dating hiatus.

  But that was before.

  Before his sister-in-law told him all about the woman from New York City. Before he knew the girl he’d admired actually believed Romance was too boring as it was. Before he learned she had plans to bring the big city to their small peaceful town. Before he found out she wanted to destroy the historic Scott house... the house that should be his.