Claiming The Single Mom's Heart

“Good morning.” An almost shy smile accompanied her greeting as she paused at the base of the porch steps, but her dark brown eyes reflected the resolve he’d initially identified from a distance.

Up close she was prettier than he’d originally thought from seeing her around town and—only recently—in church. Although his area of expertise was wildlife photography, he nonetheless found himself mentally framing her for a perfect shot. Not a stiffly formal studio portrait, though. She was far too vibrant for that.

Her glossy, shoulder-length hair, slightly longer in front than in back, accented her straight nose and high cheekbones, and a smooth, warm skin tone hinted of possible Native American ancestry. She appeared to be in her late twenties—much too young to challenge his mother or Irvin Baydlin for a seat on the town council. From what he’d heard from multiple sources—including his mom—she kept the current council members on their toes. Which, of course, wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

But he wouldn’t be voting for her.

“Good morning,” he acknowledged with a friendly nod. Hunters were known for their hospitality, and he’d uphold that to his dying day or risk repercussions from Grandma Jo. He stepped off the porch and extended his hand. “Grady Hunter. How may I help you?”

Doe-like eyes met his in momentary hesitation, and then she gripped his hand in a firm shake. “Sunshine Carston. Manager of the Hunter Ridge Artists’ Cooperative.”

Her voice was softer, gentler, than he’d assumed from her reputation. That, combined with the delicate hand she’d placed in his, contradicted the image he’d previously formed of the single mom as “one tough cookie.”

She motioned to the overflowing parking lot of the property his great-great-grandparents had settled in the early 1900s. “I apologize for the intrusion. I forgot this is Delaney Marks’s wedding day.”

That was right, his brother’s new bride was, coincidentally, an aspiring artist herself and, in exchange for jewelry-making lessons from another local artist, on occasion worked at the Artists’ Co-op.

“I won’t take but a few minutes of your time,” she said, not waiting to see if he’d voice any objections to conducting business on his brother’s wedding day. “The adjoining property north of the Artists’ Co-op is being renovated by a contractor hired by Hunter Enterprises.”

“That’s correct.”

“I realize Hunter’s Hideaway caters to a different customer base,” she continued, and he found himself drawn to the softly lilting voice, the expressive eyes. “But, as a fellow business owner who is impacted by visitors to this region, you know how important the months from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day are to local businesses.”

“They are indeed.” Fortunately, although Hunter’s Hideaway no longer offered guided hunts on their own property or in the neighboring national forests, they’d diversified through the years to not only provide camping and cabins for hunters, but also for competitive trail riders and runners seeking to condition at a higher altitude. For seekers of a quiet place to get away from it all, as well.

Those more recent additions, in fact, gave him hope that he might soon see his long-held dream come to fruition—wildlife-photography workshops and related guided tours of the forested wilderness surrounding them. But he had to convince his family that it was worthwhile. Not an easy thing to do.

Sunshine’s dark eyes pinned him. “Then, you can understand how sales might be negatively impacted at a fine-arts gallery when the adjoining property is undergoing a massive overhaul on the last holiday weekend of the season.”

So that was the problem. It couldn’t be that bad, though, could it? It wasn’t as if they were dynamiting. “No harm intended, I assure you.”

“The contractor overseeing the project says he’s under a tight deadline.” She folded her arms as she looked up at him. “We’ve had disgruntled customers walk out of the gallery when the pounding, vibration and whine of power tools wouldn’t let up.”

Weighing his options, he briefly stared at formidable clouds building in the distance for what would likely bring an afternoon monsoon rain. “What do you say I give the contractor a call and postpone things for a few days? I imagine he and his crew wouldn’t mind having the rest of the weekend off.”

Brows arched as if in disbelief. Or was that disappointment flickering through her eyes? Had she expected—relished even—a fight?

“You’d do that?”

“Neighbors have to look out for neighbors.”

The contractor did have a deadline, but there was no point in making things harder for Grady’s mother right now by waving a red flag in Ms. Carston’s face. Although the family was struggling to come to terms with Mom’s upcoming surgery—a single-side mastectomy—she insisted she still intended to run for office, so there was no point in riling up one of her opponents unnecessarily.

“Well, then...” Sunshine’s uncertain tone betrayed that verbalizing gratitude wasn’t easy for her in this instance, almost as if she suspected she’d missed something in their exchange. That maybe he was trying to pull a fast one on her. “Thank you, Mr. Hunter.”

“Grady. And you’re welcome.”

But she didn’t depart. Instead, she stood looking at him almost expectantly.

“Was there something else?”

An unexpected smile surfaced. “I’m waiting for you to make the call.”

Oh, she was, was she?

A smile of his own tugged in response to the one that had made his breath catch, and he pulled out his cell phone. He wasn’t used to not being trusted to do what he said he’d do. But anything to keep the peace, right? And to keep Sunshine smiling like that. On Mom’s behalf, of course.

Under her watchful gaze he put some distance between them, then punched the contractor’s speed-dial number. “Ted. It’s Grady. I hear you’ve got your crew working this weekend.”

“A deadline’s a deadline,” the gravelly voice responded, his tone defensive. “I’ve never missed one yet.”

“That work ethic is certainly why you were picked for the job.” Grady cut a look at Sunshine. “But what do you say we extend it by a week and let you and your boys knock off for the rest of the holiday weekend?”

It would be cutting it close, but an extra week wouldn’t be a deal breaker, would it?

After a long pause, Ted chuckled. “That pretty artist complained to you, didn’t she?”

Grady forced a smile as he nodded reassuringly in Sunshine’s direction. “You’re welcome, Ted.”

“Pushover.”

Was he? “Glad I could help your crew out.”

The contractor chuckled again. “Be careful there, Grady. You’re playing with fire.”

“Sure thing. You have a good one, too, bud.”

Pocketing his cell phone again, Grady moved back to Sunshine. “All done.”

From the wary look in her eyes, she clearly hadn’t anticipated he’d willingly accommodate her. A sense of satisfaction rose, catching her off guard, throwing a wrench in her assumptions.

“Anything else?” He needed to get back inside. They’d be cutting the cake shortly and he’d promised a toast. “I know you’d once approached Hunter Enterprises about leasing the property next door to expand the Artists’ Co-op, but we’ve long had plans for it. We’ll do our best to be a top-notch neighbor.”

“It’s true we could use the additional space, but it will be nice having a bookstore in town.”

He frowned. “Bookstore?”

“You’re opening a bookstore, right?”

“No.”

“I heard it was going to be a bookstore.”

“It’s not.”

“Then, what—” her words came cautiously, reflecting a growing dread in her eyes “—will be going in next door to us?”

Chapter Two (#ulink_faf022ca-aa88-5f56-8d1a-d146206316f7)