Return To Snowy Creek Read online

  Jackie turned her attention back to Colin. “I came by to see if you can you come up to the house I’m working on with some students tomorrow afternoon? I need an extra hand.” Jackie asked Colin. She sat down on a stool at one of the shop tables near Colin’s desk. She had a soda in her hand and set it down on the table.

  “I wish I could help, but tomorrow is not a good day. My parent’s are coming into town and I have to go to Denver and pick them up at the airport. I’ve got a substitute coming in and we’ll actually be out-of-pocket for a few days.” Colin shuffled some papers around and opened up his grading book.

  “Well, I might have to hold off on this project then. I need someone that has a lot more experience building a TV unit.” Jackie pulled her strawberry blonde hair into a bun and slid a pencil through to hold it in place. She lifted her soda up and took a drink out of the straw.

  “What about Grant Williams?”

  Jackie almost choked. She placed her drink on the desk and coughed a few times.

  “You okay?” Colin asked. He paused for a moment. “You know who he is don’t you? He’s that television personality that has the building show, ‘30-Minutes Or Less.’ I bet he can build you a TV unit in thirty minutes.”

  Jackie coughed a couple more times. “Yeah, I know who he is. I don’t think he really built things in thirty minutes, though. I’ve never watched the show, but I’m sure they just made it look that way. But he—”

  “You’ve never watched the show? I watch it all the time. Great show,” Colin said, with a voice of disbelief.

  “Nope. Never watched it,” Jackie had heard about Grant all over town. She’d even seen his pictures splashed on the cover of tabloid magazines. Grant was the big hero in Snowy Creek. In fact, because she was a builder, people asked her all the time if she watched the show. Over and over she’d hear people say how much she could learn from Grant Williams. ‘Just watch the show. You’ll learn how to do your job,’ people would say all the time. Jackie couldn’t help but get tired of the comments.

  Colin interrupted her thoughts. “Besides, the students would love to meet him. Maybe it would encourage them to work a little harder when they see what job possibilities are out there.”

  “I can see I don’t have a choice in this,” Jackie said, taking another sip of her soda. She smiled at Colin. “I guess I’d better ask. The client wants to know when the TV unit will be completed.”

  “Go ask in thirty minutes or less,” Colin said, laughing. He winked at Jackie.

  “Ha ha,” Jackie said. “I’m on my way.” She grabbed her drink, and headed toward the hardware store.

  Chapter 2

  “Hey Gary,” Jackie said, walking up to the counter at the hardware store.

  “Hi Jackie,” Gary said. He put some nails on the counter and paused for a moment. “Can I help you get something?”

  “Maybe,” Jackie said. She still wasn’t sure she wanted to ask Grant for help, but he was most likely one of the few people in Snowy Creek that could build what she needed in a short amount of time. She reluctantly asked, “I’m actually here looking for Grant. Is he around?”

  “Well now, he seems to be a popular guy around here already. I can hardly keep him in the store. Must be all that fame,” Gary said. He chuckled at his own joke.

  “If he’s not here I can come back. I’m not looking for someone famous, I just need someone to help me build something. I heard he was pretty good at carpentry.”

  “He sure is. Did you watch his show?”

  Jackie shook her hear back-and-forth. “Nope, didn’t watch his show.” She was starting to believe that if she had a dime for every time she was asked that question, she’d be able to get a free latte every day.

  “Shoulda watched it. He can build anything—”

  “Let me guess,” Jackie interjected, “in thirty minutes or less.” She smiled at Gary.

  “Very good, at least you’ve been listening,” Gary said. He lifted his hand and tipped his finger at her, jokingly. “Grant went down the street to pick up some lunch. He should be back here in a little bit.”

  “Okay, I’ll check back in a little while,” Jackie said. She waved goodbye to Gary and walked out on Main Street.

