“Thanks,” she said. “I appreciate it.”
A few minutes later, Taryn used her new room card to let herself into her suite, and Noah followed her inside with her two bags. He put them next to the TV stand, and Taryn looked around the room. There was a king-size bed in the center, a small table and chairs, a love seat, a desk and, from what Taryn could see through the open bathroom door, a generous bathroom with a large Jacuzzi tub.
“Yours is one of our bigger rooms,” Noah said. “Angelina wanted you to experience the best we’ve got to offer here.”
He headed across to the window and pulled back the curtains to reveal a generous balcony overlooking the lake. He pulled open the balcony door, and cool mountain air rushed inside, billowing the curtain.
Taryn followed him to the balcony and looked out. They were dwarfed by the towering peaks surrounding them, and from where they stood, she could see another eagle sitting high in a tree close to the shore. There were a few cottages around the lake, their wharfs pushing out into the clear turquoise water. A canoe cut slowly along on the far side. She could feel her stress seeping away.
“Wow,” she murmured.
Noah shot her a smile. “Yeah, it’s something.” Then he sobered. “I’ll let you settle in. I’ll be in my office if you want, um, anything.”
This was going to be awkward, wasn’t it? There was no way to get back to a professional balance once you’d told a man he was the father of your child.
“Thanks,” she said.
Noah shut the door softly behind him, and Taryn sank into the love seat, her mind spinning.
“What did I just do?” she whispered.
What would happen now? She’d hoped that Noah would take her offer and stay out of the baby’s life, but she wasn’t so sure he would now... Even in shock, he seemed pretty intent on being decent.
And Taryn had dealt with more than one devotedly decent man. Eleven years ago, she’d gotten pregnant by Glen, and he had magnanimously proposed and said he’d do the right thing by her. She’d lost the pregnancy two weeks before the hurried wedding. Taryn’s father had sat her down and asked her point-blank if she still wanted to go through with the wedding.
But if she’d backed out then, it would’ve meant that Glen wasn’t worth it unless they were bringing a child into the world. Glen couldn’t have backed out at that point, either, without looking like a jerk. So they’d carried on with their thrown-together wedding, and for the next ten years Taryn had tried to conceive again—the one thing that might have made the marriage worth it—but hadn’t had any success.
Glen hadn’t been the right man for her, but she’d allowed his desire to do the “right thing” to make that decision for her, and she would never do that again. Whatever gallant ideals Noah had weren’t her problem.
She’d learned her lesson. A man might want to do right by her, but it didn’t fix anything else. Glen had cheated on her, and it wasn’t with a younger, more attractive woman, either. He’d fallen for a woman five years older than himself who loved long-distance running and old movies, just like him. It hadn’t come down to youth or beauty, or even a pregnancy. He’d simply fallen in love for the first time in his life.
Did that hurt? Hell, yes. It was like a knife to the gut when she saw her husband’s eyes light up in a way that had never happened when he looked at her, not even in the early days. But for this other woman, he melted.
Men didn’t give a woman direction. She would choose her own path. Taryn had made a mistake in marrying Glen—and she was perfectly willing to take responsibility for her part of that—but going forward, Taryn was choosing the path that was authentic, honest and self-reliant.
Except now she had Noah Brooks in the picture—another guy with a sense of responsibility toward her and this baby. She’d had quite enough of that.
Taryn sighed and sat up straight. The baby stretched, and she felt a heel, or a knee, or something push solidly downward.
“Well, now I have to pee, thanks to you,” she said with a smile, rubbing the side of her belly, and she headed for the bathroom.
With a baby coming, life would never be simple again. And she had a job to do so she could have a few weeks of maternity leave, so she didn’t have the luxury of emotional sidetracks. Maybe given some time, Noah would see the wisdom in backing off and leaving her to raise this baby in peace.
She could hope.
* * *
NOAH WENT INTO his office and shut the door, then he let out a slow breath. He scrubbed a hand through his hair. Okay...he could deal with this. That single, uncharacteristic one-night stand had gotten Taryn pregnant. She seemed like a reasonable enough person—but she didn’t seem to want him in the picture. This was no plea for support as she gave birth to their son. In fact, he got the impression that she regretted telling him at all.
He’d thought about Leigh—Taryn—over the past few months, and he’d wondered if she was really as beautiful and interesting as he remembered. But no, his memory hadn’t exaggerated it. She was gorgeous. And as smart as she’d seemed then, if she was running her own marketing company...
Sometimes a man didn’t want to delve deep into his emotions. Sometimes he just needed to skate across the surface for a little while, because if he had to get brutally honest right now, he was terrified. And he had every right to it. He had chosen not to be a father up until now for a very good reason—he wasn’t dad material. He knew that, and he wasn’t going to make the same mistake other men in his life had made. He wouldn’t inject himself into a family and then let everyone around him down.
For the next few minutes, Noah double-checked some numbers to make sure they were sticking to the budget, made a few notes for the accounting department to double-check and had finished some paperwork he’d been putting off when there was a tap on his door.
“Come in,” he said.
