Had Miranda always had that whiny quality to her voice? Or was he just starting to really listen? He did know that he was ending whatever it was they had going on. Today was the last day. Bye-bye, Miranda.
“It was nice seeing you again, Rose. And it was a pleasure to meet you, Dani. And you, Tyler.”
“We are late.”
For what? Drew wanted to ask. They didn’t have any fixed plans, or any plans at all, for that matter.
“Just a second. I have to tie my shoe.”
Drew knelt to retie his perfectly fine laces. He fiddled for a moment, not looking up, instead enjoying his view of Tyler’s long, tanned legs. Under his breath, he whispered, “Ode to Billy Joe.” Then stood and continued out of the restaurant.
He wanted to look back. It took all of his willpower not to. Had she heard him? Understood what he said?
If he had given in, glanced Tyler’s way, he would have seen a sight that would have taken his breath away.
“What are you grinning at?” Rose asked, exchanging puzzled looks with Dani.
Tyler just shrugged and picked up the conversation about what movie they were going to see next week on their trip to Spokane. She peeked out at the street, keeping another grin to herself. Drew Harper. Who would have guessed?
CHAPTER FOUR
DREW JOLTED AWAKE.
Unsure of where he was or why he was there, it took him a moment to shake the cobwebs from his brain and focus.
Tyler. Right. He was outside the Jones house and it was — he looked at his watch — six in the morning. He had fallen asleep sometime after, maybe three o’clock? That was the last time he remembered.
Drew shivered slightly. He wore a heavy leather coat but damn, it was six in the morning. And October. It was still dark. That was something. At least he could get away before the neighborhood started stirring for the day.
Shaking his head and taking a deep breath, he reached to start the car when his phone signaled a text from Jack.
Where the hell are you?
Drew sighed. What a worrier.
I’m fine, he typed. Go back to your bed and your woman.
In bed, with woman. Jealous?
Hell, yes. What sane straight man wouldn’t be? Warm bed, loving woman. Not Jack’s, his own. But these days, his bed was not welcoming and he was miles and a good decade away from the woman he wanted.
Nine o’clock conference call, see you then.
Drew shut off his phone before Jack could respond. He knew his partner worried. They were also best friends — double whammy in the worry department.
He pulled the Mustang onto the street and headed towards H&W headquarters. He wasn’t going home. Any empty house, no matter how new or luxurious, wasn’t the most welcoming place, especially in his state of mind. Drew figured he would be better off getting an early start at the office.
Returning to Harper Falls after a ten-year absence had not been an easy decision. His life was right on track, right where he had imagined all those years ago. He and Jack took their company to the top, billionaires before the age of thirty.
They were an interesting pair, he and Jack Winston. College had been their meeting ground, computer geeks with a similar vision. Jack had arrived there on a football scholarship. Fast, agile. He was born with the ability to outrun almost anyone else on the field. Throw the ball in his vicinity, his sure hands would haul it in. Jack could have gone pro. More than one sports analyst shook their head in amazement when he chose to follow his real passion, designing software.
They met in class, clicked immediately, became best friends and partners. Long hours tinkering with the first program that had to be perfect. Starts and stops, never enough time or money. A bond had been forged that could never be broken.
Hitting it big changed nothing. Their first million, the ones that followed. The billion-dollar mark they had hit in September. They progressed here together. The arguments were inevitable. Two strong personalities didn’t get here by rolling over to anybody.
Knocking heads with Jack, if Drew were honest, was part of the fun. His partner knew when to push and when to pull back. Growing up in a large, boisterous, family gave Jack the ability to fight without getting nasty or holding a grudge. The Winstons did everything in a big way. Big family full of love. The exact opposite of Drew’s childhood.
He pulled his car into the large, climate-controlled garage he insisted be included in the H&W compound. He considered his cars his babies. They needed a warm home without harsh lights or fluctuating temperatures. Most of his collection was in a three-story garage near his home. Some were over one hundred years old. Those never moved. Others, like the Mustang, were for driving. He rotated ten or twelve cars between the compound and home, depending on his mood.
