Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley (Arcadia Valley Romance Book 0) Read online

  “If you want to weed a garden, there’s old Otto Crown’s patch down the road. Or I can drop you off at your Yaya’s place in a few weeks.”

  “Uncle Luke and Uncle Theo help Yaya,” she said. “There’s nobody to help Charlotte.”

  “I’m sure she has other friends.” She was as stubborn as he was but he would stand there until summertime if need be.

  “But she’s new here. I think we should be her friends.”

  “And that’s your reason?” he asked. He was the only parent Elena had ever known. He knew her inside and out. As compassionate as his little girl could be, she wouldn’t think being new in town a reason to weed someone’s garden. Elena must have heard all the nosy comments and sly advice about Nico needing a wife. He had to talk to his mother, tell her to stop pushing the idea of his remarrying.

  Maybe she thought their little family wasn’t enough, that even though God had given them each other, they were still somehow incomplete. Well, that was wrong. They were a family no matter what anybody said.

  Elena looked up at him and her cheeks were pink. “You’ll think it’s stupid if I tell you.”

  As quickly as it had arrived, his anger evaporated. Nico crouched down. “I would never think anything you say is stupid.”

  She looked at her feet, dark brows lowered. She looked so much like her mother when she was upset than his heart ached.

  “It’s just that everybody says I need a mom. Amber Taylor said I didn’t know stuff that other girls know.”

  “That’s ridiculous. You know everything they do.” Nico felt his hand clench into a fist and he tried to keep his voice steady. If Elena started believing that kind of lie, she’d never find her place in the world, because Laura was never coming back. Elena had to believe in herself, not what other people decided she should be. He’d been raising her to be confident, secure, and unashamed of their little family, but there were still people who wanted to tear her down.

  “Oh, I know it’s dumb. I told Amber my bunny was smarter than her. I told her that you know so much, I don’t need anybody else.”

  He certainly didn’t want his daughter insulting her classmates, but he was glad she’d stood up for herself. “So, we don’t need to have the new neighbor over for dinner?”

  Elena paused again, her cheeks flushing. “She said I was perfect, just the way I am. You guys are the only ones who have ever told me that before.”

  He hadn’t thought Elena needed anybody else, not really. But out of all their family and friends, he was the only voice that had told her she was perfect just the way God made her. Until now.

  “So, can we invite her over?” she asked, hope rising in her voice.

  “Sure,” he said. “I think that’s a good idea.”

  Elena hugged his arm, careful to avoid the bloody apron, and skipped off to follow Bunnicula. Nico turned back toward the shed, his mind reeling. This wasn’t what he’d thought today would bring. He never could have guessed after ignoring the pointed comments of his brothers, he was going to take their advice after all. He was going to befriend the beautiful new neighbor.

  Chapter 4

  “Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy”

  ― Isaac Newton

  “You’re making this up,” Sahil said.

  “Not a bit of it. The mysterious neighbor is a widower with a little girl whose best friend is the giant white rabbit who was eating through my garden.” Charlotte stepped from her car and walked toward the feed and supply store. She was making a stop during her lunch hour and hoped it wouldn’t take too long to order a fence.

  “And?”

  “And what? It was like something out of a cheesy romance movie, except instead of falling in love with me, he realized I know nothing about anything. He’s probably going to build a wall to keep me on my side of the property line and out of his way.”

  Sahil snorted. “Not likely. And I need more details. Name, age, occupation.”

  “Nico something, a little older than we are, and I have no idea. He was skinning rabbits when we met.” Charlotte paused outside the supply store so she could enjoy the sound of Sahil’s surprise.

  “Okay, I’m canceling the engagement announcements for now but I need a visual just to make sure he’s absolutely not a candidate for your future husband.”

  “I’m not taking his picture,” Charlotte said, rolling her eyes so hard she felt off balance. “I probably won’t even see him again unless he brings his daughter into the library. And when did you turn into my mother?”

