Free Common Enemy by Sandra Dailey Page A

wasn’t safe. He needed to repair it before someone got hurt.
    He found Jordan sitting at her grandfather’s desk in the tack room. Her feet were propped up and her eyes were closed as she lay back in the wooden chair. He lightly tapped on the doorframe.
    “What are you doing out here?”
    “I was thinking about baking a pie for dessert tonight. What sounds good to you?” She lowered her legs and sat upright.
    “I’m getting to know you pretty well.” With hands on hips, Connor tilted his head to study her. “Pies are your comfort food. What’s the problem, boss?”
    “I’m starting to feel like this barn. Run down, ragged, and empty. I’m just waiting to be torn down, a lot of past but no future. What do I have to offer my daughter besides trouble? Maybe that’s why my mother left me here. I don’t have anyone like Gram to take care of Lizzy, though. We’re on our own.”
    “You don’t need to leave Lizzy with anyone. I’m here to help you. This is going to work out. Look around you. You have a good history here with your grandparents. This is the future they provided for you. It’s what you’ll pass along to Lizzy. This old place has seen a lot of love. If I have anything to do with it, it’s going to see a lot more.”
    “This old barn sure has seen a lot of love.” Jordan smirked.
    “You told me the first day I was here that this barn was special to your grandparents.”
    “My grandfather came out here in the evenings to write his column for the paper. After her chores were done, my grandmother came out to let him know it was time for bed. Most of the time, they didn’t wait to get to the bedroom. Sometimes they fell asleep in the hay the whole night.”
    “How do you know about that?” Connor was astonished she’d have such intimate knowledge.
    “My grandmother told me after my grandfather died. She still came out here to think about him at first, but it made her too sad. Finally, she quit coming altogether.” Jordan stood to leave.
    “She told you that she and your grandfather used to have sex in the barn!”
    “They were in love. There isn’t anything wrong with loving someone. Thinking about it gives me hope that someday I’ll be that happy too.”
    “It is kind of romantic to think this place was so well used for all those years. I wonder if you’ll still be out in this barn making love when you’re a grandma.”
    “I hope so,” she murmured wistfully.
    “It would be a shame to let an old tradition die, you know.” Connor wiggled his brows.
    “We’re not in love. It wouldn’t be the same.”
    Connor’s chest tightened as she walked away. He’d thought his heart had turned to stone, but now it felt like delicate porcelain that had just cracked a little.
    On Monday, Connor had finished removing the rotted barn roof. He laid plywood over the exposed rafters. The new roof would go on the next day. As he worked, he thought about the conversation with Jordan the night before. It would be something special to be that much in love. He wished that kind of love for Jordan someday. He longed to be the man to share it with her. However, that just wasn’t going to happen. She had made that clear. Could he blame her? Not when he looked in a mirror.
    As he sat up to take a drink of water he saw her car coming down the road. His watch showed that it was only three o’clock. Something was wrong. He raced down the ladder to meet her in the driveway.
    Jordan glared angrily as she opened the car door for Lizzy. The little girl’s clothes were dirty and her hair had pulled loose from the braids on each side of her head. Her bottom lip stuck out indignantly as she kept her head down.
    “You’re going to stay in your room for the rest of the day, young lady. Be ready to go to bed as soon as supper is finished.”
    “What happened?” Connor looked Lizzy over for injuries.
    “Mrs. Rogers called me and Mrs. Thornton to pick up our kids. They’d gotten into a fight on the playground.