Rose cleared her throat. “The thing is, your brother hasn’t had to think about anyone but himself for a long time.”
“True. Very astute of you to pick up on that.” Ellie tapped her lip thoughtfully as she studied him. “Linc, have you ever had to be unselfish and put someone else’s needs before your own?”
“Of course I have.”
“When?” Rose was clearly relishing her role in turning up the fire on his hot seat.
“Yeah, when?” Ellie asked.
“I have employees. A happy staff is an efficient staff. It’s very basic.”
“That’s business,” Rose pointed out.
“She’s right, Linc. If you’d ever been in love, you would get what it means to put someone else first.”
He got it big-time and had the dings in his heart as proof. But Rose didn’t believe he’d put her well-being before his own and Ellie would be crushed and disappointed that he hadn’t confided in her. He wasn’t willing to lose what he had with his sister.
Since Ellie had made a statement instead of asking a question, Linc felt justified in not addressing her implication that he’d never been deeply in love. “Did anyone ever tell you that two against one isn’t fair?”
“So, are you going to tattle on me to Dad?”
“Yours or mine?” The pity in his sister’s eyes made him wish he could take back those words.
“Come on, Linc—”
“What? Get over it?” He sighed. “The fact is, Hastings is not my father. I’ve accepted that. There’s no way to get over your DNA. It is what it is.”
“But, still—”
“Ow.” Rose dropped her knife.
“Did you cut yourself?” Linc was ready to jump in with first aid.
After checking her fingers for several moments she said, “No. Just a near miss.”
“Thank goodness. Be careful. Those knives are really sharp.” Ellie breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, I think we have enough veggies. Let’s get these omelets going.” She went into command mode. “Rose, your help is much appreciated but I’ll take it from here. Go have coffee with my brother.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Rose did as instructed and sat beside him at the island. There was a smug, satisfied expression on her face.
Suddenly Linc got it. His sister was banging pots and pans, so in a tone only Rose could hear he said, “You did that on purpose. Changed the subject.”
“You’re welcome.” She blew on her coffee. “Even though you don’t deserve it.”
She’d proactively rescued him from his well-intentioned sibling. Would wonders never cease.
This redemption tour was not at all what he’d expected. One minute she was busting his chops, the next she had his back. He wasn’t sure whether or not to be afraid of what she would do next.
* * *
“Thanks for getting Ellie off my back.”
“Don’t mention it. I gave you a distraction, you gave me a job. We’re even.”
“Not even close.”
Rose was pretty sure he’d contracted her services to make things up to her, but didn’t comment because a confirmation of her suspicions would make this a pity job.
They’d just left the house after breakfast and she sat in the passenger seat of the SUV while Linc drove to the condo. Pity or not she had work to do and wanted to see what she would be dealing with. They’d arrived yesterday just before sundown and she couldn’t really see much. Now the sun was shining, the sky was vivid blue and the scenery was stunning. If she’d been behind the wheel, concentrating on the road would have been a challenge.
“You were not wrong,” she said.
Linc glanced over. “I like the sound of that. But what are we talking about?”
“It’s beautiful here. The mountains from my room... Majestic, stately, lush, tree-covered.” She shrugged. “There are no words to adequately describe this place. And the view of the lake from your sister’s family room is breathtaking.”
He took his eyes off the road for a moment to look at her but aviator sunglasses hid his expression—although he was smiling. “I’m glad you like it.”
Rose knew that smile, the one that used to turn her inside out and, unfortunately, still did a little. “I really do.”
“Does that mean you trust me now?”
“Seriously? That was observation and opinion, not the basis on which to determine trustworthiness.”
“Oh.” He lifted one broad shoulder in a shrug. “A guy can hope.”
Why in the world would he care? This was a job, not a relationship, and they were getting a divorce. When it was all over, their paths were unlikely to cross again. That thought should have been comforting but it produced a twinge of something that felt a little like regret. She chose not to comment.
Very soon she spotted a complex of buildings and Linc drove up to the guard gate and stopped the car. He pressed the button and his window went down as the private security guy walked out of the small hut and over to them.
“Nice to see you, Mr. Hart.”
“You too, Jeff.” He angled his head toward her. “This is Rose Tucker.”
Jeff leaned over far enough to get a good look at her. “A pleasure, Miss Tucker.”
“Hi.” She lifted her hand in a wave.
“Can you put her on my list of approved people? She’s my decorator and will need access to my place.”
“Sure thing, Mr. Hart. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thanks.”
“You folks have a good day.”
The gate swung open for them and Linc drove through. There was a lush, grassy area straight ahead that was landscaped with bushes and flowers blooming in shades of pink, yellow, purple and orange. A charming gazebo stood in the center of the park and ornate streetlights were placed at intervals around it.
