A Mother's Gift (Love Inspired) (10 page)

N
ick Delaney.

Moving into the house down the road.

Julia barely had time to connect those two shocking pieces of information when the petite, redheaded whirlwind she’d seen from the window skidded up to them.

“I’m Beth Delaney.” The girl grinned up at her. “We thought you’d be old. Dad and I were just about to leave the brownies on the porch. I didn’t want to because I thought your dog might eat them. Chocolate isn’t good for dogs, you know. Dad’s a veterinarian so I know all kinds of things about animals….”

“Brownies?” Julia slipped in the question when Beth Delaney paused to take a breath. She was trying to make sense out of the “we thought you’d be old” comment when another one registered. “Dog? I don’t have a dog.”

Disappointment clouded Beth Delaney’s big brown eyes for a moment. “Cats?” Her tone was hopeful.

“No. No cats, either.” Julia fought the strangest urge to apologize.

“But you have horses, right? We saw the barn.”

Julia sucked in a breath. Funny how one simple question possessed the power to pierce her defenses and scrape against a wound that had never completely healed.

She shook her head. “No horses.”

“But this is a farm.” Beth looked confused. “I saw the sign by the driveway. Wind River Farm. All farms have animals. Dad said I could name our farm…unless it has a name already. Do you know if it has a name?”

Julia took a step backward. Toward the safety of the house. She shouldn’t have answered the door. When she’d heard the car pull up and saw the little girl jump out of the passenger side, Julia had assumed she was involved in some sort of school fundraiser.

If she’d had any inkling the vehicle belonged to her new neighbors, she would have followed her first instinct and ignored the enthusiastic pounding on the front door.

Julia stole a glance at the girl’s father and then quickly looked away.

She’d thought the situation with the house was a major complication but Nick Delaney could very well fall under a whole separate category.

They had expected her to be old? Well, the Delaneys hadn’t been the only ones guilty of making false assumptions.

Julia’s imagination had created a picture of the man who had snapped up what was supposed to have been her land and it had been what the locals referred to as a “weekend warrior.” A middle-aged man in Bermuda shorts and a polo shirt—holding a chain saw in one hand and a fishing pole in the other.

Nick Delaney, with his tousled sable-brown hair, jade-green eyes and ruggedly masculine features, fit the warrior part of the equation, at least.

That was what was so unsettling.

Not only did he possess traffic-stopping good looks but he also had the appealing aura of a man who didn’t seem to
know
he possessed traffic-stopping good looks. If someone found that quality appealing. Which Julia didn’t.

“Does our farm have a name?” Beth repeated the question, tilting her head in a curious way that reminded Julia of the chickadees that visited the bird feeder outside her kitchen window every morning.

“I don’t think so,” Julia murmured. “Everyone around here calls it the old Kramer place.”

Beth’s freckled nose pleated. “It’s too pretty for that name. After Dad and I fix it up it’ll look even better. We stayed there last night, and next Saturday we’re going to bring the rest of our stuff.”

“You’re going to
live
there?” The words spilled out before Julia could stop them and her eyes flew to the girl’s father. “I thought…when Lucy Robertson said you were from Chicago, I assumed you would be spending weekends there. Or maybe fixing it up in order to resell it.”

“No—we’re here for the long haul.” Nick Delaney sounded way too cheerful about it. “I accepted a partnership with Dr. Blake.”

“I see.” Julia braced one hand against the doorjamb. She vaguely remembered hearing a rumor that Thomas Blake, the small-animal vet, was planning to retire soon, but most people had assumed his son would return to Clear Springs and take over his practice.

“The house needs a little bit of work but Tig and I are up to the challenge, aren’t we?” Nick reached out and gave his daughter’s copper ponytail an affectionate tug.

“Dad! I told you not to call me that anymore.” Beth’s slim shoulders rolled in time with a long-suffering sigh. She gave Julia an apologetic look. “Dad says I remind him of Tigger because I have a lot of energy. It’s kind of a baby name, though, and I’ll be eleven in a few weeks. I hope I get a puppy for my birthday.”

