Chapter 1

“Please make it stop.” EnVee struggled to reach for the Ibuprofen on the shelf. If she could just get them into her system to make the headache go away, she’d be okay. Her head was pounding and it felt like it was filled with gallons of water. Her inner ears itched nowhere close to where a cotton swab could fit and she’d been tempted to take a pencil and jab it into the canal to relieve the incessant irritation. Her eyes watered and she was pretty sure by now, the mascara she’d applied earlier in the day was now wedged into the creases of the bags under her eyes. She had to get rid of this cold. She had a presentation to do in the morning and it wasn’t going to do her any good to get less than the usual four hours of sleep she was used to.

As she reached for the boxes, squinting to read the labels through the glaze that had formed over her eyes, she nearly dropped one when a high-pitched squeal pierced the air.

“Gracie, please. Sweetheart, I know you don’t feel good. I promise Daddy’s going to find something to make you feel better okay?”

EnVee closed her eyes, placing her hand on her temple, knowing if she didn’t get home soon, she was going to pass out. “Goodness, please make that kid stop.”

“Excuse me.” She cut her eyes to the left to see eyes as dark as the depths of the ocean narrowed and watching her. With her ears not only itching, but stopping up, she couldn’t hear her own self and must have said it a little louder than she intended. The owner of the eyes was now balancing the whimpering child in his arms and glaring at her. “She’s teething and in pain. I don’t suppose you would be in too good of a mood if you had enamel pushing its way through your gums.”

Taking a deep breath, EnVee summoned the strength to turn in the man’s direction. “Look I’m in pain myself so don’t tell me I don’t have a right to want the incessant noise coming from that little person in your arms to stop. What, does she have a megaphone in that throat of hers?” EnVee watched as the sable haired man stood in the aisle bouncing his mini me on his hip. She had to admit even with the ire billowing in his eyes, he was a fairly attractive man. He was clearly taller than six feet and his thick, Gable-esqe hair gently kissed the tops of his ears and collar. His strong jaw jutted forward as he shifted the little girl, trying to find a more soothing position for her.

“Look, lady. My daughter is not feeling her best right now. I’m trying to keep her as calm as possible, but don’t tell me she doesn’t have a right to cry.” Obviously, the baby could sense the tension flowing through her father’s body as she began to wail again, turning her head into his barrel chest and EnVee nearly toppled over from the pain.

Rolling her eyes, she fumbled across the rows of painkillers and found the one she was looking for. Placing it in the hand tote with the rest of the meds she’d loaded up on, she started to walk around him to the end of the aisle. “Well, sir, I don’t know much about kids, but I wouldn’t imagine it’s helping her any to be out in the night air. Maybe you should have done us all a favor and left her at home with her mother.”

The gentleman pivoted on his heel to face her. “Maybe you should mind your own business. I don’t know why you believe the world revolves around you, but it doesn’t. Maybe you should stop self-medicating and become a much nicer person. Maybe then, instead of you being in the store getting something for your cold, someone would be nice to you and get it for you so you could be at home resting.” His snide comments struck her in the face as if he’d reached out and slapped her and she stopped to stare at him. If she didn’t know any better, she’d swear the baby, who had quieted down from his soothing pats on her back, was smirking at her.

“You know nothing about me or anyone in my life, so why don’t you mind your own business and leave me be.” EnVee was sick, but she wasn’t about to let him get the best of her. Why was she even entertaining this conversation? He meant nothing to her. He was a perfect stranger with a baby. One of the last and possibly worst traits she could want in a man. They were nothing but distractions to her goals and she was not about to be derailed by anyone or anything.

“Hey, you started it. If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen. My daughter did nothing to you. She’s six months old and teething. Sue me if I don’t care too much for people talking terribly about her or to her,” he spat as he turned to look for the topical gel for the baby’s gums.

Shaking her head, EnVee turned and stalked to the front of the store. Ugh, men. What did they know? He had no right to judge her. She didn’t feel well. Why couldn’t he understand the baby’s crying was only exacerbating her headache and she just needed to get home and lie down? The place was pretty desolate and at this hour of the night, there was only one lane open. She quietly pulled her items from the hand tote and placed them on the conveyor belt. She hadn’t noticed the gentleman with the baby had made his selection and was now standing in line behind her. Placing her last item on the belt, she reached for her wallet. You have got to be kidding me. I’ve been pickpocketed. She could only imagine that’s what happened. There was no way she’d left home without her wallet. Not now. I just want to go home. She continued to pat her pockets and realized she wouldn’t have been able to miss her wallet in the thin fitness jacket she wore. In her haste to get relief and the fog clouding her brain, she’d left her wallet at home on the kitchen counter.

