Chapter Ten
Joel put on the blinker and turned left down a residential street, slowing at the first home on the right. He’d wanted to continue the conversation that had barely begun, but he knew this was about to blow it right out of the water, which was probably good.
He hadn’t expected her to come right out about last night.
From the moment they’d shared that kiss, he couldn’t get Autumn out of his mind—and he’d tried. If she lived across town or maybe across the country, it would be a lot easier, but having her so close was almost painful. After they’d shared dinner and explored a couple more rooms, he wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and taste her all over.
The kiss had only made him hungrier for her. It took everything he had to drag himself away from her last night. Ending that kiss was for the best, but he still wished he hadn’t.
From the moment Joel met her, he’d dreamed of what it would be like to kiss her, and when he finally did, it rocked his world. She tasted so sweet, and the way her body melded into his . . .
Joel stopped right in front of an old Victorian home and Autumn let out a whistle of appreciation.
The estate was exactly as Autumn had imagined the one she was living in would be someday. It was like a fairy tale.
“What a gorgeous home,” she said, taking in the gingerbread trim and wraparound porch.
Vivid periwinkle coated the cedar shakes, and subdued ivory covered the rest of the home. It wasn’t a color combination she would have thought about, but it looked whimsical and quite lovely. There were large lilac bushes with purple blooms on each corner of the house. Wisteria vines draped along the wrought-iron fence, and fruit trees dotted the lawn on the side of the home.
“This was built by the Tuckers back in 1883.”
With wide eyes, she turned to look at Joel. “Really? Tuckers, as in my family owned this home?”
“One of many residences,” he added, biting his bottom lip. “Everyone knows about the California and Alaska gold rushes, but this little mountain town had one of its own in silver. Of course, gold was found too. I think the boom was from eighteen seventy to eighteen ninety or something like that. The Tuckers were some of the original settlers and were the most successful miners . . . behind the Norths, that is.” He grinned coyly, and she laughed. “The Tuckers did very well.”
“Oh, I see how it is.” She chuckled, turning back to take in the home.
She felt a sense of pride knowing that she had ancestors who’d helped settle a town. Never before had anything like that crossed her mind about her family history, but now that she was getting a glimpse of her past, she was intrigued. For someone who’d spent so long feeling like she didn’t have any roots beyond those of her immediate family, this news was mind-blowing.
“Who lives there now?” she asked.
“Not sure, but it wouldn’t be hard to find out.” He didn’t particularly want to elaborate as to why it would be so easy to find out. Those were some of the details he preferred to keep to himself, at least until Autumn knew him better.
“It would be kind of fun to see inside.”
“Maybe we can arrange that.” He drove a little farther down the road and stopped at another home similar to the first, but the home was less whimsical and far more dramatic.
Gargoyles sat on a brick fence surrounding the home, and turrets spiraled from the corners of the home. The colors were far more ominous in browns, blacks, and greys.
“This was also a Tucker residence.” He pointed at the street name, which was exactly as Grandma Martha had said.
“So we’re officially on Tucker?” she asked, unable to contain her excitement.
“Sure are. This road leads up to the resort.”
“This is pretty incredible. I thought today all I’d do was grab a couple of cans of paint and change some wall colors, and now I’m learning about a past I didn’t even know existed.”
Her stomach felt a little unsettled as she thought about her father, who’d kept so much from her. Even if her dad no longer spoke with his family, couldn’t he have at least mentioned this place and their family’s heritage? There was a reason genealogy websites were so popular.
“I know this sounds a little lame, but would you mind taking a picture of me standing by that street sign? I’ve got to send it to some of my friends.”
“That’s not lame at all. Over the years, I may or may not have done that myself a few times at the North sign.” He grinned and drove them closer to the sign, putting the vehicle in park.
“Once is enough for me.” She flashed a wicked grin as she hopped out of the Honcho and shut the door behind her.
Watching her bound to the street sign made Joel appreciate Autumn even more. To be in the company of someone so full of light and happiness made his world so much fuller, but as he took her on this mini-tour, he wondered if their pasts would let them make a future together. He really was conflicted. When he’d first met her, he didn’t know her side of the family had been estranged from Fred’s, and he never would have guessed she knew so little about her family’s roots in Silver Ridge.
The more he got to know Autumn, he realized that the things he knew about her family and his own could interfere with a long-term relationship. Emotions could run high and feelings could be hurt because of mistakes from the past. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t their past or their mistakes. The acts of others definitely shaped both of their futures, for better or worse. He knew the more time she spent in town and the more time he spent with her, he’d feel a sense of obligation to let her in on what he knew, but he didn’t want to upset her right now.
As he walked over to where Autumn was posing under the sign, he took in a deep breath and held it. She was absolutely amazing and didn’t deserve to be hurt in any way.
