Home to Walnut Ridge (17 page)

Tracey felt herself relax in his arms,
feeling the warmth of his body so close to hers, loving the scent
of his clean skin against her face. It felt so right‌—‌so secure,
so perfect. As his kisses grew more intense, she felt something
else. A desire so unlike anything she’d ever known before. It was
too much, too good, too soon‌—‌but she didn’t care.

Slow down, slow down, slow
down!

Tracey stopped herself, pulling away,
startling both of them.

“
What’s wrong?” he
breathed. “Did I do something‍—‍?”

“
No.” She placed her hand
against his chest. “No, not at all. I
just . . .”

I just feel myself falling
for you, and the thought of that scares me!

She’d never been in love. Lots of
boyfriends. Lots of kicks, but never
anything like this . . .
“Whoa.”

“
Whoa?” The hint of alarm
in his eyes calmed her, made her smile.

“
Whoa. I’m, uh, I think
maybe I was just getting a little too . . . carried
away.” She ducked her eyes, embarrassed.

He didn’t say anything but slowly
tucked her back under his arm and leaned his head against hers.
“Well, then. We’ll just have to work on that. Take things a little
slower.”

Whew.
Tracey wondered why it seemed like she was on a roller
coaster every time she was with Noah. It didn’t make sense, but at
the same time, she could tell she was falling for him. Falling
hard. And that concerned her.

“
Probably a good idea,”
she said, putting those thoughts aside. She reached for her coffee
and handed his to him.

Noah took a sip. “There’s something I
want to ask you.”

“
Oh?”

“
A bunch of the guys are
going on a ride on Saturday, and I was wondering if you’d like to
come along. With me, I mean.”

She smiled, relieved that they’d
changed the subject. “Is that why Dad was acting so goofy a few
minutes ago?”

He set his mug down, chuckling. “Yeah.
I’d asked him if he thought you might like to go. Obviously, he
does.”

“
Will I be the only female
on this little adventure?”

“
I don’t know. Maybe? But
you won’t be the first. Gristle mentioned bringing someone he’s
been seeing.”

”
Gristle’s seeing someone?
Have you met her?”

“
No, but to hear him you’d
think she’s part Beyoncé, part Mother Teresa.”

Tracey laughed. “Now there are two
names you don’t often see together.”

“
I know, which is why I’m
actually curious to meet her.”

“
Me too. But tell me where
you all are headed Saturday. Will I get saddle sores from hours and
hours of riding?”

“
No way,” he said, a smile
forming. “As I recall, you didn’t seem to mind last
night.”

“
No, but that was a short
little hop.”

“
We’re heading over to
Natchez Trace Parkway and riding down to Tupelo.”

“
That’s pretty far, isn’t
it?”

“
Not to a
biker.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Is that some
kind of dare?”

His raised a brow. “Not unless you’d
like it to be.”

She wasn’t at all sure she was up to
it, but Tracey wasn’t about to let him know that. She raised her
chin, shooting him more confidence than she felt. “Sure, I’ll go.
What time do we leave?”

“
Early. So don’t keep me
up half the night on Friday. I’ll need my rest. Never a good thing
to doze off behind the wheel.”

“
Before sunrise or
after?”

He tugged at a strand of her hair.
“Neither. We leave right at sunrise.

“
Not a
problem.”

“
One more
question.”

“
Now what?” she
teased.

“
Do you have plans
tomorrow night?”

“
I don’t think so.
Why?”

“
There’s somewhere I’d
like to take you. But we’ll need to see if Buddy would loan us his
car.”

“
As long as it’s not his
ratty old pickup, I’m fine with that.”

“
Exactly. I was hoping for
something a little more comfortable.”

“
I’m sure he won’t mind.
But where are you taking me?”

“
It’s for me to know and
you to find out. Dinner’s involved, just so you know.”

“
Blue jeans or ball
gown?”

He tilted his head. “More like
something in-between.”

“
Ah. Then I’ll send my boa
out to be cleaned.”

Chapter 15

The team was making considerable
progress on the smokehouse. The electricians had wired the shop and
added plenty of recessed lighting per Alex’s wishes. The plumbers
had set all the water pipes in place to provide running water, and
the carpenters had successfully replaced the interior walls and
cathedral ceiling with mismatched weathered planks to retain the
vintage look. Similar weathered planks were used on the floor of
the large front porch. And behind the building, a covered deck
would provide room as a gathering area. Just beyond the deck, the
Elders built a fire pit which the girls surrounded with primitive
chairs and colorful cushions to encourage customers to relax and
chat.

As Tracey and Alex entered the shop
from the back door, they could barely contain
themselves.

“
I cannot believe how much
they’ve done in such a short amount of time. Look at this
place!”

Tracey could already feel the ambiance
coming together even before the final touches had been added. The
large back room would be their studio, out of sight to the
customers behind a new wall separating the two rooms. With plenty
of cabinets to store their materials and a large workbench in the
center of the room, they would have a perfect work environment.
Noah had suggested a couple of skylights cut in the roof to give
them natural light in addition to the track lighting directly above
the workbench.

The front showroom with its pitched
ceiling made the room feel open and airy, giving them ample space
for the constant flow of pieces they’d stage. She and Alex had
ordered bright pillows and rugs to soften the room, as well as long
curtains made of vintage fabrics to dress the windows. Alex found a
ridiculously good deal on some quirky lamps to set on tables here
and there giving the room a cozy feel. Up in the attic at Walnut
Ridge, they’d found some surprisingly well-preserved upholstered
chairs to use for seating as customers contemplated their
purchases.

