Love is Lovelier
Page 3
“Ever?”
“Nope. He avoided being alone with me, and he wouldn’t return my calls. Then he got injured at the end of that season.”
Magda nodded. “Jeff told me about it, he said Mick really did a number on his knee.”
“It was a career-ending injury. The Jurgenson family, who owned the Pintos, loved him though, so they put him to work in the front office. I had no excuse to run into him then, so we practically never saw each other. And slowly, the sweet boy from West Virginia morphed into the iceman you see today.”
“What do you think happened?”
Heather shrugged in an attempt to feign indifference, even if she was far from feeling it. “I guess he was just playing with the stupid farm girl.”
Magda shook her head. “I don’t think Jeff and Cisco would’ve stayed friends with a man who would do that to a girl. There has to have been something more.”
“Whatever.” Heather plunked her empty glass on the table. “It was a long time ago; I don’t really care what his deal was back then. I just don’t want it to impact our working relationship now.”
Magda smiled in sympathy. “Are you sure?”
Heather took a deep breath and stared straight ahead. “I’m positive. I could care less about Mick Evans.”
She pasted on a smile and turned to face Magda, but something she saw through the tall bank of windows overlooking the front yard caught her attention. Her smile turned into a scowl as she asked, “Is Mick outside with Gloria Peterson, of all God-forsaken people? It didn’t take them long to find each other! What do you suppose they’re talking about?”
Magda grinned. “It’s good to see how you could care less about Mick.”
****
The woman was beautiful, no doubt about it, but she did nothing for Mick, even though she was sending out signals as strong as a broadcast tower.
Jeff turned his back to the tiny raven-haired looker and rolled his eyes at Mick. “Gloria, this is Mick Evans, the new CEO of the Retreat. Mick, this is Gloria Peterson, her daughter is my daughter’s best friend.”
Gloria advanced on Mick like a slinky predator. He’d met her type plenty, and sometimes he even took them up on their blatant invitations, he was no saint, but right now all he could think about this woman was she didn’t hold a candle to Heather. And that kind of thinking needed to be squashed. Pronto.
He extended his hand. “Nice to meet you, Gloria.”
Her fingers slid up to caress the inside of his wrist. Her long fingernails scratched him, and he thought of Heather’s sensible short nails, neat and buffed, but not done up like Gloria’s talons. Heather was like the Anti-Gloria, with her willowy, athletic body and her face like sunshine. He felt a nail prick the sensitive spot at the base of his palm and realized Gloria was talking.
“Welcome to Rivers Bend, Mick. I’m sure you’ll find us to be very welcoming. If you need a tour guide…”
“Tour guide?” Jeff interrupted with a burst of laughter. “We have one stoplight in town, Mick. I think you’ll manage to navigate Main Street without a tour guide.”
Gloria released Mick’s hand to swat at Jeff’s arm coquettishly. “Oh, you!”
Mick received Jeff’s message loud and clear—don’t be taken in, because this woman is a she-wolf. The problem was, since he’d hit Rivers Bend today, all he’d been able to think about was Heather, and that wouldn’t do at all. Maybe Gloria could be a distraction for him. She was the type of woman who knew the score, so he wasn’t worried about leading her on and hurting her. She knew how to play the game. Hell, she probably invented the game.
““I don’t know, Jeff.” He winked at Gloria. “I think I could use a little help finding my way around town.”
Gloria smiled like a cat just finding a mouse hole. “Then I’m your woman. I have to find my daughter now, but I’ll be in touch soon.”
Jeff waited until she’d wriggled her behind up the stairs to the house and then frowned. “Maybe you’re not as smart as I always thought you were, but your personal time is your own, and Gloria certainly knows her way around. Just be careful of her; she’s on the prowl for husband number five.”
“Five?”
Okay. Using this man-eater as a distraction from Heather might not have been his best plan, but Mick needed to do something. Heather was his friend’s little sister, not to mention said friend was now his boss, and Heather was now his employee. Plus, his behavior toward Heather in the past was something that always deeply shamed him.
Nope, he had to fight his attraction to Heather. If not with Gloria, then he’d bury himself in his new work here at the Retreat.
Chapter 4
Mick put his plan into action early the next morning. He strode into the Retreat offices, located off the lobby. He noticed a light on in one of them and heard the furious clicking of fingers flying across a keyboard. He peeked through the door and froze, so much for his good intentions to put the woman out of his mind through hard work.
“Morning, Heather. What are you doing here so early?”
Heather jumped and her chair rolled backward with a squeak. She put a hand to her heart, which had the unfortunate reaction of drawing his attention to her breasts. He never would’ve guessed a navy blue polo shirt with the corporate logo of a winding river, surrounded by trees, embroidered in white on the upper left breast, could hold such erotic appeal.
“Mick! You scared me. I didn’t expect anyone else to be here so early. It’s only six-thirty!”
“I could say the same to you—well, not that you scared me, because you didn’t—but, I did think I’d be the first one in the office. You used to like to sleep in, said it came from being raised on a horse farm, where you always had to be up before the sun.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Old habits die hard, and I went back to waking up early. Besides what time I choose to get out of bed isn’t any of your affair.”
