Rose Kirkland recently lost the man she most admired. She isn't ready for her life to change, but she begins to realize that her life is a series of other people's lies and interferences.
Cole Fuller needs a break. And his great-uncle's will has g...
Rose sighed and walked away. She flipped on the record player, and allowed Frank to soothe her while she finished her tea.
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Cole arrived at his uncle's house and parked behind a muddy, beat-up work truck in the drive. There was a faded logo of a plant, but he didn't recognize it. Walking over to the driver's side, Cole peered through the open window, but no one sat inside. He checked the front door of the house. Still locked. He walked around the side of the house and through the gate. A woman in jeans and a wide-brim hat crouched in the back garden, inspecting the plants that grew there.
"Uh...hello?" he called out.
She turned her head, saw him and smiled. Cole stopped. He knew that smile.
"You must be Mr. Fuller," she said, standing up and brushing mud off her hands. "I'm Hannah Kirkland."
The resemblance was uncanny. Cole swallowed and moved over to her. "Rose's mom," he said. "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."
"The pleasure is mine," she said, laughing softly and taking off her hat. Red hair—tinted with slivers of gray at her temples—tumbled down to her shoulders. Cole grinned with appreciation. He could imagine what a looker she'd been in her younger years. Even now, she would turn heads. Rose's natural beauty had bloomed from this woman. It was difficult not to like her instantly.
"Sorry for intruding," she said, shading her eyes from the morning sun, "but I wanted to check on Mr. Shaw's pepper plants after the storm last night. He took so much pride in them, I'd hate for them to get damaged. Everyone loves his pepper jelly."
Cole glanced toward the plants. "Peppers? What kind?"
"Jalapenos," she answered. "He's been perfecting those plants for years...they get better with every crop. I can't wait to see how these come out."
Realizing he was only a handful of weeks away from selling the property, Cole shifted and scratched his nose. Everybody loved his pepper jelly? That meant Rose, too?
Rose...
Clearing his throat, he asked, "How, uh...how long does it take? For the peppers to be ready for picking?"
She pursed her lips thoughtfully and said, "You can start harvesting in about five to six weeks, I believe. Mr. Shaw always got a good yield every year, so you may be able to harvest through to fall, if you care for them regularly."
"Oh..." Damn, he thought. He had no intention of keeping or caring for them, and he knew that would upset Rose. That bothered him. He didn't wish to upset Rose at all—he'd seen her sad and desolate at the funeral, and he'd seen her scared and frantic last night when her cat went into labor. Then later, after Jeepers died... If a garden full of pepper plants brought her a little joy and happiness...
What am I thinking? I know nothing about gardening... And he couldn't wait until the fall months to sell the house.
Mrs. Kirkland considered him for a moment. Then she asked, "What are your plans for the house, Mr. Fuller?"
