Her Unexpected Hero--A Clean Romance Read online

  On top of that, his brother had put her in this spot in the first place.

  How unfair.

  “I will always do the right thing for Sweetwater, the reserve and my family,” Winter muttered. Of course she would.

  When he pulled out of the parking spot without acknowledging her, Winter added, “Look at what I’ve given up. You don’t even know this place, the town or the reserve. If you loved Otter Lake and these mountains the way I do, you wouldn’t forgive Whit as easily. If you knew how hard Ash has worked to protect the history of this area, you would be angry at the Callaways, too. That kind of anger can make a person brave. Don’t fool yourself that I’m intimidated by you or your family.”

  In a huff, she climbed back inside the station wagon, yanked down the signs and broke them over her knee. Then she realized she might still have an audience and glanced over at Smoky Joe’s. Yes. Plenty of diners were watching. When she turned to march down the sidewalk, she realized Janet Abernathy and Leanne were staring out the window of Sweetwater Souvenir. Fab. All that was missing was her mother.

  Mad enough to kick rocks, Winter forced a smile to her lips and walked inside the gallery. “Morning.”

  Janet sniffed. “Not a ‘good’ one, though, I take it.” She shook her finger at Winter. “Girl like you knows better’n to run headlong at an opponent. I’m surprised you aren’t finessing this situation better.”

  Winter inhaled slowly and then exhaled, hoping that it would settle some of the nerves shaking her. “What do you mean?” Did that sound angry? By Janet’s raised eyebrows, Winter would guess yes. But she was angry.

  “Couldn’t tell if y’all were about to kiss or kill each other. I figure where there’s some kind of smoke, there’s bound to be a fire. I’m saying you better not miss out on something good because you’re focused on that bad thing in the rearview mirror.” Janet tsked.

  “Caleb Callaway is not my future, Janet.” Winter was taken aback at her suggestion. Who would think she’d ever get tangled up with the Callaways again?

  “Fine. Not your romantic future, but bad mornings could be better by making him a friend.” Janet turned to Leanne and muttered, “But he’s a handsome man, and it seems a waste of them fireworks, you know?”

  Speechless, Winter held out both hands. What was she supposed to say to that?

  Janet angled her head forward as if sharing a secret. “Okay, plain talk. One thing I know about brothers is that there’s always some competition. You would know in your heart whether Caleb and his brother are friendly or not.”

  They weren’t. At dinner, conversation had been stilted anytime Caleb made an appearance, and Whit seemed to both admire his brother and make a point of beating him at races Caleb didn’t know they were running. She’d always attributed that to being the youngest. She and Ash were locked in battle, and her brother was oblivious. That’s what made losing to him so hard.

  “Okay, but what does that have to do with me?” Winter asked.

  “Be easier to have a friend than an enemy is all I’m saying.” Janet nodded. “If you could show Caleb what you love about Sweetwater, talk to him about why you’re campaigning the way you are, he might be easier to handle than shouting in the street.” She held up her hands. “Flies, honey, vinegar—catching what you want is all about your choices is all I’m saying. You know how it goes.” She checked her watch. “Gotta run. Regina and I are headed for lunch down in Knoxville. Got some strategizing to do and then I’ll pick up the new hangers for our framed pieces.” She wagged her fingers, picked up her purse and sauntered out the door.

  The silence left in the large gallery was tense until Winter checked to see what Leanne was doing. She was chewing her lip nervously and had made a tight, controlled knot with her arms.

  “What a day.” Winter paced in a small circle as she rolled her shoulders. “A few campaign signs. How was I supposed to know they’d cause such an uproar?”

  Leanne wrinkled her nose. “Uproar is your goal, right? That’s the way you want to get even?”

  Hearing it stated so baldly like that twisted the knot in her stomach tighter. “Sounds childish when you say it that way.”

  Leanne shrugged. “Or it sounds reasonable. Normal. Like what most people want to do when they’re hurt.” She patted Winter’s back before quickly stepping back.

