by Jackie Braun
“Go ahead,” he offered. “Get it out of your system.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” she replied innocently, even as amusement shimmered in her eyes.
“You’re dying to tease me about catching poison ivy.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He gave her extra points for her serious expression. “Tell me, does it itch as horribly as I remember from my third summer here?”
“Worse,” he grumbled, but mostly for effect. The fact was it was hard to remain irritable recalling how absolutely adorable Holly had looked that year dotted with the same pink lotion that now covered the better part of his calves.
Nate accompanied Holly inside the island’s small market, leaving her to her shopping while he picked up a few staples of his own. Like most weeks, he’d probably dine out as much as he would dine in, so he didn’t bother with much more than the basics: bread, more coffee, a bag of donuts, lunch meat and potato chips and two boxes of cereal. He’d stop to pick up milk on the way back.
“I see you’ve covered the basic food groups,” Holly remarked when they ran into one another in one of the aisles. Where he’d grabbed a handcart, she was pushing one and had it filled with an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables, homemade bread, cheese, wine and some tasty-looking cuts of meat.
“Do you know how to cook those?” he asked, nodding toward the T-bone steaks.
“I’m not helpless.” She sighed and rolled her eyes. But her expression clouded a bit. Perhaps she was recalling burnt toast and bitter coffee.
“I’m just asking.”
“And I’ve answered.”
“Two steaks, I see. Are you planning for company?”
“Two steaks. Two meals.”
“Ah.” He rubbed an ankle against the opposite calf. Damned poison ivy.
“I’m ready to check out if you are.”
“After you.”
Nate intercepted a few curious glances from other customers as they headed to the checkout. The woman at the cash register was more obvious in her interest, but then Melinda Townsend was the island’s biggest gossip. As she ran Holly’s purchases over the scanner, she baldly asked, “Are you famous?”
Holly made a tsking noise. When she spoke, she somehow managed to flatten her vowels. Nate thought he even detected a bit of Texas twang when she said, “You know, I get that all the time. People are always thinking I look like some Hollywood starlet or reality TV star.”
“You look like that girl from the tabloids.” The woman pointed to the magazine rack next to the checkout counter. A picture of Holly taken at an event a few weeks earlier stared back at them. Unless Nate missed his guess that was Phillip in the background.
“She and I have a similar bone structure,” Holly agreed. “Don’t feel bad. You’re not the first person to mistake me for her.”
Melinda eyed her. Nate held his breath. Then the woman said, “You’re way prettier.”
“Well, thank you.”
As compliments went, it was an interesting one. Holly had just been told she was more attractive than, well, herself.
“I bet you wish you had her bank account, though,” Melinda said. “She’s loaded.”
“Money can’t buy happiness, as the saying goes,” Holly replied on a shrug.
“Maybe not, but I wouldn’t mind trying to find out.” The other woman’s laugher boomed. She glanced past Holly to Nate. “What about you, Nate? Would you mind being as rich as a princess?”
He set his handcart down on the conveyor belt behind the last of Holly’s purchases. He’d be happy with the princess, rich or not. But what he said was, “I’m content with what I have. It’s more than enough.”
“That’s only because you’re not greedy,” Melinda said. She sent a wink in Holly’s direction. “Nate’s a local and his tastes are simple. He’s beer and pretzels rather than champagne and caviar.”
What Melinda said was true. He wouldn’t—couldn’t—feel ashamed. In fact, what shamed him now was that he’d felt ashamed when Holly first arrived. But he was proud of what he’d accomplished, just as he was proud to be building on what his parents and grandparents had started on Heart Island.
“Beer and pretzels,” he agreed with a lift of his shoulders. “That’s me.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” Holly said.
She dashed away only to return a moment later. To her purchases she added a six-pack of Nate’s favorite beer. He was left to wonder if she’d acquired a taste for it or if she planned to invite him over at some point during her stay.
She’d already loaded her purchases into the bed of his pickup when he met her outside a moment later.
They didn’t take the “shortcut” this time. Nate took the main roads out to the cabin. They had to stop along the way to let a lazy doe cross the road. Despite the late hour, the big deer was in no hurry. A moment later, a couple of speckled fawns loped after her.
“It’s a wildlife sanctuary through most of here. The deer seem to know it. They’re not nearly as skittish as they are on public land where hunters are allowed in the fall.”
“I didn’t mind waiting. She and her babies were worth a little inconvenience.”
“They’re something,” Nate agreed, pressing the gas pedal. “As often as I see them, I still think so.”
“They’d make good subject matter.”
“For?”
“A painting. I’ve never done anything but still life and landscapes. It would be a challenge to try to capture movement and energy.”
Moments later, they arrived at her rental. He helped her carry her bags to the house and then stood at the door. He didn’t want to leave.
“If you need anything …” he began.
“I know where you live. I’ll send up a white flag on the pole off the deck if I find myself in a fix,” she promised on a smile.