“This is like being in a different world,” she said. “It’s peaceful and pretty and perfect.”
“That’s what I thought, too.”
“Can you drive through the whole complex so I can get a feel for it? I want the interior and exterior of your home to flow seamlessly together. Does that make any sense?”
“Not to me, but that’s why I hired you.” He kept driving around the grassy area. “It’s not very big but this is just the first phase. Each successive one will be separated by a landscaped greenbelt and during future construction the existing residents won’t be inconvenienced.”
“Smart,” she agreed. “The debris in the building stage is an eyesore. And the rogue nails are not the least bit tire-friendly.”
As he drove around, Linc pointed out the community pool and clubhouse, which had state-of-the-art exercise equipment and facilities for receptions. It was zoned for a golf course and other amenities. This development had exclusive written all over it and probably the monthly upkeep costs were a small fortune on top of the no-doubt impressive price tag on his condo.
He slowed and pushed the button on a controller attached to his sun visor. One of the doors on a three-car garage went up. “This is it.”
Rose looked around as he pulled the car into the driveway. “This is an end unit. Very private.”
“That’s one of the things that sold me. Common walls between units are kept to a minimum. Condo living with the feel of a single-family detached home. Come on. I’ll show you around.”
She’d seen the floor plan and already had some notes, but knew that the place was over five thousand square feet on three levels. From the garage they walked into the first one, which was a large room with French doors leading to the backyard.
“Media room,” she said absently.
“That’s what I thought, too.”
He led her up the stairs to the main living area. The rooms were clearly defined: kitchen, living, famil
y and dining rooms. A bedroom and bath down the hall would make a great guest suite. But there were no floor coverings or cabinets. Just a lot of open space with numerous ways to configure it. Upstairs he showed her the huge master suite, then led the way into a long, large room that would be perfect as a spacious home office. And three more bedrooms and baths.
When they came back downstairs she stood in the kitchen, studying the dining room. “Again you weren’t wrong. This is just a shell. And no, I haven’t changed my mind about trusting you.”
“Bummer.”
“Do you entertain a lot?”
“Some. I wouldn’t say a lot. Why?” he asked.
“Because the alcove between the kitchen and dining room is a perfect place for a butler’s pantry.”
“And that’s different from a regular pantry...how?”
“It’s where you store china, crystal, silver. The things you’d need for dinner parties.”
“Hmm.” He slid his fingers into the pockets of his jeans and frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’d rather negotiate a real estate deal than have to handle cloth napkins and place settings.”
“You can hire a caterer,” she suggested.
“Maybe.”
“Why maybe?”
“There isn’t a caterer in Blackwater Lake.” He thought for a moment. “Although Lucy Bishop might consider giving it a whirl.”
Rose felt another twinge but this time it had nothing to do with regret. The sensation veered more into jealousy territory. This wasn’t the time and she was in no mood to think about what that meant. “Who is she?”
“There’s a place in town called the Harvest Café. She’s a co-owner and the chef. Food is good and she might be persuaded to handle a private function.”
“Ah.”
“What?” He slid his sunglasses to the top of his head and there was sharp curiosity in his eyes. As if he’d seen her jealousy.
“Nothing. I said ‘ah’—it was an acknowledgment that I heard and assimilated the information you related.”
“Yes, but the tone of that single-syllable acknowledgement was full of...something.”
Had he always been so perceptive? Rose remembered a lot about being with him but not that. She’d been blinded by love in their short time together and thought he was perfect. Now she realized that was an unrealistic expectation. A by-product of being so young and idealistic.
But he was waiting for an answer. “It’s just...” She looked around the large space that was going to be spectacular when she got through with it and felt sad. “We never even moved into our own place. We weren’t together long enough to set up housekeeping.”
His frown deepened. “Is that going to be a problem for you? During this job?”
“Absolutely not. I’m a professional.”
“I don’t know what else to say, Rose. I copped to being a jerk. I’ve told you how sorry I am. What more do you want from me?”
She met his gaze and could see his words for the sincere apology they were. But she’d been so young and hopeful and what he did changed her forever. It had to be said. “I guess I want those ten years back.”
“If I could give them back to you I would do it in a heartbeat.” He blew out a long breath, but it did nothing to take the edge off his intensity. “If there was anything I could do—”
She’d never get a better opportunity to press her advantage. “There is one thing.”
His gaze narrowed on her. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
“Probably not.”
“For the record, there won’t be any gold tassels or tapestries. I’m not a ‘tassels and tapestry’ kind of guy.”
“Deal.” She laughed and realized that was something else that hadn’t changed. Linc could always make her smile and feel better about whatever bad thing had happened to spoil her day. “I’m wondering about something.”
“Okay.” But he looked as if he was bracing for a punch.
