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

“Besides her mama and sister dying on her, she’s had other folks let her down. You’ll have to spend a lot of hours showing her you can be trusted.”

Other folks, such as the creepy, selfish principal.

“I trust you’ll be extra careful with her heart.” Maverick’s gaze narrowed. “It’s tender emotionally. And physically.”

What was he getting at? “I’m not looking to date your daughter, if that’s what you mean. The twins are my reason for being here.”

“I know that, but I also know my daughter is a lovely girl, just like her mother. Y’all are about the same age. Both unattached. And I’m not blind. I’ve seen you looking at her.”

Ross’s face heated. What could he say to that? Guilty as charged. He’d noticed her beauty. More than that, he’d seen her gentleness and obvious love for the twins. He had to tread carefully. Under different circumstances, she’d be exactly the type of woman he could fall for. But her heart had already been damaged by two painful losses.

But wait, what had Maverick said? Her heart had been damaged emotionally and physically? Did she have the same condition as her mom and sister?

“Does Stacia have a heart problem?”

“I’ve already said too much.”

If Stacia had a heart condition, could the stress of the situation with him and the twins cause her health issues? He didn’t have any experience with such things.

She worked hard physically in the workshop. Most days, she broke a good sweat, sanding claw-foot tubs. And he’d seen her put her back into it to pry nails out of coffee bar parts. Surely if her health was so fragile, she’d let him do the hard stuff. And Maverick wouldn’t send her on a road trip with her biggest stressor if her heart was in danger. Would he?

“Just tread carefully with her, will you?”

“You have my word.” But there was the principal she might be still pining for. Didn’t Maverick know she was still hung up on him?

“Good.” Maverick offered his hand.

Ross clasped it, gave a firm shake.

The older man ambled toward the workshop and Ross followed, deep in thought.

His gut twisted. Just in case her heart was weak, he couldn’t afford to upset her.

The way he saw it, he had two options. Figure out a compromise where the twins stayed put but his folks visited often, which would be difficult because of his parents’ business and the distance between them. Or find out if she still wanted the principal enough to share the kids with his folks.

* * *

The fifteen-minute trip to Bandera had passed in silence. They’d gotten enough pieces and parts for fifteen coffee bars, along with fifty claw-foot tubs, and gotten a good deal on all of them.

But then she’d gotten stuck in Daddy’s truck with her worst nightmare for the hour drive to Fredericksburg. Yet in many ways, she liked Ross. He was great with the twins and he’d taken a large load off her shoulders with the B and B order. On top of being a hard worker, he was kind and genuinely wanted to attend church.

“It’s right here.” She pulled into the flea market’s lot and parked. As soon as she killed the engine, she was out.

They entered the dimly lit ancient building. The scent of old books, dust and that antique dresser drawer smell that was so hard to conquer greeted them.

A familiar gray-haired lady sat behind the counter.

“Hi, Maisy.”

“Stacia, so good to see you again. Oh my, I didn’t know you had a fella. And a might handsome one at that.”

Her face steamed. “This is Ross. Our new hire at the store. That’s all.” Except he was the twins’ uncle and they had to work something out without ripping her niece and nephew in half.

“Oh, my mistake. I believe the coffee bar pieces you might be interested in are in booths eleven and thirty-six. There are two claw foots in twenty-two and there’s an old table in the back I’ll show you. Then we’ll head to the warehouse, where all the really good stuff is.” Maisy rubbed her hands together as if she couldn’t wait. “Follow me.”

It always amazed Stacia the pace Maisy kept. In her late sixties to early seventies, she was terribly humped from osteoporosis. But that didn’t stop her from flitting about quickly.

“I know you said you’re building the table part of the coffee bar, but I thought this might save you some time.” Maisy unlocked the dust-coated door in the back marked Employees Only and waved them through. “I could let you have it for twenty bucks.”

Stacia’s eyes widened at the small Queen Anne–style entry table.

“No!” Ross shouted. “That’s a Chippendale.”

“He’s right,” Stacia agreed. “It’s easily worth fifteen hundred.”

“It is?” Maisy wrung her hands. “This little thing? Well, I said I’d let you have it for twenty and I’m not a deal breaker.”

“Oh Maisy, I couldn’t possibly keep you to that deal. I want you to clean this table up. Don’t sand it or anything, but polish it and put it on the floor for what it’s worth.”

“I’m such a failure at this.” Maisy pressed her hand to her temple. “My Alford knew what things were, how much they were worth. I should sell the store and be done with it.”

“You’re not a failure, Maise. You’re learning.”

“I should have paid more attention when he was alive.”

“Do you enjoy running the store, Maisy?” Ross asked.

“I do. Very much. I feel so close to Alford here.” She clasped a hand to her heart. “He loved this place. I just don’t know what I’m doing is all.”

“I have an idea.” He fished something out of his pocket, then handed Maisy a business card. “I’m an appraiser. When you get a new piece in, you text me or email me a picture. I’ll tell you where the markings will be if it’s a real antique and quote the value. When you sell it, you send me ten percent of what you sold it for.”

“You’d do