“You know some of us would like to get home sometime tonight,” she heard from behind her and she pivoted to see those same dark eyes peering down at her. The baby rested quietly against her father’s chest. It probably had something to do with the teething ring she held tightly in her hand jammed into her mouth. Her unruly curls framing her chunky face.

“Well, I would speed up my transaction, but it seems as though my wallet is missing.” EnVee was more than a little embarrassed and was glad it was only she, the gum-popping checkout girl and the gentleman standing there. If there had been a huge crowd, she may have slunk away into the night and never graced the superstore again.

“Hmm, so now it would seem you need someone to be nice to you, huh?”

“I’m perfectly capable of doing for myself. Thank you very much.” She turned to the girl who was impatiently tapping her foot. “I do apologize for the delay. Would it be okay if I just gave you my credit card number and you could punch it in?” She smiled as much as her face would allow. The headache had now radiated to her neck and was spreading across her forehead.

“Sorry ma’am. If you don’t have cash or a card with ID, I can’t help you.”

“Look, it’s not a big deal. I can just tell you my card number. I know it by heart. I’ll just tell you the numbers, you punch it in and I’m out of your hair.”

“It doesn’t work that way lady. I can’t do that. I still wouldn’t have a way of verifying that you actually own the card without an ID.” Staring at the masticating muncher in sheer disbelief, EnVee shifted her weight from one leg to the other. She felt a little woozy and knew it had to be from the fluid she was sure was steadily filling her head. What a time for someone to be conscientious of identity theft.

The gentleman sighed, shaking his head as he put his items on the conveyor belt. He moved forward and EnVee glared at him.

“What do you think you’re doing? I was here first. You can’t just-”

“Lady, please put a sock in it. I need to get my daughter home.” Turning to the checkout girl, he added. “Just total it all up. Bag her stuff separately.” He then turned to EnVee with eyebrows raised. “Ah, are you going to move so I can pay for all of this?”

“I am perfectly capable-”

He shook his head as the young girl totaled up the bill. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yadda, yadda, yadda. You’re capable of doing for yourself. Well, tonight someone else is doing something nice for you. Okay?” Moving over, he tried shifting Gracie so he could get to his own wallet. “Look, I know you have a problem with her, but she’s quiet right now. Can you give me a hand?”

EnVee’s eyes went wide; at least as wide as they could. “You want me to hold her?” She’d never held a baby. Wasn’t in her DNA to do so. Before she could protest, the man pushed the plump monster into her arms and EnVee’s entire body stiffened. She watched as he pulled his wallet from his back pocket and counted out the bills to give to the cashier before she looked down at the little girl. Her eyes were just as dark as her father’s and she stared at EnVee as if she were trying to figure out just who the woman was. Suddenly, the teething ring exited her mouth followed by the formula her little stomach had tried to digest earlier, but obviously didn’t quite complete. “Ugh, uh,” EnVee gagged, nearly throwing up herself as she watched the curdled liquid run down the front of her hot pink jacket.

“Aw, Gracie,” the man sighed as the cashier handed him his change. The baby, no worse for wear, smiled at him before looking up at EnVee. She then stretched her tiny hands towards her father, who gently took her from EnVee’s arms. “Hey, I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s not a problem,” EnVee sputtered as she took the paper towel the leering cashier offered to her, trying to wipe herself clean. “Thank you for paying for my items. Please give me your address and I can send you the money,” she added through clenched teeth. Her headache was now a full on migraine and she could practically feel one side of her nose completely close. She could only imagine she sounded like that imaginary elephant from the kids show on public television and looked like death warmed over. The solitary thing she could be silently grateful for was the fact she couldn’t smell anything; especially now that there was curdled milk soaking through her jacket.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. After what Gracie just did, I owe you. It’s just formula, so hopefully it won’t stain or anything, but I don’t mind paying for the dry cleaning.” He started to reach for his wallet again and she shook her head.

“No. We’ll just call it even.” She just wanted to get out of the store. Get home and crawl into bed and forget this night ever happened. Taking her bag, she turned and stalked away.

As he watched her walk out, Logan looked down at Gracie and smiled. “I guess you didn’t take too kindly to her talking about you either. That’s Daddy’s girl,” he winked as he took his bag and walked out of the store.

###

“Wow, you don’t look so good. Long night?” Logan looked up from his desk to see his brother, Alex, walking towards him. He scratched the stubble on his chin and nodded.

“Gracie’s teething.”

“Oooh, sorry to hear that. Is she okay?”

Logan nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. “Yeah, she just kept me up half the night.” The other half of the night, he’d stewed about the rude woman they’d encountered. He still couldn’t get over how put out she was over Gracie crying. She was a baby for crying out loud. Who gets mad at a baby for crying when they’re in pain?

“Wow. You look like you could use a nap already.”

