by Anthology
Her first response was to get angry and assert her dominance as the owner and the one who signed Archer’s checks, but something he said caught her attention. “What do you mean, owner of the Springs?”
Sam hated the Springs and everything they represented in her hometown. The resort on the top of the hill was pretentious, and soon it would be full of rich, over-indulged people who had nothing better to do with their time than spend it soaking in some hot water that apparently had magical healing properties. And the con artists responsible for building and operating the place were not only crooks, but they’d invaded her peaceful town and were going to be single-handedly responsible for ruining her business and bringing in even more outsiders. The thought that Trent—who was not only gorgeous with his deep green eyes and broad shoulders that she’d wanted to run her hands across from the moment she’d met him, but also caused a stir deep in her belly that she hadn’t felt for a very long time—could not only be associated with the Springs, but responsible for it, made her stomach turn.
“I mean, he’s one of the two Harrison brothers who have brought the resort into our towns and our hearts.” Archer clutched his chest in an elaborate pantomime.
Sam picked up a hand towel and chucked it at him. “Cut it out.”
He caught it expertly and tucked it into his apron. “I don’t know why you hate the resort so much, Sam. It’s not the devil. If you stopped to think about it, I think you’d see it’s a good thing for Cedar Springs.”
“Name one good thing.”
“Beth likes it up there.”
Beth was Sam’s best friend, and as much as she valued her opinion, Sam knew she was biased. For Beth, the job opening at the Springs was a lifeline for her and her daughter. It meant she could move back home from the city so she could raise Jules in her hometown. Before the Springs opened, there was no place for a physiotherapist in a small town. And as much as she loved having her best friend home again, Sam still couldn’t bring herself to be okay with the resort, especially the people who’d brought it to her private piece of paradise. Especially when those people stirred up such unexpected and strong feelings inside her. No, there was no way she could ever imagine a world where she’d ever warm up to Trent Harrison or his stupid resort.
“Take him the burger,” she said. “I’ll be in my office.”
Before Archer could protest again, Sam stormed out of the kitchen and into the tiny back room she was growing to hate. She locked the door behind her, slid into her chair and dropped her head into her hands. Her eyes fell on the stack of bills that never seemed to go anywhere and she couldn’t decide whether she was angrier at Trent Harrison for his role in the resort that was causing all her problems, or herself for being drawn to him like an ant to honey.
CHAPTER 4
All too soon the doors to the Springs would be open to the public, and Trent’s quiet mornings of walking the grounds would be gone. Not that he’d be too sad. He was probably more anxious than anyone else to get things rolling. And he had no doubt they’d be rolling. As soon as word got out about the natural healing properties of the hot pools, and once their well-placed advertising campaigns started, the Springs would be fully booked. He had no doubt of that.
Taking a detour to the main desk, Trent walked past the six-story glass wall that showcased the tranquil pools inside. They’d managed to harness the water and channel it into an indoor spa-styled pool where guests could soak in the healing waters. The natural water that bubbled out of the earth was a hundred and eight degrees, which could be a bit much for some guests, so they’d made sure to construct a variety of soaking pools so the water temperature could be adjusted to accommodate all guests. There was even a plunge pool where the temperature was only a few shades off freezing. At least, it felt that way to Trent. But they’d wanted to be sure to appeal to everyone.
The empty pools bubbled away, ready for the guests who would soon be able to enjoy them at all hours of the day. Trent was adamant about not putting any restrictions on using the facilities for guests. They were open twenty-four hours a day because for some, healing took place in the middle of the night. He stopped in front of the glass wall and gazed around the facility. It was stunning and the glow of pride Trent felt every time he looked at what his vision had built was unmistakable. But that glow was dimming. Les Braxton was still on him. He wasn’t going to be happy until the entire hotel was booked solid, but even Trent knew that was an ambitious goal for the first few months. The man needed to be patient.
