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“If you’re poor we can just give you candy, can’t we, Meggie?” Ben’s tone implored the woman to understand Danny’s plight. Her returned look said she’d rather be giving Danny a boot in the rear for getting Ben’s hopes up.
“No.” Her voice firm, the young woman ignored Ben’s pout of indignation and held a hand up to stave off his coming argument. “If this gentleman wants candy bars, Ben, he can come to the store with money.”
“He might forget.”
From Ben’s disappointed expression, Danny figured a lot of people “forgot” things where he was concerned. “I won’t forget.” He gave Ben a look of assurance. “I promise.”
Meggie’s dismayed expression said she doubted his word and wished he’d left well enough alone, but Danny refused to be insulted or dissuaded. He’d find their store and buy the bars of chocolate, as promised.
Meggie’s cool look of disregard said she wasn’t embracing his pledge. She turned back to the grocer, deliberate. “I’ll stop back to pay for the fruit after work. I’d go home for money now but I’m running late.”
The grocer grunted, unappeased.
She tucked the bars back into her basket, inclined her head and offered Danny a slight curtsy, a mix of gentility and in-your-face rolled into one cute, smooth move. “My brother and I best be on our way, good man. Much to do in our sleepy little burg, you know.”
She took Ben’s arm and led him away, leaving Danny sputtering. He held his debit card aloft as if trying to convince someone of his worth, then realized since he was in Allegany County incognito, to find store space for a Grandma Mary’s Candies tribute store, it might be smarter to stop drawing attention to himself like some madman in the street.
“Meggie, he doesn’t know where the store is,” Ben exclaimed, excited and alarmed. “How will he f-find us if he doesn’t know where we are?”
“He makes a good point.” Danny stepped forward, a part of him wondering why her untrusting expression didn’t match the spritely voice.
She leveled him a look that offered warning and resignation, then seemed to rethink her choices. Without a sound she reached into the old-world basket, withdrew a card, handed it to him and touched Ben’s arm again. Ben went along this time, but he paused a store-width away, turned back and hollered, “See you later, Mister!”
“I’ll be there, Ben.”
Megan Russo heard the words and bit back a retort. First, the guy seemed sincere, but experience had taught her that sincerity and good-looking men were not exactly synonymous, even guys with magnetizing gray eyes, wonderfully sculpted square chins and short, dark, almost military hair. If she was judging on a “yum-factor,” which she most assuredly was not, this guy topped the meter.
Luckily, she’d chucked her meter into the trash last fall when her former fiancé left her waiting at the church, calling off their wedding by text message.
Second, she refused to carry things any further in Ben’s hearing. Once Ben’s heart was set on something, nothing short of a good night’s sleep could shake it loose. The simplicity of that sounded endearing, until Ben latched on to something the family didn’t control and couldn’t deliver. Heartbreak came easy to her younger brother.
“Ben, I’m working on fudge this morning. Would you like to help?”
“Can I ch-chop the nuts?”
“Absolutely. Save my tired arms.”
He grinned, the thought of being helpful lighting the curved planes of his face, the downward tilt of excited eyes. “Thanks, Meggie.”
She gave him a shoulder nudge that made him laugh. “Don’t mention it, big guy. And stay away from Mr. Dennehy’s tables. From now on we’re walking on the opposite side of the street. Got it?”
Ben’s flash of guilt confirmed what she’d suspected. He loved the sight and sound of the tumbling fruit, an impetuous five-year-old tucked in the body of a man. But naughty escapades like this weren’t cute or funny. And Ben knew better.
Meg bit her lip and swallowed a sigh. Disciplining Ben was a fine line between the errant child within and the husky man beside her. But he’d made one decision quite easy for her. If they had to walk through Jamison again, she’d take him down the opposite boardwalk, along the array of shops facing Dennehy’s Mercantile. He’d have a harder time wreaking havoc in front of the quilt shop, or the antique store; calico yard-lengths were not nearly as fun as tumbling fruit.
