“Works for me.”
The sun was just descending in the sky and would drop behind the mountains soon, but for now there was enough light. They ate in silence for a while, which was a good thing because every time he looked at her mouth, slick from eating buttered corn, he felt as if he’d swallowed his tongue. Worse, he wanted to kiss the slickness from her lips.
It was a relief when Ellie took a bite of potato salad. “Mmm. I can’t believe how good this is.”
“One of my housekeeper’s specialties.”
“You got lucky when she came to work for you.”
“The McKnight family got lucky with neighbors way before that.”
“Yeah.” She met his gaze. “She told me about taking care of your baby sister while your dad worked.”
“Everyone pitched in to help. That’s just the way Blackwater Lake people roll.”
Ellie cleared her throat and looked down. “Martha knows we’re sharing a bed...room,” she added.
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
The woman noticed everything. While he hadn’t taken that into consideration when he’d proposed their fling, it wouldn’t have changed his mind. As much as he teased her about gossiping, he’d known Martha could be discreet when Ellie became more than a guest.
“And she knows about our ‘athletic pursuits.’” If there was more light, the pink in her cheeks would be visible. There was no doubt it was there. “But I got her drift.”
“Did she say anything else?”
“As I recall, she had about four points, none of which apply to us or our particular situation.”
He heard something in her voice that told him she wasn’t telling the whole truth. But he had a pretty good idea what his housekeeper had said. “Martha is outspoken.”
“Yeah, I noticed.”
“Did she upset you?” Alex couldn’t imagine the woman being in any way mean, but firmness was another matter.
“No. She said, and let me paraphrase, if things don’t go as planned, she’ll cut my heart out with an ice cream scoop.”
He figured her point had something to do with not hurting him, because he’d heard that threat in relation to his ex-wife. Still... “Ouch.”
“No kidding.” She laughed. “I appreciate where she’s coming from. She embraced you and your siblings because she never had kids of her own. The three of you are like her children, and that explains her finely developed protective streak.”
“It goes both ways.”
“And that’s the thing. I’ve noticed that people like Martha are the backbone of Blackwater Lake. It’s a highlight of all that’s so wonderful here.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
“Then I have to ask—how do you feel about the resort development? Other than having the work.” She took a bite of steak and chewed.
“Good question.” Alex thought for a moment. “I’ve got mixed emotions. On the one hand, I’d like to maintain the serene sort of isolated feel of the place where I grew up.”
The place where he’d planned to raise his family.
“On the other hand,” she said, “a resort as big as the one that’s being proposed will all but assure Blackwater Lake is going to grow.”
“Yeah. I’ve talked with the representatives for the developer who’s spearheading the deal, and we’re looking at a small airport in addition to hotels, restaurants and stores.”
Ellie’s look was wry. “I’m in favor of an airport, although no one asked for my opinion.”
“I figured.” He grinned, remembering her first day on the job when she was late after driving nearly a hundred miles from “that cute little airport.” “Financial success relies on tourists, and they need to be able to get here without too much trouble.”
“Common sense,” she agreed.
“If the city council approves the plan and permits are pulled, there’s no way things around here won’t change.”
“Not all of them will be bad,” she pointed out. “The clinic is already expanding. Probably that kind of growth will require a hospital be built. And for you personally, if you’re the chosen contractor, that would be an incredible triumph for McKnight Construction.”
“Yeah.” He’d thought about all of that. “And money buys road improvements, infrastructure enhancement. All changes for the better. Including creating a lot of jobs.”
“Compromise can mean the best of all possible worlds here.”
“True,” he agreed. “From your mouth to God’s ear, because I think it’s going to happen.”
“I’m full.” Ellie put down her fork and leaned back in the chair, indicating this was about eating and not the conversation. She sighed as a light breeze stirred the hair around her face. “The thing is, I’m sure there’s a way to incorporate change and still maintain the qualities that make this area so amazing and incredibly special.”
He hadn’t been aware that she noticed or felt so strongly. “Like what?”
“The trees. I can smell the pine and it’s wonderful.” She breathed it in. “I’ve never seen more magnificent mountains. Although, keeping it real, Texas is pretty flat.”
“I’ve heard that.”
“I thought the sky at home was pretty, but here...” She shook her head, as if she were at a loss for words.
“What?”
“It’s clear to me why this is called Big Sky country. During the day, the vivid blue takes your breath away. But only until twilight. Like now.” Wonder transformed her face. It was an expression that couldn’t be faked. “This gets into your soul and doesn’t want to leave. Then at night the stars are like glitter on velvet.”
The sentiment made him proud about his hometown and pleased that she got it. His ex had done nothing but complain about being stuck out in the middle of nowhere. “That’s poetic.”
“It’s the God’s-honest truth. The sky, the trees, the grass, the flowers.” She looked completely relaxed when she waved a hand to indicate his house, yard and the jagged, towering mountains beyond. “I could get used to this.”
It was silent for a moment, then she tensed, as if what she’d said sank in. “I didn’t mean here here. Just Montana in general.”
“I knew that.”