Why did she have to talk about them and bed, and use the word ‘affair’? It pushed his thoughts farther down the path they’d started on this morning. Back to business. Going down the other path led to badness.
“You’re right, but your work is my business. What are you working on?”
She turned to look at the computer screen. “Organization and paperwork are not Jeff or Cisco’s thing, so I like to get here before them on Monday morning and get the week’s schedule in a spreadsheet for them.”
He leaned over her shoulder to look at the data. “You have all the groups we’ve got coming in this week, their activities, what rooms and facilities will be utilized—good work.” He tried hard to ignore the citrusy smell of her glossy, sun-kissed brown hair. “May I have a copy?”
She twisted her neck to look up at him, pleasure and surprise shone in her eyes. “Thanks. Of course you can have a copy. I usually print it out for Jeff and Cisco, but I also email it to them, so they can access it from their smart phones when they’re leading activities on the grounds.”
“Like hiking?”
She nodded. “Right. We also offer training on the Alpine tower and horseback riding. The guys lead all of those activities, so they’re not in the office a lot during the day.”
He leaned in closer to see today’s activities, and felt her silky hair brush against his cheek. His whole body reacted to the feathery sensation. He clenched his jaw and jerked away. He recited football stats in his head to will away his semi-erection, which started with no more than the touch of her hair. What the hell was his problem? Business—get back to business and his comfort zone. “What’s happening this morning?”
****
Excellent question.
What the hell was happening this morning?
Mick certainly was consistent in his mixed signals. She was picking up a vibe from him that he wasn’t thrilled to be working with her, but he went on to praise her work. Then to round it out, he went back to the jaw-clenching thing he did that gave a girl the definite impression he’d rather be anywhere but in her company.
He waved his hand in front of her face. “Heather, I asked you what’s happening this morning?”
She straightened her spine. Right. Mick was her boss. Leave the wildly inappropriate thoughts at the office door. Better yet—leave them ten years in the past where they belonged.
“We have the Sales department from a manufacturing company checking in for team-building exercises. They have lunch scheduled in the dining room, and then Jeff will take them on an afternoon hike along our trails.”
“You’ll oversee their check-in?”
“I always do. I’ve checked their flight, and it’s on schedule for arrival. The minibus we use to pick them up is en route to Dulles as we speak.”
He looked impressed, and she hated the way it made her heart flutter.
“You keep everything here organized. I’m impressed.”
Great. Now the flutter was an out-and-out pound, and the heat she felt in her cheeks told her she was blushing. Lots of men had praised her for things that were just good genes—her smile, her hair, her body—but to have a man praise her for her work was new and nice. She had to admit if felt really good.
Her brother’s voice from the door spared her from making what she feared would be a breathless response.
****
“You should be impressed. Heather’s the grease that keeps this whole machine running smoothly.”
Footsteps pounded down the hallway, and Jeff’s eleven-year-old daughter, Sam, burst into the room.
“Aunt Heather, I’ve got that history test today, can you quiz me one more time?”
“Samantha Jane—manners,” Jeff reminded her in a warning tone.
The coltish child hung her head and her honey-blonde ponytail swung behind her head. “I’m sorry, Dad, I’m just really nervous about this test.” She glanced up at Mick through her fringe of bangs. “Good morning, Mr. Evans.”
He smiled at her. “Good morning, Sam. I always used to put a lot of pressure on myself at school, so I understand how you’re feeling.”
Heather stood and grabbed her empty coffee mug from the desk. “C’mon, Sam. We can do this in the kitchen while you have breakfast, and I grab a second cup of coffee.”
As they walked out of the room, Mick heard Heather soothe the child. “I know you’re stressing about this test, but you’ve got this Colony stuff down, so no worries.”
Jeff smiled after them with obvious affection. “I was really happy to see Heather and you working together so well this morning. I’ve got to be honest with you, Mick; I don’t know what I would do without her around here.”
“She seems to be very good at her job.”
“She is, and she always goes above and beyond her job description, even though she’s the boss’s sister. She decorated this place—the Retreat rooms and my personal quarters. She oversaw the renovations while Cisco and I were playing our last season with the Pintos.” He paused and shook his head in wonder. “And what she’s sacrificed to help me out personally—there’s nothing I could ever do to repay her for all she’s done.”
“Do you mean when she moved to Portland after Crystal died?”
“Yeah. I don’t know what I would’ve done without her. Sam doesn’t even remember her mother. Heather’s the one who’s helped me to raise her.”
“Which was great of her, don’t get me wrong, but I think moving across the country, being surrounded by pro ball players was an adventure for her.”
Jeff scowled and pounded his right fist into the palm of his left. “But you bastards all knew enough to leave my baby sister alone.”
Mick swallowed hard, and hoped Jeff couldn’t see his Adam’s apple bob with the action. Two things he wanted to avoid doing here in Rivers Bend—seeing Heather Braden, and discussing his past history with Heather with Jeff. So far he was zero for two.
Time for him to take evasive action, since his plan was not exactly working like a charm. “Did I hear talk of coffee somewhere?”
