Giving It All Read online

  And what a body it was. Ellie fanned herself as she recalled his muscles rippling as he lifted the heavy weights over his head. 350 pounds was more than twice her body weight and he’d handled it like it was nothing. Just the thought of him picking her up in his strong arms was enough to give her a hot flash.

  “Yoo hoo, Ellie?” Mrs. Anderson called as she knocked on Ellie’s door.

  “Come on in,” Ellie called back, checking her appearance in the bathroom mirror before heading into the living area.

  “Don’t you look nice today. That top really brings the blue of your eyes out.”

  “Thanks. What can I do for you?”

  “I hate to impose, but I was wondering if you had a little time today, could you sit with Ed again? I know you’re busy and it’s a Saturday, but I want to take Grant to the shop and show him around. The sooner he can take over there, the better.”

  “Of course I can stay with Mr. Anderson. It’s no imposition. I was just going to catch up on some work today anyway, and I can do that at your house just as easily as I can here.”

  “Oh, thank you, dear. I know I was the one who insisted Jenny go back to college and not transfer in state for her last semester, but I sure do miss her help. I don’t know what I’d do without you here.”

  “I’m glad to help out. You took care of my grandmother so I could go to school, it’s only right that I help you out now that you need it. Hopefully, with Grant back, he can help out at the store and you won’t be pulled in so many directions.”

  A worried look passed over Mrs. Anderson’s face before she plastered on a smile. “I’m sure Grant will be a big help to Greg, bless his heart. My nephew just didn’t get the business sense of his father or his uncle.”

  Ellie, who did the store’s books, knew better than anyone how little business sense Greg had. When she’d gone to the store to drop off some paperwork for the taxes, she’d been appalled at what a mess the books were in. He’d ordered inventory from a new supplier and half the receipts were missing. She’d warned him to cut back since they’d lost some accounts, but he’d told her he had a plan to get bigger and better accounts, and in order to do that, he needed to have the inventory on hand. She didn’t want to add to Mrs. Anderson’s worries, but the store’s books were a mess, and Greg hadn’t let her go over them again since he’d accused her of trying to tell him how to do his job.

  “I’m sure Grant will be able to straighten everything out. What time are you leaving?”

  “I’d like to go now, if you’re available. Grant helped me give Ed a shower and I just fed him his lunch, so he should be set for a little while. He’ll probably take a nap in another half hour or so.”

  “No problem. Let me grab my laptop and I’m good to go.” Ellie slipped her phone into the pocket of her linen capri pants and grabbed the messenger bag that held her laptop and a few hard-copy files. “Ready when you are,” she said to Mrs. Anderson.

  “Thank you, honey. I really do appreciate this.”

  “Don’t be silly. I love spending time with Mr. Anderson.”

  As they headed outside, a flash of movement from the driveway caught Ellie’s attention. Grant leaned against the car, dressed in jeans, boots and a black T-shirt that clung to the muscles in his arms and chest. Her heart dropped down to her toes and then bounced back up to lodge in her throat. He was so darn good looking he literally took her breath away. How many times had she seen him in that exact same pose waiting for Chastity outside of school?

  Only instead of the raw boy he’d been, now he was all grown up and a hundred percent testosterone-oozing man. And every female cell in her body jumped up and took notice.

  “I’m just going to check on your dad real quick and then we can be on our way,” Mrs. Anderson said to Grant when they met him in the driveway.

  “Take your time, Mom. Ellie will keep me entertained while you kiss Dad goodbye.”

  He flashed Ellie a grin that shot a bolt of heat straight between her legs. “So, you’re going to the store?” she said lamely.

  “That’s the plan. Mom wants me to help Greg out. I get the feeling he isn’t exactly setting the world on fire with his salesmanship.”

  “That’s an understatement. He’s already lost at least two major clients. Who knows how many more he’s lost since he last let me look at the books.”

  “And when was that?”

