Read Love Rising: Spring (Mandrake Falls Series Romance Book 4) Online
Authors: Catherine Lloyd
Jeremy stood up and brushed off his jeans. “We’ll see how
much everything is going to cost and take it from there.”
She nodded, certain that it didn’t matter how much it
cost—she didn’t have the funds. Still, a trip to the hardware store was better
than sitting in her house worrying about her future.
♥
NODEN’S HARDWARE on Main Street was one of the oldest
buildings in town, sided in red-painted clapboard and white trim. It stood
majestically opposite the town green, three stories high, slightly listing to
the left. The interior was cramped and low-ceilinged. Deep wooden shelves lined
the walls and were neatly stocked with hardware and household goods of every
type. A narrow wooden staircase bisected the building leading to the second and
third floors where dry goods, farm supplies, clothes and toys were sold.
Noden
operated on the principle that once a customer had
wandered into his establishment, they should have no reason to wander back out
again until they found everything they needed. Consequently,
Noden’s
Hardware was cornucopia of the exotic, the unusable
and the mundane. But there was a heck of a plumbing department.
Jocelyn and Jeremy moved down the poorly lit aisle and
stopped in front of a shelf loaded with bins of chrome pipe, packaged washers
and metal flanges. Since Jocelyn had no idea what Jeremy was looking for, she
wondered if he would object if she moseyed over to the garden center.
Noden
had got in a new order of seeds that she was dying to
check out. For all her faults, Jocelyn could truthfully say her one
debilitating vice was spending too much on plants. This was the first spring
she didn’t have enough money in her account to invest in her garden and now
with this plumbing bill, she was in the red.
Jeremy picked up a metal something-or-other and frowned. “Is
there room in the budget for this? I’m thinking of the shower head in the
bathroom.”
“No, not this time.
We’re broke,
remember? Let’s just get what we need.”
Lydia Rutherford and her husband Walter were in the next
aisle examining baby proofing products. Lydia lifted her head, turned to Walter
and in a flash was around the aisle and standing quivering and giddy with
excitement, in front of Jeremy and Jocelyn.
“I thought it was your voice I heard! Oh, my goodness, that
is so cute—buying plumbing supplies. Walter, come and see who it is! The newly
engaged
couple
are
doing some home repairs. Isn’t that the sweetest thing
you ever saw?”
THE YOUNG people met Lydia Rutherford’s ecstatic greeting
with an air of dismay.
Walter Rutherford emerged at the top of the short aisle.
“Scout and Ryder have been doing home repairs for months,
Lydie
.
You don’t get this excited when you see them with an armload of plumbing. Hello
Jeremy, congratulations.”
The older man extended his hand and Jeremy shook it not
knowing what else to do.
“Hi Mr. Rutherford.
If you’re
talking about that thing in the
Gazette
,
there’s been a mistake—”
“Oh, what did I tell you, Walt, I just knew that date was
wrong!
Don’t worry, sweetheart,” crooned Lydia, “no one thought
for a moment that your wedding date was April first. It is obviously April
eleventh or eighteenth. You should insist the
Gazette
print a correction and give you a free ad to compensate. Jocelyn,
I have to tell you I’ve been using that cream you made for older women and I
couldn’t be happier with the results. Do you have a line of baby products?
Scout doesn’t want the boys to be exposed to commercial baby soaps or
shampoos.”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I have a whole organic
mother-baby product line in stock at The Country Barn. Baby shampoo, soap,
ointments and a special aromatherapy bath line for moms. I went kind of crazy
in my kitchen this winter.” Jocelyn flushed.
“Wonderful!” Lydia beamed with grandmotherly delight though
she looked too young to be a grandmother. “I’ll buy everything you have.
Consider it my wedding present to you. Will you set it aside for me? I’ll pick
it up tomorrow morning. With two babies, I’m sure Scout will go through it in
no time. You’ll be back in your kitchen making more, I’m afraid.”
“Oh, that’s okay—fantastic, actually! I hope you like it. I
took extra care with this product line and I’m really proud of it. How’re the
twins doing?” she asked politely. “Did Scout and Ryder choose names for them yet?”
“The first born was named Walter after Scout’s dad and the
second was named Grady for Ryder’s uncle. The original Grady was an old booze
hound who died in the farmhouse and Scout is convinced his ghost haunts the
place. She’s hoping by naming one of the boys after him the old man will finally
be at peace. My daughter has always had a fanciful imagination.”
“This time she’s right,” grunted Walter, surprising them
all. “That house is either haunted or in need of new plumbing. The sounds
coming from the walls are not of this world. But the little boys sleep right
through it so if it is old Grady, he doesn’t trouble the babies. Grady is a
fine name.
Walt and Grady Rutherford-Dean.”
Walter
shook his head and smiled. “Who would have thought it?”
