by Gina Wilkins
“So, do you want to walk with us out to our cars or are you staying to help the teacher ‘clean up’?” Jennifer asked Paul as the other women began to gather their things and drift out.
Paul suppressed a wince at the knowing tone in Jennifer’s slightly catty question. Maybe he hadn’t been quite as skilled as Bonnie at masking his personal interest in her. But, whatever. It wasn’t as if he were trying to hide his relationship with her. “I’ll hang around if she needs some help,” he said easily.
Joining them in time to overhear, Bonnie smiled. “Actually, you can stash some things in the high cabinets for me again. A tall man is even handier than a step stool,” she added with a laugh to Jennifer.
Jennifer sighed gustily. “Don’t I know it. Okay, see y’all next week. Thanks for another fun class, Bonnie.”
“I think she suspects something is going on between us,” Paul said when he and Bonnie were alone. “I didn’t say anything…”
Bonnie shrugged as she busily cleared and wiped counters. “It’s not as if we’re sneaking around to see each other on the sly,” she said, unconsciously parroting his thoughts. “And it’s not as if I’m grading the class, so it doesn’t really matter if I have a teacher’s pet,” she added with a wink over her shoulder that warmed his blood.
He couldn’t resist catching her around the waist and lifting her into his arms for a kiss. It had been almost twenty-four hours since he’d kissed her last and he was hungry for another taste of her. She cooperated eagerly.
“Hey, Bon, can you— Oh, uh, sorry.”
Breaking apart, Paul and Bonnie both turned to the back door which Logan had just thrown open. Logan looked both embarrassed and a little displeased to have caught them in a kiss, or at least that was the way Paul interpreted the other man’s stern expression. He didn’t really know Bonnie’s brother, having only seen him around the inn a couple of times, but he suspected it was never easy to tell what Logan was really thinking.
Beside him, Bonnie tucked her hair behind her right ear, and while her cheeks were suspiciously pink, her voice was normal enough when she asked, “What do you need, Logan?”
He seemed reluctant to answer for a moment, and Paul half expected him to make an excuse and leave. Instead, Logan sighed and came farther into the kitchen. “I’ve got a damned rose thorn in my back and I can’t reach it. Mind taking it out for me?”
He turned and raised the hem of his T-shirt to show her his back. Paul winced in sympathy. The thorn had broken off just beneath the angrily inflamed skin almost directly between Logan’s shoulder blades. A few drops of blood had scabbed around the thorn, which must have gone right through his thin cotton shirt and broken off when he’d pulled away from the rosebush. Had to hurt.
Expecting Bonnie to sympathize with her brother, Paul was a bit startled when she seemed to be struggling with a laugh. “Logan! How on earth did you manage to do this?”
He muttered a rather sheepish explanation. “Ninja stole a hammer from my toolbox and hid it under that big rosebush at the side of my house. I had to crawl under to get it, and the damned bush attacked me.”
“Sit down where I can reach you. I’ll get the first aid kit.”
“I don’t need first aid, just take out the damned thorn.”
Bonnie seemed not at all cowed by her older brother’s snarl. “You can growl all you want, but I’m going to put an antibiotic ointment on it so it doesn’t get infected. Now pull off your shirt and sit down.”
Logan tugged the shirt over his head to reveal a tanned torso ridged with muscles Paul tried not to envy. He was in reasonably good shape but dang…
Logan settled on a stool at the prep bar. “You got any sisters, um—?”
“Paul. And no, I was an only.”
“They’re a pain in the butt.”
“Oh, be quiet,” Bonnie said, emerging from a large pantry with a first aid kit in her hands. “You know you love us. Besides, who would pull this thorn from your back if it weren’t for me? Ninja?”
“What kind of dog is Ninja?” Paul asked, leaning against the counter to watch as Bonnie ministered to her brother.
“Mutt,” Logan answered succinctly. “He showed up as a stray and decided to hang around.”