  “Thanks for that. It’s nice not to hear how I should be better, do more, put this behind me and rise above it.” Winter closed her eyes as she realized that she was the one who’d been telling herself all those things. Her father was sure she’d be okay. Her mother had supported every decision she’d made except for backing a bad candidate.

  Even Caleb was sure she was better off after Whit than before.

  So what was her problem?

  “I haven’t been in a position to do a lot of forgiving,” Leanne said slowly, “but I’ve had to ask for it over and over. Alcohol erased my memories, but no one else’s.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’ve gotten good at it, but I’ve learned something, too. Letting go is the only path to moving forward.”

  Winter let out a gust of air and realized she’d been holding her breath. The tension in her shoulders was tight enough that she heard a snap. “That is the message I keep getting.”

  “Yeah, I’ve had those messages, too, the ones you turn away from and smack right up against a second later.”

  “So, in my spot, what would you do?” Winter asked, desperate to have help getting out of her hole.

  Leanne held out her hand to tick off points on her fingers. “Forget Whit. He’s the past. Figure out what you want. If it’s a career in politics, push to get what you want, but make sure it’s what you want, not something you’re settling for. And three, win over Caleb Callaway.” She nodded as Winter shook her head. “Yep. He’s here in town. Make him love Sweetwater and Otter Lake and the lodge he’s building. How nice a revenge would it be to send Caleb Callaway home singing the praises of this place and Ash Kingfisher and Winter Kingfisher. Whit would realize how he messed up.”

  When she put it like that, the payoff for winning over Caleb Callaway was nice.

  “All I’m saying is that this place is easy to love.” Leanne pointed at the stack of paintings resting up against the wall. “Want to help me frame these? Janet brought us one of these.” She pointed at some kind of gun resting on the desk. “Shoots these little thingamajigs in to attach the frame to the wood in the canvas. How hard can it be?” She waggled her eyebrows.

  “Why is it that a shiver of dread just went down my spine,” Winter murmured.

  “We live dangerously, the single ladies of Sweetwater. I’ll let you have the first turn.” Leanne picked up the smallest easel, the one of the rabbit Winter had been coveting since she’d seen the painting, but rebelled at the price tag.

  “The next time you go up to The Aerie, you want some company?” Winter asked as she took the gun and studied the end of it. If they messed this up, Janet would not be pleased.

  But maybe there would be a discount on any mangled painting.

  She didn’t notice the silence until she turned to ask Leanne how long it would take to replace the canvas if they needed to hide the evidence.

  Leanne was blinking quickly, almost as if she was hiding tears. “What’s up?” Winter asked.

  “I’m so glad you came to work here, Winter.” She laughed and wiped under her eyes. “You make me believe that things can change. For me. I’ve been worried about that.”

  Winter stepped closer and bumped Leanne’s shoulder with her own. “Stop worrying. You’ve got this.”

  Her watery grin was cute. “Yeah. I’ve got this.”

  “It’s nice to have someone to talk to about this.” Winter rolled her eyes. “I sound like a middle-schooler, don’t I? It’s hard to make friends. We owe Macy a thank-you for pulling us together.”

  “I know what you
mean. Working with you has been more fun than I expected.” Leanne raised her eyebrows while Winter considered that. “You’re so intimidating. You know that, right?”

  Winter gestured down at her too-tight jeans and the bright T-shirt that was the uniform of Sweetwater Souvenir. “It’s because I’m so cool.” Pretending she didn’t understand what Leanne meant was tempting. Macy had said something similar in the booth at The Branch. But it was time to be honest. That’s what friendship would take. “Pretending to have it together is easy. Now that you know the truth, what do you think?”

  Leanne pointed at the weird framing tool. “I’m letting you play with the toys first. That’s gotta mean something.”

  Relieved, Winter said, “Yeah. I wish I’d been nicer to you in school.” Or outside of school.

  But she’d been a Kingfisher, charging on to big things.