The door opened, and Taryn entered, tablet in hand. For a moment they both looked at each other, and he was struck again by how beautiful she was. He could see her mild discomfort in the way she met his gaze. He was going to have to be able to work with her...and eventually, they’d have to discuss the baby, too.
“I was hoping I could get the rest of that tour,” she said. “If you’re free.”
“Sure,” he said. “I’m just about finished here.”
Noah saved his work, then locked his computer. He took off his glasses and stood up. So, he needed to carry on with business as usual, even though his head was spinning. They headed out of his office together, and as they came into the foyer, he sucked in a breath.
“If there is anything I can do, any way I can make things easier—” Noah started to say.
“I’m fine, really,” Taryn replied. “I was being honest before. I’d prefer to do this on my own. I’m newly divorced, and I don’t want to be leaning on another guy. I’m prepared.”
How long would she feel that way, though? How long was he going to sit here perched on an emotional ledge, waiting for her to need help...to want his help.
“Okay,” he said after a beat of silence.
Taryn turned to face him, and she eyed him for a moment.
“Maybe we could make a deal,” Taryn said.
“What sort?” he asked.
“Let’s just agree to be honest from here on out,” she said. “We have nothing to lose by it, and we won’t be working together for too long, so I think some plain honesty between us will make all of this easier. I suggest we don’t hide our feelings or agree to things that make us uncomfortable. We lay things out and we talk straight. We aren’t romantically involved, so there’s no fear of hurt feelings or drama. We’re both professionals, and I think we can address our parenting relationship in a similar way.”
“As professionals?” he said.
“It sounds...stupid. I hear that.” She shot him a small smile. “But it’s the best we
have right now. We can treat each other with respect and honesty. And without being overly sensitive. You seemed to expect me to dissemble about my feelings—say I was fine on my own when I really wanted something from you.”
“Yeah, I guess I do,” he admitted.
“I’ll promise you right now that I won’t do that,” she said. “I’ll be honest. I’ll say what I mean, so you won’t have to waste your valuable time trying to figure me out. We aren’t young lovers, or trying to manipulate each other into feeling anything. Let’s just...opt out of the games.”
Was that an actual possibility? He felt an unbidden wave of relief.
“That sounds kind of nice, actually,” he said. “I’ll do the same for you. Complete honesty. And I won’t make you figure me out, either.”
“Perfect.” She cast him a smile.
The key here was that they weren’t dating. There were no expectations to fulfil, and no real disappointments to experience. He’d been surprised before that she’d wanted to raise the baby on her own without a father in the picture, but maybe he could see why. His relationship with Nevaeh had always been a challenge—him always trying to figure out what to say, or how he’d upset her this time... If he and Taryn could skip that part, it would be a relief.
They came to the dining room, and Noah opened the glass door and led the way inside. The breakfast rush was over, but a few patrons were having brunch, mostly sitting around the edge of the dining room next to the windows with the lake view. A server came out of the kitchen with a platter of food balanced on one hand, and they waited until she’d passed before he led Taryn toward the kitchen.
“We have a Michelin-star chef who runs our kitchen,” Noah said. “His name is Albert Bertoni, and he will only work with the freshest meat and produce. Angelina was insistent that investing in the food would make this lodge more than just a place to sleep or to look at the mountains, and she was right. The restaurant costs us a fair portion of our budget, but she’s hopeful that it will draw more guests from farther afield.”
“Michelin star,” Taryn said, raising her eyebrows. “That’s impressive.”
“Albert feels he was owed two, and he’s sensitive about it,” Noah said.
She smiled at that as they peered through the swinging door. Kitchen workers were chopping vegetables and prepping desserts. Albert was cooking a sauce over a flame, and he looked up at them. Noah waved him off—no need to distract Albert just now. Besides, he was a very focused man, and he got irritable when his routine was interrupted.
They stepped back out again and Noah paused while Taryn jotted down a few notes on her tablet with a stylus.
“Let’s carry on,” Noah said, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb the guests, and he led the way back out of the dining room and toward the fireside room. It was empty at this time of the morning, and the two tall stone hearths that flanked the room were cold and swept clean.
Taryn turned in a slow circle, taking in the space. Noah knew that this was the most impressive room in the entire resort. The log walls were burnished to a shine, and the artwork that hung there—light pastel watercolors of wildflowers—was in gilt frames, offsetting the rustic surroundings.
“Do you use the fireplaces often?” she asked.
“Not in the summer months,” he said. “It just gets too hot in here for comfort. But once the fall comes and we get that chill in the air, we keep the wood bins full and the fireplaces lit whenever guests are in here...which is pretty much up until eleven, when we close the room for the night. It makes for a cozy, relaxed atmosphere.”
Taryn nodded. “It sounds that way.”
Taryn walked toward one of the water paintings and looked up at it, a thoughtful look on her face.
“This isn’t a print,” she said.
“No, those were commissioned by a local artist,” Noah replied. “She’s incredibly talented. One of Angelina’s friends owns and operates the Mountain Springs Art Gallery, too—Jen Taylor Bryant. So Angelina has been adding to the art in the lodge.”