Drew waited for the garage door to close before getting out of the car. One of Alex’s recruits would give it a wash tomorrow morning. There were perks to having big, anxious-to-please security guards in training around. They could always be counted on to buff the boss’ car.
Through the door, he had to pass by the barracks. At any given time, anywhere from five or six to over a hundred men stayed at the compound. When he and Jack hit it big, they had discussed dropping the personal security side of the business. It was more of a pain in the ass than an asset. Jack thought it was good luck, a way of not forgetting their humble beginnings. In the end, they had kept a nominal staff catering to an exclusive clientele. The man they hired to run that end of things had turned out to be a mean drunk, putting Jack in the emergency room with a stab wound.
The current head of H&W Private Security division was an ex-Army badass and Jack’s old high school buddy. Instead of cutting back, Alex expanded the business — and did a damn good job. Business was booming all around.
At the moment, though, Drew was the only living soul around. Alex stayed here when he first came to town. Now that he and Dani were engaged, he had moved into her loft. Security cameras and sensor devices eliminated the need for a night watchman. They were a high-tech company. If they couldn’t keep their own compound secure from a distance, they weren’t very good at their jobs.
Drew used the retinal scan before typing in his personal corresponding code to disengage the alarm system. His office was east facing, the bank of windows gave him a view of Crossfire Hill. Most people would have chosen a westward view. Jack and Alex’s offices both looked over Harper Falls and the Columbia River. They also had a straight-across look at Harper House.
Drew had spent the first eighteen years of his life living in that cold mountain of brick and mortar. Looking at it every day was not his idea of a good time. Which brought him back to his earlier musings. Why move back to Harper Falls?
Convincing Jack hadn’t been a problem. He was tired of Los Angeles. A small town boy at heart, he embraced Harper Falls and its little quirks wholeheartedly. Buy the better part of a mountain? His partner was all in. Build their homes from the ground up, each only miles apart and minutes from work. Jack hopped right on board.
Then again, Jack was an easygoing soul. Drew had all the edges.
Coffee. That was the first order of business. Like everything else at H&W, the coffee machines were state of the art. Did spending an arm and a leg on a machine with more bells and whistles than he would ever use make a better brew than a good old reliable Mr. Coffee? Damn straight. He didn’t care if he never used the milk steamer or the cream frother. One perfect cup of espresso, that was what he asked for; this machine gave it to him.
Christ, his mind was all over the place this morning. Drew settled down at his desk, putting his feet up and staring sightlessly out the window.
When it came right down to it, he moved back to Harper Falls for only one reason. Tyler Jones. Now that he was here? It surprised him how much he had missed his hometown.
Getting away had been his goal. How many times had he and Tyler laid in each other’s arms and talked about their dreams? Any place but here. Together. At seventeen, it had all seemed
possible. He had barely turned eighteen when it all turned into a mess of epic proportions.
It did no good to replay the past in his mind. Eleven years, countless memories. So many of them were good. No, not good. Amazing. He savored those, the ones that brought him back to Harper Falls and the woman who had stolen his heart when he was a teenager.
It was still hers.
Sometimes, when he was in one of his more optimistic moments, Drew could believe that Tyler still cared. That she would be happy to know he never stopped loving her. This morning he chose to embrace that thought. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine her right now sharing his thoughts. Picturing the two of them, so damn young. So sure that nothing and no one could ever tear them apart.
TYLER TOSSED IN her bed, angry that sleep had eluded her for most of the night. It was all Drew Harper’s fault. He entered her thoughts with an increasingly alarming frequency. Grown up Drew. The memories she could deal with — often welcomed. She didn’t know what to do with the man he was now.
She rolled over, closing her eyes and drifting. Back. Back to the girl she was and the woman she became in the arms of Drew Harper.
