Chapter 3
Brooke cast a surreptitious glance at the cowboy crossing the park in his long-legged gait. She’d seen him charming an older woman at the donut booth before he headed back to his wagon.
When there was a lull in visitors to her booth, Brooke hurried down to the pet kissing booth and had her face licked by a sweet dog. The animal seemed so excited to share kisses with anyone who would get close.
On her way back to her booth, she spied Blayne. He slowed as he passed her display, as though he searched for her. Brooke ducked behind the face-painting tent and spied on him. He acted interested in her pumpkins, but that was ridiculous. What would a man like him do with one of her pretty little pumpkins?
The sudden thought that he might have a girlfriend turned her sunny mood gloomy. Of course, a man who looked like him probably had a girlfriend, if not a dozen.
Why did she care anyway? The last thing she needed was to have her head turned by a good-looking man.
For someone who so faithfully avoided romantic relationships, Brooke had to question what she’d done, settling down in a town so blatantly attuned to romance. She sold her blown glass art pieces all over the world, so the location of her shop didn’t matter. Her website gave people a place to shop direct while art galleries in Los Angeles, New York, and London carried exclusive, elaborate pieces.
She’d always thought it would be fun to live in Oregon and Portland seemed like a good place to settle with its artsy scene and funky reputation. Then a storm had blown her into Romance. Here she was, peddling pumpkins at a festival with a hunky cowboy shooting glances her way each time he drove a wagon pulled by his hulking team of horses past her booth.
Determined to ignore Blayne and the thoughts he continued to stir in her fertile imagination, she shifted her attention elsewhere. Brooke saw Josh Chadwick heading to the cakewalk booth. Josh, an electrician, had been among the first people she met when she moved to town. Within days of arriving in Romance, she bought an empty building in the downtown district. She’d hired Josh to add outlets and make sure the wiring was safe.
She shifted her stance and noticed Lucas Chase, owner of the local heating and plumbing business, walking toward the pet adoption tent. The day she met him in person, he’d pulled up to her studio in a service truck bearing the phrase, “When love isn’t enough to keep you warm, call us!” on the side. The slogan, with a heart included, was clever and went perfectly with the romance theme of the town, but Brooke wrinkled her nose in distaste as she read it. Romance, romance, romance. The last thing she needed was another reminder of the severe lack of romance in her life.
However, Lucas proved to be skillful and helpful as he plumbed the new sinks she wanted and replaced the worn fixtures in the small bathroom in her shop.
In fact, she planned to hire both Josh and Lucas to complete updates in the apartment above her shop where she lived.
Josh had given her the names of other people to contact in town who helped get her studio up and running in short order. The crews had completed the renovations so quickly, she’d been able to get right to work. In less than a month’s time, she’d made all the pumpkins and other autumn-themed pieces that were selling faster than she’d dreamed they would.
As people stopped and looked over her works of art, Brooke spoke with Adam Walker, the mayor of Romance. He’d been the first official visitor to her shop once she opened the doors to the public. In addition to his mayoral duties, Adam owned an antique store and restoration business. She’d discussed the possibility of having him repair an old wooden table she’d found in a back room of her building when she purchased it. The antique table would be perfect for displaying some of her pieces and she was certain Adam would do a good job restoring it.
As the mayor left her booth, her gaze shifted to a man who looked oddly familiar. After studying him a few minutes, it dawned on her the reason she recognized him was from an article she’d recently read about the man. Chase Lockhart was new on the music scene, but quickly gaining popularity as a talented singer. The local radio station played his song frequently and the tune had been stuck in her head for days.
She saw Brent Todd, owner of Finding Forever Animal Rescue, talking to people and motioning to the tent where animals waited to be adopted. The man seemed quite selfless and completely dedicated to the animal shelter. She’d met him a week or so ago and had been impressed by his devotion to the animals.
Another lull in her booth gave Brooke time for a much-needed break to the restroom. She returned to find a pretty young woman intently looking over some of the smaller pumpkins she’d made.
“I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” Brooke said as she stepped back in the booth.
“Not really. These are beautiful,” the young woman said.
“Of course they are,” Brooke replied with a grin. “How many would you like?”
When the woman told her she had orders from her aunt to purchase fifteen, Brooke began wrapping the pumpkins in paper and setting them inside a box.