Wonderful. Julia’s lips tightened. With no fence between the two properties, the Delaneys’ new pet would probably be a frequent visitor. Digging up her flower beds. Barking incessantly…

Her gaze suddenly collided with Nick Delaney’s. His smile faded, the jade-green eyes darkening as if he’d read her thoughts.

Julia lifted her chin, forcing herself not to look away. This was her porch. She wasn’t the…the interloper here.

“Beth, why don’t you give Ms. Windham the brownies?” Nick suggested softly. “I think we’ve taken up enough of her time. And we should be back on the road before dark.”

“Okay.” Beth flashed a sunny smile as she retrieved the pan from the porch rail and proudly presented the foil-wrapped plate, crowned with a topknot of yellow curling ribbon.

She was about to reject his daughter’s gift.

Nick’s breath stalled as Julia Windham stared at the plate in Beth’s hands as if she were being offered a dose of hemlock.

Take it. Please.

He didn’t know how Beth would handle the rejection. His baby girl had a tendency to see the good in everything. And everyone.

He, on the other hand, should have seen this coming.

Julia Windham’s chilly demeanor hadn’t thawed a bit since she’d stepped onto the porch. The expression on her face sure hadn’t matched the word
Welcome
stamped in gold letters on the mat beneath her expensive leather shoes. If anything, she had become even more reserved after Beth had quizzed her about the pets she owned.

Just what he needed. A neighbor who didn’t like children or animals.

Until now, Nick hadn’t realized how much he’d hoped that their “elderly neighbor” would become somewhat of a surrogate grandmother to Beth. Someone to fill the void of his mother’s absence.

Okay, Lord. What’s going on? Clear Springs is great. The job looks promising. The house is everything we wanted…but Julia Windham as a neighbor? Sorry—I must be missing something here.

What kind of person turned down chocolate? Handmade by a cute little redheaded kid?

Nick saw Beth’s smile falter and his heart slammed against his rib cage. He took a step forward…

Just as Julia reached out and took the plate from her.

“I…Thank you.” Her smile looked forced. “Did your mother help you make them?”

“Nope. It’s just me and Dad,” Beth said matter-of-factly. “Granna Claire taught me how to bake. She said it takes two people to make enough cookies to satisfy Dad’s sweet tooth—”

“Beth.” Nick saw his daughter’s eyes widen and realized he’d spoken more sharply than he had intended. But he doubted Julia was interested in the mundane details of his personal life. “It’s time to go. We’ve got a few more things to do before we leave.” He gently put his hands on her shoulders and directed her toward the car.

“Let me know if you like the brownies!” Beth slipped from his grasp and Nick knew what was about to happen. Unfortunately, he wasn’t fast enough to prevent it.

His daughter was a hugger. No one was exempt. It was a gene she’d inherited from her mother, so he’d indulged the habit.

Until now.

“Beth—” He swiped at her sleeve and ended up with a fistful of air instead.

Beth’s arms clamped around Julia’s slim waist. “Thanks for having us over. We’ll stay longer next time. Promise.”

Julia stiffened and Nick wasn’t sure if she was going to scream or shake his daughter off like a piece of tissue paper stuck to the bottom of her shoe. Or both.

One hand came up and fluttered a few inches away from Beth’s head. Oh, no. He hadn’t thought of that one. Yanking his daughter’s glossy ponytail would definitely lead to instant escape….

“Thank you.” Julia gave her an awkward pat instead. Once. Twice.

Beth released her with a grin. “It was nice to meet you. Bye!”

With a quick nod, Julia dove for the door. It slammed shut behind her.

“Come on, Tig.” He reeled Beth in and gave her the kind of hug she deserved.

On the drive back to Chicago, Nick had time to think about Julia Windham. And the expression on her face before she’d disappeared into the house.

Given the woman’s less-than-welcoming reception, he had expected to see displeasure. Or impatience. But oddly enough, the emotion that skimmed through those incredible violet eyes had looked more like…pain.

“G
o home, now. You aren’t welcome here.”

A pair of liquid-brown eyes stared sorrowfully at Julia over the heirloom rosebush she’d been trimming.

“I mean it.” She sat back on her heels and frowned at the un-invited guest. “I don’t have time for company.”

Aahroorooroo!

Julia dropped the pruning shears and clamped her hands over her ears.