  “Eh, forget thinking like that. Unless you really believe you’re better than me and most of the town of Sweetwater.” Leanne was watching her closely. “You don’t, do you?”

  Winter ran her fingers through her hair, dismayed that there’d been a seed of that opinion in her brain. She was determined to do great things for Sweetwater, but did she honestly think she was the only one capable of achieving that?

  “Sorry. Maybe I did.” Winter rubbed her forehead hard, dismayed at all the weak points this trip home had exposed. “But I’m not. You’ve been kind to me. Helped me get a job. Made every day better.”

  Leanne shoved Winter’s shoulder. “Oh, come on, Winter. Nobody’s perfect, especially in the past, you know? Forgiveness. Give it a shot. You need some practice, so start with yourself. We’re friends now, so this is what matters. Next time I go up to The Aerie, I’ll see what you’re doing. Every artist needs someone to do the heavy lifting.”

  Winter flexed her arms, amazed at how easy Leanne made friendship. Why had she made it so difficult her whole life? “I have no artistic ability, but I’m strong enough to handle that.” And she’d love to see Otter Lake again. With her friend Leanne.

  Leanne bent her head to catch Winter’s stare. “You are strong enough. You’re going to figure this out.”

  Winter pursed her lips and then nodded. “I am.” She was.

  And it didn’t make sense to antagonize Caleb Callaway. Flies, honey and vinegar, as Janet said. Converting him should be her goal.

  Right after she and Leanne framed all these canvases or returned from the emergency room with multiple bandages, thanks to a failure to operate the tool properly, she’d figure out the first step.

  She and Whit Callaway had clicked immediately.

  What she felt when she faced off against Caleb was different, and she’d never had to charm anyone into liking her. Could she do it?

  It was time to find out.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  SKIPPING A DRIVE into Sweetwater on Thursday morning had been a decision he regretted all day long, so on Friday, Caleb got up and headed into town, determined to pay his rent, speak rationally to Winter if she was at Sweetwater Souvenir and get his day started correctly with a visit to Smoky Joe’s. An uncontrollable yawn hit just as he parked in front of the coffee shop, so Caleb made himself a promise to knock off early and get some rest. The drive into Knoxville on the weekend would be tough if he was on the verge of nodding off.

  At least small-town life made one easy thing: no traffic. When he made it back to Nashville, he’d have to remember how to negotiate the rush hour.

  He’d eaten his first slice of banana-nut bread before he made it out of the coffee shop, but he was surprised when Winter met him in the middle of the street again. He glanced up and down the empty road. “We’ve got to stop meeting here.” He sipped his coffee and wondered what the chivalrous thing to do in the situation would be? Offer her a sip, a bite, an escort out of the street?

  When her lips curled up into a slow smile, he took a step back. He wasn’t ready.

  “You’re right. Were you coming into the store?” She motioned with her head before shoving her hands in her pockets. Was she nervous?

  “I was. I wanted to leave a check for Janet.” He sighed. “And I wanted to talk to you.”

  She shuffled her feet. “Me, too. Not the check part, but the rest.”

  He should let her go first, but she was in no hurry so he blurted, “I was hoping to see you.” Desperate to smooth over his awkwardness, Caleb added, “Because I’ve decided I don’t know this place as well as I should.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. She hadn’t expected him to agree.

  “You decided after I told you that.” She blinked innocently. “That seems about right.”

  She had a good point. Arguing with women never got him very far. They’d use logic to work circles around him and then trip him with his own shoestrings.

  “We need to renegotiate.” Caleb led her over to the sidewalk, one hand resting between her shoulder blades. Almost like it belonged there. “I don’t want things to be nasty between us.”

  Winter sighed. “You’re right. We’re both here in town for a while. We should get along. No more signs, but I can’t promise I won’t work against Whit.”

  Interesting wording. “So it’s against Whit, not for Duncan because you strongly believe all teachers can be replaced and they should celebrate their jobs, not strike.” To occupy his hands, he held out the bag of banana-nut bread. There had been more. Odella would sell him more if Winter accepted his offer.