“Wh-when do you think he’ll come, Meggie?”
Megan swallowed a bitter retort, scolded herself inwardly for being a crab and pushed the guy’s crisp, clean image out of mind. “We’ll know when he gets here, Ben.” She touched Ben’s arm as they rounded the corner to her two-and-a-half-story gingerbread-style house, the pink, green and ivory fairy-tale look in keeping with Meg’s old-fashioned business. “Hey, looks like the finches are throwing a party in their condo.” She’d deliberately put up a multilevel finch house for Ben’s enjoyment. Watching the tiny birds nest successfully in the backyard of her corner lot was more beneficial than endless TV, and it kept Ben’s imagination brewing.
“I love the little birds.”
“I know you do.” Hoping Mother Nature would help keep Ben’s mind off the clock, Meg did her best to tuck the morning’s events aside, including the guy’s teasing glint, his questioning appraisal of her attire and a look that said he might have just landed in an alternative universe.
Welcome to Jamison.
Chapter Two
COLONIAL CANDY KITCHEN
Purveyors of Handcrafted Sugared Delights & Fine Chocolates.
Megan Russo, proprietor
Danny read the business card she’d handed him and felt his heart downslide to somewhere in the vicinity of his gut. He sighed, a feeling of inevitable doom descending.
He turned and offered the grocer a hand along with a partial introduction, knowing that prices spiraled up when people knew he was scouting for real estate. Better to fly under the radar at this point. “Danny Graham. Pleased to meet you.”
“John Dennehy. Likewise.” The irritated man shrugged one shoulder west as Meggie and Ben proceeded down the tree-lined street. “They need to keep better control of Ben these days. He’s not a little kid anymore.”
“Accidents happen. Is there a hotel or motel nearby?” Danny refused to get into a discussion of how the mentally challenged should be kept on a short leash. He understood their limitations better than most, and knew that community involvement was in everybody’s best interests.
“In Wellsville.” The grocer jutted his chin south. “And there’s the B and B up the road. Nice place.”
Danny had noted the classic colonial bed-and-breakfast on the way in, but he was looking for something more long-term. He shook his head. “Wellsville, huh?”
John Dennehy nodded. “Closest thing, ’cept for the campgrounds on the other side of Baldwin’s Crossing.”
He’d seen the campground sign as well, but that wouldn’t do, either. He shrugged. “Wellsville it is. I’m surprised with how pretty your village is that no one’s built anything closer to service the seasonal tourists.” Wellsville was a good fifteen minutes south of Jamison.
“Oh, they’ve tried, especially with the interstate so close,” John admitted, his lips thinned. “There’s development, then there’s development, if you know what I mean. These days it’s best knowing just what kind of life you’re after before sayin’ yes to every character that barrels through, wantin’ to build somethin’.”
The store owner’s manner insinuated that Jamison might be an unlikely spot to approve his storefront development, but he wasn’t in town looking for a fight. He was here to make his grandmother’s dream come true, to open a store dedicated to her mother, his great-grandmother, the original Grandma Mary.
He gave John a direct and polite smile, determined to take his time, learn the lay of the land and not step on toes.
As John began wheeling the cart of damaged fruit inside, Danny held up a hand to stop him. “I’d like to buy this fruit.”
The grocer scowled, thinking he was kidding.
Danny jerked his head toward the emblems on the mercantile door that said despite its historic appearance, the store accepted plastic in multiple forms. “And can you tell me where the nearest ATM is?”
John sized him up, shrugged and pressed his lips into a line. “You don’t have to buy the fruit. I shouldn’t have gotten so upset. He can’t help that he’s—”
Danny cut off the possible insult smoothly. “Challenged. Exactly. But I know a place that can use this fruit. Of course a discount would be in order.”