  “The beginning of February. I haven’t told your mom because she has enough to worry about, but he fired me when I suggested maybe he shouldn’t be buying so much when he wasn’t selling nearly enough. The last I heard, he was going to have a friend of his take over the bookkeeping.”

  “Huh. I’ll ask him about that. Anything else I should look into?”

  Ellie took a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure Mrs. Anderson wasn’t coming out yet. “I don’t know much about auto parts, but I know your dad and his brother dealt with certain suppliers who had good reputations. From what I could tell, Greg cancelled those accounts and is getting his inventory from some place in Mexico I’ve never heard of before. I even googled them and had no luck.”

  “Sounds like you think Greg is up to something shady.”

  “I don’t want to speak badly about Greg, but I’m worried. Your mom has a lot of medical bills piling up, and if she loses the business, there goes her insurance as well as her income.” Ellie bit back anything else she had to say when she heard the screen door squeak open.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Grant said softly. “All ready?” he said louder as his mother approached.

  “You bet. Ellie, Ed is in his chair in front of the TV. We should be back before dinner, but if he gets hungry, I left some snacks in the fridge. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen.”

  “I’m sure we’ll be fine. Now you go and don’t worry about us here. We’ll have a great time.”

  Ellie headed to the back door and waved to them from the kitchen. She didn’t know how much business sense Grant had, but if nothing else, maybe he could wrestle the books from Greg. After the Camry backed out of the driveway, she headed into the den where Mr. Anderson was resting in his special recliner.

  “Hello, handsome. Looks like I get another date with you.” Mr. Anderson’s eyes lit up as she leaned over to kiss his good side. “So what’s it gonna be today? Black Jack or Texas Hold ’Em?”

  Mr. Anderson tapped his left hand twice in a classic hit-me gesture.

  “Black Jack it is. Only this time, I’m not going easy on you. You took me for a buck fifty yesterday.”

  Before she could get the penny jar and deck of cards off one of the bookshelves that lined the room, she heard a car pull up in the drive.

  “I wonder who that could be? Maybe Mrs. Anderson forgot something?” It didn’t sound like the Camry though. Ellie went to the kitchen, peered out through the screen door and saw a mini-van pull up. There was a Plant a Tree! bumper sticker on the back and Ellie recognized Mary Ellen Michaels in the driver seat.

  Mary Ellen, the owner of the local general store and mother of three beautiful children, got out of the van and waved to Ellie before pulling a baby carrier out of the backseat.

  “Hey, Ellie, did I miss Sue? I have a dish of hers I’ve been meaning to return forever and thought I’d drop it off since I was in the neighborhood.”

  “You must have passed her on the road. She and Grant are headed to Canton. But her loss is my gain. Let me see that sweet baby girl of yours.” Ellie took the baby carrier from Mary Ellen and headed back into the kitchen. “Come on in and have some tea. Mr. Anderson would love the company, and I’ll get to play with the baby.”

  “I can’t stay long. J.T. and Nadya are watching the boys for me, and I’ll be lucky if the house isn’t on fire by the time I get back.”

  “Is Bill working on a Saturday?” Ellie asked. Bill, Mary Ellen’s husband, was a forest ranger.
>
  “Yup. He’s training some new recruits. With the new hires and the interns, this summer should be a lot easier than the last one.”

  “It would have to be. I’m so glad the housing project got shot down. Those protesters were a pain in the behind.”

  “You’re telling me. Good riddance. Although they did buy a lot at the store. That part was nice.”

  Ellie laughed as she led Mary Ellen to the den. Mary Ellen Michaels was a tiny blonde-haired, blue-eyed dynamo who didn’t sit still for a minute. She ran her store and her family with equal efficiency and still had time to volunteer at her church and meddle in her friends’ lives. She’d been a senior when Ellie was a freshman. But at the time, Dale still had its own tiny high school, so everyone had known everyone else.

  “Mr. Anderson, look who’s here to see you. Mary Ellen Michaels, and she brought baby Emily with her.” Ellie let Mary Ellen into the room. “Can I take Emily out of the carrier? She’s so cute I just want to kiss her up. How old is she now? Four months?”

