Granting Wishes (6 page)

A week had passed by and Lilah hadn’t seen nor heard from Jake. Although her family’s foundation, A Million Wishes, had hired construction crews for the renovations out at the Kringle Farm, Lilah hadn’t stepped foot on the property. When business had to be handled, she sent Chelsea in her place. So far Jake hadn’t inquired about her, or why she wasn’t the one supervising the work being done.

Instead of moping around about it, she chose to let work consume her every waking moment so she didn’t have time to think about Jake being a love ‘em and leave ‘em kinda guy. With her new sister-in-law gone on her honeymoon, the extra workload was split between her and Chelsea. It didn’t seem like Chels minded either. For some reason, she’d been acting funny all week but Lilah hadn’t been able to get a word out of her about what was going on.

Today was supposed to be her day off. In lieu of sleeping in, Lilah woke up before sunrise and ventured outside with her coffee and one of her momma’s leftover blueberry muffins. There was a chill in the air, making her thankful for the lavender, buttery soft sweater she had wrapped around her shoulders. Curling up on the porch swing, Lilah kicked her foot out, setting the swing into its rocking motion. She devoured the tender muffin and drank her steaming cup of coffee while she watched the sun rise over the horizon. The leaves and flowers were all in bloom. Soon though, they would begin planning for the busy holiday season. With it would bring cooler weather and her favorite time of year.

It was always the busiest time of year for her
at work. Holidays brought to light more people that needed that needed help. It also brought out more companies and individuals that wanted to donate to a worthy cause. In her office right now there were bags upon bags of handwritten requests for assistance that were waiting to be read. There was never enough time in the day to work through and keep up with the demand. It was time to hire a few people to help with the entire backlog and to keep them on track for the holidays.

Holidays reminded her of the work they were trying to complete before the season began out at Kringle Farms. From Halloween on, they would be busy with tours of their pumpkin patch, hayrides and then of course, Thanksgiving would kick off the Christmas festivities that they were famous for. All the work needed to be completed before then. She had the itch to take a drive out there and see for herself how it was going. But when the need to go there changed to her need to see Jake, she shook her head and grabbed her coffee cup before going inside.

Work…she had to work and forget about Jake and what had happened between them. If he wasn’t missing her, then she sure as hell wasn’t going to make a fool of herself by going to his farm and letting him see her heart ache.

***

“You’re up early. How’s my baby girl this morning?” Noah Cane was a big, strapping man that was tough as nails. But when it came to his kids, especially his daughter, he was a big teddy bear.

“
Good morning, Daddy. I’m about to go shower and get ready for work. We’ve got such a backlog of mail I’m itching to work on it. I hate the thought of not getting help to someone in time if something important is just sitting there.” Lilah got a coffee mug down for her father and fixed a cup just like he liked it. Milk and a hot cocoa mix stirred in. She hugged him tight before giving him his morning fix of caffeine.

“Mmm, perfect. Thank you, sweetheart.” He took a deep gulp of the steaming cup before snatching a muffin and peeling the wrapper off the bottom. “I understand you want to take care of everyone, but you need some time for you too. You’ve been working so much we hardly ever see you lately.”

“I’ll try to be home for dinner more, Daddy. Maybe I’ll start bringing some of the mail home with me each night until we get caught up. I’m thinking about hiring a few people to help. What do you think?” Lilah respected and valued his opinion more than anyone. There was nothing like a father-daughter bond.

“I think it’s about damn time you decided to do that. I don’t have anything in particular to do today. How
about your dear old dad comes to work with you, and help you read some of those wishes that need tending to?”

Lilah grinned up at him and kissed his cheek. “I think that would be perfect, and I would appreciate it, Daddy. I’ll go get ready.” She took off before he could respond but she heard him laughing as she ran upstairs to her room.

***

It was lunchtime when Mikayla came into the office with a picnic lunch for her husband and daughter. Both of whom were sprawled out on the floor surrounded by mounds of mail assorted into different bins according to priority. Classic rock played in the
background and Lilah was bobbing her head to the music as she read the letter she held in her hands.

“Lunch is ready, darlin’s!”

Both jumped, startled by her sudden appearance.

“Momma you scared the life out of me!”

“C’mere you,” Noah reached for his wife and effectively pulled her down on the floor with him and kissed her.

