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Harper House

January 2004

She couldn&039;t afford to be intimidated by the house, or by its mistress They both had reputations

The house was said to be elegant and old,with gardens that rivaled Eden She&039;d just confirmed that for herself

The wo, somewhat solitary, and perhaps a bit "difficult" A word, Stella knew, that could -willed to stone bitch

Either way, she could handle it, she reet up and pace She&039;d handled worse

She needed this job Not just for the salary - and it was generous - but for the structure, for the challenge, for the doing Doingthe wheel she&039;d fallen into back hoa paycheck that would be soaked up by bills She needed, however self-help-book it sounded, soed her

Rosalind Harper was fulfilled, Stella was sure A beautiful ancestral ho business What was it like, she wondered, to wake up every ed and where you were going?

If she could earn one thing for herself, and give that gift to her children, it would be the sense of knowing She was afraid she&039;d lost any clear sight of that with Kevin&039;s death The sense of doing, no problee and the rooirl

But the sense of knoho she was, in the heart of herself, had been led that day in September of 2001 and had never fully healed

This was her start, this move back to Tennessee This final and face-to-face intervieith Rosalind Harper If she didn&039;t get the job - well, she&039;d get another No one could accuse her of not knowing hoork or how to provide a living for herself and her kids

But, God, she wanted this job

She straightened her shoulders and tried to ignore all the whispers of doubt et this one

She&039;d dressed carefully for thisBusinesslike but not fussy, in a navy suit and starched white blouse Good shoes, good bag, she thought Si out the blue of her eyes She&039;d fought her hair into a clip at the nape of her neck If she was lucky, the curlingout until the intervieas over

Rosalind was keeping her waiting It was probably a ers twisted, untwisted her watchband Letting her sit and stew in the gorgeous parlor, letting her take in the lovely antiques and paintings, the sumptuous view froracious southern style that reminded her she was a Yankee fish out of water

Things moved slower down here, she reminded herself She would have to remember that this was a different pace from the one she was used to, and a different culture

The fireplace was probably an Adainal Tiffany Would they call those drapes portieres down here, or was that too Scarlett O&039;Hara? Were the lace panels under the drapes heirlooms?

God, had she ever been more out of her ele in all this southern splendor?

She steadied herself, fixed a neutral expression on her face, when she heard footsteps coht coffee" It wasn&039;t Rosalind, but the cheerful man who&039;d answered the door and escorted Stella to the parlor

He was about thirty, she judged, average height, very slilossy brown hair waved around a h he wore black, Stella found nothing butlerlike about it Much too artsy, too stylish He&039;d said his name was David

He set the tray with its china pot and cups, the little linen napkins, the sugar and cream, and the tiny vase with its clutch of violets on the coffee table

"Roz got a bit hung up, but she&039;ll be right along, so you just relax and enjoy your coffee You comfortable in here?"

"Yes, very"

"Anything else I can get you while you&039;re waiting on her?"

"No Thanks"

"You just settle on in, then," he ordered, and poured coffee into a cup "Nothing like a fire in January, is there? Makes you forget that a few h to melt the skin off your bones What do you take in your coffee, honey?"

She wasn&039;t used to being called "honey" by strange nificent parlors Especially since she suspected he was a few years her junior

"Just a little cream" She had to order herself not to stare at his face - it ell, delicious, with that fullcheekbones, the sexy little dent in the chin "Have you worked for Ms Harper long?"

"Forever" He sly and handed her the coffee "Or it seems like it, in the best of all possible ways Give her a straight answer to a straight question, and don&039;t take any bullshit" His grin widened "She hates it when people ko You know, honey, I love your hair"

"Oh" Automatically, she lifted a hand to it "Thanks"

&039;Titian knehat he was doing when he painted that color Good luck with Roz," he said as he started out "Great shoes, by the way"

She sighed into her coffee He&039;d noticed her hair and her shoes, complimented her on both Gay Too bad for her side

It was good coffee, and David was right It was nice having a fire in January Outside, the air was et used to a winter hour by the fire drinking good coffee out of - as it? Meissen, Wedgwood? Curious, she held the cup up to read the maker&039;s ht over by one of the Harper brides froland in theherself, Stella thought No point in cringing about the fact that her redhead&039;s complexion would be flushed with embarrassment She siht in the eye

"It&039;s beautiful"

"I&039;ve always thought so" She came in, plopped down in the chair beside Stella&039;s, and poured herself a cup

One of them, Stella realized, had miscalculated the dress code for the interview

Rosalind had dressed her tall, y fory olive sweater and mud-colored work pants that were frayed at the cuffs She was shoeless, with a pair of thick brown socks covering long, narrow feet Which accounted, Stella supposed, for her silent entry into the rooht, and black

Though to date all their communications had been via phone, fax, or e-round on her potential employer - and a look at the wos had been plentiful She&039;d studied Rosalind as a child, through her youth She&039;dand delicate bride of eighteen and syof twenty-five

There had been ossipy speculation on when and if the ouldof the nursery business, her gardens, her love life Her brief second e had been of a strong- looks to ca,

At forty-six, Rosalind Harper was a rose in full bloom Not the hothouse sort, Stella mused, but one that weathered the elements, season after season, and caer and led with strong bones and deep, long eyes the color of single-ly sculpted lips, was unpainted - as, to Stella&039;s expert eye, was the rest of that lovely face

There were lines, those thin grooves that the god of ti out from the corners of the dark eyes, but they didn&039;t detract

All Stella could think was, Could I be you, please, when I grow up? Only I&039;d like to dress better, if you don&039;t , didn&039;t I?"

