Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

TEDDY

I ’d recently discovered my brother Axel was home after being discharged early from the military. When he insisted his discharge papers were delayed, I got suspicious and called his commanding officer to check in. When he’d said he was discharged and had already moved home to Maryland, I’d been shocked. Thankfully, I had the wherewithal to ask for his address.

When I went to check on him, I’d walked in on him and his neighbor in the hot tub. Or at least that’s what I thought they were doing. When I arrived, the neighbor was wrapped in a towel, and they were both dripping wet.

Axel said he needed time to decompress after his service, and I could respect that. I understood how difficult it was to compartmentalize my job. I wasn’t sure the rest of our family would see it that way.

So I volunteered to help him renovate his house when I had free time. It had the added benefit of avoiding time with Charlotte. If I spent more time with her, I’d do something I’d regret, like kiss her .

I was working so closely with her on the farm, then we’d shared dinner, and it had messed with my head.

It was supposed to be a work thing, but it felt like a real date. I hadn’t brought flowers or wine, but I’d showered, and she’d looked nice. I helped her clean up after dinner, and then we sat around the fire talking about things not related to work.

I wouldn’t ordinarily ask a woman about her future plans, especially when it came to building a family. I wasn’t sure what had possessed me to ask her. I was just curious about her, especially since I’d learned about her parents and upbringing, first through Cole.

It had explained a lot about his character. Cole knew what it was like to have an absentee father, and he quickly bonded with Izzy. I was curious to see how it had affected Charlotte.

She was younger and was left alone while Cole spent more and more time with their cousins. Had that changed her in some way? Had it made her less trusting or more vulnerable? I couldn’t get over how positive she was despite her upbringing.

She was realistic when it came to having children. She wasn’t sure it was a good idea with her background. I wanted to reassure her, but I was in uncharted territory. I had no business talking about those things with her. We weren’t dating, so it was none of my business.

When I had realized my overstep, I got the hell out of there as fast as I could, hoping Charlotte didn’t read anything more into my visit than what it was: a business meeting between coworkers.

In the evenings, I spent time at Axel’s cabin, helping him tile the bathroom and kitchen. Charlotte had sent me several messages asking when I could help her with the festival setup, and she wanted me to try on the Santa suit to see if it would fit. I couldn’t avoid her forever.

I’d purposely volunteered for traffic duty this week so I could hide in the cruiser with my radar gun and not talk to anyone. I was grumpier than usual, and it had everything to do with how Charlotte made me feel.

I wanted to talk to her and get to know her. I had no business doing any of those things. But my mind and my body couldn’t forget the way she’d felt in my arms when she’d tripped. My heart had skipped a beat, then immediately began to race.

Charlotte fit perfectly into my arms, and I wanted to know how it would feel to have her straddle my lap. I could fuck her in that chair in the kitchen. I could see her rising and falling. Her gorgeous body on display.

A car sped past me, and the radar gun beeped. I was supposed to be working. I had a reputation as someone who didn’t let anything past me. But I’d lost focus this week. I couldn’t concentrate on anything besides how Charlotte made me feel.

The time and distance hadn’t done anything to dull the emotions. I was all mixed up inside, wondering how I could possibly be intrigued by this woman who I’d complained drove me crazy.

Instead, I wanted to strip off her clothes and drive into her, getting to know her from the inside out in a more intimate way than we had on Sunday night. There was no guarantee that she wanted me. She’d tried to scramble out of my arms almost immediately after falling into them.

But I couldn’t avoid Charlotte tonight. We had to get the barn area ready for the festival, and I’d enlisted my brothers to help with moving the tables.

Charlotte booked the food trucks and vendors. I let her take lead on this project because it was not my area of expertise. I wanted to know what was going on at the farm and with the festival preparations. I couldn’t avoid her forever.

I refocused on my job and wrote out a number of tickets my supervisor would approve of. After my shift, I stopped at home to check on the renovations. I’d finally gotten approval to replace the floors and the roof. The roof was scheduled to be completed next week, but the flooring hadn’t been delivered yet.

