Part I
Chapter One
MOLLY
35 Years Old
After slipping the oven mitt over my hand, I pull open the oven door, then immediately wave my hand in front of my face until the wave of heat doesn’t threaten to singe my eyebrows. Grabbing the pan, I place it on top of the oven. Golden brown and fluffy. The perfect combination.
The buttermilk biscuit recipe is Mom’s, and it comes with a lot of good memories. Any time she’d make biscuits when I was a kid, she’d let me press my knuckles down to flatten the dough. I smile as I look down at the small indents on the top. I’ve passed down that tradition to my own daughter. Gemma always gets so excited when I make them for that very reason.
I scoop the biscuits up and put them on a plate, then drop the pan into the sudsy water in the sink. I’m no neat freak by any means, but I always like to do the dishes as I’m cooking. It saves time, prevents the sink from being overloaded, and it’s less that’ll have to be done later.
I’m just rinsing out a bowl when a hard, muscular chest presses against my back, and my favorite woodsy scent surrounds me.
“How’s my girl today?” a deep voice rumbles, nuzzling into my neck. It never ceases to amaze me how just Lincoln’s voice can send shivers through my body, make my heart race, and fill me with warmth. Even after twenty-seven years of knowing him—seventeen of those years married—he can make me smile at the drop of a hat. Today is no different.
My lips curve, and he loosens his arms enough for me to turn around. Black hair, just long enough for me to run my hands through the top, stormy-gray eyes, and a neatly trimmed beard; he’s still the most handsome man I’ve ever known.
“Hey, you.”
His answering smile causes slight wrinkles to form at the corners of his eyes. He leans down at the same time I roll to my tippy toes, and we meet in the middle for a slow kiss. I sigh into his mouth. It’s crazy and maybe a bit excessive, especially since we’ve been married for so long, but I always miss him when we’re not together. Like there’s some vital part of me lying dormant until we’re together again.
When we pull apart, I rest my hands against his pecs and stare up at him. His arms lock loosely around my waist.
“Well?” I ask excitedly. “Did you get the commission?”
His big grin is enough of an answer. “I did.”
“Oh my, God! Really?” I toss my arms around his neck and hug him tight. “I’m so proud of you!”
The Fischer commission is something Lincoln has been working at tirelessly for the last two months. Fischer Investments is a new multi-billion dollar company that’s moving to the city, and they’ve had bids out for art deco. The job is to cover their entire, newly-built building. There will be over a hundred offices, numerous waiting rooms, and board rooms that need custom made art deco. It’s a huge deal, and the pay is outrageously high. Lincoln has been in competition with two other designers and has worked hard at proving his worth to the company by making sample pieces.
That work has paid off. Lincoln is a damn good artist, and he can pretty much make anything out of everything. I couldn’t be more happy for him.
“I met with the owner today, and he told me the good news.” I raise my brow, surprised he met the actual owner. “He said he liked my work so much that he wanted to meet me.”
“Wow. Not that it’s a surprise, but you must have really impressed him.”
“Apparently so. He asked for a few pieces for his home as well. Not only his penthouse in the city but a couple of his vacation homes.”
My excitement grows, along with my pride. I know Lincoln is a master at his art, but it’s always nice when someone else recognizes it too. He’s come a long way since he first started his own business nine years ago. Bradshaw Designs started with a single client and has worked its way up in the art industry. He’s built a solid reputation; one clients can count on. He’s had people from all over the world request his pieces.
“When do you start?”
“Immediately. The schedule is pretty lax right now since they don’t plan to open until next year, but the owner wants a few pieces done as soon as possible to put in his temporary offices.”
“I assume you plan to bring Owen in to help?”
“Gonna have to. I want to get a head start in case anything unexpected turns up. I’d rather be ahead than behind.”
Owen owns a prestigious art gallery in the city, but sometimes Lincoln will bring him in on bigger jobs. Over the years, they’ve toyed with the idea of combining the two companies, but they haven’t taken the leap yet.
“I think that’s a good idea. I know you always enjoy working with Owen.”
“It’s always good to have fresh eyes. I want to impress the hell out of Fischer. Could mean bigger commissions in the future.”
Just then, a big, obnoxious yawn grips me, and I cover my mouth. Lincoln’s concerned gaze is locked on mine once it passes.
“You’re doing too much, baby. You need to slow down and hire another vet.”
I ignore the wave of exhaustion suddenly hitting me. “I already have a couple of people coming in for interviews next week. Once I find the right person, I plan to cut back my hours.”
I’ve always loved animals, and from the time I understood what a career was, I wanted to work with them. I’m not the typical veterinarian who works with household pets, although I won’t turn them away. I specialize in more exotic animals such as wallabies, kinkajous, binturongs, and other uncommon animals. It’s truly surprising how many exotic animals are legal in New York. It’s even more surprising how many people own them, and how few veterinarians offer services to them. I not only offer my services, but I make house calls to those who can’t bring their beloved pets into the office. The last year has been busier than normal, and the workload has become cumbersome. I’ve been meaning to hire a second vet but haven’t had the time until recently.
Lincoln pulls me closer to his chest, and I melt against him.
“Once the kids get out of school for the summer in a few weeks, what do you say we head to the lake for a week? I spoke with Mrs. Bagley the other day, and she said her grandkids would be there a couple of weeks early. Gray and Gemma would love to see Eli and Mindy. I’m sure they’ll want to spend a night or two with them.” He wiggles his brows playfully. “We could take advantage and work on that third baby we’ve been discussing. Actually, why don’t you go ahead and stop taking the pill now?”
My tummy does somersaults at the mention of having Lincoln all to myself for an entire day. Our sex life is very active and satisfying, but between our jobs and having young children who could need us at a moment’s notice, it makes it difficult to find time to leisurely enjoy each other.
“That sounds like heaven,” I say wistfully. “If one of the two candidates works out, that should give me enough time to take a week off. But what about you? You just got this commission. Will you be able to step away from it for that long?”
His warm, callused hands slip beneath the back of my shirt, meeting my bare skin. “I’ll make it work. We both need this time away. And I know the kids will enjoy it.”