Love Inspired August 2014 – Bundle 1 of 2 (45 page)

Chapter One

T
hat sure smelled like fire.

Caleb Beck backed out from his crouched position under the sink and laid down the
wrench. Hopefully the patch on the pipe would work. “Mags! Are you cooking something?”

He clomped over to the industrial oven he’d installed at the bed-and-breakfast a few
years ago. Cool to the touch. He peeked inside, just in case. Empty.

The inn had seven guest bedrooms, and four of the rooms had their own fireplaces.
He sniffed the air and turned in a circle, his fingers looped on his tool belt. The
smell didn’t come from upstairs. Out the window over the kitchen sink, Caleb spotted
the inn’s owner, Maggie West, working in the garden. It would be just like his absentminded
sister-in-law to not follow city code and burn something out in the yard.

He yanked open the back door. “Maggie. Are you burning something? Leaves, maybe?”

Maggie rolled her eyes at him, her hands on her hips and her curly brown hair puffing
out in every angle imaginable. “Burning leaves at the end of summer? We have months
yet for that. Don’t tell me you hit your head in there.”

Caleb growled. Should have known he wouldn’t get a straight answer out of her. Maggie
had been stubborn since they were kids playing on the beaches of Lake Michigan together.

He let out a long breath.
Be patient.
“Well, something is burning, and if you’re just going to stand there...”

“It’s probably faulty work done by my handyman.” A laugh in her voice, she bent back
down to tend to her garden.

“But I’m your handyman.”

“Like I said.”

He shoved through the back door and his eyes landed on the door that led to the basement.
Of course.
These old Victorians came complete with ancient and terrible wiring. Sure, the homes
filled the tourist town of Goose Harbor with charm, but the laws against changing
historical landmarks made it difficult to improve the buildings when safety came into
play. Maggie might not take him seriously, but the whole place could go up in a heap
of smoke if he didn’t act fast. Caleb hurtled down the stairs, taking them two at
a time.

The sight that met him made him freeze for a moment.

A woman he’d never seen before hunched over a metal tub in the middle of the cold
floor. Her blond hair splayed across her face and blocked him from seeing her expression.
Pieces of paper fanned out in all directions around her.

He took a step forward. She didn’t look up. Caleb scooped up one of the papers. A
letter.

Dear Paige...

Her shoulders trembled. “Never again.”

Paige tossed a stack of folded papers onto the small fire burning in the tub. Flames
licked the edge of the bin as the paper started to curl and turn black. Next, she
grabbed a mound of white fabric from beside her. If she tossed that wispy bunch of
cloth into the small tub, the fire would get out of control. Not to mention smell
awful.

He crossed to where she sat on the ground.

Almost in a daze, Paige lifted her arms, ready to stuff the white pile of fabric into
the fire.

Caleb caught her wrists. “What are you, crazy? Don’t do that.” He tugged what now
registered in his head as a dress out of her clutches.

Paige slammed her hands onto her hips. “Give that back.”

Caleb tossed it out of her reach. She moved to go after the dress, but he grabbed
her slender shoulders, and she finally looked at him. When her crystal-blue eyes locked
on his, something warm curled inside his chest. He knew enough about women to know
only one thing could cause those huge raccoon marks on her face. She’d been crying.
Not just crying—sobbing. But even the running mascara couldn’t mask her simple beauty.
The splash of freckles across her cheeks, delicate nose and pursed lips as she exhaled...everything
about her screamed
protect me
.

Had he ever been able to deny someone who needed help?

Caleb shook that thought away. He’d had the opportunity to protect more than one person
he cared about and failed. Miserably. Never again.

He didn’t deserve another chance.

A thin breath rattled out of her, and she shrank away from him. “I’m sorry. I don’t
know what I’m...I’m...” Paige looked like a scared animal begging a hunter not to
shoot her.

“What were you doing?” Caleb kept his voice low and even.

“Can you please hand me my wedding dress?”

“Your...?” His eyes darted to the white pool of fabric he’d thrown to the corner of
the basement. The girl was going to shove a wedding dress into the fire? What could
have happened to her? “You can’t burn that in here. It’s not safe. Besides, a wedding
dress is something to keep forever.”