I drove to my temporary apartment, secured my firearm, and changed into my farm attire. It didn’t matter what I looked like because prepping for the festival wasn’t a date. My brothers would be there, determined to keep me focused.

I found Charlotte in front of the barn where she was talking to Wes about the placement of picnic tables. She had her tablet in her hands, and she was showing him something on the screen. Probably one of her diagrams for the setup.

I intended to act professional tonight. Not to remember our evening together in her cottage. “You ready for us to move tables?”

Charlotte looked up at me and blinked slowly. “I was just telling Wes where everything should go. Are you sure you can spare the hands tonight? It looks busy.”

Wes nodded. “We can always step in if we’re needed.”

Charlotte nodded. “Great. Let’s get started then.”

Wes walked away, and Charlotte edged closer to me, tilting her screen in my direction. “I’d like the tables situated like this. The trucks will be here.”

I barely glanced at the diagram, because her floral scent was overwhelming my senses. “Sounds good.”

“Then the tables for vendors will be lined up on either side of the lane here. But we don’t need to move those until the morning of the festival.”

Needing space, I said, “I’ll help Wes.”

Charlotte stood nearby with her tablet, directing us where to place each picnic table. I think we could have done it on our own, but she had specific ideas where they should be placed for optimal flow .

When we went to grab another table, Wes said, “She’s very particular, isn’t she? Reminds me of someone else.”

I punched him hard in the arm.

Wes rubbed his arm. “What was that for?”

I scowled. “You’re giving me shit.”

His eyes narrowed on me. “Which I do all the time. What’s the big deal now?”

There was something about Wes needling me with Charlotte looking on. It got to me. “It’s been a long day, and I want to go home and get some sleep.”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with the woman giving us orders?”

I stiffened as we lifted the table. “Why would it?”

“I’m just a little surprised you’re letting her run the show.”

“Dad put her in charge,” I said as we walked the table to where Charlotte stood.

She gestured where to place it. When we set it down, she told us to move it a little to the right, then the left.

Wes shot me a quizzical look. “Since when does that stop you from taking over anything?”

I frowned, not wanting to talk about this in front of Charlotte.

“Everything okay?” Charlotte asked, looking from me to Wes.

I threw a thumb over my shoulder in Wes’s direction. “This one is talking too much.”

Charlotte smiled but looked uncertain. “Okay, well. Less talk and more lifting. We have more tables to move.”

On the walk back, I said, “As much as I love the craftsmanship of homemade picnic tables, they’re heavy.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Wes was quiet while we picked the next table, then lifted it simultaneously.

“Are you sure there’s nothing going on between you guys?” Wes asked .

My heart rate picked up. Was it that obvious? “With who? Charlotte?”

Wes just gave me a look. “Yeah, Charlotte and you.”

I snorted. “Of course not.”

“I saw a fire coming from her place the other night. Dad said she hasn’t had any guests.”

The ache in my back intensified under his scrutiny. “She can’t have a fire without guests?”

Wes shrugged. “I was just wondering if she’s spending time with anyone.”

“Not that I know of.” I hated lying to my brother, but I wasn’t ready to talk to anyone about my inconvenient attraction to Charlotte. I was supposed to hate her. I wasn’t supposed to want to sleep with her, especially when she was helping us out on the farm.

We finished placing the tables to Charlotte’s specifications. Then Wes was called over to the bailer to help with a large tree.

“What’s next, boss?” I asked Charlotte, who was looking at the screen of her tablet.

Barely looking up, she said, “Let’s set up the barn for the Santa photos.”

Inside, Charlotte turned on the overhead lights that were dim.

The sound of the holiday music and crowd outside was hushed here. It felt like we were hiding from everyone.

My pulse increased as I looked at Charlotte’s profile. She was studying the interior, probably working out how she was going to set things up. But I was fixated on the delicate arch of her brow. The tilt of her chin.