“Hmm...”
Noah stood behind her, and his gaze moved down her waves of hair. He could make out the faint scent of that perfume again, and the floral scent, combined with the paintings, felt almost surreal, like the flowers of the painting had somehow tumbled out and into the room with them. Taryn cocked her head to one side, and then she turned, catching Noah off guard. She was so close that the front of her dress grazed his shirt. She looked up at him, her lips parted and a look of mild surprise on her face.
“Oh...” she said.
He stepped back. “Sorry.”
“I’m not used to my...shape,” she said, and she laughed, her expression suddenly softening into a smile. “I feel like I need someone to wave me in.” She moved her hands like an aircraft marshaler.
Noah chuckled. “You’re fine.”
But as she moved away from him, he felt an invisible tug toward her. Yeah—this was it, the attraction he’d felt for her all those months ago in that Denver pub. She was competent, funny, composed, but underneath it all there was a layer of melancholy. He still felt that pull of attraction toward her, with the added complication that the baby she carried was his.
A boy. Noah would have a son out there in the world, and that thought was still rather numbing. He didn’t know how he felt. Would this little boy look like him?
“Do you have any personal memories from this lodge?” Taryn asked, turning toward him.
“Not under the current management,” he said with a slow smile.
“Before?” she prompted.
“I came here with my stepfather a few times when it was a hunting lodge,” Noah said. “It was a real guy space then—animal heads on the walls, men hanging out and having cheap beer. Nothing like this...”
He used to love when his stepfather, Tom, would bring him along. He’d felt so grown-up. His mother hadn’t liked it—it was no place for a child, she’d said. But Tom disagreed. He said it was a guy hangout, and that Noah needed to be around some testosterone. So whenever Noah came with Tom, he’d felt excited and rebellious, but also a little guilty, because they normally left his mother in an icy, disapproving silence.
Taryn nodded. “I’m asking because I need a personal element—the human connection—for this ad campaign. And it needs to be linked to the lodge at present.”
“There have been a few weddings,” he said. “Birthdays, anniversary and graduation parties. What are you looking for, exactly? If you could conjure it up, what would it be?”
“I’m looking for a picture,” she said. “Nothing posed. Something that tells a story about a beautiful mountain lodge overlooking a crystal clear, glacier-fed lake, and the heart-stopping moments that make us want to come here for our own milestones. And it can’t be fiction, or look too shiny. This has to be an authentic story, or it won’t get clicks. This has to be something that people will comment on and share on social media—that’s where the most successful advertising happens.”
“A couple of Angelina’s friends have gotten engaged or married here,” he said. “There might be some personal aspect to their stories that people might find engaging...if they were willing to share.”
“I’ll ask her about it.” Taryn looked down at her stomach and pushed a hand into her side. “Ouch...”
“You okay?” He wasn’t sure what to do. He just stared at her, his gaze flicking between her belly and her face.
“He’s just kicking really hard,” she said. “Don’t look so spooked. Here—”
She took his hand, pressing it against her side, and he felt a powerful kick.
“Wow...” he breathed. That was a baby in there—a strong, active baby. He was so close to her that her perfume enveloped him, and he could feel the warmth of her body. For a moment they stood there, silent, his hand on her domed abdomen. He felt another movement, then a tap. This was
his child...
Taryn released his hand and stepped away. She cleared her throat.
“Did you name him yet?” he asked, his voice low.
Taryn shook her head. “No. I want to see him first.”
Noah nodded. There had been something in that moment of connection—and it was more than just the feeling of a baby’s movements in utero. He’d felt babies kick before—his sister had four kids. But this had been different, almost electric. That was his son inside of her, and for the first time in his life, he felt the weight of that particular responsibility settling onto his shoulders. His son would need more than his financial support, and that was where Noah knew he was destined to fail.
“I feel like I should tell you that I’m not good with kids,” he said slowly. “In the spirit of honesty and all that.”
“Okay...” She eyed him cautiously. “In what way?”
“In every way. I’ve spent years sorting this out, so this isn’t some shallow male aversion to commitment or something. When I was a kid, my mom married a guy named Tom. I liked him, but he and my mom constantly fought about parenting. Tom just didn’t have a sense of what was good for kids and what wasn’t. The problem was, I really connected with him. So when he and my mother split up, I was really torn.”
“That sounds tough,” she said.
“Well, for years I thought I was a lot like Tom—not cut out for family life. But I worked through a lot of that. It stood to reason that I had a lot in common with him since he was the father figure in my life, and I was about ten when he left, so it was a really formative age. And when Tom left, I lost that male influence, which was tough. I missed him a lot, and I was shredded with guilt because he’d make my mother cry a lot, too, and there I was missing the source of my mother’s misery. She was a lot happier after he’d gone. She was like a different person... Anyway, I had more in common with Tom than I did with my mom or sister. So I could understand that about myself,” he said. “I worked through my issues surrounding kids, and I even ended up dating a single mom about a decade ago.”
Harlequin Heartwarming June 2021 Box Set Page 3
