A Place to Call Home (Harlequin Heartwarming) by Cynthia Reese

shed. What would he accomplish by helping Penelope? “I started thinking. She’s got money troubles. She won’t be able to hold on to the land that much longer, and we’ll be able to buy it. Plus, Becca MacIntosh is still working on proving the original sale wasn’t legal, so it may revert back to you without a penny being swapped. And, worse comes to worst, there’s the possibility of that adverse possession Sean was talking about. One way or another, we’ll get it back, Uncle Jake. Why shouldn’t I go ahead and start improving the land? We can always use another barn.”
    Uncle Jake’s face creased in a frown. “Brandon, that most certainly is not the way your mama and I raised you. Your mama would be spinning in her grave like a chicken on a spit if she could hear you. You know how bad it hurt me to lose that land.”
    “Which is why I’m trying to get it back.”
    “And there’s that girl, ain’t hurt so much as a fly, and you’re scheming to cheat her out of the land same as Murphy cheated me out of it. I tell you, that land is cursed, Brandon. You’d do well to leave it alone.” Uncle Jake shook his head and looked off into the distance.
    After a moment of silence that Brandon couldn’t figure out how to fill, his uncle snatched up the bucket and brushed past him. “I expect, though, as hardheaded as you are, you’ll have to figure that one out for yourself. But don’t say I didn’t warn you when this comes back to bite you.”
    * * *
    A T THE SOUND of a vehicle coming along the driveway, Penelope looked up from the hole she was digging with her handheld spade to see a familiar dust-covered truck and knew Brandon was at the wheel. She tensed. What could he want now?
    She rose to her feet. If he was here to malign her grandfather, he could hit the road.
    Brandon had just slid one booted foot out of his truck door and onto her driveway when she rounded the front of his truck.
    “Back to insult my family some more? Or are you still insisting I should give this land to you?”
    He paused, one hand on the open window. Then he reached behind him and pulled out a bundle of stakes and a ball of twine.
    “Oh, that’s rich,” she said, recognizing the items for what they were. “You’re already acting like it’s your land!”
    “Whoa.” Brandon eased around the truck door and slammed it shut. “Can’t you even give a guy a chance to apologize?”
    “Apologize?” Penelope didn’t bother to keep her suspicion out of her voice.
    “Yeah. Okay, so I got a little hot under the collar. I’m not usually like that. It’s just this land.” Brandon clamped his mouth shut. He started again. “Anyway, it’s like Uncle Jake pointed out a few minutes ago. It’s his fault, ultimately. He was the one who couldn’t produce the receipt that proved he’d paid the taxes. My uncle’s never been much for paperwork, and this time it cost him. So about how I acted—to, er, make it up to you, I thought I’d help you out with your barn.”
    “You what?” Her hold on the spade loosened and she dropped it.
    “The pole barn. The one that you asked me to help you with?”
    To cover her confusion, she knelt to retrieve the spade. “Why?” Penelope asked.
    “Like I said. I want to make it up to you. The way I reacted.”
    She straightened, realizing how tall he was when she only came to mid-chest. It was a very broad, very well built chest, which stretched the cotton knit T-shirt tight. “Look, it was stupid and more than a little insensitive of me to ask you for help. I appreciate the gesture, but I’ll figure something out.”
    “What are you doing over there? Planting flowers? It’s late in the year for flowers. I know it’s still hot now, but fall’s first hard frost won’t be too much longer.”
    She followed his gaze to her garden plot. “No. Winter vegetables. I’m going to build a cold frame to go over them.”
    “Not much of a garden if you’re doing it with that thing.” Brandon glanced