“Where would you like me to start?” he asked, trying to act professional when all he wanted to do was touch her again.
“I liked all your ideas from the other night. Adding in French doors to the great room, large deck off the side with stairs leading down to the lake. Moving the built-ins and relocating the wall in the dining room. I’d like to swing those for sure. Depending how much it costs, we might have to discuss the kitchen later.”
She was all business, so he attempted to be the same.
It was the hardest bid he’d ever written up. She helped him measure the space, bending and twisting in the skimpy get-up until he didn’t think he had any blood left in his brain.
Once he had the measurements down on his clipboard, he fished out his phone and attempted to compute numbers, knocking his fee down to almost nothing.
While she kept quiet as he worked, she was still in the room, ambling around, and his gaze kept straying to her, marveling at the graceful way she moved.
Finally, he had a figure that he felt comfortable with and named it.
She frowned. “That sounds too reasonable. I don’t need charity.”
“You wouldn’t be able to stay away, and I’d rather not have you underfoot, so I’ll put you to work instead, cutting the cost of the labor. It’s a rough estimate, depending on finishes that you decide on and any issues we might uncover in the process, it could change. How does that sound?”
She studied him for a long moment, and then she smiled. It was like the sun appeared from behind dark clouds after weeks of torrential rain. His heart swelled, and he longed to close the distance between them, carry her upstairs, and spend the afternoon naked.
“Well, then, let’s see what the kitchen will cost.” She headed toward the kitchen.
Giving himself a mental shake to get his shit together, he followed, his eyes riveted to her hips as they rocked back and forth to a rhythm that mimicked the beat of his heart.
“Wow, this looks a lot better than it did the other night.” He took in the sparkling kitchen. It might be from the seventies with orange Formica countertops, and outdated appliances, but she’d done wonders with it.
“I figured I might as well clean it up if I couldn’t afford to replace it. Now, I’m wishing I’d waited.” She rubbed her lower back. “It was a hell of a workout.”
He couldn’t stop himself from looking her over from head to toe. She was in great shape. Arm muscles delicately defined, flat stomach, toned legs, and perky breasts that would perfectly fill his hands.
“Ryder?”
His eyes swung back up to meet hers, and by her quizzical expression, he realized that while he’d been lost in sexual fantasies, she’d called his name more than once. He cleared his throat. “Sorry?”
“Something bothering you?” she asked, tilting her head.
“Yes. No. Yes, damn it. Do you have any idea what that outfit, or rather lack of outfit, is doing to me?”
She glanced down at her clothes. “This? This is more than I usually wear. You should have seen me in Kauai.”
“Now you’re purposely messing with me,” he growled.
“Just telling the truth.”
He turned away from her, trying not to think of her in less than what she was currently wearing. “So, what did you have in mind for the kitchen?”
“I haven’t a clue. I know I need an industrial-size refrigerator and top of the line gas stove and a large sink. Maybe a farmhouse one. But other than that, I have no ideas. I was hoping you would.”
“We work with Bleu Carpentry for cabinets and should talk to Quinn or Ash. In fact, let me give Sorene a call, so you can see what she did with her kitchen. She carved these amazing scenes in the cabinet doors.”
“I doubt I could afford anything that fancy, but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to see it.”
“I’ll set it up and give you a call when Sorene can give us a tour. And I’ll also schedule a time to meet with Bleu Carpentry.”
“Sounds great. One more thing before you go, could you give me some pointers outside?”
“Lead the way.” He breathed a sigh of relief. Being outside with her would hopefully end this feeling of intimacy that filled the air between them inside the house.
She led him around the back of the cabin where a large meadow sat back from the lake dotted with spruce and birch trees and sprinkled with an array of wildflowers. “The cabin came with fifteen acres of lake-front and forest. I was thinking of opening a camping and RV site. The RV site would have to be in the future due to the need of adding in hook ups, but I could open the campsites as soon as I clear some of the area, grade in a road off the main one, and set up markers.”
“That’s a great idea. I’d suggest having permanent firepits in place too. With how the trees grow here, you could plan around them so that each campsite has a few for shade and protection.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking. With a bit of elbow grease, I could have this up and running in a few weeks, and hopefully start generating income while the cabin is being renovated. I’ve already talked to the city zoning and planning people, and there isn’t a problem there as I’m just out of the city limits.”
“Heartbreak will greatly benefit from having a campground and RV site. I’m surprised no one has done it before.” She shared a look with him and he realized why. “Todd Ellis again?”
“Yep. I talked with Mark Lowry, remember him from school? He promised to keep my plans quiet so that Todd doesn’t get wind of it and try to stop me. Mark isn’t a fan of Todd.”
“That’s because Todd stole his girl and then dumped her. She left the state after that.”
“Ouch.”
“Yes, but that will play into your favor. What do you need from me?”
“Well, I was thinking, Todd will already know why you are here, fixing up the place, and maybe at the same time we could be working outside back here by the campsites, and he’d be none the wiser. You have the equipment.”