  “Almost five. She was born on Halloween. There I was, handing out candy dressed as a pumpkin and my water breaks, two weeks early no less. I thought the nurse at the hospital was going to fall over laughing as Bill rushed me in dressed as a Power Ranger with two little Power Rangers in tow.”

  “Leave it to you to make having a baby a comedy show. You keep Mr. Anderson company while I get us some iced tea and coffee cake.”

  “Sue’s coffee cake?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’m never going to lose this pregnancy weight. Oh well, Bill loves me anyway.” Mary Ellen laughed.

  As Ellie got a tray of refreshments together, she could hear Mary Ellen talking in the den. It was good for Mr. Anderson to have visitors, especially ones who would entertain him like Mary Ellen. Maybe now that Grant was home, Mrs. Anderson could bring Mr. Anderson to the next church social. It would be a nice change for him from doctor appointments and physical therapy.

  “Here you go, now give me that baby.” Ellie put the tray down and reached for the cooing bundle. “She looks just like you. A little blonde doll.” The baby had almost white peach fuzz on the top of her head and huge blue eyes. Her little mouth was a perfect rose bud and her pink cheeks just begged to be pinched.

  “That blonde hair is all Bill. He was a towhead too. I swear, if I didn’t have that headband thingy on her, her hair would be sticking out in all directions like dandelion fluff.”

  “And it would still look adorable. Come here, sugar.” Ellie cradled the baby against her chest and felt her heart melt. How wonderful it must be to know you made something so precious.

  “I just hope she takes after Little Billy and not Hunter. I can’t handle another hellion in the house.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be sweet as pie.”

  “I don’t know. My momma gave me the mother’s curse.”

  “What? Your momma is the kindest woman I know.”

  “She said, ‘I hope you have a child just like you.’”

  “Then you won’t have to worry about this angel until she’s in high school,” Ellie teased.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of. Good thing her godfather is a cop.”

  “How are J.T. and Nadya doing? I saw Nadya shortly after their honeymoon and she was glowing.” J.T. McBride was one of a handful of Dale’s police officers, and he’d recently married his high school sweetheart, Nadya Sarov, who’d left Dale more than a decade ago. Nadya and Mary Ellen were best friends, as were J.T. and Bill, so the four were thick as thieves now that Nadya was back in Dale.

  “Those two are so disgustingly in love it’d make me sick if I hadn’t helped get them back together. I’m so glad Nadya came back to Dale.”

  “I bet. It’s hard when your best friend moves away. Mel is only in Atlanta, but I don’t get to see her nearly enough.”

  “I missed Nadya so much, but having her back has woken up sleepy Dale for sure. Not only has she helped to get more businesses in town with her half-brothers’ trail riding deal, she has Pansy Campbell’s knickers in a knot just by breathing. Lord have mercy on my soul, but I hate that Pansy Campbell like she was poison.”

  “Did you read the police report in the Dale Weekly? I can’t believe she was—” Ellie stopped and looked over at Mr. Anderson, who had his eyes closed and appeared to be napping, “—having sex with that nasty Branson Taylor, and outside no less.”

  “I have nothing against having a romantic interlude outside. Some of my best memories involve a picnic blanket in the woods with Bill, but behind the high school? In broad daylight? If you ask me, she was just looking to get caught.”

  “Peter thinks she’s an exhibitionist.”

  “He could be right.” Mary Ellen helped herself to another square of coffee cake. “Now tell me all about Grant being home. Is he still as yummy as he was in high school?”

  Ellie took another quick glance at Mr. Anderson to make sure he was really sleeping. “Better. His muscles. Dear God in heaven.” She fanned herself with her hand. “He’s got muscles on top of muscles.”

  “And the scars? I know the last time Sue saw him, he was recovering from a skin graft and she didn’t know how it would take.”

  “There’s some scarring along his left cheek and neck, but they’re pale and faded, not puckered like if he’d been in a fire. He might have more that are hidden by his clothes, but not that I could see.”