Bonnie giggled. “Kinley says he’s part rottweiler, part Lab, part imp and part demon. He’s really a very sweet dog, but he has a mischievous sense of humor that gets him in trouble.”
Paul quirked an eyebrow at her. “A sense of humor?”
“Oh, definitely. He loves to steal things and hide them, like Logan’s hammer. He gets a special kick out of teasing Kinley, because he knows it makes her crazy.”
“Uh-huh.”
He must have sounded skeptical, because Bonnie shot him a smile. “You’d have to meet him to understand. I swear there are times I think he’s almost human.”
“He’s a dog, Bonnie.”
She leaned close to her brother, using a pair of tweezers she’d swished in alcohol to dig for the broken thorn. “He’s a very smart dog. And you love him.”
“Ouch! Damn it, are you pulling the thorn out or pushing it deeper in?”
“It’s out.” She showed him the grisly evidence then treated the minor wound with ointment and an adhesive bandage to keep it clean. She then gave him a smacking kiss on the top of his head, proving again that she was not at all intimidated by Logan’s impatient posturing.
Logan grumbled again, but Paul saw him hiding a grin as he donned his shirt. “Thanks, Bon.”
“You’re welcome. Keep it clean.”
“Up to date on your tetanus shots?” Paul asked. “I knew a guy who got tetanus from stepping on a barberry thorn. Nasty.”
Logan shared a look with his sister before answering. “I’m current on all my shots.”
Bonnie changed the subject. “Logan, Paul’s daughter is getting married here in a few weeks. Paul, Logan and his crew will handle all the outdoor preparations for the wedding.”
“We’ve been told you do beautiful set-ups,” Paul said, thinking of Cassie’s raves about the photographs she’d been shown.
Rising from the stool, Logan glanced from Paul to his sister and back again with his dark brows drawn down over narrowed hazel eyes. Still, he spoke cordially enough. “We aim to please.”
Without further elaboration, Logan turned to his sister. “Tomorrow morning Curtis and I will be taking down that fir branch that was broken in the storm last night. I’m going to rope off the area around it, but be sure and tell the guests not to come back beyond the gazebo until we give the all clear.”
“I will. Y’all be careful.”
“Just have to keep Ninja from hiding my pole saw.” Logan gave an upward chin nod to Paul as he headed for the door. “Later.”
Paul frowned when the door closed behind Logan. He glanced at Bonnie. “Looked as though he hurt his leg, too. Did you notice he was limping a little?”
Bonnie busied herself putting away the first aid supplies. “That’s an old limp from surgery on his leg when he was younger. It’s a little more noticeable when he’s tired.”
“I don’t think he likes me.”
“He only just met you,” she pointed out as she squirted disinfectant on the prep island and wiped it with a towel. “Logan takes his time to decide if he likes or dislikes someone.”
Paul remembered her brother’s frown when he’d walked in to find them kissing, of the undertones in the other man’s voice when he’d commented about Paul being the father of a bride. “He probably thinks I’m too old for you.”
“That’s ridiculous. I don’t choose my friends based on age. And you’re not that much older than I am, anyway. It’s not as if you’re old enough to be my father.”
True. But still she was a bit closer to his daughter’s age than to his, Paul thought glum
ly. He didn’t know why it bugged him for Bonnie to refer to him so blithely as her “friend.” They were friends, right? He was quite sure they would remain friendly even after their physical relationship changed, as it inevitably would. Wasn’t that his pattern?
He was becoming grumpy again, he thought, pushing a hand through his hair. He hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep last night. “So what’s your schedule now? Are you finished for the day?”
She glanced at the clock and he followed her gaze, noting that it was almost nine. “I should check on my guests and then I have a few things to get ready for breakfast in the morning before I can turn in tonight.”
And he was detaining her, he thought, though she would never say so. “I’ll get out of your way. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
She smiled. “Absolutely okay.”
Wrapping his hand at the back of her head, he pulled her toward him and kissed her with a thoroughness meant to leave her thinking about him long after he left. He knew it would certainly torment him.