“We’ve established that Ellie doesn’t know about us. That we dated. Got married. Split up. Getting around to the divorce now. You two are obviously close, so why would you not tell her?”
“Are you sure I can’t just eat quiche? Or agree to a small tapestry somewhere? Maybe open a vein and bleed a little? The carpet isn’t in yet.”
“You asked what you can do and this is it. I’m curious.”
He settled his hands on his hips and stared at the bare floor for a moment. “After I found out about my father, I told you I was gone for two years.”
“Where did you go?”
“Europe.”
“What did you do?” Did he miss her the way she missed him? Hurt the way she had?
“I did odd jobs. Drank.” He met her gaze. “Ellie was the one who got me to come back.”
“Not your parents?”
“No.” His mouth tightened into a hard line. Not a shred of forgiveness there.
“How did Ellie do it?”
“It wasn’t anything she said. I just missed her. My brothers, too, but she’s always the one who could get to me.”
“I envy you having siblings. You’re lucky. That wasn’t in the cards for me. And I just don’t understand why you didn’t tell her about the marriage.”
“After so long it didn’t seem relevant. And like she said, she always looked up to me.”
“Her hero.”
“Yeah. I didn’t want her to be disappointed in me. The way I handled it.”
“Isn’t it possible she would laugh and tell you what a doofus you are?”
“You obviously don’t know my sister.” One corner of his mouth quirked up.
“I like her. She’s generous, down-to-earth, funny and she loves you. I think it would take more than finding out about our marriage for her to abandon you.”
“You’re just saying that because you’re dying to tell her what happened.”
“Are you kidding?” Rose wanted to say “duh.” “Who wouldn’t want to?”
“So, why didn’t you tell all?” he asked.
She’d once dreamed of having a traditional family with Linc but that wasn’t in the cards for her any more than having siblings. He’d had it all—a mother and father who loved him, a family—and distanced himself from all of it, and that made her wonder. She looked around this space he wanted her to decorate.
“This condo is fabulous and it’s clear to see why you’re attracted to it. So don’t take it wrong what I’m about to ask and keep in mind that I don’t need to love a space to do a good job.”
“Okay. Where are you going with this?”
“You could have bought a house. That would give you a place to live and room to grow. For a family of your own. Why not go that route? You’re a bachelor now but that could change.”
The teasing look disappeared and he turned serious. “I deeply regret that you got caught up in my personal family problems. I thought I knew what love was before I found out my parents lied to me all my life.”
What was he saying? “You don’t believe in love now?”
“No, I don’t.”
“What about Ellie and Alex? They’re in love.”
“She’s a Hart, I’m not,” he said, as if that explained it all.
There were so many things she could say. Harts were not the only humans on the planet allowed to find love. He deserved it, too. Flair for the dramatic much? But all the teasing had gone out of him and he was dead serious about this.
“Okay, then,” she said, and walked around to hide her reaction. It made absolutely no sense, but Rose felt as if Linc had just walked out on her a second time. “The architect did a good job with window placement and building orientation. Every one has a spectacular view of either the lake or the moun
tains.”
“That was Ellie.”
She met his gaze. “What?”
“My sister is the architect.” The teasing expression was back in his eyes. “And don’t think I didn’t notice what you just did there.”
“Where? What?” she asked.
“The way you sidestepped answering my question.”
His revelation had pushed the conversation out of her mind and she had no clue what he was referring to. “You asked something?”
“I did.” He settled his hands on his hips. “Why haven’t you told my sister about us being married?”
This was much less complicated than talking about him refusing love. “I haven’t said anything yet because it’s just too good having something to hold over you.”
“If I beat you to the big reveal there goes the advantage,” he challenged.
She shrugged. “Either way I get to watch. So go ahead and call my bluff.”
This was new, she thought. Being in control of anything where Lincoln Hart was concerned. Rose decided that she liked it very much.
Chapter Five
The next morning Linc stepped out of the shower, then heard the bathroom door open and quickly wrapped a towel around his waist. He watched a sleepy Rose walk in like a zombie and his gut tightened at the sight of her—hair tousled as if she’d just had sex. Her eyes were half-closed the way he remembered them in the throes of passion. She’d told him once that in the morning she barely functioned until after coffee. Apparently that was still true because she hadn’t signaled any awareness of his presence yet or the fact that he was nearly naked.
From his perspective, he had the better view of nearly naked. She was wearing a see-throughish camisole top and matching shorts that left her legs mostly bare. He wished they were all bare, but that was a thought that needed to stop right there.
“Good morning.”
His voice must have worked like a shot of adrenaline to blast her out of the trance because her eyes went wide and she gasped. She grabbed the hand towel hanging next to the sink and held it over her breasts.
Just a Little Bit Married Page 6
