Harlequin Love Inspired March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Patrice Lewis (best large ereader .txt) 📕

Stacia sported mottled skin with blotchy cheeks. A testament that Texas hadn’t caught on that it was almost mid-September and she was a natural redhead and didn’t perspire much. Her hair spilled from a messy bun with damp tendrils around her face. She blew a long layer out of her eyes. Oh well, she looked like she worked hard. Not everyone could be runway ready all the time like Waverly.

“Come in.” Stacia opened the door for her. “Sorry, we were in the workshop or I’d have let you in already.”

“No worries. I’m early. I was wondering how many—” Waverly stopped in front of a coffee bar constructed from an old door, a small table, spindles and corbels. “Oh, Stasha, I’m in love with this.” She tucked a strand of perfect blond hair behind her ear. “How many of them do you have?”

“Just the one at the moment.” No matter how many times Stacia reminded her it was pronounced Stay-shuh, Waverly continued to say her name as if it rhymed with Tasha.

“They fly out the door as soon as I build them.” Daddy scratched his graying beard.

“I’m remodeling The Texas Rose.” Waverly continued on to the counter.

“Which one?” Stacia asked. Waverly had been a frequent shopper over the years as she’d opened each of her twenty shabby chic–style bed-and-breakfasts scattered across Texas.

“All of them. Could I get one of those for each room?”

Stacia squelched a gasp. “That’s one hundred rooms. Right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m afraid we can’t build them exactly the same.”

“Of course not. If I wanted carbon copies, I wouldn’t be here.” Waverly glanced around the store. “That’s what I love about this place, everything is unique.”

“Still shabby chic, right?”

“Definitely.”

Stacia grabbed her tablet from under the counter and pulled up an order form. “Ninety-nine shabby chic coffee bars.”

“In white with pink, blush, seafoam, lavender and yellow trim. I brought fabric swatches.” Waverly handed them to her.

“Great. Let’s go to my workshop to pick paint tabs and I need you to browse the warehouse with me, so I can get a feel for the types of materials you like.”

“My favorite part.” Waverly followed, glamorous in her white pants suit and spiked heels.

The bell rang and a man stepped inside. A handsome man. Close to Stacia’s age.

“May I help you?” Daddy hurried over.

Stacia ushered Waverly into the workshop. Half-finished repurposed projects dotted the space in the back of the barn, everything from a bistro table and chairs to a vintage sofa and a pile of claw-foot tubs needing resurfacing. The stuffy stillness made her regret leaving the door open. She shut it and turned the air conditioner on. The cool blast swept chill bumps over her.

“Sorry about the temperature. Even with the ventilation system, it gets so dusty in here, so I was trying to air it out.”

“It’s fine.”

Not just any customer was allowed in the workshop. But it wasn’t the first time Waverly Heathcott had strolled through it and the warehouse full of rusty metal gates, finials, vintage doors, windows and shutters. Though it had never happened, Stacia always worried she’d get a dry cleaning bill.

“Oh, I almost forgot what I came for. I also need one hundred claw-foot tubs. Is that all you have?” She pointed at the pile.

“There are five in the store already finished, plus these for a total of twenty-three.”

“Can you get more?”

“I’m certain we can. I’ll put a call out to vendors I know, but it may take time.”

“Is a month enough time?”

Stacia swallowed hard. “A month?”

“That’s my timeline for the remodel. I’ll be shut down for six weeks and I want everything in place before we reopen.”

“You want ninety-nine coffee bars and ninety-five restored claw-foot bathtubs in a month?” Stacia tried to calculate a schedule in her head.

“I know it’s a lot, but if anyone can pull it off, 3 Gals’ Treasures can.” Waverly flashed her best I’m-rich-just-make-it-happen smile.

“You came to the right place.”

Over the next thirty minutes, they picked paint and Waverly chose pieces and parts she liked for the coffee bars as Stacia snapped pictures and added details to the order. They agreed on a price and Waverly paid half down.

How to tell Daddy? Not only were they short-staffed, but she’d just agreed to an impossible order.

She led Waverly back to the store.

“Thank you, you’re a treasure.” Waverly gave her a quick hug. “I can’t wait to see what you create.”

“We’ll ship the bathtubs we have, and more as we complete them, so you’ll have time for installation. As we complete the coffee bars, I’ll send pictures for your approval.”

“I’ll love whatever you come up with. I always do.” With a wave, Waverly strolled to the exit.

As Stacia headed to the register, she saw the man. Still there. And completely focused on her twin niece and nephew who were now sitting behind the counter. Something felt familiar about his dark hair and features, paired with emerald eyes. A chill went down the back of her neck.

“There she is. She’ll be right with you,” Daddy said.

“Aunt Stacia!” the twins shouted in unison and rushed her.

“When did y’all get here?” She knelt to hug them.

“Aunt Larae dropped us off. She didn’t want us to get sick cuz Jayda started sneezing this morning,” Madison reported. “She said it’s probably allergies, but just in case, she brought us home.”

“Do y’all feel okay?” She pressed a palm to each of their foreheads. Both cool.

“Yep,” their voices blended.

Saturdays were a real challenge since her clerk had married her ranch hand and moved to Waco. Now that they were shorthanded, the twins often spent Friday night and the following day at her friend’s ranch. But sometimes that didn’t work out. Like today, making Stacia wish she and Daddy could leave the store in someone else’s hands and spend the day with them.

But weekends were always busy. The usual rush before and after lunch required two clerks in the showroom while Daddy helped customers load purchases.

“If you’ll be real good—that means no running, giggling or squealing—I’ll get Grandpa to take y’all to get ice