“Everyone thought it, dear. You were the only one surprised
when Scout and Ryder announced they were in love. And now we have Jeremy and
Jocelyn. To be fair, you two did take us by surprise. I pride myself on being
fairly astute in these matters but you gave us no indication whatsoever! The last
time I saw you together, you were at the opening night party for
The
Gift
of the Magi.
Gosh, that seems like ages ago, so much has happened. Come to
think of it—
Letitia
Murdoch hinted something was up.”
Jeremy glanced at Jocelyn. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I’m on the theatrical board as you know. The night of
the party,
Letitia
told me she was going to offer you
a contract, which seemed sensible and I made some reply to that effect. Then
she said it might help you out when the time came to pop the question. Of course,
I thought she meant in the abstract sense of getting married one day, but now I
see she meant that you wanted to marry Jocelyn and having a steady job would
help.
Letitia
is such a romantic.”
“I’m sorry—what?” Walter looked at his wife, aghast. “
Letitia
Murdoch is a battle axe with nary a romantic bone
in her body. Don’t go spreading rumors,
Lydie
. Not
everyone has your penchant for seeing folks hitched.”
Lydia smiled blissfully at Jeremy and Jocelyn and carried on
as if her husband hadn’t spoken. “But now that I see the two of you together, I
can see what
Letitia
must have seen during
rehearsals. Look, Walter. Aren’t they perfect together? It’s the height. Jeremy
is tall—he needs a tall girl like Jocelyn so he doesn’t stand out like a
beanpole. Show him, kids. Move closer together.”
Lydia gave them a little push and Jocelyn crowded next to
Jeremy. The top of her head reached his shoulder. It was true. Jeremy was the
perfect height for her. She didn’t have to slouch or round her shoulders to
stand comfortably beside him.
“Closer,” Lydia commanded. “Come on, you are about to be
married! Don’t be shy. Jeremy put your arm around her.”
Jeremy wound an arm around her waist and Jocelyn squished up
against his side. He was warm and he smelled nice. They stood side-by-side
stiff as boards, blinking at Lydia and Walter Rutherford like a couple of
obedient children posing for a family portrait.
“Oh, what a beautiful couple you make,” Lydia sighed damply.
“With his dark coloring and her blonde hair and that height, they are a picture.
I see it now; the love that you two have. It’s beyond me how young people keep
a thing like that under wraps but I’ve always said that love will have its way,
haven’t I Walter?”
“You have.” Walter nodded. “And now that we’ve got that
settled, let’s let ‘
em
get
back to their shopping. Congratulations to the both of you. Good luck with the
plumbing job, Jeremy. I wish I could tell you home improvement gets easier with
time but it doesn’t. Pace yourself, son.” He caught his wife by the hand and
dragged her down the aisle and out of sight.
Jeremy and Jocelyn turned to each other and spoke at the
same time.
“What just happened?”
“I couldn’t contradict her,” Jocelyn said with awe. “I
always get tongue-tied around old people. Then she said she’d buy my whole baby
line as a wedding present and I couldn’t speak. My
entire
line of baby products, Jeremy! That’s like five hundred bucks.
We just stood there like fools letting her push us together. What’s the matter
with us?”
“I don’t know. It’s like a reflex to do what grown-ups tell
me to do.” Jeremy frowned. “What Lydia said about Mrs. Murdoch was really
strange. I’ve never talked to Mrs. Murdoch about you. What made her think I was
going to pop the question?”
Jocelyn fingered the chrome fitting in Jeremy’s hand.
“Murdoch could see you had a crush on me, that’s all. Maybe she thought the
contract would help me come around. But that’s not why she offered you the job,”
Jocelyn added hurriedly. “You’re a good stage manager. I keep up with theater
news; I know the company is lucky to have you.”
He smiled and shrugged but she could see he was pleased.
Jeremy sat down on the floor to sift through a bin of rubber
washers. “I hope Lydia Rutherford isn’t too pissed when she finds out the
truth. She’s one of the theater’s patrons.” Jocelyn sat down beside him and
crossed her legs. “Do you think Murdoch could’ve put the message in Andrea’s
camera case? She was sitting in front of me in the pew. She had opportunity.
She might have done it thinking she was helping you out. I know she doesn’t
believe I’m good enough for you.” Jocelyn poked him in the chest. “You’re the
only person in town who believes that.”
He grinned at her. “My opinion is the only one that counts.”
Jeremy shook his head and went back to sorting through the bin. “Murdoch might’ve
seen who put it in the case but I know it wasn’t her who actually did the deed.
Letitia
Murdoch is one of the few people who knew my
mom died years ago. She and my dad are sort of friendly.”
“Ah, so that’s how you got the job with the Mandrake Falls
Theatrical Society. I knew there had to be some sort of connection.
Especially after you stepped in to direct.
You were
terrible.”
“I wasn’t terrible, you were a brat and for your information,
I was overqualified for this job. I studied stage management in college and Dad
knew Mrs. Murdoch was looking for a stage manager who’d work for next to nothing.