“Forever. Ha. Forever doesn’t exist.” Paige ran the back of her hand under her eyes
and pushed up to her feet. Brushing past him, she scooped up the dress. “I can do
whatever I want with it.”

Caleb tugged the dress away from her. “Not toss it in that fire. In fact—” He strode
past her to the sink near the washer and dryer and filled a pitcher with water. Walking
back to the small metal tub, he doused the fire inside. The flames hissed as they
died.

“You had no right.” She crossed her arms over her chest and her foot tapped on the
cement floor. Too bad the petite woman couldn’t have looked menacing if she tried.

“And you have no right trying to burn down Maggie’s inn.”

“I wasn’t going to—I promise I won’t put it in the fire.” She yanked a hair tie off
her wrist and pulled her hair into a quick, messy bun. “It’s been a bad day.”

He took a step closer. Yes, this woman was beautiful. Of that there was no doubt.
Despite her obvious grief and the spotty lighting in the basement, Paige’s features
were stunning—legs a mile long and honey-colored hair a man couldn’t help but want
to run his hands through. Her blue eyes were deep with locked secrets, kind of like
an animal in a cage at the shelter—a little sad yet with the promise of hope. A dusting
of freckles formed striking constellations on her cheeks. They were cute, making her
seem approachable even in her present state of distress.

What was she doing here? “Who are you, anyway?”

She lifted her chin. “I live here.”

“Listen. I know everyone in this town and I have never seen you in my life. Who are
you?”

Her lips quivered. “Can I just have the dress back? Please?”

“Not if you’re going to try to do something crazy with it again.” He moved his hands
behind his back so she couldn’t make a grab at the fabric.

She balled her fists up at her sides. “I’m so tired of people telling me what I can
and can’t do.” She marched toward him, bringing along a sweet, flowery smell that
made him want to lean closer even with the blaze in her eyes.

Her pointer finger jabbed into his chest. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but—”

“It’s just... I can’t believe—” She dissolved into a mess of tears and ragged breaths.
Hands covering her face as her shoulders hunched, her knees began to buckle.

Caleb dropped the dress and caught her elbows before she hit the ground. She wasn’t
even trying to stand anymore. He had to press her to his chest and wrap his arms around
her just to keep her upright. Her head fit right into the place next to his heart.
“Shh. Hey. You’re okay.”

Okay? Should he have said that? It’s not like he knew her problems. But no man in
the world could handle a woman when she cried like that. He didn’t even know her and
her tears were making his heart bunch into a knot.

He tightened his hold a bit. “Did someone harm you? Are you in any sort of danger?”

One of her fists pounded against his shoulder three times before her fingers worked
open and bunched the fabric of his flannel shirtfront. “How could he? I was ready....
Life was set.... How could he?” She sniveled into his shirt right next to his heart.

“I’m sorry. Whatever happened, I’m sorry you had to go through it.” He rubbed a circle
on her back.

Paige rested her forehead against his chest and took a few rattling breaths. He fought
the foolish urge to bury his nose in her soft hair. Not counting his sister or Maggie,
how long had it been since he held a woman in his arms? Two years.

The washing machine along the south wall clicked and started whirling. The tiny legs
of the machine clattered against the cement with a high-pitched scratching sound.
Maggie probably overfilled the thing, again.

The sound snapped the woman in his embrace back to attention.

Paige pushed out of his arms. “Oh. I’m so sorry. How stupid of me. You must think
that I...”

He held up a hand. “You don’t have to explain.” He handed her the wedding dress.

“Thank you,” she mumbled.

Caleb glanced up at the ceiling as if he could find directions on how to deal with
distraught women written up there. A stuffed snowman grinned back at him. Nothing
but beams packed with Maggie’s decorations for all the different holidays.

He wouldn’t leave the woman alone in the basement in case she did something else irrational,
but he could hold his tongue and give her a minute to collect herself. Besides, it’s
not like he could help her if she asked. He’d never been able to help anyone before.

Not really.

* * *

Stop acting crazy.

