Past Promises

Chapter One

Linda Fletcher stared at the creamy vellum envelope with the dark black script printed on the front. It looked so innocent lying there on the top of her oak desk. But she knew that looks could be deceiving.

She’d hoped the move to Jamesville, Maine, would stop the letters from coming, but they’d followed her from Vermont. There was no doubt in her mind that they wouldn’t stop anytime soon.

She recognized the logo of the prominent law firm printed in the upper left-hand corner—Fletcher, Fletcher and Dyson. Her great-great-great-grandfather had founded the law firm more than a hundred years ago. The two current Fletchers involved in the firm were her father and her brother. She had no idea which of them had sent this letter and she wasn’t certain she wanted to know.

“It’s just a piece of paper,” she assured herself. She ignored the burning sensation in her gut, absently rubbing her stomach with her hand as she continued to stare at the letter.

But why, today of all days, did this have to be in her box when she stopped at the post office to pick up her mail? She hadn’t even known it was there until she’d hurried back to Past Promises and dumped the mass of mail and flyers on her desk.

Ignoring the envelope, she stared around Past Promises and felt the pain in her stomach lessen slightly. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly. The smell of fresh paint and lemon cleaner was faint beneath the scent of rose potpourri.

Stepping out from behind her desk, Linda wound her way through the three rooms that made up her antiques and collectibles store. She stroked her fingers over the gleaming hardwood of an oak dining table set with simple, but elegant, Wedgwood china. Assorted pieces of Minton, Spode, Royal Albert and Johnson Brothers china sat in a hutch just beyond the table.

She smiled at the whimsical display of children’s dolls, their china heads and delicate linen and lace gowns a thing of beauty. Tin toys vied for a spot on a trestle table that had seen better days, but was charming nonetheless.

A settee that would have looked at home in a lady’s parlor a hundred and fifty years ago sat in a corner, a tea service was arranged on a low table beside it, as if waiting for the lady of the house to avail herself of refreshments. A brass bed was located just behind it, dressed with snowy white linen and lace. The linens were new, but they fit the feel of the display to perfection.

There were knickknacks and kitchen utensils, old tools and small tables inlaid with beautiful mosaics. Some pieces were worth a fortune, while others could be had for less than twenty dollars. There was something for everyone. And that was exactly the kind of place she wanted Past Promises to be—friendly and accessible to everyone.

And hers. It had taken her a few years to get here, but she finally had what she wanted—a store of her own. A place of her own, not tainted by her family or their expectations.

She’d worked for several years in the antiques business, building up her reputation and knowledge. Months of planning and hard work had all culminated in this special day.

The burning started up in her stomach again as she glanced at the clock. It was half-past nine and she would open her doors for the first time at ten o’clock. She didn’t have time to waste worrying about what her family wanted with her—as if she didn’t already know.

“Stop it.” Shaking her head, she strode purposefully to the antique countertop that now held the cash register, bags, wrapping paper and everything else she needed to service the customers of Past Promises. The countertop had come out of a five-and-dime store that had gone out of business during the depression. She’d gotten it for a song at a barn sale and had spent hours stripping layers of paint from it to find the gleaming wood below.

She ran her hand over the smooth surface. She and the countertop had a lot in common. It had taken time to find its true self beneath the layers, but she’d done it—for both herself and the lovely piece of furniture.

Behind the counter, she’d strategically positioned two coffee pots with gourmet coffee beans, ground and ready. She flicked on both pots to get them started brewing. She then turned on the electric kettle before checking her supply of teas. Several covered platters were already sitting on the countertop, filled with delicious cookies and treats from Delicious Delights, the aptly named bakery just up the road.

Everything was ready for her to open the doors of Past Promises and start her new life. Everything except her.

Sighing, she gave in to the inevitable and went back to her desk. The envelope was still there, looking innocent.

Linda grabbed the two-hundred-year-old silver letter opener from her desk drawer and lifted the envelope. Fitting the silver tip in the corner, she slit the top. The tearing sound seemed unusually loud in the quiet of the store. She dropped the letter opener back on the desk and pulled out the letter.