“That we do. Getting a backhoe here without Todd noticing it might be an issue. But if anyone asks, we’ll just say we’re excavating the area for the deck you have planned. Which is the truth, but we would usually use a bobcat not a backhoe. After the initial work is done, I can bring in the grader under pretense of re-grading your road. We can make it happen.”
She graced him with another of her sunshine smiles and he felt something warm and promising fill his chest. He wanted to give her a reason to grace him with that smile as often as he could.
“I’ll make another call and get a buddy out here to plat out the area.”
“Thanks, Ryder.”
They walked back to his truck. He opened the driver’s door and tossed in his toolbelt and clipboard and then turned back to her. “Gabriella, what you’re doing here is creative and brilliant. This venture of yours will be a huge success.”
She beamed under his praise. “Thank you. That means a lot. And thanks for coming out here today and giving me a bid. I’m excited to get started. I’ve dreamed of having my own inn since I was a kid, and now it feels like it’s really happening.”
“Oh, it’s really happening,” he said, his voice gravely. He wanted to add that she was happening too. All he could think about was her. All he wanted was her.
Unable to resist, he stepped closer to her. “You said the other night that when I found my backbone I should follow up on kissing you. I badly want to do more than kiss you, Gabriella.”
“What do you want to do, Ryder?” she asked just above a whisper.
“You don’t want to hear what I want.”
“Actually, I do.” She leaned into him.
He cupped her cheek even though he knew he shouldn’t. Her skin was so silkily smooth, so golden from the tropic sun of Hawaii. “This isn’t right. You’re dating my twin.”
“No, I’m hanging out with your twin. We’re friends. I’ll make sure he knows that next time I see him. Does it matter right now?”
God, yes.
Hell no.
He needed—yearned—felt like he would die without another sip of her. Before he could rein in his emotions, hell, his actions, he kissed her.
And then nothing mattered but her. Her and him. And this staggering desire they felt for each other.
He lifted her up, swiveled, and braced her against his truck, and her legs immediately wrapped around his waist. Those gorgeous, long legs that had tormented him since he’d kissed her days ago were now clenched around him, and his hard shaft, eliciting mewing sounds from her as he arched against her.
Christ, he wanted, needed to be inside her, but that could not happen. Shit. What did he do? How was he to handle this?
He needed to talk to Dare before this went any further. He should have talked with him the other night, cleared the air then, because how he felt about Gabriella was more than just a fling. Part of him was scared how fast these feelings had developed, while the other part reveled in them.
She was the one.
The realization had him tempering the kiss, gentling his touch, until she melted against him. He broke the kiss and held her, burying his face in her neck, dragging in the fresh, sweet, fruity smell of her into his lungs.
“Wow, you sure know how to kiss a woman senseless,” she said on a sigh.
He chuckled, feeling more lighthearted as well as torn up inside than he could ever remember over a woman. He straightened and gazed into her eyes. Brushing her hair back from her face, he marveled at the silkiness of it. “I want to be with you, Gabriella. I want to be the one taking you out, spending time with you, but I have to make it right with Dare first.”
“I understand. And Ryder, I feel the same way. I want to be with you too. You’re one of the reasons I decided to come home. I couldn’t forget the kiss we shared that first time you traded places with Dare. No one has ever made me feel like you do.”
His knees went weak at her words, and he rested his forehead against hers, overcome with emotion. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Why didn’t you ever call me?” she countered.
“Because I was a fool.” His phone rang, interrupting them. He dug it out of his pocket, glancing down at the caller. “I hate this damn thing. Sorry, it’s work.” He stepped back and answered.
Then went ramrod straight at what his foreman relayed to him.
Chapter 7
Gabi watched another Wilde brother drive away from her in a cloud of dust. After Ryder had taken the phone call, he’d said he had to go and then was gone before she could say anything. She hoped whatever emergency he was running off to, could be easily resolved. She turned toward the house, catching rustling in the bushes off to the left. Again? What kind of animal did she have squatting on the premises? A fox maybe? No, it was too big to be a fox or a wolf, which meant it could be a bear. Slowly she made her way to the porch and shut herself inside.
She really needed to get a shotgun from her dad. Although, if she had a bear problem a shotgun wouldn’t do anything other than make noise. Looked like living in Kauai had made her soft. Only wild chickens there to watch out for.
At the very least, she needed to head to Heart Bait and Tackle and get some pepper spray. But first she’d give whatever was out there a chance to mosey away. It wasn’t like she didn’t have plenty to do. While most of the cleaning had been accomplished, there was still a lot of computer work waiting for her. Especially now that she would be opening a campground.
Forgetting about the animal outside, she entered her bedroom—which also doubled as her office—and got to work.
A knock sounded on her front door, and she glanced at the time, surprised to find she’d been hard at it for hours. She hurried down the stairs, hoping it was Ryder returning to finish their conversation.
She opened the door with a huge smile on her face that quickly turned into a frown. “What do you want?”
Todd Ellis stepped in, making her step back. He was dressed in a suit—a suit in Alaska— he must wear it to intimidate or feel important. His sandy-blond hair was expertly cut and there wasn’t a stray whisker on his clean-shaven face.
“That isn’t really neighborly, now is it?” he asked.
