Heidi’s lips parted as she burst out laughing a second later – only for his little grandmother to give her a stern look that used to put the fear of God in him… before she winked. Yeah, things would be just fine… for tonight, at least.
“Shoo!” his grandmother ordered, waving a handkerchief at him. He scooted toward the door, shooting Heidi a smile and a wink. “How am I supposed to talk to your lady friend about girl-stuff if you’re here ruining it. Out, scamp – you’ll have your time tomorrow for dinner and not a moment sooner!”
And then his grandmother shut the door almost in his face – but not before he saw her thrilled smile. Oh yes, Heidi was going to hear every bit of gossip, every detail, every kernel of information that his sweet grandmother had to share – and the two would probably talk for hours.
“I’m glad,” he whispered, walking back to the patrol car, whistling softly.
Hours later,Jack walked into his old house and sighed. He was still working on fixing it up and had focused on his grandmother’s home first – making it livable when she’d moved in with him on the property. He couldn’t let her move into a nursing home thirty minutes away – not while she still had some independence. This was the best solution for both of them, to have her close in the cottage located on his property. As he walked through the nearly empty living room where scrapers, Hefty trash bags, and paint chips were scattered among two ladders in the middle of the living room where he was working on the plaster cornices… he saw the blinking light on his answering machine and pushed the button.
“Sweetie, it’s Mimi…”
He grinned – like he wouldn’t recognize her voice…
“I got the scoop for you. Heidi is single, twenty-eight years old, and so sweetly funny. I really like her, so don’t mess this up.”
Jack barked out a laugh, shaking his head as the message ended. Of course, she did. His sweet Mimi had already done her research, formed an opinion, and decided his romantic future needed a nudge—or a shove. He wasn’t opposed to a relationship; he was just waiting for the right girl… or maybe a sign from Above.
He replayed the message once more, listening carefully this time, his amusement softening into something more thoughtful. His grandmother’s approval wasn’t subtle. She was firmly in his corner, already rooting for a relationship that hadn’t even begun. The idea was both comforting and terrifying. Because now it was on him to figure things out. He had only a few days to convince Heidi that whatever spark he felt wasn’t one-sided—and that it was worth considering something more, even if just briefly.
When Heidi left, he knew she wouldn’t comeback. This wasn’t her world. Not really. She had no ties to this town, not like him. Ending up here had been a mistake in her eyes… not fate, not luck, despite the four-leaf clover on her filthy shoe, nothing. To Heidi, this was all something to be lamented over, endured, a problem that would right itself as soon as she could leave.
Life here moved slower. The days were quieter, the nights darker, the rhythm gentler in a way that could feel like peace or stagnation, depending on who you were. It was quaint—almost painfully so—and Jack understood why that didn’t appeal to everyone. Heck, when he’d turned eighteen, he’d nearly left himself. He’d packed a bag, dreamed of wide highways and bigger cities, of a life that stretched far beyond the town limits.
Even three years ago, Chief Griffin had offered Jack a spot on the Tyler police force. It was an opportunity to move up, a chance at something new, to tackle being part of a larger police force… but he didn’t need that. There was a comfort in knowing the faces of a small town, knowing the streets like the back of your hand. He had turned it down without much hesitation.
Because this was home.
With a heavy sigh, he tipped his head back and studied the damaged cornices, dread and knowledge warring in his chest. They weren’t going to fix themselves. No miracle was coming to save him from the work. If he wanted this house to feel whole again, to be ready someday for a family that he longed for, he’d have to do it the hard way.
And now was as good a time as any.
He reached for his belt, unfastening the holster and setting it aside before tugging his uniform shirt over his head without bothering with all the buttons. The polyester pants followed, leaving him in a worn tank top and briefs. No one ever came out here. No one bothered him. And if hisgrandmother happened to walk in the front door? Well, she’d seen the same scrawny backside years ago when he’d gone swimming in the pond with his grandpa, sunburned and laughing. Nothing new there… just a little older, not much wiser, and still just as stubborn as she was.
Grabbing the ladder, Jack climbed up onto the makeshift scaffold and popped the lid off the plaster. The sharp, chalky scent filled the air as he picked up his knife, rolled his shoulders knowing how much they were going to ache in a few hours, and set to work—focused, steady, and quietly hopeful about what the next few days might bring… and thinking.
Always thinking.
He needed to figure out a way to win both fate and destiny to his side – because Heidi wasn’t having any of it. The walls were up, the battlements ready, and it was up to him to figure out how to make it over them without getting his feelings completely obliterated in the process.
“I’m gonna need a four-leaf clover of my own,” he muttered under his breath as he scooped out the first laden trowel of plaster. “Minus the horse crap.”
Five
HEIDI
Slowly opening an eye,Heidi tensed.
She had slept hard – probably harder than she’d slept in over a month. This wasn’t her bed nor a hotel, but a distinctly feminine little room with enough doilies and crocheted pillowcases to supply every tearoom from here to Houston with delicate cozies from a bygone era. The tiny bed was so welcoming and warm with quilts piled high on the daybed that she had thought was a couch last night when Mimi walked her in here and offered to put curlers in her hair too. To the little old lady, this had been a girl’s sleepover… but to her?
She was trapped.
Stuck.
It was like she’d abandoned every bit of modern conveniences to step back in time. First, it was lack of signal for her phone, then no functional ATMs… and now it was curlers, doilies. Sitting up, she reached for the first curler - and winced. Each metal cylinder was filled with a springy, brushlike filament to help grab the hair and held into place with a green plastic torture instrument, she realized as she pulled a few of them from her hair.
“Owww…”
And heard the older woman clucking her tongue as she walked into the guest room, nearly assaulting her once more. What was it with these people in this town?
