“Plural?”
She nodded. “I’m doing two spiral cut hams, one with brown sugar and pineapple chutney. The other will have a spicy orange and soy glaze. After that, I’m done with the main dishes.”
Leaning against the counter, he watched Tessa futzing around the kitchen, but stopped her when she took out the covered plate from the refrigerator. “Sweetheart, I can heat up my own lunch. Why don’t you take five minutes and put your feet up? You’re pushing yourself too hard, planning this surprise for my parents for weeks. I’ll bring you something cold to drink. Take a break, you’ve earned it.”
“Everybody else is working as hard as I am,” she protested. “Maggie’s handling all the decorations, including the flowers. Trust me, she’s got her hands full dealing with vendors who aren’t cooperating with our quick timeframe. Honestly, how hard is it to get flowers? It’s not like we’re ordering hothouse orchids or some exotic blooms which only grow on the side of the highest mountain one time a year.” Tessa rubbed the cold soda bottle against her forehead. “Forgive my grouchiness. I think Maggie’s frustration is rubbing off on me.”
“I’m glad we took our time with our own wedding arrangements.” Rafe sat beside Tessa and pulled her close against his side, brushing a kiss against her forehead. “Even though we had to postpone twice, everything was perfect.”
Her brilliant smile warmed his heart. “And I want this big day to be spectacular too. Your parents deserve nothing less.”
Rafe smiled, wanting to indulge his pretty wife. Between teaching at the elementary school, helping her extremely pregnant sister who was mid-construction on a new house with her husband—his brother Brody—babysitting his favorite niece, Jamie, and now helping arrange a surprise vow renewal ceremony and anniversary party for his parents, Tessa had her hands full to overflowing. He wondered how she was holding everything together so well.
“No worries, sweetheart. I already told my brothers we aren’t having an official bachelor party for Dad since the whole wedding is a surprise. We’re going meet at Dane’s, get together to play poker, drink a few beers. Told Dad it was our way of having a little quality guy time, since the ladies were all having an official baby shower for Beth. But that’s it, I swear. Since it’s something we do semi-regularly, Dad won’t suspect a thing.”
“Y’all have fun. I know how you get when you Boudreau boys get together. No strippers, big guy. That’s where I put my foot down. The only naked woman you’re allowed to see anymore is me.”
He laughed. He couldn’t help it. Tessa sounded like she meant it, and he couldn’t be happier at her little display of jealousy.
“No strippers, got it.”
“Good.”
CHAPTER TWO
Patricia Boudreau climbed from the cab of the pickup truck, letting out a soft oomph when her feet hit the ground. Most of the time she didn’t mind being on the short side, but when your sons and your husband are relative giants in comparison, it made things difficult when she had to borrow a vehicle. Her precious Cadillac Escalade was at Frank’s shop, because she’d noticed a sponginess to the brakes when she’d been driving into town from the Big House. Frank promised to get to it ASAP, though she’d assured him there was no hurry. She’d had a custom foot rail installed when she bought it, which made it easier to get in and out of the Escalade. Liam’s truck wasn’t built for a vertically challenged female.
She’d called Liam to pick her up, and he’d promptly showed up in his shiny new truck. Candy apple red, it still had a factory-fresh gleam and that lovely new car smell. When he’d heard about the Escalade, he’d insisted on loaning it to her, said he’d drive his old pickup back to the work site. Being the mother of a whole passel of boys had its privileges after all.
If she hadn’t been swamped with work and clients, she’d have turned him down and waited until Frank fixed hers. But the housing market in Texas had exploded in the last several months, and work had been crazy. She was busier than she’d been in years, with a significant lack of available housing and an enormous pool of buyers willing to pay exorbitant prices. She was no dummy and knew eventually the real estate bubble would burst, but in the meantime, she planned to take advantage of all the opportunities presented by the ever-shrinking pool of available properties.
It wasn’t like Shiloh Springs or even the surrounding counties had an overabundance of properties hitting the market. Most people, once they moved to this neck of the woods, planted roots and stayed. With Austin being a little over an hour away, lots of folks were willing to commute if they found the right house, which she specialized in. Her company was one of the top real estate offices in Central Texas and ranked in the top ten in the whole state.