Tucked in the back right corner of the
shop, the checkout counter offered endless possibilities. The
spacious wooden counter Stump built them would provide plenty of
room to wrap purchases. Slotted nooks beneath would house all their
supplies. At an estate sale, the girls found a tall square pillar
which they decided to use as a caddy for the brown paper sacks,
twine, and assorted colors of tissue paper they’d use to bag
smaller purchases. Tracey refinished it in a creamy sage and
attached vintage decorative hooks to the sides and front.
Perfect.

They continued wandering through the
shop, making notes of display ideas and items that still needed
attention. Gradually, they made their way out the front door and
into the small lawn where they could stand back and take it all in.
Tracey suggested the possibility of hanging floor-to-ceiling
curtains made of outdoor fabric on each of the posts to “frame” the
porch and make it feel more welcoming. They decided to put a few
rustic rockers and chairs cushioned in coordinating fabrics, as
well as seasonal flowers and greenery to cheer the
entrance.

As they turned to admire the
storefront, they noticed Hank and Lester up top, securing the
awning that would cover the front porch. Alex and Tracey hadn’t
decided quite what to do, whether to purchase a fabric awning or go
with more of the aged wooden slats. Then early that morning, Hank
and Lester had surprised them by showing up with a pile of rusted
sheets of corrugated metal. The look would give the awning a more
rustic appearance. Alex and Tracey had been skeptical, but once the
two Elders started putting it together, the girls both loved
it.

Tracey marveled now, watching the shop
take on an entirely different look. “Who knew rusty old metal could
add so much charm?”

Alex leaned close, speaking out of the
side of her mouth. “Seriously, Sis, don’t you wonder how on earth
those two came up with such a thing?”

Tracey snickered. “Oh, to
have been a fly on the wall for
that
discussion. Can’t you just hear
it?” She and Alex played the parts, keeping their voices
low.

“
Copper?”

“
Yep.”

“
Awning.”

“
Sure.”

“
The dump?”

“
Why not.”

The sisters laughed, causing Lester
and Hank to look up from their work.

“
Looks great, guys! We
love it!” Alex cheered.

“
Totally makes the look of
the shop,” Tracey added. “You guys are geniuses!”

The two awkward young men tried to
hide their smiles but didn’t succeed. Without a word, they went
back to work.

Buddy and Noah came around the corner
to join the girls.

“
I’ve got to hand it to
you,” Buddy said, observing the dramatic changes on the old
smokehouse. “You guys have outdone yourselves on this
one.”

“
Who, us?” Hank
asked.

“
Well, not just
you‌—‌
all
of you. It’s been a team effort from the first
day. Just look at how far we’ve come in a matter of days! Noah,
have you ever seen anything like it?”

He smiled, shaking his head. “Not even
close. I feel like we’re on one of those makeover shows on TV where
a team comes in and completely overhauls a house in one
week.”

“
Ah, those guys?” Stump
came up behind them, giving Buddy a pat on the back. “We’d give
those turkeys a run for their money. Course, we don't have a
hundred folks workin’ behind the scenes, so it’s taken a little
longer, but they ain’t got nothin’ on us.”

“
Still, it’s amazing,”
Noah said. “Absolutely amazing.”

Buddy scratched the back of his head.
“Now, if I can just convince Deacon to come around. He’s determined
to find some piddlysquat ordinance on the books to keep us from
opening as a business. You wouldn’t believe the lame attempts he’s
made so far.” He put his worn baseball cap on his head backwards.
“I honestly believe that man’s entire purpose in life is to make me
miserable. His sole reason for walking on this earth.”

“
I keep askin’‌—‌you want
us to pay him a visit?” Stump offered. “All you’ve gotta do is
ask.”

“
No, but thanks for
offering‌—‌again. I learned a long time ago to let the Lord fight
my battles. He can handle them much better than I ever could.
Things always seem to work out better when He’s calling the
shots.”

“
I keep meaning to ask,”
Noah began. “Why’s he called Deacon? That’s surely not his real
name?”

“
Nah, his real name is
Deke. But once he took over as chairman of the deacons at the
church, folks just started calling him Deacon. He rather liked the
title.”

“
Enough about Deacon,”
Tracey said. “Dad, the workbench in the back studio looks
incredible! I can’t wait to get all our paints and materials in
there. ”

“
And the sooner the
better,” Alex added. “Our babies are complaining about the cold
nights out in the barn. They’ll love the nice warm heat up
here.”

Buddy snapped his fingers and looked
at his daughters. “That reminds me, did DeAnne Barlowe find you
two?”

“
Yes!” Alex said. “She
told us you sent her down to the barn. Would you believe she bought
that dining table and six chairs we just got in? We haven’t even
started refinishing them yet!”

“
She told us she was
heading up to Nashville to buy something for her renovated dining
room,” Tracey added, “but then she heard we were opening a shop, so
she stopped by to see us first.”

Alex continued. “She was thrilled
because this way she got to pick out the color and finish to match
her decor. And she paid us full price‌—‌on the spot! She even said
she was going to show before-and-after pictures on her blog and
tell everyone about us. Did you know she has over 10,000 blog
followers?”

“
What’s a blog
follower?”

They all turned to look up at Lester
on the roof. When no one said a word, Tracey intervened. “A blog is
an online journal. Like if you kept a journal—say, a journal about
your hobbies or your work or maybe just a place to share the books
you’ve read. Then you post it online and other people read it and
make comments on it. It’s a popular means of social
networking.”

Lester stared at her, blinking twice
before scratching his chin. “But I don’t have a hobby.”

“
Oh, well, you don’t have
to have a hobby to blog,” Alex said. “Trace was just using that as
an‍—‍”