ELEVEN YEARS EARLIER
TYLER HOPPED OFF her bike. The trail down to the river was steep and rocky, with a drop-off that would have made the most intrepid rider hesitate. She was a risk-taker, but she wasn’t stupid.
It had become an interesting summer. Usually joined at the hip, she, Rose, and Dani were apart more than at any time since Rose had come to Harper Falls. Dani’s aunt was sick, so she and her mother spent more time in Tacoma than they had first anticipated. They came home every other weekend to visit and make sure all was well at home, then back they went.
Rose had a musical to produce. The Harper Falls High Fall Musical Extravaganza turned into a one-woman show. It seemed that either every bit of help she had lined up dropped out because of scheduling conflicts or they just couldn’t keep up with the musically gifted Rose.
Even Mr. Niles, the faculty advisor, found it hard to be around a young woman a third of his age who outmatched him in both talent and ambition. Imagine giving up on your dreams, becoming a teacher. Then along comes Rose, bursting with drive and enthusiasm. Not to mention more talent in the tip of her little finger than you could even dream about.
Must have been tough, Tyler thought as she leaned her bike against an outcropping of rocks. The result, in Rose’s case, was a bigger workload and a less than cooperative in-charge adult. Luckily, Rose had Principal Mona Harriman on her side. Tough as nails and as fair as the day was long, Principal Harriman was one of the few authority figures Tyler truly respected. Rose was no pushover. If she was working hard, it was because she wanted to. The principal would make sure the others pulled their weight.
Tyler, because of her friends’ unexpected absences, spent the summer working when she wanted, which was often — she still needed the money. The rest of the time, she ran free.
She spied the path down to the river the other day, her destination when she ran into Drew Harper. Not, it turned out, an unwelcome occurrence. Her mild interest amped up, she finally admitted to herself she was in the throes of a full-fledged, heart-palpitating crush.
That was the reason she wasn’t seeking him out. The thought of Drew was exciting. The chance of making it a reality? Less than zero. A little light flirting in a public place was the closest they would ever come to each other. He was Harper Academy; she was Harper High. The two didn’t mix. Never had, never would.
Tyler sighed. You couldn’t miss what you never had. She reminded herself of that little bit of clichéd wisdom when she saw it.
The cove was hidden from view. If she hadn’t been right on it, she never would have known it was there. Rocks acted like a wall, a narrow passage opening just enough for her to squeeze through. What she found made her grin.
A beach oasis. Smooth sand, as though no one had ever walked there. The June sun touched half of the area, the rest shaded by the sheer cliffs. She could sunbathe in the nude if she wanted to and no one would ever know.
Tyler almost giggled at the thought. Naked just below Harper House. Not that she would ever do it. Just knowing she could was enough. Heady. Exciting. She already thought of this place as hers. She would come whenever she needed to get away, be by herself. Eventually, she would share it with Rose and Dani. For now, though, it was all hers.
“This is private property, you know.”
Tyler almost jumped out of her skin. At least she hadn’t screamed. Whirling around, she came face-to-face with Drew Harper.
Faced with their crush, some girls might have simpered. Tyler did what she did best; she went on the attack.
“Do you always sneak up on unsuspecting women? What are you, a creepy stalker?”
“You found me out.” Drew leaned a shoulder against the cliff wall. “I waited on the off-chance you would come across the river, go down a dangerous trail, and find this hidden spot that no one else knows about. I should be put away as a threat to nosy trespassers everywhere.”
Tyler felt her lips twitch. He was quick; she liked that. Guys tended to be intimidated by her. Either that or she just pissed them off. Drew gave back as good as he got. One more plus in his column. She needed to find some minuses and fast before she was a complete goner.
“I don’t see any signs. As far as I knew, I was on a public beach.”
“I watched you sneak across the bridge, down the path, and in here. You know where you are and who owns it.”
He watched her? Was interested enough to follow? She didn’t believe for a moment he was worried about her intruding where she didn’t belong. If that were true, he could have stopped her before she came down to the beach. He was interested; he had to be.