  “I wouldn’t mind going to look for them,” Mary Ellen said with a salacious grin.

  “Mary Ellen Michaels! You’re a married woman with three children.”

  “And I have a pulse. If Grant is as sexy as he was in high school—”

  “More.”

  “Fine, more sexy than he was in high school, I’d have to be dead three days not to get hot and bothered at the sight of him. That boy was fine. You can bet as soon as it’s socially acceptable, women are going to be swarming this house like bees to honey. Sue will have more plates of cookies and brownies than she’ll know what to do with. Maybe I can get her to donate them to the next bake sale.”

  “You’re terrible,” Ellie said. Her heart sank a little as Mary Ellen’s words rang true. Grant had only been home one day, so most people would wait to come for a visit, but by next week, Mrs. Anderson would be overwhelmed.

  “The more I think about it, the more I think you’re going to need to help run interference for Sue. She’s got enough to do with doctor appointments and physical therapy and who knows what else. She doesn’t need a gaggle of idiot women clucking around trying to be the next Mrs. Grant Anderson.”

  “I was thinking along those same lines. I’ll try to talk to Grant about it. He was a Navy SEAL, I’m sure he can figure out a way to keep a bunch of overly friendly women from outstaying their welcome.”

  “Honey, he may have been some super-duper soldier, but he’s still a man, and they just don’t see some women for the blood-thirsty creatures they are. He’s going to need help. In fact, hmmm…”

  “I don’t like the look on your face,” Ellie said. Mary Ellen was a known meddler, and Ellie could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

  “It’s nothing, really. I was just thinking if Grant said he had a girlfriend, all those busybodies would leave him alone. And who better than you?”

  “No. Absolutely not. Stop that thought right now. I am not getting into a fake relationship just to save Grant from having to play nice with the local ladies. He’s a big boy. He can take care of himself.”

  “It was just an idea.”

  “A bad idea. This isn’t a movie. Things like that never work out in real life.”

  “Fine, fine, forget I said anything. I should go now and make sure my house is still standing.”

  “I’ll walk you out.” Reluctantly, Ellie put the now sleeping baby back in the carrier and strapped her in. “Oh, did you leav
e Mrs. Anderson’s dish in the car? I can bring it in for you.”

  “What? And ruin a perfectly good excuse to come back when Grant is here and get a look at him? No way. Sue’s done without her casserole dish for this long, she can wait another week.”

  Ellie was still laughing as Mary Ellen pulled out of the driveway.

  Chapter Six

  “That’s funny, the lights are off and there’s a sign on the door,” Grant’s mom said as they pulled into a parking place in front of Anderson’s Automotive. “Your eyes are better than mine, what does it say?” she asked Grant.

  “It says out to lunch.”

  “Well, that’s unusual. If Greg or Anita had to go to lunch, the other one could cover, they shouldn’t have to close the store. And it’s past two in the afternoon anyway.”

  “Why don’t I go in and check it out? You have a key, right?”

  “Yes, yes, right here on your father’s key chain.” She handed a heavy key ring to Grant.

  “You stay here while I look. Is there a security code?”

  “Yes, it’s Dad’s birthday, one zero one seven. But I really don’t think there’s anything wrong. One of them probably had to run out for something.”

  “True, but I’ll go first, just in case.” Grant climbed out of the car, wincing a little. He’d overdone it at the gym this morning. That’s what he got for doing the extra set of reps, but it was worth the pain seeing Ellie’s eyes eat him up when he was done.

  He was cautious as he approached the door. His gut warned him something was off. There were a few lights on in the back of the store, and as he drew closer, he could hear at least one voice through the door. As quietly as possible, he tested the handle to see if it was locked. It was. Grant picked the key that looked most promising and tried it in the lock.

  Bingo.

  Clutching the other keys in his hand to still their jangling, he eased the door open and listened for the beep of the alarm. Nothing. Cautiously, he eased the door closed behind him and crept toward the back of the store where the voice was coming from.