John’s gaze turned hopeful. He shrugged and nodded. “I can’t say I wouldn’t be grateful. And the coffee shop at the end of the row has an ATM. The banks in Wellsville have them as well. Or you can select Cash Back when you pay for the fruit.”
Danny nodded, replanning the flow of his day to include a stop at the Colonial Candy Kitchen to make good on his promise.
The young woman had eyed him with suspicion when he’d raised Ben’s hopes. How much lower would her opinion go when she realized he was heir apparent to Grandma Mary’s Candies, one of the largest chocolate confectioners in the Northeast, and that his job would most likely include putting her out of business?
He bit back a sigh, put his game face on and helped John bag the fruit, contemplating this new wrinkle. Big cities like New York, Philly and Boston welcomed expansion and development. But here, in this sweet, historic village…
The phrase she used drew an inner smile as he remembered the tilt of her head, the arch of her brow.
Here he might be seeing his competition face-to-face every day, and he didn’t like that. Not one little bit.
“Megan?”
Hannah Moore jogged toward Megan and Ben, her modern running gear a stark contrast to Megan’s colonial costume. She glanced at her sports watch, paused for breath, then nodded toward the candy shop door. “Running late?”
“Grrr…”
Hannah’s sympathy turned into an understanding smile. “Well, the library doesn’t open until three. Want some help?”
“Seriously? Yes.”
The smile deepened to a grin. “I’ll grab a quick shower and head back. I wondered why I didn’t see your car here on my first pass through.”
Hannah regularly ran the paths winding up and down the rolling countryside. Since Megan couldn’t imagine running down the block, much less up a smallish mountain, she held Hannah in high esteem.
“The car’s in the shop for a few days. And Ben’s got today off, so…”
Hannah flashed a smile of understanding and welcome Ben’s way. “So you get to hang out here today, huh, big guy?”
Ben beamed. “With Meggie.”
“And me.” Hannah sent Megan a look that said more than words, and headed south. “I’ll be back in a little bit.”
“Thanks, Hannah.”
Megan watched her retreating back as Hannah wound her way beneath the trees, heading for home. For a fleeting moment she wondered what it would be like to have Hannah’s athleticism and freedom, the chance to just go off and do whatever you wanted a good share of the time.
But she refused to dwell on their differences. Hadn’t Reverend Hannity just offered a delightful homily equating God’s timing with gardens, using metaphors like “the flowers of tomorrow are held in the seeds of yesterday” and “take the time to cultivate the garden within”?
Meg swallowed a sigh.
Right now her internal and external gardens were weed-riddled, and while she appreciated the good reverend’s warmth and wit, she’d give anything to feel like she was in charge of her life, at least part of the time. But between work constraints, helping with Ben and dealing with the aftermath of her public humiliation, she pretty much felt like a puppet on a string.
“Thanks for bringing me to work with you, Meggie.”
Ben’s sincerity offered the kick she needed. She had much to be grateful for, starting with a business she’d built and loved, a sweet apartment upstairs that allowed independence and proximity to her store, a beautiful hometown just beginning to plow its way out of an economic backslide, and family and friends that loved her.
She refused to acknowledge what so many knew, that she’d been unceremoniously dumped by boyfriends twice in the past several years. She climbed the wide, wooden front steps of the candy store and grinned at Ben. “Glad to have you on board.”
His smile tipped her world back on its axis, the sweet, impish grin a quality that couldn’t be bottled. Ben might have the inquisitive nature of an errant child, but he didn’t have a mean bone in his body, and there were plenty of people who could take a lesson from that.
“Hannah, that looks great.” Meg indicated the neon-colored lollipops and nodded approval, the eye-catching array complementing the season. “Picture-perfect. Total attention grabber.”
“Nothing to compare with what approacheth from yonder stone parking lot. Take heed!” Hannah pseudowhispered as she crossed into the production kitchen, her eyes teasing. “A man of certain breeding and gentility comes hither. Might we ready some tea for him, perchance?”