  “It’s a rare person who would share Odella’s baked goods. You’re a true gentleman, aren’t you?” Winter grinned and the shot of warmth that washed over Caleb stole his breath.

  How did she manage to do that so often? What would his brother say if he knew Caleb was... How did he feel about Winter? If he was still fifteen, he’d call it a crush. He was in trouble.

  “Not every day I’m accused of being a gentleman, no.” He shuffled his own feet. Like a schoolboy. How embarrassing. “But I appreciate it.”

  “Let’s leave the politics question alone for a minute.” Winter tangled her fingers together. “How about we talk about Sweetwater instead. I can help you see all the great things about this place. That way it won’t seem such an imposition to build this beautiful lodge. When you’re finished here, it will be nice to know that the reserve has another fan on the board of directors. Ash will be there, thanks to you, but if I knew he had an ally in the Callaway family, I would be relieved. That used to be me. You’re stuck here, but here is a great place.”

  He wanted to explain that being stuck here wasn’t the issue—missing out on opportunities in Nashville, jobs that would help him stand apart from the Callaways, was. Then he realized that Sweetwater no longer stifled him like a heavy quilt. Instead, new benefits to being here popped up every day.

  Like the chance that he might run into Winter Kingfisher in the middle of the street.

  Telling her that would be a mistake, but he wanted to confess everything that he was worried about: his job, his business, his mother. Why did he care that Winter understood he had his own plans for the future?

  The troubling thrum of excitement at the promise of time with her couldn’t be ignored. He’d been wishing for a longer look at Otter Lake. No one would be a better guide than Winter. “You’ll show me your favorite spot on the lake?”

  “Ash would be a better guide. Head ranger and everything.” Winter raised her eyebrows. “I could set that up.”

  When the excitement immediately dimmed at the prospect of following grim Ash Kingfisher down a trail, Caleb knew he was in trouble. Big trouble. Falling for Winter was not an option. The Callaway family would explode in a fiery boom.

  Did that matter? He’d done something similar when he’d taken credit for stopping the lodge for a whole lot less.

  “The last time we negotiated, it was about Ash and Whit. This time, let’s leave them out of it.” Caleb sho
ved his hands in his pockets. “You and me. Tomorrow. I’m giving all my crews the weekend off to go home. I have plans on Sunday, but Saturday would be a nice day for a hike.” The Callaway Sunday dinner would require a satisfactory performance report, but Caleb would be able to deliver it if all went according to plan that day.

  That meant he had to get to work.

  “I know the perfect place.” Winter’s smile hit him full force again. “If you’re struggling with a decision, this is the spot you need to see. It’ll help clear your mind so you’ll make the best choices.”

  Shock froze his boots to the asphalt. Did she know he was pushing to get this project done so that he could get on with his own company’s business? As each day closed, he was less sure he could knock out the lodge in time to have both things he wanted: his family’s approval and a new contract with Mitch Yarborough.

  And now Winter was skirting along the edges of all that, something else he might want but that would definitely derail his hopes for the other two.

  Could he even commit to that much time locked down in Nashville if his mother needed him at home? Anything more with Winter was so far out of the question, he should ignore it completely. He hoped Winter’s hike could cut through some of his confusion. Nothing else was working.

  If this place could clear his head, he needed to go there. “Give me your phone.” He held out his hand.

  Without hesitation, Winter offered it to him. She watched him put in his contact information. “Text me when you figure out what we do next.”

  Caleb wrapped his hand around hers. Warmth spread from that contact and it was difficult not to jerk his hand away. He slipped the phone inside her hand. Words would not come until she stepped back. The urge to follow suit, turn tail and escape to his truck was strong, but at the last second, he remembered the check in his pocket. “Hey, Winter...” His words stumbled to a stop as he realized she hadn’t moved. She’d been standing there, watching him the whole time. “Can I leave this for Janet? It’s the rent check.”