With a sigh of frustration, Trent left the pools behind and kept walking. Maybe if there was more support from the locals, they could bill the Springs as an entire experience, with artisan shopping in town and a tranquil small-town getaway. But there were still those in town who viewed him as the enemy. Carmen was right; he needed to do something nice for Cedar Springs. Show the town that they were here to stay, as partners. He’d overheard something about a festival that would be taking place for the summer equinox. That might be just the thing and maybe he could ask Samantha Burke about it. She seemed to know what was going on in town.
The heat in his gut that was becoming all too familiar every time he thought of the attractive bar owner with an edge caught his attention. In an attempt to cool his thoughts, Trent slipped out a side door and into the meditation gardens. Or what would be the meditation gardens as soon as the gardeners he’d hired finished their work. Which they were slated to do later in the week.
For the last three days since he’d ventured into town, into the Grizzly Paw and straight into the life of Samantha Burke, all he could think about was the way her lips pouted when she spoke to him, and the sharp way she held her shoulders in an effort to look in control, or the intense need he saw in her impossibly dark eyes when she looked at him. It wasn’t his imagination. He recognized carefully leashed desire when he saw it. And he’d definitely seen it. Now he just needed to see it again. After finishing his burger, he’d waited for her to reappear, but she never had and eventually Trent had to return to work. Had she been avoiding him because she felt the heat between them too? The thought consumed him.
He strode absently along the cobblestone path, thoughts of Samantha occupying his mind. If he hadn’t been so preoccupied by the woman, he might have noticed that the flash of movement he saw out of the corner of his eyes was more than just a bird. When the streak of yellow appeared in his peripheral vision again, Trent froze. That was no bird.
It was too early for anyone to be in the gardens, and the workers weren’t scheduled to show up until eight. A quick glance at his watch told Trent he still had two more hours before they’d be there. Which left one option. An intruder.
He ducked low, and moved toward a large barrel full of decorative stone. Crouching beside it, Trent glanced around the side and scanned the garden. The early morning shadows made it difficult to see, but there was no mistaking the streak of yellow that darted out and behind a shrub. Without thinking, Trent launched himself up and with a few quick strides, reached the intruder and grabbed him by the collar.
“What do you think you’re doing here, ass—”
The words died on his lips as he looked down into the frightened eyes of Jules. He released her collar but kept a tight grip on her arm. “Jules?”
“I’m sorry.” The girl’s eyes darted around like a wild rabbit looking for an escape route. “I didn’t mean for you to see me. I was just…I’m sorry.”
“What are you doing here so early? It’s freezing.” He realized for the first time just how cool it was in the mountains pre-dawn. “And it’s Saturday. Your mom doesn’t work today, does she?”
Truthfully, Trent had no idea when Beth worked. But he did know that Jules wasn’t scheduled to work with Carmen until Monday.
“No, she doesn’t.” Jules still would not meet his gaze. “And she doesn’t know I’m here. But I…I…look,” she met his eyes for the first time and Trent could see the defiance, clouding an underlying sadness reflected back at him, “I
know I’m not supposed to be here, okay. But my mom wants me to go meet other kids and…I like it here better. It’s relaxing and…peaceful.”
Trent released her, confident she wouldn’t be running after her confession. “It is peaceful, I agree. But it wouldn’t be that way if I just let random children run around, would it?”
She put her hands on her hips and stuck her chest out. “I’m not random.”
“Not to me.” Trent raised his eyebrow. “But to pretty much anyone else around here, you’re random. And I can’t have you out here. It’s not safe.” He blew his breath into his hands and rubbed his shirtsleeves. “Besides that, it’s freezing. Come on. I’ll get you some breakfast.”
Jules looked at him suspiciously, as if he had some sort of hidden agenda. The truth was, he didn’t. Something about the spunky little girl amused him, and he admired her determination. It would serve her well in life.
“Really,” he said when she still hadn’t moved. “I haven’t eaten yet, either. And the chefs are busy prepping. They’re always happy to actually cook something. Let’s go.”