“Good. Because—”
“It’s okay, Ellie.”
But it wasn’t. Not completely. The idea of it made him uneasy. The pleasure of her enjoyment and approval trickled through him in a way that meant it mattered a lot to him that she liked Blackwater Lake, the area and his place. Her opinion, good or bad, shouldn’t mean anything to him. She was leaving and he had no intention of stopping her, but...
There was always a but, and he had a bad feeling this one meant her not being here would make him awful damn lonely.
Chapter Ten
Ellie left the Mercy Medical Clinic site and walked back to the construction trailer. The crutches barely slowed her down now, but hopping upstairs to an apartment would still be a challenge. It wasn’t clear how much of that rationalization was based on the fact that she liked living with Alex and she refused to analyze the situation too closely. Things were good, professionally and personally, and she wanted to keep it that way.
She’d been in town almost six weeks already and had been at his place for nearly four. A few more and her work here would be done, then she’d go back to Texas. The thought made her sad and wistful, but determined to enjoy the time she had left. She had no excuse to stay longer.
Unless he asked her to stay. The idea had more appeal than she would have liked and about as much chance of happening as pigs flying.
She pushed the trailer door inward and held it with her shoulder while maneuvering herself inside. “Hi.”
Alex looked up from the work on his desk. “Hey. What’s going on?”
“The smoke detectors and fire alarms installation is on schedule and testing is projected for a couple days from now. If all goes well it should be ready for inspection. And the crew is going home for the day.”
> “Good.”
She looked more closely and noticed that his desk was overflowing with files and paper that looked out of proportion to the current job, especially since it was winding down.
“What are you working on?”
“Juggling,” he said ruefully.
She moved in front of him and leaned on the crutches to keep her weight off the healing leg. “You must be really good, because keeping three pieces of paper in the air is like trying to catch the wind.”
“Not literally.” He leaned back in his chair, but the tension was still plain in the tightness of his shoulders. “I’m looking at scenarios if the resort project becomes a reality. If my bid to be the contractor is accepted, I need to make sure I can supply the crews necessary to meet those deadlines along with the obligations I already have.”
“What else is going on?” She sat on a chair in front of his desk.
“I’ve got some land around the lake where I’m building custom homes. Just finished one for Ben.” He grinned. “Fortunately his fiancée loves it, too.”
“So this isn’t a tract?”
He shook his head. “Custom. Potential clients can pick out a site and buy the land, then hire their own architect to draw up plans. Then we build.”
“That sounds exciting.”
“Yeah.” His frown said something else altogether. “I have some of my own money invested, so there’s a personal and financial stake in this for me. And people who want a home don’t want to wait until a big undertaking like the resort is complete to get their house built.”
“I see what you mean. Hence, the juggling.”
He nodded. “I may have to recruit construction people from out of the area. Possibly from out of state, too. So I’m looking into how feasible it is.”
“Y’all have a lot riding on this. But what an adventure. Watching the town where you grew up making progress like that. And being lucky enough to participate in it.”
For the first time he smiled. “Yeah.”
“It just hit me that other than the town, the only part of Blackwater Lake I’ve seen is what’s around the marina.”
A tour of that body of water had been the last thing on her mind while he was taking a tour of her body on his boat.
Alex looked thoughtful. “Are we finished for the day?”
“The crew has probably left. I don’t have anything. Can’t speak for you.”
He reached into his top drawer and pulled out the truck keys. “Let’s go see the lake and I’ll give you the two-cent tour.”
“I’d love it.” And just the word tour made tingles dance down her spine.
Fifteen minutes later they were on the winding road circling the tree-covered mountain that overlooked Blackwater Lake. Alex pointed out where his property started and ended, an extraordinary parcel.
“The lots are already staked out and I’ve even sold a few. Some buyers are holding on to it as an investment, and others are looking for architects and anticipate starting construction after getting all their ducks in a row.”
Watching ducks paddling around on the lake’s surface, she smiled. “That’s an appropriate expression, what with this fantastic view of those cute little fowl treading water.”
“Are ducks fowl?” he asked.
“I’m sure they are, what with those feathers everywhere and various other functions they don’t bother to control.”
He rolled his eyes. “Very funny.”
“I try.” She looked at the water and sighed in wonder. “That is a breathtaking view.”
She stared out at the blue ripples of the lake, knowing it was a reflection of the cloudless sky above. The angle of the sun’s rays sparkled on the swells and turned them to diamonds. On the far side, towering, rugged mountains carved out a dark silhouette in the sky.
“Wow, simply amazing.” She glanced at the scenery they were passing, where homes would sit. “The exterior design of a structure is always important, but more so here.”
“Why?”
“First of all there has to be a lot of windows. Missing out on a view of the lake or mountains has got to be illegal in Montana.” Thoughtfully she tapped her lip. “You’d want to preserve as many trees as possible and make sure that any left are far enough from the structure that limbs wouldn’t damage it in a windstorm. Or snow.”
“Because the branches get heavy and could break.” He sounded a little surprised she would know that.