“We aren’t neighbors,” she pointed out, keeping the door open so he could easily walk right back out of it.
He attempted a boyish grin. She was sure a lot of women fell for it, but he still looked like a shark to her. “Of course, we’re neighbors, business-type neighbors at the very least, plus we share the same lake.”
“Along with a third of Heartbreak,” she muttered.
“I know we got off to a rough start. I’d like to make amends. How about dinner tonight?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why in the world would I have dinner with you?”
“I have a business proposition I’d like to present to you.”
“You can do that right here.”
“But I’d prefer to do it over drinks and enjoy the company of a lovely woman who I’m dying to know more about.”
He was slick, she’d give him that. “Tell you what, if you really have a business proposition for me, have your lawyers write it up and I’ll take a look at it. But I will tell you right now, that I have no desire to do business with you. You’re wasting your time. I think you should go.”
His expression went from slimy friendly to adversarially cold in a blink. “You don’t want to make an enemy of me.”
“I thought I already had by opening an inn.”
He glanced around at the empty space. “Attempting to open, you mean. That still remains to be seen. This place will require a lot of money to get it up and running, money I’ve heard you don’t have.”
Thanks to you, you son of a bitch. “My financial situation is none of your business. It’s past time you left.” She indicated the open door.
“It’s in your best interest to hear me out.”
“Fine. You have five minutes.”
He wasn’t happy with her demands. She figured he wasn’t a man most gave demands to. He straightened his shoulders, his dark eyes going sharp. Yep, shark eyes.
“I’m willing to offer you ten thousand above what you paid for this place. That’s a very generous offer, and an excellent return on your money.”
“You want to buy this place? Why?”
He gave a casual shrug. “I’m always looking for investments.”
“That’s all there is to it?” she asked but didn’t give him a chance to come up with a bogus answer. “You know what I think?”
“Do tell,” he murmured.
“I bet you thought you could come over here, flirt a little, ask me out in the hopes of charming me into doing what you want. You don’t know a damn thing about me. I’m not interested in selling, and if I was, it certainly wouldn’t be to you.”
“Gabi, you need to see reason. My offer is generous and sincere.”
“Sincere?” That was the last word she’d associate with him. “Were you being sincere when you stopped my loan at the bank? Yes, I know that was you and that you have that weak bank manager Milo Greer in your back pocket. You might have delayed me opening my inn, but you coming over here to buy me out, tells me one thing very important.”
“And that is?”
“You’re worried, and you know what? You should be. I know what I’m doing. This inn will take some of the shine off Heart Springs Eternal Spa and Resort. You’ve had the tourist trade in this town monopolized for long enough. It’s time to get used to change, because change is coming. Now get off my property.”
“You haven’t heard the last of this, Gabriella Waterman.”
“Yes, I have, Todd Ellis.” She shut the door in his face, and then had to brace herself against it as her body shook from the encounter.
Chapter 8
Ryder spent the rest of the day cleaning up broken glass and talking with the Alaska State Troopers. During the night, someone had thrown rocks and broken every goddamn newly installed window on the Graham job site. If that wasn�
�t insult enough, balloons filled with paint had been thrown onto the metal roof, bursting as they’d hit, leaving multi-colored splatters of graffiti all over the shiny, corrugated metal. It would be a bitch to clean.
Ryder wished his new best-friend-turned-bro-in-law Trip Hunter was in town and not on his honeymoon with Zoe. With Trip out of the state, he had to deal with Alaska State Trooper Joel Maynard instead. While Maynard was competent enough, he didn’t take Ryder’s suggestion to question Leia Atwood seriously, chalking up the damage to kids causing mischief. He’d do his best to follow up, but chances were they wouldn’t catch the culprit or culprits.
Ryder very much doubted it was kids who’d caused the destruction. It seemed too deliberate, waiting until the day after the windows had been installed. There was a personal feeling about all of it. The fire, now this. And hadn’t Leia attempted to reach him three times that morning?
His foreman Tobias Boone walked up to him. “This is a hell of a mess. I called Denali Windows in Fairbanks and reordered them all. It will be at least a month until we have replacements. In all my years, I’ve never worked on a project this plagued with disasters. First, the fire, and now this. What the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know, but I plan to get to the bottom of it. We need to install some security. We need to catch this…individual.” He’d been about to say bitch but stopped himself in time. There was no need assuming, though he knew in his gut the perp was Leia.
“Cameras are a good idea,” Tobias said. “I can send Danny to town. He’s computer savvy. He’d know what to get and how to install them.”
“Send him to Fairbanks. I don’t want anyone in Heartbreak knowing we purchased cameras.” The Heart to Heart Network would hear of the problem out here soon enough and if one of his guys was seen buying cameras, word would get out and then they might never catch the criminal.
“You got it, boss.” Tobias headed over to give Danny instructions.
Maynard had said he’d keep an eye on the place, meaning he’d have someone drive by every now and then. Like that would help. Ryder needed someone on site. Hiring security would be hard. There wasn’t anything available like that in Heartbreak, which meant he’d have to get someone from Fairbanks, which would be a greater expense. Cameras were his best option.
Wild Ride Page 5
