Sweet Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #2) - Ivy Layne Page 0,24

been hinting that a new Mrs. Sawyer would be moving in, had completely renovated the master suite of the house for her, and then… nothing.

The new Mrs. Sawyer had never arrived, and Prentice had changed. If possible, he'd grown even more cruel and demanding. Even Ford had moved out of the house by then, saying he could put up with Prentice for the sake of the company, but even he needed a break by the end of the day. Miss Martha, the housekeeper who’d practically raised us, had quit and refused to return.

And Prentice, who had taken such pride in Heartstone Manor, let the house fall into a state that could best be described as benign neglect. The gardens were choked with weeds. Most of the rooms in the house were still coated with dust, furniture and art missing, the house barely habitable.

Griffen was determined to change that. He and Hope had hired Savannah Miles, Miss Martha’s daughter, as housekeeper. Like her mother, Savannah was efficient, hard-working, and she didn't take crap off anyone, all skills necessary for managing both Heartstone Manor and the Sawyer family.

In the office, the savory scent of soup filled the room. A tray held three steaming bowls sitting beside two plates with thick roast beef sandwiches and one with a neat stack of saltines.

Hope was newly pregnant and morning sickness was kicking her ass. Seeing me in the doorway, she looked up with a smile. “Royal, you're here. The front gate called when you came through and Savannah brought in lunch. Beef and barley soup, sandwiches for you two and saltines for me.”

I took a seat in front of the desk. “Stomach still bothering you?”

Hope shook her head ruefully. “Sometimes I can barely choke down water and sometimes I think I could eat a horse. Today is one of those days I don't want food.”

I slid the packet of toffee-chip cookies across the desk. “Daisy sent you these. For when you think you can eat something.”

Hope's eyes widened as she reached out and snatched up the cookies. I'd already known they were her favorite, and apparently, so did Daisy. That's what best friends were for. “Royal, you brought me Daisy's cookies? Today, you're my favorite brother-in-law.”

“Just today? Why not every day?”

“Well, Finn made me that carrot and ginger soup the other day when I couldn't keep anything else down. That day he was my favorite.”

That soup had been amazing, especially considering I'd thought it would be disgusting. I'm not a fan of carrots. “Fair enough. What about the soup today? Did Finn make that too?”

Griffen and Hope shared a look. Sometimes I thought they had whole conversations with a single glance. Hope shook her head. “The new cook, Ms. Haverty, complained to Savannah about Finn, and Savannah banned him from the kitchens unless it's Ms. Haverty's day off.”

I leaned in and inhaled the scent rising from the steaming bowl. It smelled pretty good. Still, since he'd come home for Prentice's funeral, I'd learned that my younger brother Finn was a genius in the kitchen. So far, neither of the Heartstone Manor cooks had been able to meet his high expectations, a fact he didn't keep to himself. I wasn't surprised he'd been banned from the kitchen, more that Ms. Haverty had lasted this long before booting him out.

“Try the soup and saltines, Buttercup.” Griffen reached over to rub a soothing hand down Hope's back. “And after, maybe a nap?”

“Maybe,” Hope conceded. “Only if you tuck me in.”

I smiled to myself at Hope flirting with Griffen. I’d known her since I was a kid, when her uncle Edgar had taken her in. Edgar had worked closely with Prentice for years, and Hope had been his assistant after she graduated from college. Between the three of us, Hope knew the most about Sawyer Enterprises. She’d been invaluable in keeping the company thriving with Prentice dead and Ford in jail.

She’d always been quiet and shy. I don’t think I’d ever seen her flirt with any guy, much less Griffen. They’d been close as kids despite their six-year age difference, and it was common knowledge that she’d had a crush on Griffen forever, but she’d never dared to flirt with him.

It had been Hope who’d spilled the beans about Griffen and Vanessa’s planned elopement all those years ago, giving Prentice half of the lever he’d needed to force Griffen out of the company. And the family. She’d been wracked with guilt over the part she’d played, but once done,