Loe raamatut: «Claiming The Single Mom's Heart»

Chapter One

“A family legend is worthless unless you have proof.”

“I’m going to get proof.” With more confidence than she felt, Sunshine Carston gave her longtime friend Tori a reassuring nod. “It’s just taking longer than expected.”

Much longer.

She shifted restlessly in the passenger seat of Victoria Janner’s steel-blue Kia compact as they searched for a parking spot in the crowded graveled lot of Hunter’s Hideaway. Her own ancient SUV was in the shop—again—and out-of-town visitor Tori had agreed to take a detour while running errands Saturday morning. But Tori’s willingness had swiftly evaporated when on the way to their destination Sunshine had divulged her true intention for this next stop.

Big mistake.

She rolled down her window, breathing in the soothing scent of sun-warmed ponderosa pines. An aroma deliciously indigenous to the rugged mountain country surrounding Hunter Ridge, Arizona, it was one her great-great-grandparents would have been familiar with. One she herself would have likely grown up with had life not dealt her ancestors an unfair blow.

She stared across the parking lot at the connecting log, stone and frame structures that made up the main building of Hunter’s Hideaway. The vast wooded acreage had been a home away from home for hunters, horsemen, hikers and other outdoorsmen since Harrison “Duke” Hunter had—allegedly—rooted it to that exact spot early in the past century.

“They seem to be doing a good business this Labor Day weekend.” Resentment welled up within her. “No noisy remodeling like they’re inflicting on the Artists’ Cooperative gallery this morning.”

A cute blonde with a pixie haircut, Tori and her usual dazzling smile was nowhere to be seen as they slipped into an empty spot. “If you go in there with a chip on your shoulder,” she cautioned, “you can’t expect a positive outcome.”

What response had Sunshine hoped to get from her friend when she’d confessed her true motive for relocating to Hunter Ridge two years ago? A cry of outrage at the unfairness of it all? Reinforcement of her plans? Encouragement to face her fear of the influential family who the town was named for?

“And don’t forget,” Tori added as she cut off the engine, “what the good Lord says about revenge.”

“I’m seeking justice. Not revenge. There’s a difference.”

A big difference. Revenge involved retaliation. Inflicting injury. Justice had to do with revealing truth and righting wrongs. And yes, restoring of at least some of what by rights belonged to her family. To her. And to her five-year-old daughter, Tessa.

Tori cast her a disbelieving look. “Surely you don’t think anyone is going to fork over restitution for something your great-great-grandfather was supposedly cheated out of. Even if you could prove it—which I doubt you can—you don’t have the money to back up your claim with legal action.”

“No, but I’m counting on the seemingly impeccable reputation of the Hunters to apply its own brand of pressure. That they’ll be compelled, for the sake of their standing in the community, to make things right once the facts are brought to their attention.”

Tori slumped down in the bucket seat. “I wish you hadn’t told me any of this. It sounds too much like blackmail.”

Sunshine made a face. “Not blackmail. I look at it as an opportunity for them to live up to their good name. I don’t hold it against later generations that Duke Hunter didn’t play well with others.”

“You could get hauled into court if one of them thinks it smacks of extortion.” Tori gave her a sharp glance. “Especially now that you’ve decided to run for a town council seat against one of the family members.”

Against Elaine Hunter, who was trying for a second term.

“Everything will be aboveboard. Trust me, okay?”

If only her maternal grandmother, Alice Heywood, were still alive. She’d recall the details of the account Sunshine remembered hearing as a kid. The vague references to “the ridge of the hunter.” A betrayal by someone considered a friend. It was a story, though, which over time she’d dismissed as nothing but a fairy tale that once captured her childish imagination. That was, until her world turned upside down not long after her daughter’s birth and she began pondering the possibilities.

“The din from their renovation of the property next to the Artists’ Co-op,” she continued, “offers a perfect excuse for a visit. You heard the racket this morning. That less-than-sympathetic contractor overseeing the project told me to take it up with the Hunters. So here I am.”

Squaring her shoulders, she’d just exited the vehicle when someone stepped out on the covered porch that stretched across the front of the adjoined buildings. A muscle in her midsection involuntarily tightened.

“Oh, no, not him,” she whispered. Wouldn’t you know it? That too-handsome-for-his-own-good Grady Hunter, cell phone pressed to his ear, now paced the length of the porch like a lion guarding the entrance to his lair.

Although she’d only seen him around town, she’d heard plenty of starry-eyed feminine gossip surrounding the popular ladies’ man. Having once had a personal, close-up view of what it was like to be married to a male with that reputation, she wasn’t impressed.

“I wanted to get invited inside to talk to his mom or his grandma so I could look around. You know, for clues. But I don’t want to deal with this guy.”