“I feel like a freight train just ran over me. Plus, when I went to get her some medicine last night, the rudest woman I’ve ever met was in the store. She had the nerve to be rude to Gracie too.”

Alex scowled as he sat down across from Logan. “Rude to Gracie?”

“Yeah. She was mad because Gracie was crying. I mean, who does that? She’s a baby.”

“Whoa. What was her deal?”

“I don’t know. But I definitely know payback starts in the crib for women.” Logan chuckled.

“Why do you say that?”

Logan launched into the entire story about how rude the woman had been and then how she’d gotten a visit from karma as she’d forgotten her wallet and how Gracie spit up on her.

“That niece of mine is going to be one little spit fire. I can see it now,” Alex laughed.

“I know. I shouldn’t have been proud of that, but I was,” Logan added, watching his brother pull out his iPad and slide it across the desk.

“Well, good for her. And good for you. It seems like you’re doing better with her and getting more comfortable with each other.”

“Yeah. It’s a slow process, but it’s getting there,” Logan added and Alex could see the flash of sadness in his brother’s eyes. Quickly, changing the subject he pointed to the image on the screen.

“So, you remember the Whittington Estate, right?”

Logan snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the old Victorian house on the screen. Its beautiful architecture stood stately against a backdrop of oak trees and was the proverbial house on the hill. It was quite a home and many people, including him, had admired the house for the history and the beauty it held for so many years. Unfortunately, the entire Whittington family had died out. No heirs were left and the home had been left to wilt away behind the wrought iron gates. The grass had grown up around it and vines were inching their way up the sides of the structure. “It’s a shame no one has been taking care of the place.”

“Well, that’s where we come in. All of that is about to change.” Alex smiled and Logan’s eyebrows knotted watching his brother slide his finger across the screen.

“What are you talking about?”

“We’ve been contracted to restore that old house.”

“You’re kidding.” Logan looked up to see his brother grinning from ear to ear. He wasn’t sure but it looked like Alex was about to do a little happy dance he was so delighted in sharing the news.

“Nope. I just received the signed contract. I, me, your brother, worked my magic and got us the deal of a lifetime.” Logan grinned as his brother flexed the sorriest excuses for muscles. His business acumen kept him bound to a chair most days while Logan was out swinging hammers and doing the more physical work.

“How did--who bought the place? That has to be someone with a ton of money to burn. Restoring that house isn’t going to be cheap. Not to mention all of the back taxes.” Logan was dumbfounded. Even the city had been reluctant to buy the place and restore it, so who in their right mind would do something like that.

“Hey, I didn’t get into all of that. The lady heard we were the best there is when it comes to restorations and she wanted us. Name is McAlister. She goes by her initials. NV.”

“EnVee?” Logan grimaced. “Who in the world does that to a kid? Her parents had to know her initials would sound out one of the seven deadly sins. Really?” He shook his head and looked at the images on the screen. The house was very old, but its structure still seemed to be fairly strong and that would work in their favor. “So, when do we get started?”

“As soon as you touch base with her. She wants it done by Christmas.”

“Christmas! Are you kidding? What does she think this is? We aren’t those people from TV that build houses in a week, Alex.” Logan snorted.

“I know that, but we can do this.”

“You expect me to work miracles. The timelines that you promise without consulting me first get shorter and shorter. I haven’t even done a walkthrough.”

“It’s because I know you can do it. So touch base with her and work out the changes she wants to make to the place. I’ve got a crew there already clearing the yard and the weeds. They should be done soon. I told her you would call and set a time for the two of you to go over to the house and you could give her a look around.”

Logan sighed and shook his head. “I guess I’d better go in the house first just to make sure it’s safe. I don’t want her having some kind of accident. Then she may not be the ‘envy’ of her friends, falling through the floors of her own house.” Logan laughed at his own joke as Alex shook his head.

“Ha, ha. Look, smart-ass, don’t piss this woman off. I know you and your mouth. There’s a lot of money riding on this. Plus, restoring this house will open up some other opportunities for us down the road.” Alex stood, taking his iPad and headed towards the door.

“I know, I know. I’ll give her a call,” Logan said picking up the card Alex left on his desk. “And I’ll behave,” he added when Alex turned to glare at him. “I will. I promise,” he assured him. N.V. McAlister, CFO, Terrin Technologies he read. Wonder what this woman’s like.

###

“Thank you Trina. That’ll be all,” EnVee sat behind the big mahogany desk taking the pile of documents her assistant handed to her before she walked out of the door. Pushing yet another note that her sister had called aside, she focused in on the file Trina had placed on top. It had been a week and she was finally getting over the cold she’d contracted.