Like the envelope, it too was made of the finest quality paper. Only the best for Fletcher, Fletcher and Dyson. Her stomach churned, the low-grade burning a reminder she needed to take some of her medication. And she’d been doing so well these past few weeks controlling her ulcer. This was why she’d moved farther away from her family. They literally made her ill.

Folding back the paper, she scanned the signature first. It was from her brother, Austin. She let out a breath she hadn’t even been aware of holding. At least it wasn’t from her father, Austin Senior.

She scanned the letter and the pain in her stomach intensified. It was the usual song and dance. When was she going to give up this foolishness of being a shopkeeper and join the family firm? She was an embarrassment to them all. And if she didn’t want to join the law firm, she could at least marry well and join her mother in her charitable pursuits.

Linda blinked back tears as she stuffed the letter back in the envelope. It was always the same. Ever since she was a child, she’d been different. She’d wanted to play softball, but was enrolled in ballet instead. She’d wanted to learn gymnastics, but was sent to ballroom dancing class. Her childhood had been a series of controlled activities and schools. All her friends had to be approved by her parents. Public school was not an option.

She’d hated every minute of it.

Everything from the clothing she’d worn to the girls she could be friends with was chosen by her parents. She’d chafed at the restrictions, but eventually they’d worn her down. Linda had responded by withdrawing, becoming a quiet, studious child, which had suited her parents just fine.

The only person who’d understood her at all had been her maternal grandmother. Antoinette Lafayette had been a force in her own right. Even Austin Senior gave way when her grandmother put her foot down and demanded something. And what she’d demanded had been Linda’s presence every summer.

Linda had lived for summers spent with her grandmother. Antoinette was the one who’d instilled her with her love of antiques. The two of them had spent days driving around the state and beyond, attending estate sales, yard sales and searching through thrift shops for buried treasure.

At her grandmother’s house she could wear jeans, run and laugh. It was a time of freedom and she’d always cried when summer ended and she was sent back home.

“Are you okay?” A low, male voice startled her out of her daydreams of the past. Linda whirled around, hand on her chest, heart pounding.

He stood just behind her. Watching. Waiting.

She had no idea how long he’d been there. It should have been impossible for a man his size to sneak up on her. At six-and-a-half feet tall, Levi Mann took up a lot of space. His body was massive, but it was all solid muscle. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on the man.

He was wearing his usual uniform of jeans and a T-shirt. The faded denim clung to his thick thighs like a second skin. The soft cotton of the shirt molded to his biceps and chest, leaving little to the imagination.

And she had imagined him. A lot.

Lying in bed late at night, Linda had wondered more than once what it would feel like to touch all that sculpted muscle. She knew what it looked like. Levi had helped her with much of the renovation work on the building, as well as the painting, often removing his shirt while he worked. She’d lost count of the number of times she’d stopped painting just to stare at him while he was working. Levi gave new meaning to the phrase abs of steel. His tanned flesh looked as though it was pulled tight over slabs of muscle.

And the man was just as potent from behind. He had wide shoulders that tapered down to his thick waist, the muscles making a perfect V. His butt was first class all the way.

“Linda?” The way he said her name gave her shivers. “Are you okay?”

Oh, God. She was standing here like a ninny, staring at him again. “I’m fine.” She shook herself and dropped the letter in the garbage. “Just thinking about things.” That was vague enough for him to drop it. In her experience, most men were just as happy to avoid lengthy, in-depth discussions with females.

Levi stared at her, his golden-brown eyes sending a shiver down her spine. He had a way of watching a person that made you think he could see all the way to your soul. Then he blinked and the moment passed. “Excited about this morning?”

She ignored the fact that his shoulder-length hair was down this morning, making him look even sexier. Usually, he kept it tied back while he worked. And there was no doubt about it. Levi was a man of action. If not for him, she’d still be working on the building instead of opening the doors on her new business.

“Excited and scared.” She laughed and motioned to the coffee pot, which had just finished perking. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“Sure.”

