use something hot. It’s freezing out here.”
Grudgingly Seth moved into the room, and his brother pushed past him. “Hi,” he said to Meg with an engaging grin. “I’m Stephen Chapin, the other half of Chapin Brothers. I’d offer to shake hands, but …”
Meg waved at her sink. “Please, wash! It’s such a treat to be able to use the water again. And let me make some fresh coffee.” She waited while Stephen washed his hands thoroughly, then she filled the pot and set the coffeemaker brewing. She was pleased to find a forgotten bag of cookies in a cupboard, and distributed a handful on a slightly chipped plate, which she set in the center of the table. “There. Sit down, you two. Coffee’ll be done in a minute.”
As she waited for the coffee to finish, she studied the brothers. The kinship was evident in their bone structure, but there were clearly differences. Seth had been unfailingly cheerful, at least around her. Stephen was another matter. He was darker in coloring than his brother, and seemed more intense. He was also fidgety, tapping his fingers on the table. When Meg set a mug of coffee in front of him, he flashed her another smile. “Hey, thanks. Seth says you’re new to the area. I’d be happy to take you around, show you what’s fun around here.”
Was he flirting with her? “Thanks for the offer, but I unfortunately don’t have much time for fun, Stephen. I don’t know if Seth told you, but I’m trying to get this place ready to sell, and it keeps me busy.”
That smile came again. “Ah, come on. You need to get out of the house now and then, don’t you? Why not?”
“Stephen, she said no.” Seth’s voice was mild, but there was an edge to it.
Stephen turned to look at him. “Oh, yeah, right. She’s one of you worker bees, right? No time off for good behavior. Sorry, Meg—big brother here has put the kibosh on fun.”
There was a clear tension between the two brothers, and hidden currents that Meg didn’t understand—or want to. It was none of her business. All she wanted from them was working plumbing.
Seth made an obvious effort to change the subject. “Have you ever looked into the history of this place, Meg?”
Meg shook her head, confused by his abrupt shift. “Haven’t had time, but I suppose I should. The Realtor asked the same thing. She thought it might be a good selling point.”
“Who’s your Realtor?”
“Frances Clark.”
Seth nodded. “She knows the market around here—she’ll do a good job for you. But as for the history, it’s definitely worth doing. Some of the land grants around here go back to the 1600s, when this part of the country was first surveyed. The records should be in Northampton or Springfield, if you ever have a free afternoon. Ask at the library in Northampton first—they have a lot of material on local history. You know, this whole area used to be called Warren’s Corner, after that intersection of this road and what’s now the highway. They changed the name to Granford in the early nineteenth century.”
“I’ll put it on my to-do list.” Which now covered several pages. “How do you know all this, anyway?”
“I’ve lived here all my life, and I like history. But I mentioned it because there’s a meeting of the Granford Historical Society tonight, and you might be interested in going and talking to some of the local historians. Maybe they could help. I’d be there myself—I’m on the board—but I promised my sister I’d help her install a new sink. She runs a B and B over toward Amherst.”
Stephen drained his coffee cup and stood up. “Well, then, we’d better head over there. Wouldn’t want to keep Rachel waiting, would we? And I’m sure Meg here will have a rip-roaring good time at that society of yours.” His tone was snide.
Seth gave him another exasperated look, then stood up more slowly.
Meg followed them to the back door. “Seth, where’s this meeting, and when?”
“At seven, first Tuesday
Grudgingly Seth moved into the room, and his brother pushed past him. “Hi,” he said to Meg with an engaging grin. “I’m Stephen Chapin, the other half of Chapin Brothers. I’d offer to shake hands, but …”
Meg waved at her sink. “Please, wash! It’s such a treat to be able to use the water again. And let me make some fresh coffee.” She waited while Stephen washed his hands thoroughly, then she filled the pot and set the coffeemaker brewing. She was pleased to find a forgotten bag of cookies in a cupboard, and distributed a handful on a slightly chipped plate, which she set in the center of the table. “There. Sit down, you two. Coffee’ll be done in a minute.”
As she waited for the coffee to finish, she studied the brothers. The kinship was evident in their bone structure, but there were clearly differences. Seth had been unfailingly cheerful, at least around her. Stephen was another matter. He was darker in coloring than his brother, and seemed more intense. He was also fidgety, tapping his fingers on the table. When Meg set a mug of coffee in front of him, he flashed her another smile. “Hey, thanks. Seth says you’re new to the area. I’d be happy to take you around, show you what’s fun around here.”
Was he flirting with her? “Thanks for the offer, but I unfortunately don’t have much time for fun, Stephen. I don’t know if Seth told you, but I’m trying to get this place ready to sell, and it keeps me busy.”
That smile came again. “Ah, come on. You need to get out of the house now and then, don’t you? Why not?”
“Stephen, she said no.” Seth’s voice was mild, but there was an edge to it.
Stephen turned to look at him. “Oh, yeah, right. She’s one of you worker bees, right? No time off for good behavior. Sorry, Meg—big brother here has put the kibosh on fun.”
There was a clear tension between the two brothers, and hidden currents that Meg didn’t understand—or want to. It was none of her business. All she wanted from them was working plumbing.
Seth made an obvious effort to change the subject. “Have you ever looked into the history of this place, Meg?”
Meg shook her head, confused by his abrupt shift. “Haven’t had time, but I suppose I should. The Realtor asked the same thing. She thought it might be a good selling point.”
“Who’s your Realtor?”
“Frances Clark.”
Seth nodded. “She knows the market around here—she’ll do a good job for you. But as for the history, it’s definitely worth doing. Some of the land grants around here go back to the 1600s, when this part of the country was first surveyed. The records should be in Northampton or Springfield, if you ever have a free afternoon. Ask at the library in Northampton first—they have a lot of material on local history. You know, this whole area used to be called Warren’s Corner, after that intersection of this road and what’s now the highway. They changed the name to Granford in the early nineteenth century.”
“I’ll put it on my to-do list.” Which now covered several pages. “How do you know all this, anyway?”
“I’ve lived here all my life, and I like history. But I mentioned it because there’s a meeting of the Granford Historical Society tonight, and you might be interested in going and talking to some of the local historians. Maybe they could help. I’d be there myself—I’m on the board—but I promised my sister I’d help her install a new sink. She runs a B and B over toward Amherst.”
Stephen drained his coffee cup and stood up. “Well, then, we’d better head over there. Wouldn’t want to keep Rachel waiting, would we? And I’m sure Meg here will have a rip-roaring good time at that society of yours.” His tone was snide.
Seth gave him another exasperated look, then stood up more slowly.
Meg followed them to the back door. “Seth, where’s this meeting, and when?”
“At seven, first Tuesday
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