EnVee smiled as she sifted through pictures of the Whittington Estate. She’d tasked her assistant with finding out every piece of history she could on the old home. She’d dreamed of this day. When she was a child, her mother had told her and her sister they would all live in a beautiful house just like it one day. Unfortunately, that day never came for her mother, and the relationship with her sister had become strained and estranged over time. But she’d vowed to make the dream a reality and that day had finally come when she noticed the house while exploring her new city. Taking the job with Terrin Tech had been her reason for moving to Hope Springs and finding the house was the icing on the cake. Yes, it needed work. A lot of work, but she was ready for the challenge. She’d saved her money for this. Plus, her salary was more than enough to provide anything she wanted and she liked it that way. She never had to ask for help from anyone. Now, she’d found the house and according to all of the research she’d done, she’d found the perfect restoration company. Edwards Construction came highly recommended by her boss. She’d already met Alex Edwards and closed the deal and now she was excited to meet Logan, the brother, who would work with her on the design and changes she wanted in the house.

They’d spoken briefly on the phone and she wasn’t sure, but his voice sounded vaguely familiar. She chalked it up to the possibility that he probably just sounded a lot like his brother. She gathered up the photos and placed them in her briefcase excited that today she was finally going to get to see the inside of her new home.

###

Logan scanned the living room. It was eerily silent in the humongous house. He’d been pleasantly surprised at how well it had stood the test of time. Granted, there were a lot of things that were going to have to be replaced, but all in all, the structure was very sturdy. He liked old houses. It was impressive to him the amount of time and care that was put into each one and he liked the fact they were reliable homes. Nothing like the thrown together fabrications a lot of homes were made out of nowadays. There was nothing wrong with the homes of the present, but he had an affinity for any home that was more than seventy years old. It meant some time had gone into its construction and more than likely there was a story behind it. He was about to turn to head up the creaky stairs when he heard a car pull up outside and he walked to the front of the house. He was there to meet Ms. N.V. McAlister to do a walk through and get her specifications on the changes she wanted made in order to get started on the blueprints. He hoped she didn’t want to make too many changes to the home. It was beautiful the way it was and he could only imagine the big shot she must be would want to modernize every single thing about the house. By the time she was done, it would probably resemble the house from Beetlejuice. He grimaced at the thought of it, clutching his iPad in his hands and opened the door. He waited patiently as the black Audi rolled to a stop and a well-heeled and very shapely leg exited the open driver door followed by another. He headed down the steps of the front porch and his eyes widened when the driver emerged from the car. You have got to be kidding me. That can’t be…

“Hello, I’m En…” Both seemed to come to the same realization at the same time. He watched her remove her sunglasses and could see the memory of their first encounter flash through her eyes. “You. What are you doing here?”

Logan swallowed hard and tried his best to control the level of his voice. He could only think about how rude she’d been to him and Gracie a little more than a week ago and it looked like the favor he’d done her hadn’t changed her disposition. “I’m Logan Edwards. You contracted me to do this job.” He almost got a strange satisfaction from seeing her face fall knowing she had hired him to work on her house project.

“I spoke with another gentleman.” She pursed her lips and he noticed for the first time, the small beauty mark she had right above the left side of her deep plum stained lips. The night they’d first met, he’d been too preoccupied with her haughty attitude to notice she was a beautiful woman. Her auburn hair was pulled back from her perfectly made up face. And her almond shaped eyes had a russet tint just a tad darker than her hair. Her shapely body was covered in a tailored black pinstripe suit. She had ample curves kept toned by workouts no doubt, but still had the kind of womanly body that could keep a man up all night. He blinked and tried to think of anything else because he was a little thrown by his own admiration of her.

“My brother, Alex. He and I run the business together.”

“Well, this isn’t going to work.”

Logan breathed deep remembering the words of his brother. Behave yourself. Lots of money riding on this. Big opportunities. Aw, hell. “Look lady, I’m here to do a job. We’re the best you’re going to find when it comes to a task like this. You’ve already signed a contract and I do have other projects I need to tend to today. So if we could just get started, the quicker this is over, the faster you can go back to your ivory tower.” Alex was going to kill him.

Her eyes narrowed and he could see her frustration and anger building. “I would think you would be a little more professional when you first meet someone to do business with them.”

“I would, but this isn’t our first meeting and I’m just giving what I get. I would think you would want to be nicer to the person that’s going to restore your new home, but that isn’t the case is it?” He tilted his head and gave her the most insolent smile he could muster. Who does this woman think she is?

“I will not stand here being talked to this way. You are working for me and you could learn a thing or two about customer service.” She started up the steps to the house, pausing for a moment before she reached the top and turned. “Are you coming or will I need to do this alone?”

Logan’s jaw twitched watching her very curvy bottom twist from side to side as she continued to ascend the stairs. His dentist would chastise him during his next scheduled appointment from gritting his teeth down to nubs. He was going to be nuts by the time this job was over. Dear God, give me strength.