Love in Bloom Read Free Page B

the rest as air freight, and this way I have it all on hand when I arrive. I—I’m sorry I didn’t think to warn anyone that I would have extra luggage.”
    He shrugged. “Part of my responsibilities.”
    “Do you mind if I ask what your responsibilities are, I mean, so far as I’m concerned?”
    “Get you there. Make sure you get set up in time for the Grand Opening.”
    “Very good. I appreciate that.”
    He seemed to thaw a bit then. “I’m your official contact with the committee and your host, at least through the Grand Opening reception.”
    “Oh. All right. That’s nice. Thank you.”
    “No problem. When you’re ready to hire help, I’ll have a list of names for you, too.”
    “Ah. That will be useful.”
    “When do you think you’ll be ready to hire someone, by the way?”
    “Um, soon after the Grand Opening, I should think.”
    “I see.”
    “That is, if it’s successful.”
    “The town’s done its part,” he told her.
    “That’s good to know. What can you tell me about the town? I mean, beyond the statistics.”
    He seemed to consider for a moment before saying, “Nothing much to tell.” Lily’s spirits sagged. She was tired and uncertain and hoping for a warm welcome, not this terse, tepid greeting. “You’ll see soon enough,” he added, stopping next to a dirty white double-cab pickup truck. He placed one of the boxes in the bed of the truck. Lily took a deep breath.
    “Um, do you…do you think we could put those boxes inside?”
    He turned a surprised look on her. “You want those particular boxes inside, not the suitcases?”
    “What’s in the boxes is more valuable,” she said, pushing up her glasses.
    He lifted his eyebrows. “Okay. If that’s the way you want it.”
    “Yes, thank you,” she replied softly.
    He reached into his pocket and an electronic beep sounded. He opened the back door of the cab and wrestled the big suitcase to the ground then transferred boxes to the inside. It took some shifting around, but they finally got everything loaded. As soon as they were all belted into their seats, Tate behind the wheel, Lily on the front passenger side and Isabella in a booster seat behind Lily in the back, Isabella spoke up.
    “Daddy got on the SOS ‘cause we’re Bronsons.”
    “SOS?”
    “It’s short for Save Our Streets,” he explained, starting the engine. “That’s the name of the committee that chose the businesses that got the grants.”
    “Yes, I remember reading that in the paperwork, but what does being Bronsons have to do with it?”
    “Bronsons founded the town,” he answered brusquely.
    “They were brothers,” Isabella volunteered, “and one of ‘em runned off with the other one’s sweetheart, so they hated each other.”
    “Oh, dear,” Lily murmured.
    “They got over it,” Tate stated matter-of-factly, and that was that.
    Lily sighed mentally. She’d imagined a sweet little town, pulling together to do something grand, not feuding founders and “nothing much to tell.”
    Suddenly Isabella piped up from the backseat again. “Are you married?”
    “What? Uh. No.”
    “Daddy’s not married, either.”
    So, no fashion model wife then. That explained the falling-down hem on Isabella’s T-shirt. No conscientious mother would let such a pretty little girl go out with the hem coming down on her T-shirt, or so Lily imagined. A single father, now, he probably wouldn’t even notice such a thing. While Lily wondered about Isabella’s mother, Isabella wondered about other things, and she wasn’t the least bit shy in letting Lily know.
    “Have you got a boyfriend?”
    “Isabella!” Tate barked.
    Lily cringed. “No, I don’t have a boyfriend, either.”
    “How come?”
    “Well, I—I just…” Lily felt her face heat.
    “Don’t you want to get married and have children?”
    My, what a direct child. “Y-yes. Very much.”
    “Do you like babies? I like babies.”
    “I love babies.”
    “My friend Bonnie has a baby sister. I