“Right,” she said, her mind still going a mile a minute. She pointed to the lot they were driving by. “I could see a mountain-lodge-type place there. Maybe with dormers. Depending on what view appeals to the client, the master bedroom could be in the front, on the lake. Or on the back, looking at the mountains. Decks on both sides, depending on which view they’re in the mood for.”
“That’s a good point.”
“And there.” She pointed at the next lot. “A stone front with wooden pillars. Imposing in a woodsy way. A sentinel where the lake narrows just there. Where you’d make a stand if defense was a priority.”
“I see what you mean.”
“Nothing too modern here,” she mused. “It would stand out like a bump on a pickle, and that shouldn’t be. Any building should blend, enhance, and this forest and lake have been here for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. It isn’t modern architecture friendly.”
“Wow.”
She glanced over, wondering if she should be embarrassed. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to blather on.”
“On the contrary. Blather away. I’m very impressed.”
She didn’t want to glow at his words, but just couldn’t help herself. “I’ll be sure to add blathering to the work history and skill set on my résumé.”
“That wasn’t a joke, Ellie. You have a flair for orientation and a good artistic eye that complements your innate common sense. I can visualize what you just said, and it’s exactly what I had in mind when I bought the land.”
His approval was balm to her battered and bruised confidence. How fun would it be to work with one of Alex’s buyers on a house design. Taking the thought a step further: how much fun it would be to work with him. The words were on the tip of her tongue but she held back.
She loved architecture, drawing up plans and watching a structure take shape from her ideas and vision. Her talent, or lack of it, wasn’t what had derailed her career. A bad personal choice was responsible for that. Personal decisions had no place in the business world, and she’d paid a high price for that lesson.
As long as she was sharing Alex’s bed, work decisions fell in the personal column, and she needed to remember that. Suddenly she felt a little nauseated. Probably from this winding road. Or the surge of creative ideas threatening to make her head implode. Either way her stomach wasn’t happy.
Her cell phone rang and she pulled it from her purse. Caller ID said Lincoln Hart. She looked over at Alex. “Sorry, I have to take this.”
She wasn’t sorry, and she didn’t really have to take it. She was relieved at the interruption. “Hi, Linc.”
“Hey, baby sister. How y’all doin’?”
“Good. You?”
“Calling for my daily update. So let the update commence.”
“I get this cast off in a couple of days.”
She felt more than saw Alex glance at her and wondered if that was a happy reminder for him. Would he be glad to get rid of her? Was he doing the internal dance of joy because she would be out of his hair soon? There was another weird feeling in her stomach that wasn’t nausea, but the pathetic hope that he wouldn’t be glad, that he would miss her. Because she knew she was going to miss him.
“Wish I could see you in a cast. Is it pink?”
“My favorite color. I could text you a picture, but there’s no way. Y’all would find a way to make me regret it.”
“It’s too easy, sis. You’re just very fertile ground for teasing.”
“Believe me, I’m trying to change that.”
Alex clear
ed his throat. “Do you need to stop anywhere before we head home?”
If there was a God in heaven, her brother had not just heard that. “So, what’s up there?”
“Nice try. Suellen Hart, is there a man with you?”
“Yes.” This didn’t have to be bad.
“Do you want to tell me about him?”
“Not really.”
“Please say this isn’t someone you work with,” her brother said.
“If only.”
“Ellie, is this the coworker who drove you to the hospital? The one you led me to believe was a she?”
“You’ve got that right.” She smiled brightly at Alex.
“I smell trouble. Do I need to come down there?”
“Of course not.” And that’s all she was going to say. “Gotta run, Linc. Love you.” She clicked off before he could say more, get her to say more and figure out Alex hadn’t just taken care of her, but she’d been living with him.
Getting back to her own place couldn’t happen soon enough to suit her. The longer she spent under Alex’s roof, the worse it would be when she left. Just minutes ago she’d come close to wishing for more even though she knew it was a pipe dream. How could she forget he’d spelled out the rules in advance. His boat was named Independence, for goodness’ sake.
If she got hurt, there’d be no putting it on him. It wasn’t as if he’d lied, or promised or hadn’t warned her. No, this time she would have no one to blame but herself.
* * *
Alex was off somewhere checking on one of his crews while Ellie held down the fort. At the Mercy Medical Clinic project, the plumbing, electrical and specialty preparation for medical equipment was completed and inspected, and the rest of the work would go pretty fast.
Being in the construction trailer by herself was both good and bad. She liked having Alex in the same room when they worked or talked, laughed and teased. But he’d looked weird when she’d said how easy it would be to get used to the beauty and serenity of Montana. The weirdness had continued today. He’d been standoffish and kept his distance since the night of the lovely dinner outside and even more so after showing her his property around the lake.
If a rewind-and-delete were possible, she would take back the words that were making him jumpy. Now he was acting as if she’d proposed they live together permanently. Or declared her love. She knew better than that. She’d helped write the rules of the fling.
Harlequin Special Edition July 2013 - Bundle 1 of 2: Marooned with the MaverickHer McKnight in Shining ArmorCelebration's Bride Page 30
