by Vella Munn
“The different property is something the realtor is trying to sell, right?”
“Right. This isn’t the first time Kannar has tried something like this. His ethics—every business has people like that. Right now he’s a thorn in my side.”
“A thorn that keeps you from enjoying a certain someone’s company.” Doc smiled. “When you get to be my age you don’t sleep all that well. As a result you know when someone leaves in the middle of the night.”
What could she say? Probably the less the better.
“Just thought I’d tell you. I don’t care what you do as long as you don’t wind up getting hurt.”
“You don’t need to concern yourself about that.”
“Easier said than done. I happen to care a lot about you. You got a raw deal with the parents you were handed.”
Now she truly didn’t know what to say.
“I’m going to give you a piece of advice,” Doc continued. “Your dad spent his whole life trying to mold you into what he thought you should be. Don’t ever let that happen again. You’ll be miserable if you do.”
“Are you talking about Nate?”
“Hopefully not. Given the barriers he’s erected around himself, it’s hard to tell what’s going on inside him.”
*
SHE WAS STILL thinking about what Doc had said when Nate and Rance finished with the trees. The smallest needle-laden branches were stacked around the fire pit and the trunk sections were back by the wood yard waiting for the log splitter. Because the wind had kicked up, they’d decided to let the fire burn out. She’d brought out a pitcher of ice water and plastic glasses.
“How much do I owe you two?” She aimed her question at Rance. “And before you answer, keep in mind that I’m poor.”
Rance laughed and rubbed his right shoulder. “I don’t know. Grandpa?”
Now it was Doc’s turn to laugh. “This is the kind of thing neighbors do for each other up here. We don’t expect to get paid.”
“Unless you don’t have a job.” She pointed out.
She named a price that made Rance grin and nod. She then mentioned she had some chicken she could throw on the barbeque. Rance looked tempted until his grandfather reminded him that they’d planned to go over to the resort for dinner.
“Of course,” Doc said, “that’s if you can stay awake once you have a shower. And you will have a shower. Otherwise, I’m not getting into the same vehicle with you.”
*
“THE BOY CAN work,” Nate said when it was just the two of them. “I thought he might complain but he didn’t.”
“He wants to impress you.”
“Yeah, he does.”
They were sitting in lawn chairs and looking at where the trees had been. The ground was littered with sawdust and pine needles. She was tempted to rake the area but winter’s snow would break down the debris and add richness to the soil. Seeing proof of what he’d done for her made forgiving him for—for what—easy. So did being close to him.
Nate had stretched out his long, sawdust-covered legs and was sitting on his tailbone. She didn’t think it would take much for him to fall asleep. The breeze played with his hair while a couple of blue jays squawked from a nearby tree. It didn’t look as if Nate was aware of them.
“I brought a change of clothes,” he said. “I’d like to take a shower if you don’t mind.”
“Of course I don’t.” She also wanted to kiss him, to accept that his dirty, sweaty body spoke of what he’d done for her. “I’d like you to spend the night. Will you?”
He slowly turned his head toward her. “I—yes.”
Even as his response filled her with anticipation, she couldn’t pretend the decision had come easy to him. Maybe between his tiredness and some lovemaking, she’d find a way to reach beyond his barriers.
But maybe not.
She had to try.
Chapter Twenty-One
NATE FIGURED IT had taken at least fifteen minutes to convince himself to stand up, get his overnight bag out of the truck, and go into the bathroom. He didn’t want to think about what his shoulders and back would feel like come morning, but once he’d gotten into a rhythm, he’d decided to get all the work done in a single session. Of course there’d been a little matter of wanting to prove to Rance that he wasn’t old.
And spending time near Alisha.
Her shower was small but getting clean was worth the discomfort. Being a plumber could be a dirty job at times but it didn’t hold a candle to a chainsaw flinging chips and oil all over. That was why he’d brought extra clothing.
Not the only reason, he amended as he exited the bathroom. Alisha was sitting in the living area looking out the window with her left side to him and her profile capturing his attention. She was on her cell doing more listening than talking. Going by her expression, it wasn’t a conversation she wanted to be having.
She was wearing a little makeup and her hair was freshly brushed. Like the last time he’d been in here, she’d removed her shoes. Thin socks covered her long, narrow feet, making him wish he knew her well enough to give her a foot massage.
Well enough? They’d made love. It wasn’t as if they were strangers.
“I’m simply cautioning you to make sure all of the utilities are available before you make a decision. You can do what you want to of course and if that property meets your needs better than—”
Seeing her frown, he guessed whoever she was talking to had interrupted. She looked over at him, her expression softening as she did. Just like that he knew he wouldn’t be telling her what she deserved to know about him after all, at least not tonight.
“Kannar has a lot of experience.” She grimaced. “He’s been in the business at least fifteen years and knows the county’s commercial inventory but—”
Again someone cut her off. He gave serious thought to pulling the phone out of her hand and ordering whoever it was to listen. Instead, when she pointed at the kitchen counter, he picked up a fresh glass of ice water and downed it.
