part of his body below his waist, Jake groaned. "If I want the amusement of seeing a city girl stumble around on the farm, I'll watch reruns of Green Acres. That one won't last here a month, and then we'll be looking all over again."
"So make her sign a lease."
"Forget it. No woman is going to live in my house."
"My house," Trevor corrected. "This is your house. That one's mine. And what do you call Chloe, anyway?"
"She's a little girl."
Trevor turned and scuffed his boot against the floor. "Damn it, Jake. She's fifteen, and you treat her like she's five. She ain't your little baby anymore. She's growing' up, and she needs a woman around to talk to."
He didn't need a woman filling his daughter's head with stories of the big city. One had been more than enough. "Not one like her."
"How do you know? You didn't exchange three sentences with her. And we don't have too many options open to us, Jake. We need that money coming in right now."
"We'll figure something else out. Besides, she probably won't take it. She's already on her way back."
Trevor glanced out the window, and frowned. She couldn't have looked at more than one room. He greeted her at the door and flashed a tentative smile. "If there's something about it we could change...”
Kate lifted her shoulders. "No. It's lovely the way it is. How much is the rent?"
Jake rattled off a figure twice the amount they’d agreed on when they decided to rent the one house to help make the mortgage payments on the farm.
"Negotiable," Trevor quickly added, glowering at his brother.
"No. That's fine. I'll take it," Kate said calmly, shocking both men into silence.
If Trevor couldn't believe his good luck, Jake definitely couldn't believe his bad luck. He never imagined she'd say yes. She could rent two houses in the area for that kind of money.
"You might do better to look closer to the city. I don't think it would suit you here," Jake said when he found his voice again.
"But then, you don't know me. I said I wanted it. What is the problem, Mr. Callahan?"
"The problem is what we do when you get bored playing with the country boys and go back to New York." His stinging comments seemed to have more of an effect on Trevor than her.
Trevor opened his mouth to come to her defense, but she waved him off. "I don't bore easily. I have no intention of returning to New York for at least a year. And I don't play with boys. Since that doesn't seem to be enough for you, I'll pay the full year in advance. If I choose to leave early, you're not out a damn thing. Anything else?"
"Yes," Jake said, and then tried to come up with one logical objection. She offered a solution to their cash flow problems, yet he didn't want to accept. When he saw his daughter walking up the front path, he knew he had to swallow his pride. "I guess not."
"If you think of anything later, have it put in the lease." Kate handed the keys to Trevor and withdrew her checkbook. "Who should I make the check out to?"
Trevor pointed to his brother. "Jake. I owe him the money."
As easily as if she were paying for her groceries, she dashed off a check for more money than he earned in six months. "It takes five business days to clear an out-of-state check. I'll be back for the keys on Monday."
Chloe skipped through the door. Her long braid swung across the back of her overalls, dirty from her afternoon chores. She looked so genuinely surprised and pleased to see another female that Jake wondered if Chloe did need a woman's influence.
"Hello." Kate offered her hand to the young girl.
"My daughter, Chloe," Jake mumbled. He glanced at the name on the check and added, "Kate Costello. She's going to be renting your uncle's house."
"What a sweet face you have, Chloe," Kate said. "Not much like your father, though. You must get your looks from your uncle."
Chloe giggled. "They're identical twins."
Kate looked back and forth between the two brothers and grinned. "Only at first glance."
* * * *
Kate
"So make her sign a lease."
"Forget it. No woman is going to live in my house."
"My house," Trevor corrected. "This is your house. That one's mine. And what do you call Chloe, anyway?"
"She's a little girl."
Trevor turned and scuffed his boot against the floor. "Damn it, Jake. She's fifteen, and you treat her like she's five. She ain't your little baby anymore. She's growing' up, and she needs a woman around to talk to."
He didn't need a woman filling his daughter's head with stories of the big city. One had been more than enough. "Not one like her."
"How do you know? You didn't exchange three sentences with her. And we don't have too many options open to us, Jake. We need that money coming in right now."
"We'll figure something else out. Besides, she probably won't take it. She's already on her way back."
Trevor glanced out the window, and frowned. She couldn't have looked at more than one room. He greeted her at the door and flashed a tentative smile. "If there's something about it we could change...”
Kate lifted her shoulders. "No. It's lovely the way it is. How much is the rent?"
Jake rattled off a figure twice the amount they’d agreed on when they decided to rent the one house to help make the mortgage payments on the farm.
"Negotiable," Trevor quickly added, glowering at his brother.
"No. That's fine. I'll take it," Kate said calmly, shocking both men into silence.
If Trevor couldn't believe his good luck, Jake definitely couldn't believe his bad luck. He never imagined she'd say yes. She could rent two houses in the area for that kind of money.
"You might do better to look closer to the city. I don't think it would suit you here," Jake said when he found his voice again.
"But then, you don't know me. I said I wanted it. What is the problem, Mr. Callahan?"
"The problem is what we do when you get bored playing with the country boys and go back to New York." His stinging comments seemed to have more of an effect on Trevor than her.
Trevor opened his mouth to come to her defense, but she waved him off. "I don't bore easily. I have no intention of returning to New York for at least a year. And I don't play with boys. Since that doesn't seem to be enough for you, I'll pay the full year in advance. If I choose to leave early, you're not out a damn thing. Anything else?"
"Yes," Jake said, and then tried to come up with one logical objection. She offered a solution to their cash flow problems, yet he didn't want to accept. When he saw his daughter walking up the front path, he knew he had to swallow his pride. "I guess not."
"If you think of anything later, have it put in the lease." Kate handed the keys to Trevor and withdrew her checkbook. "Who should I make the check out to?"
Trevor pointed to his brother. "Jake. I owe him the money."
As easily as if she were paying for her groceries, she dashed off a check for more money than he earned in six months. "It takes five business days to clear an out-of-state check. I'll be back for the keys on Monday."
Chloe skipped through the door. Her long braid swung across the back of her overalls, dirty from her afternoon chores. She looked so genuinely surprised and pleased to see another female that Jake wondered if Chloe did need a woman's influence.
"Hello." Kate offered her hand to the young girl.
"My daughter, Chloe," Jake mumbled. He glanced at the name on the check and added, "Kate Costello. She's going to be renting your uncle's house."
"What a sweet face you have, Chloe," Kate said. "Not much like your father, though. You must get your looks from your uncle."
Chloe giggled. "They're identical twins."
Kate looked back and forth between the two brothers and grinned. "Only at first glance."
* * * *
Kate
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