White flags symbolized surrender, but he didn’t say so. “Well, then …”
“Well …”
He shifted his feet on the small rug just inside the doorway. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”
“I hope so. I won’t be going much of anywhere since I haven’t any transportation. Maybe you can stop by when you’re not busy with work.”
Nate nodded, already planning to clear some time in his schedule.
CHAPTER TEN
EARLY The next morning, Holly tried her hand at fishing. Before leaving the resort the day before, she’d acquired the necessary license and had purchased a bucketful of bait from the marina. After two hours from her deck, she’d caught nothing but weeds and eventually lost her hook. She set the minnows free before calling it a day. Still, she’d had a good time.
But it only took twenty-four hours of solitude for Holly to start wishing for some company. Not just anyone’s company. Nate’s.
As much she was enjoying her time alone and as utterly beautiful as she found the bay, each time she looked across its sheltered waters, her gaze was drawn to Nate’s cottage. The distance was too far to make out any details beyond the actual structure. But every now and again she thought she caught a flash of reflection from his sliding glass doors and imagined him coming out on the deck and maybe staring across the bay to where she was.
She’d come here seeking peace, thinking it was the place that she longed for. Now she knew differently.
It was the man that she wanted.
She went inside for another glass of iced tea. She’d bought the powdered mix. All she had to do was add water, which took all the guesswork out of it. But she wasn’t sure she liked the taste as much. Imitations rarely measured up to the real thing, she knew.
Looking in the refrigerator, she contemplated what to make for dinner. The evening before she’d gone with a turkey sandwich. Today, she’d made toast for breakfast, slightly burnt once again, and had assembled another sandwich for lunch. The sad fact was, despite her grand illusions when she’d gone to the grocery store, Holly didn’t know what else to make or how to use the oven. The home had a gourmet ki
tchen. What it was missing was a gourmet.
A knock sounded at the door as she reached for the deli meat. She went to answer it with a smile blooming on her lips. Only one person knew where to find her. Sure enough, all six foot three of him was standing on the welcome mat, looking gorgeous.
“Hello, Nate.”
He smiled. “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“Not in the least. Come in. Please.” She stepped back and he came inside. He was wearing his usual cargo shorts and a short-sleeved shirt that bore the name of the resort on the front. His hair was tousled from the breeze, the ends bleached blond from the sun. The bridge of his nose and cheeks were slightly pink beneath his tan.
“You need to put on more sunscreen,” she said absently. “Your face is a little burned.”
He touched one of his cheeks, wrinkled his nose. “I put some on this morning, but never got a chance to reapply it.”
“Busy day?”
“Very.” He shrugged. “That’s the way I prefer it. It means business is good, which in turn means I’m doing something right.”
Holly liked that about him. He was a hard worker and not one to take anything for granted. He’d gotten his work ethic from his parents, she knew. That’s where she’d gotten her own. They might be royals, but her parents weren’t ones to loaf around. They saw it as their job to promote the country and champion worthwhile causes.
“I saw a couple of the big boats leave the marina this morning.”
“Yeah. They headed out first thing, eager to make the most of the calm water. It’s going to get a little choppy later.”
“Is another storm blowing in?”
“No. Just some wind and high waves. Big as those boats are, they wouldn’t have any trouble weathering them, but it’s best not to take chances.”
A week ago, Holly might have agreed. Right now, she wasn’t so sure. Sometimes a little risk-taking was worth it.
“So, what brings you by?” she asked.
She didn’t realize she was holding her breath while she waited for him to respond until it escaped in a whoosh when he said, “Your mother.”
“What?”
“She, um, called about an hour ago. She was a little perturbed that you haven’t been in touch and that you are hard to reach.” Half his mouth crooked up in a smile. “I got quite an earful.”
Holly bet he had.
“I’m sorry for that.”
“It’s all right. I did my best to reassure her that you’re fine. But she, um, wants you to call her as soon as possible. It’s a matter of some urgency, according to her.”
“Everything is a matter of urgency where my mother is concerned,” Holly said dryly.
“But you’ll call her, right?”
She sighed. “I’ve been avoiding doing that.”
“Any particular reason?”
His expression was nonchalant, but she thought she detected a bit of challenge in Nate’s tone.
She didn’t know anything about poker, but she decided to lay out all of her cards. “I’ve ended my relationship with Phillip.”
“Oh.”
“Oh?” She folded her arms over her chest. “That’s pretty monumental, especially where my mother is concerned. I’m sure she’s gotten wind of my decision and is eager to try to talk me out of it.”
He shrugged. “Ultimately, it’s your choice.”
“Yes, it is.” Again she felt a surge of power. “My life. My future. My decision.”
“Spoken like a true princess.” He brushed his knuckles over her cheek.
She fought the urge to shiver. The yearning was back, along with the first hot licks of desire.
“Would you … would you like something cold to drink?” she asked.
“I can’t stay.”
“Oh.”
“Another time?”
She nodded.
He turned to leave, then stopped. “Oh, I got this for you.”
It was then she noticed the bag in his hand. Inside was a rudimentary set of watercolors, paintbrushes and a tablet of heavyweight, cold press paper.