“Do something for me, will you?” she said. “Hire your own surveyor to look at the property. Don’t go by what Kannar says.” She paused. “No I’m not going to recommend anyone. All right. I’ll talk to you then.”
She hung up and slumped in the chair. “Don’t mind me if I scream.”
“Hard day at the office?”
“It’s always hard when Kannar is involved. The man will do anything to make money.”
He sat across from her, thinking she looked too slight and feminine for what she did. He also noted deep weariness in her eyes, a kind of surrender. Things should be easier for her. One option would be to suggest they go back outside because she enjoyed it so much.
“I put the chicken in the oven,” she said. “That way I don’t have to keep an eye on it.”
“Sounds good. Do you want to talk about it?” He indicated her cell.
“No.” She sighed. “My dad would have already called Kannar on it. Told him to back off, that this wasn’t his project to horn in on.”
“Why don’t you?”
“I’m soft. That’s what Dad would have said.”
“No, you aren’t.”
She straightened. “Maybe I don’t care.”
“Maybe?”
“Nate, you did the physical work today but I’m tired, too. The battle will still be there tomorrow.”
He reached out. When she placed her hands in his, it took him a moment to remember what he’d wanted to say. Being around her now wasn’t easier than it had been the other day. He’d been a fool to think that riding his bike after work yesterday, until he had been in danger of running out of gas, would get him back on track. Not only hadn’t he found the sense of freedom he usually did when he was exploring, everything still revolved around her—which for her sake he couldn’t let continue.
Hard. So hard. Why sleeping had been darn near impossible.
“You’re mentally worn out,” he said. “That’s a lot more draining th
an holding a chainsaw.” I know.
She squeezed his fingers then pulled free. “I thought things would get less complicated once Dad wasn’t looking over my shoulder, but I was wrong. I have to face facts.”
Take her in your arms and caress away her cares. Make her forget everything except the two of you. Don’t even think about burdening her with the truth. “What facts?”
She got to her feet and walked to the largest window. He didn’t care what she was staring at. How could he when he was looking at her shoulders, slender back, and ripe-to-be-touched buttocks? A nod from her and he’d carry her into the bedroom.
“I never thought I’d tell anyone this,” she whispered.
I know what that feels like. “Tell anyone what?”
“Do you really want to hear this? Sorry.” She leaned her forehead against the glass. Maybe felt the wilderness despite the barrier. “I hate indecisiveness. I’m just not sure how to get started.”
“Start with the facts.”
She straightened and continued to look out. “Yep. It’s really that simple. Nate, I’m in the wrong business.”
“You mean it?”
When she faced him he felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. How could he want her so much? She was an attractive young woman all right but he’d been around others and had never felt this—trapped. This lost.
This hungry for something he’d never been aware of.
Darn it, he should have gone for another bike ride this afternoon. Shouldn’t be here. Shouldn’t need her naked and willing so much.
Furious at his self-centeredness, he gave her a smile he didn’t feel. “You’re under a lot of work stress. No wonder you’re questioning elements of it.”
“It’s more than that.” Despite her nearly inaudible words, Bruce lifted his head and stared at his mistress. “You don’t have to say anything. In fact I’d rather you didn’t.”
He nodded.
She wrapped her arms around her middle, holding on so tight he wondered if she was hurting herself.
“My dad and I had a huge fight the day he died. We’d argued about the same thing before so it wasn’t new. I needed him to understand where I was coming from but he couldn’t.”
I’m trying. Maybe that’ll help.
“I have to back up a bit and give you some perspective. There’s a lot of goal and deadline setting in this business. Developers set timetables. A project has to reach a certain point by a given date. Contracts have to be signed by day whatever. Otherwise everything gets backed up and a project can fall apart. Just the same, I believed Dad’s deadlines were too stringent. People aren’t chess pieces. We can’t pressure them to make major decisions in X number of hours. Dad wouldn’t bend or see things my way.”
“It was his business,” he said playing devil’s advocate.
“Yes.” She pressed her palm to her forehead then hugged herself again. “It was. But I kept trying to convince him that there’s more than one way to run that business. Except I wasn’t talking about other people.”
“You were talking about you.”
“Yes. Dad resented the time I spent advocating for private clients. He ordered me to stop giving away my services.”
“Your private clients? People like Doc’s daughter you mean?”
“Exactly. Finding a decent house they could afford often took months. I loved doing it while he resented every minute I didn’t devote to Hearne Development.”
“Even if that enthusiasm carried over to what you did for the company?” He forcefully ignored his aching right shoulder and arm.
“I didn’t feel the same kind of enthusiasm for the company, and he knew it. He was disappointed in me and I felt the same way about him. I told him I needed to take a break from the business, and from him.”
Judging by her tight features she was getting to the heart of things. Maybe going outside—
“I’d just gotten back to my place when he called. The first time his number came up I didn’t answer. Then he called again and I gave in. He said he wasn’t feeling well.”
“He wanted you to—”
“Dad would never ask me for help.”