  “I’m not sure. I think it was something in your voice when you described him.” Sahil said. “Jarrod is the best-looking guy we know and you didn’t sound half as excited when you met him.”

  “That just proves I don’t care that much about appearances.”

  “You just said he was handsome. Maybe it was the rabbit skinning that caught your attention.”

  “I did? No, he’s― he’s definitely… sort of… uhhh…” Charlotte stepped aside so a middle aged woman with a small dog could go in the door.

  “Wow. Speechless? I really need pictures now.”

  “In my defense,” Charlotte said in a whisper, “someone passed by and I didn’t want to be caught gossiping. This farm and garden store is probably where all the juicy rumors start.”

  Sahil’s laughter echoed down the line. “Well, I’ll let you go find some fencing, okay?”

  Charlotte promised to call later. As she opened the door, the mild air conditioning was a welcome change from the midday heat.

  She tried not to stare. So many tools. The rows of gleaming gear made her heart rate pick up a bit. She was ready to grow a beautiful, enormous garden full of fruits and vegetables. And she would, just as soon as she figured out how to keep Bunnicula from snacking his way through her dreams.

  She felt a flash of residual embarrassment as she remembered their conversation. Nico was kind, never cracking a smile as he explained about the fence laws and planting dates. For some reason she really wished they’d had a better first meeting. She’d marched over there determined to make the neighbor keep their animal in check, and had walked away with the number for a fencing professional.

  She ran her hand along the tines of a rake and tried not to sigh. Of course the owner of the errant rabbit had to be handsome and unmarried. Not that she was looking. She’d had her fill of relationship stress. Maybe even worse than leaving her nice job, was her break up with Jarrod. Her mother was convinced he was the one for Charlotte, which was odd because Charlotte didn’t even think he was the one for Charlotte.

  Jarrod was a partner at one of the biggest architectural firms in Fresno, handsome in a generic sort of way, and active in charities all over the state. He’d even been on a few missions to Belize, although he ended up with a lot more pictures of his week of snorkeling adventures than the day they spent at the orphanage. Jarrod craved the city, high tech, and the virtual world while Charlotte did not. He was all go, go, go, while Charlotte felt drained by the constant commitments to fundraising dinners, barbecues, and cocktail parties. Simply, they had very little in common and Charlotte wasn’t ready to base a marriage on something as tenuous as living in the same city and breathing the same air.

  She picked up a sprinkler head and turned it over in her hands. Funny, she’d been absolutely relieved to be free of Jarrod and any ties to a man, but she felt different in Arcadia Valley. Freer, more at ease with herself. Definitely more confident. Maybe dating again wasn’t such a bad idea. The odds were longer in a small town, but she certainly had more time. Then again, Nico didn’t seem the type to go out a lot. Or maybe he did. Maybe he dated every pretty girl in town. She could see how he’d take advantage of being one of the nicer fish in a really small pond.

  A man wearing faded overalls stepped into the aisle and Charlotte snapped out of her reverie. Had she really just been jealously contemplating the dating habits of her neighbor? And how easily she’d jumped from dating somebody, to dating
him.

  Charlotte turned toward the front of the store. No more daydreams. She had a fence to buy.

  She stopped in front of the register. The girl was reading a magazine and didn’t glance up.

  “Hello, there,” Charlotte said.

  The girl reluctantly pushed her magazine to the side. Her name tag read ‘Megan’ and she wore a green apron over a red polo shirt. It would have given a Christmas-y effect except Megan’s dyed black hair, heavy eyeliner and gray lipstick were more Halloween. “Can I help you?”

  “I’d like to order some fencing.” Charlotte tried to sound confident.

  Megan looked skeptical. Maybe that was her default expression. “Oh, you’re the new librarian.” Megan cracked her gum and grinned. “Nico said you’d be coming by.”