  The clouds in the distance rolled slowly across the mountains, blanketing the tops. The snow would start falling any day now. The Aspen trees were lit up with red and gold leaves, and decorated the mountainsides. Fall was hands-down Jackie’s favorite time of year. Many of the trees were starting to lose their leaves, getting ready for the colder weather. It wouldn’t surprise her if a few flurries fell in the next day or so. The temperature had dropped quite a bit from the morning, but Colorado weather was famous for drastic temperature changes in one day.

  Jackie zipped up her jacket and continued walking back toward her shop. As she neared Hutch’s Restaurant, the door swung open and Grant came barreling out.

  “Lookout!” Jackie yelled.

  Grant looked up and tried to stop. With a coffee cup in one hand, he fumbled with the Styrofoam container in the other, but it opened, and the contents of his lunch came out and spilled all over the front of Jackie’s jacket.

  Jackie lifted her arms to the side and looked up at Grant. “Well, I’m guessing that was a ham sandwich with lots of extra mustard.”

  “Yep,” Grant said, sheepishly. “I am so sorry. I’m starting to wonder if I’m ever going to see you without being covered in paint or condiments.” The two laughed.

  Jackie wiped some of the mustard off of her chin and held out her hand, unsure of where to wipe it.

  “Here’s a napkin,” Grant said. He gingerly lifted his hand to her chin and wiped off a little more of the yellowing stain and then handed her the napkin. “I only have one napkin. I guess Hutch didn’t think I’d be this messy.”

  “Little did he know,” Jackie said with a smile. She felt a rush of butterflies when Grant touched her chin. Heat rose in her face and Jackie hoped it wasn’t obvious to him.

  “I am so sorry. I truly didn’t mean to get my lunch all over you.” Grant leaned down and started to pick up the food off of the ground.

  Jackie bent down and threw a few pieces of ham and crumbled up chips back into the broken Styrofoam container.

  “It’s okay,” Jackie said. “It’s not a problem.”

  “How can I make it up to you?” Grant and Jackie both stood up. He fumbled with the container again and turned around to dump it into the trash can on the sidewalk. “I’d better get rid of this thing before I drop it on you again.”

  Jackie smiled at his comment.

  Grant continued, “Can I buy you lunch?”

  Jackie paused for a moment. “Actually, I do have a way you can make it up to me.”

  “Sure, what is it?” Grant asked.

  “I need help building a TV unit for a client. I’ve been known to build a few things, but carpentry is not my specialty. You come highly recommended. Think you can spare a day to help?” Jackie hoped he would agree. She could finish the job early and the client would be able to move into their new house as soon as they arrived in town.

  “Sure,” Grand said. “I’d love to help.”

  “Really?” Jackie was actually surprised he agreed.

  “Of course. It’s been a long time since I actually got to build something on my own.” He took a sip from his coffee cup.

  “I thought you built everything on your show?”

  “Oh no,” Grant shook his head back-and-forth. “I have so many helpers on the show that I rarely get to put my hands on the projects. I haven’t had a chance to be creative in a long time.”

  “Well, this might be right up your alley. The owners just have a few specifics they are requesting, but the rest would be up to you,” Jackie said.

  Grant seemed to perk up a bit at the idea. “That actually sounds great.”

  “Do you have some paper I can write the address down on?” Jackie asked.

  Grant patted down his shirt pocket and pulled out a
small scrap of paper and handed it to Jackie.

  She pulled the pencil out of her hair, letting her strawberry blonde locks fall across her shoulders. Jackie scratched the address down on the paper and handed it back to Grant. “I’m looking forward to seeing what you can create.”

  “Thanks,” Grant said. “I’m really excited to get my hands on the project.”

  Jackie spun her hair back up and slipped the pencil in behind the bun. She waved goodbye to Grant and headed for the house.

  ***

  Grant marveled at her positive attitude. He’d dated women, including Jennifer that would allow their entire day to be ruined by one small stain. But not Jackie. She seemed to take things in stride. He liked that.