“What do you think?” Charlotte turned to ask me.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “About what?”

Her forehead creased. “Weren’t you listening?”

I stretched my neck from side to side. “Sorry, it was a long day. ”

Her face smoothed into something that looked like concern. I wasn’t used to that emotion coming from anyone but family.

She gave me a sympathetic look. “We can do this in the morning if you’re tired.”

“Let’s get it done.” When I had a list of things to do, I couldn’t rest until every single one had been ticked off. Even if it was technically Charlotte’s itinerary.

My words didn’t ease the concern I saw in her eyes. “If you’re sure.”

I moved toward the red velvet chair in the middle of the room. “Is this Santa’s chair?”

“You’ll be sitting here. The line will come through the door against the far wall. The kids will talk to you for a minute or two, we’ll snap the picture, and I’ll hand them a candy cane and their parents a post card with a QR code to choose their pictures online.” Charlotte opened one of the boxes to show me piles of postcards with the new Calloways’ Pine Valley Farm emblem.

It was her idea to make the name Pine Valley Farms smaller and emphasize the family name. “You’ve thought of everything.”

“It’s either that, or we had to set up computers for them to choose their pictures now. I’d rather have them do that at home. Abby, the photographer, can handle their orders.”

I opened the boxes, finding tall candy canes and more lights. With Charlotte’s help, I set up the presents and candy canes around the chair and where the line would be.

When we were done, it was quiet outside. “The farm is closed.”

“We’re alone?” Charlotte asked, looking around as if she could see outside. But there were no windows in this barn.

“Should be. Wes probably didn’t realize we were in here. He would have handled closing the gate on the bottom of the lane.”

Charlotte looked around the room. “I think everything looks great. I might add something else, but I’m not sure what. Let me think on it.”

“You have the suit for me to try on?”

Her eyes lit up. “Yes. Let me find it.” She rummaged through the remaining boxes and pulled out the soft, red costume, handing it to me. “Let me know if it fits. If it works out, you can do this every year.”

“It’s a one-off thing.” I felt obligated to point out.

Charlotte merely smiled. “We’ll see about that.”

“You’re working for Dad for the season. After that, I’m sure you’ll move on to another account. We’ll be on our own.”

“I was hoping to stay on, even if it’s in a consultant capacity. You’ll have to keep up the work I started.”

I couldn’t see myself setting up festivals and scheduling Santa photos. Not unless I was forced.

Charlotte’s shoulders slumped. “You aren’t going to, are you?”

I wrapped an arm around her like I would one of my sisters, but it didn’t feel casual. “Let’s get through this year. Then we can see what happens after that.”

Was I talking about our working relationship, the farm, or something else? Was I giving myself permission to see if she was interested in me?

We were alone on the farm. Once Dad was in for the night, he didn’t usually come back out. With the dimmed lights overhead and the holiday decor, it felt like a good place to kiss her.

Or at least, that was what my body was telling me. I turned so that we were now facing each other.

She placed one hand on my chest. “What are you doing?”

“I tried staying away from you this week.”

Her lips parted on a gasp.

“But I couldn’t. It was torture. I couldn’t concentrate on work—” How could I explain to her that this was out of character for me? I didn’t get hung up on women ever. I certainly didn’t have deep conversations with them.

Her hand drifted higher until it curled around my neck, and she pulled me down to meet her lips.

A loud banging on the barn door had us jumping apart. “You still in there? I wanted to shut everything down.”

I broke off a curse when Wes opened the door. It slid open slowly, so Charlotte took the time to smooth her hair and clothes.

Wes opened the door, shining a flashlight on us. I lifted an arm to block it. “Put that down.”

“You get everything done? Sorry I couldn’t help out. We were swamped at the end. I didn’t think they were going to stop coming.” He moved around the room, shining the flashlight on the chair and decorations. “Looks good, Santa.”