The women exchanged introductions. Brooke learned Katie Mackall’s aunt had a shop in town and was interested in selling blown glass snowflakes if Brooke planned to make any for the holiday season. Katie handed her a card when she boxed the last pumpkin. Interested in working with Katie’s aunt, Brooke took the card with a promise to call Viv.
Brooke hadn’t taken time to eat and the aromas from the food booths made her stomach growl with hunger. She made a beeline for the German sausage booth located next to the caramel apples. On her way back to her booth, she snagged a piece of pumpkin pie. For the most part, she ate healthy food, but pie was her downfall and there was no way she’d miss out on a caramel apple. Wasn’t there some unspoken rule about enjoying the fruits of the harvest when they were available?
Between selling glass pumpkins, acorns, vases, pitchers, paperweights, and other pieces from her booth, she ate the sausage and pie, saving the caramel apple for last. She’d just taken a bite from it when a beautiful red-haired woman rushed into her booth.
“This is going to sound crazy, but you haven’t seen a baby pig running loose, have you?”
Brooke set down the apple, wiped her hands on her jeans, and smiled. “Oddly enough, that doesn’t sound crazy at all.”
The woman laughed. “I’m Nicole Crawford. My son, Tony, and I are volunteering at the Finding Forever Animal Rescue tent. One of the baby pigs disappeared. For such a tiny thing, he’s sure a good escape artist.”
Brooke held out a hand to Nicole. “Brooke Roberts. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Oh, I’ve heard about your glass, Miss Roberts. You do beautiful work.”
“Thank you. And please, call me Brooke.” She smiled and glanced around. “How many pigs do you have at the booth?”
“Five, counting the mother. Brent, he’s the owner of Finding Forever, isn’t really set up to handle them, but he hoped they’d get adopted today. If not, there’s a ranch nearby where they can stay until a home can be found for them.” Nicole stepped back. “I better get back to my hunt for the little Houdini.”
Brooke nodded. “If I happen upon a pig, I’ll be sure to…” She stopped midsentence as movement beneath one of her tables caught her eye. She lifted the tablecloth and watched as a little pig nosed among the packing boxes she’d tucked out of the way there.
“Found him,” she said, looking up at Nicole. She reached beneath the table and picked up the piglet. White with a few dark spots and the cutest, pinkest little nose, Brooke cuddled the baby, wishing she could keep him.
He looked up at her with long eyelashes and oinked. The happy sound arrowed straight to her heart as the piglet snuggled into her arms.
Nicole stared at her. “Wow! He must really like you because he squeals like he’s about to be tossed into the jaws of death when most people pick him up. Brent said pigs generally don’t like to be held.”
“Oh, he’s just a sweetheart,” Brooke said, kissing the top of the piglet’s head as she handed him to Nicole.
The little pig fussed and squirmed, but Nicole held him close as she smiled at Brooke. “Thanks for finding him. I hope you’ll come by the booth later.”
“I’ll do that,” Brooke said, wanting to snatch the piglet back for some reason beyond her ability to understand. “It was so nice to meet you, Nicole. Enjoy the festival.”
An hour later, Brooke couldn’t stop thinking about the baby pig. In between trying to convince herself it was foolish to consider adopting a pig, her thoughts drifted to the cowboy giving hayrides. Blayne seemed good-natured and personable as he gave countless people rides throughout the day.
Each time she saw him smile in her direction, something fluttered in her stomach, leaving her irritated by the reaction. Charm and a handsome face had to be to blame. That, and the fact she’d successfully avoided relationships the last six years… or was it seven? No, it had to be eight because she’d given up on men, relationships, and love when she was twenty and she’d recently turned twenty-eight.
When she was in college studying to earn an international business degree, she had her whole life planned out. Adventure, travel, a high-powered position in a top company all seemed so important. Almost as important as her faithless boyfriend. One day, she woke up with a broken heart and realized she had no interest in a high-powered position or getting a business degree. In need of a different route for her life, she pursued the art classes she’d previously taken as electives. She’d fallen in love with the process of creating something beautiful or fascinating from nothing, especially when it came to blowing glass.
She earned a liberal arts degree, put the business classes to work in managing her career, and even used the French and Spanish languages she’d learned when she traveled overseas to sell her pieces. When she opened her heart and mind to new possibilities, life had a way of guiding her on the most unexpected adventures.
Once again, life had surprised her, blowing her into Romance.
In spite of her trepidation about getting involved in a relationship, she really did love the community. The town, and people, made her feel at home. As the festival wound to a close, Brooke began to pack up her booth.