Straight answers, Stella reminded herself "A little, but it&039;s not ood coffee out of Staffordshire"

"David likes to fuss I was in the propagation house, got caught up"

Her voice, Stella thought, was brisk Not clipped - you just couldn&039;t clip Tennessee - but it was to the point and full of energy "You look younger than I expected You&039;re what, thirty-three?"

"Yes"

"And your sons aresix and eight?"

"That&039;s right"

"You didn&039;t bring them with you?"

"No They&039;re with ht now"

"I&039;m very fond of Will and Jolene How are they?"

"They&039;re good They&039;re enjoying having their grandchildren around"

"I iine so Your daddy shows off pictures of them from time to time and just about bursts with pride"

"One ofhere is so they can have ood reason I like young boysthem around The fact that you come with two played in your favor Your resume, your father&039;s recommendation, the letter from your former employer - well, none of that hurt"

She picked up a cookie fro Stella&039;s face "I need an organizer, so, personable and basically tireless I like people ork forpace"

"So I&039;ve been told" Okay, Stella thought, brisk and to the point in return "I have a degree in nursery ement With the exception of three years when I stayed ho which tihbors&039; - I&039;ve worked in that capacity For more than two years now, since my husband&039;s death, I&039;ve raised my sons and worked outside the hoood job with both I can keep up with you, Ms Harper I can keep up with anyone"

Maybe, Roz thought Just maybe "Let me see your hands"

A little irked, Stella held them out Roz set down her coffee, took them in hers She turned them palms up, ran her thumbs over them "You knoork"

"Yes, I do"

"Banker suit threw me off Not that it isn&039;t a lovely suit" Roz smiled, then polished off the cookie "It&039;s been damp the last couple of days Let&039;s see if we can put you in some boots so you don&039;t ruin those very pretty shoes I&039;ll show you around"

The boots were too big, and the arround and crushed gravel would have been cruel to her new shoes

Her own appearance hardly mattered when compared with the operation Rosalind Harper had built

In the Garden spread over the west side of the estate The garden center faced the road, and the grounds at its entrance and running along the sides of its parking area were beautifully landscaped Even in January, Stella could see the care and creativity put into the presentation with the selection and placereens and ornamental trees, the mulched rises where she assumed there would be color froh the spring and summer and into fall

After one look she didn&039;t want the job She was desperate for it The lust tied knots of nerves and desire in her belly, the kinds that were usually reserved for a lover

"I didn&039;t want the retail end of this near the house," Roz said as she parked the truck "I didn&039;t want to see commerce out my parlorHarpers are, and always have been, business-minded Even back when some of the land around here was planted with cotton instead of houses"

Because Stella&039;s mouth was too dry to speak, she only nodded The e of natural woods shielded it fros, the center itself, and, she i on any view froeous old ruby horse chestnut!

"This section&039;s open to the public twelve months a year," Roz continued "We carry all the sidelines you&039;d expect, along with houseplants and a selection of gardening books My oldest son&039;s helping reenhouses or out in the field We&039;ve got two part-tiht now We&039;ll need ame, Stella ordered herself "Your busy season would start in March in this zone"

"That&039;s right" Roz led the way to the low-slung white building, up an asphalt ramp, across a spotlessly clean porch, and inside

Two long, wide counters on either side of the door, Stella noted Plenty of light to keep it cheerful There were shelves stocked with soil additives, plant foods, pesticides, spin racks of seeds More shelves held books or colorful pots suitable for herbs or sill plants There were displays of wind chiarden plaques, and other accessories

A woman with snohite hair dusted a display of sun catchers She wore a pale blue cardigan with roses embroidered down the front over a white shirt that looked to have been starched stiff as iron

"Ruby, this is Stella Rothchild I&039; her around"

"Pleased tolook told Stella the wo, but the smile was perfectly cordial "You&039;re Will Dooley&039;s daughter, aren&039;t you?"

"Yes, that&039;s right"

"From up north"

She said it, to Stella&039;s amusement, as if it were a Third World country of dubious repute "Froan, yes But I was born in Memphis"

"Is that so?" The s, isn&039;t it? Moved ahen you were a little girl, didn&039;t you?"

"Yes, withback now, are you?"

"I have moved back," Stella corrected

"Well" The one word said they&039;d see what they&039;d see "It&039;s a raw one out there today," Ruby continued "Good day to be inside You just look around all you want"