“Ew, you two get a room. I’m trying to work here.” Lilah sounded grossed out, but she honestly loved seeing such an unending love between her parents.

“It smells really good. What did you bring us, beautiful wife of mine? I’m starving to death.”

“Fried chicken, potato salad, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and chocolate cupcakes,” she replied with a smile.

“Oh yum, cupcakes! You’re the best, Momma.” Lilah kissed her cheek and started digging through the basket.

“Hey now, we should go outside
, and enjoy the sunshine. We’re supposed to have rain all week, and you know it’s going to bring with it the swampy Georgia heat too. Besides, y’all have been cooped up in here all morning. Now come on, I have a blanket in the van we can spread out on the back lawn.”

It was a beautiful day out.
Lilah was grateful for the fresh air and the company of two of her favorite people. The conversation was easy while they ate, and Lilah mainly talked about work and some of the letters her and her father had read that day. But as soon as they’d eaten their fill and repacked the picnic basket, her parents started questioning her about her behavior.

“Honey, we’ve been worried about you,” her mother reached out and took her hand in her own. “You’ve been so distant lately and working so hard. I can’t help but think something is wrong.”

Lilah turned away, refusing to look at her parents when she replied as if nothing was wrong at all. “Oh, Momma you worry too much. There’s just a lot going on and with Angel and Dakota on their honeymoon I’m short a worker. I told Daddy this morning I’m going to see about hiring a few people to help with the work load instead of Chels and I working twelve hour shifts.”

“I notice you didn’t say, ‘I’m fine’ or anything like that.” Her momma knew her way too well. It was disconcerting.

“Momma, I’m fine. I promise. Stop worrying so much.”

“We can’t help but worry about you, sweetheart. I think hiring some people is a step in the right direction. You need time for yourself too. We can’t have you working so hard you end up sick.”

“Okay, well here’s an idea…you can help Daddy and I finish up that pile we have on the floor and then we’ll get out of here earlier. We can make Sunday dinner together, how’s that?” Lilah was trying so hard to be upbeat and put on her happy face so her parents would stop worrying about the change in her attitude this week. It seemed to be working because her momma broke out into a huge smile.

“I think that’s th
e best thing I’ve heard all day. Let’s get to work. We’re having your grandparents over for dinner so I’d appreciate the help to make it extra special.”

The rest of the day and evening passed with no other questions or comments about her recent change in mood. For that, Lilah was thankful. She tried not to think of Jake and Roxy
, or the constant ache she felt from missing them. But all too often she found her mind drifting to Mr. Tall Blond and Brooding and wishing she was back in the cabin with him when they were kissing on the porch swing like star-crossed lovers.

Jake was miserable and moody. Nothing appeased him and everyone was getting on his last damn nerve. It was bad enough it was a rainy Monday morning and it had halted all the outside renovations, but he also missed the hell out of Lilah and was hurt like hell when she’d left before he woke up last Sunday morning. She hadn’t left him a note, or bothered to text or call him. She just
disappeared
.

Why in the hell was it that every single time he fell for a woman, she left him? Was he that bad of a man that no one ever stuck by him? It was bullshit! He may be grumpy and have a hard time trusting women in general, but Lilah knew why and said she understood. But as soon as he started believing that they might be able to build something
, and he let his guard down, BOOM! She up and disappeared.

Jake kicked the metal pail that was sitting too close to the stable door. He got little satisfaction from seeing it fly across the yard. He felt like a kid about to fall out into a temper tantrum and God help anybody who crossed him today. He already chewed out one of the cowboys that tended the horses for not getting there on time
, even though it was because the old country road he lived on had washed out and he’d had to take an alternate route to work. Normally, he would’ve shrugged it off. The guy was a hard worker, and never gave him any trouble. It was a case of bad timing.

If the damn rain would stop he could go out and chop wood until his arms fell off and at least work off some of his anger. But no…according to the forecast it was hanging out for a good week which was going to make him even more of a grumpy gus than he already was. All his employees might quit by the time the storms were over if he didn’t get his temper in check.

“Well, there’s the man of the hour! I hear you’re spitting bullets today over Mother Nature, brother.” Keegan rolled into the barn with a smile on his face and it only made Jake madder. How the hell could he be smiling in this crappy weather?

“Keegan, don’t start with me today. I’m not in the mood.”