“May I buy that one, please?” a deep voice asked, one that sent a shiver skidding down her spine.
She turned around and her gaze collided with the warm blue eyes of Blayne Grundy. Good grief, even his name sounded like a virile hero from a romance novel. Tamping down the urge to giggle at her silly thoughts, she nodded her head.
“Sure,” she said, picking up the last remaining pumpkin. A swirl of orange and cream glass bore a clear amber stem that twirled into a perfect corkscrew. She gave him the total as she carefully wrapped the pumpkin in paper and settled it in a box. After closing the lid, she fastened it with a label that included her Blown Away logo, her name, and website.
She accepted the money he held out to her. As their fingers brushed, she glanced down at her hand, concerned the heat generated by the slight touch might cause her flesh to burst spontaneously into flames. What kind of spell had this cowboy cast over her? She’d never reacted like this to anyone.
Disconcerted, she handed him the box. Unable to stop herself, her mouth opened before she could trap the words. “Is that for your girlfriend?”
Blayne appeared caught off guard for a moment before his easy smile slid back into place. “It’s for my best girl. I’d introduce you, but she went home about an hour ago.”
“She lives at your ranch?”
His smile broadened. “She sure does. I don’t know how I’d get along without her. She’s an amazing part of my life.”
“I see,” she said, stiffening her posture. “I hope she likes the pumpkin, Mr. Grundy. Have a nice evening.”
“I plan to, Miss Roberts.” He backed up a step, seeming hesitant to leave. “I didn’t see you take a ride on the wagon today. Want to give it a whirl?”
Brooke glanced back to where he’d left the team and wagon on the street. The horses hadn’t diminished in size from her encounter with them that morning. Neither had her interest in their owner. For that reason alone, she refused. “Thank you, but I need to pack up my booth and I want to visit the animal adoption tent, too.”
“I’ll walk over with you. I need to talk to Brent, anyway, about transferring some of the animals out to the ranch.” Blayne moved back so she could exit her booth. “Shall we?” He held out his arm to her in a show of gallantry.
Brooke ignored it, but she did walk out of her booth and headed in the direction of the adoption tent. She so badly wanted to dislike Blayne Grundy with his rugged good looks, brawny, muscular body, and a voice that sounded like it should belong to a crusty character in an old western movie. Yet, she couldn’t. He’d been nothing but kind and affable, at least he had been after yelling at her this morning. Then again, he’d only been trying to save her from being stomped on by his horses.
Conflicted, she tried not to notice the delicious, manly scent of Blayne as he walked beside her. At the adoption tent, he tipped his hat to her then walked off to speak with Brent.
Nicole noticed Brooke and motioned her over to where she and a boy sat with a great galoot of a dog that had a bandage wrapped around one leg and a cone of shame encircling his neck.
“Oh, poor boy,” Brooke said, rubbing a hand along the dog’s neck. “Is he okay?”
“He’s getting there,” Nicole said, placing her hands on the shoulders of the boy who looked to be about twelve or so. “This is my son, Tony, and the goofball you’re petting is Costello.”
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Brooke said, smiling at Nicole’s son then the dog.
“The pigs are still here,” Nicole said, pointing to a small pen. “Would you like to see them?”
It was on the tip of Brooke’s tongue to say no, but she quickly agreed. “I’d love to.”
Nicole led her over to where a mama pig nursed four piglets. She recognized the escape artist she’d caught earlier. Two black and white piglets grunted and suckled next to him. On the end was a smaller, all black piglet.
She hunkered down to watch them through the pen. Not a single rational explanation existed for why she felt drawn to the pigs. She didn’t have anywhere to put them, had no notion how to care for them, had no idea what to do with them.
But she wanted them.
All five of them.
When the mama pig looked up at her with big, soulful eyes, Brooke knew she was done for. “I’ll take them,” she said before she changed her mind and raced back to her booth.
Nicole gave her an astonished look. “You… you want the pigs? All of the pigs?”
“I do, but I’ll need some pointers on how to care for them. I’ve never had a pet before and I’m not sure what to do.” Brooke stood and peered into the pen. Whether they knew it or not, the pigs yanked on her heartstrings, especially the little black one.
“Okay. Just wait right here. I’ll get Brent.” Nicole hurried off to where Brent spoke with Blayne. The two men returned with her.
Brent smiled and held out a hand to Brooke. “Thank you, Brooke. Are you sure you want all five pigs?”