Turning her back to him, she struggled to regain her composure. He was one hot guy, no doubt about it, but she wasn’t looking for that kind of complication in her life right now.

Not that he’d come on to her in any way since she’d hired him. The arrangement they’d worked out helped them both. When she’d bought the building that housed Past Promises, it had needed a lot of sweat and elbow grease to make it livable. Which wasn’t a problem. Linda wasn’t afraid of hard labor.

The building was almost a hundred years old, three stories high and built of brick. The main floor was the retail space, but some time in the nineteen-seventies someone had converted the two upper floors into apartments. Linda had revamped the top floor for her own use. She hadn’t planned on renting out the second floor apartment until Jonah Sutter had approached her about Levi.

Jonah was married to Amanda Barrington, Amanda Sutter now, a friend of Linda’s from Vermont who had also relocated to Jamesville. Jonah had introduced her to Levi, who was looking for a place to stay and was willing to work in exchange for rent. It had saved her a bundle on the renovations. Levi could do the work of three men and there wasn’t much, if anything, he couldn’t do.

Cyndi and Shamus O’Rourke, more friends who lived in Jamesville, had pitched in to help her as well. Shamus was a partner in B & O Construction, a local contracting company, so he’d given her great advice and a good price on work when she’d needed it done.

Jonah had done his part as well, using his skill as an electrician to upgrade all the electrical work in the building. Not for the first time, she was thankful for her new friends and glad she’d made the move. The contrast between her friends and her family made her stomach ache.

It was no good to question why her parents and brother couldn’t just be happy for her. They were what they were, but she was through trying to please them.

She finished pouring the coffee into a paper cup and handed it to Levi. From past experience, she knew he took his black. Over the past few months of working together she’d gotten to know him fairly well. Or as well as anyone knew him. Levi was incredibly self-contained, keeping to himself when he wasn’t working. But she’d like to think they’d become friends, of a sort.

“Thanks.” Their fingers grazed as he took the coffee from her. Heat shot down her arm and her breasts tingled.

She dropped her hand and rubbed it up and down the fine wool of her dress pants. It was distressing how quickly her body reacted to Levi. It had been that way from the first moment she’d met him. All the man had to do was walk in the room and she felt her body temperature rise. She had to control herself. Levi was a friend, nothing more.

She didn’t know his entire story, but she knew he’d been in the army with Jonah—Special Forces. He’d left the military and had come to Jamesville to help Jonah about six months ago and had stayed. She figured he was entitled to take some time to figure out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.

Besides which, he was the perfect tenant. He was quiet and he’d done more than enough work to pay for at least six more months’ rent. She had no idea how long he was staying and hadn’t worked up the courage to ask. The last thing she wanted to do was make him think she wanted him gone.

“I think you’ve got your first customers waiting outside.” Levi’s quiet voice broke the silence between them. She looked at him and he canted his head toward the door. Sure enough, through the huge display window beside the front door, she could see Cyndi, Shamus, Amanda and Jonah waiting to get inside. All her friends had come to her opening.

Smiling, she let all thoughts of her family and her sexual feelings for Levi slip away. Plenty of time to deal with them later. Or not. Taking a deep breath, she strode across the store and unlocked the door. “Welcome to Past Promises.”

Levi set his coffee on the counter the minute Linda’s back was turned. Whatever was in that letter had upset her. He’d stood in the shadows watching her for several minutes before he’d spoken. He’d seen the way she unconsciously placed her hand over her stomach, the way her shoulders had hunched forward.

He didn’t like it.

Reaching down, he plucked the letter out of the garbage and stuffed it in his back pocket. He’d read it later and decide if there was anything he could do to help her.

Some might consider it an invasion of privacy, but not Levi. He had skills that most people didn’t and if he could use them to help someone he cared for then that’s what he should do. Besides which, she’d thrown it in the trash without even tearing it up or shredding it. That made it fair game in his mind.

Linda was special. A classy lady who was never pretentious. She’d been reserved with him at first, but he’d soon discovered that was just her way. She reminded him of a dog who’d been abused. Guarded. Not trusting until she was certain she wouldn’t be hurt.