Tugging the strap of her handbag higher on her shoulder, she walked toward the house she’d come to look at. The owner had called the day before, asking her to come check the place out, and give him a realistic figure of its market value in its current condition. He’d inherited the property six months earlier from his elderly uncle and with the unexpected windfall had planned to relocate to Shiloh Springs. At least until he’d gotten a promotion with his company, which would take him out of the country for the next two years. It didn’t make sense to have the house sit empty for that long, and he didn’t want to deal with the hassle of fixing up and renting the place. Add in the fact that since property prices were bringing in record highs, he wanted to sell, and wanted the best realtor to handle the transaction.
Smart man, because Boudreau Realty is the best.
She studied the house, viewing it with a practiced eye. All the facts about the property were outlined on the printed sheet she’d stuffed in her purse before she left the Big House earlier that morning, but she wanted to look at it aside from all the facts and figures. While details were important, she needed to get a feel for the place. Each home had its own unique character and personality, like a living, breathing being—at least to her.
The aura of the house oozed neglect. Not surprising. The older gentleman who’d lived there hadn’t been able to keep up with maintaining the basics, like paint and foundation. She knew he’d utilized a yard service for mowing the patch of grass surrounding the house, and keeping the bushes trimmed. Logically, a lot of the value was in the land itself, not the house. That was simply the fact of living in Central Texas, especially if you planned on raising crops or animals. This place boasted slightly over five acres, so while it wouldn’t be a huge ranch, it would be a nice place for a family who wanted a bit of land and privacy.
The siding on the home had once been a pristine white but had faded with age to almost a creamy yellow color. Brick red shutters framed the first-floor windows. Luckily, all the shutters appeared to be intact and attached. That wasn’t always the case and finding replacements for older ones usually meant having them custom made.
The text message alert on her cell phone pinged, and she dug in her purse for the phone. Usually, she’d have ignored it while she was evaluating a property, but since Douglas hadn’t been out of the hospital long, she needed to make sure it wasn’t him. She’d be the first to admit she was a worrywart when it came to her hubby. Seeing him lying in a hospital bed frightened her more than she wanted to admit, and it was something she wouldn’t soon forget.
Reading the text, she sighed. It was from Frank, telling her the brake master cylinder was shot and needed replacing. He had to order the part. Since it was Friday afternoon, he’d try to get one by Saturday, but the likelihood was iffy. If he couldn’t find one locally, he’d have to get one from the city, and it would be Monday before she’d get her baby back.
She shot a quick text back, telling him to go ahead and do what he could. Liam wouldn’t mind her keeping his truck for an extra couple of days. He had his old pickup, and he’d scream bloody murder if she even suggested swapping with him for the weekend.
Shoving the phone back into her bag, she stepped onto the house’s front porch and smiled. It wrapped across the entire length of the front and seemed in surprisingly decent shape. Of course, she’d have the company’s handyman come and check it over, but it would be a good selling feature. People loved being able to have a front porch where they could sit in the evenings and relax after a hectic day. Add a porch swing and buyers would eat it up.
Opening the front door with the key her client overnighted her, she stepped inside a living time capsule. Directly in front of the door, a wide staircase led upstairs. Not the best feng shui, but not a deal killer either. Nothing appeared to have been touched in decades. Even the furniture looked like something from a bygone era. Good quality pieces, albeit out of style, and covered with sheets. The walls were a soft robin’s egg blue and looked like they hadn’t been painted since the furniture was new. Faded lace curtains, yellowed with age, covered the front-facing windows, sheer enough to let through diffused sunlight. Definitely a woman’s touch, though she knew the previous owner’s wife had passed away a year ago.
On the right side of the first floor was the formal dining room. Smaller than she’d expected, it would hold a table and maybe six or eight chairs. Nowadays, a lot of people didn’t even bother having a separate dining area. With the windows providing a lot of natural light, she could easily see the space being used as an office. Might consider staging it like that, since lots of folks worked from home nowadays.
The kitchen, like the living room, hadn’t been updated in a long time. On the plus side, it was a good size and the layout worked. Solid wood cabinets were an added bonus. They could be painted a vivid white, brightening up the whole kitchen. Add granite or quartz countertops, upgrade the appliances, and it would become a decent kitchen.
The rest of the house was pretty much what she expected. Four bedrooms, the primary, largest one, on the main floor and three others upstairs. Two and a half bathrooms. For a house this size, having an additional half bath was another bonus, and upped the selling value. The main bedroom was roomier than she’d expected, although it could use more closet space. The main bathroom wasn’t attached, but it was next door to the bedroom, so she could point out to potential buyers that a quick door installation from the bathroom into the bedroom could be done for minimal cost, and they’d have an ensuite. At least it had double sinks and a decent-sized shower.