Her being his neighbor only complicated things. No matter how much he wanted to sleep with her, he knew he needed to hold back a little. He didn’t want her to feel duped in any way because of things he didn’t tell her, but when he first met Autumn, he assumed she already knew, and now it would just be awkward. At this point, he hoped she’d stumble onto the right questions.
“What do you think?” She handed him her phone for a photo and raised her hands toward the Tucker sign, grinning widely.
Seeing the excitement run through her from learning only a tiny bit about her family solidified his decision. He wouldn’t take this relationship any further.
“You look amazing and definitely like a Tucker.” He held up her phone and snapped a couple of shots, and just as she was about to step away, he stopped her.
“Now it’s my turn on my phone.” He focused more on Autumn and less on the sign as she posed smiling before transforming into silly faces, which he snapped as well.
“There’s the Tucker Park up ahead,” Joel informed her, pointing behind Autumn.
Autumn’s expression fell completely. He wasn’t sure if what was happening was good or bad, and her silence wasn’t helping anything.
“There’s a park named Tucker?” she asked at long last.
Joel nodded and wove his fingers through his hair as he tried to gauge her. Was this too much, too fast?
“I honestly can’t believe there was so much about my family that I missed.” She shook her head and chewed on her bottom lip, which only made Joel’s decision harder. He wanted to be the one feeling her lips and kissing her, holding her in his arms.
“I hope I’m not overwhelming you or—”
“Not at all.” She cut him off and crossed her arms over her chest and let out a sigh. “I’m kind of shocked that this was all hidden from me.”
“Maybe there was a good reason,” he offered, even though it was doubtful from what he knew of the Tuckers.
She shrugged. “Possibly.”
“I can show you where the library is. I’m sure there’s some great stuff. They do pretty well at preserving the Silver Ridge heritage, early settlers and all that.”
Autumn nodded and a smile touched her eyes. “So has a Tucker ever dated a North? Or could this be the first?”
“There hasn’t been a long history of it. No.”
“Interesting.” A fire lit behind her gaze, and his chest tightened, but now he knew he had to stick with his decision.
She glanced in the direction of Tucker park and scowled. “Is it okay if we call it a day? Maybe you can take me to the park another time. I feel like I need to go paint and fix up the shabbiest Tucker residence in Silver Ridge. I apparently have a reputation to uphold.”
“Totally.” He was oddly relieved as they made their way back to his truck.
As he got in his truck, he received a text that everything was nearly in place. He hoped she’d be happy and not annoyed, but only time would give him his answer on that one.
Autumn shut the door and let out a happy sigh. “Well, that was certainly informational, and to think, I wouldn’t have known any of this if it weren’t for Uncle Fred.”
Joel did a U-turn in the street and headed back to town.
“That’s the truth of it.” He nodded, surprised that one family could hold so many secrets and the possibility of so many revelations.
“Thanks for disrupting yet another one of your days for me,” she said, putting her hand on Joel’s knee. He smiled and clutched it in his, wishing this were just the beginning, not the end.
“It was fun, and we’ve only scratched the surface.” He turned into the parking lot of the hardware store.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” She chuckled as he found a parking place.
Joel put the truck in park and leaned over, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. He was certain he lingered too long, but he didn’t care. He wanted to take everything in about her, knowing there probably wouldn’t be many more of these opportunities.
“Have fun painting,” Joel said next to her ear, and she let out a deep, sensuous breath.
“Maybe I could put it off after all,” she whispered, and his entire body responded.
Joel pulled back, and she winked at him before hopping out of the truck. She certainly liked to keep him on his toes.
Autumn looked over her shoulder inside the hardware store, and Joel was already pulling out of the parking lot. She headed to the paint department, picked up her cans of paint and pail of supplies, and paid for everything at Mildred’s register.
Her mind had been spinning over Joel and the Tucker homes and Grandma Martha, and even the Fourth of July party he never officially invited her to, as she pulled down her street.
To her horror, she saw the back door of her moving truck rolled up, and the only thing left inside was a couple of boxes. Everything else was missing.
She parked right behind the truck and hopped out of her car, completely furious that someone would have the nerve to steal her things.
“Hey there, neighbor.” Joel was strolling over with Oscar.
“Don’t hey there me. You didn’t mention that Silver Ridge was known for thieves.” She glanced over at Joel, who looked unperturbed.
“I don’t think it is.” He leaned against the almost-empty moving truck, and Oscar plopped down next to him.
“Hey, bro.” Autumn flipped her gaze in the direction of the voice to see two of Joel’s brothers walking along the side of the house.
“I thought you wouldn’t mind if they let themselves in and moved everything in for you.”
“Are you serious?” Autumn was completely dumbstruck as Sam and Drew wandered to the back of the truck and lifted out the last of the boxes.
“We guessed where you wanted them to go based on the boxes’ labels. Hopefully, we guessed right.” Drew smiled, and she wanted to kiss him, just flat out kiss him.
She watched the two men carry the last of her belongings inside and glanced at Joel, who was quietly studying her.
“I told you I was good at surprises.”