Together they walked through the halls, and as there were only a few workers milling about, they didn’t attract any attention. Trent’s eye landed on a low fountain that wasn’t running. He stopped and made a note. That was the third water feature he’d noticed that wasn’t working properly. He’d have to talk to Kurt, his head maintenance guy.
A few minutes later, they were seated at a corner table in Stillwater, the resort’s cafe, and he’d placed their order for two stacks of pancakes with a coffee for him and an orange juice for her. Jax, the head chef, was more than happy to whip up some breakfast. After he got their drinks and placed it in front of Jules, Trent asked, “Does your mother know you’re here?”
The way Jules looked down at the table and picked at her napkin was all the answer he needed.
“You’ll need to call her,” he said. “She’ll be worried.”
“No she won’t. She’s too busy with her new career to care about me. She thinks I’ll just make friends and everything will be fine. But the kids here are different than in the city. They won’t like me.”
And in that moment, Trent saw what the real problem with his new delinquent friend was. “Change can be pretty hard, huh?”
Jules nodded but didn’t look up.
“What did she do before she came to work here?” He tried to remember what Beth’s personnel file said, but truthfully, he didn’t spend much time with the dealings of the staff. That was Carmen’s department.
“We lived in the city,” Jules said. “We lived in a tiny apartment and she worked at the hospital.”
“And your dad?”
Her face shot up, her eyes blazing. “I don’t have a dad.”
Trent nodded and took a sip of his coffee. “Gotcha.” He waited a beat before prying a bit more. “So why did you move here?”
“Mom grew up here and when this was built,” she waved her skinny arm around, “she got the job and we came here. She keeps saying how much I’m going to like it here and what a great childhood she had. But I don’t get it. Cedar Springs sucks.”
Trent tried not to smile.
“Except for Auntie Sam. She’s okay.”
Trent froze. Auntie Sam? “You mean Samantha who owns the Grizzly Paw?” He hoped he sounded a lot more casual than he felt. “Where you told me to go for a burger?”
“Yeah.” At that moment, Jax came and put two towering stacks of pancakes in front of them, along with a side plate of fresh butter and syrup. “Did you have the burger there? I told you it was the best, right?”
Jax glanced at Trent, as if he, too, was waiting for the answer.
He nodded. “I did,” he answered Jules. “You were right. It’s the best burger I’ve ever had.” Looking to the chef, he added, “With the exception of yours, of course.”
“Whatever you say,” the chef said good-naturedly. “It’s a good thing hamburgers aren’t my specialty or I’d take offense.” He laughed. “Enjoy your breakfast.”
“And it was good, right?” Jules asked, her mouth full of pancakes.
“It was. But tell me about your auntie.” Trent knew it had to be a bad idea to ask a kid about a woman, but there didn’t seem to be a lot of options open to him, and she was here and… “Is she your mom’s sister?”
“Nah. She’s not really my auntie but she’s Mom’s best friend, so close enough.”
Trent nodded. “And is there an uncle?” He tried to sound casual, but he knew he’d failed in his attempt when Jules put down her fork and gave him a strange look over the top of her glass of juice.
“You mean, like, is Auntie Sam married?”
He shrugged and focused on cutting his pancakes.
“She’s not,” Jules said, and a thrill that was more annoying than anything else flashed through him. “But Mom said her boyfriend’s back in town.” And just like that, the thrill was gone.
“Boyfriend?”
Jules shrugged and shoved more pancake in her mouth. “Never met him. But hey,” she said, changing tack. “Maybe he’ll be at the festival? Auntie Sam does it every year. I only got to go once when I was a kid, but now that we live here…should be fun, I guess.”
“That sounds interesting,” he mused. “I heard something about it the other day.” The kernel of an idea that’d started to form earlier took shape. “Tell me what you remember about the festival,” he said. “And what do you mean, Samantha does it every year?”