She was telling him things he couldn’t relate to, but this wasn’t the time to tell her. Hoping this was what she needed, he remained silent. And he fought the need to touch her. To risk revealing how much her trust in him mattered.
“What he said was that unless he felt better by morning he probably couldn’t make a meeting. That’s all.” She stared at Bruce who was still regarding her. “I told him I got it.” Her mouth barely moved. “I said I’d fill in for him but was it so hard for him to ask?”
“What did he say?”
“Nothing. Not a word.”
Maybe the chicken was done. He should remind her so it wouldn’t burn—so she wouldn’t have to finish her story.
“I repeated myself but he still didn’t respond.” She covered her mouth. “I should’ve called nine-one-one but I didn’t.”
I know where this is going. “What did you do?”
She leaned closed her eyes. “I went to his place. I didn’t speed. If I was feeling anything, I don’t remember. I just went there. I didn’t ring the doorbell. I walked in.”
“I’m sorry.”
“He was on the floor with the phone in his hand. He, ah, he’d turned it off.” A single tear leaked from under her lashes.
“Was he dead?”
“The paramedics said his heart had probably stopped before I got there.”
“Don’t blame yourself.” He wasn’t sure she’d heard. Or believed him.
“Maybe the last thing my father did was turn off the phone. In his eyes I’d failed him as an heir. He didn’t want to talk to me. He preferred to die alone.”
Unable to allow her to cling to her own space any longer, he hurried to her and enveloped her in his arms.
“Don’t,” he insisted. “You can’t go through life thinking that.”
“I didn’t want to see him.” Her words vibrated against his chest. “I drove slow. He ran out of time because I’d—if I hadn’t let my disappointment in him get in the way…”
“You didn’t know.”
“He was trying to tell me something but I couldn’t—what kind of relationship was that?”
He made no attempt to answer.
Chapter Twenty-Two
ALISHA HAD TO hand it to Nate. At least he tried to keep a conversation going throughout dinner. If things had been reversed she would have told him she wasn’t hungry after all and had something vital to do anywhere but around her.
She wouldn’t blame him. After all, what man wants to hear that his brand new lover’s relationship with her father had been so dysfunctional? If she couldn’t put aside a stupid argument long enough to try to save her father’s life, how should she be anything but a failure as a romantic possibility?
This wasn’t her. She took pride in being decisive.
But the stakes were so high, so personal.
Instead of answering her question, he’d opened the windows so fresh air streamed in. “Take deep breaths,” he’d said. “That’s all you have to do.”
Strangely, she’d felt a lightening of the emotional load she’d been carrying since she’d found her dad’s body. Confession and mountain air was good for some things.
Maybe.
And maybe it would all blow up in her face.
Acknowledging she couldn’t think her way out of a paper bag tonight, she kept up a line of chatter about nothing. It wasn’t until Nate told her what he’d done yesterday afternoon that she took notice. At Rey Bower’s suggestion, he’d taken his bike up Mount Lynx’ backside until the trail had gotten too narrow to go any further.
“I haven’t been on the mountain’s backside for years,” she said. No way would she point out that his bike’s noise had undoubtedly disturbed the wildlife. Surely he knew. “I remember it follows a seasonal creek. It must be going full force. I bet it’s impressive.”
&n
bsp; “I guess.”
“Didn’t you pay attention?”
He shrugged. “I wasn’t sure how well the tires would grip. That trail’s pretty steep in places.”
It was, but she couldn’t fathom tires’ ability to hold onto rocks and gravel being more important or interesting than icy falls and churning water to say nothing of the spectacular views. Why had he gone if he hadn’t been interested in those things?
“The mountain’s spire-like top is a lightning magnet,” she said. Maybe if she kept talking about what he’d done, he’d elaborate. “I understand it has been hit so many times that some of the summit rocks have melted. Of course you’d have to hike to get that high.”
“Oh. The handling’s a little tight. I need to work on that.”
“It’s a bike.” She had to work at not snapping at him. “It takes you off the grid but there are limitations on where it can go. Some of the remote locations are amazing.”
The way he stared at her, she was certain he didn’t get it. Maybe it was a man thing but wouldn’t he be more interested in his surroundings, especially in a setting like this?
“Nate, I’ve spent most of my life nose to the grindstone. Getting off the treadmill is a treat for me.”
“I guess.”
“You guess? Did you take pictures?”
“No. Alisha, I’ve been to a lot of places in recent years. Where I am doesn’t matter that much.”
Which meant he had no intention of staying here. Suddenly angry and a little scared, she planted her elbows on the table.
“I’ve spent most of my life in one county,” she said, “in a state known for its spectacular views. I could never take it for granted.”
Going by his steady stare, he realized the subject was important to her but could she reach him?
“I learned everything I could about this area. It was a way to connect with my mother. Centuries ago, Native Americans spent a great deal of time at Lake Serene. Sometimes I look at it and picture them fishing.” She smiled. “They’re in their canoes talking about the feast they’ll have. Imagining them makes me feel as if I’m part of something beyond the present.”