“It’s not the best quality,” Nate said as she pulled every thing out and laid it on the counter. “But it was all I could find at the mercantile. I thought it would give you something to do.”
Her heart swelled. Over the years she’d received all manner of pricey gifts, none as precious as this. Just as with the fishing pole, it told her he understood her. He knew her. The real Hollyn Saldani. That was a gift in and of itself.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.” He pointed toward the window. “That view begs to be painted.”
“I don’t know that I can do it justice.”
“The enjoyment comes from trying,” he reminded her, before leaving. Holly called her mother an hour later and regretted it almost as soon as Olivia came on the line.
“You need to come home at once, Hollyn, and fix things with Phillip.”
“There’s nothing to fix, Mother,” Holly said patiently. “We dated for a while, long enough for me to know that he’s not the man I see myself marrying.” Her gaze strayed to the countertop, where the painting supplies beckoned. No, indeed, Phillip wasn’t the man she wanted to spend her life with.
“Nonsense—”
“No,” Holly interrupted. “It’s not nonsense. It’s a fact. I do not love Phillip. I doubt he loves me. We might be well suited according to you, but my opinion is the one that matters here.”
“Hollyn, what in the world has gotten into you?”
The same thing that got into her parents three decades ago when they’d decided to buck convention and get married even though doing so meant going against tradition and public opinion.
“I’m deciding my future.”
She hung up on Olivia’s sputtering protest.
Unlike the day before, Nate didn’t have a reason to stop by Holly’s place, but when he took out a small fishing boat late the next morning, he found himself trolling by the front of her cottage. She was on the deck, a makeshift easel set up in front of her as she painted.
“Morning, neighbor!” she called when she spotted him.
“Morning,” he replied.
She shaded her eyes from the sun. “Are you coming ashore?”
He hadn’t planned to. For that matter, he’d only planned to take the boat out to test its rebuilt motor.
“For a minute.” He maneuvered the craft to the dock and secured it before hopping out and heading up to the house.
Holly was wearing a simple cotton dress. The ties of a pink bathing-suit top peeked out from the back of the neck. Her feet were bare, and her legs and arms had picked up a little color during her time on the island. More than pretty, she looked content. Nate wished he could say he was feeling the same. He’d never been more keyed up. As much as he wanted her, he didn’t want to complicate her life.
Keep it casual, he told himself. Keep it light. No strings. No binding ties of any sort.
“You’re staring.” She dabbed at the paper.
“Just enjoying the view.”
“The lake is out there.” She pointed with her paintbrush, managing to look prim despite the speckle of blue on her cheek.
Nate let his gaze wander south, taking a deliberate tour of her figure before returning to her face. A little flirting wouldn’t hurt. “That’s not the view I’m enjoying.”
She made a show of rolling her eyes, but her shy smile and rose-tinted cheeks told him she wasn’t immune.
“I see that you’re making use of the paints I brought yesterday.”
“This is my third attempt.”
He stepped behind the easel she’d created using the seat of a kitchen stool. She’d begun to fill in the outline of the bay, with dreamy shades of blue and green. His house was across the way, a mere speck on the horizon, but there nonetheless.
“It looks good,” he said.
She rinsed her brush and shrugged. “It’s been a long time since I last dabbled.”
>
“But you’re enjoying yourself.”
She beamed a smile at him. “Immensely.”
That was all that mattered.
“Relaxation looks good on you.” He meant only to squeeze her arm, but his fingers failed to release her and instead he found himself pulling her close.
“I am relaxed. I’ve slept like a baby the past couple nights,” she had to go and tell him.
He settled his hands on her waist. “I haven’t been sleeping at all.”
She set the paintbrush aside. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Probably just as well. I think I know what I’d be dreaming about.”
“Those are called fantasies, Nathaniel.” She slapped his chest and tried to look insulted.
He merely grinned. “Which explains why I’ve been having them while I’m awake.”
Her breath hitched. They both grew serious.
“What are you doing for dinner tonight?” she asked just before he could lean down and kiss her.
“I hadn’t thought that far ahead.” In fact, he wasn’t thinking at all at the moment.
“I have two steaks, as you may recall.”
“And my favorite beer.” Nate nuzzled her cheek.
“Uh-huh.” That sexy hitch was back.
“So, is that an invitation?” he managed to ask.
“It’s actually more like the solicitation of a favor.”
His brow crinkled in confusion.
“I don’t know how to work the grill.” He opened his mouth to reply, but she put her hand over his lips. “If you’re going to say I told you so or make some sort of comment about my being helpless, you can save your breath.”
He pulled her hand from his mouth, kissed the palm.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Indeed, Nate couldn’t help thinking that if anyone were helpless here, it was he.
He was back that evening just after six o’clock. He didn’t question his decision, though he did question his sanity. Phillip or no Phillip, he kept reminding himself there was only one way this could play out once Holly’s time on the island came to an end. Long-distance love affairs were hard enough to manage without all the baggage theirs would come with, assuming that was even what she wanted.