The newest addition to the neighborhood—Nick Delaney’s enormous mongrel of a dog—mistook the shooing motion she’d made with her hands for an invitation to play. As if the animal were hinged in the middle, the front end of its body dropped to the ground while the part with the tail remained in the air.

Two furry eyebrows twitched hopefully.

“You couldn’t have been a Chihuahua, could you? Oh, no. They had to adopt the biggest—” Julia stopped herself from saying the word
ugliest
only because the poor animal had had no choice about its questionable pedigree. One part timber wolf and two parts polar bear. “
Loudest
dog they could find.”

Not to mention the smelliest.

The plumed tail slashed the air and Julia reared back.

Ach.

The creature was shedding so much fur it looked as if they’d experienced a mid-April snowfall. Julia picked a rogue hair off her sweater and flicked it away.

“Where is your family, by the way? Shouldn’t they be keeping a closer eye on you?” Once again, Julia found her gaze drifting to the house across the field. Something that was happening way too often as the day wore on. But who could blame her? The quiet country road she lived on had become Grand Central Station over the past few hours.

The traffic had started just before noon, when Nick Delaney’s car had chugged past—part of a caravan that included a moving truck and an apple-green SUV with the Robertson Realty logo on the side.

Julia guessed that Lucy had stopped by to officially present Nick with the keys to the house that should have belonged to her.

While the movers began unloading all of Nick and Beth Delaney’s worldly possessions, Tom Blake’s pickup had pulled up. That was when the dog had made its first appearance.

She had assumed—
hoped like crazy
—the shaggy monster tearing around the yard belonged to Dr. Blake. But when the vet finally drove away, the dog had stayed. He’d either left it behind on purpose—and Julia wouldn’t have blamed him a bit—or else Nick Delaney had decided to present his daughter with an early birthday present.

As if on cue, a flash of yellow caught Julia’s eye. A small figure shot out the back door and ran around the house. Seconds later, a shrill whistle rent the air.

“Beth is sounding the alarm.” Julia arched a brow at the dog. “You better go home or you’ll be in big trouble.”

The animal grinned and rolled over, exposing its furry belly for a scratch.

“You are pitiful. You know that, don’t you?” Julia reached for the heart-shaped tag dangling from a bright fluorescent-pink collar. “Belle. They named you Belle? As in beautiful?”

The bushy tail thumped an affirmative.

Julia gave in and rubbed her knuckles against the furry muzzle. The dog’s tongue swiped her hand in appreciation.

“Okay, enough of that.” Julia chuckled and rose to her feet. The muscles in her thigh contracted in protest. She stared across the field, absently kneading the familiar ache that bloomed in one hip. She looked down at the dog and sighed.

“If I want you to go home, then it looks like I’m going to have to take you there myself.”

“I found Belle, Dad! She’s with Julia.”

“Ms. Windham,” Nick corrected Beth while inwardly he stifled a groan. It was just his luck that the dog had decided to trot over and introduce herself to their neighbor.

He hadn’t planned to adopt an animal the same day they moved in but a logging crew had found Belle running loose in the woods the day before, miles away from any homes or cabins. The closest animal shelter was an hour away, so Tom Blake had agreed to take her in temporarily. Nick had a hunch his new business partner had known that once a certain little redhead spotted the dog, it would have a permanent home.

His thoughtful boss had even thrown in a brand-new collar and a bag of dog chow.

Nick hadn’t minded. One of the reasons he’d looked for a house in the country was so Beth could indulge her love for animals. Something their city apartment lease hadn’t allowed.

He could only imagine what Julia would have to say about the first addition to his daughter’s menagerie. On second thought, it looked as if he were going to find out. Whether he wanted to or not.

“I’ll be there in a minute, sweetheart. Mrs. Robertson and I are almost finished here.”

“I believe we are finished.” In a sudden flurry of movement, Lucy Robertson began to collect the paperwork. “You can call
me
—” Nick didn’t miss the slight emphasis on the word “—if you have any questions.”

Nick nodded, a little confused by the mixed signals he’d been getting from her. They’d started when he dropped by the realty agency and a subdued Irma Robertson had immediately summoned Lucy instead of dealing with his questions herself. The owner had seemed relaxed and friendly at the office but her attitude had changed the moment she’d arrived at the house. Lucy had been alternately fidgeting, tapping her pen against her teeth and sneaking little glances at the clock for the past half hour.