“Shut up,” I said to him, unhappy that my brothers were going to make fun of me for being in a suit.

“I’m just glad it’s going to be you and not me.”

“If you don’t behave, I’ll make you be Santa instead,” Charlotte said to him, and he immediately looked contrite.

“Sounds good to me.” I winked at Wes.

“Everything is ready to go tomorrow except for the sign and the vendor tables. Can you meet with me early so we can knock out the rest of the to-do list?” Charlotte asked.

“I’ll be here,” Wes agreed.

“I’m so excited. It’s going to be amazing. We’ll be showcasing local crafters and bakers, while also getting the word out about the farm. It will be fun for everyone.”

“Is it though?” I asked, and Wes smacked me.

We headed outside, and Wes turned off the lights and slid the door closed.

With a wave, Charlotte headed to her car. “See you boys tomorrow.”

“Boys?” I protested, and Charlotte merely laughed at us .

A flood of something akin to anticipation flowed through my veins.

Wes came to stand next to me. Together, we watched her get inside and drive away. “What did I interrupt?”

I waved in the direction of the building. “We were decorating the barn.”

Wes raised a brow. “Charlotte looked guilty when I opened the door.”

I moved to check that the bailer was turned off and stored properly. “Humph. I don’t even know what that means.”

Wes unfortunately followed me. “You’re a cop. You know when someone looks guilty.”

I gave him a look. “Don’t use my job against me.”

“Why not? You would.” He considered me for a moment before he asked, “Are you going to double-check the gate to make sure it’s closed properly after I leave?”

I almost said yes, but then I sensed a trap. “Why are you asking?”

“Because you just can’t help yourself. You named yourself protector of this family. But we don’t need one anymore. I appreciate everything you’ve done for us, but we’re all adults now.”

“Dad—”

“He can make his own decisions. You don’t have to check up on us. You can trust that we can handle things without you.”

The idea that my family didn’t need me anymore sent panic skittering down my spine.

Wes considered me for a few seconds before he said, “But I’m wondering if something is going on between you and Charlotte.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up his hand. “I think it would be good for you.”

My brow furrowed. “You think it would be good for me to be attracted to an employee? ”

“Dad hired her as a marketing consultant for the farm. He’s worried about you. He wants you to take a step back.” Wes shook his head.

“I know he does, but—” I wasn’t sure I could do it.

“How many serious girlfriends have you had?” Wes asked.

I frowned. “There was the one in college before Mom died. You know I had to transfer closer to home, and it didn’t make sense to continue a long-distance relationship.”

“You didn’t have to stop your life then, and you don’t now.”

“Nothing’s going on between us. She kind of hates me.” Or I hated her. It was all jumbled in my head.

“I think you could work on that. She’s a really nice person to everyone else.”

I chuckled without any humor. “She deserves someone better than me.”

Wes touched my shoulder. “There is no one better than you. When are you going to realize that? You dropped everything when Mom died and helped out around here. You never stopped. But it’s time for you to pursue something for yourself. Everyone else has a significant other.”

I swallowed over the lump in my throat. That fact hadn’t escaped my notice. Everyone was paired off. “I don’t know if I want that.”

“Maybe you haven’t taken the time to consider it, but you should. Charlotte’s great, and if she can put up with you for longer than a few minutes?—”

I smacked his hand off my shoulder. “I’m attracted to her, but I don’t know if she feels the same.” I didn’t mention the almost kiss in the barn.

“There’s only one way to find out.”

Hope settled in my chest. “I appreciate you saying something.”

Wes’s eyes widened in surprise. “Don’t thank me. Do something about it. ”

He walked away with a wave of his hand. “Have a good night, and don’t waste your time double-checking the gate.”

I bit down the impulse to go behind him and check it. It was hard to shake the feeling that I should be the one responsible for everything. Could I let go? Could I have someone for myself?

An image of Charlotte popped into my head in the barn. It seemed like she wanted to kiss me. But had I misread the situation?