  Grant turned around and watched Jackie walk away. She didn’t have a stitch of makeup on her face, yet she was plainly beautiful. He enjoyed talking to her. She was calm-natured and had a good sense of humor. Besides, he wasn’t even sure he would’ve been so polite about being covered with paint and then mustard, all in the span of a couple of days. She was something special. Grant had tried and tried to remember where he knew her from, but it still hadn’t come to him. He knew it would eventually. Especially since he couldn’t keep her off of his mind.

  ***

  “I’ve found the perfect girl for you,” Maryann said. She carried a load of laundry through the living room and set it on the floor next to the coffee table. She lifted some jeans out of the basket and started to fold them.

  Grant leaned his back into the couch and looked at his mother. “Mom, I hate to put a damper on your matchmaking, but I’m not too interested in settling down with a woman right now.”

  Maryann put the jeans on the coffee table. She lifted out another piece of clothing from the basket and said, “Ya know, before I met your dad, I was engaged to someone else.”

  Grant straightened up in his seat. “I never knew that.”

  “It’s not something I’ve shared with too many people.” Maryann continued folding clothes as she talked. “He broke up with me and I was heartbroken. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so hurt. I was devastated without him. I didn’t see how anyone could take his place.”

  “So what did you do?” Grant saw another side to his mother that he never knew existed. He felt more of a connection to her. Maybe she understood how he felt about losing Jennifer.

  “I decided I wasn’t going to wallow in that misery,” Maryann folded up a shirt and set it on top of the pile of folded clothes. “I refused to set my sights on him coming back and I moved on. And you know what’s funny?”

  “What?” Grant’s interest piqued.

  “He did come back.” Maryann smiled a wide-toothed grin.

  “So what did you do?” Grant sat up and leaned against the armrest on the couch.

  “I told him I didn’t have room for people like him in my life.”

  “What did he do after you told him that?” Grant asked.

  “He came around for a while and continued trying to win me back. But I’d met your father.”

  “I think I know how this story ends,” Grant laughed and winked at his mother.

  “Your dad kept asking me out,” Maryann added. “And I refused. I didn’t allow myself to be ready for another relationship, although I knew I’d never take my fiancé back again.”

  “So?” Grant always assumed his parents just met, dated, and got married. He had no idea there was another man keeping his mother’s interests.

  “Your dad went out of town for a while. He went to help on his grandmother’s farm for the summer and I missed him terribly. It was then I realized how much he meant to me,” Maryann said. She set a shirt down and stopped folding for a minute. “Your father was so easy to get along with. He was fun, and I enjoyed his company. I missed that. And when he returned home, we got married and I never looked back.”

  “I never knew about how the two of you got together. I’m so glad you shared this with me, Mom.” Grant smiled. He loved seeing this side of his mother. She had always been there for him when he needed her most. Even the times he didn’t know he needed her.

  Grant thought again about Jennifer. In their short whirlwind romance, he thought he loved her. But Jackie continued to pop back into his thoughts. She was not only stunningly beautiful, but kindhearted and fun. In the two short times he’d talked to her, she had a good sense of humor and took things in stride. But it was too early to tell. Jennifer seemed fun at first, as well. As time went on, he realized she was more concerned about her career than anything else around her, including him.

  ***

  Grant stared at the tabloids in the grocery store rack. Jennifer seemed to be on the cover of all but one of them, wrapped in the arms of her new boyfriend. Grant was used to seeing pictures of her splashed all over the magazines, but not with another man. It hurt, he had to admit.

  “So is it true?” The cashier said, breaking into Grant’s thoughts.

  “What’s that?” Grant asked.

  “Was she your girlfriend?”

  “We dated for a while, it’s true.” Grant slowly nodded his head.

  The cashier lifted a new tabloid from behind the counter and showed it to Grant. “This is the latest one. We haven’t even put it out on the racks.”

  “Oh, I haven’t seen this one,” Grant smiled and shook his head back-and-forth. He pointed to a picture of himself on the cover of the magazine, next to Jennifer. “Being the man in the center of that circle with the slash is a little harsh.”