  Charlotte felt her cheeks go warm. Of course gossip traveled fast in a small town. Maybe he’d just casually mentioned it when he’d been chatting with the pretty employee. He probably talked a lot around his friends. It was only awkward city girls that had him offering a few words at a time. “That’s right. For my garden.”

  Megan leaned over the desk, her name tag hanging crookedly on the strap of her apron. “So, what do you think?”

  “About the fencing? He said I should ask someone named Joey.”

  “No, about Nico.” Megan laughed and brushed her black hair over one shoulder. “I’d love to live across the fence from him. Not just for the deli sausage, either. I’d sweeten him up with some dessert. I bet he likes peach pie. He looks like a peach pie kinda guy.”

  “Oh, I… he never said anything about that.” Deli sausage?

  “Course he wouldn’t. He never says much of anything.” Megan rolled her eyes. “It’s like talking to a wall.”

  He’d definitely talked more than a wall. Not enough to share his taste in pies, but apparently more than he’d shared with Megan the Goth. “He did say Joey was who I should ask about the fencing.”

  “That would be me,” a man said, coming through a supply room door. He was about her age, with a blonde crew cut and dark blue eyes. He had the easy smile of a country boy and the arms of a man who did heavy labor on a daily basis. “I hear you got some animal control issues. Rabbits eating your crops?”

  Charlotte resisted the urge to clarify that it was really only one rabbit. “Hi. I’m Charlotte and I need to secure my garden.”

  “Sounds like you’re in a support group.”

  “Is there one for gardeners who can’t get anything to grow?”

  “Sure. They meet right here every Friday morning.”

  “Really?” Charlotte imagined a group of locals sitting in a circle of folding chairs, introducing themselves and detailing their garden failures.

  “No,” he said, smiling.

  Charlotte felt her cheeks go warm again and she adjusted the strap of her purse. Now he probably thought she didn’t have a sense of humor.

  “You rented the old Martin place?” He didn’t wait for her to answer but started sketching as he spoke. “If I remember it right, you’ve got the canyon to the south and Nico’s place to the east. These other two sides here are the longest at, what, a hundred and fifty feet? Rabbit fencing might keep out some of Nico’s bunch, but it’s useless on the smaller critters.”

  Charlotte wondered if Nico ran a rabbit farm. She shivered at the thought of hundreds of bunnies awaiting a gruesome fate.

  Joey went on, “Some people just unroll some chicken wire with rebar every few feet and call it good. It’s cheap and easy to install, but it’s temporary.”

  “I’d have to replace it every year?” Charlotte didn’t want to go through the hassle every spring.

  Joey blinked. “More about every four or five. I guess it depends on how long you’re planning to stay in town.”

  “Oh, of course. No, definitely not temporary.” Charlotte loved that this man considered five years ‘temporary’. Residents of Arcadia Valley certainly had a slower pace of life. In Fresno, five years was practically a lifetime in terms of renting.

  “Well, if you have the measurements of the property, I can show you some options. You’ll want a gate that can be secured because even though it’s a few feet tall, stepping over rabbit fence or chicken wire is a misery when you’re in and out of the garden all day. If you order something we have in stock, we can have it delivered in a few days.”

  Charlotte nodded and tried to listen closely as he went on for several minutes about the different kinds of fencing, but daydreams of gardening were running through her head. When he paused, she asked, “And do you also install the fence?”

  “Sorry. It’s one of the busiest times of the year for farmers.” He seemed to sense her question and clarified. “We own a small farm out of town. My dad still runs the farm but he’s getting on in years and needs help. It’s not a big place but we grow enough for the local stores and the farmers market. Anyway, I know a few guys. I’ll ask around and see if anybody’s available.”

  “I appreciate that,” she said, but inside she was trying not to sigh. It appeared putting up the fence would be much harder than ordering it.

  Walking out of the store, she took deep breaths of the fresh air. The day was improving, even with the uncertainty over the fence. Her mother had called first thing and they’d argued, again. Then Jarrod had called, and she’d spent ten minutes listening to his packed social calendar.

