Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Did you find anything?

B ennett glanced at the text from his sister. He debated ignoring it. He was already working far later than he wanted to, but he had projects to catch up on after his morning of playing Mr. Fix-It at Kira’s. But he hated leaving messages unanswered. It made him feel itchy.

No. Not a single dead body in sight.

Okay. Phew. When are you going back?

He sighed, leaning back against Jeanie’s couch cushions. Her small apartment lacked a desk, and he was still trying to figure out the most comfortable place to work.

I don’t think I’m going back.

He needed to stay away from Kira. That’s what his little visit had proven to him this morning. Seeing her in that drafty old house had stirred up too many things in him and he needed those things to stay buried just like Edwin’s dead wife.

You have to! Just a few more times. Just to be sure.

You do know this is insane, right?

Of course I do. But the mayor had a dream and he’s rarely wrong.

And what did the wise and powerful mayor see in this dream?

Well … they’re always a little fuzzy, but basically something important is buried on that farm.

So, shouldn’t we let Kira find it?

Even as he typed it, his stomach dropped at the idea of Kira making a gruesome discovery by herself. And Jeanie knew it, too.

We can’t let her just stumble upon something like that!

Fine. One more time.

Thank you, Ben!! You’re the best!

He didn’t feel like the best. He felt like an absolute sucker who got conned into doing ridiculous errands for his sister because he was too much of a sap to let her down.

But what else was new?

His sister wasn’t the first woman to manipulate him into doing things for her and he was sure she wouldn’t be the last.

* * *

Bennett was back.

She should feel annoyed by that, but she was having trouble summoning the energy today. It was day two of the farm being open and still no customers. A low level of panic had started simmering in her gut. What was left of her trust fund after buying this place was gone after a few months of living here without any additional income.

And now if this Christmas-tree-farm thing didn’t take off, she truly had no idea what to do next. This was the first time in her life that she was on her own. She’d spent the first twenty-four years being either coddled or bailed out of every situation. Her parents had the funds and the means to soften the blow of her various bad decisions. Even when she and Chloe moved out of the Georgian mansion they’d grown up in, they hadn’t gone further than the recently renovated carriage house.

It was pathetic.

She was pathetic. A barely functioning adult. And when she finally decided to strike out on her own, she somehow thought buying an old farm was the way to go. But she was all in now. She refused to admit defeat.

It had to work.

She walked out to the front porch to find Bennett climbing out of his rental car. He had a toolbox this time, but no dogs to buffer their interactions. In her current mood, that didn’t bode well for Bennett.

‘Back for more fun?’ she called and he looked up with that perfect smile.

‘I might be able to get those radiators working better.’ He strode up her front path like a man on a mission. ‘My dad told me some things to try.’

Kira considered not letting him in. It was possible that her first impression of him wasn’t exactly right. Maybe he wasn’t a misogynist who thought she couldn’t do things for herself, but she also didn’t know why he was so damn concerned about her house.

What was his angle?

It was an awful lot of work just to get her in bed. And she hadn’t really given him any indication she would want him there, anyway. Maybe he liked a challenge?

She didn’t have time to fend off well-meaning do-gooders or guys with a masochistic streak when she was too busy failing miserably at her only chance to build something for herself. So whichever one he was, she shouldn’t let him in.

On the other hand, she was tired of being cold.

She stepped aside. ‘Have at it.‘

‘Thanks.’ Another smile as he passed her and let himself in.

‘Maybe later you can find a bunch of old ladies that need help crossing the street.’

He looked over his shoulder with an amused smirk. ‘Helping with your heat and escorting old ladies? The perfect day.’

Kira huffed and rolled her eyes, but Bennett was undeterred today.

‘If it’s okay with you, I’ll just go around to each radiator and see if I can adjust the vent cans. If not, maybe the service valves.’

‘I don’t know what any of that means, but go nuts.’

‘Great.’

Suddenly, Kira didn’t like the idea of just hanging out in her house while Bennett messed around with her radiators. That would be awkward.

‘I’m going to go check on Iris.’

‘Oh, good, she still works here, then?’

Kira winced. She had not made a great first impression with her only employee yesterday, but the intrepid Iris had shown up again this morning, assuring her that she was not easily scared off. Apparently, she was used to working for crazy people.

From what Kira gathered, Iris had grown up in Dream Harbor and was undeterred by the antics of the townsfolk. She also had plenty of jobs around town and had even invited Kira to join her yoga class. She was probably perfectly fine out there by herself, snug and cozy in the little cabin. But again, Kira had no desire to sit around and watch Bennett work.

So, continuing with her ‘fake it till you make it as a Christmas tree farmer plan’, she pulled on her boots to head outside.

‘Yes, miraculously she still works here after you scared her half to death with your whole “that house is going to collapse and crush her” thing.’

Bennett stopped clanging around in his toolbox for long enough to look at her with a bemused expression. ‘I never said that.’

‘You definitely did.’

‘I wasn’t the one who went running and screaming across the farm.’

‘It was an emergency!’

‘It really wasn’t.’

‘It could have been. I could have been saving her life.’

His smile grew and Kira was horrified to find her own mouth inching up to mirror his. She shook her head. Time to go. Not time to stand around smiling at this Clark Kent lookalike. Maybe she’d find a biker or a parolee on her way that she could make out with, just to remind herself who she really was.

All this fresh, piney air must be messing with her senses.