~ ~
“I don’t know what you’re thinking.” Beth’s voice called out from the bedroom. Sam didn’t even bother asking her best friend what she was referring to because she knew exactly what her friend was talking about. Instead, she flopped down on Beth’s couch and picked up a magazine. She pretended to look at the pages while her friend continued to talk from the other room. “He wasn’t any good for you when we were in high school, and he’s really no good for you now.”
Beth appeared in the doorway, wearing a blue sundress that complemented her eyes perfectly. “You look fantastic,” Sam said, and meant it. “Where did you get that? Because I know for a fact that Cedar Springs certainly doesn’t have any stores that sell clothes like that.”
“I ordered it.” Her friend twirled, showing off her legs. “I probably shouldn’t have spent so much, but I couldn’t help it. I thought it would be perfect for the festival. I’ll be more than ready to dance the night away. And you never know…maybe I’ll actually find someone to kiss after the toast. I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve been able to go, and from everything I heard, you know how to do it right.”
At the mention of the festival, Sam shrank back into the couch. She knew Beth and half the town had been looking forward to a big party to kick off the summer season. The year before, she’d managed to convince a half decent band to come from the city and even though it’d cost way more than she should have spent, it was worth it, especially considering it had been the first festival she’d thrown on her own since taking over the Grizzly Paw. The problem was, now everyone in Cedar Springs expected the same level of entertainment.
“The dress is perfect.” Sam tossed the magazine on the table and sat up. “But why are you worrying about kissing someone? Besides, it’s just a stupid legend.”
The legend was that whomever you kissed at the solstice festival, immediately after the toast when the paper lanterns were released, would be your sweetheart for the season. Sam had never kissed anyone, which may have been the problem.
“It is not,” Beth protested. “Now, don’t avoid the question.”
“I didn’t hear a question.”
Beth poured them each a glass of lemonade and handed one to Sam. “Don’t be stupid.” She sat across from her. “We’re talking about Preston.”
“Are we?”
Beth ignored her. “I heard he’s in town,” she said. “And I also heard he’s been to the Paw to visit you, so don’t even pretend you don’t know
what I’m talking about.”
“I’m going to kill Archer.” When it came to her love life, he seemed to think he needed to play the role of protector, and in Archer’s world, that included giving all the details to Beth so they could team up on her.
“Don’t blame Archer.” Beth took a sip of her drink and stared at Sam. “But he’s right. Preston’s a jerk and you better not have any ideas of hooking up with him just because he’s back for a little bit.”
The truth was, Sam might have entertained the idea of Preston for a minute or two, mostly because he was familiar and comfortable. But for the last few nights, when she laid in her bed alone, it wasn’t Preston’s face she saw when she closed her eyes.
“Quite honestly, I’m totally over it. He just doesn’t know it yet. Speaking of being back in Cedar Springs.” Sam needed to change the subject. “How’s it going? How’s Jules doing?” She looked out the window at the girl lounging in a deck chair and staring at her tablet.
Beth sighed and dropped her head in her hands. “Jules hates it. I keep wondering if I did the right thing coming back and taking her away from all her friends. But it was so hard in the city with just the two of us. It has to be better with family and good friends around, right?”
Sam nodded, although she had absolutely no idea whether Beth was right or not. She’d always admired her best friend for raising Jules on her own. It hadn’t been easy for her as a teenager with a baby, alone. But she’d managed to finish school and take her training to become a physiotherapist and through everything, Beth had always put her daughter first. “She’s a good kid,” Sam said. “She’ll be okay as soon as school starts and she starts to make friends.”
“She could make friends now if she didn’t insist on running up to the Springs every chance she got. She hates staying with her grandma, and I can’t leave her alone after—”
“I remember.” Sam couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her as she thought of the time Jules almost lit the house on fire. Beth glared at her and Sam swallowed her laughter. “What do you mean, she’s running up to the Springs? What’s she doing up there?”