Brooke nodded. “In for a penny, in for a pound.” She glanced down at the hefty mama pig. “Although I guess it might be closer to a hundred or so pounds with that one.”
Everyone laughed and Brent motioned to a table where people completed paperwork. “If you’ll come with me, there are just a few forms to complete, and then the pigs are yours.” He looked at Blayne. “Have you met Blayne? He takes care of some of the bigger rescue animals. He’s offered to transport the pigs to your place and can help you get them settled.”
“Oh, I’m sure that won’t be…” Brooke started to disagree, but the cowboy interrupted.
“Any trouble at all, Miss Roberts. In fact, I insist on it. Although I’ve not taken care of potbellied pigs before, I have raised plenty of hogs.” Blayne gave her an encouraging look. “While you fill out the paperwork, I’ll get my pickup. We should be able to load this pen right into the back of it and transport the pigs without disturbing them too much.”
In spite of how badly she wanted to refuse his help, Brooke realized she couldn’t very well put the pigs in her SUV and cart home all the stuff from her booth. “Thank you, Mr. Grundy.”
Blayne disappeared then soon returned, backing his pickup close to the tent as she completed the paperwork. With the help of Brent and a few volunteers, the pig and her babies were soon loaded and ready to go to their new home.
“Thank you, again, for taking the pigs, Brooke. Enjoy your new pets.” Brent gave her a wave before he hurried off to answer a question about one of the cats someone wanted to adopt.
Brooke looked to Blayne. “It won’t take me long to tear down my booth. I can meet you at my shop.”
He turned off the ignition of his pickup and pocketed the keys. “I’ll help you, then you’ll be ready to go that much faster.”
“But I…” Rather than splutter an inane reason for him to let her do it herself, she snapped her mouth shut. His help would make the job go faster.
While she packed the breakable items, Blayne took down the tent, folded card tables, and stacked boxes. He loaded the heavy pieces in her vehicle, even though she was perfectly capable. In a third of the time it normally took her to tear down her booth, she was loaded and ready to leave.
“Are we going to your store or your home?” he asked, as he loaded the last table and closed the back of her SUV.
“It’s one and the same. Do you know where to find it?”
“Yep,” he said, backing away from her. “You’re on Douglas Road, right?”
She nodded. “Yes. Drive down the alley. I think it will be easier to carry the pigs in through the back.”
“Just lead the way,” he said, giving her another dazzling smile before he jogged across the square to his pickup.
“What have I done?” Brooke mumbled as she climbed behind the wheel and merged into traffic leaving the festival. She wasn’t sure if she was more upset by the fact she’d just adopted five pigs or the incredible attraction she felt to Blayne. The phenomena of both proved equally distressing.
She drove to her studio, pulling around to the alley and parked at the edge of her lot. Blayne pulled in right behind her, backing his pickup as close as possible to the rear door of her building. The lot she purchased, which included the building, offered several parking spaces in back. One of the reasons she liked this building was the strip of grass between the back door and the parking spaces. At some point, it appeared a previous owner had even tried to grow a garden, although the area was now bare dirt. Right after she moved in, she’d cleaned away the old, withered plants.
Perhaps the pigs would enjoy the grass and a place to root around in the dirt. Then again, she wasn’t sure she wanted them tracking messes inside her shop. Keeping the displays and work areas of her business clean was vitally important to her success.
Before she could further lament about what she’d done by bringing home five pigs, she reached up and accepted the two baby pigs Blayne handed to her.
“I think it will be easier to lift out the pigs than wrangle this heavy pen,” he said, picking up two more piglets.
“You’d be surprised, cowboy,” she said, setting the two pigs on the grass. “I can lift my share of that pen with no problem. Maybe you’re too tired to pick up your end of it.”
He accepted her challenge and set the two piglets back inside the pen then moved to lift one side of it.
Brooke hefted the other, wishing she hadn’t been quite so brash in declaring her ability to handle it. A hushed groan escaped her as she bore the weight, wondering exactly how much the mama pig, that she’d learned was named Winnie, weighed.
Blayne smirked at her as they set the pen on the ground. He snatched up the two little piglets that trotted across the grass toward the parking area before they made a getaway and set them back inside the pen.
“Where do you want to put them? They’ve been inside a barn, so you can’t leave them outside, unprotected.”
She glared at him. “Give me a little credit. I wasn’t planning to do that. I’m just not sure where I should put them.” Brooke unlocked her back door and pushed it open. Blayne followed her inside. The entire back room comprised her workshop where she formed her glass works of art.