Tyler felt that fluttering in her stomach increase. So much for shooting down her growing crush.
“No cute comeback?”
Drew straightened, his long, athletic body moving with ease. He came closer, close enough for Tyler to smell a hint of tantalizing cologne. Twice before, she had caught that fragrance. On the bridge and in the café. Breathing deeply. Combined with the fresh, river air, she knew without a doubt it was a scent she would never forget.
“I could report you to the police.”
Like that was going to happen, Tyler thought with a little smile.
“You think that’s funny? The Harper Falls police department takes trespassing very seriously.”
“If you were going to rat me out, you would have done it before you followed me.”
Tyler widened her smile. She wasn’t very experienced at flirting; she wasn’t very experienced at all. No boy had ever interested her enough to bother with more than a few experimental, fumbling kisses.
She once read that women were born knowing how to attract the opposite sex. They called it an innate instinct. It seemed like a ridiculous idea. She and her friends laughed aloud while reading the article. How could you just know what to do? And what if you were gay? Did it work the same way?
Suddenly, as Drew came closer, Tyler understood what the writer was talking about. Her body naturally swayed towards his. Her eyelids lowered, her chin dipped until she was glancing under her lashes. She licked her lips, noticing how the movement centered his attention on her mouth. Instinctual? Maybe. Or maybe it just took the right boy and girl. The right combination.
“Are you going to turn me in?” Where had that voice come from, Tyler wondered. Lower, almost raspy. She knew it had never come from her before now.
“Maybe.” Drew let the words linger, as though he was actually considering the idea.
Tyler was at a loss. Batting her eyes was one thing, now what? She had no moves, no practiced banter. If this went any farther, it would be up to Drew. He was only a year older, yet something told her he was miles ahead of her when it came to this kind of thing.
Maybe he sensed her predicament, maybe he was working on instinct too. The teasing light dropped from Drew’s eyes. He lifted a hand, his fi
ngers coming within a whisper of brushing her cheek before he pulled them back. Bad idea. This had already gone too far. They both knew it. Stop now and no one would get in trouble, no one would get hurt.
“I should go.”
Tyler went to move past him but found his body blocking her way. She raised her eyes to his, a question in them.
“You can go. I won’t stop you if…”
“If?”
Tyler swallowed. Did he want what she thought? Was he going to ask? She wanted him to, wanted to be right. She sighed with relief when she was.
“If you kiss me.”
HARPER FALLS HAD been founded as a playground for the rich. It was a getaway destination long before that term became chic.
Russell Harper founded the town with the idea of attracting his wealthy friends and building a place of which America’s elite would clamor to be a part. It had worked. Mansions sprung up to the north of town. Houses too big to be practical. Only millionaires need apply.
The town of Harper Falls became an offshoot of that. If you had big, expensive houses, you needed people to care for them and their residents. Maids, housekeepers, butlers. Some lived in. The others, those who took care of maintaining the grounds and the upkeep of the homes, they needed places to live.
Inexpensive housing was built, families moved in. The little blip on the map of Eastern Washington grew. North of Spokane, it would never be a city. That was never the goal. In a perfect world, Harper Falls would have stayed filled with workers who served. One hundred years later, through wars, economic ups and downs, deaths, births, the town survived, even flourished. But it was no longer the town the founding father had conceived.
More than any event, the end of World War II gave Harper Falls a new, and some would say, welcome influx of business people who were not there to cater to the rich. They had bigger dreams. Grocery stores, dry goods, restaurants. These were places that served all, not just those with overstuffed bank accounts.
Many of those original mansions were gone. The Depression had weeded out at least half. Others had moved away, some died with no direct heirs. The luxurious houses on the north side still existed. Now, what they lacked in number, they made up for in size. Per capita, Harper Falls could boast more than its share of multi-millionaires.
If You Only Knew (Harper Falls #3) Page 5