Darn that alarm!
The nagging buzzer roused her at the usual 5:30 a.m. from a dream filled with teeth-rattling kisses and moan-coaxing caresses. Thoughts of Paul filled her head as she climbed from the bed and showered and dressed, then hovered at the back of her mind while she prepared and served breakfast, checked out departing guests, welcomed new ones, checked on rooms and ordered supplies. A screen print of a horse on a guest’s T-shirt elicited a vision of Paul sitting tall in the saddle. A glimpse of a vacationing couple kissing in the garden made her knees go weak with memories. Folding sheets from the clothes dryer made her think of how hot he’d looked sprawled across her own.
She wasn’t sure she’d had a crush this strong since her sophomore year of college when she’d had a thing for a grad student who’d been working as a teaching assistant in one of her science labs. Every time he’d smiled at her, she’d blushed and trembled, and he’d been well aware of it. He’d romanced her for a heady three weeks, then moved on to the next impressionable teenager. She’d been somewhat disillusioned, but not heartbroken, as she’d figured out rather quickly that he was a player. It wasn’t long after that when Kinley’s selfish jerk of a husband had walked out, after which both Kinley and Bonnie had decided to focus on making futures for themselves as independent, self-sufficient women—just as their mother had done after their father walked out on her. Not that either Bonnie or Kinley had sworn off men; they’d simply decided separately to make sure they could take care of themselves before they tied their futures to anyone else.
So, here she was, exactly where she wanted to be. Standing in the inn’s laundry room folding sheets and daydreaming about rolling on them with the father of one of the inn’s clients. She bit back a sudden bark of wry laughter.
“Something funny?” Rhoda asked, entering with a basket of soiled towels. “Is the dryer telling jokes now?”
“Something like that.” Bonnie set the neatly folded sheet on a shelf. “You can throw those in the washer. It’s empty.”
Rhoda reached for the additive-free detergent they used on the inn linens. “The dishwasher is making that funny sound again. You might get Logan to look at it when he gets a minute.”
Bonnie sighed. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. They’d just had to buy a new vacuum, and a new restaurant-quality dishwasher was definitely not in the budget this month. If it became necessary, something else would have to be cut.
“I’ll tell him. Maybe he or Curtis can find the source of the noise and fix it without calling a repairman.”
Rhoda nodded. “It’s still working for now, so I guess there’s no real rush.”
Bonnie picked up the mini-tablet she’d gotten into the habit of carrying during the day to make notes, checklists, shopping lists and anything else that kept her organized. She added the dishwasher to her to-do list. “Anything else?”
“Not at the moment.”
“I’m going to take a lunch break, then.” It was nearly two, and she was hungry. “Have you eaten?”
“Not hungry. I’ll get something later.”
Nodding, Bonnie moved toward the doorway.
“You got plans to see that nice-looking man again anytime soon?” Rhoda asked, detaining her a moment longer. “You notice we managed to handle things around here for an entire half day without you, and the world didn’t end. Wouldn’t hurt you to plan another afternoon off before long.”
Rhoda was always fussing about how many hours Bonnie spent working. Though Kinley and Logan worked very hard, and put in plenty of long hours, themselves, Bonnie was aware that she logged the most time in the inn. Unless something came up that required his attention, Logan usually closed himself into his cottage after work, or drove into town for a beer with friends. Kinley divided her energies between the inn and her part-time real estate job, and was now building a life with Dan away from work. Bonnie was the one who tended to work almost from the time she woke until she crawled back into bed at night.
Could she find a way to make a life for herself outside the inn, like her sister was doing? Yesterday had been a good start, she assured herself. And yet—
“You know how busy our schedule is for the rest of the summer, Rhoda,” she said mildly. “I’ll take a few hours off when I can, so don’t nag, okay?”
“Fine. Work yourself to the bone, see where that gets you,” Rhoda grumbled, punching the start button on the washer with more force than necessary.