Paige Windom took a long, deep breath. What a way to start life in a new town. Good
thing Dad couldn’t see her now.
Windoms don’t crack.
At least, that was what he always said. Then again, he’d lost his right to speak
into her life. Cheaters and liars don’t get to give advice.

Why wouldn’t this man leave her alone? Her pity party was supposed to be an invitation-only
thing. Table for one.

She didn’t need a stranger seeing her in this state because this wasn’t her. She organized
everything, made to-do lists and had every lesson plan she’d ever written in a color-coded
binder. Not that she’d admit it to anyone, but she even kept an Excel spreadsheet
of her wardrobe to help match outfits for work. But well-laid plans hadn’t led to
dreams coming true. Not once. So maybe being rational wasn’t worth it.

She sank to her knees.

Her fingers traced over the beadwork on the dress in her hands. The perfect Pronovias
gown—an A-line organza with a sweetheart neckline, complete with a cascade of ruffles.
It had taken thirteen shopping trips to find the perfect dress. Thirteen. She should
have known better.

She hadn’t cried when she discovered Bryan with another woman and hadn’t even shed
a tear on the three-hour drive from Chicago to Goose Harbor. But for some reason,
as she unpacked her bag in the little room on the back side of the inn, her body started
to ache. It felt like a bad case of heartburn, but more painful. And no matter how
tightly she pressed a pillow to herself, the hurt in the pit of her stomach remained.

Would she have to walk through the rest of life feeling numb?

Sure, she wanted independence, but no one told her how abandoned being free felt.

Floorboards above her creaked, and the sound drew her back to the present. A damp,
mildew smell clung to the cracked cement along the walls of the basement. The other
side of the room still boasted a dirt floor. Sunlight filtered in through the basement’s
window wells.

The man in the basement with her worked his bearded jaw back and forth. Had she really
just tossed herself into his arms? Quite the first impression. Paige felt her cheeks
begin to burn. What must he think of her?

He hooked his hands on his tool belt. The man’s silhouette against the evening sunlight
outlined broad shoulders as his flannel shirt molded over coiled biceps. When he held
her, he’d smelled like a midnight rainstorm, fresh with a slight scent of pine trees.
His athletic form made him look ready to build a house from scratch or chop down a
tree. The man was all strength, but carried a gentle reassurance about his person
all the same.

Regardless of his relaxed pose, he would be able to move quickly if she did something
reckless with her dress again. Not that she planned to.

The man took a slow step closer and then knelt down in front of her. “Miss, are you
all right?” His forehead creased. Only a foot or two away, she locked her gaze with
his for the first time. His eyes were warm—the color of hot chocolate laced with cream.

Paige swallowed hard. “I’m okay.”

He raised a brow. “Are you sure? You could talk to me, if that would make things better.
I’ll listen.” His voice was a balm. Strong and reassuring.

Stop
. Stop analyzing him. She hadn’t come to Goose Harbor to check out the first man she
bumped into. Not the first or the fifteenth.

“This isn’t how I usually am. You caught me at a bad time.” Paige rose from the floor,
the dress clutched to her stomach. Maybe she’d sell the thing at a consignment shop
in town. At least get some money out of it to help save toward a home of her own.
Then strange men couldn’t wander downstairs and find her during an off moment, and
she wouldn’t be able to embarrass herself again.

Although, the sooner she found a place of her own, the more the loneliness might seep
in.

She set the dress on top of the washing machine. No need to bring it back to her bedroom.
It would only serve as a reminder there.

The man got to his feet. “My name’s Caleb. I’m friends with Maggie. Do you want me
to go get her?”

Paige shook her head.

Caleb looped his hands on his tool belt again as if they needed to do something tangible.
“Is there something I can do to help you? Anything?”

“Just go.” Her voice cracked a little, even though she fought it.

“I’d feel better if I stayed here with you.”

“I’m sure you have better things to do.”

“Right now, making sure you’re safe is the most important thing on my list.”

Fine.
She couldn’t make Caleb leave—not if he shared a friendship with the inn owner, but
she could make him feel unwelcome. Make sure she was safe? Unless he was the town
greeter or an undercover cop, she didn’t need him babysitting her.