  “Breaking up is hard enough without seeing your ex-girlfriend with another man on all the tabloids,” the cashier said. “I can only imagine.”

  “You have no idea,” Grant said. He just wished the entire town didn’t know about it. He’d already fielded a lot of questions about why the two split ways. Grant wasn’t even sure he knew himself what happened.

  Grant paid for his items and walked outside. He zipped up his jacket and looked up at the sky. The gray clouds had rolled in and the snowflakes were gently floating down from the sky. He opened the door to his rental car and drove up the road to help Jackie build the TV unit. He was so glad for the retreat from tabloids, his mother’s matchmaking, and the questions about his failed relationship with Jennifer. Plus, he was excited about spending more time with Jackie.

  By the time Grant arrived at the house, a light dusting of snow covered the ground. Several cars were parked in the large driveway, no doubt workers.

  Grant knew Jackie was a contractor, but didn’t realize she worked on such large houses. The massive structure had to be at least 4,000 square feet by the looks of the outside. All of the framing and walls were up. She was over halfway done with the house.

  Grant walked to the front door, rapped gently a few times, and walked inside. A burst of laughter came from the back room, and he followed the sound.

  Several teenagers were standing around Jackie. She spotted Grant in the doorway and turned to face him.

  “Class,” Jackie said. “I’m sure some of you already know, Grant Williams is from Snowy Creek.” She pointed to Grant standing behind all the students. They turned and faced him.

  Several small screams popped out of the girls as they moved in closely around him.

  “Can we have your autograph?” One of the young girls asked.

  “Will you take a picture with us?” Another student said.

  “Okay, okay, give him some room,” Jackie said. “He’s here to help out. You’ll all get a chance to talk to him.” She moved some of the students out of the way and grabbed Grant by the arm and pulled him into the living room. “If you guys give us a moment, I’m sure he’d be glad to take a picture with all of you.”

  With reluctance, the students left the two alone and went back into the room where they were working.

  “Sorry about that,” Jackie said, smiling. “I knew they’d be excited about you being here, I just didn’t know they’d mob you.”

  “No problem,” Grant said. “They seem like good k
ids.”

  “They are. They just get excited,” Jackie said. “Listen, do you mind showing a couple of them how to build the TV unit? I know you didn’t sign up for all this, but I have a couple of the kids that really like woodworking.”

  “It’s fine. I’m just glad I can help,” Grant said. “Let me make some measurements and I’ll go down and get the wood and we can get started.”

  “Thank you so much.”

  When Jackie turned around, the youth were all hiding in the hallway watching the two of them talk. As soon as she saw them, they giggled and ran back into the other room. “All right, enough. Get back to work. And Jason, make sure you seal the lid on the paint can when you’re done. The last time you painted, I ended up with more white paint in my hair than in the can.”

  “No worries, Miss Jackie. I’ll close it good and tight this time. You look good in white though,” Jason responded.

  Grant laughed at the comments. He knew this would be an enjoyable experience. He pulled out his tape measure and started working.

  ***

  Jackie walked into the living room where Grant was finishing up for the day.

  “You’re really good with the kids,” Jackie said to Grant. “I watched you with them today.”

  Grant wiped his hands against his pants, stirring up some sawdust. “They seem like they are pretty interested in learning the trade. I like to see that in them.”

  “They are all good kids. They seem to really like you, too,” Jackie said.

  “I have to admit, I knew I’d enjoy coming up here and working on the unit, but I had no idea I’d enjoy it this much. This has been a really great day,” Grant said as he watched Jackie. The kids were fun to work with, but Jackie made the day go smoothly and enjoyable. Even in her carpenter pants, with grime smeared across her face, and her hair pulled up into a bun with a pencil, she could outdo any movie star in looks alone.

  “You’re welcome to finish the unit tomorrow, even though it’s Saturday, or you can come back Monday with the kids.”