pushed the bad memories from her head and thought about how lucky she was. She had Jeff and Kelly with her, and even received a salary for what she loved to do. Thanks to Abby’s encouragement, for the past few months, she had created special bouquets for the guest cabins, and just recently, Maura had been approached to do a local wedding in San Angelo. And she had appointments to talk with prospective brides about doing two more. The Yellow Rose’s business was growing and it was more than Maura could handle by herself. She needed to hire an assistant.
Maura put her purse away in the small office. Grabbing the rose-monogrammed apron off the hook, she tied it around her waist. She went to open the shutters, turned the Closed sign to Open, then picked up the fax with the list of today’s bouquets. There was an asterisk beside the cabin number of the bridal suite and the name of the couple who would be arriving this afternoon. Maura smiled. Her favorites were the newlywed arrangements. She went down the list of the four other cabins that would be occupied by three o’clock. She needed to get busy.
Maura started toward the work area when the bell over the door sounded. She turned around expecting to find a customer, but instead Abby Randell rushed through the door.
“I didn’t think you’d ever get here,” Abby said, her green eyes sparkling.
At thirty, the beautiful woman wore her auburn hair short with the ends flipped up. A pair of hoop earrings hung from the tips of her earlobes. Tall and slender, she was dressed in tailored navy slacks and an ecru crepe blouse. Abby was the mother of two young boys, Brandon and James.
“Sorry I was late, but I needed to talk with Wyatt Gentry.”
“I know. I wanted to come by the house, but I had an appointment with an artist this morning. He’s agreed to let me sell his paintings at Abby’s Treasures. Forget about that.” She waved her slender hand. “Look, Maura, you and the kids can move in with us. Cade and Travis will come by later and help get your things. Don’t worry, we’ll find you another place. It was a crazy idea to put you in the old Randell house, but at the time it seemed the best and fastest solution.”
Maura tried to interrupt her friend, but she couldn’t get a word in. Finally Abby ran out of steam. “Really, there’s no need,” Maura said. “I’m going to stay where I am.”
“What?”
“Wyatt Gentry insisted we continue living in the house…for now.”
Abby crossed her arms. “And just where is this…Mr. Gentry going to live?”
“In the foreman’s cottage,” Maura announced. “At least while he finishes the repairs to the outside of the house.”
“Why would he let you stay?”
Maura was puzzled herself. “I’m not exactly sure.”
Abby studied her for a while. “And you’re okay with this?”
What choice did she have? “He seems like a nice man.” She also had to admit that Wyatt Gentry was a very handsome man. That was, if she paid attention to those things. “And he’s giving me time to find another place to live.”
“Then we’ll go looking for another place as soon as possible.”
Maura reached for her friend’s hand. “Look, Abby, I need this time. I haven’t had a chance to save much money.” She turned back to the work area.
Abby followed her. “Then Cade and I will loan it to you.”
Maura shook her head as she pulled open the cooler’s glass door, stepped just inside and picked up the canister of fresh-cut roses that had been picked up by Abby earlier that morning.
“No. I can’t take any more from you, Abby. Both you and Cade have done so much for us already. Really, we’ll be fine. Thanks to Mr. Gentry, I have a little breathing space. This morning we worked out an arrangement. He’s not going to charge me rent, and all he wants in return is some decorating help and…meals.”
Silently, she watched as Abby studied her. This woman was more than her employer, she was her friend. They’d met few months ago at a women’s shelter in San Angelo, where Abby was a volunteer. Maura had come seeking refuge from her abusive ex-husband. Even though Darren had been sent to jail for robbery, he’d threatened to punish her because she had been the one who turned him in to the police. After leaving Dallas, she’d moved around until her money ran out, then ended up at the shelter’s door.
It had been Abby Randell who counseled her, who’d helped her feel good about herself. During the hours they talked and cried together, Abby confided to Maura about her abusive first husband and how long it had taken her to leave the man. Now, she was happily married to Cade Randell, the man she’d always loved and the father of her two sons.
Maura reached for the flower clippers. Starting with the roses, she handled them with great care as she began to trim, then added wire to each long stem. She placed the first rose in the crystal vase, deciding she would go with all white, representing purity and innocence, for the bridal suite. Maybe tomorrow, she would move onto the passionate bloodred roses. Suddenly her thoughts turned to the dark-haired man who’d burst into her life. Why didn’t she feel threatened by him?
“You say you’re going to help him decorate the house. Does he have a family?” Abby asked.
“He’s a bachelor. And he spoke of a brother.”
A long pause. “And you’re cooking his meals for him?”
“Yes, and I’m also doing his laundry.” She rushed on, “That was my idea.”
“And I’m not sure if it was a good one.”
Maura understood that Abby was just being protective. They both knew how hard it was to trust anyone, or not to worry about falling for the same type of man and end up in the same brutal situation.
“Just promise me that if you feel you don’t like this arrangement, you’ll come to me for help,” Abby insisted.
“I promise, I will,” she said. “Besides, it’s only going to be for a month, or so. By then, I’ll have another place.”
“And you always have a place to stay with us,” Abby added.
Tears rushed to Maura’s eyes. Never in her life had anyone cared about her like Abby and her family. “And I thank you for that. You’ve always been there for me, you also taught me to stand on my own and realize my inner strength. And I think it’s about time I did.”
Later that day, Maura drove home with Jeff and Kelly in tow. Her son’s school bus had let him off at the day care where he spent the past two hours with his sister until Maura closed the shop.
Now, Jeff had time to finish his homework while Maura fixed dinner. She was a little worried. Darren had complained a lot about her lack of culinary skills. Not that they could afford much more than ground beef.
Taking the grocery bag out of the car, Maura started up the walk toward the house. The kids had stopped at the door, but they weren’t waiting for her. They watched as Wyatt Gentry pulled rotten floorboards from the porch.
She wasn’t as disturbed about the condition of the floorboards as much as she was with Wyatt’s lack of clothing.