I applied for the job. I was the only applicant because it pays squat. My dad
didn’t give me a leg up out of the goodness of his heart. If it were up to him,
I’d be in business school right now. My father thinks this is a phase I’m going
through. He’s waiting for me to get it out of my system.”
Jocelyn sighed. “My dad thought if I took secretarial
courses I could be an office manager. I gave it my best shot but I have no aptitude
for office work. I dropped out of vocational school. He lost the tuition he
invested and then I told him I was going to start selling organic soap. I
thought he was going to have a coronary.”
“You’re an entrepreneur. My dad would be over the moon if I
showed that kind of interest in business. He was disappointed when I opted for
a technical career instead of commerce. Dad wants me to be the
owner
of the theater, not its stage
manager.”
Jocelyn leaned back against the shelves. “You’re dad is
wrong about your career path but I’m beginning to think my dad was right about
mine. I had no idea it would be so hard to turn a profit. I’m grateful to Lydia
Rutherford for the sale but now I have to replenish the stock and that means
investing my profit into supplies. I haven’t had any extra money for months.”
He looked at her under a shock of brown wavy hair. “Can I
ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.
All those times we thought you were hurrying off after rehearsals
to meet Hudson Grace—obviously, you weren’t and you never said you were—but who
were you meeting?
Just out of curiosity.”
She smiled slyly.
“Just out of curiosity?
No one.
I went home.”
His smile faded. “Look, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t
want to, but don’t tell me something you think I want to hear. I hate it when
girls do that.”
“I’m not doing that. You asked and I answered. I went home.
I didn’t have enough money to go to the Inn for drinks after rehearsals, and
Hudson didn’t call me, so I just went home. It was cheaper to go home and let
you guys believe I had a hot date lined up.”
“You should have said something.”
“No, you should mind your own business.” She got to her
feet. “Come on. You found what you were looking for, now it’s my turn. I want
to check out the cucumber seeds. If I can start the seedlings in the next couple
of days, I’ll have a bumper crop this year. I have a new recipe I’m working on
and I’ll need bushels of cucumbers.”
Jeremy gathered the plumbing supplies in his arms and
followed her to the garden center. He told her to pick out whatever she needed
and they’d put it on the same bill. He left her browsing though the seed
packets like a junkie in a pharmacy while he went to the cash register. Jeremy pulled
out the secret credit card he only used in desperate times. Plumbing wasn’t
necessarily a desperate time but he didn’t have enough in his account to cover
the purchase and the taps had to be fixed since he was the one who took them
apart.
Nevertheless, Jeremy’s conscience pricked. He was breaking
his personal rule to live within his means no matter what. His dad would do
whatever it took to help his son succeed and that’s what Jeremy feared most. He
was afraid that one day he would wake up and not know who he was or what he was
good at because he’d never had to try and fail and try again. Like Jocelyn had
to do, and Andrea, Paula, Jason and Trevor.
When Jeremy decided on a career in stage management, he’d
made a solemn vow to depend on his own resources to succeed. His dad believed
in him and applauded his son’s determination, but Kenneth Marks insisted he
take the credit card just the same.
The purchase was rung up and stuffed in the bag. Jocelyn
would have running water in her kitchen because of that card. Jeremy realized
that when it came to the woman he loved he would use his position to make her
happy. It wasn’t so easy to escape who he was after all.
♥
NORM TATE saw his daughter come out of the hardware store
with Jeremy Marks, a tall lanky boy with brown hair, glasses and a rumpled
jacket.
A
bum
who thought
he had one over on Norm Tate and could do what he liked with his daughter. He’d
soon see different. He’d soon
see
.
Norm barreled toward them, his long legs like scissors
coming at them. He grabbed Jocelyn by the arm as she was about to get into
Jeremy’s Toyota.
“Where do you think you’re going? After everything I’ve done
for you, this is the thanks I get—you run off with this worthless bum of a stage
manager?”
“Daddy!”
Jocelyn eyes were wide
with shock. “What are you doing here?
“Don’t daddy, me. I can read! I saw that engagement notice. Did
you think I was going to twiddle my thumbs and let you marry this loser? You
think it was a big joke—laughing behind my back! How long have you been
planning this without telling me, huh?”
Jeremy pushed between them. “It was a mistake, sir. Jocelyn
had nothing to do with it.”
“You better not say another word to me
boy
. Don’t you dare open your mouth to
me!
”
Norm’s voice rose. People on the street stopped to look. “I’m not talking to
you
.
This business is between me and
my daughter and you have no say in it. What’s it to you where she winds up in
five years? Huh? This is my
daughter
!”
Norm Tate roared. “You think I want my girl to settle for a half-employed stage
manager her whole life? A girl with Jocelyn’s looks could marry a pro-athlete
or a politician or a movie star. Give me one reason why she should settle for
you.”