The Deputy's Unexpected Family. Patricia Johns

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       Chapter Two

      The next morning, Harper unlocked the front door for Blessings Bridal and let Zoey go in first. She paused and looked along the street. It was the same familiar road—sun dappled with intermittent trees spreading long branches over the asphalt. All was quiet, as it normally was this time of day, the only sound that of a chattering squirrel. A police cruiser eased slowly down the street. The officer—a woman—gave her a quick wave.

      Harper had slept terribly the night before. Her father was worried now—which was to be expected even after she’d assured him that she had it all under control. And now Harper was faced with the paperwork from the insurance company.

      “Let me help you, sweetheart,” her father had said. “I’m retired, not dead!”

      But Harper didn’t want his help; she needed to take care of the robbery paperwork on her own. If she was going to be opening a second store in Comfort Creek—a maternity shop—she’d better prove to more than just herself that she could handle the stress and the demands. There had been more than one well-meaning person who had questioned if she could raise a young child while running this shop... So while it was all well and good to say she had nothing to prove to anyone, she did.

      Running Blessings Bridal was satisfying in its own right, but she wanted more—a store with her own name on the bottom line, not her father’s. Besides, this store was all that her father had to will to Harper and Heidi, and since it would be the bulk of their inheritance, that was going to be complicated. Eventually, at least. The second shop, Blessings Maternity, was going to be Harper’s first personal foray into the business world, and she wanted it so badly that she could taste it.

      “It’s all messed up!” Zoey said, looking around the store. Harper pulled the door shut and locked it after them. She and Gabe had boarded over the broken window yesterday, and the glass and mess was mostly cleaned up. The display case still sat vacant.

      “I know, sweetie. Someone broke in. I told you about that, right? So now we have to clean it up.” Harper put the boxed wedding dress on the counter. She’d brought it home with her last night—not taking any chances on a family heirloom—but the sewing machine and all the tools she’d need for the fitting were here in the shop.

      Zoey went to the display case and sighed. “The crowns are gone.”

      Zoey loved the tiaras, and when the shop was closed, Harper would let her try them on in front of the full-length mirror. It had started when Andrea would visit after hours, and Zoey would sit on her mother’s lap and stare at her reflection with a crystal tiara on her little head.

      “I know. The insurance company will give us money so we can get more. You can help me choose them.”

      “Today?” Zoey asked hopefully.

      “Not today. We’re going to do a fitting for Aunt Heidi’s wedding dress,” Harper said. “And you get to help.”

      Since the store was temporarily closed, Harper had pulled Zoey out of preschool for a few days. Preschool had been a constant for Zoey from before her mother passed away, but a few days of girl time would be good for them, too, Harper decided. Besides, it was broad daylight, and she highly doubted that anyone would come back to rob the place at this time of day.

      “It’s our wedding dress, right?” Zoey was still working out how all of this worked.

      “Yes, it’s our dress. My grandmother wore that dress when she got married a very long time ago. And now Aunt Heidi is going to wear it for her wedding. And maybe you’ll even wear it for yours.”

      If there was enough of it left. If Heidi didn’t demand so many alterations that there was nothing salvageable for another bride...

      “Grandma Jane...” Zoey said softly.

      “No, Great-Grandma Kemp.” Harper sighed. Six months wasn’t really long enough for Zoey to embrace all the extra family, let alone fully understand what ancestors were. She was four. She knew about the family she saw on a regular basis, which included Andrea’s mom, Grandma Jane, and Harper’s mom, Grandma Georgia. Having two grandmas was as much as Zoey seemed able to wrap her mind around right now. And having a new mother...

      Harper opened the box on the counter and looked down at the familiar material. It was a gown from 1950—A-line taffeta covered in lace with sheer lace sleeves and décolletage. The dress had fit СКАЧАТЬ