Now she looked ready to bolt.

“I appreciate your taking the time to make a house call so I could be here to supervise the movers, Mrs. Robertson.” Nick smiled. “And please tell Irma that I appreciate her willingness to show me the property last week on such short notice. I still can’t believe the way everything worked out.”

“Neither can I,” Lucy muttered.

“Beth and I can’t thank you enough for making this happen.”

“Oh, please. Don’t thank me.” Lucy glanced out the window and her eyes widened. She began to inch her way toward the door.

“You’ll call the Kramers’ attorney when you get back to the office? To make sure everything is official?” Everything had happened so fast; Nick didn’t want to take any chances. Not when Beth had already claimed the upstairs bedroom as her own.

Lucy’s fingers closed around the handle of the screen door. “Of course, but I don’t foresee a problem. Your bank called and everything appears to be in order. A second offer should no longer be an issue.”

“Second offer?” Nick repeated. “Are you telling me that someone else put in an offer on the house?”

He half expected Lucy to deny it but she hesitated instead. “It’s not unusual, you know.” The unhappy look on her face told Nick that she regretted mentioning it. “If another buyer comes in and offers cash or has no contingencies, the seller can accept another offer instead….”

And bump the other one out.

Nick exhaled slowly.

The deal had been at risk and he hadn’t even been aware of it. While he and Beth had spent the week making plans for their new home, someone had tried to take it away.

Thanks for looking out for us, God.

Nick scraped a hand across his jaw. “I hope the person interested in buying the property won’t hold a grudge. I do have to make a living in this town, you know.” He was only half joking.

Lucy didn’t answer.

Not a good sign.

They heard voices outside and the Realtor paled. “I really should be getting back—”

The bottom dropped out of Nick’s stomach as Lucy’s peculiar behavior suddenly made sense.

“Julia Windham put the offer in, didn’t she?”

Lucy made a strangled sound and her chin jerked once in affirmation.

“But she already has a…house.” Nick stopped himself from saying the word
mansion.
“Why does she need another one?”

“It’s not a question of need,” Lucy explained in a low voice. “When Julia’s grandfather was a young man, he deeded some land to his friend Zach Kramer as a gift. Julia isn’t interested in the house. This little piece of land…your land…was part of Wind River Farm once. The Windhams have wanted to buy it back for years.”

“So why didn’t they buy it after Zach passed away?”

“Because he left it to his older brother—who everyone assumed would sell the place because he lives in California,” Lucy explained, obviously warming to the subject even though her voice didn’t break above a whisper. “For some reason, Bob Kramer refused. At first it might have been for sentimental reasons but later I think it was out of sheer stubbornness. From what I heard, Tara Windham, Julia’s mother, had her attorney pestering him constantly.”

“But it was Julia who put in the second offer. Hoping I’d have a contingency so she could bump me out.” Unexpected disappointment crashed over Nick as the truth sank in.

He hadn’t expected to join their new neighbor for evening sing-alongs by the campfire but he hadn’t expected to get stabbed in the back, either.

Julia hadn’t wasted any time trying to get her hands on the property. At least it explained the chilly reception he and Beth had received when they’d shown up on her doorstep.

Nick had been a little disturbed by how often he’d found himself thinking about Julia over the past week. He’d even convinced himself that she was shy rather than standoffish. Reserved rather than snobby.

Now he wondered if Julia had been eating one of the brownies Beth had made while she called the Realtor and tried to take their house away.

To his surprise, Lucy Robertson defended Julia. “If I had to guess, I’d say that Tara probably pressured Julia to put in the offer.”

“I didn’t meet anyone named Tara. Irma told me that Julia lived alone.” That was why Nick had assumed she was a senior citizen.

You assumed a lot, didn’t you, buddy?

“She does. Tara moved away shortly after the accident.” Lucy’s eyes clouded. “Such a tragedy. I’m afraid it changed her. People talked about it for months.”

Nick frowned. “Julia’s mother was in an accident?”

“No, not Tara. Julia.”