* * *

It only took an hour for Kira to run out of things to do. She’d checked on Iris and as expected found her totally content, with her nose in a book. She’d swept the little front porch that led to the payment window, straightened the wreath on the door, photographed a few dozen angles of the new sign she’d had commissioned, wandered through the trees, made notes of things to tell the groundskeeper she’d hired who was starting next week, and read through the responses to her ad for a Santa but they were few and far between.

And after all that, she’d really had no choice but to head back to the house, seeing as there still wasn’t a customer in sight. Had she really been that terrifying to the locals? Sure, she had told everyone in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t reopening, and she hadn’t exactly been friendly to the neighbors who’d stopped by, but still. That couldn’t possibly have been enough to keep everyone away forever. Where were they getting their trees? Were they all going without one this year?

She could probably ask Bennett to spread the word, seeing as his sister owned the town’s favorite café, but she was already uncomfortable with everything else he was doing. She wasn’t about to add free marketing into the mix.

She might have to actually go to this tree-lighting thing.

It was that or starve. Or freeze. Or both. A nice freeze-and-starve combo.

She walked inside to find the downstairs empty, but she could hear footsteps above her. She climbed the stairs and found Bennett in the first bedroom (currently being used to house empty cardboard boxes) crouched down next to the radiator. He’d rolled up the sleeves of his flannel shirt and his forearm flexed as he turned some kind of valve on the side of the old metal beast. Squatting there like that, his jeans stretched tight over his thighs and ass…

Time for him to go. ‘Almost done?’ Kira’s voice came out tight and squeaky.

Bennett’s head snapped up at the sound. ‘I didn’t know you were back.’

‘I am.’ Kira cleared her throat. ‘I am back. So, are you leaving soon?’

Bennett stood, that teasing smirk on his face. He wiped his hands on his jeans and Kira could not be faulted for watching the motion. Those thighs were … distracting.

‘This is the last one. Hopefully, this helps a bit.’

‘Right, I’m sure it will. Any heat is better than no heat.’

‘I found this behind one of the radiators.’ He handed Kira an old piece of paper he pulled out of his back pocket.

‘What is it?’ she asked, trying to make out the slanted script across the yellowed notebook paper.

‘Not sure.’

She looked again. ‘It looks like someone was making a list of their stuff.’

Bennett peered down at the paper, a crease between his brows. ‘Two Tiffany lamps, full set of bone china,’ he read. ‘Hmm, a lot of it is smudged.’ He squinted and turned the paper. ‘Ellie’s baubles.’

‘Baubles? Like jewelry?’

Bennett shrugged. ‘Could mean ornaments or something like that. Can’t make out much more.’

Kira frowned. ‘The old owners must have written it.’

‘Could be. I’ve heard the farm was left to a cousin, but maybe they wanted their other possessions to go to different people?’

‘So, this is what? Like a rough draft of their will?’

He shrugged again. ‘Beats me, but I should go.’

She watched as he gathered up his tools and a spike of panic shot through her. She didn’t want him to leave. She didn’t want to spend the rest of the day alone in this cold house, on this failing farm.

Kira was a twin. She’d always felt it was against her nature to be alone. She hadn’t even been alone in the womb. And now look at her, contemplating chaining this nice, neighborly guy to her radiator just so she wouldn’t have to face another dark evening by herself.

She couldn’t stop feeling like half a person, like half of her organs had been scooped out and taken to Denmark. This farm, this plan, it was supposed to help, supposed to give her something that was truly hers. And it wasn’t working. She’d been the Grinchy character above Dream Harbor for nearly three months now and she had nothing to show for it.

No picture-perfect, organically raised, locally sourced life.

She was an idiot.

When he looked up again, Bennett caught her frowning. At least she wasn’t crying, but he had that worried crease between his brows again and she could not have that. Absolutely not.

He had to go. Because unlike the Grinch, Kira had zero interest in having a heart that grew three sizes. Certainly not if that meant warm and fuzzy feelings toward the man her mother would throw her a parade for marrying.

Marrying?! Dear God. Spending so much time alone had definitely started to rot her brain.

‘Okay, well, thanks again. See you around.’ She stepped out of the way of the door so Bennett could pass. She ignored the questioning look on his face as he scooted by, his tall, toned body brushing a little too close to hers. She didn’t owe him any answers.

She followed him down the stairs, certainly not noticing how broad his back was or that his hair had gotten mussed as he was working. But maybe she did owe him a little something since he had come all the way out here to help her, not that she’d asked him to.

‘You can have a free tree,’ she said when they were back in the entryway and Bennett was pulling on his coat.

He raised his eyebrows. ‘A free tree?’

‘Yeah, for your … uh … services.’

He grinned. ‘A free tree sounds great.’

Kira sighed. Good. Payment for services rendered and then Bennett could leave and never come back. Perfect. The last thing she needed was to be indebted to this guy.

‘I don’t have time to stick around today, though,’ he said. ‘Got a meeting at two. I’ll have to take you up on it another time.’

Damn it. Kira kept the fake smile plastered on her face. ‘Sure. Another time.’

‘And you’ll help me pick it out?’ His smile was back to teasing which at least meant the worry was gone.

‘I don’t know if I can live up to your perfect tree-finding standards.’

He held her gaze for a second before answering and Kira wished there was a dog or two between them to break the tension.

‘I think you’ll live up to them just fine.’