“Maybe God doesn’t think snooping is a good idea,” Tori said.

“I have to start somewhere, don’t I?” She focused again on the broad-shouldered man striding across the porch. Black trousers. Snow-white shirt. Gray vest. Black bow tie.

“Why’s he dressed like that?” Tori echoed the question forming in Sunshine’s mind.

Then realization dawned and any remaining courage to take on the Hunters drained out of her. “I forgot. It’s his older brother’s wedding day.”

How had she lost track of such a high-profile event? Widower and single dad Luke Hunter was marrying Delaney Marks, a young woman who Sunshine had become acquainted with over the past summer. Obviously she’d been way too busy and much too preoccupied if she’d forgotten. So what was new?

“Maybe you’d better come back in a few days.” Tori sounded relieved that her mission might be aborted.

“But by then the holiday weekend will be over, the last of the summer customers come and gone.” There might soon be leaf-peepers searching for a burst of aspen gold—and hunters, of course—but the prime season to market the talents of local artists would be over until late next spring. “I have a responsibility to represent the best interests of our artists’ community. And that constant din next door isn’t one of them.”

Torn, she again looked to where Grady had finished his conversation and pocketed his cell phone. She found big, self-confident men intimidating, but she’d have no choice but to deal with him if she ventured forth now.

Intruding on a family gathering, though, might not be the best strategy. Nor would stating the case for the Artists’ Co-op to the man on the porch rather than to his civic-minded mother. But before she could get back in the car, Grady’s gaze swept the parking lot and he spotted her, his eyes locking on hers.

Her heart jerked as his expression appeared to sharpen. Question. Challenge.

The decision was made.

“Ramp up the prayers, Tori.” She shut the car door, cutting off her friend’s words of protest. Here we go, Lord.

* * *

What was she doing here?

Grady Hunter’s eyes narrowed as the petite young woman, her black hair glinting in the late-morning sunlight, wove her way between cars in the parking lot. Clad in jeans and a black T-shirt, the fringe of her camel-colored jacket swaying with each step, Sunshine Carston looked like one determined woman.

Just what he didn’t need right now. Not, for that matter, what any of the Hunter clan needed while setting aside anxious thoughts regarding his mother’s recent cancer diagnosis in order to celebrate today. Couldn’t whatever Sunshine had on her mind wait until after the Labor Day weekend? Or at least until after the guests dispersed from his big brother’s postwedding brunch, which was now in full swing?

Having ditched his tux jacket inside, he loosened his tie, regretting having stepped outside for a breath of fresh air and to make a quick phone call. He didn’t know who Ms. Carston intended to see, but regardless he would halt her at the door. Admittedly, he had a reputation for being overly protective of his family. But thirty-four years of life’s lessons had given him reason to be, and today would be no different.

“Good morning.” An almost shy smile accompanied her greeting as she paused at the base of the porch steps, but her dark brown eyes reflected the resolve he’d initially identified from a distance.

Up close she was prettier than he’d originally thought from seeing her around town and—only recently—in church. Although his area of expertise was wildlife photography, he nonetheless found himself mentally framing her for a perfect shot. Not a stiffly formal studio portrait, though. She was far too vibrant for that.

Her glossy, shoulder-length hair, slightly longer in front than in back, accented her straight nose and high cheekbones, and a smooth, warm skin tone hinted of possible Native American ancestry. She appeared to be in her late twenties—much too young to challenge his mother or Irvin Baydlin for a seat on the town council. From what he’d heard from multiple sources—including his mom—she kept the current council members on their toes. Which, of course, wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

But he wouldn’t be voting for her.

“Good morning,” he acknowledged with a friendly nod. Hunters were known for their hospitality, and he’d uphold that to his dying day or risk repercussions from Grandma Jo. He stepped off the porch and extended his hand. “Grady Hunter. How may I help you?”

Doe-like eyes met his in momentary hesitation, and then she gripped his hand in a firm shake. “Sunshine Carston. Manager of the Hunter Ridge Artists’ Cooperative.”

Her voice was softer, gentler, than he’d assumed from her reputation. That, combined with the delicate hand she’d placed in his, contradicted the image he’d previously formed of the single mom as “one tough cookie.”

She motioned to the overflowing parking lot of the property his great-great-grandparents had settled in the early 1900s. “I apologize for the intrusion. I forgot this is Delaney Marks’s wedding day.”

That was right, his brother’s new bride was, coincidentally, an aspiring artist herself and, in exchange for jewelry-making lessons from another local artist, on occasion worked at the Artists’ Co-op.

“I won’t take but a few minutes of your time,” she said, not waiting to see if he’d voice any objections to conducting business on his brother’s wedding day. “The adjoining property north of the Artists’ Co-op is being renovated by a contractor hired by Hunter Enterprises.”

