Her Unexpected Hero. Cheryl Harper

intense fit when he’d told her he’d be living in Sweetwater until he could get the project up and running.

      In fact, he’d be surprised if anyone in the room actually wanted to greet a Callaway at all that morning.

      Besides that, Callaways didn’t make excuses and avoided apologies when they could.

      Ever since the Kingfishers had routed his brother and father so soundly, he had the feeling Callaways were no longer greeted as wealthy benefactors in Sweetwater. Before his previous quick trip to town, how many years had it been since he’d visited? Five years? Was that how long it had been since he’d fished Otter Lake?

      “Sure. You had a thing. It happens. We busy corporate moguls have to schedule full days.” Janet tapped his arm. “Let’s get you out on the road. This first place I have to show you...” She held up her hands and gestured as if she was pushing open the curtains on a grand vista. “You won’t need to waste a bit of your time with any others.”

      Caleb ran a hand down his nape and wondered if Winter would say something. Anything at all would be good.

      Then he realized how little her opinion should matter. She was a part of his mission here in Sweetwater. As long as she wasn’t organizing press briefings or rallying the town against him or his family, his job was going to be easy.

      “I’m surprised you have it available to rent, then. Because it’s the slow season?” Caleb asked as Janet waved her hands.

      “No, it’s not a renter, it’s a buyer, but for you, I’m going to make an exception.” She nodded around the room as if everyone had asked a question. “Regina and I bought it because we wanted to try our hands at a vacation rental.” She pursed her lips. “Well, that’s not entirely true. I wanted to decorate something other than my own living room, but then we decided to hold it instead of reselling it. We weren’t sure why then, but smart businesspeople follow their hunches.” She clapped. “And it’s all working out.”

      Caleb raised his eyebrows at Winter. She was a hometown girl, had probably known Janet Abernathy her whole life. Surely she could follow the conversation better than he was managing. She shook her head, but her lips curved as if there was a smile waiting.

      Seeing her again like this, looking a lot like her old self with the suit and the heels, but different, too... Softer...

      Then he read the campaign button pinned loud and proud to her nice suit. That, they would have to talk about.

      While he was trying to come up with an answer for her, Janet breezed past him. “Let me get my pocketbook and away we go.”

      The petite blonde who followed him was shaking her head, but she didn’t pause to greet him.

      That didn’t happen often—women passing him by instead of making a point to introduce themselves.

      The fact that he hadn’t noticed her until she passed under his nose might be the reason.

      Winter was in the room. She would draw attention no matter how many women were there.

      “Caleb.” She tangled her fingers together in front of her. “You’re going to be in Sweetwater for a few months.” The way she fidgeted and refused to meet his eyes convinced him she was as pleased with the notion as he was.

      “I won’t be stuck here any longer than necessary, but yeah, until I get the lodge construction up and running, I’ll be in town.”

      Her eyebrows rose. “Stuck, huh? Like it’s a punishment.”

      “Isn’t it? My stepfather’s decree—do this and all is forgiven. Given another option, I’d be eating a nice lunch right now. Instead, I’m in Sweetwater.” He pointed at the window. “Home of...a coffee shop.” Irritated all over again but aware he’d made his own decisions, Caleb held up his hands. Why did she give him the kind of jitters he hadn’t experienced since prom night? “Never mind about restaurant recommendations. I can find the only one in town by myself. Let’s talk about how my visit is going to play out. Between us.”

      Her eyes shot up, and this time she met his gaze directly. There was no way to miss the sharp intelligence there. She’d make a much better ally than enemy, something he’d always understood even if the rest of the Callaways had forgotten.

      “What does that mean?” Winter shifted a step closer to him. “As long as you keep your promise not to tell anyone the truth, why would there be anything between us? You’ll do your job, dismiss the people in this town, which seems to have become the Callaway way of life, and hit the road again. Nobody is looking forward to that as much as I am.” The corners of her lips turned up, but not into a genuine smile. “Maybe you’ll even learn to cook while you’re here. Wouldn’t want to take your chances eating anywhere with less than four stars, am I right?”

      The urge to defend himself was strong. Holes-in-the-wall, fine dining and everything in between were his kinds of places. His point had been about limited selection, not that it was beneath him.

      But the hard glint in her eyes convinced him to drop that piece of the argument.

      “I’ve got a short time frame for construction and other work that has to get done. I don’t need a circus going on while this lodge goes up.” Caleb remembered standing across from his stepfather as he’d delivered the news about his mother’s diagnosis. The tension. The fear that neither one of them wanted to acknowledge and his determination to repair the bridges he’d burned. “You’ve spent a lot of time in the center ring, grabbing the front page. Now, you’ll need to...stop. The lodge goes up. Ash has his job. Kingfishers and Callaways go along their separate, sometimes parallel, but never overlapping, paths and we all win. No bad press. This all works out for everyone.” Except for her, if she was still brokenhearted over the engagement ending. Whatever. She’d land on her feet. People as determined as Winter Kingfisher didn’t stay down for long.

      He braced his hands on his hips. This was how he did business. He was up-front. Blunt. She’d appreciate that. “No campaigning for Richard Duncan until the lodge is finished.” There. That was clear.

      Winter blinked slowly, the small frown of concentration suggesting she was evaluating his words carefully. “You’re building the lodge. Not Callaway Construction.” She pursed her lips. “That’s a good optic, plays better for all the papers covering Whit’s political run. Your company has a much better reputation. It’s so small, compared to the far-flung projects Callaway Construction has. Less destruction and legal fines, that sort of thing. The family unity is always nice, even if you have a reputation for being the least Callaway of them all.”

      Watching her pace was almost like tracking a tennis match. Then he realized what she’d said. The least of them all. Even knowing her current opinion of his brother and stepfather, that stung.

      “Caleb, daylight’s wasting. You ready?” Janet stuck her head into the large open space. “Time enough to talk to the pretty women later. Let’s find you an address to call your own.”

      Caleb nodded at Janet but made sure he caught Winter’s stare one more time. She hadn’t agreed to anything. This was the trickiest piece of the puzzle, figuring out Winter’s next step.

      The fact that she robbed him of IQ points simply by standing opposite him increased the degree of difficulty.

      “We have a deal. I might be stuck here, building this lodge I don’t care about in a place I don’t know because of you, but I’ll keep my promise as long as you’ll help kill this story dead,” Caleb said. “The less time that takes, the better chance I’ll remember my promise. No more circus, Winter.”

      The firmness of her jaw suggested she didn’t appreciate his honest terms.

      “It must be nice.” Winter walked slowly toward him. “Being able to dismiss the battle to save a place I love as a circus. Your family is about grabbing headlines. Your brother is about publicity at all costs. Your stepfather and brother were happy with my circus when I was setting it up for their benefit.” She sighed. “Having me