Bonnie didn’t linger to argue. “Call if you need me.”
“Don’t we always?”
Chapter Eight
As she often did, Bonnie cooked an early dinner that evening for Logan and Kinley. Dan joined them when he could, but he had left that morning on another overnight assignment. Because she’d eaten a late lunch, Bonnie wasn’t particularly hungry, but Logan and Kinley made short work of the baked chicken and roasted vegetables she served. They talked about work during the meal, primarily discussing several large upcoming events and conferring about some pending decisions. Logan had been talking to a contractor friend about the restrooms and dressing rooms they envisioned beneath the back deck, and his friend had suggested some good ideas.
“Winter is his downtime, construction-wise, and he said he’d work up some estimates for us to keep at least part of his crew busy. He looked at that sketch of what we wanted and he said it looked feasible to him.”
“We could put off the koi pond until next year,” Kinley said, pushing her empty plate away. “If Dan’s article in Modern South accomplishes what we hope, we’ll have quite a few new bookings for next summer, so additional restroom facilities are probably needed more than pretty fish. Don’t you agree, Bon?”
“What?” She’d been listening to the conversation, Bonnie assured herself. But maybe her attention had wandered just a little.
Kinley frowned. “The dressing rooms,” she prodded. “We should talk to Logan’s friend.”
“Oh, yes. Absolutely.”
“So what’s on your mind tonight, hmm? Or should I ask, who’s on your mind?”
“Don’t tease me tonight, Kinley, I’m too tired.” She smiled wryly as she spoke in a joking tone, but she was mostly serious. It had been a long day and tomorrow would be another one, followed by a wedding rehearsal tomorrow evening, another on Friday, a wedding Saturday morning and another ceremony Saturday evening.
They rarely scheduled two weddings in one day, but because both were relatively small, low-key events, they’d been able to work it out this time when the morning bride had begged them to accommodate her on fairly short notice. The military groom was being deployed overseas in a couple of weeks, and they had decided to tie the knot before he left rather than after his return, as had been the original plan.
Logan had fussed, of course, at all the set-ups and take-downs he and Curtis and part-ti
me helper Zach would have to do this weekend, but he’d get it done and the clients would hardly be aware of how much work went on behind the scenes of their celebrations.
“He’s too old for you.”
Logan’s grumble broke into Bonnie’s rambling thoughts. “Who?”
“That Paul guy,” her brother replied, obviously confirming Paul’s suspicion about Logan’s misgivings.
Bonnie shook her head. “He’s not too old for me. He was very young when his daughter was born, so he’s not the typical father of the bride.”
“So? He could end up a grandfather in a year or two. You really want to get involved with a grandfather before you even turn thirty?”
She had to admit the question took her aback for a moment, but she shook it off quickly. If Cassie did have a baby within the next two years, Paul would be a young, fit, sexy grandfather. But that was far from her concerns at the moment.
“We made an agreement when we all went into business together, remember?” she asked, addressing the firm question to both her siblings. “Since we spend so much time together and live in such close proximity, it’s especially important that we maintain our boundaries, both professionally and personally. This is me, protecting my boundaries. Back off, both of you.”
Kinley and Logan exchanged looks that expressed both surprise that their usually easygoing younger sister had snapped at them, and maybe concern that she’d felt defensive enough to do so. She didn’t want to get into it any more just then. “I’m going up to make sure everything is set up in the parlor for the guests. There’s lemon pie in the fridge. Help yourself if you want and let yourself out when you’re done.”
She didn’t have to feel remorseful about leaving them there, she assured herself as she stalked out the door and up the steps to the back door of the inn. It wasn’t as if her sister and brother were company. Still, she felt a bit guilty as she pasted on a hostess smile and headed for the parlor. She was usually the peacemaker in the family. But that didn’t mean her older siblings had open permission to tell her what to do—or whom to do it with, she added indignantly. Even if she had her own questions about whether she and Paul had a future together, that decision was strictly between the two of them.