Megan shot her a withering look, glanced through the front window and decided the hop, skip and jump in her chest was a leftover sugar high from not sticking to diet soda. She dusted her hands on her apron, tucked the look of surprise away, headed for the counter and faced the door as their early visitor reappeared. He met her gaze and grinned.
Knowing how his easy demeanor had affected her defenses earlier, she should have sent Hannah to the counter. But she didn’t, which meant she was either healing or a glutton for punishment.
Hannah moved forward, glancing at her watch. “Miss Russo, might I by your leave long enough to deliver today’s cookies to the mercantile and café just shy of the village green?”
Megan rolled her eyes, met Hannah’s gaze and nodded at the obvious ploy. “As always, I am grateful for your help, Miss Moore.”
“As am I for the gainful employment, Miss Russo.”
The man swept them an appreciative look. “Obviously whatever’s in the water down here is contagious. If I stay for a few weeks, will I begin to talk like that, too?”
Megan regarded him with care, a hint of amusement lifting her voice, much as it had an hour earlier. “If one were to linger and reside amongst the genteel of yesteryear, one would surely find their faith, warmth and culture most contagious, kind sir. Do you plan to take lodgings in this vicinity?”
“If that’s your cagey way of asking if I plan to be in town awhile, the answer is yes. I have business here.”
Hannah pushed through the front door with a wave. “I shall leave you to your verbal sparring while I deliver these forthwith.”
Megan watched Hannah go with mixed feelings. Volleying words with this guy was easy with others around. Somehow it felt less natural on her own. She busied herself righting a rack of flavored candy sticks that didn’t need straightening, their old-world appeal and low cost an invitation to purchase in bulk.
The man reached into his pocket and withdrew cold, hard cash, a welcome sight in a retail establishment. He eyed the credit card machine on the counter with a look of disbelief, then turned to her. “You said you couldn’t take credit cards.”
“And such as this is true, kind sir, two blocks from my place of business, in the middle of the street at break of day.”
He frowned and moved closer to the counter, giving Megan a clear view of those gray eyes, light in the middle, their color deepening as the iris widened. His straight, dark hair stopped a hint longer than military length, and the square set of his jaw marked him as a man of decision. But in Megan’s recent experience, men of decision quickly pivoted into indecision where matters of forever were concerned, so she wasn’t about to believe anyone’s chin, no matter how delightfully rugged it appeared.
He angled his head while waiting for her to conclude her perusal, as if accustomed to women sizing him up.
Totally understandable, considering his appearance.
She bit down a sigh, put a serene face in place and inclined her head. “But as you bear witness, kind sir, I have a machine of that nature here.”
“Oh, I see all right.” He let his gaze rest upon her for long seconds, his look inviting challenge. “I think I’m reading you loud and clear, Miss…?”
“Megan.” She gave a slight curtsy, very much in character. “Megan Russo, in actuality, the proprietor of this establishment and sister to Benjamin, the fine young man who made your acquaintance this morning.”
His smile deepened. Broadened. He held out a hand. “And I’m Daniel Graham, but my friends call me Danny.”
“Whereas I am scarce an acquaintance of yours, I shall be delighted to call you Mr. Graham.” She sent him a quick, smiling look over her shoulder as she moved along the counter, hoping he’d follow.
He did.
She bit back a grin, wishing this weren’t fun, wishing he weren’t absolutely adorable, wishing she hadn’t been burned twice already and fairly certain that public humiliation was her permanent Facebook status, since that seemed to be how her life rolled these days. Focus, Meg. Ignore the cleft in his chin, the crinkled eyes and that light of awareness. Remember, you don’t know him, and probably wouldn’t like him if you did.
She paused once she had the counter between them and offered him an expectant look. “How might I be of help to you this day, good man?”
It had to be wrong to think anyone was this cute, this over-the-top, heart-stoppingly magnetic. Right?