“That’s correct.”

“I realize Hunter’s Hideaway caters to a different customer base,” she continued, and he found himself drawn to the softly lilting voice, the expressive eyes. “But, as a fellow business owner who is impacted by visitors to this region, you know how important the months from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day are to local businesses.”

“They are indeed.” Fortunately, although Hunter’s Hideaway no longer offered guided hunts on their own property or in the neighboring national forests, they’d diversified through the years to not only provide camping and cabins for hunters, but also for competitive trail riders and runners seeking to condition at a higher altitude. For seekers of a quiet place to get away from it all, as well.

Those more recent additions, in fact, gave him hope that he might soon see his long-held dream come to fruition—wildlife-photography workshops and related guided tours of the forested wilderness surrounding them. But he had to convince his family that it was worthwhile. Not an easy thing to do.

Sunshine’s dark eyes pinned him. “Then, you can understand how sales might be negatively impacted at a fine-arts gallery when the adjoining property is undergoing a massive overhaul on the last holiday weekend of the season.”

So that was the problem. It couldn’t be that bad, though, could it? It wasn’t as if they were dynamiting. “No harm intended, I assure you.”

“The contractor overseeing the project says he’s under a tight deadline.” She folded her arms as she looked up at him. “We’ve had disgruntled customers walk out of the gallery when the pounding, vibration and whine of power tools wouldn’t let up.”

Weighing his options, he briefly stared at formidable clouds building in the distance for what would likely bring an afternoon monsoon rain. “What do you say I give the contractor a call and postpone things for a few days? I imagine he and his crew wouldn’t mind having the rest of the weekend off.”

Brows arched as if in disbelief. Or was that disappointment flickering through her eyes? Had she expected—relished even—a fight?

“You’d do that?”

“Neighbors have to look out for neighbors.”

The contractor did have a deadline, but there was no point in making things harder for Grady’s mother right now by waving a red flag in Ms. Carston’s face. Although the family was struggling to come to terms with Mom’s upcoming surgery—a single-side mastectomy—she insisted she still intended to run for office, so there was no point in riling up one of her opponents unnecessarily.

“Well, then...” Sunshine’s uncertain tone betrayed that verbalizing gratitude wasn’t easy for her in this instance, almost as if she suspected she’d missed something in their exchange. That maybe he was trying to pull a fast one on her. “Thank you, Mr. Hunter.”

“Grady. And you’re welcome.”

But she didn’t depart. Instead, she stood looking at him almost expectantly.

“Was there something else?”

An unexpected smile surfaced. “I’m waiting for you to make the call.”

Oh, she was, was she?

A smile of his own tugged in response to the one that had made his breath catch, and he pulled out his cell phone. He wasn’t used to not being trusted to do what he said he’d do. But anything to keep the peace, right? And to keep Sunshine smiling like that. On Mom’s behalf, of course.

Under her watchful gaze he put some distance between them, then punched the contractor’s speed-dial number. “Ted. It’s Grady. I hear you’ve got your crew working this weekend.”

“A deadline’s a deadline,” the gravelly voice responded, his tone defensive. “I’ve never missed one yet.”

“That work ethic is certainly why you were picked for the job.” Grady cut a look at Sunshine. “But what do you say we extend it by a week and let you and your boys knock off for the rest of the holiday weekend?”

It would be cutting it close, but an extra week wouldn’t be a deal breaker, would it?

After a long pause, Ted chuckled. “That pretty artist complained to you, didn’t she?”

Grady forced a smile as he nodded reassuringly in Sunshine’s direction. “You’re welcome, Ted.”

“Pushover.”

Was he? “Glad I could help your crew out.”

The contractor chuckled again. “Be careful there, Grady. You’re playing with fire.”

“Sure thing. You have a good one, too, bud.”

Pocketing his cell phone again, Grady moved back to Sunshine. “All done.”

From the wary look in her eyes, she clearly hadn’t anticipated he’d willingly accommodate her. A sense of satisfaction rose, catching her off guard, throwing a wrench in her assumptions.

“Anything else?” He needed to get back inside. They’d be cutting the cake shortly and he’d promised a toast. “I know you’d once approached Hunter Enterprises about leasing the property next door to expand the Artists’ Co-op, but we’ve long had plans for it. We’ll do our best to be a top-notch neighbor.”

“It’s true we could use the additional space, but it will be nice having a bookstore in town.”

He frowned. “Bookstore?”

“You’re opening a bookstore, right?”

“No.”

“I heard it was going to be a bookstore.”

“It’s not.”

“Then, what—” her words came cautiously, reflecting a growing dread in her eyes “—will be going in next door to us?”