Hometown Sweetheart

But the boots were done.

Rich brown leather with swirling tan inlays that reminded Simon of angel wings. The singer had been specific about what he wanted on his boots. And Simon had been determined to oblige the man. Especially since he was paying good money for these one-of-a-kind boots.

Simon was methodical and meticulous about his craft. Making a pair of custom boots could take weeks or months, depending on the entire process and the customer’s request.

But at the end of the day, Simon could always know he’d given it his best. And that’s why he had orders well into the next couple of years. He was blessed to do something he loved. Blessed to have busy work.

He was blessed to have something to do to keep his mind off the ever-present loneliness that always set in at dusk—that time of day when loved ones came home from work and families gathered together to share their day and eat.

Looking at the clock, he figured his mother was probably getting ready for bed right now, nestled in her own cabin around the bend from the larger one Simon had shared for years with his brother Rick. It had been the family home when his father was alive but his mother had insisted on moving into the smaller one a few years ago. She’d done that so Simon and Marcy could have some privacy.

After Marcy’s death, Rick had somehow man aged to move back in part-time and he’d brought that aggravating mutt Shiloh with him. They made annoying roommates.

Simon didn’t want or need the company. Or so he thought. Now he was alone in the big cabin next to his studio.

Rick had gone and gotten himself married to cute little Cari Duncan. What a match that had turned out to be. Now they lived in town for the most part, in the big Victorian house Cari had renovated, conveniently located right next door to the general store. Cari ran her own “girlie” boutique on the bottom floor of the house and they lived in the spacious upstairs apartment and sometimes came out to the Adams compound on the weekends.

Yeah, a match made in Heaven.

He’d had that once, Simon thought now as he rummaged through the pantry for a can of soup.

Once.

But not anymore. Never again for him.

He couldn’t help but wonder what his neighbors were doing tonight. He’d managed to steer clear of Shanna and the Seven NoiseMakers for most of their second day here, thankfully. Not that he was counting.

Now, he’d almost welcome some noise, some shouts, some sort of accident waiting to happen.

Turning to Shiloh, he said, “I guess it’s just you and me, dog. Maybe my lovesick brother will remember you’re actually his and come and fetch you soon.”

Shiloh barked a gruff rebuttal.

But both Simon and the dog knew they only had each other tonight. And probably for many nights to come. It would have to do. And Simon was pretty sure Rick left Shiloh here on purpose for that very reason, even though his brother used the excuse of big dogs being like bulls in a china shop when it came to the general store.

Simon heated up the can of beefy soup his mother had brought in with her weekly supply of groceries earlier in the week and sat down to watch an old western on the cable channel.

The phone rang right on time. “Goof grief, Mama, why can’t you ever just let a man be?” He said this out loud before he actually answered the phone. “Hello, Ma.”

“Did you eat?”

“I’m eating right now.”

“It’s a little late for supper, Simon.”

“I worked late.”

“You always work late.”

“I have orders.”

She skipped a beat then asked, “So, what do you think about your new neighbors?”

Simon frowned then did a shoulder roll. Taking a deep breath, he thanked God for his mother even when he wished she wasn’t so nosy. “I can tell you, there’s about seven too many of them over there.”

“Now Simon, be nice. Shanna is a good friend of Cari’s. She’s a teacher and she moved here from Savannah last fall to take a job at Knotwood High. She’s very good at counseling troubled teens—”

“What?” Simon dropped his spoon. “You mean to tell me my brother rented that place to a bunch of hoodlums?”

“I didn’t say that,” Gayle replied. “First of all, your brother is letting them stay there free for a week. And second, they aren’t exactly hoodlums. They’re just kids from church who’ve been through some rough stuff—some of it just minor trouble at school. She signed up to work with our youth and after hearing some of their stories, Shanna volunteered to take them on a retreat during the school break. I plan on coming out during the week to help her with meals and crowd control.”

His appetite gone, Simon groaned. “Well, that’s mighty nice of her—and you, Ma—but couldn’t she take them to Gatlinburg or Stone Mountain, anywhere besides right next door to me?”

“You don’t own the entire mountain, son.”

“No, but I do have work to do. How am I supposed to get through my summer orders with all that noise going on? And I’m telling you right now if one of them breaks in here—”

“Simon, have a little faith. These children need guidance and attention. They didn’t break out of prison. They just took a few wrong turns or had a bit of trouble in school. Katie McPherson is the youngest and probably the most sensitive. Her grandparents have custody of her now. Be nice to that little girl. And Brady Stillman is one of the older ones. You might remember he did some vandalism to Cari’s place when she first moved back last summer.”

“Exactly,” Simon replied, glaring at Shiloh. “I can’t have kids like that snooping around the place.” Except maybe that cute little redheaded Katie. She wasn’t so bad. She giggled a lot.

“They won’t bother you,” Gayle said in a mother-tone. “Shanna will make sure they stay on their side of the fence.”

“Well, she’d better. I don’t like this one bit and I don’t like Rick doing this without warning me.”

“It’s his property to do with as he sees fit,” Gayle retorted. “You should be glad he bought it before it went into foreclosure. We need those tourist dollars around here.”

“No dollars, Ma, if he’s renting the thing for free.”

“That’s for a good cause.”

“I didn’t want him buying the property in the first place.”

“You wanted it to stay deserted and rundown then?”

“Well, yeah. I liked it way better that way.”

“You really are hopeless, you know that?”

“Yes, I am,” Simon replied, his blood pressure buzzing. “You’d think my own family would realize that by now.”

“We aren’t going to give up on you, son,” Gayle said, her tone gentle now. “We love you and we’d like you to become a part of the human race again.”

“I’m fine with things the way they are.”

“Sure you are. Why, anybody could see that.”

“I’m going to finish my cold soup now.”