“Wow, this is…” Blayne gazed at the expansive space, full of the tools of her trade, “… amazing.”
Brooke smiled. “I kind of like it.” She turned away from him and glanced around, trying to think of a safe place for the pigs. A room she used for storage would work, at least for the time being. She strode across her work area to a door near the stairs that led up to her apartment.
With a quick twist of the knob, she opened it and looked around. Empty boxes, waiting for her future creations, filled portable plastic shelves. One corner housed an assortment of cleaning supplies and a box full of rags.
She looked at Blayne over her shoulder, aware he’d followed her. “Do you think this will work?
He peeked inside. “It should do just fine. You’ll want to block the door, rather than close it, although for tonight, they should be fine. You’ll need some food and water for them. And you’ll want to start on housebreaking the piglets. Winnie probably already is.”
Housebreaking pigs? Oh, good grief, what had she done? She barely had time to feed herself and now she would be caring for five pigs, four of which needed extra attention.
Yep, it was official. She’d lost her ever-loving mind. Otherwise she wouldn’t be standing in her storage room with the most ruggedly handsome man she’d ever met, discussing the bathroom habits of pigs.
Mentally shaking herself to get a grip, she began moving things out of the room. Blayne lifted the portable shelving, boxes and all, and carried it out of the room as though it weighed nothing.
“Do you have an old blanket or something they could bed down on for the night?” he asked as he grabbed a broom and swept the room.
“I have something upstairs. I’ll be right back.” Brooke raced up to her apartment, pawed through her linen closet for an old blanket, and hurried back downstairs.
While she was upstairs, Blayne lined a long, flat box with plastic and filled it with a few scoops of dirt. He placed it in a corner as she stepped back in to the storage room.
“Winnie will know what to do with this, or at least she should. Hopefully, you won’t have a bunch of messes to clean up in the morning.” Blayne straightened and brushed off his hands. “Do you have something to feed them? I could run to the store if you like.”
“No, I’ll figure out something. You’ve done more than enough as it is.” Brooke backed out of the room and walked over to the door they’d left open. She could hear the pigs grunting outside.
“Let me help you get them out. I can take the pen back to Brent when I return to the festival.”
“Thank you,” Brooke said, wishing Blayne would leave. The longer she spent around him the harder it was to resist the urge to kiss his generous mouth. Despite the scruff on his face, which only accented his masculinity, she couldn’t help pondering what a kiss from him might do to her psyche. Her heart whispered she should stop being a coward and find out while her head shouted for her to run the other direction before she sustained irrevocable damage.
Listening to her head, she picked up two piglets and set them on the grass, letting them explore while Blayne released Winnie. The pig ambled out onto the grass, sniffing and grunting.
Brooke laughed when Winnie released a contented sigh and flopped onto her side in a patch of warm sunshine, closing her eyes.
“Now that’s a sound of bliss if I ever heard one,” Blayne said, shaking his head at the pig. “I can help you herd her inside.”
“No, she looks pretty happy right where she’s at. I’ll let her rest a bit before I take them inside.” Brooke chased the piglet determined to escape and carried him back to the others. “Nicole said this guy thinks he’s Houdini. That’s an awfully big name for such a little fellow, but he does seem intent on disappearing.”
“They can get away as fast as you can blink, so be warned,” Blayne said with a teasing grin. “Do you need help unloading your rig? I could carry in the heavy stuff for you.”
“No, but thank you, Blayne. I appreciate your help in getting my five little pigs home.” Brooke lifted her gaze to his, struggling to keep from falling into the inviting warmth of his eyes. “And thanks for saving me from myself this morning. I really didn’t mean to step right in front of you.”
“I know. It’s been a rather distracting day,” he said, hefting the empty pen into the back of his pickup. He dug into his pocket and held out a business card. “In case you need anything, here’s my number. Call anytime.”
“Thanks,” Brooke said. She wanted to tell him that most certainly wouldn’t happen, but didn’t. “Have a nice evening, Blayne.”
“You, too, Brooke.” He opened the pickup door and slid behind the wheel. Before he closed the door, he tossed a cocky grin her way. “I’m glad I almost ran into you today.”
With that, he shut the door, started the pickup, and drove off.
Brooke watched him leave, wishing she’d met him a lifetime ago, before she’d given up on men and love.
With a soul-deep sigh, she turned back to her charges, and pulled out her phone. Just what, exactly, did pigs like to eat?