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

“I won’t let anyone take advantage of you, Maisy. It’s just not right.”

“I’ll do that.” Maisy threw her arms around him. “Oh, thank you, young man. You’ve made an old woman very happy.”

“I’m glad to help.” Ross grinned as he hugged her back.

Stacia blinked tears away. She’d worried about people taking Maisy for a ride since Alford’s death. But she’d been at a loss how to help except on her infrequent visits to Maisy’s store.

“Here.” Maisy finally let go of him. “Let me show you the rest of the stuff.”

They spent the next hour picking and bargaining a fair price. In the end, they got enough doors and parts for another thirty-four coffee bars along with twenty-three claw-foot tubs. She wrote Maisy a nice check with plenty of room for profit from Waverly’s B and B’s.

Thirty minutes later, they were loaded and back on the road headed to the ranch. The air conditioning swept a chill over Stacia’s heated skin. She’d probably sweated off all her makeup while helping Ross load the truck.

“That was really nice of you to help Maisy out. I’m guessing you usually get paid more than that.”

“I usually charge by the hour. But I figure she’s struggling and there’s no telling what shysters have carried out of her store for little or nothing. She’s due for a break.”

“She’s a sweetheart.”

“Speaking of sweethearts, tell me more about Adrian Caruthers.”

She frowned, didn’t take her eyes off the road. “What about him?”

“He still has a thing for you.”

“He broke up with me.”

“Because of the twins.”

“Sort of.”

“What if you didn’t have them through the week? If you only had them on weekends, do you think y’all could work things out?”

“But I have them. All of the time.” Her tone turned ominous. “And who said I wanted to work things out with him?”

“You didn’t have to. You showed me.”

“Oh really?” Her right eyebrow went up. “When was that?”

“You got teary over him in the drop-off line the other day.”

“For your information,” she snapped, “I didn’t get teary over him.”

“Okay, just calm down.” Now that he knew about her heart, he needed to remember not to upset her.

“Don’t tell me to calm down.”

“Then at least pull over.”

She huffed out a big breath and pulled into a grocery store lot. “I was never hung up on Adrian. He was into me way more than I was him. I was about to break it off when Calli died and everything went crazy.”

“So why the tears?”

“If you must know,” her hair seemed to get redder with her temper, “I have the same heart defect as my mother and sister. They both died because childbirth put a strain on their hearts.” Her voice cracked as she turned to face him. “Doctors have recommended that I never have children.”

“Oh Stacia.” And it was obvious how much she loved the twins. That she’d dreamed of having her own kids someday. With her heart defect, he should have figured it out. “I’m so sorry. I had no clue.”

“You definitely have no clue.” Her chin quivered. “If you think you can do me a favor and take the twins off my hands so I can have my happily-ever-after, you’ve got another thing coming. They are my happily-ever-after. I won’t let you take them.” She punctuated each word with a jab of her finger. “Do you hear me?”

“I hear you. Just calm down. We’ll work something out.”

“I won’t have a heart attack just because I’m upset. Okay? It’s not like I’m a ticking time bomb. It takes more strain than you to kill me off.” She rolled her eyes. “But then you’re probably hoping I’ll keel over, so you can have Mason and Madison.”

“No, Stacia, you’re wrong. That’s not what I want. The twins love you. They need you.”

“You got that right.”

“Why don’t you let me drive.”

She turned away, sat there staring at the wheel. “I’m okay, just give me a minute.”

“I’m sorry I upset you.”

“What makes you think I’m upset? Because my face is all splotchy? Welcome to redhead world.” Another deep breath seeped out of her and she turned back onto the highway.

The rest of the drive home was silent.

CHAPTER FIVE

If only it weren’t Friday. Stacia sanded the final rust spot on the tub. Weekends were always busiest at the store, which meant that even though Angel and Veronica were both working, Daddy was in the store all day. Leaving her alone in the workshop with Ross. Making the afternoon drag on. She’d asked Daddy to take the kids to school this morning to avoid Adrian. Torn between dodging two men.

Somehow Ross knowing her truth made her dread working with him less than seeing the school principal. Maybe his harsh words toward Adrian had stirred up her anger again. Even though she’d planned to break things off with him, when Adrian had rejected Mason and Madison, it had infuriated her. She needed to pray about it and get rid of the bitterness toward him.

In the meantime, she’d kept her back to Ross and her drill on most of the day as she smoothed one claw-foot bathtub after another, effectively killing any chance for chitchat. The mere memory of their conversation yesterday still heated her skin.

Anger smoldered within her, but so did embarrassment. For letting him see her so upset, for letting him in on her secret. Only Daddy had known she shouldn’t have children. Until now.

The rust disintegrated and she set down her drill, turned to check the corbels and hooks heating in the crockpot.

Ross stood there, peering into it. “I hope that’s not supper.”

“Heating them in a crockpot takes the old layers of paint right off.” She grabbed a set of tongs, fished the finished pieces out and laid them on a towel.

“About yesterday.”

“Can we just not go there?” She closed her eyes.

“Just hear me out and we won’t go there again. I’m really sorry. Really. I didn’t mean to insult you. I’ve just been racking my brain trying to figure out a way where everyone can