He didn’t like the idea of someone hurting her.

Not that she was fragile or anyone’s idea of a victim. Just the opposite, in fact. Linda was fiercely independent and a hard worker. She’d pitched in, working long hours alongside him, sweating deep into the late hours of the night to whip this place into shape.

She had to be curious about him and his past, yet she’d asked him no questions. Linda had accepted him as he was, and that was a rare gift. He knew he made a lot of folks uncomfortable. It wasn’t only his size, but the way he watched things. He’d been told more than once he had scary eyes.

But Linda hadn’t seemed scared or intimidated at all. She’d worked beside him, sharing funny anecdotes from her trips to look for more antiques. She handled all the details of the renovation, as well as the pressures of getting a new business launched without breaking a sweat.

However, she wasn’t all calm and composure. More than once, he’d caught her swearing when things went wrong with the renovations. Her blue eyes blazed and her skin flushed a rosy red as she dealt with whatever problem arose. She was cute when she was mad, but he’d never tell her that. He wasn’t totally without social skills when it came to the opposite sex.

He liked Linda. She was comfortable to be around. Plus, she was easy on the eyes. He didn’t like the idea that someone, or something, had upset her as much as it had.

He glanced over at her as she hugged Cyndi and Amanda. Linda was tall for a woman, about five-nine, but she was still small alongside him. He liked the way her black hair was cut short. The style wasn’t fussy and suited her. She had a slender build and porcelain skin. He longed to touch her, but knew he was much too rough around the edges for a woman like Linda.

That hadn’t stopped him from fantasizing about it though. His imagination had created scenario after scenario, which featured both of them naked and rolling around in his bed. Hell, he didn’t even need a bed. A table, a sofa or even a wall would do just fine.

He could imagine her hands touching him—everywhere. He wanted to feel her fingers skating all over his skin from his face to his feet and everywhere in between. Then he wanted to return the favor.

He’d lost countless hours of sleep wondering what color her nipples were and how sensitive they were. Levi wanted to feel the texture of her fine skin beneath his fingertips, wanted to taste her soft flesh, caress her plump breasts.

He imagined working his way down her body, teasing her bellybutton with his tongue before dipping even lower. He wanted to spread her thighs wide and bury his face in her pussy, learn her scent and smell as he discovered what made her moan and what made her scream with pleasure.

His jeans tightened around his cock as it expanded. He swore under his breath and concentrated on bringing himself back under control, thankful he was standing behind the counter. It wasn’t easy, but he managed to keep the problem from getting any bigger. He usually had no problem with control, except around Linda.

Her voice, low and cultured, slid over his skin like a physical caress as she greeted her friends. It had been that way from the moment he’d first heard her speak. She glanced over her shoulder at him as if she sensed his scrutiny. She raised her eyebrow at him in silent question. He stared back, giving away nothing of his thoughts.

Cyndi caught her attention, pulling her away to look at a display of dishes in the corner. Levi picked up his coffee and headed over to where Jonah and Shamus were standing just inside the front door. He nodded to both of them. “There’s coffee if you want it.” He pointed them in the direction of the coffee pot.

Both men took him up on the offer, heading over to help themselves to a cup. The letter he’d dug out of the garbage was practically burning a hole in his back pocket, but it could wait. If there was one thing he’d learned during his time in Special Forces, it was patience. He’d need privacy and time to examine whatever was in there. He settled back and pushed the letter from his mind for the time being.

Right now, he needed to be near Linda. Joy and excitement lit her face from within as she showed both women around the store. He soaked it up, feeling a sense of pride at his small part in helping to make this happen. The corners of his lips turned up slightly as he watched her flit around the store like a butterfly, not quite landing anywhere, but touching everything in her path. He’d bet every cent he had, which was a considerable amount, that she knew every object in the store and could tell you its history and price without checking her computer.

The door opened and several older ladies walked in, followed by a younger couple. Linda smiled and greeted them. Past Promises was officially open.

Levi did what he did best. He faded into the background and watched the proceedings unfold before him.