  Charlotte reached the end of the block and turned toward the library, the warmth of the sun on her skin giving her a rush of happiness. Thank you, Lord for this perfect weather, even if I can’t quite plant my garden yet. She ran up the cement steps to the old Carnegie library and pulled the long metal handle on the heavy oak doors. She had a meeting with the library board, but she’d be home by the time it was dark.

  If everything went well, Joey would find someone soon, but if not, she’d ask around. Maybe members of the board had grandsons or teens who might want to earn a little money. Nico wouldn’t have to worry about her returning his rabbit again. A little part of her protested that development but she shrugged it away. There was no good reason to see him again and she was perfectly fine with that. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.

  Chapter 5

  “Trees’re always a relief, after people.”

  ― David Mitchell

  Nico turned a page and sighed. He’d read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader a dozen times and Reepicheep’s final voyage still made him tear up. What a grace that would be, to sail off into the afterlife. Looking out at the land, he said a quiet prayer of thanks for the peaceful moment. A good book, the bright blue sky, and a healthy child.

  It was his favorite time of day, that precious hour between the end of the long work day and making dinner. The afternoon sun warmed the grass, the chickens were on bug patrol, and Elena prowled the property looking for anything she could put in the glass jar she called her “bug hotel.” The confidence that she was safe just wandering their land was one of the many blessings of living where they did.

  He thought of Charlotte. He couldn’t imagine moving from a big city to Arcadia Valley. The town itself had nothing to offer a beautiful young woman unless you counted river rafting and barn dances. He wondered if she was happy with her little parcel of land at the river’s edge. It wasn’t the classic water front property that people saw in magazines, but it was starkly beautiful to him.

  He wondered what she was doing at the moment. The library closed at six on a Thursday but she wouldn’t be in the garden, now that she knew better than to plant so early. Most likely out to dinner. Every single guy in Arcadia Valley had probably given her a call by now. He couldn’t blame them. They’d only spoken for a few minutes but even five days later, the encounter seemed burned into his brain. Of course, he’d never admit that to anyone. His mother had tried to give him all the gossip she’d heard about the pretty new librarian but he’d told her he wasn’t interested in hearsay. Small town gossip was about as reliable as the shop’s old meat grinder that qu
it every other day. Plus, if she really was single, she wouldn’t be for long. Women like that never were.

  Nico ran a hand over his face. Unbelievable. He was wasting precious time pondering Charlotte’s dating status.

  Elena ran around the corner of the house and startled him out of his thoughts. “Papa, the fence arrived! The one Charlotte bought to keep out Bunnicula!”

  Nico raised an eyebrow. “And how would you know this? Should I start calling you Harriet?”

  “I wasn’t spying.” She plopped into the rocker next to him. The dignity on her face contrasted with the dirt on her bare knees. “I lost my soccer ball in the lilacs and while I was getting it, I saw all the fencing.”

  “Bunnicula will have to find his snacks elsewhere.” He went back to his book.

  “And guess what else?” she asked.

  “Hm.” Nico tried to make his response as noncommittal as possible. Elena’s expression told him she’d already decided on a plan, and Elena’s plans were never simple.

  “She doesn’t have anyone to install it,” she said as if it were a very good thing.

  “And how does my Harriet know this?”

  “Because when Andy and Noah were delivering it, I heard them talking about how Joey was calling around to find someone to install it.” Her smile was wider than usual.

  “That means someone is probably already on the way.”

  “Nope. They didn’t want to do it. Andy had a date with Megan, and Noah said he wanted to watch a baseball game. Joey called Juan at the appliance store but his son had a big game this weekend, and Mrs. Martin’s nephew isn’t back from college.”

  Nico put down his book and gazed at Elena. The girl never failed to surprise him. Sure, he knew all those people and probably would remember a conversation like that if he was paying attention, but she was only seven. He really hoped this meant she’d be a concerned citizen, and it wasn’t an early warning sign that she was going to be a busybody.