AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER ONE
Gage
“Gage? Earth to Gage.”
I snapped out of the semi-trance I’d been in as I stared mostly unseeing at the baristas behind the counter, who were expediently whipping up frothy drinks for the waiting customers. I turned to see Haven Hale peering curiously at me, a smudge of dirt on her cheek and a leaf dangling from the braid trailing over her shoulder.
“Haven,” I said, giving my head a small shake. “Sorry. I didn’t see you there.”
She smiled, cocking her head to the side. “You must have something important on your mind.”
“Uh.” The truth was, I hadn’t been thinking about anything. I’d been completely checked out. “Work,” I finally said before clearing my throat. “Busy day at work.” I inclined my head toward her, noting her baggy jeans with grass stains on the knees and the bright yellow crewneck she was wearing with the Haven’s Gate logo over the pocket. “You must have started early today.”
Her grin widened the way it always did right before she was about to talk about annuals or perennials or tubers or seedlings or whatever. I didn’t know much about gardening, but it always struck me that Haven was doing just the thing she was obviously meant to be doing. One’s true purpose. The phrase that popped into my mind caused an odd pinch in the center of my chest that I had no explanation for because Haven was a little quirky, but she was a nice girl who deserved every bit of happiness that had come her way since she’d moved to Pelion. I didn’t know all the details of her background, but I knew life hadn’t been easy for her or her brother, Easton, before they’d moved here. “We’re installing a water feature at the Fillmore Estate. They have this big hill behind the house that’s always been a challenge landscape design-wise. I suggested a water feature that starts at the top and winds down to the base with large rocks and plantings along the way and they went for it! It’ll be the first one we design and install and so it has to be right. It has to be perfect. And then, who knows, maybe we’ll hire a bigger crew and expand the business.” She pulled in a breath, winded from the long string of words that had emerged in an excited rush. “So I was up early measuring and planning and well—” She waved her hand around and let out a small laugh as though she’d just realized she’d gotten a little carried away.
“It’s going to be spectacular. I have no doubt,” I said with a smile.
“Thanks, Gage. That’s really kind of you.” She moved aside as the woman next to her stepped forward to grab her drink.
“How’s Travis doing?” I asked. “I haven’t seen him in a while.”
Her face went sort of soft and slack the way I imagined might happen right before a person was about to faint. But she remained upright and conscious as she said, “He’s good.” And for whatever reason, the word good sounded sort of salacious and made me want to glance around to make sure no one saw us dirty-talking. “He’s off today but he’s out hunting a cat.” She rolled her eyes, but even that managed to come off as adoring.
“I’m sorry. Hunting a cat?”
“Mm.” Someone else stepped around her and picked up two cupholders, turning carefully as he balanced eight coffees all topped with whipped cream and caramel drizzles. But then the customer turned back to the counter. “Excuse me, two of these are supposed to have chocolate sprinkles.” Good grief. No wonder there was a wait. When I looked back at Haven, her lips thinned as she watched the man hand his drinks over for an additional dose of morning sugar, certainly some sort of cardinal sin to a woman as health-conscious as Haven. “Clawdia just had kittens,” she said as her gaze moved back to me. “We assumed she was spayed but she obviously wasn’t. Well. You can imagine Travis’s outrage when it became clear his beloved cat was pregnant.”
I could absolutely not imagine any such outrage.
“Anyway,” she went on, “the kittens were born yesterday and they’re all orange. Each one!”
I stared. I had no idea what she was talking about or how I was supposed to respond.
She stared back. “Clawdia’s gray,” she finally explained.
“Ah. I see. So, the guilty party clearly passed on his telltale orange genes. Travis is out hunting a lustful tomcat because he outrageously knocked up his cat without first being granted permission.”
She bobbed her head as I worked not to laugh.
Oh, Travis Hale. Once Pelion’s Most Eligible Bachelor and all-around player.
My how the mighty had fallen.
The last time I’d seen Travis, he’d been helping dig holes for new trees Haven’s business was planting at the revitalized park entrance.
I’d only been passing by but by the radiant expression on his sweat-streaked face, it appeared he believed himself to be doing the Lord’s work.
The laughter that had threatened now disappeared completely, leaving an uncomfortable void.
If Travis had fallen, why did I feel like he’d surpassed me?
I cleared my throat, forcing my thoughts back to the mating habits of cats. “What’s he going to do when he finds the bastard?” I asked.
Haven’s brows sort of went in two different directions as though she hadn’t quite considered that part. “Well, he just wants to speak to him.”
“He wants to speak to the cat?”
Haven laughed. “His owner.”