“Obviously,” he started, still smirking.

“What do you want? I have work to do.”

“What? No ‘hi, how ya doin’,’ or ‘I’m glad to see ya?’ I’m hurt.”

“Fuck off, brother.”

Keegan laughed and kept following him, not taking the hint that today wasn’t the day to mess with him.

“Want to tell me why you’re being such a dick to everyone? I know it has to be bad for our mother to call me and beg me to knock some sense into your fool head.”

“I’m not being a dick, damn it. I’m just…shit. I’m being a dick.” Jake took his cowboy hat off and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration before slamming his hat back down. He stalked into his office and poured them both a cup of coffee.

“Well, we have progress at least. Now that you can admit to your dickish behavior, want to explain what the hell is wrong with you? You’ve ranted at everyone, even your daughter and our parents
, and that’s not like you Jake. What’s going on?”

Keegan took the offered coffee and sipped it, grimacing when the strong brew
nearly choked him. “Utter crap. How the hell is it you’re a rancher, and you’re not able to make decent coffee? No wonder you’re in such a shitty mood.”

For the second time in a matter of minutes, Jake snapped at his brother.
“Fuck off, Keegan. If you don’t like my coffee, make your own.”

Keegan laughed as he dumped his coffee in the trash and reached in the mini-fridge for a bottle of water instead. “This is m
uch safer, thank you. You’re so hospitable.”

Jake propped his elbows up on his desk and buried his face in his hands.

“She left me, Kee. Lilah stayed the night with me up at the cabin last Saturday night after the wedding. I thought everything was great. But when I woke up it was barely seven in the morning, and she was gone. She didn’t even drive there, I had picked her up. So she either walked, or called someone to pick her up.”

“Well
shit. Are you that bad in the sack? I could give you some pointers,” Keegan grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

“I
hate you right now,” Jake gave his brother a dirty look which only made him laugh out loud.

“I’m just saying, you must have really sucked in bed for her to want to get away so bad she walked!”

“See, this is why I don’t talk to you, you shit head. Never mind,” he crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head back.

“Oh, I’m just messing with you. Don’t be pissy. Tell me everything. Let’s talk through it and see if you’re missing something.”

Jake huffed, stalling for a few minutes before he leaned on his desk again and spent the next hour telling his brother everything. Keegan had always been a good listener when he was being serious and today was no different. He remained quiet until Jake finished, and got up to refill his cup.

“So,
let me get this right. You were moody to begin with. You got a little drunk. You took her virginity, and then got angry she was a virgin and didn’t tell you first. You then made love to her—
without using protection
. Do I have it all right?”

Jake winced at how cold and hard that sounded coming straight-forward from his brother. But that was one thing he could always count on from his only sibling. Brutal
honesty and unconditional love.

“Well when you say it like that,
” he felt his cheeks burn red with embarrassment. “I…”

“You
sound like a dick? Yes, I tend to agree with you. She was an innocent, Jake, and you didn’t call and check on her when you woke up alone. You haven’t called her for over a week now. I’d hate your dumb ass if I were her.”

“Well hell,” Jake was hitting his head repeatedly on his desk now. Why had he been so selfish? No wonder h
e hadn’t heard from her. He’d gone about everything all wrong, blaming her for everything when he was just as much, if not more to blame. At the very least he should have made sure she’d arrived home safely. But he’d been too focused on his wounded pride to see anything but the fact that she was gone.

“Now what do I do to fix it, Kee
? I’m no good at this. With women…”

Keegan smiled and wiggled his eyebrows again. “Well dear brother of mine, that’s one thing I do know a lot about. But first, we need to pour out that crap you call coffee and let’s go see if we can get mom to make us a big breakfast. Then we have some planning to do.”

“Planning? That doesn’t sound good.”

“Okay, we’ll call it what it is. You have some serious sucking up to do. So get your wallet ready, and kick your dickish mood to the curb because it’s time to turn on the charm.”

“Oh shit, what am I getting myself into?”

“That’s where you’re wrong. You already got yourself into this mess, now it’s time to get yourself out of
it.”

With a resounding sigh, Jake stood up and stretched, then followed his brother out into the rain and towards the house
, to start sucking up by telling his parents he was sorry for how he’d been acting. Then he was going to hug the stuffin’s out of his sweet baby girl and apologize to her too.