Jeff hoisted his cup of hot, aromatic coffee. “In the kitchen—follow me. Mrs. Wilson, my housekeeper, keeps a pot going all day.”
****
She heard Mick and Jeff talking as they approached the kitchen, and Heather struggled to concentrate on the U.S. History textbook propped up on the table in front of her. Sam sat across from her and shoveled in a spoonful of cereal before hurriedly swallowing to answer Heather’s question.
“Connecticut was the fifth state to join the Union.”
“Right! You’ve got this stuff down, Sam. You’re going to ace your test.”
“Of course you are, Peanut.” Jeff poured a cup of coffee for Mick as he spoke to his daughter.
Heather feared it would look weird if she kept reading the textbook, and reluctantly looked up at her brother and Mick. Maybe Mick wouldn’t even be looking at her.
She gulped.
No such luck, his light brown eyes focused on her with such laser beam attention she could imagine sparks shooting from the gold flecks in them.
“Heather,” her brother’s voice broke the spell firing up between Mick and her. “I was just telling Mick we’re more casual around here.”
Her gaze took a leisurely tour from his Italian leather shoes, up to the impeccable suit personally tailored to fit his broad shoulders and narrow waist, and on to the crisp white shirt and blue silk tie.
She raised her eyebrows and looked down at her own low-slung khakis and navy Retreat polo shirt. “You do look a little over-dressed, Mick.”
“Michael,” he replied automatically.
Jeff leaned against the granite countertop, cupped his mug in his hands, and laughed. “I’d give up on that Michael business already; you’re Mick to us. Always have been; always will be. It’s a losing battle.”
Sam gulped down the last of her orange juice. “Dad, can you give me a ride to school now? I don’t want to be late today.”
Jeff put his mug in the sink. “Sure, Peanut. Grab your stuff and I’ll meet you at the truck.”
“Thanks, Dad!” Sam beamed at Heather as she put her dishes in the dishwasher, and then ran over to throw her arms around her aunt’s neck. “And thank you, Aunt Heather, for all your help getting ready for this test! Bye, Mr. Evans!”
“Call me Mick,” he replied with a deep sigh of resignation. “Good luck on your history test.”
Jeff grabbed his truck keys off a hook by the back door. “Heather, can you get Mick set up with Retreat gear in his size—polos, tees—you know what he’ll need. Can’t have him looking like he stepped off a fashion runway every day. It’d scare the livestock.”
“Livestock?” Mick’s jaw dropped. “We have livestock?”
Heather laughed, but it stuck in her throat at her brother’s next words.
“Oh, and take him on the grand tour this morning.” He tossed a set of keys at her, which Heather caught one-handed. “Take a golf cart and make sure he’s sees everything.”
No.
Hell to the no.
Heather did not want to spend her morning pressed up against Mick in a tiny golf cart.
Okay, maybe she did want to, but it scared the bejeezus out of her.
“Sorry, Jeff, but I have a group checking in this morning. I need to oversee the process; make sure it all runs smoothly.”
Jeff flashed her a charming grin that would probably have worked on any woman who wasn’t one of his sisters. “Don’t worry about it, it’s a small group. I’ll call Cisco and have him handle the check-in.”
She opened her m
outh to argue, but Jeff was gone like a flash before she could say a word. He’d been out of the NFL for years, but when he wanted to avoid something her brother could still move like lightning.
She dragged her gaze to Mick, who seemed torn between amusement at her obvious discomfort, and his own annoyance at being thrust together this morning.
“Looks like you’re stuck with me,” he said with a rueful grin.
“Looks that way.” She threw the back door open and said with resignation, “Let’s get this tour on the road. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish.”
****
Mick grinned as he stepped outside. “I don’t think I’ve ever had such a gracious invitation before.”
Heather screwed up her mouth. “I’m sorry. My mom would have my head on a platter for being so rude. Even to you.”
“Impressive. You almost got your apology out without another insult.”
She led the way to the golf cart, and he remembered the crazy way she used to drive. She might have improved in the past eleven years, but he wasn’t ready to take the chance she hadn’t. “How about I drive?”
“But you won’t know where to go.”
“You can tell me where to go.”
“Oh, I’d like to tell you where to go, all right,” she muttered.
Mick pretended not to hear, in order to try to keep both the peace and his promise to Jeff that Heather and he would get along with each other. “I’ll learn my way around better if I’m the one driving.”
She tossed the keys at him, and he wasn’t kidding himself, she threw them at him, not to him.
She sat in the passenger seat with her arms crossed against her chest. “Fine. You do the driving. You can drive a golf cart, can’t you?”
He got behind the wheel, and his arm pressed against hers in the close confines of the cart. “Sure. A lot of business gets done on the golf course, so I had to learn the game. Plus the Pintos sponsored a charity golf tournament every year, and part of my job was to organize it.”
He felt her pull her body away from his, and he missed her warmth. She held onto the cart with one hand, and leaned out to the side to avoid contact. He frowned. Was she still so mad at him she would rather hang out of a moving vehicle than to have any incidental contact with him? For the first time, Mick worried he wouldn’t be able to keep his promise to Jeff. Heather and he seemed incapable of getting past their history together, in order to get along in the present.